As we all adjust to a lifestyle of remote working amid the coronavirus outbreak, confined to our own homes, we begin re-evaluating our new working environments. SBID Accredited Designer, Katie Malik, founder and creative director of Katie Malik Interiors offers her expert advice for how to make home offices work for you or your clients, no matter the space or size.
Many of us face the challenge of the limited spaces we inhabit. In addition to this, our needs usually change with time as our jobs, likes and family life continues to evolve. This means we might need to transform an existing space to ensure it is suitable for new activities that have to take place there. This brings us to the current situation, while a lot of us are facing the reality of remote working. So, I’m sharing my tips for designers and homeowners, to help us create working spaces as efficient and as pleasant as possible, even without a dedicated ‘office’ room.
When planning a home office, we must consider a few important factors:
1) Position – where is the best place to make office space; consider distractions, surrounding noise etc.
2) Comfort – how to make the space as comfortable as possible.
3) Lighting – how should the space be lit; consider working hours and access to natural light.
4) Overall Look & Feel – how to make the space still look and feel like an extension of the home.
Ideally, you would have a separate dedicated space which you can lock at the end of the day. However, many of us, don’t have that luxury and need to think ‘outside of the box’. First of all, if there isn’t a spare room we can convert into a home office, we need to be realistic about where we can fit everything we need in order to be able to work. Do we have a big screen or maybe even two? Can we work on a laptop? How much space are we going to realistically need? This is a number one question that’s going to determine a lot where you can or should position a home office.
The next big factor to take into consideration is where you can actually afford to ‘spare’ some space for a desk? By desk, I mean any form of desk, which doesn’t need to look like a traditional top with four legs. If you have any flexibility here, it’s advisable to choose a place in the back of the house, or the place where people tend not to flock to all day long. This could be part of the living room or a corner of a bedroom. For some of us, it might be a guest bedroom or other part of the house. We’ll develop this point further, but whenever possible, chose a space with plenty of natural light; filling the space as much natural light as possible is better for your eyes and mental well-being. We have designed small home offices where they were either part of the joinery and disappeared when they had to, or were freestanding multi-functional pieces that blended in with the surroundings.
Asking questions will help you understand what is needed to make the space comfortable and fit for purpose. Ask questions like; Do you have a comfortable chair to sit in? Can you regulate the chair’s height? Does the chair have the armrests? Do you have enough space on your desk to put all the essentials out without being disrupted or creating the mess?
I would say planning and organising space is one of the most important factors. Make a list of everything your client needs and then think about what would make them happy working there. Is it having something on the desk, such as a photo that brings back nice memories? Or maybe you just a few pens and a coaster for a cup of tea? Do they need a pinning board to pin ideas/reminders etc? Knowing these things can help you plan and execute the right space for a home office.
Apart from ambient lighting, a task light and informed light selection is a must. Opting for a flexible energy efficient LED reading light is ideal for use as a task light for specific areas. A type of lamp with dimming features is also suggested, so the strength of light can be regulated for different purposes / times of day. Look for lamps which produce natural white light (especially if your access to daylight is limited). Another handy tip is to use a lamp with a base or shade that can rotate 360 degrees to facilitate more flexibility over the positioning of the light, allowing it to be directed wherever it is needed.
Especially if it’s part of a bigger space. In this case, consider blending the working area as much as possible with the existing design of the room; think similar finishes, colours, shapes etc. If you use completely different pieces style and colour wise, they will stand out more, and probably become an eye sore with time. Whenever we have designed a home office space, no matter how big or small, we would always blend it in as much as possible so it looks natural in its surroundings.
Solution 1:
The client purchased a beautiful one bedroom flat in Cambridge and wanted a space where he could occasionally work from. Due to space constraints, we proposed a small lean-on desk with shelves that blended in beautifully with the rest of the room.
Solution 2:
The clients didn’t want a home office, but still needed a desk space and a filing storage facility. We proposed a desk in the entertainment area, directly overlooking the views of the sea. Behind, we designed clever joinery for A4 files, that blends in with the kitchenette design. When not used for remote working, it’s a perfect entertainment room width adjacent terrace.
Solution 3:
The clients were in need of a multifunctional space, which would cater for many functions, one of them being able to work from home (doing homework to be more precise). Their daughter loved doing homework while her parents were watching TV or reading, and because the room we were designing was pretty small, we found a way to incorporate the desk into the built-in joinery with a clever solution; using a pull-out drawer, the desk could disappear completely when it was no longer needed.
Solution 4:
The client needed a space for working from home and for playing and studying music. The challenge was not only for this room to be designed in a way that caters for these activities, but also, not to feel as office. We suggested incorporating a foldable desk with clever built-in bookshelves to house a large book collection, and a seating bench which doubles up as housing for his amplifiers.
