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Project of the Week: SBID Awards Finalists 2019

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a unique facility designed to surpass all expectations of a traditional care home. Set in a nature reserve and bringing new standards in comfort and sophistication for later-life in Dorset. The iconic building draws on art déco influences in the surrounding Poole and Sandbanks area, embodying an oasis of calm modern living, and a careful balance of striking design and the delivery of award-winning care.

Cafes, cosy sitting rooms and a contemporary bistro flow from the entrance atrium out to living walled courtyards. Opulent chandeliers and carefully considered lighting flood the home, while natural light streams through from private gardens. Refined decorative details and a bold colour palette, combined with gold finishes and ornate wallpapers give a hint of déco glitz. The contrasting aluminium-clad roof pod offers an impressive orangery style bar, flowing into a roof garden with views to the sea.

SBID Awards: Healthcare & Wellness Design finalist sponsored by The Stone Federation 

Practice: Colten Care

Project: Bourne View Care Home

Location: Dorset, United Kingdom

What was the client’s brief? 

To design an extraordinary home for residential and nursing residents, that provided luxury lifestyle living, in an environment that surpasses all expectations for a care home.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

The wealth of art deco heritage in the Poole and Sandbanks area inspired the design of this project. Modern nods to the art deco period can be found all round the home.

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

The biggest challenge with this project was creating an exciting double height central space that would be the hub of the home, but without being overbearing, and also meet the acoustic demands for an older person. Building on a steep sloping hill plot caused many delays and headaches for the architects and construction team.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Whilst creating the entrance and central hub was the toughest challenge, it was also the biggest success, the buzzing environment is a real highlight in the home. The lighting design in this space was a particular success.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards are the most respected awards within the industry, and to be recognised by the awards is a huge accolade for the designers and the company.

Questions answered by Georgina Colwell, head of design, Colten Care.

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Healthcare design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a palatial villa with 18th century rococo style decadence, click here to see more.

SBID Awards 2019 | Healthcare & Wellness Design finalist sponsored by The Stone Federation

Project of the Week: SBID Awards Finalists 2019

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a palatial villa which is designed to embody class, style and opulence. AND Design embraced the client’s vision of this house being synonymous with their aristocracy, therefore a Rococo style was chosen to reflect the majestic design scheme. Classical European architecture is known to induce euphoric pleasure thanks to the dexterity of detail bestowed in every inch of the space. The client’s brief also included strict adherence to the contextual Vastu principles (a traditional Hindu system of architecture), aligning symmetry within the architectural layout. With the entire setting spread over a lush landscape, this villa steps back in time to recreate an 18th century nostalgic monarchical setting.

SBID Awards: Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris

Practice: AND Design

Project: Private Villa

Location: Karnataka, India

What was the client’s brief? 

Vastu-shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture which literally translates to “science of architecture.” This building style was at the core of the client’s brief along with a strong bias towards the classics for both architecture and interiors. Our answer? A journey through time and continents to create a living space that defines élan, grace and authority.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

Ancient Indian culture lays great emphasis on “Karma” or one’s deeds. The homeowners had achieved much through their actions. Respect, trust, fame and stature. The lush 25,000 sq ft lush landscaped land was a reflection of their achievements and deserved a monument that celebrated it.

We created a palatial villa that stepped back in time to the 18th century. Evoking the nostalgia of French regal residences, we chose the Rococo Style to reflect the homeowner’s status.

A first glimpse of this luxurious home, immerses the visitor in the French era. Travel through the glorious driveway adorned with a bed of spider lilies and classic urns. Further ahead, discover perfectly bobbed topiaries, Victorian statues and a bird bath featuring a cherub with a trumpet. Settle in for a tête-à-tête by the fountain or spend an evening gazing at the assorted petunias cupped in stone urns. Celebrate Indian agrarian living in the open cow barn that creates an intimate dialogue with the contrasting Rococan setting.

The residence is a classic 18th century monarchical setting. Gilt-framed paintings, arabesque stained glass windows, opulent chandeliers, walls upholstered in silk, parquet floored library and pastel schemed furniture reflect the glory of French aristocracy.

The double height formal living room draws your attention to the huge stained glass dome. The entry of light (inspired by the Oculus of the Pantheon) through the floral motifs and the chandelier further accentuates the morning light. An ornate scroll of wrought-iron patina and gilt work sweeps across the majestic staircase inviting anyone who enters to explore further. You will see trademark French finesse through golden-capped pilasters, rocaille patterns, frescoes, lace curtains, carved chairs at the foot of the bed and marble-topped tables with curved legs. Delightful additions include Indian jaalis, art and porcelain artefacts. Fine detailing and a carefully thought-out combination of the furniture and the interior design exudes a combination of rococo regency and opulence.

Even on a hot day, one can step onto the Annex block to relax, containing a magnificent swimming pool, a massage room and a personal salon. The pool has its own contrast – with its warm breccia aurora cladded walls and the cool Byzantine Mosaic schemed floor bed brightened by the skylight. The adjacent theatre offers a grand operatic feel as one sits comfortably in the leather seats with the overhead wooden coffered ceiling. Lights out, let the drama begin!

