Job title Architect, founder of HOKO Design and judge for Scotland’s Home of the Year 2023.

What first attracted you to architecture? I was always quite creative and there was only really one subject at school I felt I had any aptitude for and that was graphic design.

Like a lot of young people do, I asked my parents what I should do and my mum suggested architecture.

Danny Campbell at home. Image: Elaine Livingstone

Where did you study? I studied at Glasgow School of Art and graduated in 2012 and then went to De Montfort University, in Leicester, where I completed a masters in 2015.

I gradually fell in love with the subject. I didn’t really fully appreciate what it would be throughout university but I found my own little niche.

Where was your first architecture-based job? I have never worked for another architecture firm but I have worked at a variety of different types of consultancies. I was an architectural designer at a zoo, and I worked for a house builder.

Establishing HOKO Design was my big step into architecture.

A victorian townhouse in Maryhill, Glasgow.

When did you set up HOKO Design and why? I took a year out to travel then set up HOKO Design in 2016.

It was going to be a piecemeal variety of things, a bit of graphic design and some artwork but I found my first extension project. That is when I latched on to this colossal opportunity of home renovations.

What kind of projects do you specialise in? Small projects are, from an architect’s perspective, really the biggest projects for the general public.

It is all about making changes to our clients’ own homes and it is important to them because it is their hard-earned money and a huge emotional investment. I have really dedicated myself to that.

We have bucked against the status quo in that we have grown really quickly and rather than take on big projects, we try to get better at the small ones which makes us so unique.

Are there any memorable projects you have worked on? We must be at nearly 1,000 projects in the last three years but there are definitely some that stand out, not necessarily because of the designs but the people.

We really connect with our clients and build strong relationships. There was a project we did in Maryhill with the owner of The Engine Works events’ venue. He renovated this whole Victorian townhouse and there were so many quirks and clever bits of design that made the most of the space. It was all built around making a creative space.

It is nice to feel that you have touched someone’s life and helped build something they are really going to enjoy.

How is the market? A lot of people are coming to us saying they planned to move but find that they can release money out of their mortgage more easily than obtaining a new one. So the whole "don’t move, improve” phenomenon is really going strong.

People are now really savvy about how they can invest in their homes and do something creative.

Some people move for work, for example, but a lot of people are settled, have friends nearby, or children at school and they want their dream home.

The best way to get that is to improve where you already are; the opportunities there are endless if you have the right people involved.

What trends are you seeing? People are pushing for better entertaining spaces, so bigger dining areas and areas that are better connected through rest and social space.

Often people need an extra bedroom for a child, guest or for future-proofing their home.

Normally people would add that onto the outside, but we are finding people are pushing their social space further into the garden and connecting them with home offices.

You are joining the judging panel for the sixth Scotland’s Home of the Year series. How did that happen and have you done anything similar before? I haven’t done anything like this before. I think it was a perfect storm as I have been at full speed at HOKO for the past four years and we have reached a point where the business is running really smoothly.

We take projects all the way through from start to finish which works really well and I found myself wondering about my own next step in my career when I was approached by the production team.

It was an architect who had worked with us but moved into media and I think she recommended me. I went to a casting day and managed to secure the job.

What are you most looking forward to about this year’s competition?We are right into the filming process now but it has been incredible to see the homes. It has been really inspiring from a design perspective to see how creative people are, the renovations and the care and attention put into their homes.

It has really forced me to think about how I analyse what is a successful home. What I am looking for is what makes the architectural stance different. Co-judges Banjo Beale and Anna Campbell-Jones are interior designers, so I need to look at things from my own angle and that is something I hope to bring to the show which makes it a bit different.

What advice would you give to anyone setting up a business?It is very easy to find opportunities but unless they align with the north star that you are shooting towards, they will be a distraction. No matter what skills you have, decide upon your purpose and the problem you are solving and you won’t go too far off the path.

Interview: judge of Scotland’s Home of the Year Danny Campbell