Blue Agate Stone at the Heart of a Luxury Apartment

This week's instalment of Project of the Week interior design series features a luxurious residential apartment design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Mane Design.

An apartment with an area of 260 sqm is located in the very centre of Kiev, on the last 32nd floor. It has with terraces that offer stunning views of the city. The apartment is designed in a modern classical style, using expensive materials and furniture.

Blue Agate Stone - the heart of the apartment - was brought from India. It is a delicate stone that carries harmony, tranquillity and grace. The atmosphere in the apartment is soothing; pleasant colours and natural textures add elegance to the interior, while brass adds warmth.

The apartment is not only beautiful, but also has a comfortable and functional plan. Its divided into zones: public, children's and the owner's zone. The public area consists of a living room-kitchen where there is a bar, which is successfully hidden behind panels that can be pulled apart with a slight movement of the hand. There is access to a huge terrace with a barbecue, a seating area with a sofa, tables and chairs for eating. In the entrance part there is a guest toilet and a large dressing room, as well as a separate laundry. The children's area has two bedrooms, a separate children's wardrobe, a bathroom and an access to terrace from each bedroom.

What was the client's brief? 

The clients are a young, successful and hard-working couple. They are modern, lively and value comfort and beauty. Therefore, the brief asked for a bright colours and non-standard, interesting solutions but at the same time a comfortable and functional design - the place where they can relax after a work day or have parties with friends.

What inspired the design of the project?

We were inspired by our clients themselves: by their lifestyle, ideas, attitude to design, and, of course, complete creative freedom given to us.

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

Our team did not encounter any special difficulties during this project.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

This entire project consists of highlights. In every corner you can find something interesting. There are a lot of details that you will want to examine, things that attract attention, such as: wonderful natural agate stone brought from India, an art object “Fishes” specially designed by us for this project, which glows in millions sparks, the TV which moves out from the stand by pressing the button on the remote control (because our client did not want to see TV in the interior), a hidden bar, a hidden projector and a screen coming out of the ceiling, a toilet in front of the window, delightful lighting everywhere… and, of course, an unforgettable view from the apartment.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

We respect SBID International Design Awards and consider the judges' decisions to be fair.

Questions answered by Mane Megrabyan, Interior Designer and Head of Studio, Mane Design.

This week's instalment of Project of the Week interior design series features a design for hotel's exclusive spa suites by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Nielsen House.

The Gilpin Hotel, with a mix of luxury rooms, suites and detached lodges, sits in an idyllic location near Windermere in the heart of the English Lake District. Sarah Jane Nielsen of Nielsen House has worked on the interiors with the Gilpin’s owners for more than 25 years and the recent spa suites are the latest extension to the hotel’s portfolio. The project comprises five exclusive lodges, each designed as the ultimate retreat for two. Constructed from wood and glass, they are set in their own private space overlooking a tarn and are positioned to maximise the stunning Lakeland views. The five sanctuaries all have their own living space with a kitchen and dining area, master bedroom suite with spa with sauna, steam room, treatment room, a private sundeck with hot tub and a relaxing water feature within a growing natural wall. The interiors, created by Nielsen House, celebrate the beauty of the region’s native landscape, enabling guests to switch off and enjoy their surroundings, whilst at the same time providing the Gilpin’s owners with practical, durable solutions in a unique project designed to stand the test of time.

What was the client's brief? 

Our brief was to create the ultimate wow factor, ensuring a unique and memorable experience for Gilpin Hotel guests with suites that are not only beautiful in design but also extremely durable. But even more than that, to go further and ensure that the interiors we designed would make for a stay that was so special, they’d leave at the end of their visit, hoping to return, again and again.

What inspired the design of the project?

Both the Gilpin and our studio are located in the stunning landscape of the English Lake District – so our natural source of inspirational for the spa suites was the great outdoors, setting the perfect foundation for our own interpretation of the biophilic approach that we felt would best meet the client’s brief. Each lodge sits majestically within its own Lakeland fellscape with a Lakeland tarn stretching out in front of them and from any 360 degree viewpoint, you find yourself surrounded by the best of the Lake District. As designers who love the location we call home, we wanted the interiors of these suites to create a comforting and luxurious cocoon for Gilpin’s guests but also, very importantly, to reflect the splendour of what lies beyond.

