Clare Gaskin Applies Her Talent and Experience For NHS Hero’s Room Makeover

Following our post about Design Havens for Heroes and its work to create havens for NHS front workers, we showcase one of the rooms created by SBID Accredited Interior Designer Clare Gaskin. Clare generously volunteered her time and expertise to the charitable initiative alongside interior stylist Emily Wheeler. Together, they transformed a room in the home of Gigi, a first responder paramedic in South West London. The aim was to transform a completely empty space into an elegant, calm and well-appointed room to act as her haven at the end of a gruelling day working on the NHS frontline.

Gigi was nominated for a haven with huge recognition of the exhausting hours and emotional challenges that she had to face during her frontline work on emergency calls. She dreamed of a Scandi-inspired scheme in neutrals with accents of greens and blues, and desperately needed to make space for a sofa bed to accommodate guests.

Clare and Emily spent a great deal of care understanding the room’s challenges and Gigi’s desires, working out a floor plan, mood boards and sample schemes as for any paying client. The first-floor flat is in a Victorian terrace with narrow doorways and a turn in the staircase which made it challenging to find a sofa bed that could be transported into the flat. In addition to layout and location considerations, Clare and Emily also had to work with select products available by donation from brands supporting the Design Havens for Heroes initiative.

Snug Sofas came to the rescue with a sofa bed design able to be built in situ. Clare selected a green velvet model and she and Emily built the scheme around this,  using a beautiful grass cloth wallcovering on one wall and designing an innovative TV display unit which features sliding artwork to hide a television when not in use. This was achieved by cleverly adapting shelving donated by Neptune. Flooring, accessories, art and made-to-measure curtaining magnify the soothing, biophilic-conscious scheme. The dining area is perfect for entertaining friends.

Clare says: 'When I first saw posts from Design Havens for Heroes I knew I wanted to get involved. It felt like a special initiative to give back and thank one of the many NHS workers who we rely on, but especially so through the pandemic. When I found out that my ‘allocated’ hero was Gigi I asked my friend and fellow Designer Emily (who I first met when we studied at KLC) if she was interested in partnering with me. It has been a huge privilege to spend the last few months contributing to the creation of a special space for Gigi. We were passionate about delivering as much as possible and hoped to create a calm space to return to at the end of a hard and often traumatic day: somewhere which felt personal, a retreat - but with opportunities for entertaining friends and family - something we've all dreamt of so much over the last 18 months or so.'

Emily says: 'Our homes have enormous impact on our wellbeing and our frontline NHS workers have sacrificed so much through the pandemic, they all deserve to have a space they love to come home to. As a first responder paramedic, Gigi is first on the scene in a crisis and her work is intense, fast paced and demanding. She had an empty living room for much of the pandemic because she had recently moved into a new flat, so she had nowhere to sit and decompress after a stressful or traumatic shift. It took longer than we had hoped to complete the install due to Covid and supply chain issues, but it was absolutely worth the wait.  It was incredibly emotional when she saw it for the first time. I think it surpassed all of our expectations, which was wonderful to be part of.'

Photograph credits: Nick Smith

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Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio, has garnered a reputation for collaborating with talented artisans. His latest project in Wimbledon is no exception. It features stunning stained-glass windows by celebrated artist Brian Clarke that strike a colourful contrast to Charlie’s cool, industrial-inspired design.

Two sets of natural oak drawers with exposed dovetail joints inject a craft-inspired vibe into the pared-back design. Airy Concrete Caesarstone was then chosen for the worktops; a perfect complement to the concrete flooring. The finishing flourish is Crittall patio doors that open into the garden – an essential element of any industrial-inspired kitchen.

“This is a kitchen that works on so many levels,” concludes Charlie. “It’s a highly functional family kitchen, a great open-plan entertaining space – that links so well with the garden – and the backdrop for some truly stunning pieces of art. I couldn’t be more delighted with the finished effect.”

Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £50,000.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features refurbishment of resort's suites and guestrooms by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, LW Design.

Le Royal Meridien Club Tower is one of the most premium resorts in the United Arab Emirates. As an incredible height of luxury, it has solidified itself as one of the major attractions in the beautiful city of Dubai. LW design received an offer to work on many of the guestrooms and suites at Le Royal Meridien Club Tower, and our team took the offer in stride.

Despite being constructed and decorated beautifully, Le Royal Meridien Club Tower was looking for a much lighter and softer touch to their rooms. Specifically, something that would better resonate with the luxurious beachside feeling of the view outside the rooms, and LW Design team of designers knew exactly what to change in those rooms, so they felt all the more inviting.

What was the client's brief? 

The client brief stated that Le Royal Meridien Club Tower was looking to refurbish the suites and the guestrooms in a way that would keep the overall feel and look of the main tower intact. The brief also mentioned that the rooms should have a beach-like vibe to them, further emphasizing it as the premium holiday destination. The tower stood tall among the many skyscrapers of the city, which means that every visitor would have a great view of the city and the beach. Therefore, much of our team’s efforts would go into subtly solidifying that summer holiday feel.

What inspired the design of the project?

