This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a stunning Shanghai residence located in the heart of Shanghai’s Pudong district. Elicyon was commissioned to design a luxurious apartment in a contemporary British style. With sophisticated colour palette, lacquered veneers and marble, the design scheme blends perfectly with the existing architecture of the building, and by using joinery, furniture and lighting crafted exclusively in the UK – Elicyon created a home true to the client’s vision.
Practice: Elicyon
Project: Shanghai
Location: Shanghai, China
What was the client’s brief?
The client was a young Chinese professional who wanted to create an apartment with a real sense of British craftsmanship within this prestigious residential development. The client had a very strong design ethos with long-term vision – it was very important that the fittings, furnishings and palette chosen would be impactful but at the same time, wouldn’t date. It is always exciting to work with a client who has a defined vision and makes highly informed, considered design choices.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
British craftsmanship definitely inspired the design of the apartment. This translated into our choice of suppliers – we worked with a lot of British and European artisans and suppliers. We also chose a colour palette with quite a British sensibility – lots of dove grey and pale blues which were then given a twist through contrasting against areas of high black glossy, lacquered veneers. We were conscious of not creating a cliché or pastiche of British design, so we also took inspiration from the Shanghai location, paying homage to the river and incredible views, to create a marriage between east and western influences in the final product.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
This project was very special for many reasons – the fit-out of the apartment was almost entirely built in Britain and then flat packed and air freighted to Shanghai. It was an incredibly challenging and exciting brief to transpose a completely British-made design for the client. The end result was absolutely fantastic, true to the initial vision of a space with a limited, and in most part, high contrast palette.
Questions answered by Charu Gandhi, Founder and Director, Elicyon
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a timeless explorer’s lodge in Botswana built with sustainability and nature in mind, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Presenting an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the very best in global product design and set to culminate in the glamorous setting of the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London with an awards ceremony on Friday 5 June, the SBID Product Design Awards 2020 is currently open for entries.
With entries due to close on Friday 13 March, a strict 3-step judging process will ensure that all entries are fairly assessed and carefully scrutinised for their technical standards, as well as the creative delivery and ability to inspire those who appreciate and understand good design.
A technical judging panel will evaluate entries’ professional merit and determine the finalists to be announced Thursday 9 April. From this selection, a jury representing a broad range of professional design skills will contribute 70% to the winners’ scores, with the remaining 30% taken from an online public vote that will be live until Thursday 30 April. The broad, international nature of the competition means the judges and public voters are able to choose from a spectrum of entries varying in product type, scale, value and creative inspiration.
A range of top-tier industry experts from across the creative sectors have been invited to lend their insights and experience to the SBID Product Awards’ judging panel.
Karim Rashid | Designer & President, Karim Rashid Inc.
Karim Rashid is one of the most prolific designers of his generation. Over 4000 designs in production, over 400 awards, and operating in over 35 countries attest to Karim’s legend of design. His award-winning designs include democratic objects like the ubiquitous Garbo waste can and Oh! Chair for Umbra and interiors like the Morimoto restaurant, Philadelphia and Nhow hotel, Berlin. Karim has created noteworthy designs for clients Method and Pepsi, furniture for Artemide and Vondom, brand identity for Citibank and Hyundai, high-tech products for LaCie and Samsung, and luxury goods for Veuve Clicquot and Christofle, to name a few.
Vasiliki Petrou | Group CEO and Executive VP, Unilever Prestige
Vasiliki joined Unilever in November 2012 after completing a 19-year career with Procter & Gamble. In P&G, Vasiliki led various global, regional and local roles mainly in the Beauty Category primarily working in skin, hair and colour cosmetics. Vasiliki’s first role in Unilever was creating the Pitch Co-Creation (Innovation) Centres in London and New York. Vasiliki also led the development of strategic macro space work that has been pivotal in defining the strategy, innovation pipeline and expertise of the Beauty and Personal Care Category.
In 2014, Vasiliki started the creation of the Prestige division from the beginning. Since then, Vasiliki led the acquisition of 8 companies Dermalogica, Murad, Kate Somerville, Ren, Garancia, Tatcha (to close August 2019), Living Proof, and Hourglass. Vasiliki leads a team of 8 CEOs and a central multi-functional team that decide strategic priorities, resource allocation and growth strategy for the portfolio.