To support the community, Katie Malik Interiors are now offering FREE design consultations for those struggling with the design and organisation of their home office during the Coronavirus pandemic to help us find/create suitable spaces to work from home.
To arrange your consultation, drop an email to [email protected]
About the Author
Katie Malik is the creative director and founder of Katie Malik Interiors; an award-winning Cambridge and London based interior design studio, specialising in private residential, developments & hospitality interiors. Katie’s aim is to bring authenticity to each project.
For more information about becoming SBID Accredited, click here.
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a vibrant, cinematic inspired design for a memorable hotel experience in Dubai. Unleashing an unprecedented dimension to Studio City in Dubai, the aptly named Studio One Hotel sits perfectly within its demographic as its entire narrative plays tribute to nostalgic touches and cinematic expressions. Bishop Design crafted a dynamic interior scheme, boasting an intoxicating arrival experience where guests are greeted with playful features such as an old-school vintage TV installation and unique lighting solutions in the form of figurines carrying umbrellas. Along with an eclectic mélange of loose and fixed furniture and vivid artworks, the hotel lobby and public space reinvents people’s expectations of how a hotel should feel, look, and function, while complying with local standards; casual, comfortable, ultimately stylish, somewhat provocative, memorable to all and a hybrid between art and function through its visually striking interior and subliminal messaging.
SBID Awards: Hotel Public Space finalist sponsored by Viva Lagoon
Practice: Bishop Design
Project: Studio One Hotel
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Image credits: Alex Jeffries
What was the client’s brief?
The Studio One Hotel as prescribed in the Client Brief was to create and establish a new language and philosophical approach to a modern, current, 4-star hotel environment. The hotel was to feature 5 different room types, which would include a selection of extended stay studios and apartments. Creating a comfortable and homely environment was at the heart of the projects conception with careful consideration dedicated to self-service pantries on each floor, in-house launderette and a grab & go counter. Space allocation was paramount to best utilise the area available still adhering to DTCM standards and guidelines, however, playful, cheeky and diverse in its application and design styling. The clients desired to create a fresh hotel offering unique to the region and to the star offering in spirit yet establishing an individual identity as a home-grown brand that would set the precedent of subsequent future outlets to follow. The approach taken was to create something fresh, original, multi-faceted in its function allowing the guest to stay either on a short-term or long-term basis. We were also commissioned to design two F&B units within the hotel.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
Encompassing guests in its strong narrative, Studio One has become a real home-from-home environment through its immersive cinematic character, naturally enforcing an authentic connection to every guest. The narrative has resulted in a cozy space that everyone can relate to and feel comfortable within. Nostalgic senses exude from the entity’s cinematic expressions right from the old school TV feature that greets guests from the onset of their experience through to the playful “on air” lighting features that illuminate whenever a room is occupied. This thematic continuity enhances an effortlessly loveable charm between guests and the hotel, and is what sets the guest experience far beyond other hotels in the region.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
The desired design direction was to be ultimately cost-effective, considering materials which were unique, recycled with a strong use of graphic and visual connectivity throughout, thoughtfully provocative however synonymous with its demographic yet also possessing the versatility to be rolled out within different regions on a global level.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
Studio One was designed to unleash an unprecedented dimension to the city’s DNA which would eagerly entice residents and tourists alike, from surrounding residential areas and Dubai as a whole. Now fully established, Studio One compliments yet stands out from its surroundings through its cinematic context and striking personality, instantly becoming a desirable hotel and F&B hotspot in Studio City, which was somewhat previously absent from many alluring traits. It is an honour to have introduced something so unique and vibrant to the region that brings the community together.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
Showcasing projects of the highest calibre all over the world, the SBID Awards stand as a desirable platform for every designer to share their work. It truly is a privilege to be able to submit a selection of our projects, as we become inspired year on year with the unprecedented talent and expertise that that the awards influence.
Questions answered by Pail Bishop, owner & founder, Bishop Design by Paul Bishop
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 decorative details and oriental architecture for an innovative Chinese classical style, click here to see more.
SBID Awards 2019 | Hotel Public Space finalist sponsored by Viva Lagoon
It’s more important than ever to focus on our health and wellbeing during this challenging time. With this in mind, this month we’re serving up some interior inspiration from last year’s SBID Awards Finalists with their award-worthy designs across the healthcare and wellness sector; from gyms and spas, to care homes and health clinics.
This ‘Extra Care, Over 55’ development was to be something people aspired to rather than settled for. There were numerous communal spaces to design but also numerous special sector considerations to factor in. Suna was determined to avoid the stereotypical institutional look this sector often falls into. Colour and contrast have been used carefully throughout the spaces to ensure they look beautifully designed but help support people with visual impairments and dementia. Flooring has been carefully chosen to work with the overall design, while being practical and assisting natural flow between spaces without distractions. Suna worked alongside a specialist sector supplier and designed and manufactured items to support comfort, mobility and safety while still feeling ‘designed’. The client proclaimed the scheme a “gamechanger for the sector”.