The LW design team that was overlooking this particular refurbishing project understood that there were limitations as far as creativity was concerned. They had to bring the right beachside touches to the rooms while keeping the overall aesthetic of the Club Tower. Despite being a challenging task, it was a test of design potential, and LW Design definitely emerged victoriously.

The Club Tower project was unique because of its circumstances and different requirements - the brief emphasized that the rooms have to appear much lighter and more welcoming, with a feminine yet modern touch.

The narrowed down criteria of soft, light, feminine, and modern, saved the designers a lot of time and helped them jump straight to the crux of the project. The team decided that they would use lighter timber around the room that would help reflect more natural light towards the centre. This accentuates some details while highlighting others, such as the natural rattan, which was among the materials to give a luxurious yet sustainable aesthetic. The room also features subtle blush pink accents throughout to create a feeling of feminine comfort.

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

As with any project that LW Design takes over, there came a few obstacles when refurbishing the many guestrooms and suites of Le Royal Meridian Club Tower. One physical challenge was the incredible lack of space in the bathroom.

Since the bathrooms were much smaller, it was considerably harder to give it that lavish look and feel. However, with the help of a sliding door between the shower area and the bathroom, the team was able to make the bathrooms feel more spacious and luxurious without having to compromise much.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

What makes this project special is simply the clever use of standard finishes. These gave the rooms a much-deserved lavish feel while still keeping the design style in line with the main hotel and guest rooms. Moreover, the team contrasted white oak timber against the black metal, which complimented the blush pink and turquoise colours.

Overall, the Le Royal Meridian Club Tower was an exciting venture for the LW Design portfolio. The unique look of the rooms and the precise requirements of the project made it one of their finest works to date.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

It is always an exciting experience to enter awards, however given the calibre of work and entries into these global awards, it makes it even more special.

Questions answered by Jacqueline Craft, Senior Interior Designer, LW Design.

A global industry leader in luxury custom-made carpets and rugs, Melbourne-based TSAR Carpets is pleased to introduce the new Forma Collection, an expansive series of high concept, hand-tufted floor coverings that set a new high-watermark in rug design and manufacturing techniques. Available from August 2021, the collection will be sold exclusively at TSAR’s studios in Melbourne, Sydney, New York, London, and Shanghai.

Featuring original, never-before-seen textures, colour combinations and inspired patterns, the collection explores the themes of energy and optimism — blurring the lines of applied design and fine art. The investigation of organic motifs; meticulous textures and fibre combinations; new layering techniques; and seamless gradient transitions by TSAR Carpets’ in-house team of talented designers has resulted in a mesmerising collection teeming with playful expression.

The collection was designed over the last twelve months during COVID-19 lockdown — a time in which each member of the design team found themselves going on solitary daily walks around their respective neighbourhoods. These moments of meditative excursion inspired the collection’s incorporation of natural textures and patterns, including cracked earth formations and moss growing on rocks. The design process provided a source of escapism during a dark and challenging time, which is evident in the collection’s use of dazzling and vibrant colours and exaggerated forms.

In addition to being the largest TSAR Carpets collection to date, Forma also represents the first time the company has employed refined fading techniques to achieve new gradients, as well as the first time TSAR has utilised ribbon yarn as a material to create sculptural rug dimensions. TSAR owns and controls the entire manufacturing process, which provides unparalleled control over quality and ensures each piece meets the most stringent of standards.

“Due to the success and popularity of our previous textural collections, including Saltwater and Lagoon, the team experimented with new construction and fade techniques to produce never before seen textures, patterns and fibre combinations that push the limits of virtuosic hand-tufted rug manufacturing,” says Ceberek.

TSAR Carpets partnered with Melbourne-based stylist and art director Nat Turnbull to bring the collection to life. Nat was able to visually capture the new and experimental textures that TSAR Carpets developed through captivating, energetic and highly stylised vignettes— reflective of the brand’s affinity for quality design.

Each incredibly durable rug found in the Collection is hand-tufted from the finest grade of 100% New Zealand wool, undyed wool, Tencel, ribbon yarn, and Lurex, which is a type of shiny, light-reflecting yarn that features metallic properties. Each design has gone through many rounds of sampling to achieve the intended outcome.

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Dentsu Hong Kong is an international advertising company which strives to create the best solutions and services, and unlock new opportunities for their customers.

Responding to the client’s brief, Crosstec International Ltd has renovated the office of a total of 23,640 sq. ft. with two floors in the heart of the City in Hong Kong. They designed a spacious open office with a feel of unity over the entire floor in order to introduce vitality to the workspace and enhance staff interaction.

The office floor is divided into the three main zones: workstation, town hall and cafeteria. Since an open plan layout was applied, it was essential to tackle the noise disturbance within the functional areas. In order to do so, the areas' locations were determined based on the level of noisiness - the pantry is located at the top-left corner, the furthest distance from the workstation where silence is required. The town hall, which is located between the pantry and the workstation, plays the role of a separator. The conference rooms are located at the window side with glass partition in order to bring in more natural light across the whole floor.

The client emphasized that communication and interaction are the core values of the company. To facilitate the communication between co-workers, break-out areas and conference rooms are scattered all over the story. The main entrance is always open during office hours to welcome business partners.

