AkzoNobel is one of the biggest Decorative Coating companies in the world, with a rich history. Our brand, Dulux, began its origins way back in 1919. At the end of the First World War a long-established firm of varnish makers called Naylor Brothers extended its activities into paint production and moved out of central London to set up a factory in Slough on a 30 acre site.
Jumping forward to 1931 the first ‘Dulux’ alkyd-based synthetic finish was produced, based on a new formulation and the brand name ‘Dulux’ was established (a combination of ‘Durable’ and ‘Luxury’).
In 2021, we proudly celebrated our 90th birthday!
Drawing on 90yrs of experience, we help provide the tools Interior Designers require to support them in completing their projects. Distilling how colours and other materials work together, we understand that colour, in isolation, is only one part of the story. We work with the Interior Designer to carefully curate a palette of colours which tells a story, creates a desired outcome, and unlocks the potential of their project.
Our Commercial Colour Consultants are experienced in working with Contractors, Specifiers and end users. Using insights gained from these relationships, and a wealth or colour experience, our Commercial Colour Consultants can support Interior designers with their projects, across a range of sectors and working environments.
Paint has the power to pull the final design together, marrying up all elements of a space or aid as a backdrop for other elements to take centre stage. We can help you to win client confidence and underline your professionalism with brave design transformations and achieve comfortable yet functional spaces that surpass expectations.
Working with our Commercial Colour Services team ensures that your final design serves not only to provide a beautiful place to live or work but can promote better outcomes for the people using the space, as well as helping you to deliver on the organisation’s wellbeing and sustainability goals too.
There is a vast array of building specification requirements to also be aware of and each space presents its own challenges and requirements in terms of design. Our team of expert colour consultants are on hand to support Interior Designers to meet those challenges. We support Interior Designers to deliver colour designs that optimise commercial spaces efficiently and support the occupants’ needs. We guide you through our colours & colour coding system to ensure best choice of paint colour to work with your design.
Clients are looking for more and more ways to improve people’s lives. Delivering better living and working outcomes is now an everyday expectation for building owners. The effective use of colour in a building can markedly improve how occupants feel in that building. Whether the goal is to improve wayfinding in hospitals, support the visually impaired in a care home, or create a calming space conductive to learning in schools, great colour schemes can help enhance building design.
Questions answered by Martha Dunican, Commercial Colour Services Operations Manager, Dulux.
About Dulux Trade, AkzoNobel
Dulux is the UK’s leading paint brand, with a wealth of products and services designed to help you find the colours that will suit your project, and give you the expert knowledge you’ll need to achieve great results.
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In an increasingly competitive post-COVID, more financially cautious Interior Design market, it is important more than ever to have a USP that sets your business out from the crowd, and creates more opportunities to gain contracts based on something offered that is greater than a simulacrum of the previous project. The increasing reliance on fully bespoke work or ranges designed either for commercial roll-out or for a specific project is becoming well-trodden. Clients are increasingly knowledgeable but also demanding in terms of the quality-to-cost ratio, which as we all know can really start to eat into margins. While manufacturing in the far East or more obscure parts of Europe can certainly help to protect the profits, there is also another way, certainly not as frequently used as it might be.
Eco-friendly, Green, Renewable, Socially conscious – these are all phrases that more and more come into the planning of a build or a fit-out, and the environmentally astute designer will understand that many clients will be now building this into their considerations (though by no means all of them – to whom these concepts would be entirely alien..). One of the easiest and quickest fixes to this is to use antique, classic design, vintage and “retro” furnishings, underlining your green credentials but also opening up a world of other opportunities and ultimately, greater profitability. After all, no new materials are being used or manufactured, and items that already exist are being re-employed, repurposed and in many examples, aesthetically reconsidered and reaccommodated.
While the phraseology and terminology surrounding this concept can often sound trite and a marketing nightmare (“upcycled”, “preloved”, “retrostyle”) it is just the other side of a coin that has on the obverse “fine art”, “design” and “antique”. With over 30 years dealing in both new and old furniture and art, I would postulate that in general the quality of manufacture in particular of older furniture and design objects is considerably higher than that of today. As an additional bonus, many things were made in small or even unique numbers – equivalent to the dream phrase “Limited Edition” that is a gilt-edged chance to increase sales.
