Introducing the Henley from Atelier Purcell: A Sleek and Nautically Inspired Collection

Alexander Purcell, a notable British architectural designer, is pleased to introduce the Henley Collection—a sleek and nautically informed array of furniture. Inspired by the racing boats that enable one to enjoy the river, sea, or lake, the Henley Collection is perfect for contemporary homes looking for a sophisticated yet welcoming aesthetic. With its aquatically inspired designs and luxurious materials, the Henley is ideal for any modern home looking to add some flair.

The Henley collection debuted in London with the opening of the new Pavoni flagship showroom at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour on September 5. The showroom carries the entire collection, with all of the upholstered pieces customized with Pavoni’s fine Italian vegetable tanned luxury leathers.

The inspiration for the Henley is both quite personal as well as a result of Purcell’s fascination with classic boat design. In fact, the seed for the collection goes way back: In 1998 he and his teammates entered the famous Henley Regatta. His college having not won since 1962, this year proved to be different. Established in 1839, the world-renowned rowing event is held annually on the River Thames in the town of Henley-on-Thames and attracts participants from all over the world. Purcell and his eight ended up winning the extremely competitive Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. Celebrating that feat a few years ago as the team marked the 20th anniversary of their win, Purcell was driven to bring the aqua-dynamic forms and language of racing boats into his furniture collection and so was born the Henley.

The iconic Riva yacht also makes its mark on the collection. Purcell has always loved the luxury wooden runabout built by Italian yacht builder Riva. The shape, speed, beauty, and craftsmanship of their namesake boat, produced from 1962-1996, earned it praise as the Ferrari of the boat world. The vintage yachts are now coveted by boat lovers worldwide.

With the new Henley collection, the formal nods toward the shape of oars and rowing boat hulls, as well as the elegant silhouettes of the Riva boat are obvious. It all started with the chair arm and its upholstery detail—the rest of the array was built off that one detail with the goal of creating pieces that can be enjoyed both functionally and visually. The collection launches with four designs:

• The Henley Dining Chair – the jumping off point for the whole collection, the chair features a gently rounded back composed of an upholstered upper half and cut-out lower half, all framed in walnut or oak, that wraps around the sides to meet the upholstered arm front. Particular attention has been paid to the back of these dining chairs as ultimately that the direction in which you actually view them when around a table. Tapered wooden legs and elegant chamfer details add to the stylish look and help create a dashing silhouette when viewed from any angle. The dining chair has a sleek appearance and is a unique piece that will add personality to any space.
• The Henley Dining Table – the exquisitely crafted warm walnut top gently tapers at the edge, a slope modelled on boat hulls, particularly that of the wooden back of a Riva yacht. The dramatically bisected base utilizes its negative space to create the dynamic illusion that the table is gliding through the water. The two feet are made of an aluminium which can be lacquered or brushed. The table is available in a round or rectangular shape and an array of Atelier Purcell oak and walnut finishes.
• The Henley Lounge Chair – an elegant chair that would be equally at home welcoming guests in a living room or sitting fireside in a den or bedroom. Informed by the nautical detailing of the Henley dining chair but with a lower profile and featuring a roomier seat with a gently sloped back that wraps the sitter in a graceful embrace. A back pillow is included and an ottoman will be added to the collection soon.
• Henley Bar & Counter Stools – slender armless stools with the same maritime inspirations as the Henley dining and lounge chairs. These stylish and effortlessly modern stools are available in bar height (36 inches) or counter height (40 inches) and are made from 100% solid hardwood. This contemporary stool is perfect for any setting: at home, in your office, bars or restaurant.

The Henley Collection is available now at fine to-the-trade showrooms in the U.S. including B. Peterson in Palm Beach, De Sousa Hughes in San Francisco, Dennis Miller in New York, MOD in Denver, Thomas Lavin in Los Angeles and Laguna, and Paul+ in Atlanta. For more information on the Henley and Alexander Purcell, please visit atelierpurcell.com

Cover image: Henley Dining Chairs & Henley Rectangular Dining Table

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a renovated vibrant hotel design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Hirsch Bedner Associates.