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

The challenges were many but exciting. Like consciously complying to the ancient principals of Vastu-shastra in every room while primarily crafting the 18th century Rococan Architectural and Interior Style. You can see it in the auspicious Northern Main Entrance with the odd numbered steps – responsible for bringing-in “positive energy” while providing a pleasant view of the ornate stone fountain. The Portico rests on 8 major Doric columns, continuing to the entrance vestibule and opening to a central open space – the Brahmasthana. Responsible for embodying relaxation and positive energy – at the same time provides for beauty and direct entry for the skylight entry. Other locations followed the North-East Pooja Room, South West – Master Bedroom and Safe and Kitchen in the South-East, abiding by stringent Vaastu principles.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Collaboration of ancient Indian architectural principals and European architectural styles has never been achieved before. Now add to this, all the comforts and luxuries of a 21st century home and you know this is an opportunity like never before.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards values diversity in design disciplines and celebrates global design, creativity and innovation. Being a part of such a prestigious award simply connects us with an international community of industry professionals. AND Design Co. has always strived for creative excellence and we are thrilled at being nominated as finalists in two categories. Attention to detail defines the success of both our projects and we embrace being global while celebrating our Indianess and bring along the same ethic to the awards.

Questions answered by Rupesh Baid, owner & founder, AND Design Co.

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a striking sculptural transformation for dated office tower in Toronto, click here to see more.

SBID Awards 2019 | Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris

Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the complete transformation of the lobby area of a 30-year-old office tower. Once a series of dark, awkward spaces lacking in a clear axis or flow of movement, the lobby is now a bright and airy volume defined by a graphic screen that emphasizes 30-foot-high ceilings. Toronto designers Bartlett & Associates were commissioned to reimagine the space as a welcoming amenity that would attract a stable of noteworthy new tenants. The design team took an architectural approach to the project; removing a disused storage space made way for a public café, while the custom-designed screen was added to anchor the front desk and delineate the elevator bay. The striking black sculptural screen plays off against a dazzling white wall with a surface of subtle peaks and architectural texture.

Practice: Bartlett & Associates

Project: Crown Lobby – 5255 Yonge Street

Location: Toronto, Canada

What was the client’s brief? 

The mandate from our client, Crown Realty, was to reposition a dated office tower’s lobby for the 21st century. The building is right on Toronto’s north Yonge Street, a prime location that offered the potential to create a significant destination. Crown wanted a space that would inject new vitality into this rather tired building and position it as a desirable location for a more vibrant class of tenant. Our design transformed the lobby from an uninspiring entrance to an energetic amenity that makes a compelling impression on visitors – including prospective leaseholders.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

It’s the challenges of a project that typically inspire the best ideas and in this case we were dealing with a modest budget and an awkward space that was completely covered – all the floors, all the walls – in a very dated and dull granite. Tearing it out was cost-prohibitive, so the new surfaces were something we put a lot of thought into. Nature is also a constant source of inspiration for us and adding biophilic elements is something we try to do with all of our projects. As we spend more and more time in our urban office buildings, immersed in digital worlds, it feels increasingly important to make those connections to nature wherever possible. This is often achieved through very subtle interventions, but with this project the scale of the space presented an ideal opportunity to do something big – something a bit more direct, really impactful. So of course that was the screen, and beyond that we used a lot of wood- and stone-look low-profile surfacing that was applied right over the granite to avoid spending a lot of time and money on demolition and to avoid creating a lot of waste.

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

Resolving the awkwardness of the space while keeping the budget in check was huge. Originally the effect of the high ceilings was all but obliterated by this bulkhead wall that sort of cinched the walls inwards about a third of the way up. It loomed over the elevator bay, feeling very heavy with its stone cladding, and made that space feel a bit ominous. And then the corridor running off the east wall was this dark, narrow tunnel – it was all very uninviting. In the end we tore out a single short, angled wall to open up the corridor and make space for a public café. Then the screen was an amazing solution that both masks that bulkhead and transforms the elevator bay into a cozy little annex. Walking behind the screen to access the lifts offers this sense of discovery, which is a much nicer way to start your work day than trudging through a dark hall. Overall it feels like a cohesive sequence of usable space now, rather than a patchwork of hallways that were strictly for moving through, not for stopping or spending time in.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The screen is definitely the highlight for us – it won an award for the project before the space was even finished and it was also reimagined as an installation piece for the Design TO festival, which is part of Toronto’s Design Week in January. It’s obviously a stunning feature that is also functional, but there is a bit of hidden genius going on there as well: Not only does it hide that awkward bulkhead, but it’s actually supported by a mounting system originally installed for the granite cladding. Most of the granite was left intact and simply covered with low-profile materials, but by removing a bit of stone from the bulkhead, we were able to avoid creating customized brackets to hold the screen. That was a big cost-saver and just one of those eureka moments that you want to have on every project.

Questions answered by Inger Bartlett, lead designer and president, Bartlett & Associates.

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Office design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a contemporary loft apartment situated above the famous Soho Theatre, click here to see more.

A Q&A with Frazer Macdonald Hay

Frazer

Frazer Macdonald Hay is an expert on the re-use of buildings and their impact on society. His experiences have helped him evolve from an apprentice glazier after leaving school at 16, to working on renowned architectural projects such as the new Scottish parliament and the Zonnestraalin in the Netherlands. Later becoming a successful published academic and the founder of Glasgow School of Art in Singapore.