Embracing Equinox’s luxury lifestyle brand, designers at Elkus Manfredi Architects reinterpreted select standards to introduce light and inspirational views at their newest location in the Boston area, Equinox Seaport. Designers resolved a significant challenge of the leased space – unifying two non-contiguous floors– by creating a monumental staircase leading from the ground floor retail and reception area directly to the members-only workout and gathering spaces on level three. Members climb to an upscale lounge and co-working area immediately adjacent to exercise areas beyond, reinforcing the brand’s holistic live/work/play lifestyle experience. Natural light streams deep into the interior through the floor-to-ceiling windows, an effect that designers amplified by painting ceilings and exposed ductwork white – a first for the high-performance wellness brand. Abundant daylight and harborfront views distinguish Equinox’s 35,000-square-foot fitness club in the heart of Boston’s booming Seaport District, while offering an on-brand fitness-as-lifestyle experience.
The site was in a 15 years old modern designed building, the original thoughtwas to rejoining the natural atmosphere within the construction.The project is to design the main lobby of the Welldosha spa. The main design concept of the space is to create a multi-functional space which many events can take place in the space. Therefore, we created a space that can be fully opened up suites for different purpose.
The Tia Clinic pairs science, technology, and community with real-world healthcare services to create a radically inclusive, highly personalised, and compassionate experience. The clinic’s lobby and entrance convey convenience and clarity, signaling that Tia is frictionless, clear, and accessible and puts patients at ease. When patients arrive, they are greeted by a curved white, ribbed wood reception desk with a terrazzo surface. A graphic environmental mural covers the walls with speckled, amoebic shapes in pastels and grays. Rather than a typical waiting room, Rockwell Group created the Living Room as a space that encourages members to choose their own adventure. Wellness and educational talks will take place here, and the Living Room softly and warmly assumes holds space for those events, while also creating a safe feminine universe.
Emerson Grange is a luxury Cinnamon Care residential home situated in Kent. Cinnamon asked Catalyst to create a home with ‘understated elegance’ throughout, with a focus on the entrance and reception areas. Emerson Grange has been designed with the social needs of the resident in mind. Providing a luxurious space in the foyer and reception designed as a hub for the local community. A piano bar, gym and salon offer a destination for residents whilst providing the sense of being in a public space, without sacrificing the safety of the home. As you travel through the building towards the communal areas the design takes a noticeable change. The focus takes a shift towards a more personal and connected environment that creates the true feeling of a home.
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features Interior design that synthesises Eastern and Western styles. The interior design plan of this luxury property unites the Eastern and Western classical elements, giving it a bold and alluring character. The captivating Roman vault structure built at the entrance creates impact thanks to its remarkable detail and decor. The achromatic colours soften the visual impact, the soft whites, which serves the main colours, blend with oriental natural landscape scenes. YZ Environment Design used decorative details diversely to incorporate elements from the oriental architectural while infusing the Western design style with ink-based art, creating a blended and innovative Chinese classical style.
SBID Awards: Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
Practice: YZ Environment Design
Project: Synthesis of Eastern-and-Western Classical Styles
Location: Beijing, China
The proprietor is China Resources Group, a respected developer in China. This case is a model room of high-end luxury apartments, located near Beijing Medical University – which is an excellent location. The main customers have rich wealth and knowledge. The proprietor’s request is to make the clients feel elegant and to provide a unique experience.
Chinoiserie is a decorative style in Western art, furniture, and architecture, especially in the 18th century, characterised by the use of Chinese motifs and techniques. European countries absorbed the Chinese culture; particularly the symbols and cultural elements, however, the meaning and value of the elements are often ignored. Such surface-level cultural input made “Chinoiserie” not able to be widely applied and it eventually disappeared into the history of design. Although the Chinoiserie style represents the Europeans’ yearning for China, the imitation of Chinese art crafts and the shallow understanding of the culture make it hard to get deep into and extend the Chinese culture. People just see what they want to see about Chinese culture instead of the whole picture of it. Capturing the essence of Chinoiserie therefore was a key inspiration for this project’s design scheme.
The toughest challenging was how to let the engineers and product processing staff understand the concept of the theme and intrinsic classic detail to create a transformation which is great enough to compete with the classics. The design involved many important craft processes such as hand-printed wallpaper, stairs, and mosaic with a large number of sketches and 3D drawings to develop.
Visitors are introduced to classics from different periods and different regions when they enter the property. There are design distinctions and differences among the classic features, but they have been curated to blend so naturally and elegantly they are not noticeable. It gives people a whole new feeling. At the same time, exquisite and rigorous technologies have helped provide technical support to creating these new classics.
We found SBID Award is a high-quality competition when we entered the award in 2015 for the first time. The judges are concerned not only about technology, materials and the undergoing changes in them, but also value highly culture and art and human spirit.