Canopy by Hilton Hotel in Qujiang Xi’an conveys the splendid leisure and carnival entertainment of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The central premise of the design stems from the Chinese idiom 鲜衣怒马 xiānyī nùmǎ, which loosely translates to “wearing beautiful garments and riding powerful horses”. With this concept in mind, the interiors celebrate the vibrant fashion and design of the prosperous Tang Dynasty that for centuries has been integrated into the spiritual language of Xi’an’s neighborhoods, and now blends exquisitely with the opulent aesthetics of the Canopy brand.

The xiānyī nùmǎ motif is unraveled throughout the hotel style through the use of joyful colors and patterns inspired by Tang-era fabrics and artwork. By fusing the ancient with the modern to create a unique design story, the hotel creates a fresh perspective on historical elements, allowing people to enjoy traditional culture in a rejuvenated, vibrant, and fun way.

What was the client’s brief? 

The initial brief received by clients was to bring the rich historical, traditional and cultural background of the place into the project renovation, and to align it to the hotel brand style and feeling.

Canopy by Hilton conveys the brand lifestyle that offers the guests comfort, thoughtful details, an energizing atmosphere and a uniquely local experience, as extension of the local neighbourhood.

Storytelling has been used to design the hotel allowing guest to discover the delightful neighbourhood as an ‘explorer’, and reinterpreting the traditional design language for modern appreciation.

What inspired the design of the project?

Canopy by Hilton Xi’an is located in the Qujiang New District, a new cultural hub and economic center of the historic city. The hotel is connected to the Grand Tang Mall, a fabulous pedestrian street with myriad cultural sights and recreational activities.

The central premise of the design stems from the Chinese idiom “鲜衣怒马 xiānyī nùmǎ”, which loosely translates to “wearing beautiful garments and riding powerful horses”. With this concept in mind, the design team set out to celebrate the vibrant fashion and design of the prosperous Tang Dynasty that for centuries has been integrated into the spiritual language of Xi’an’s neighborhoods, and now blends exquisitely with the opulent aesthetics of the Canopy brand.

The xiānyī nùmǎ motif is unraveled throughout the hotel style through the use of joyful colors and patterns inspired by Tang-era fabrics and artwork. By fusing the ancient with the modern to create a unique design story, the hotel creates a fresh perspective on historical elements, allowing people to enjoy traditional culture in a rejuvenated, vibrant, and fun way.

By adopting the easy-going lifestyle of Xi’an and the cultural elements of the city’s historic legacy, the hotel acts as an extension of the local neighborhood.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

As most of the projects, the team had to deal with a tight timeline on redesigning the whole hotel without compromising the construction programme.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Canopy by Hilton Xi’an conveys the splendid leisure and carnival entertainment of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The hotel creates a new perspective that allows people to reveal the traditional culture in a way that is vibrant, fun and young, it adopts the easy-going Xi’an characteristic that enhance the vibe of the area it resides in.

When guests check in at the arrival lobby, they are surrounded by artwork that tells the story of stylishly dressed ancestors taking a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. The wooden roof and the reception canopy are accented with brass details, evoking a sense of prosperity and opulence of the city’s ancient East and West markets.

Every Canopy by Hilton is built around the Canopy Central atrium, which acts as the hub of the hotel’s main public areas. The different spaces flow naturally into one another through the use of a flexible design plan so that all of the public spaces are welcoming and adaptable to guests’ needs. The use of a consistent design language and ample natural light creates a sense of unison as guests move from the reception area to the bar to the lounge and the multifunction areas.

The IN TOWN Café features a delectable éclair LAB where signature eclairs are decorated to-order in front of the guests. The design draws on elements from the Shangsi Festival, when royals, literati, and commoners alike would travel to the Qujiang area to enjoy a pageant of music, song, and dance. To reflect the joyful mood of the festival, the café makes ample use of bold colors accented by brass metal details and detailed vibrant Tang-era patterns in the artwork. The wall behind the éclair LAB is adorned with a mural depicting contemporary illustrations of colorful tea and coffee cups against a backdrop of Tang Dynasty buildings in the style of a traditional Chinese painting.