Gary Clark | Principal, Regional Leader of Science + Technology, HOK London Studio
Gary is an Architect with a passion for sustainable architecture and has over 30 years continually sought to bridge academic research, teaching and practice to create a sustainable future. In his role as Principal Lead for Science and Technology at HOK, his aim is to deliver a sustainable future not only in the science and technology but across all sectors of the construction industry.
Gary has collaborated and led sustainability with a number of leading practices including Wilkinson Eyre, Bennett’s Associates and Hopkins Architects. These collaborations have delivered award winning sustainable buildings across a range of sectors from Higher Education, Academic Research, Residential mixed use, Office and Cultural Buildings.
Letitia Fitzgibbon | Head of Interior Design, Harrods Interior Design
With over 17 years’ experience in the luxury interiors industry Letitia Fitzgibbon heads-up Harrods Interior Design, a multi-disciplinary bespoke design service by Harrods.
In her previous role as a key player within the Harrods Home buying team, Letitia worked closely with the Director of Home in redeveloping the home and furniture offering from Harrods, creating new concepts and sourcing brands from across the world to provide a carefully curated range of products that hero provenance, craftsmanship and heritage in helping to shape Harrods Home into the exciting design hub it is today.
Dr Vanja Garaj | Head of Design, Brunel University London
Dr Vanja Garaj is Head of Brunel Design, where he also teaches on the Professional Design Studio module, a part of the MSc Integrated Product Design programme. He has co-ordinated a number of live project briefs, across design fields, with organisations including Cancer Research UK, NHS, Pan Macmillan, Help for Heroes, Friends of the Elderly, Corney & Barrow, Shell, Ibis and BT. Dr Garaj’s research is aimed at design, development and evaluation of innovative systems, products and services, with the focus on digital and digital-physical domains and the application of the latest technologies. His research activities have involved the areas of digital health, assistive technology, m-learning, e-government, social networking and the IoT and the immersive tech. The current research projects include Impacting Business by Design, funded by Research England, Story Futures, funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Inclusive Immersion, funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Herbert Lui | Partner, Dexter Moren Associates
Herbert has extensive experience of working on complex mixed-use developments on challenging sites. Along with a strong awareness of stakeholder aspirations, he has a proven ability to convert constraints into opportunities.
Herbert is a graduate of Westminster University and the Architectural Association in London, and the National University of Singapore. He joined DMA in 1999 as a Project Architect and was appointed a Partner in 2008.
Tim Bowder-Ridger | Senior Partner, Conran and Partners
As an Architect and designer, Tim is passionate about creating authentic experiences centred around cultural spirit and personality. He brings his knowledge of the hospitality and residential sectors to design buildings and spaces that reflect contemporary lifestyle needs and desires with a sense of place and aspiration.
As Senior Partner, Tim leads the design direction of the practice as a whole, as well as being responsible for the finance and operations of the business. He directly leads on a number of strategic projects; large and small, at home and abroad. Most recently, Tim has completed the conversion of the brutalist icon Centre Point, from an unused office tower into a charismatic residential destination in the heart of London’s cultural district; and Kita Aoyama, a high-end residential development in the heart of Japan.
Monika Moser | Regional Managing Director; London, New York and Paris, Wilson Associates
Monika is a hotelier at heart. With an MBA in Hospitality Management from ESSEC Business School and over 20 years of experience in hotel operations, she’s an authority in luxury hospitality. A German native who grew up across in South America, Monika developed a passion for art, music, literature and language. She is now fluent in five languages. As Regional Managing Director of Wilson’s atelier in Paris and design offices in London and New York, Monika is a brand ambassador who supports the firm’s strategic initiatives.
Can Tufekcioglu | Principal Interior Designer, Arcadis
Can worked for 15 years in Istanbul before moving to Dubai as Principal Interior Designer for Arcadis. He has been involved in a wide range of multidisciplinary projects ranging from healthcare and offices to residential and educational. He is primarily focused on the technical aspects of the projects; however, his personal preference is space planning and design.
Stella Gittins | Co-Founder & Group Director, Accouter Group of Companies
Stella Gittins is the Co-Founder of AGC, London’s fastest-growing portfolio of international award-winning Interior Design companies. Creating the benchmark in luxury living, the Accouter Group of Companies which is home to Accouter Design, A. LONDON and BoxNine7, delivers world-class interior architectural and furnishing services to the global property market and private clients.