Obviously in taking a biophilic approach that was at the heart of our brief, our intention was to bring as much of the indoors outdoors, and vice versa, because really, the two are interchangeable. So, we looked to generous amounts of glazing to fuse internal and external spaces, whilst keeping flooring levels flush throughout to create a seamless transition from one space to another. This extended to inside and outside the viewing balconies but also to every part within the suite that had direct access to the outdoors, from bedroom to treatment room to lounge and even to the bathing areas. So, it's very much a biophilic design in every sense of the word. 

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

The toughest hurdle for our team to overcome during this project was the need for durability in suites made for spa pampering. For example, all products and installations included had to be stain-proof to be able to withstand the type of treatments delivered. With water comes water ingress which can often pose a problem, so it was crucial that we allowed for that so that we were able to use, without fear of future damage, the quantity of finishes specified, all of which had to be able to deal with whatever is thrown at it. Treatment oil is probably the most challenging consideration in creating luxury in a lounge and bedroom suite - but we were able to find solutions overall that both our team and the client were happy with.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our team's highlight for the project was definitely the installation of a large-scale feature design in a wet area; a first for us. We are immensely proud of a double shower room that epitomises our Lakeland theme, with large digital images of ferns and Lakeland greenery adorning the walls to really capture the great outdoors ambience; eye-catching and stunning but yet practical, with all being totally waterproof. With state-of-the-art showers and shower valves, everything used within that bathroom was completely watertight. We've never had a similar design to that kind of scale before, and so it was a great pleasure for us to be able to achieve that in collaboration with the manufacturers and to an excellent build quality too.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The Covid pandemic directly and indirectly prompted us to enter the SBID awards this year. We truly believe that the Gilpin spa suites are second to none but we were unable to mark their launch at the time because they were completed just as the outbreak of COVID started to hit. Entering and being shortlisted for a SBID award gives us a focus for celebration – but we hope that through our entry, we are also able to inspire others to take a biophilic approach. As the pandemic has dug deeper, many of us have felt a strong need to embrace nature and we hope that in sharing our project story, others will find ways, through good design, to make those reconnections.

Similarly, the increase in Lakes staycations, driven in part by Covid, has been important for us to also just show what we could achieve here in the Lake District. We have found that our client base has opened up in Europe and into the rest of the world, so the standard and quality of our design has to be world-class. We set ourselves the highest of professional standards and through the SBID awards, we hope to promote the message that, based here in the Lake District, whether it’s a private residential project or a comprehensive commercial brief, our capabilities are gold standard.

Questions answered by Sarah Jane Nielsen, Lead Project Designer and Founder, Nielsen House.

Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio, and his team faced a significant design challenge in this latest project. The existing kitchen of a 1920s house in North London was long and narrow with very little natural light. Located to the rear of the house and accessed via an adjoining dining room off the entrance hall, the advantageous lofty proportions of the space were unfortunately complicated by three different ceiling heights (the consequence of crude building works some 30 years ago). At the back of the kitchen was a door leading to a former cold store that had been converted into a cramped utility room. Here, Charlie reveals how they created the stunning new space.

Materials

We chose fluted glass for cabinet fronts to keep the design light and airy, but without having the contents on display as you would with open shelves. The worktops are hard-wearing Classico Marble Arabesque quartz coupled with Verre Eglomise splashbacks, whereby pure gold leaf was applied to the reverse of toughened glass and antiqued. Demonstrating an eye for detail, the client requested a floral design be gilded onto the Verre Eglomise surface behind the hob, transforming it into a standout feature.

The kitchen is mainly taken from our Ledbury Shaker collection, but the client was also keen to introduce our signature use of metals. We added aged brass to the edge of the cooker hood and also used it for the plate rack’s supporting brackets, the hanging rails mounted on the splashbacks and the cupboard handles.