The very best classic design and antique pieces carry unique possibilities to the curious and canny Interior Designer – the layer of intangible “softness” that comes from years of patina on wood or glass for example, is almost impossible to reproduce with newer items. Who can resist a pier mirror of old mercury glass compared to a harsh modern example – it’s even more flattering in soft lighting. Finding and placing quirky, unusual or unique items opens up a world of choices, as well as adding a story to each individual item, at the higher end of the market, even remarkable provenance on occasion. These are the kind of objects that invite conversation, not just act as a backdrop or support.
With the rise of identikit interiors with a restricted palette and furniture and accessories that seem to disappear into the background, the bold and individualistic client will revel in this concept of “uniqueness” and this is most certainly a selling point for certain types of customer. The well-curated interior will speak of the owner’s intelligence, taste (if such a thing exists) and idiosyncratic approach. More often than not though, they will need some assistance with this, or certainly a collegiate approach.
Best of all for the canny client though, is the huge investment potential for their interior choices to become a sure-fire investment. The area of Fine Art is well covered and well-evidenced, but increasingly, Design and Decorative Arts are becoming (or already are!) a rich seam of capital gain. A case in point for example is the famous Jean Prouvé Chaise “Tout Bois”- a set of four in 2019 sold at Christie’s for 23,750 Euro, but in 2021 a similar set sold for 50,000 Euro – doubling the value in only two years. The joy of investments like this is that the individual items carry great value but lend themselves collectively to creating stunning and meaningful interiors.
Many Designers are cautious about introducing these elements into their schemes as they often lack the knowledge or confidence to utilise items from eras unfamiliar to them or are unsure of the market. I don’t believe that they are not employed simply because they are inappropriate. The subject is large and potentially complex, and it is absolutely possible to make errors. However, perhaps the biggest problem of all is knowing where to find these items and at the right price for the business and the client.
I would argue that there is actually huge potential to make greater margins or certainly to protect margins, by introducing a higher percentage of such items into a project, whether it is residential or hospitality. The integration of reclaimed or salvaged architectural elements is seen frequently in hospitality, and many of the very best projects in Europe and the USA at the highest level of residential are populated with exceptional examples of classic design – it must be impossible to move in California now without bumping into a Corbusier Chandigargh chair (original of course!!).
It is possible to create large margins with informed and intelligent purchasing, while also offering the client the possibility of a return on investment, something that is impossible with a bespoke site-specific sofa for example. Older pieces can even be bespoked of course, through reupholstery, readjustment and gentle intervention. Clients will be aware of the market prices of brand new standard items but won’t necessarily know the price of classic design, and in certain instances may be pleasantly surprised. There are rich pickings in the market still for undiscovered gems and unappreciated designers to become household names. The value for instance of Eames, Wegner, Juul has all absolutely rocketed as they take their place in the Pantheon (or “Premier League”) of design stars, but there are plenty who are brilliant but considered “1st Division” It’s important to find new avenues for increasing profitability and a few well-sourced items will add character and interest to a project as well as increasing value to both the client and the business.
All images courtesy of Modernforms.
About Theo Mance Consultancy
Theo Mance was the antique buyer for Liberty and has 30 years of furniture experience in the UK industry with Interior Designers, Architects and Developers. Freelance with Roberto Cavalli Home Interiors in the UK, his consultancy offers investment advice & sourcing of antiques and Classic Design to Interior Designers.
Italian design is matchless, its inventiveness legendary. Signature and Tosca are the latest additions to premium bathroom retailer, C.P. Hart’s portfolio of exclusive furniture.
Sourced from inspirational makers in Tuscany, Italy and renowned for its high-quality and chic designs, Signature and Tosca are created for bathrooms of all sizes.
Carefully selected by C.P. Hart, Signature is a highly versatile range, making it the perfect storage solution for both large and small bathrooms. The collection of clean-lined and contemporary wall-hung vanity units and wall cabinets come in various shapes, allowing you to configure your bathroom furniture to optimise space.
The Signature range is crafted with exceptional attention to detail. Vanity drawers are internally painted in Anthracite Gray and come equipped with soft-close and push-pull mechanisms, accessible through recessed handles that are subtle yet practical, offering a comfortable and secure grip.
Cabinet tops and finishes are available in natural and timeless shades, including glossy and matt lacquers and wood finishes. A range of stunning marble stoneware tops with integrated basins or countertop ceramic basins are also included in the collection.
The Signature range offers a selection of sleek LED mirrors and towel holders to complement the furniture, all available to purchase from C.P. Hart.