In the last eight years he has focused on politics and international relations, working with the Orang Suku Laut in Indonesia and a UN agency in Iraq whilst researching everyday sites of violence in Mosul and Belfast; developing his own consultancy, Uniform November, specialising in Place, Peace and Political Violence.

When asked to describe his work, Frazer explained that he was primarily a person who works with the meaning and memories the built environment can resonate in communities. “I’m interested in how the places society creates, evolve and impact on people and their behaviour”.

Do places impact our sense of self?

Our lifeworld and the places therein are established reflecting our relationship with memory, either consciously or subconsciously. I believe these places that we experience are hugely important factors in the development of a sense of self or society, a sense of belonging and how people identify with themselves and others. These places are where lifeworlds are framed and contested. There is nothing that we do on this ‘mortal coil’, that is un-placed. Therefore, place and the memories it orchestrates are hugely important to you and me, and always will be.

Why are our memories so important?

Well, without memory we could not function even in the most simple ways. We wouldn’t remember where we live, our past, how to read, write or even walk, so in that way, memory tends to be honest and help us conduct our lives well. That said, it can betray us too, especially in times of stress and trauma. We often take memory and memories for granted, only realising their significance when they let us down.

In what way do our memories let us down?

It goes far beyond just forgetfulness or absentmindedness. They can lead us to remember things differently – we can be manipulated to remember things in another ways and with bias. According to psychologists, there are at least seven ways memory might betray us. Generally, it is important to understand that memory is not passive like a PC or video camera which reproduces the information in its original context; they are fragile, reflective, malleable and susceptible to a range of influences within and outside the brain. I have spent years working with the built environment and studying how people attribute buildings with memories and how these memories help to develop a sense of place.

What do you mean by the importance of place?

If you consider that nothing we do is unplaced, in other words we were born in a place, in fact we were conceived in a place; we can’t experience or remember something which isn’t ‘placed’. You might therefore ask yourself, why aren’t we more conscious of the places we create and the impact of those we have created?

In 1943, whilst addressing the nation with regards the rebuilding of the parliament building, Winston Churchill said, First we shape our buildings, then they shape us”. Aristotle also explained that,Whatever is true for space and time, this much is true for place: we are immersed in it and could not do without it. To be at all – to exist in any way – is to be somewhere, and to be somewhere is to be in some kind of place”. Finally, Hobbs wrote, “No man therefore can conceive anything, but he must conceive it in some place”.

How can place be used to our advantage?

Quite simply an authentic, skilled and mindful use of ‘place’ can help address climate change, migration, poverty, urban development and social cohesion – the list goes on…

For example, the re-use of existing buildings will maintain a community’s sense of place, orientation and a feeling of home, not to mention the ecological sense of retaining a building and its embodied energy. Even if the building has ethical and environmental intentions, it will take decades to repay the embodied energy lost in the process. By embodied energy, I mean the amount of labour and energy consumed in the fabrication of the building; from the harvesting of natural resources and the manufacture and delivery of materials, to the installation of these materials and products within. It also includes the energy required to demolish and remove building components. Working to manage the embodied energy reflects a cradle-to-grave philosophy and is critical to any sustainable approach in managing and conserving our culturally significant built environment.

Another example might be the work I have done in Iraq, highlighting the importance of place in war torn communities full of emotional entanglement and trauma. Reporting to the United Nations how certain everyday buildings in Mosul can perpetuate hostility and amplify trauma. Surfacing the dangers of top down reconciliation through redevelopment, whilst local communities contend with places full of the memories of violence…

What does the future of place look like?

If we don’t take place more seriously, I feel we risk living in homogenous surroundings, dictated by economics and technocratic means. There are exciting aspects of the future. The virtual place is growing, the cyber place, the intangible places created by social media which connect communities around the world and inform so many people will evolve as our current interests in knowledge, technology and science seems limitless. I worry though, just like memory, place is only really considered properly ‘once the wheels fall off’. In times of adversity, ‘place’ reveals its integral importance to positive living, as critical in framing social and mental condition, promoting social cohesion and belonging. In many ways place is a rare and precious phenomenon, common to all, a bonding vocabulary which begins as home.

Therefore, the future needs a revolution, a change in how we conceive and manage our places and the conditions they create.

Speaking of places. What is your favourite?

Home – or perhaps, more randomly, the rainbow café in Eilat. I doubt it’s there now, but when I was there in the 90s, it was ‘the’ place where you would go in the morning to line up against its rubble wall and tout for labouring work before the day warmed up. Other builders would drive by and select healthy specimens to do a hard day labouring for them on site! In the evening, once dropped off back at the wall, exhausted, content and dirty, the warm café would be the place to sit with comrades, watch the sunset and share stories.

Meet Stella Gittins

co-founder and group director, Accouter Group of Companies

Stella Gittins is the co-founder of Accouter Group of Companies (AGC), London’s fastest-growing portfolio of award-winning international interior design companies. Creating the benchmark in luxury living, Accouter Group of Companies is home to Accouter Design, A. LONDON and BoxNine7 delivering world-class interior architectural and furnishing services to the private clients and the global property market.

With 15 years of experience mentoring and directing diverse teams within the field, Stella has spent the last seven building AGC into one of the best places to work in the property industry, as voted on multiple occasions.