Storage solutions

The client is a prolific cook with a library of recipe books now housed in a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf within easy reach of the prep space. There is a generous breakfast cupboard too, combining a wealth of storage with dedicated space for microwave and coffee machine. Space to store wine was another priority, so we integrated a wine storage appliance into the design, in addition to the open wine storage in the mint-coloured cupboard. To the right of this is a walk-in cupboard for the boiler, and a slot for the washing machine and tumble dryer, stacked one on top of the other to maximise space.

Finally, the units either side of the range cooker constitute one of the most important parts of the design for me. What looks like multiple wall and base cupboards are actually two complete pieces of furniture.

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £50,000.

Sanofi is a company dedicated to human health with a diversified portfolio of innovative solutions that respond to the needs of the population. It transforms scientific innovation into solutions for wellbeing.

One of the most difficult challenges facing the world today is to improve health. As a global biopharmaceutical company, Sanofi, driven by scientific innovation, renews and expands its offices, taking advantage of its great global commitment focused on continuous improvement.

The project is developed in 3 levels with key spaces strategically distributed through a route that connects the different stages of human life, understanding that architectural design creates memorable experiences in matter and time with points of connection through the senses. Starting with the reception, the playful heart of this organization, continuing through the innovation lab that inspires new ways of working, following through with the open area that encourages productivity and high performance, including the large dining room as a cozy interior patio that promotes friendship, relaxation and freedom of assembly.

Sanofi is a sustainable, flexible, inspiring and innovative organisation. The five senses are expressed in the textures, 3D finishes, interactive walls, colour applications, smell and acoustics in various areas. Space is experienced as the time is experienced, seeking to associate the world of sound, vision, colour and form in figures and volumes.

The finishes were very significant in the project. Combining them in a complementary way - wood, marble, carpets, glass, murals and furniture - helped accentuate the character of each stage. In general, neutral colours predominate throughout the project with some key colour accents on walls, columns and carpets, where bright tones were used according to a chromatic palette that unifies the image and reinforces the identity of its values. The flow of reality is structured by overcoming the barriers of the common, functional and habitual, creating well-lit spaces designed to increase productivity and that celebrate comfort and versatility.

The use of brand identifiers throughout the spaces - built through murals made by a great Mexican artist, furniture with artisan manufacturing techniques and symbology inspired by indigenous cultures - seek to honour Mexico’s rich natural heritage, from the Tarahumaras in Chihuahua to the Mayans in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Mexico is a tapestry of ancestral villages with unique visions, customs and aesthetic values. Taking patterns, textiles, colours and techniques from these tribes as inspiration, created a rich design language to sustain the connection. Death has meant, ever since ancient times, transformation, an opportunity to be reborn. The concept of life after death is also honoured in this great architectural space. Architecture allows us to perceive and understand the dialectic of permanence and change to establish ourselves in the world and ally with culture and time.

With a commitment to recognising excellence and championing the creative industries, the SBID International Design Awards presented its annual Fellow of the Year award to TV Dragon and retail entrepreneur, Theo Paphitis for his outstanding professional achievements. With a business empire that now spans retail, property, finance and consumer goods, he began his career from a low-income background with no formal qualifications due to his dyslexia.

Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, Founder & CEO of the Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) explains: “The SBID Fellow of the Year is awarded to a successful public figure who has broken through personal and professional challenges, and in some cases prejudices, then progressed to become a household name in a specific field of business or the creative industries. Theo exemplifies the journey and struggles that many young designers and creatives are faced with. His personal and professional success is recognised in this award and acts as inspiration to the next generation of emerging talent to persevere through life’s challenges.”

At the age of 16 Theo started working as a filing clerk in a Lloyds of London brokerage before discovering his passion for retail at Watches of Switzerland. He later went on to carve his reputation in business and retail when he revived the fortunes of notable high street names such as Ryman, Partners the Stationers, Stationery Box, La Senza, Contessa Lingerie and more recently, Robert Dyas. Theo also bought Red Letter Days out of administration in 2005 with fellow TV Dragon, Peter Jones, and in the Spring of 2011, launched what has now become the multi-award winning, global lingerie brand, Boux Avenue.