The Tosca range, designed by Italian architectural designer Enzo Berti and hand-picked by C.P. Hart, breathes its classical heritage in a thoroughly contemporary way. The collection showcases a statement display of modular wall-hung and floor-standing vanity units, cabinets, and benches, available in various sizes allowing you to configure your optimal bathroom set-up.
The units feature simple, elegant lines enhanced by an Anthracite Grey frame and spacious, soft-close drawers. The front panels and tops can be crafted from wood or stone for a natural textured effect, or they can be lacquered or made of glass for a sophisticated feel. Please speak to a C.P. Hart sales consultant to discover the breadth of finishes available.
The Tosca range comes with washbasin options for maximum customisation, including blown glass countertop designs, integrated basins, undermounted or countertop solutions, and freestanding designs for an eye-catching and highly individual result.
“The use of age-old Tuscan materials, such as traditional terracotta, blown glass, and marble, introduces a timeless appeal to these collections, while the natural colour palette adds softness to minimalist design.” Yousef Mansuri, C.P. Hart director of design.
Signature and Tosca are currently displayed in C.P. Hart’s flagship Waterloo showroom.
Visit A C.P. Hart Showroom here.
About C.P. Hart
Leading bathroom retailer C.P. Hart has an outstanding reputation for the best in design and innovation, with products sourced from designers and manufacturers worldwide, many exclusive to C.P. Hart and unable to be purchased elsewhere. C.P. Hart has 16 showrooms across the UK, including its impressive flagship at London’s Waterloo.
Lorenzo Tondelli Collection have brought on stage six ambiences, retracing the history of the brand and integrating the first bestsellers mixed with the latest Hyperborea series.
The tour begins with Umami: the 100% customisable kitchen produced by Lorenzo Tondelli in every detail, from the cabinets to the handles and hinges, from the drawers storing cutlery and plates to the wine cellar for preserving refined wines. The leathers are stain and water-repellent and every aspect from aesthetics to the layout can be customised step by step with the customer.
We then proceed to the TV area. The screen is installed on the Argema console. Guests can sit comfortably on the curved Hula Hoop sofa upholstered in silk velvet, on the iconic Dune or on the Ulla rotating armchair.
The display continues with the living room dedicated to Kela: a family of bestselling seats consisting of sofa, chaise longue and armchair.
The scene is illuminated by the Carapace lamp, featuring a cast bronze reproduction of a tortoise shell. Next to the sofa the Ebe glass lamp stands with its sculptural dome.
The reading area is characterised by red silk boiserie and hosts a setting of pieces from the Hyperborea series including the Levare coffee table, the linear Hula Hoop sofa accompanied by its pouf, the Aura lamp that reproduces a chiaroscuro effect on the walls reminiscent of the aurora borealis. The specular bookcases, Alda, hold precious volumes.
In the study-office area we find the Pico desk, upholstered entirely in leather with legs in bronze in silver finishing. The top is equipped with a convenient socket compartment. A leather-upholstered drawer completes the desk. The chairs in the setting are Maua upholstered in orange leather in the version with and without armrests.
The conversation area is centred on the Nirmal sofa, here arranged in a corner version and equipped with a chaise longue and customised engraved bronze armrest. Nirmal is a modular sofa: the customer can compose the desired arrangement to suit the space.
“On the occasion of Design Week – explains brand CEO Lorenzo Tondelli – our aim was to allow visitors to immerse themselves and walk through the history of our Collection.
The idea was to show how our bestsellers created in the early years of the Collection and the ultimate Hyperborea series have a timeless taste and can be combined together in a fluid and elegant way.
One of our strengths is the work that has been done over the years to give aesthetic continuity to the products, eschewing passing fashions, and designing furniture that lasts in terms of quality and taste.”
About Lorenzo Tondelli
Since the early fifties, Lorenzo Tondelli have been makers at work. They adorn places where meeting, talking, learning, playing, working, and relaxing feels just sublime. At Lorenzo Tondelli they love to gather their fabrics, fantasy, and experience, and then let the inspiration lead them somewhere new. Every element they design has a unique storyline, combining culture, art, and tradition to create comfortable yet inspiring spaces.
Arteriors core collection of luxury furniture, lighting, wall décor and accessories incorporates products from a number of design aesthetics. A key trend that remains popular with interior designer customers for trade and residential projects alike is a tendency towards pieces that will help create and complement a monochrome scheme.