Questions answered by YZ Environment Design
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 Victorian family home with modern, industrial aesthetic & open plan living, click here to see more.
SBID Awards 2019 | Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
SBID Accredited Industry Partner, Schneider Electric provide energy and digital automation solutions to residential and commercial markets with an emphasis on efficiency, reliability, safety and sustainability. Committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, Louisa Buckley, Residential Segment Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric tells us about the brand’s 180 year history, and how they are moving even more towards a sustainable future.
What are the origins of your brand?
Schneider Electric is originally from France and was established over 180 years ago by the Schneider brothers. It is a global organisation specialising in Energy and Digital Automation solutions. Our technologies ensure that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone at every moment. Schneider Electric has gone a long way since it first started in the steel and machinery industry in 1836. A few years later it then entered the emerging electricity market. After experiencing two world wars, Charles Schneider restructured the company in 1949. Throughout the 20th century, different companies were acquired and the focus was more on electricity. Then, during the beginning of the 21st century more on products and solutions. Schneider Electric has always kept efficiency, reliability, safety and sustainability at the heart to all of products and solutions for their customers.
As a global company, we committed to the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ to help end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. As part of these goals, we have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030. We are committed to help our customers on this journey to help the planet with our products and solutions.
How do you work with interior designers?
Our electrical accessories are built to complement inspired interiors. Designed by award-winning craftsmen in the Schneider Electric Design Labs, our range of light switches bridge the gap between form and functionality to perfectly fit in any interior. We have a wide range of beautifully crafted, high-quality devices to suit every taste and budget.
What value does your sector add to the interior design industry?
Introducing Electrical Safety, Smart homes, Style and Net Zero products and solutions. This is important for customers who want to be stylish but still be sustainable. Wiser, KNX and C-Bus are smart home solutions that can be implemented in the home to help contribute towards net zero.
How do your services/offering enhance an interior designer’s projects?
We have an inspirational and visualisation tool called ‘Find your Style’. Our smart home offerings will help futureproof interior designer’s projects e.g. C-Bus/KNX/Wiser. We also have a tool on our website to find an Electrician/Installer to come and install our products for peace of mind. They are approved partners who have had all the relevant trainings to safely install Schneider Electric products and solutions.
What are the latest trends you’ve noticed in your client’s requests?
Sustainability. This is a ‘hot’ topic at the moment from the government and press. Our customers want high quality products that meet their styles whilst improving the energy efficiency and comfort of homes.
Why did you want to become a sponsor of the SBID Awards?
We are proud to sponsor the SBID International Design Awards. This is a great opportunity to connect with Interior Designers and other professionals from the interior and décor industries. It is a brilliant place to also view some of the best interior design projects, which will support us in inspiring our customers.
Residential Apartment Under £1M Category Sponsor | SBID International Design Awards 2020
To find out more about becoming an SBID Awards sponsor, click here or email [email protected]
Taking into account that the average employee spends 3,515 full days in the office in their lifetime – not to mention an additional 188 days of overtime – it’s no wonder that top firms are reviewing the ways that their headquarters feel, function and flow. Now Midlands-based aquarium design company and SBID Accredited Industry Partner, ViDERE, has developed a remedy in the form of interacting with fish-tanks and it hopes the discovery will help more employees keep their heads above water.
Poor mental and physical health diminishes an employee’s ability to function and perform well at work and can also negatively impact their wider social community. It is also common knowledge, through both research and anecdotal evidence that humans experience physiological, emotional and cognitive benefits from interacting with nature (Ulrich, 1984; van den Berg et al, 2003). Thus, the correlation between connections with nature and improved wellbeing has led to a cultural shift in the way we design buildings and public spaces.
Nature as a key design element
This cultural shift has been a driving force behind occupational psychologists and designers taking a holistic approach in incorporating different elements of nature into the structure, furnishings and operational activities of businesses and corporations. The approach of ‘Human Centred Design’ encapsulates a multitude of disciplines and expertise, to enable companies to positively shape the working environment of their employees both physically and culturally.
One important component of this approach is the introduction of nature as a key design element to create greater appeal and improve wellbeing. Research has shown that on average, humans instinctively prefer to be surrounded by elements of nature (Ulrich, R. S., 1981). Our perception of what is ‘beautiful’ is greatly skewed towards landscapes, and areas that are rich in biodiversity (Dennis Dutton, 2009). The extensive body of research in this subject area has made the integration of nature as a corner stone in the approach of design that improves the human experience.
At a time when workplace stress is on the rise, with recent research showing that it costs UK employers over £43bn a year, ViDERE dove deeply into researching the effect that interacting with aquariums has upon key stress indicators. This study was carried out during the summer and autumn of 2019 and specifically, looked at the impact of spending time looking into an aquarium and how this affected the stress and anxiety levels of employees working in a web development agency, Lightbox Digital, who are based in Birmingham.
