Our Team
phil tindall
Phil's journey into commercial interior design began with his training as a furniture maker and joiner, which lends a practical perspective to his design approach. After receiving further training in interior architecture, he quickly established himself as a leading figure in the industry and went on to win several awards. In 2003, Phil founded Lucid in Christchurch, New Zealand, with the aim of delivering versatile, market-focused design to businesses looking to create memorable experiences for their customers.
With over 30 years of experience, Phil's passion for design extends far beyond interiors, and his portfolio includes examples of furniture, product design, and architecture. His comprehensive understanding of design and the importance of communication between clients, designers, and various trades has allowed him to build strong relationships with his project team, resulting in consistent, high-quality outcomes that prioritize the client's needs.
In his free time, when he is not busy fixing something around his family's homes, Phil enjoys cooking extravagant meals for them. Phil's appreciation for good food influences his ability to create a beautiful experience and atmosphere in hospitality settings.
Senior Designer 30 Years Experience
Licensed Building Practitioner-Design (LBP)
Nina Romain
Hailing from the city of lights, Paris, Nina brings her French flair and design expertise to New Zealand.
With a DIPLÔME D'ÉTAT D'ARCHITECTE (Masters of Architecture) from Ecole National Superieure d’Architecture de Bretagne and five years of experience working with top Parisian agencies like Archee, Seura, Weissber + Lacombe, Nina has honed her skills in the world of architecture.
When she's not busy designing and transforming spaces, Nina dedicates her time to volunteering for the Dog Watch Sanctuary Trust, a cause that is near and dear to her heart. Her well-trained companion, Finnegan, is a testament to her understanding of a dog's needs and her dedication to animal welfare.
And when she's not working or volunteering, Nina can be found indulging in her other passions, including crafting, playing board games and puzzles, and exploring the breath-taking scenery of the South Island with Finnegan by her side
DEEA, DEA
Celeste Tindall
Celeste is not only a recent Masters graduate from Victoria University of Wellington School of Architecture, but also a creative, efficient, and empathetic designer who understands her clients' needs and desires and has the ability to interpret and bring their visions to life. She was raised with a keen eye for design and aesthetics, observing her dad's expertise in commercial design from a young age. Inspired by his passion for the industry, Celeste followed in his footsteps and joined the family business, eager to expand its horizons.
During her five summers working on various projects for Lucid, Celeste honed her skills and developed a deep understanding of what it takes to deliver successful projects. Having completed her studies in early 2022, she now joins us full time. Her creative flair and efficiency make her an invaluable asset to the team.
In her free time, she enjoys pursuing her many hobbies, including crafting, DIY projects, painting, cooking, and embroidery, which keep her creative juices flowing and inspire her work.
BAS, MArch [Prof]
Fargo
Fargo is our in-house morale booster. A total goofball with a mind of his own, Fargo will often pop in to the office to park up in our laps for neck scratches and a fuss before going about his day. Fargo is a cheeky Whippet who loves chasing his ball at lightning speed and opening doors for him and his brother to get into mischief.
Fox
Fox is the baby of the studio and will often come in for snuggles or a nap in the sun. He’s always happy to see everyone and is always greeted enthusiastically by our team. Foxy is an affectionate Whippet whose tail is always wagging, he loves playing with Fargo and people watching.
Finnegan
Finnegan is Nina’s rescue fur baby and Fox & Fargo’s best bud. He will occasionally visit the studio and when he does, there are always plenty of laughs as he goofs about with the whippets. Finn is a very well behaved American Staffy who loves tug, cuddles and sleep-ins.
-
Lucid Commercial Design is a full service design company specialising in (but not limited to) commercial interior design. Founder Phil Tindall started the company, based in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2003. In 2022 the business expanded to include Phil’s daughter Celeste, and daughter-in-law, Nina. Collectively we have over four decades of experience in retail, hospitality + commercial interior design behind us. Lucid is a vehicle to deliver our vision of market-focused appropriate design to businesses that need to give their customers a memorable experience. Our passion for design goes beyond interiors and Lucid's catalogue includes many examples of furniture, product design and architecture. With many years of experience in the design field we have been fortunate to work in retail, salon, clinic + pharmacy, kiosk, office, bar, café + restaurant interiors, product, furniture, residential architecture, kitchen + joinery design.
-
Lucid means to think and speak with clarity. It means easily understood, intelligible.
Design communicates, design speaks. Nowhere is this more vital than when it speaks for your business.
Good design is LUCID. It speaks clearly in a language that your market, your customers understand. Good design understands who your customers are and communicates your values, your uniqueness and why they should choose your business or product over the competition. Every way in which a customer interacts with your business should be considered and consistent, reinforcing your brand as a positive experience.
-
While it is good to be aware of fashion it is not enough to slavishly follow it. Lucid offers versatile design with solutions unique to your business and your market. Appropriate design won't see you looking like a clone of your competition. Give your customers a reason for noticing and selecting you ahead of your competition. Be prepared to stand out.