A timeless palette, monochrome décor palettes can highlight the art of duality, with each product created as a statement piece in its own right but with elements that allow it to co-exist and complement additional items within a room. This is a collection of items that are intended to work alongside one another and unify the space.
Bright white and pale cream tones pair with varying tones of greys and black as the core colour theme, where texture and tactility take centre stage – drawing the focus away from colour towards the materials used to create depth and interest in the room’s design. Tactile materials such as soft plush boucle, and luxurious velvets work particularly well to soften a monochrome space.
Visual interest can be added through the use of graphic, geometric lines whether seen in the design of Arteriors’ products or in additions such as wallpaper and rugs. By combining strong accents with soft, textured fabrics, marble detailing and rounded edges, a scheme can transform from feeling cold and stark to warm and inviting.
This collection from Arteriors creates a sense of understated glamour, with all focus placed on the expertise of design. The variety of items seamlessly blend in with one another and transcend seasonal trends layering perfectly into multiple settings and styles.
Arteriors’ exclusive collection is available to view online or at the UK showroom at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour.
About Arteriors
For over 30 years, Arteriors delivers impeccable style and artisanal quality craftsmanship within the lighting, furniture, wall décor and home accessory categories to discerning customers worldwide. This three-decade journey in pursuit of extraordinary product – from the understated to the unexpected – had been and remain at the core of what Arteriors do each day. Arteriors’ business has matured and expanded into a timeless lifestyle brand that has become premier resource for interior designers and retailers worldwide.
Today, Arteriors continues to reinterpret materials, forming objects of perfect proportions and scale, resulting in bold interiors that bring ease to everyday luxury.
The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, is the Kingdom’s largest and most established trade exhibition for the hotel and hospitality sector. The event was launched in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and is a must attend event for anyone buying products and services for Hotels, Restaurants, and Sports & Leisure Facilities.
The Show spans interior, F&B areas, hygiene, operating equipment & supplies, technology & security among other services.
The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia is committed to attracting the Kingdom’s leading buyers through a programme of events that educate, inspire and entertain. The 2022 event will include more educational content than ever before.
Register to attend
Middle East Design & Build Week is a new networking and sourcing platform for the construction and design industries. The event is co-located with Middle East Manufacturing & Technology Expo, providing opportunities for the construction and design professionals to explore solutions in the manufacturing and technology sector. The event is expected to attract over 200 exhibiting companies and 3000 visitors from the UAE and across the world in the first edition and around 10 international pavilions. It covers a number of key areas in a region which continues to invest heavily in new infrastructure development offering huge potential to key UK creative supply chain sub-sectors.
Middle East Design & Build Week will be an event offering opportunities for companies across the construction (architecture), interior design, hospitality, and commercial industries to showcase their expertise and products to influencers, key decision-makers and buyers from across the region. The show is organised in partnership with Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Key themes include: building envelope & specialist construction; building interiors & finishes; interior design & interior furnishings and fittings.
The UK Tradeshow Programme offers the industry support towards costs of affiliated events, available for both exhibitors and attendees.
The latest trend palette from the new collection at Arteriors is all about creating contemporary yet sublimely serene interiors. The key to this elegant décor scheme is incorporating an unpredictable combination of cool toned hues such as pale blues, marbled pastels and lighter jewel tones, and combine with striking modern silhouettes. A smattering of organic materials and shapes throughout will tie the décor together and provide a grounding effect.
To bring this luxurious look into residential or hospitality projects, integrate raw stone marble accents, jewel colours, sumptuous velvets and other luxurious materials to fashion the perfect foundation. Opt for accent details in glamorous golden finishes and brass – these are the perfect finishing touches for a scheme that is luxurious while still remaining warm and inviting.
Lighting should be extravagant: consider frosted glass detailing combined with ornate, intricate elements in both chandelier designs and sconces, and pair together to create an ambient glow through the home.
Intricate use of glass across lighting and accessories is inspired by the fluidity and the sleek reflections across a shimmering body of water. A balance between soothing and striking is created by using lithe hand-blown glass – organic in form and never-quite-perfect meaning each product is unique in its individual detailing.
Arteriors has embraced the perfection of imperfection and is striving to create an assortment of product that inspires the calm and collected throughout the Modern Serenity collection.
“The craftsmanship and cadence emanating from our studio is an extension of both the intelligence and the care of the artist’s hand” – Arteriors Design Team.