Taking a lead creative role for the group, Stella is responsible for all aspects of the brand and design. She has published four bespoke books that discuss every corner of luxury life and feature the inspirations behind Accouter Design’s schemes and collaborations with iconic brands such as Rolls Royce and William & Son. The fifth publication is due to be launched in 2020.

Chelsea Waterfront

What are some of your secrets for designing a show home that will entice buyers?

There aren’t necessarily secrets, but there’s definitely a method. Designing schemes for private clients in houses they’ll live in themselves is a very different to creating show homes where the ultimate goal is to maximize the value of properties and make them extremely desirable for quick sales or lets. Our job is to ensure buyers or tenants immediately fall in love as soon as they enter.

We are storytellers providing a look into their futures. The easiest way to do that is to develop a design that projects a new lifestyle, spaces that let them imagine how they would live there and utilise each area. We analyse the best characteristics of the location and the kind of lifestyle buyers would expect given these features and the property value. For example, someone buying a property in Chelsea would have different expectations than someone living in trendy Shoreditch: where do they work, where do they shop, what do they read, what do they wear, what do they eat, where do they eat, and what is their social life like? The trick is to imagine who that character is. We brainstorm quite a bit to figure out who the person is that’s going to be walking in the door, and then develop a floor plan accordingly.

Chelsea Waterfront
Chelsea Waterfront

It’s a myth that you need less furniture in small spaces. The best solution is to create zones that each have their own purpose. People walking into a large home might think, “Oh, we don’t need furniture because the house is so big and amazing.” But actually, people get scared thinking about what they’re going to do in every single room. We have to provide ideas for what they’ll be doing so they can imagine how their lives would play out in the property.

We like to bring local elements into the rooms to create suggestions that potential owners or renters might get to know the barista in the independent coffee shop or support the neighbourhood bakery.

It’s also important to make a show home memorable. We don’t like to follow interior trends, not only because they might not be right for the area or the specific property, but also because they might not allow the show home to stand out. When someone spends only a little time in a place and then walks out, there must be something that causes them to remember it. For example, we incorporated many amazing antiques into an historic Chelsea Waterfront property by Lots Road in London, plus there was tailor-made furniture we designed ourselves. In one corner was an organically shaped loveseat that would inspire someone to think it was an amazing space. Or it could be an incredible headboard fabric that catches the eye because it’s just a little bit different.

Hexagon

How is design evolving in response to lifestyle changes?

Without a doubt the biggest influence is sustainability. In fact, we publish a book every year and this time it’s entirely centred around this subject. Everyone is becoming more environmentally conscious, including in their interiors. It’s not just a trend, it’s something for life that people are really becoming quite aware of in their homes’ designs. We use a lot of antiques where we can, and people are getting more into upcycling. Our companies are working towards ISO 14001 accreditation, so we’re looking how furniture is packaged in the warehouse, how can we offset our carbon footprint, our paper usage in the office, all those types of things.

Our book also explores how the luxury market is evolving with Bentley, Lotus and Tesla producing electric cars, not just lower-end manufacturers. Sustainability is also affecting where people go on holiday, whether the 1 Hotel in Brooklyn or the world’s first “energy positive” hotel being built in Norway.

Hexagon Living Room
Hexagon

Interiors and fashion tend to change side by side, with people investing a bit more in higher quality pieces that last over time. Rather than following trends, our designs for private clients are more timeless with items people will keep for generations. Across all our brands, we try to incorporate old forms of craft as well as things made in the UK, for example art by Nat Bowen who layers resin on recycled acrylic. At our Chelsea Waterfront project, she hand painted gold leaf directly onto the walls. It’s an amazing skill to have because she only gets one chance to do it. But again, it’s not mass manufacturing. It’s just her. We also work with Jennifer Manners who designs amazing rugs made from recycled plastic. Our goal is to think about our projects’ environmental impact and how we can make them sustainable, because it’s important to everybody. And if a developer sees this as a selling point, we can also make it part of the marketing brief for a show home. I think we’re going to see this more and more, and it’s something we push them towards.

Other factors include the growth in healthier lifestyles and the need for convenience. I recently designed a five-bedroom property with timber floors so that a room could be changed into a gym in the future. Its ensuite bathroom was designed like a spa, and its landscape contained a Zen garden.

Our market is very international, and our clients may only stay in their London homes from one week to a couple months per year. So we need to think about full turnkey packages for them, including what bed they’ll sleep in, their sheets, their towels. We make sure they have all the elements needed to live in their homes.

Gasholders

How do you feel about young Instagram design stars who have large followings but don’t know how to write a spec?

Ultimately, everyone has to start somewhere, and I have no concerns about people promoting their passions especially if it helps the design industry. I follow some people myself – but there are different tiers to design.

A lot of these Instagram stars are more into styling, which is one of the hardest things to be trained in because it’s subjective. You don’t necessarily need a qualification to be a stylist because some people just have a natural eye. Some of the best designers aren’t always the best stylists.

It is possible to be an Instagram design star who is good at dressing an interior. However, if they want to evolve that passion into a profession, it’s important they have the correct skillset and training behind them. Being an interior designer and interior architect is very technical. I wouldn’t mobilise a team to work with our clients that didn’t have the correct skills or support.