Studying the therapeutic impact of aquariums
Individuals working in the digital marketing sector often experience prolonged periods of workplace anxiety and stress, partly due to heavy workloads and extended periods in front of a screen. Therefore, the focal point of the study was collecting data on each employees’ heart rate and blood pressure before and after each individual looked into their office fish-tank for ten minutes and looking at how this data varied.
Overall, the results across the board show that looking into the office’s planted aquarium for 10 minutes led to an average drop in blood pressure by 15.6% and an average drop in heart rate by 3%, reinforcing ViDERE’s initial theory that fish-tanks have a positive effect on mental wellbeing in the workplace. It’s also notable that all but two participants’ blood pressure fell into the NHS’s recommended blood pressure range for a healthy adult of between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg, after the 10-minute therapy.
The correlation between lower stress levels and biophilic design elements highlighted by the study is a factor that more businesses should consider as they expand both their teams and workspaces. From this pilot study, we can draw some preliminary conclusions and inferences about the potential benefits associated with having an aquarium in a business interior for the staff and management teams that work there. The findings from this study also suggest that an aquarium not only has a positive impact on the appeal of a space with its high biophilic value, but can be used as a therapy for stress recovery. Thus, the more businesses invest in their office infrastructure and multi-functional design features, ultimately, the more they will improve their employees’ well-being within their workplace; which in turn, enhances productivity.
What does this mean for employers?
Discussing the results, ViDERE founder and pioneer of the study, Akil Beckford, commented: “The research into biophilia and the impact that the natural world has on our human emotions has risen in recent years and has shown staggering results. While our own study was on a small scale, the universal impact that it had on our individual test subjects is testament to the impact that simple changes can make to the bigger picture for businesses. All companies are made up of teams of people, and if they are feeling better, the business performs better… it’s simple!”
“The world seems to be constantly pushing high-tech boundaries and striving for smarter homes, offices, and community areas; but we are in danger of losing touch with nature, with potentially catastrophic results on our own health and wellbeing. Of course, we aren’t saying that technology is bad – quite the opposite in fact! – but it does serve as a warning that if we don’t start thinking about the way that the two can co-exist symbiotically, and designing our spaces to reflect that, then our wellbeing may well suffer.”
Akil and his team at ViDERE intend to continue educating people in the business community about how they can better facilitate wellbeing at work. Having already worked with the likes of Interface, Poggenpohl, and Clements and Church, seeing first-hand the impact that aquariums have had, Akil is confident that he can continue to lead the way as an advocate for biophilia in the Midlands.
Click here to read the full report.
Akil Beckford is an aquarist and designer who is passionate about connecting people to nature. For over 15 years, Akil has been designing and installing aquariums into peoples homes and business’s, creating globally recognised designs and displays.
This article was written by Akil Gordon-Beckford, Founder & Director of ViDERE Aquariums
If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a cool, clean and industrial-inspired residential design located in a conservation area in leafy Balham, South West London. SBID Accredited Designer, Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture was tasked with fully refurbishing, re-configuring and extending the five-bedroom Victorian family house. The project involved adding a large open plan ground floor extension to the rear of the property, whilst configuring the rest of the ground floor to include a formal sitting room, utility room, ground floor guest toilet and extra storage. The rest of the house was sensitively restored and redecorated with one bedroom being converted to a study and both bathrooms redesigned.
Practice: Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture
Project: Balham House
Location: London, United Kingdom
The brief was to completely transform a much loved (but very tired) family home into a place suited to modern living, without losing that feeling of belonging. Being very keen gardeners, I was also asked to make the garden more of a feature from within the house.
My clients love for their house was clearly a driving factor in my approach and their new found enthusiasm for the industrial aesthetic allowed me to explore the use of exciting elements and materials such as the metal framed windows, glazed brick slips, polished concrete flooring and engineered brickwork.
Wrap around windows were used to form the connection to the garden and a living sedum roof was installed to give a verdant view from the bedroom windows. I also used crazy paving for the patio, substituting the mortar with moss to soften the transition.
Other interesting touches were to re-use salvaged Victorian tiles from the original demolished conservatory floor and installing a custom made mural of a vintage map showing the local area when the house was first built.
Due to initial delays caused by bad weather and because of a very long supply lead time, the windows had to be ordered before the openings were formed meaning that all of the responsibility was on my shoulders if they didn’t fit, but thankfully they did!
The decision to re-use hundreds of the original Victorian floor tiles salvaged from the old conservatory seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turned out to be a complex, challenging and time consuming process as there were so many different shapes, sizes and colours to contend with. They all had to be labelled and sorted before the jigsaw puzzle could begin.
Seeing my clients move back in and immediately feel settled and at home, even though everything had changed!