In 2015 he launched Theo Paphitis Retail Group which encompasses Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre. The combined group comprises over 300 stores and 4,000 employees, serving millions of customers a year!

Theo Paphitis said: "Winning any award is wonderful, but to be recognised for the SBID Fellow of the Year award, amongst so many well-known design individuals, was beyond that. Retail is such a visual medium, whether it is the product, the brand or the store windows and inspiration can come in so many forms. My award is for all of those design specialists who have inspired me and so many of my retail colleagues over the years, helping us to put design front and centre in our businesses."

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

This week's instalment of Project of the Week interior design series features a hotel design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, PLD Paul Liu Design Consultants.

Located in Shanghai’s seaside district Fengxian, this new urban oasis hotel offers warm and welcoming luxury experiences for the body and mind in Hangzhou Bay. The sense of design creativity is carried throughout the experiences one has at the hotel, unveiling layer after layer.

Dining options at JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Fengxian include three distinctive restaurants and a bar. The overall design of all-day dining outlet JW Kitchen is modern and clean-lined where show kitchens are distributed around the restaurant, strongly expressing the hotel's unique identity. Fine dining restaurant Yan Xuan, with 15 luxurious dining rooms for private events, has an elegant design with upscale detailing, while each private room has its own unique design elements. Signature restaurant Shanghai Crab & Co. offers a casual and maritime overall feel. Earth tones indicate the down-to-earth nature of a Mediterranean meal, while pastels and cool colours create a more upscale seaside atmosphere.

What was the client's brief? 

The brief was to design a new contemporary JW Marriott-branded hotel, inspired by the principles of mindfulness to allow guests to focus on feeling whole - present in mind, nourished in body and revitalized in spirit. To enable the hotel design to articulate Marriott’s international luxury portfolio brand strategy, philosophy and globally consistent image.

What inspired the design of the project?

JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Fengxian was designed with an architectural point of view and a focus on authentic materials and space shaping. Millwork, tactile materials, thoughtful details, lighting, and furnishings all contribute to the design concept in a holistic way, reflective of the property's unique sense of place.

The hotel's style narrative was inspired by its natural surroundings and Jinhai Lake, with its exterior resembling the legendary bird Roc, from the fable of “Roc hopping into the sea”. The design elements incorporate natural materials such as wood and marble in undulating, curvilinear forms that reflect the waves of the nearby East Sea. The hotel’s 265 guestrooms and suites offer luxurious comfort in restful shades of sable and blue, echoing the beaches and sea with clean modern lines and every thoughtful amenity for guests' comfort and convenience. Inspiration stems from the simple beauty of the natural world. In addition to visual design elements, guests experience nature in a tactile way through carefully-curated sensory experiences.

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

With nearly 45000 sqm design area, the hotel design process was very sophisticated and functional, involving planning, schematic design, developed design and construction documentations stages. Due to the diversity of functions within a hotel building, a large number of specialists like architects, structural engineers, lighting, signage, AV consultants, contractors, suppliers were involved and required to coordinate with during each critical design stage. The design had to meet the requirement of Marriott’s international brand strategy while take the owner’s operational, budget, timely and aesthetic requirements into consideration.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The project was highly recognized by the hotel management groups and the owner. Special attention was paid to hotel’s spatial relationships to ensure that spaces were used efficiently. The most efficient space planning solutions were given by the designer to make use of each corner to create more interesting spatial sequence, to keep a minimum amount of circulation and service space and also to give the guest a greater connection to the site and enhance the sense of privacy.

It became a sophisticated and luxurious sanctuary designed to let guests relax and rediscover a sense of balance in mind and body, as well as a convenient gateway to Shanghai and nearby cities.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID International Design Awards are recognized as the most prestigious interior design awards in the world. Winning the SBID International Design Award would be a high achievement.

Questions answered by Bo Liu, Founder & Chairman, PLD.