Gasholders Kitchen
Gasholders

When working with developers, you don’t have carte blanche to design whatever you want. What are some examples of when you didn’t get your way, and how did you reach a compromise?

Designers can be very passionate about their designs, and developers can be very passionate about what they want. That’s why the briefing stage is so important. The way we overcome it is to always show clients what they want, because they want to know we can deliver what they asked us to do. But if we are passionate about another direction, we need to share our suggestions and try to inspire them in some way. Then the debate starts. It’s about saying, yes, we can do what you want, but actually, this is what we recommend. We constantly try to encourage clients out of their comfort zones. For example, in a recent show home, the developer was extremely keen to have artwork that reflected the view, while as designers we wanted something that would contrast. The compromise was an abstract piece that hinted at the form of the buildings around the area. Some of the larger developers have a bigger track record and their own “look” because they have a clear idea of their target market. So this is when we go back to basics, have a bit of a debate, and meet somewhere in the middle.

Stella is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

The SBID Product Design Awards 2020 entry deadline has been extended! 

To find out more about entering, visit www.sbidproductdesignawards.com

Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a contemporary loft apartment situated above the famous Soho Theatre. Angel O’Donnell redesigned and reconfigured this central London duplex apartment on behalf of a private client. The apartment, which spans 1750 sq ft across two floors, boasts a generous open plan living and entertainment space with a spacious kitchen centred around an island and a large, yet cosy living room providing the perfect place to relax above the hustle and bustle of Soho. The show stopping centrepiece of the space is an 20 ft tall retractable roof which can be pulled back almost entirely, opening the room up and flooding it with natural light, creating a sense of inside/outside living.

Practice: Angel O’Donnell

Project: Soho Loft Apartment

Location: London, United Kingdom

What was the client’s brief? 

The client hadn’t touched the property for 15 years and needed to bring it up to date before putting it on the market. They wanted a fresh looking scheme that reflected the location of the apartment and were concerned that the apartment lacked proper zoning – currently arranged as a totally open plan, one bedroom, totalling 1750sqt  – they wanted our help to maximise the cost per sq ft.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

Soho provided us with a wealth of inspiration, from its architecture, nightlife, creativity and its unique blend of old and new that works so perfectly in this part of town. We took inspiration from nearby venues like Soho House Dean St which is directly opposite as well as of course the theatre downstairs. We don’t have a ‘house style’ as such, we prefer to take our lead from the properties we work with and the nearby surroundings to create an environment that we believe best suits each particular project.

To further enhance the feeling of bringing the outside in, we adopted an organic and natural colour palette in the living room with green, blue and turquoise hues. A dramatic feature wall was painted in Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue and creates ambience at one end of the room, whilst bar stools in a forest green velvet provide a subtle reminder of Soho’s nightlife. An ivory coloured sofa is also decorated with a mix of cushions in Mulberry and Zinc textiles.

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

The toughest hurdle was how to turn the huge open plan space into something more commercially viable without breaking the bank & keeping that airy, light filled feeling. Our proposition was to build a wall across the original snug area, with sliding pocket doors. This created a separate room which was multi-functional; snug, study or second bedroom. We also advised the client to keep the kitchen and spiral staircase. These looked dated but by adding the dramatic dark paint colour behind them, gave them a new lease of life and made them look contemporary once again.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Really the highlight was the client’s reaction at the result. They were literally lost for words when they saw the transformation and even though we had created a second room in an open plan space they thought that the space felt bigger. They genuinely felt like this was the home they had been wanting to create for years.  Hugs all round !

Questions answered by Ed O’Donnell and Richard Angel, founders of Angel O’Donnell

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring beautifully bespoke, authentic and consciously curated interiors for a boutique hotel in the mountains of Italy, click here to see more.

Meet Graham Robinson 

showroom and design manager, Halcyon Interiors

Graham Robinson is the showroom and design manager at the Halcyon Interiors flagship located on London’s Wigmore Street, a road that has become the epicentre of kitchen design.

Over the last 20 years he has developed a passion for contemporary design and honed his eye for meticulous detail, allowing him to create practical kitchens that look stunning for many years to come. Whilst he likes to be aware of current trends, he prefers to give his clients classic looks that transcends fashion.

Alno Anderson Interior Design
Alno Anderson Interior Design

How can a well-designed kitchen reduce food waste?

When you design a kitchen, find out how your clients are actually cooking. Generally, there are two types of people: those with really big fridges and hardly any freezer space, and those who freeze leftovers. It’s best to have a practical kitchen with spice racks and visible, accessible storage. I like to design larders with pull-up storage features so you can see what food you’ve got. A lot of people have old things hidden at the back of their cupboards, but if items face forward you see all there is and don’t let anything go out of date.

People are eating more fresh food now, so it’s good to have refrigeration with nought degree, low humidity drawers that provide filtration so things like salads, green vegetables and meat remain edible longer. You get an extra couple of days and don’t end up just throwing things away. It’s also possible for kitchen cabinets to include a vacuum drawer, so if only half of something has been eaten, you can vacuum seal what’s left inside a clear bag. The vacuum feature can also be used for marinating food or steam cooking in a water bath.

STEWART

How do your designs anticipate your clients’ future needs, including gadgets and appliances they might acquire?

