THINKER | DOER

Who am I?

A Creative Director with extensive experience in design and project management

I’m a Creative Director and Co-Founder with over two decades of experience shaping interiors, retail environments, and design-build projects across the South West. My career has been built on bringing ideas to life — from concept sketches to fully realised spaces — that marry thoughtful design with commercial performance.

As a Co-Founder of a Bristol-based design-build studio, I led over 500 bespoke interior and kitchen projects, designed and opened two showrooms, and built a multidisciplinary team that thrived on creativity, collaboration, and care for detail. I established supplier partnerships, managed full P&L responsibility, and developed systems that improved efficiency, profitability, and client satisfaction.

At the heart of my work is a belief in craftsmanship, clarity, and people — building teams and spaces that perform beautifully. I lead through mentorship and structure, helping designers and makers do their best work while ensuring each project reflects both aesthetic intent and operational precision.

With a background in Furniture Design & Making from the University of Manchester, I bring a maker’s mindset and a director’s vision. Today, I’m focused on applying that blend of design, strategy, and leadership within a forward-thinking organisation that values quality, innovation, and integrity — whether that’s in retail, interiors, or the wider built environment.

Core Skills

Design and Delivery

• Kitchen & interior design

• Spatial planning

• Furniture design & manufacturing

• CAD / 3D visualisation

• Project management

Leadership & Operations

• Business strategy

• Team leadership

• Workflow design

• P&L ownership

• Supplier negotiation

• Process improvement

• Sales management

• Customer experience design

• Brand development

• Account management

• Budgeting & forecasting

Client & Commercial

Experience

Over the past decade, I have played a pivotal role in transforming a modest family-owned firm into one of Bristol’s most respected design and build companies. I joined as a designer with a background in Furniture Design & Manufacturing and helped to evolve the business into a customer-focused studio renowned for craftsmanship, operational excellence, and design innovation.

I've been instrumental in establishing and managing our retail Kitchen Studio — sourcing and negotiating with leading suppliers of kitchens, appliances, and materials, and designing an engaging customer experience that improved sales performance and strengthened our reputation. Working closely with clients and installation teams, I ensured every project reflected our commitment to quality, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction.

Beyond design, I developed and maintained the company’s internal systems and data infrastructure, integrating digital workflows that connected design, sales, and installation teams. These tools streamlined communication, reduced project lead times, and improved profitability across departments.

As the business matured, my focus shifted to refining our sales strategy, mentoring emerging designers, and embedding a culture of accountability, collaboration, and inclusion. I remain actively involved in shaping company direction, supporting staff development, and aligning creative and commercial goals to deliver consistent growth.

www.createyournest.co.uk

2014 - Present

Co-Founder & Creative Director

Nest Design And Build LTD

Cheshire Furniture Company

Designer - Various Roles

2008 - 2014

A small family based firm based on the outskirts of Chester, consisting of a dedicated team of architectural designers, interior designers and bespoke cabinet makers.

Roles within the business included

Interior Design
Plan, design, and furnish interior environments of residential properties. Confer with client to determine architectural preferences, purpose and function of environment, budget, types of construction, equipment to be installed, and other factors which affect planning interior environments. Integrate findings with knowledge of interior design. Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and utilization of furnishings and equipment, color schemes, and color coordination. Renders design ideas in form of 3d models and illustrations to present design to client for approval.

Marketing
Illustration, photography, and typography to prepare advertisement layouts for publication. Determine arrangement of art work and photographs and selects style and size of type, considering factors such as size of advertisement, design, layout, sketches, and method or printing specified. Submit copy and typography instructions to printing firm or department for typesetting.
Design and construction of basic functional company website, including analytics and search engine optimisation.

www.andyvale.com

Affinity Gardens

Head of Design and Landscaping

2005 - 2008

Whilst working for Affinity Gardens I was responsible for the hard landscape design and construction. I developed knowledge of materials and products to satisfy a relationship between the landscape and the surrounding architecture using various skills including brickwork, decking, paving, drainage and turfing amongst others. I would work closely with client and the soft landscape team to create functional aesthetic gardens.

Get In Touch

Contact me for collaborations and inquiries.