RAK Ceramics, one of the leading ceramics’ brands in the world, unveiled its latest tiles and sanitaryware collections at Cersaie, one of the largest and most important international ceramics exhibitions which takes place annually in Bologna, Italy.

RAK Ceramics continues to provide its customers with ‘Room for Imagination’ and presented a complete collection of innovative new tiles, sanitaryware and complementary bathroom furniture and accessories. Displayed on one single stand RAK Ceramics continues to establish itself as the world leading ceramics lifestyle solutions provider.

Natural marble tile collections

Through-body veining is a RAK Ceramics innovation that enables natural marble veins to pass through the entire thickness of an unglazed porcelain slab with breath-taking results.

Thanks to innovative printing technology, pattern repetition is kept to a minimum and the delicate lines throughout the slab surface appear random and natural. From floors to wall surfaces and kitchen worktops, the effect is particularly dramatic when the product is used over large areas, with RAK-Preziosi being just one example.

Inspired by the elegance of marble, RAK-Preziosi has a smooth to the touch finish and a distinctive patterning that make this porcelain surface a stand-out backdrop feature wherever it is used. The epitome of luxury and sophistication, this maximus marble collection is also available in the trend-setting open book effect in a huge range of sizes, thicknesses and design solutions and can be chosen in several colours, including Green, Ocean, Pearl, Rio and Rock.

Designer bathroom collections

Among the many RAK Ceramics bathroom sanitaryware solutions to be shown at Cersaie, a highlight will be RAK-Valet. Designed by Patrick Norguet, the collection brings together the creative flair of the French designer and the manufacturing quality of RAK Ceramics.

The RAK-Valet collection, available in matt and glossy finishes, features thin-profiled washbasins, a generously sized, luxurious bathtub and sanitaryware with elongated lines. The collection is completed with details such as metal legs and towel rails or the functional and highly elegant little ceramic shelf, yet another design triumph by Norguet. 

RAK-Valet also co-ordinates perfectly with some of the most successful furniture ranges by RAK Ceramics, such as the newly released RAK-Joy Uno cabinets and mirrors.

Abdallah Massaad, Group CEO, RAK Ceramics commented:

“We are proud to present our new collections at Cersaie 2021, especially at such an extraordinary time. Cersaie is an essential event on our marketing calendar and one of great strategic importance for RAK Ceramics. In recent months we have put all efforts into strengthening our positioning as a lifestyle solution provider by developing new collections for bathroom floors, surfaces, large-format tiles, sanitaryware and accessories, all of which are perfectly coordinated.”

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

With a commitment to recognising professional excellence across interior design and championing the growth of the creative industries, the SBID International Design Awards bestowed its annual accolade for Master of Design to Kit Kemp MBE - renowned interior designer, Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels & Kit Kemp Design Studio for her significant contributions in raising the profile of the profession.

Over the years Kit Kemp has carved herself an internationally-acclaimed reputation, not only for her unique approach to hotel interiors, but also as a successful textiles, fragrance and homewares designer, author and a highly-respected champion of British art, craft and sculpture.

The Kit Kemp Design Studio is celebrated for its individual and original approach to hotel and residential design, with colourful and detailed storytelling which celebrates craft and captures the imagination. As the creative force behind Firmdale Hotels since 1985, the brand now has ten properties, with eight hotels in London including the Ham Yard Hotel, Soho Hotel, Covent Garden Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel, Haymarket Hotel, Number Sixteen Hotel, Dorset Square Hotel and Knightsbridge Hotel, as well as two in New York, The Whitby Hotel and Crosby Street Hotel.

Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, Founder & CEO of the Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) comments, "We wanted to present Kit with this exclusive accolade to acknowledge her work as trailblazer in interior design. Bringing colour and pattern back into the forefront, Kit Kemp has forged a trend in the brave path she has trodden which serves as great inspiration to the professional community - not only for interior designers, but product manufacturers too!"

The SBID Awards strives to empower design industry talent to exhibit their creative work and celebrate their achievements on its global stage, as a testament to the incredible outcomes that can be accomplished through the power of good design and quality craftsmanship.

Click here to explore the full line-up of this year’s SBID Awards winners across Interior Design, Product Design and Fit Out.