Most kitchens we create are for houses our clients live in rather than somewhere they plan to sell. We advise them to invest in quality brands because they’re won’t go wrong. Talking to them about how they cook is important. Do they need a steam oven? Do they really need a microwave oven or are they anti-microwave? We find out what they’re actually going to need long-term, because maybe in three- or four-years’ time they might no longer use microwaves and move towards steam cooking that’s more healthy.

Alno Horton Stephens

Most people seem to want taps that provide boiling water, it’s definitely growing in the market. Also, it depends on the age of the client, but sometimes features like pull-out storage are integrated so they won’t need to bend down as they get older. When creating a kitchen for a woman in a wheelchair, we looked at details such as oven height and how it opened, how the fridge was configured and where she put her tap. We designed a long thin hob, and because she couldn’t reach the hood, its fan and lights automatically turned on when the burners did. It’s also more popular to have appliances with technology that lets them be monitored and controlled remotely, for example from your phone you can track the progress of your washing machine, your dishwasher, turn your oven on and some ovens let you look at what’s happening inside. Say you have meat in your oven, you can actually see remotely a clear picture of it every 30 seconds. It’s slightly gimmicky, but it’s there if people want it. Others have a door that opens slightly after the oven’s s turned off so an item doesn’t carry on cooking from retained heat.. The hot air is pushed out and cool air is drawn in so food isn’t overcooked. Some people talk about the fact that gas might not be around forever, so if you’re going to futureproof a kitchen, induction hobs are good to have.

Alno Anderson Interior Design
Alno Anderson Interior Design
Alno Anderson Interior Design

With kitchens at the heart of the home, how do you design for inclusivity and the wide range of activities that take place there?

You initially need to get a real understanding of how the kitchen will be used every day, and then build from there. It’s making sure the kitchen works for the customer in every scenario. For example, will it will be used for functions, and will they cook when entertaining a large number of people or get caterers in? We offer layout ideas for when it’s breakfast for two, how to change it for four people, when doing homework with the children, or if they’ve got the whole family around. You’ve got to make sure there are the right amount of cooking elements and enough storage for however many sets of plates they’ll have for dinner service.

Alno Anderson
Alno Anderson

A kitchen has to be right for how someone is going to cook – or not cook. At the moment we’re creating a large kitchen where day-to-day it’s just the four of them, but every Sunday they have a big family function. We’ve designed it as an open-plan space where the island can be moved into an alcove so the table can be extended. Others have separate dining rooms and secondary kitchens for caterers to use when the client hosts large events. Some people are desperate to have places for their cling film, tin foil or store their rubber gloves. One client argued with his wife because she always used a tea towel rather than rubber gloves. In our showroom, we demonstrate the physical space so that clients get a feel for how much room they’ll have between their island and cabinet run. They might see a picture that looks really nice with a row of four barstools behind an island, but in reality, those barstools are never going to be in line and you don’t really want to sit in that line, although you might want to sit facing each other.

Alno Horton
Alno Horton
Alno Horton

What’s on the horizon for kitchen design?

Kitchen features are becoming more like furniture. They’re still quite sleek, but with warmer colours and added textures that make them a bit more comfortable and friendly. We’re seeing mechanisms for opening doors in different ways, but some of them are just for the sake of doing things differently rather than an actual invention.

In recent years, the real innovation has been with ceramic worktops you can put hot things on and that are completely non-porous. Whether synthetic quartz or manufactured ceramic, modern counters have lots of interesting patterns and veining that appears realistic, or others look like concrete. These manufacturers copy the stone, marble, and quartz that occurs in nature, but the textures, colours and finishes all match.

Graham is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

The SBID Product Design Awards 2020 entry deadline has been extended! 

To find out more about entering, visit www.sbidproductdesignawards.com

When designing a room, the details can make all the difference, from the perfect paint colour to that dreamy flooring. It can be frustrating when essential fixtures and fittings, such as plastic light switches, affect the end result. Well, wouldn’t it be great if these electrical fittings were part of a solution and not the problem? Step forward innovative stylish switches that stand out for all the right reasons.

Check out four key styles for switches that are breaking all the rules and turning electrical accessories into cool interior must-haves.

Modern kitchen design with Schneider Electric electrical fitting

Be creative with colour

Busy family homes are often packed full of colour, which changes on a daily basis depending on what toys are being played with or the latest craft project on display. So, wouldn’t it be great if you had versatile electrical switches that could mirror this playful vibe?

Opt for a light switch that has interchangeable cover plates and you’ll be able to change up the look every time the surroundings evolve.

Make it a feature. Turn a colourful switch into part of the backdrop by giving it a role in an exciting gallery wall display of prints and photographs. You could even include childrens’ artwork in clear frames for a humorous touch.

Go for a classic chic vibe

Often overlooked as a significant part of a room scheme, designers are now rethinking the role of the light switch as a stand-alone interior feature thanks to the many new styles and finishes available.

For example, if you’re looking to complement a classic, high-end interior, then an elegantly designed switch is a sleek and sophisticated solution. Featuring a chic metallic finish, a charcoal steel frame will team perfectly with dark tones and raw textures, while its sublime simplicity will ensure it melts away into the backdrop.

Encourage the simplicity. For added efficiency, this switch features a simple push-button operation for an extra streamlined finish.