The Restaurant Ambrosia is designed in an unapologetically bold and eccentric style, has a nostalgic feel with a nod to ancient traditional elements cleverly integrated into the contemporary interior design. This creates the explorable vibe and flavor that will create memorable moments to their journey. One wall of the restaurant is adorned with a stunning mural depicting bustling scenes of work and leisure in the ancient capital, painted in a traditional Tang Dynasty style.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID International Design Awards are a prestigious recognition of excellence within the interior design industry across products, interiors and fit out.

Over a decade on, the Awards has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious interior design Awards in the global design calendar. It represents the outstanding industry achievements and top quality design services that continue to inspire the profession.

Questions answered by Flavio Patino, Associate, HBA Hong Kong.

Continuing to expand on its contemporary design offering, sofa.com is delighted to introduce its AW22 collection to a trade audience.

Comprising of four new designs across upholstered seating catering for a range of design specifications across commercial and residential projects. The collection includes the new hero range, Tiffany, a vintage-inspired armchair, Shelby, and two new stylish dining chairs, Lola and Piper all available in 75+ fabric options as well as COM to create bespoke options to allow designers breadth of choice.

Inspired by modern renaissance design – a trend which integrates contemporary shapes with classic detailing to bring together refreshing pieces with a sense of refinement, glamour and a touch of charm from the Art Deco era – each piece incorporates an element of pleated stitching which unites the new look across the collection.

Also including expansions upon two of sofa.com’s bestselling designs, the Larsen armchair and Teddy chaise join AW22. All-time favourites in the sofa range, these pieces offer a more traditional aesthetic to cater for a variety of residential projects.

The new colour palette for the season includes velvets in warming autumnal tones – vibrant oranges, forest greens and salmon pinks – alongside a range of weaves in pared-back neutrals and subtle blues and greens. These palettes will help create differing interior styles from modern luxe to a more organic, minimalist aesthetic.

Speaking on the collection, trade development manager Laura Tarratt comments:

“Seating is at the core of this collection and we wanted to ensure each sofa, dining seat or armchair would stand alone as a beautiful, functional residential piece but also work to create a statement within restaurants, bars, office meeting room or set the scene in a hotel lobby. The continued expansion of our dining collection has proven popular with sales increasing season upon season. We also wanted to ensure we weren’t compromising on comfort or style, and have focussed on ensuring optimal dimensions and fillings to create the ultimate design combination of ergonomically sound and elegant. Boasting over 75 fabrics and the option to upholster all pieces in COM, our in-house team can fulfil any project brief becoming a one-stop shop for our growing interior designer clientele base.”

Handmade-to-order in just 4-6 weeks – now available online and in store.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an immersive and experiential retail design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, II BY IV DESIGN.

In today’s contemporary culture, the retail experience has migrated from visual to experiential. Successful products are presented in immersive environments with new possibilities. Following this method, for the Central Park development in Toronto, a Presentation Pavilion was constructed on the site. It is designed as a time capsule—a striking triangular-shaped building that transports the prospective residents to their forthcoming life. Through a curated journey, the prospective residents get to imagine how their experience would be in this nature-inspired, wellness-focused development.

Set to turn into a vibrant cultural hub for the community, this pavilion’s permanency confirms the development’s environmentally-conscious vision: refining the contemporary lifestyle. Inside, outfitted in natural materials and cutting-edge green prototypes, an orchestrated retail journey weaves thoughtful moments of theatre, interactive installations, and a series of vignettes. The visitors are invited to touch, play, feel, and visualize their promising life in the anticipated complex. They learn the significance of connecting with nature, find unit layouts, see the amenities, get excited about the perks, and customize their dream home. This cohesive design strategy visually soothes the senses, offering a pleasant experience and representing the ethos of the development.

What was the client’s brief? 

Central Park development in Toronto—its first 31-storey residential tower—offers a nature-inspired lifestyle. It is highly sustainable, wellness-focused, and connected to the urban bustle yet nestled in the ravine system. As the interior designers of this soon-to-be-constructed high-rise, we were tasked with designing the interiors of the development’s sales center, which had to stand for the ethos of its future-forward vision. We wanted it to be suggestive of the lifestyle at Central Park—connected to nature, environmentally conscious, timelessly elegant, and outfitted in natural materials. We also aimed to design an unparalleled experience with interactive installations and to-scale vignettes for an immersive retail journey.