In order to represent the dynamic working environment of Dentsu Hong Kong the spatial design concept of “Work in Progress” is applied. Industrial approach is used at the reception area to give visitors a workshop impression, which highlights that Dentsu Hong Kong provides a one-stop solution to their clients.

The area connected to the reception is the “Town Hall” - a place which aims to enhance internal communication by encouraging the staff to have meetings and share ideas. As per the client's wish, this space has a seating capacity of one hundred.  In addition, an open pantry provides even more interaction opportunities between co-workers.

Across the overall office design, biophilia is applied to stimulate natural and casual atmosphere, which is enhanced through the wooden elements of the interior. The open plan layout minimizes visual blockage, which allows natural light to come through the whole space.

When the owners of Thimbleby Shooting Ground turned to Rachel McLane Ltd for the interior of their new clubhouse they were looking for a longlasting and empathic design that reflected the Thimbleby Estate's rural traditions in a homely, memorable and practical fashion.

"The clubhouse is the heart and soul of any sporting club and Thimbleby Shooting Ground is no exception," said Rachel McLane, whose team have turned Thimbleby's new architect-designed timber frame shell from one big open space into a multi-purpose facility where unique spaces are clearly defined by function.

Thimbleby is one of the country’s premier shooting grounds, open six days a week and with a committed and passionate customer base who use the clubhouse as a place to relax, eat, drink and socialise after a round of shooting.

Layers of cladding, panels, timber, tiles, polished plaster and paint added new texture and colours to break up the uniformity of single-space walls, and removable bespoke banquet seating allows Thimbleby's clubhouse to be used by members as a function suite. A cafe-style display cabinet and proper serving counter took the place of a single food servery hatch which was removed.

"There were a few quite big changes to accommodate from the original specification," added Rachel, "including the reception, retail area, WCs and gun room which all sat rather uncomfortably together in the entrance."

This layout obstacle was solved by installing a new internal wall in the reception area separating it from the WC doorways while also clearly delineating the new retail space and enabling better display of goods and where people can walk. It was also agreed to bring inside the new building an originally proposed external terrace to create an indoor snug area with a new fireplace.

"Although a combination of the pandemic and Brexit made sourcing some of the building materials tricky we have been able to keep the project pretty much on time with the only delays from the design changes necessary to suit the building," said Rachel.

"With a job like this, one of the most pleasing aspects is being able to work with an original building vision by a great architect, expert craftsmen, construction professionals and owners to come up with a design vision that can be successfully realised together."

Thimbleby's director Andrew Shelley says that right from the first project discussions Rachel and her team clearly understood their vision for the clubhouse. "Now the building is complete and being used on a daily basis, not only are we delighted with the finished result, but more importantly, our customers are enjoying the space," said Mr Shelley.

"Rachel delivered an attractive, functional, flexible and comfortable clubhouse. Starting from an empty shell, her design made a huge difference.  Importantly, this was not an open cheque book vanity project, this was a commercial venture and needed to be delivered on budget and in good time which she achieved.

"The team was outstanding and it was a real pleasure to see their skills employed. Throughout the final fit out Rachel and her team worked together creatively and cost effectively to solve problems - I am pretty sure none of them had ever designed or manufactured a gun showroom before, but the end result was outstanding."

Mr Shelley continues: "I am starting to understand the difference design can make and pleased to report that Rachel and her team delivered a clubhouse and retail space that our customers will enjoy for many years - I suspect most of them will not be aware, but much of this was achieved through Rachel's great design."

Silestone® by Cosentino, the leading global hybrid mineral surface for the world of architecture and design, presents Sunlit Days, the first carbon neutral collection in the quartz surfaces and engineered stone industry.

This milestone demonstrates the brand’s commitment to sustainability and highlights the excellent environmental management that the Cosentino Group has been carrying out for years. To reach this new milestone in the industry, Cosentino commits to offsetting the CO² emissions of the entire life cycle of the Silestone® Sunlit Days series. To this end, the company relies on different voluntary offsetting projects, duly certified and in the framework of the Voluntary Carbon Market. This initiative is also complemented by a partnership programme for the preservation of the seabed.

What is Sunlit Days?

Sunlit Days is a collection of five colours inspired by the Mediterranean, the connection with nature and, above all, colour, the distinguishing feature that has made Silestone® a distinctive leader in the industry since its inception. Sunlit Days is a journey through light and colour, with a fresh style and Mediterranean tones, inspired by human values and simple and profound ways of living.

Faro White, Cincel Grey, Arcilla Red, Cala Blue and Posidonia Green are more than just the names of these five colours. They are stories, experiences and expressions. They are a tribute to the way of life of real people who have found their true essence by the Mediterranean.

Shared workspace provider Clockwise has arrived in the capital with expansive new offices in the Wood Green area of North London to provide an alternative location for city workers and businesses.

Measuring 32,000 sq. ft across five floors, the bright, airy offices feature two rooftop terraces with stunning views of Alexandra Palace, and plenty of event spaces, breakout areas and kitchenettes.

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