Modern kitchen design with Schneider Electric electrical fitting for residential interior

Choose a design that blends in yet also stands out

Whether you choose to make a feature of an elegant switch, or give it a quieter role in your scheme, we guarantee it will still make a design statement in any space.

Take a super-sleek and simplistic design, for example. With clean lines, matt finish and LED-lit push buttons, it will fade into the backdrop of a soothing living space, yet will bring a designer elegance that a basic plastic switch just couldn’t match.

Show it off in a prominent position. Forget having to hide switches behind doors or curtains where they won’t be seen. With a sophisticated collection, you’ll be encouraged to fit them in eye-catching spots that not only pull focus but are also convenient to use.

Encourage a little coastal calm

The laidback look of a simple switch fits right in with a neutral palette of weathered timbers, natural linens and calming greys – perfect for a creative coastal interior.

And to encourage that easy-living vibe even more, the switch could feature pictograms that clearly indicate each operation, so you can go straight to the downlights, ceiling fan or room you want.

Design a bespoke switch layout. Before choosing any electrical accessories, consider how you use each room so you can pick the right combination of switches to suit the function of the space. For example, dimmer switches are great for living spaces where you may want mood lighting, while USB chargers are going to be essential in study spaces, bedrooms and above kitchen benches.

Stay ahead of the game with the latest technology

Create a coordinated look in every room. With a complete range of switches, outlets and electrical accessories, including fan controls and cooker switches, you can ensure your home is style-ready as well as future-ready.

About the Author

SBID Accredited Industry Partner, Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management and automation providing energy technologies, software and digital automation solutions for efficiency and sustainability in the home, buildings, data centres and more. 

This article was written by Louisa Buckley, Residential Segment Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric.

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more. 

Remote working is far from a new concept and has been rapidly on the rise for the past decade. In fact, according to Global Workplace Analytics, 80% of employees want to work from home at least some of the time and over a third would take a pay cut in exchange for this option.

Although many of us may already be familiar with working from home as a part of our regular work-life routines, most companies have been forced to test-drive remote working on a mass and unexpected scale (where possible). As working from home now becomes the ‘new normal’ under these very abnormal circumstances, we start to wonder what this means for the future of flexible working and how this could alter the landscape of the way workspaces operate.

Looking to the future with great uncertainty and wondering what life will be like post-lockdown, both employers and employees may be considering if working from home is a viable practice for them moving forward, and we may see even more companies adapting this operational flexibility into its business model with a more long-term view.

Workspace interior design for home office by design practice, Cheng Sheng Interior Design

Cheng Sheng Interior Design

Whether an increasing number of us plan to continue working from home on a full-time or part-time basis after the lockdown has lifted, our daily lifestyles will have a significant impact on the interior design industry in many ways. For interior designers, consumer lifestyle trends are a significant influencer on how they design and curate interior environments for their clients. Is there likely to be an increased necessity for incorporating home offices into the designs of our homes? Will carving out space for study areas become an essential part of our new interior requirements? A report on the ‘State of Remote Work’ by Buffer showed that though remote workers have location flexibility, 84% of respondents still choose to stay at home as opposed to using co-working spaces, coffee shops or libraries.

From a dedicated office space to the corner of a bedroom, home studies can come in many shapes and sizes, and like most environments, there is an art and expertise to designing an effective workspace to suit your home, meet your needs and inspire productivity. The impact that social distancing measures will undoubtedly have on business and lifestyles is far reaching, but how we embrace remote working when the lockdown lifts – only time will tell. In the meantime, we pulled together a selection of inspirational home office designs from previous SBID Awards finalists to help keep you feeling inspired and start planning for a potential rise demand for home offices post pandemic.

Interior design of work from home space in residential interior by Elicyon

Elicyon / Chiltern Place Apartment

Workspace design for home office by Elicyon
Workspace studio interior design scheme by design practice, INNEST Art Design

INNEST Art Design / Foshan Green Island Lake Villa

Douglas Design Studio

Douglas Design Studio / Ravine View Home

HBA London

HBA London / Piramal Aranya Pavillion

Workspace interior design for home office by design practice, JOI Design

JOI Design / Der Öschberghof Hotel

Home office workspace interior design scheme by design practice, Melanie Hall

Melanie Hall / Drayton Manor

Workspace interior design for home office by design practice, Blainey North

BLAINEY NORTH / 666 NEW SOUTH

Ricky Wong Designers

Ricky Wong Design / Noble Mansion YI Residence

Workspace interior design for home office by design practice, Win Win Design

Win Win Design / Glory Mansion Villa

Home office workspace interior design scheme by design practice, LIYICHONG & ASSOCIATES

LIYICHONG & ASSOCIATES / Fortress Villa

Interior design of work from home space by Morpheus London

Morpheus London / The Lodge

Interior design of residential bedroom with workspace area by Nu Infinty

Nu Infinity / Opulent 30

Interior design of residential bedroom with workspace by YoDezeen

YoDezeen / Art Filled Apartment

Workspace interior design for home office by design practice, Native Land

NATIVE LAND / Holland Park Villas

Interior design of residential bedroom with workspace area by Goddard Littlefair

Goddard Littlefair / The Lowry Presidential Suite

The SBID International Design Awards 2020 is now open for entries, visit www.sbidawards.com to find out more!