What inspired the design of the project?

The main inspiration for the development, and the pavilion, in particular, is our connection to nature and how this connection would affect our wellness in life. Through the design strategy, we intended to create more than just a sales canter, delivering a joyful, immersive atmosphere that the patrons would want to spend time in, stay for a while, and engage with its various features. The permanency of the pavilion also excited our team, designing a place that won’t get demolished but instead become a cultural destination for the Toronto community.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Despite the pandemic, due to the team’s high levels of planning and coordination, we didn’t run into any hurdles throughout the process. The project was delivered on time/budget, with 85% of the suites sold within the first ten days of the opening of the pavilion.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our team set out to design a new type of sales center for the Central Park development. We conducted extensive research about the new methods of immersive retail design. For all of us, at II BY IV DESIGN, witnessing the execution of the project during the Covid-19 Pandemic was a highlight. And, it is always gratifying to see the influence of our work as most of the residential suites were sold in such a short time.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

SBID Awards bring together the design community every year, showcasing design excellence across various interior sectors. SBID promotes best practices for the interior design profession while setting the tone for the industry through its award program annually. At our studio, we look forward to learning about other projects worldwide, reading their story, seeing the curated visuals, and voting on those that respond with creativity and technical execution. It’s a celebration of design—the kind of design that is shaping the future. We are thrilled and honoured to have four of our projects amongst the finalists. It’s a great company of peers to be in every year.

Questions answered by Dan Menchions, Partner, II BY IV DESIGN.

Sustainable Swedish design company, Bolon, has expanded its long-standing and best-selling collections, Artisan and Botanic, with new colourways, which were unveiled at the brand’s Clerkenwell showroom for London Design Festival.

Inspired by traditional craftsmanship, yet produced using innovative fibres, Artisan is a fusion of old and new. Designed for high-traffic areas, such as offices and hospitality spaces, the collection has been selected for use in a diverse range of projects, both in the UK and internationally.

Bolon has now expanded the collection with ten new dynamic and lively colourways, that complement the existing collection’s vibrant and expressive energy and add to the brand’s portfolio.

The Artisan collection

Play is a summery and vivid orange that looks stunning on a larger scale. Love is an intensely warm red. Alive and happy, it is bursting with energy. Fresh is a cool, almost transparent green that appears new and thrilling when paired with natural tones. A deep green, Wild, has the capacity to soften other hues. The one-of-a-kind, yellow toned green shade, Spring, shines and brings other colours to life. True is a noble blue that complements the red options within the Artisan collection. Water is a brave colour that appears youthful and energising. Ink is a deep blue, nearly black tone, that appears neither sharp nor silky when combined with other colours. A powerful and assured black, Noir, can stand alone or be styled with neutrals or brights. The collection is completed with Chalky, a shade between beige and grey, that is nearly white with a feather-like sensation.

Inspired by the natural world, the Botanic collection consists of a varied range of soft, warm and intelligent tones. Having proved popular since its launch, Bolon has now expanded the collection’s colour palette with eight new shades that transcend what first meets the eye.

The Botanic collection

Blanche is creamy and mild and brings a sophisticated softness that belongs to a new kind of luxury. Caramel and golden, Honey, is thoughtful with a natural warmth. It is a new type of beige with its own identity. Rich and dreamy, Chestnut is an intriguing kind of brown and an elegant evolution of colour. Inspired by the desert, Canyon is a heated terracotta. The reddish-brown tone adds timelessness to any room. Attractive and compelling, Vintage is both soft and dark and is the colour of the full moon. Rain is a refined blue tone with a hint of purple, which reflects how rainwater can shimmer. Fresh and nourishing, Spearmint, is a brightening colour, which can work like a white tone, as it contrasts and enhances. Library is supreme and luxurious. Just as the name suggests, it is a classic green.

Throughout LDF, the new Artisan and Botanic colour palettes were displayed at Bolon’s Clerkenwell showroom, as part of a collaborative installation of furniture, flooring and lighting, created in partnership with Moooi.

