Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Hobbies and Interests
Volunteer Experience
References
Timeline
Generic

Jennifer Barnes

Surrey,BC, Canada

Summary

I am an ambitious designer, hugely passionate about interior design, organizing, life at home details, creating functional and market-relevant solutions in-store, and in my personal life as well.

I have a 25-year long career at IKEA. For the past 10 years, I have been the Interior Design Leader at IKEA Richmond. The 8 years before that, I was an interior designer at Richmond.

Went to school for Interior Design at BCIT and got my Management Certificate in 2006.

I am a great communicator, a team player, and I am someone who is capable of managing changes - big and small. I am fast-paced and effectively execute projects.

Overview

27
27
years of professional experience

Work History

Interior Design Leader

IKEA Richmond
01.2015 - Current
  • Lead and manage a team of three interior designers at IKEA Richmond.
  • Responsible for creating and maintaining inspiring, surprising, and market-relevant life-at-home solutions in 43 room settings, 2 homes, 29 vignettes, IKEA Food 450-seat restaurant, Bistro, and breakroom, along with the store's sales support areas inside our 32,300 m2 store.
  • Ensure on-time and cost-effective completion of projects, resulting in impactful and inspiring customer experiences.
  • Use the Working Method to collaborate with Sales and S3 partners to create or change media, complete larger projects, remodels, implement launches, and support events and promotions using the CAMP tool and commercial calendar while contributing to our store's business plan goals.
  • Use leadership skills and home furnishing expertise to lead my team in creating affordable and functional solutions that are on-trend, market, and seasonally relevant, and that inspire customers to make buying decisions.
  • Utilize Common Retail Solutions, Launch packages, Layout as a Commercial Tool principles, Long-Term Home Furnishing Priorities, the FIXA tool, Affordability packages, and Graphic packages (and many more tools, strategies, and guidelines) to support the creation of strong media that reinforce the IKEA brand and our Swedish culture.
  • Present the range using the Home Furnishing Cluster media and create a balanced mix (based on our market knowledge) of Style Expressions, LTHFPs, Living Situations, price levels, Lifestyles, dwelling type, light levels, etc. All recorded on an overview matrix.
  • Expert in Life at Home in the Richmond market. Have a current and comprehensive understanding of local market trends in home furnishings, consumer lifestyle habits, living situations, and insights into everyday life at home to aid my team in developing fresh and inspiring solutions. Maintain our Life at Home Report. Educate sales partners about our market to support them in steering their four aces and king.
  • Contribute and support IKEA Richmond in achieving a green score in the most recent Concept Review. Work with Sales and S3 partners to achieve a passing score for our re-review of the new format Commercial Reviews for all functions in the store.
  • Facilitate home visits and surveys to keep our market knowledge current.
  • Alongside IKEA Food partners, I lead my team in planning, setting up, and taking down customer events in our restaurant, Julbord, for example.
  • Coach and train my team as needed. Change manages the ongoing transition from AutoCAD to Revit.
  • Led the planning and successful implementation of the 16 vignettes in the Bathshop Market Hall remodel. Along with many past projects.

Interior Designer

IKEA Richmond
01.2007 - 12.2014
  • Supported the Richmond store in creating and maintaining inspiring, surprising, market-relevant, functional, beautiful, affordable, commercial solutions that contribute to positioning the brand as the leader in life at home.
  • Contributed to the store's business plan goals.
  • Supported the overview matrix to reflect a wide variety of styles, living situations, price levels, etc.
  • Contributed to review readiness.
  • Fulfilled the Interior Design Co-worker competency profile.
  • January 2013 - Montreal store remodel, 2 weeks. Led the implementation of the offices, meeting rooms, and supported in the Swedish Restaurant.
  • October 2012 - Winnipeg store build-up, 2 weeks. Led the implementation of the bedroom room sets, worked with a group of interior designers.
  • March 2012 - Richmond store build-up, 8 weeks. Led the implementation of the bedroom room sets.
  • February 2012 - Richmond store build-up, 4 weeks. Implemented the design packages for the non-selling areas.
  • December 2011 - Richmond store build-up, 12 weeks. Prepped all of the carpentry and millwork orders to be used by the trades. Ordered supplies. Organized some of the trades to hire.
  • August 2011 - Central Planning, Richmond store, 10 weeks. Worked at Central Planning in Burlington, collaborated with other functions, planned the new Richmond store's 11-bedroom room sets. Supported taking responsibility for the master AutoCAD drawings and making edits as needed for the whole store plan.
  • March 2010 - Milton Keynes store, UK, 5 weeks. Supported the Interior Design team at the Milton Keynes, prepped the store for a visit from Ingvar Kampbrad. Spent 3 invaluable hours touring the store, listening to his thoughts and insights. One of my career highlights!
  • September 2009 - Etobicoke store showroom remodel, 3 weeks. Contributed to remodeling their showroom, focusing on the bedroom and office room sets.
  • March 2009 - Cardiff store, Wales, Kitchen Remodel, 10 weeks. Worked with the Interior Design Team in the Cardiff store, contributed to a full kitchen remodel. Supported in the room sets, studio, and compact.