-
In a nutshell, return on your capital investment. We aim to get your business and product noticed by your target customers. This is achieved through innovative design that is appropriate to your particular needs, strong documentation that clearly communicates the desired result to the construction team and follow-through to ensure a quality result.
"We look at design as a problem-solving exercise," says Phil, "And solutions are inevitably found in fully understanding a client's needs and what motivates their market. Formulating the best possible brief is crucial to this, so that we can know exactly what issues they need addressed, and precisely the benefits they are looking for.
Then we think as laterally as possible to develop a solution, which works on multiple-levels. It must be practical, flexible, inviting, cost effective, evocative of the brand, distinctive and exciting …a complete combination of function and aesthetics. At the end of the day, design is an investment in your business, which you should expect a return from. The feedback we get from our clients shows that we are achieving this for them.”
-
"Phil and Lucid have been amazing to work with, right from the start Phils communication was very clear and made the whole process from start to finish run smoothly. We had a very small space to work with and only gave Phil a rough concept plan to go off but the design he produced was so much better than we could've imagined! …Phil couldn't have made it a better and easier experience!" - Rated 5/5 for workmanship, cost, schedule & communication
- Matt Mclellan
Container House, Alexandra“Phil was very professional, communication and his suggestions towards the floor plan which I really appreciated. The costing of the plan was very fair and honest. Thank you very much to Phil and his team at Lucid Commercial Design. Highly recommended.” - Rated 5/5 for workmanship, cost, schedule & communication
- Tony Atony
Private Home, Niue“Great design team to work alongside. Clear and continual communication throughout the projects. Would highly recommend.”
- Clayton Mitchell - Director & Project Manager
Canterbury Builders Ltd"Thanks Phil. You've provided us fantastic value and have made my job VERY EASY!!"
- Ian Walsh
CEO Property Brokers“Out of my various experiences , this was probably the most satisfying one. The owner of Lucid Design is a world class professional. He delivered quality work at a very competitive price. He was originally concerned (as all designers are) about the number of changes I will require, but once I explained to him my ideas, he came up with a concept that was 95% ready. I could not have possibly put my own ideas on paper the way he did. He knows the subject extremely well, and was able to advise me on some aspects that were new to me. The job was done in a timely fashion. Upon my request, he made small changes already after the job was paid for in full. Will definitely use again. Thanks.”
- Simeon Khazin
Anya Jewellery“We are so pleased with Phil’s design for The Reading Bug. His professionalism stood out from the moment we received a thorough timeline breakdown, right through to the completion of our project, on time! He was more than happy to accommodate our (sometimes changing) design needs.
Most importantly, for us, his design is outstanding and this is reflected in how well the shop floor works, continued feedback from our customers, and the attention our store has attracted.”
- Fleur and John Fanselow
The Reading Bug“We soon realised that we were very fortunate to have chosen Phil for this job. He has a good creative eye, but also understands the customers' needs. We virtually accepted all of his recommendations in terms of his design and layout, and are very pleased with the results. His ability to project plan and ensure deadlines were met within budget was impressive.
He liaised with the developers, suppliers and trades people in a calm, considered and professional manner which instilled confidence in all parties. We would certainly utilise Phil's services again if the need arose, and would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending his services to anyone.”
- Duncan Mackenzie - Energy Projects Manager
Solid Energy NZ Ltd“I am very pleased with the end result. The shop works very well, even when we have 4 or 5 customers at a time. It is a really nice shop to work in and I have had a lot of favourable feedback from customers.
Sales are going well and we are ahead of our budget at this time. Thank you for all the thought and hard work you have put in to achieve such a great shop”
- Judy Andrews
In Step“We certainly appreciated the way you were so easy to work with. Believe me; if we ever decide to expand further you will be top of our list to work with again. We get constant feedback from regular customers and staff that it looks great!
Again, thank you.”
- Mike Turner + Shelley Musgrove
Trendez“I found Phil to be incredibly understanding of our needs from the very first meeting and he delivered on his promises throughout the project. He held our hand through the entire process of developing a new concept retail shop with an in-store café .We were very green and needed the highly professional touch that Phil contributed. Our business won a National and International award for the concept, branding and general innovative designs that were created both in-store and externally.”
- Alan Butts
Founder of G4M“In design circles they say that "form follows function". If you’re busy focussed on your business and wanting the design work done for your project on time, consistent with solid design principles and with creative flare I suggest that your project follows Lucid Design. I have worked with Phil on a number of projects and each time he has delivered big time.”
- Guy Pope-Mayell - Director
Cookie Time Limited / eTime Limited“Euphoria has now built three stores using Phil’s design, two under his new company; Lucid. We have stuck with him because of his commitment to us as clients, his attention to detail and his user-friendly approach. He listened to what we wanted to achieve with our new outlets and delivered a great looking design that was practical to build and performs well in the field. I would not hesitate to recommend Lucid Design to anyone in need of a top class design service.”
- Mark Gardner - Partner
Euphoria -