Discover items from the Modern Serenity collection as well as other new designs in the London showroom in the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, and online at www.arteriorshome.com.
The modern and contemporary furniture brand, Viva Lagoon has recently launched a range of new furniture lines that will help customers maximise their outdoor space and create a stylish and sustainable escape in their own garden.
Viva Lagoon are the retailer of a range of high-quality garden furniture brands that have continued to launch new and exciting lines this season. Existing brands include Vincent Sheppard, Talenti and Gloster, who have launched their Lento, George, and Saranacc collections, respectively. In addition, the online retailer has started supplying new brands such as Isimar, Vondom, and Diabla.
These exciting new brands that have been added to the Viva Lagoon roster all share a similar passion for sustainability, which is a theme that permeates through the luxury retailer’s business. For example, Diabla use 100% recycled and recyclable material in their Galvanized steel and aluminium products, as well as Vondom who use their unique ‘Revolution’ material which is made from recycled plastic from the Mediterranean.
New technology in furniture manufacturing has led the way for Viva Lagoon’s brands to prioritize the environment at all stages of their production process. With advancements that allow manufacturers to develop new, sustainable materials and recent technological innovations, brands have been able to repurpose and give a second life to pre-used plastic products that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.
Viva Lagoon carefully select brands and products that fuse contemporary and traditional, with functionality and durability at the heart of everything they do to provide the best quality products for their customers possible. The beautifully crafted and timelessly elegant furniture pieces are revolutionising any pre-conceived notion of what garden furniture is and looks like. Each of Viva Lagoon’s brands have created show-stopping products in sublimely sophisticated designs that make garden furniture look like indoor furniture without compromising on weatherproofing and durability.
Popular new collections include the timeless leaf collection from Talenti that includes luxe leather and velvet scatter cushions for outdoors, plus tabletops and dining tables that feature the brand’s signature compact laminate that comes in a range of attractive colours and textures. The brand has also recently launched their Reef Sunbed and exquisite George Collection.
Kheira Benchekor, managing director at Viva Lagoon says, “Over the past year our existing furniture brands have launched some beautiful collections that are shaking up what typical garden furniture looks like and brings a sustainable spin to traditional designs. We’re also thrilled to be working with new brands, Vondom, Isimar and Diabla, who all come from Spain and share our mission of creating beautiful and functional garden furniture. We can’t wait to see what else they launch over the coming months.”
To find out more about Viva Lagoon and shop their new arrivals, visit www.vivalagoon.com.
About Viva Lagoon
Viva Lagoon was started by Kheira Benchekor and Edmund Eldergill. Kheira has a passion for good design and over twenty years experience in the modern furniture industry. Edmund is a perfectionist and brings attention to detail and a resolute desire to make the good better. Lagoon is committed to offering for sale contemporary furniture that exhibits the best in modern design. It is equally committed to dealing with customers and suppliers fairly and ethically.
Arteriors is delighted to introduce its latest collaboration collection with renowned US interior designer, Celerie Kemble. The collection debuted at London Design Week as part of Arteriors’ Spring Summer 2022 launch. As part of the brand’s successful Guest Designer programme, the collection features a series of furniture, lighting and tabletop accessories, with pops of wonderful, whimsical colour and repeated use of natural materials.
“Great design is at the core of who we are, which is why we’ve tapped some of the most prolific interior designers with whom to collaborate as part of our guest designer program. Each designer brings a new perspective that marries their unique design philosophy with the Arteriors aesthetic” – Arteriors Design Team.
As Celerie’s second collection for Arteriors, the range is built upon a desire to blend a range of materials, texture, soft colour and different finishes to create a playful collection for spring.
Taking inspiration in both colour and material from nature, and particularly the warmer climates of the tropics, the range is filled with playfully textured ceramic vases and lamps, polished rattan tables, mirrors, trays, and other statement pieces, in natural hues and luxe materials that lend a traditional-meets-tropical allure. The palette incorporates muted hues, pale woods, and shell motifs to mimic sandy beaches, and pastel skylines of a springtime abroad.
Celerie Kemble on the collection:
“In most of my work, I’m trying to find ways to add levity and sweetness, each piece I have designed as part of the collection is very functional, but adds a note of whimsy to your décor. I believe that it is in the quirks that things become distinctive, that interiors become animated by life and nourished by their inhabitants.”
Browse items from the collaboration online at www.arteriorshome.com or visit the London showroom to see the designs first hand.
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