Greenroom and Activities Department - Sales

IKEA Richmond
08.2000 - 01.2007
  • Part-time role. Greenroom and Activities were the same department, supported both. Maintain MH shop floor, support replenishment routines, manage News/EDs. Created and maintained add-on sales locations, seasonal activities shops, and displays; built routines; maintained basic actions; planned; and set up seasonal shops; trained/on-boarded new hires.
  • Contributed to the Sustainability committee from 2006 to 2011. Created and implemented solutions to make our store more environmentally responsible. Things like implementing recycling systems and taking action on our day-to-day routines.

Cash Support/Runner/Market Hall

IKEA Richmond
01.1998 - 08.1999
  • Part-time role, casual. Supported the store seasonally while in high school. Basic actions, BTS, bagging at the tills, folding yellow bags, returns stickering, prep for replenishment and maintain displays. Support and active sell in Cookshop and all Markethall departments.

Education

Interior Design Management Certificate -

B.C.I.T. Burnaby, B.C.
03.2006

High School -

The American School in London
London, England
06.2000

Skills

  • Strong leadership, management and team building skills, clear vision
  • Situational Leadership
  • Proficient in implementing change, change management tools, value building
  • Fast paced
  • Highly motivated and task oriented
  • Self Driven
  • Team player
  • Training and mentoring, build up my team's competence and skills
  • Fantastic communication with people, great listener, absorbs information
  • Great memory
  • Collaborates cross functionally
  • IKEA culture and value driven "Renew and improve" - my fave
  • Creates trusting work environments
  • Strong organizational and prioritization skills
  • Keen multitasker, and process improver
  • Solution and goal oriented
  • On-time executions
  • High attention to detail
  • Project planning management, phasing plans, timelines
  • Complex Problem-Solving
  • Microsoft Office
  • Proficient in AutoCAD
  • Getting there with Revit
  • Concept green store
  • Pilot for new style Present and Sell - Main Topic Review in Canada last Fall
  • Work Method for Presenting the Range
  • Range Presentation and Display Techniques
  • Life at home expert Market relevant solutions
  • Color theory
  • Style Expressions
  • Balanced overview matrix - LTHFP etc
  • LAACT, Style Expressions
  • Furnish with Light

Hobbies and Interests

  • Photography both digital and manual
  • Sewing, knitting, and creating handmade cards
  • Home renovations small and large: plumbing, electrical and carpentry
  • Snowboarding, hiking, camping, swimming, exploring, biking
  • Travelling the world and our own backyard
  • Spending time with family and friends
  • Improving myself

Volunteer Experience

The Green Ideas Network, 10/01/06, 10/01/09, Community based non-profit Environment Group based in Burnaby B.C. intent on improving our environment in any capacity. Helped plan community events and worked within the Burnaby and Surrey communities to raise awareness on many issues.

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Interior Design Leader

IKEA Richmond
01.2015 - Current

Interior Designer

IKEA Richmond
01.2007 - 12.2014

Greenroom and Activities Department - Sales

IKEA Richmond
08.2000 - 01.2007

Cash Support/Runner/Market Hall

IKEA Richmond
01.1998 - 08.1999

Interior Design Management Certificate -

B.C.I.T. Burnaby, B.C.

High School -

The American School in London

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