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

This week's instalment of Project of the Week interior design series features an astonishing residential villa design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Chains Interior.

Every quarter in this home has its corresponding scenery that narrates the daily life of the family like a Chinese handscroll painting. Along with changes of the outdoor view, the scroll unfurls to tell stories of the dynamic interaction and relationship of family members in each space.

The narrative begins with a standing lamp at the entrance of the home. Silver as the moon, the lantern emits gentle halo to welcome the homeowner’s return. A screen curtain tinged with ink then slowly unravels the landscape of the home. In the living room there are bright windows to invite the riverside view into the space, transforming the interior into a splash-ink landscape painting. The fret-patterned carpet on the floor also blesses every step of the residents with heartfelt wishes of prosperity.

What was the client's brief? 

The client is a couple with two children. The program required independent bedrooms and an intimate family room. Chen’s design started from a garden and then gradually moved from the lobby to the public zone then moved to the upper floor and private quarters. The rhythm of spatial movement follows a virtual trip in the natural landscape like scenes unfolding in a Chinese scroll painting and each view guides the twists and turns that join together in a continuous flow.

The first floor is the public zone. The main door along the car path was slightly converted to guide the twisting turns until the path hits a vista wall illuminating by a standing lamp. The sharp turn that passes the wall then meets a silky screen which allows visual penetration to the living room. Large windows invite inside ample natural light and project a long picturesque canal view.

What inspired the design of the project?

Suzhou has more than 2500 years of history, and is considered to be the oldest city in China. Its unique geographical feature of water canals has given the city the nickname of Eastern Venice. Right along the main channel is a district restricted to only residential purposes so its construction had to follow the toughest guidelines and local codes to protect its long cultural heritage.

The residence sits along main Suzhou cannel and immediately joins with a century old canal while the other side of the residence meets another river conduit. Designer Lien Wu Chen imagined this work as totally integrated into the site and eventually be pictured as a landscape painting projecting a daily life not much change from medieval times.

Designer was moved by local culture and the unique river life inspired him to use local iconic colour like black ink and motifs like a labyrinth loop and herring bone pattern and even modern artistic work has transformed this from a traditional lucky motif to be used extensively. The furnishing objects appeared in this residence have unique features which is dominated by round shapes; lighting fixtures, furniture pieces, art work and small furnishing pieces which have all adopted the round shape as the basic form. Chen has said the round shape signifies prosperity and blissful happiness and is an eternal symbol as a family gathering.

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

This project is a huge villa in China. The first problem we faced was how to perfectly express the image of the trade which is a symbolic part of the owner; how to show the concept clearly and integrate it into modern Chinese lifestyle? Second, our company is located in Taipei and the project is far away from us so we couldn't always supervise the decorating process. We looked for local professionals to help us complete this difficult project.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The first floor is the public zone. The main door along the car path was slightly converted to guide the twisting turns until the path hits a vista wall illuminating by a standing lamp. The sharp turn that passes the wall then meets a silky screen which allows visual penetration to the living room. Large windows invite inside ample natural light and project a long picturesque canal view.

Behind a herring-bone patterned glass screen is the dining room wrapped by two partitions covered by a landscape painting. On another side appears a tea platform which is easily accessible to an outdoor river view and can look towards the husband’s childhood house.
The second floor is the second page of the picture books. The space starts from a family room and four functionally different rooms surround the family room and each plays an independent role yet can be joined together as a single space. The family room allows the two kids freely play, read, and sleep. The third floor is the master bedroom, housed under a pitched roof. The perfect position of the reading room window directly confronts canal view and tree top meets the window edge to give a romantic fair-tale fantasy.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

First of all, this award has always been a very indicative and international certification, so we want to let more people see our work by participating in this competition. Secondly, we reached the finals in 2017, 2019 and 2020 competition.

In the 2020 competition, even three of our projects have entered the finals. We hope that we have a chance to win the grand prize this time.

Watch the tour of the residence.

Questions answered by Lien Wu Chen, Design Director, Chains Interior.