Cathrine Ahlenius, Head of Research and Design at Bolon commented, “Artisan and Botanic each have their own identity. Artisan is a lively and expressive collection and the Botanic range is soft and warm with intelligent tones. We want to highlight those characteristics with new colours that provide more combination possibilities, both within the collections and with other items in Bolon’s product portfolio.”

Sarah Herman, Marketing Director at Bolon UK, added, “We are delighted to introduce the new colourways for these popular collections.”

Headquartered in Sweden but globally renowned, Bolon is passionate about sustainability which is woven into the brand’s DNA. Botanic is made in Sweden, only with renewable energy and using a mixture of recycled and new material. The designs are available in roll, 50x50cm tiles and as Bolon Studio tiles.

Cover image: Bolon Circle, Ivory, Garnet, Quartz

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Dulux is celebrating two decades of Colour of the Year and has just launched its colour for 2023: Wild Wonder^TM  – and four complementary, versatile colour palettes that can be used to create stunning spaces across all sectors.

Wild Wonder^TM – a soft gold with hints of green inspired by fresh seed pods and harvest grain – is Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2023. Its upbeat glow connects us with nature, creating a sense of energy and positivity.

The name Wild Wonder^TM was created on the basis that ‘wild’ conjures up the freedom of nature and ‘wonder’ conveys the natural magic we see all around us. Wild Wonder^TM is a positive, natural tone that, by connecting us with the natural world, can help us feel better in our homes.

Four decorative paint colour palettes have been designed around Wild Wonder^TM:

• Lush Colours – beautiful forest hues that are inspired by the plant-filled habitats of gardens and woodlands
• Buzz Colours – upbeat tones of pinks and ochres that capture the bustling biodiversity of a wildflower field or grassland
• Raw Colours – harvest shades that mimic nature’s raw materials
• Flow Colours – warm neutrals and deeper seashore tones that bring a sense of fluidity and momentum

Lisa Pilley, Dulux Trade Commercial Colour Consultant, adds: “Wild Wonder^TM and its four versatile colour palettes reflect the natural world and intuitively connect with nature’s supply of substrates and materials – whether structural or aesthetic. As the world strives to re-use, rescue and build sustainably within commercial design programmes, placing humanity and environment at the heart of design is becoming increasingly essential.

“Colour can be transformational and guide occupants’ feelings and emotions. This year’s Colour of the Year and associated palettes open opportunities to connect the natural world with our everyday lives in the built environment.”

The year 2023 brings two major milestones to the Global Aesthetic Centre. Its ColourFutures^TM trend forecast will celebrate its 20^th anniversary, while the team also reaches three decades of trend analysis, colour research, colour design and art direction at AkzoNobel.

The launch of Wild Wonder^TM is supported by the Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2023 Specifier brochure, designed to inspire commercial design professionals working in all sectors, from hospitality to healthcare.

This brochure is part of Dulux Trade’s ongoing dedication to supporting specifiers with their latest projects, and is part of a wider package of ColourFutures^TM content. The package includes design mood boards and advice videos that can be harnessed by professionals looking to create the perfect space – in any setting – using Wild Wonder^TM.

To download the Dulux Trade Colour of the Year 2023 Specifier Brochure and for more information visit www.duluxtrade.co.uk/COTY23 and follow #CF23 on social media.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a fun and colourful youth centre design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Fogarty Finger.

New Heights, the basketball-based after-school academic program for children in fourth through twelfth grade, has its new permanent home in the Bedford-Union Armory, now known as the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. New Heights is the anchor tenant of this massive armory that was long vacant and is now reimagined and restored as a community resource for the Crown Heights neighborhood and beyond.

Partnering with New Heights, Fogarty Finger, a key player in the renaissance of residential and office construction in Brooklyn, volunteered to develop the interiors, signage, and branding elements behind the non-profit’s new home. Together their goal was to make a dynamic visual environment inspiring the youth of the city to feel hopeful, encouraged, and courageous.