Cover image credits: Ippolito Fleitz Group / Chromatic Spaces Show Apartment

Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the beautifully bespoke, authentic and consciously curated interiors for the re-design of Miramonti; a luxury boutique hotel in Brescia, Italy. Located just over two hours away from Milan, the hotel is surrounded by stunning natural beauty and is popular for seasonal activities including: skiing, ice climbing, hiking, fly fishing, porcini mushroom picking and wine-tasting at the vineyards nearby.

The London-based, proactive and purposeful design studio, Boxx Creative completed a timeless design for the hotel’s new minimalist contemporary interiors. Inspired by the scenic Italian mountains, the interior design provides a tranquil place where guests can experience total relaxation, reconnect with nature and re-balance.

Defining a new standard of boutique hotel design for the local area and beyond, Miramonti celebrates the achievements of conscious design, showcasing the spectacular results that can be achieved when design is fully considered from all aspects; aesthetics, functionality, innovation, social and environment impact.

Practice: Boxx Creative

Project: Miramonti 

Location: Brescia, Italy

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

What was the client’s brief? 

Originally built in 1958, Miramonti is a family-owned hotel that had recently passed onto the third-generation. The hotel’s new owners had a clear vision for what they wished to achieve, great design style and taste, an appreciation for quality, timelessness and longevity, as well as a desire to support the local community and minimise the environmental impact of the project.

The hotel was to be totally transformed, with space maximised to increase bedroom numbers, flexibility of room use and defined room types created for couples and spacious suites with connecting bunk-bed rooms for families with children. The existing bedrooms provided for self-catering with kitchenettes and dining tables, which were to be removed. In the ensuites, small shower cubicles and bidets were to be replaced with walk-in showers.

The hotel was to be fully modernised, offering guests something completely different in terms of room layout, furnishings, lighting and materials. The design had to be a real game changer and ensure that Miramonti could continue its proud legacy and be enjoyed by future generations of guests and locals.

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

Miramonti, meaning mountain view, draws its name from nature. Its holistic design was also inspired by the beauty of its surroundings and every design detail was thoughtfully considered to reflect this connection, including the colour palette, hard finishes, bespoke furniture, textiles, artwork and accessories.

The deep terracotta facade evokes the changing seasons and rich natural Italian colour palette. In the twenty-one guest bedrooms, the complementary green and blue colour schemes are both balanced and calming.

The design concept draws on the natural elements of earth, fire, air, water, wood and metal. Materials were selected for their authentic properties and link to the surrounding environment and feature in the natural stone wash basins, solid trunk coffee tables, round metal bedsides and soft natural fabrics of the sheer linen blinds and cotton bed throws.

Consideration was also given to all elements of the hotel’s design to ensure quality, longevity and minimising environmental impact. Everything was designed and built-to-last. Locally sourced, sustainable materials were used wherever possible and carpet made from recycled fibres line the corridors.

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

The majority of the furnishings were made completely bespoke by the contractor and his team of talented artisans in his local Tirano-based workshop. The bedrooms feature headboard panelling and wooden beds, metal framed open cabinetry storage and sturdy desks, wooden flooring, panelled doors and shuttered windows, each thoughtfully hand-crafted.

The build contractor was chosen for his energy saving principles and employment of workers within the area. All the wood chips left-over from his workshop were burnt in a furnace to heat houses in the village.

Lighting was a key part of the project where the clients wished to make an impressive statement. Layers of lighting with iconic FLOS feature pendants and Scandi-inspired statement wall lights make strong visual impact and create focal points in the guest bedrooms and ensuites. For the light switches, electrical sockets and ironmongery, Buster+Punch’s architectural hardware was the perfect companion with its strong design edge.

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

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

We experienced three main challenges with the project – time, distance and language barrier.

Time: The project had a quick turnaround, once the project got the go ahead, we had just over one month to do all the design work and produce all the technical drawings. The build work had to be completed within a 3-month time frame during the low season and finish on time for the start of the busy December ski season. We flew out in the final week to snag the build, install the furniture and artwork, then dress and style all the rooms for the professional photoshoot, before the hotel opened its doors to welcome guests. It was an extremely tight schedule, however the project was successfully completed and delivered on time.

Distance and Language Barrier: Unlike all our other projects where do regular site visits during the build phase, for Miramonti we worked remotely from London. Unfortunately, we can’t speak Italian and the Italian contractor couldn’t speak English, so we developed different ways of working and communicating. We setup a WhatsApp group, which was great for quick questions and sending pictures and used GoogleTranslate to translate each other’s messages. These smart phone apps were invaluable to us working together on the projects.

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

In the guest bedrooms, one of the highlights for us is the intricate details of the wooden furniture and joinery hand-crafted from our bespoke designs by the contractor and his team of skilled local artisans. Two of our favourite design details are the elegant curves of the wooden bed frames and the rippled effect of the under-sink cabinets, which are replicated in the ensuite pocket doors with reeded glass panes. These small, thoughtfully considered and beautifully made details may easily go unnoticed, however for us these are a great delight to see and experience.

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

Questions answered by Nicola Keenan, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Boxx Creative

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Hotel design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a memorable hotel public space with playful and immersive design, click here to see more.

Image credits: Mariell Lind Hansen

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