Questions answered by Richard Dewhurst, Founder of Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a comforting, patient-focused healthcare design, click here to see more.
Want to become SBID Accredited? Click here to find out more.
Following on from my last comment on challenges designers face, in these critical times where projects may have stopped midway – or not begun at all, it is critical that both designer and client are in agreement on amendments to the contract.
SBID’s role is to guide designers to deliver on their remit and where necessary, when things go wrong to guide and direct them back on track, but also on occasion when designers are having unscrupulous clients, to assist and support them in recovery.
By collating the statistics we can share the data with the government and together, if necessary, amend the law so that it would become unlawful once signing a contract, to withhold payment. We accept that there is a lot of work required to reach that stage – so let’s continue. The campaign was launched in 2017 and has grown momentum. We are successfully resolving disputes for the public and their designers who have to date each been non-members of SBID and are grateful for the guidance. When matters are more involved, with a government partnered Mediation through the Intellectual Property Office, the SBID have provided a speedy route in a binding and confidential agreement to review the dispute and reach a binding agreement. This is and has proved to be a welcome and immediate solution for most situations but it doesn’t address all issues, it’s theses items that SBID in association with government want to create a resolve binding by law, only in this way will we put a permanent stop to it for the industry.
Getting paid by a client at the end of a project can be a thorny issue for interior designers; it is still one of the biggest challenges designers face. We are the first in and the last out of every project, which leaves us vulnerable and exposed to any faults generated during procurement by any other trade involved that creates ‘the dominoe effect’ This can leave designers susceptible to criticism or unnecessary conflict as pressures mount to complete projects on time. Blame is sometimes directed at the last trade on site, i.e the designer and, in some cases, the contractor too. What we need to avoid is a constant in-house ‘blame game’. We need a structure, a process an accountable audit trail to pick up changes during procurement of works to prevent issues arising and we need enforcement when clients simply choose to withhold funds. Working with a pro-active government is essential, and in this government, we finally have that much needed willingness to listen and act with speed.
When money runs out due to procurement overspend, clients look to save from alternative destinations. With construction professionals and designers the most unregulated, they are vulnerable to client abuse. Notably when the sums are substantial, some clients believe it’s worth chancing non-payment. Building contractors and designers are two trades where all-encompassing skills are required therefore withholding payment puts the designer or contractor under financial burden, making them more willing to settle for a lower sum than the due amount. The costs and delays incurred by court proceedings often outweigh the sums in question, a factor that is heavily leaned on as negotiations between client, contractor or designer begin.
This unfair and very common industry injustice is a challenge I am addressing. Along with industry recognition, the issue of non-payment is something I have raised regularly at cross-party government meetings in Parliament as the representative for Interior Design; and is one of the many reasons that ten years ago I set up the Society of British and International Design (SBID).
This year the SBID is celebrating ten years in business. It is the largest interior design organisation across Europe and the British representative of the European Council of Interior Architects. I am now on the second phase of this journey. It’s unacceptable in 2019 for a recognised business, industry or individual to be prevented from achieving a fair legal conclusion to an injustice, based solely upon financial restriction – whether that restriction is the cost of appealing the injustice or client knowledge that financially withholding payment is a negotiating tool for discount or sometimes worse.
The skills and responsibilities involved in interior design is misunderstood by most of the public. The perception is an interior designer is, for many, based upon years of television shows that incorrectly label the protagonists as interior designers when they are often, in fact, interior decorators. Challenging the misconceptions surrounding the role of a professional designer is something I have spent many years addressing at cross-party government meetings in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
I don’t like to lose so I won’t fight unless I can win, even when it has taken years to achieve a successful outcome as in a recent case you can read more about here. When a win is achieved it’s proof that the determination not to fold and the effort invested to fight an injustice is worth it.
Written by Dr Vanessa Brady OBE
Award-winning Interior Designer, CEO & Founder of the Society of British and International Design
With the deadline to enter the SBID Product Design Awards officially extended, and the judging process primed and ready to commence, get to know the remaining judges for 2020!
A technical judging panel will determine the finalists to be announced, with the impressive international jury set to contribute 70% to the final winners’ scores and the remaining 30% taken from the public vote!
Henry Reeve | Director of Interior Design, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Henry is Director of Design at InterContinental Hotels Group. He is responsible for creating the interior design and guest experience for IHG’s Kimpton and Hotel Indigo brands across Europe. Since joining IHG in January 2015, Henry has worked across some of IHG’s most celebrated and award-winning design projects, including the launch of the first Kimpton hotel outside of the Americas – Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam. He has led the teams responsible for the design of all new Hotel Indigo properties over the last 5 years. As well as designing new hotels in IHG’s pipeline, Henry has worked on more than 20 refurbishment projects across IHG’s existing hotels.