The Fogarty Finger team set out to immerse themselves in the rich and vibrant historic Crown Heights neighborhood and surrounding area of Brooklyn, tapping local makers and artists to bring the space to life. Renowned and local artist Efdot painted an expansive hallway mural in the student lounge that tells the story of New Heights’ journey to its new forever home in Brooklyn, while a series of fireplace murals were painted by Brooklyn-based artists Peach Tao, Dek, and Stephanie Costello.

The result is a vibrant space that conveys a strong sense of place and inspires the community’s next generation.  This new home feels unmistakably New Heights, celebrates the architecture of the Armory, and acknowledges the diversity of the neighborhood.

What was the client’s brief? 

Partnering with New Heights, Fogarty Finger was asked to develop the interiors, signage, and branding elements behind the non-profit’s new home within the Bedford-Union Armory. Their design goal was to make the space a dynamic visual environment that would inspire student-athletes and staff alike. The program consists of reception, student lounge, classrooms, library, pantry, administration wing, staff offices, and boardroom.

What inspired the design of the project?

The main design inspiration for New Heights Youth Inc. was creating a space to “Inspire Ascension” – as soon as the student-athletes walked through the doors and up the stairs into their new home, Fogarty Finger wanted them to feel empowered to be their best selves and know that this is a space where they are supported.

The design team initially asked themselves how the branding could engage with the existing historic architecture to communicate the idea of reaching new levels of success in the classroom, on the court, and in everyday life. The use of gradients in some of the added design elements (entry wall, donor wall, and the tiers of the pennant installation) pair with the existing architectural details throughout the space – all which draw the eye upward + create the feeling of ascension.

Fogarty Finger held monthly check-ins before and during the design process to ensure the space would resonate deeply with those who made New Heights the program that it is today. The meetings included parents, students, alumni, and coaches to get a better sense of what kind of space they wanted and how to truly make it feel like home. Taking the time to listen and understand how the community wanted the space to feel was a major inspiration for the design team throughout this project.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The New Heights organization was a very unique client for Fogarty Finger, being a non-profit company with a variety of stakeholders. The space needed to appeal to a variety of users and serve for many different functions—a place where student-athletes feel comfortable to learn, is practical for the daily needs of teachers and coaches, and impresses and inspires potential investors. During the design process, there were many key players involved, and the design team wanted to ensure that everyone felt heard and valued. This is something Fogarty Finger prides themselves on with office and commercial spaces, and the New Heights project was a welcomed challenge to the norm.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Fogarty Finger wanted to honor the history of the Bedford Union Armory by recreating some of the original gilded signage techniques found throughout the space. This technique was a key design element implemented when the building was constructed in 1903.The design team wanted to ensure this signage technique was featured in a fresh way within the new signage and branding scope of the project.

To keep that story alive for those experiencing the space today, Noble Signs, a local hand-painted signage company, was a perfect fit. Noble Signs was an amazing partner that allowed New Heights’ new home to honor the architectural history of the Armory building while allowing Fogarty Finger the opportunity to support local businesses and craftsmen.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Fogarty Finger entered the SBID Awards to showcase our interior design and collaboration work on the New Heights Youth project. All of the collaborations were done with local makers and artists based in Brooklyn to pull in the surrounding community as much as possible. Creating such a vibrant space that allows for people to come together was such an exciting and rewarding opportunity.

Image credits: Connie Zhou

Questions answered by Taylor Fleming, Interior Designer, Fogarty Finger.

Ledbury Studio creates kitchens that are uniquely personal to every client – a point happily noted by the owners of this stunning home in Poole. “It was love at first sight when they saw the eclectic range of materials on show at our studio in Notting Hill,” says Ledbury Studio founder Charlie Smallbone. This, coupled with Ledbury Studio’s skill for mixing and matching these beautiful materials to create truly bespoke designs was perfectly aligned with the clients vision for a contemporary kitchen that oozes wow factor.

Extensive building work was required to create the light-filled, open-plan space that now exists. To divide the large space into smaller areas of activity, Charlie designed a screen in black-stained oak and aged brass to frame the kitchen. From this vantage point, the eye is automatically drawn to the striking mirrored splashback embellished with aged copper. It provides a stunning backdrop to the island, another talking point thanks to the verdigris copper panels edged in black-stained oak on one side and the black-stained oak cupboard doors surrounded by aged brass on the other.

