Tom Millin

Co-Founder & Director

Tom co-founded Fluent Architectural Design Services with his brother Neville in 2014 and has spent the last 12 years working directly with homeowners, developers and property professionals across residential projects.

His role has always been heavily client-focused, from those first conversations around the kitchen table through to advising on planning, design, Building Regulations and the practicalities of getting a project built. Over the years, Tom has visited around 4,000 properties and advised on hundreds of residential projects, from extensions and loft conversions to new-build homes and larger residential developments.

One of Tom’s strengths is being able to look at a project from both a design and practical perspective. He particularly enjoys the early stages – understanding what a client wants to achieve, looking at what their property could offer and working out how to make the most of the space available.

He also takes a keen interest in the commercial side of projects. For Tom, good design needs to make sense in the real world. That means considering whether an idea is financially viable, helping clients understand likely build costs and making sure the designs being developed are realistic to construct.

What he enjoys most about Fluent is seeing a project evolve from an initial idea into a finished home that genuinely changes how a family lives. He is also proud that Fluent has grown into a team capable of supporting clients through so much of the process under one roof, rather than simply producing drawings and leaving them to work out what happens next.

One project that stands out to Tom is a community project in Stanwell. It was particularly personal because his parents were involved in helping establish the original project, and his mum continues to volunteer at the food bank five days a week. The site also has a very personal significance for Tom’s family, as it was where his dad suffered a heart attack and, thanks to the quick thinking of the people there, survived.

For Tom, the project brought together many of the things he enjoys most about his work,  design, planning strategy and commercial thinking, alongside the opportunity to create something with a long-term purpose for a community and thousands of people who benefit from it each year.

Away from Fluent, Tom’s life is largely centred around his fiancée and their two young children, who keep him very busy. He has apparently also developed two highly specialised parental skills: making excellent dens and doubling up as a very effective human climbing frame. His children, of course, are yet to leave him a five-star review.