Kar Hwa Ho | Head of Inerior Architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects
Kar first worked with Zaha Hadid Architects in 1985 following his studies with Zaha Hadid at the Architectural Association. After completing his studies in the UK and USA, Kar worked on projects around the world for Kohn Pederson Fox and Louis Vuitton Malletier, with a focus on interior architecture, commercial developments and retail design before re-joining ZHA as Head of Interior Architecture in 2014. His residential interiors, in particular, have won numerous awards and have been widely published.
Trevor Cotterell | Managing Director, Areen Design
Trevor Cotterell became the Managing Director of Areen Design in 1989. Since then, he has led the UK based group through many successes, including the acquisition of Richmond International in 1991 and Pascall+Watson in 2015. Trevor now leads over 120 interior designers, architects and procurement specialists in delivering fast-paced, large scale projects in some of the world’s most challenging regions and the group now employs over 350 people across 6 offices, worldwide. As a director of each Areen Group company, Trevor drives the strategic growth of the Group by fostering the skills and specialisms of each company, encouraging cross-pollination and opportunities to put the Group’s complementary skills into action.
Dr. Jeff Ning | President, Wanda Hotels and Resorts
Dr. Ning is the President of Wanda Hotels & Resorts. During his tenure at Wanda, he has led the design, construction and operation management of over 100 upscale and luxury hotels. Under his leadership, these hotels have won many prestigious international design awards, including the SBID Awards, Gold Key Awards, IIDA-Best of Asia Pacific Design Awards, Hospitality Design Awards and many more.
Heinz Richardson | Principal, Jestico + Whiles
Heinz is the Principal of Jestico + Whiles. He has been instrumental in building up the size and international reputation of the practice for high quality client focussed design. He has a respected expertise within the design world in the fields of sustainable design, residential and complex and demanding projects. Most recently he has overseen the multi-award winning restoration of Sir John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor. Heinz has lectured widely, both here and abroad and is a Civic Trust awards assessor. He is also a client advisor on a number of projects. In his time as a Director he has overseen numerous award-winning projects and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Katharine Pooley | CEO and Founder, Katharine Pooley Ltd
Katharine Pooley is one of the most sought-after interior designers working internationally today. Recently named ‘British Interior Designer of the Decade’, ‘International Designer in Asia of the Year’, and ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’, her design ethos is both highly respected and uniquely far reaching. Overseeing her team of 47 interior designers and architects, her eponymous Knightsbridge Design Studio was established over 15 years ago and continues to create unmatched luxury interior designs for landmark commercial and residential projects in London and Worldwide for the most discerning clients.
Carolina Sandri | Creative Director, Casa Forma
Carolina has more than a decade of experience on the design and implementation of high-end interior design and architecture projects in London and around the globe. Trained as an Architect, she established her own architectural business in her native country Brazil before moving to London 15 years ago. As the Creative Director at the award-winning luxury design studio Casa Forma, she is responsible for delivering leading-edge residential schemes for international high net worth individuals and property developers.
Nicholas Cowell | Director, Cowell Group
Nicholas Cowell is the Co-founder of The Estate Office and most recently the Cowell Group. He is responsible for residential and commercial acquisitions and specialises in advising on the sale and acquisitions of large portfolios. Nicholas is also a Director on the Board of a number of successful property companies, working closely with joint venture partners and high net worth local and overseas investors. His knowledge of the property market is unparalleled through 30 years’ experience and working deals to maximise returns.
David Chang | Founder & Design Director, David Chang Design Associates International
David Chang, founder of David Chang Design Associates International (DCDA), a registered Professional member of NCIDQ, ASID, SBID and IIDA, has over 25 years of experience in hospitality and high-end residential interior design and management experiences in North America and Asia.
In 1998, David Chang founded David Chang Design Associates International (DCDA) in Vancouver, Canada, and expanded to China market in 2006, established firms in Guangzhou, Beijing and Taipei, to provide exclusive upscale design services on landmark projects for local top developers.
Lesley McMillan | Interior Designer, The City of Edinburgh Council
Lesley is an award-winning interior and architectural designer. With a 20-year career spanning residential and commercial design. Wellbeing is paramount in Lesley’s designs with a passion for holistic, sustainable, inclusive and therapeutic design, particularly applicable to the diverse range of public buildings she has designed interiors for in her role at City of Edinburgh Council.
Graham Robinson | Showroom and Design Manager, Halcyon Interiors
Graham is the Design Manager at Halcyon Interiors flagship, 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 of contemporary design and honed his eye for meticulous detail, allowing him to create practical kitchens that look stunning for many years to come.
Simone de Gale | CEO & Director, Simone de Gale Architects
Simone de Gale Architects (SGA), is based in exclusive Belgravia, London, UK, whose style is grounded in luxury developments. Winner ‘Architect of Year’ 2017, ‘International Entrepreneur of the Year’ 2018, ‘Westminster Lion’ 2018, SGA is now developing its international portfolio, the first project, a £200m masterplan in Tbilisi, Georgia. As well as securing a large scale masterplan project, the company has secured other international projects; in Croatia, Abu Dhabi, the Caribbean, and USA, as well as developing current opportunities in Ukraine.