To pull the various metallic elements together, Ledbury Studio’s design included an aged-brass rack over the island. This creates a small space to display beautiful objects.

Injecting a neutral note is the poured concrete flooring and the base cupboards that run in an L-shaped configuration to the island. Made from oak and painted white to allow the beauty of the grain to shine through, the cupboards are topped with a pale quartz worktop and feature patinated brass surrounds and kickplates to coordinate with the other cupboards in the kitchen.

Also sharing the space is a bank of built-in tall cupboards illuminated by an LED surround. They incorporate a large larder for food storage, ovens and a fridge, and the cupboard fronts are made from liquid metal in a specialist shagreen finish. Aged-brass handles unify the look. “Every Ledbury Studio kitchen is truly unique and this one was no exception,” says Charlie. “Our clients were thrilled with the result, and in particular, with the range of materials used.”

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £70,000.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a confectionery tools store design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, KAMITOPEN.

What was the client’s brief? 

Founded in 1951, the company Majimaya has been selling confectionery tools in Kappabashi for over 70 years. There were 3000 different types of molds that I needed to showcase with the design.

What inspired the design of the project?

The design is rooted in the client’s enthusiasm to continue selling confectionery tools in the same place for the next 100 years.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The main problem I had to solve was the limited space. I suggested setting up the evacuation stairs and protective fences in a way for them to display 3000 molds, right in the center of the building. In addition, I also arranged 3000 tin boxes there. By linking the display with the number printed on the box, it was made easy for the customers to choose one themselves and take out the required number from the stock.

During the planning of the building, all floors were connected by split-level floors, and while choosing molds, customers were guided to move up and down subconsciously. This solved the unique problem of arcade area, which is a stress-free place for customers to move up and down inside the building.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

3,000 confectionery tools molds in the middle that were installed together with the client.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

I thought it could be an inspiration for arcade shopping buildings all over the world.

Questions answered by Masahiro Yoshida, Representative, KAMITOPEN.

With the much-anticipated AW22 living and dining collection from Sofa.com that has launched on the 5^th September, we have taken this opportunity to look back and share insight from the last 12 months. As we seek to identify trends spotted by our trade team, we can unveil the design and fabric preferences from their elite group of interior designer clientele.

Bestselling Fabrics:

The ever-popular collection of cotton matt and smart velvets has now been overtaken in sales volume by the brushed linen cottons – a collection made from 63% cotton and 37% linen offering a stylish and durable upholstery solution. The collection contains a mixture of neutrals and greys, blue and green fabrics with Taupe, Alabaster and Charcoal proving to be most popular.

Other recent launches have also captured the imagination with the Brushstroke fabric collection, already registering as our 8th bestselling line as the tactile nature of the fabric seems to be a requirement that many designers look for.

Bestselling Colours:

Our overall top sellers reflect a return to a pared back palette of neutrals. Overtaking the jewel toned velvets popular for the past few seasons are Pumice, Clay, Taupe, Alabaster and Armour.

Interestingly, the summer months have encouraged designers to opt for custom coverings with an increase in COM orders.

Upcoming fabric launches for AW22 include the Heathland Weaves collection as well as range extensions for Smart Velvets, Boucle, Vermeer Linen and Silky Jacquard Weaves. Available in a selection of neutrals, Heathland Weaves cater for a growing desire amongst designers to utilise greys and pared-back autumnal tones and fabric compositions that are as hard-w earing as they are stylish.

Bestselling shapes:

Delving deeper into the data the trade team have been able to identify the most popular pieces across the board. The modular Cohen has led the way for 2022, its contemporary styling and generous proportions proving popular across an array of design projects. Bluebell remains the perennial favourite, its timeless, classic design offers versatility for traditional and modern schemes.

Bestsellers in each category include the Izzy modular sofa, Alderney armchair, Thea bed, Arabella dining chairs, and Kingsley table.

Ever adapting to the needs of our designer clientele base, the sofa.com team are proud to be at the forefront of delivering the highest quality furniture, fulfilling each order to exacting specifications.

The trade team at sofa.com is on-hand to assist with any queries – please visit www.sofa.com/trade for more information.

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