Constantina Tsoutsikou | Founder & Creative Director, STUDIO LOST
Constantina is the Founder of Lost, a brand new studio focusing on high-end, hospitality, residential and boutique commercial projects in collaboration with the industry’s most respected global brands. Having led the European arm of International hospitality giant HBA for many years, Constantina has worked on award-winning hotel projects around the globe, creating also an array of bespoke products and furniture lines for her clients along the way.
Click here to view the full judging panel.
Entries for the SBID Product Design Awards 2020 are still open!
To find out more about entering, visit www.sbidproductdesignawards.com
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a comforting, patient-focused healthcare design. Needing a new Cancer Center, Virtua Health chose an old Acme Supermarket adjacent to their new Health & Wellness center for the project site. FCA Architects reimagined how that old Acme Supermarket could be re-purposed as a bright, warm place of healing. Creating easy-to-navigate paths through the space with a central gallery, which serves as a landmark for patients and families. This concourse then leads to smaller intimate waiting spaces that provides a more personal scaled spaces to interact with clinicians and staff. By reframing a former basic retail box for ambulatory oncology, they not only provided a community setting for a needed service, but avoided the decay of a structure that still has viable physical life. The new Cancer Center is an inspiring, patient-first facility that accommodates radiation oncology, an infusion treatment suite, and a cancer administrative suite.
SBID Awards: Healthcare & Wellness Design finalist sponsored by Stone Federation
Practice: FCA Architects
Project: Virtua Samson Cancer Center
Location: New Jersey, United States
Virtua wanted to relocate their Cancer Center from an outdated existing hospital to a new facility that would incorporate the latest technology; a facility that would improve the delivery of cancer treatment to patients as well as provide a community health care resource. They wanted to provide community-based cancer care to their patients in a way that would be deeply accessible to the surrounding community.
The main design goal was to provide a soothing patient experience within a very large footprint without overwhelming patients and their caregivers. For the interiors, the Design team emphasised access to natural light and views to provide a sense of place and orientation. A long skylight was created within the existing solid roof to provide an organising circulation element above the Main Gallery. For the exterior, starting at the front door, the White Box of the entrance is an off-balanced entry point: it reminds the visitor that, though cancer is not normal, it too is something we can pass through.
Virtua selected an old Acme Supermarket adjacent to their new Health and Wellness center as the project site. The existing facility was built to suit the intended supermarket retail function with a very large footprint to perimeter ratio and very high floor to ceiling height, as well as poor access to natural light. The new proposed Cancer Center program consisted of smaller rooms that required acoustic privacy and regular ceiling heights, and warm natural light.
The design team strategically placed treatment rooms to serve both patients that are sensitive to natural light versus those that aren’t impacted by natural light. Skylights were installed above the Main Gallery to provide diffuse, controlled light that eases the deep distance of the gallery through the centre of the building’s footprint. The site’s high ceilings led to the Main Gallery being designed to prioritise the access to natural light to improve patient experiences during visits and to provide clarity of circulation to the interior. It also prompted a challenge for smaller rooms that require acoustical privacy: in these cases, a substructure was implemented to allow the ceiling and lighting to be suspended, minimising the need to construct full-height walls to the full height of the structure.
The White Box: a monumental entry dressed in semi-opaque white panels, its elevation slightly at odds with the sidewalk. The mass is “supported” by three white column legs, an implied fourth leg absent. This is because cancer is not a normal event. It is disruptive. The White Box is not an everyday, straightforward entry point – it’s off-balance. But it is also a beacon: bright, warm, and uncluttered. It reminds the visitor that, though cancer is not normal, it is something we can pass through. At the bottom of the White Box, and above the columns, is a canopy. From a distance, the canopy and columns appear as a pair of hands, shielding visitors. From outside the building, the Main Gallery is visible through a full-height glass opening that allows visitors to orient themselves before entry. Beside this glass opening is a wall clad in the same material as the canopy, which is repeated in the entryway, transitioning the visitors through the White Box, into the Cancer Center. This serves as a visual connection between the white Box and the interior. These wayfinding elements go beyond functional necessity – they serve as opportunities to both differentiate the facility and make a brand statement, emphasising that cancer patients’ needs require a unique design sensitivity that differs from other patients.
The opportunity for our work to be recognised by a larger audience of our professional and international peers.
Questions answered by Jennifer Kenson, IIDA Principal of FCA Architects
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 boutique townhouse in Notting Hill with bespoke luxury detailing, click here to see more.
SBID Awards 2019 | Healthcare & Wellness Design finalist sponsored by Stone Federation
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