Taking a lead creative role for the Group, Stella is responsible for all aspects of brand and design and has published four bespoke publications that discuss every corner of luxury life. Featuring the inspiration behind Accouter Design’s schemes and collaborating with iconic brands such as Rolls Royce and William & Son, the fifth publication is due for launch in 2020.
Chris Dezille | Founder & Creative Director, Honky
Honky is a multi-disciplinary, award winning architectural and interior design practice based in London. Founded by Christopher Dezille in 2001, Honky’s creative team is committed to providing a full design service, tailored to the project and the individual client’s needs.
Chris’s career in Interior Design extends over 25 years. Whilst most of his work is focused in Central London, he has undertaken private and commercial projects throughout the UK and internationally, including projects in Monte Negro, Marbella, Cannes and The Channel Islands.
Johnny Grey | Kitchen Architect, Johnny Grey Studios
Johnny has designed and built over 400 highly innovative kitchens in 10 different countries. He has authored four books on kitchens and the home that have been translated into 14 languages. His interest in how the space we call the kitchen shapes people’s lives, enabling us all to live happier and healthier, is lifelong. He has a growing interest in redefining accessible design into a multi-generational approach to embrace all ages and abilities.
As Visiting Professor of Design and Kitchen Culture at Bucks New University Johnny acts as a bridge between the kitchen industry and university research. He is academic lead and co-founder there of the country’s first-degree course for kitchen design.
Click here to view the full judging panel.
Entries for the SBID Product Design Awards 2020 will close on 13 March!
To find out more about entering, visit www.sbidproductdesignawards.com
As January draws to a close, we look to the year ahead with great anticipation for the design industry at large. With the benchmark getting higher every year, we’re gearing up to celebrate another year of global design excellence with the 2020 edition of the SBID International Design Awards launching soon.
In line with our mission to recognise, reward and celebrate design, each month we’ll be throwing it back and featuring some of our favourite Finalist projects from SBID Awards 2019! This month, we’re taking a closer look at public spaces…
Academy DTEK is a business platform that specialises in corporate education and training of state sector employees. The interior design of the project was realised by Sergey Makhno Architects studio. It is eco-friendly and durable as more than 200,000 students visit the Academy throughout the year. All the learning spaces are mobile, versatile and can adapt to various tasks and audiences. The whole academy is designed to make the learning process a thrilling experience!
Elkus Manfredi Architects designed a comprehensive renovation to bring new life and light to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the largest Catholic church in New England and a landmark in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Relying on a 3D digital model created from laser scans, renovations included reconfiguring the sanctuary platforms to project the altar closer to congregants, restoring/lightening interior finishes, and integrating modern infrastructural and ADA improvements. Historical photos of the 144-year-old church helped inform careful replications of decorative wall patterns, while new liturgical appointments complement the original reredos. Discrete, all-new LED lighting brightened stained glass windows from within and illuminated formerly dark ceilings that were enhanced with gold paint on the edge bead of the elaborately carved wooden trusses. Dramatic and resplendent, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross once again stands as a beacon to the community, both day and night.
A 19-storey former hotel on the McGill University campus in Montreal has been converted to a student residence. The design challenge went beyond the bricks and mortar architecture; the space had to promote a sense of community and social engagement. The design integrates programmed and unprogrammed space, which allows students to make the space their own. A seating niche is located opposite the main security desk and is highlighted with a bold graphic that is now in the residence’s branding. The ground floor is pulled together by a multi-tiered mountain inspired by the city’s Mount Royal, which creates a hangout space that is highlighted by a cloud of curved linear Sketch light pendants.
Garth House is an intimate Grade II-Listed building with meeting rooms and part of the University of Birmingham’s hotel and conference facility. It was built in 1901 and designed by William Bidlake who was an English Architect and a leading figure in Birmingham in the Arts & Crafts movement. It is distinct from Bidlake’s other houses in the simplicity of its design and is of international significance as it was singled out in Hermann Muthesius’ Das Englische Haus, which influenced the development of the Modernist movement. Before its restoration in 2018 it was used by the university in the same capacity as it is today, but now the interiors have been transformed from a standard educational environment to a stylish individual space with a sense of domestic scale and structure to celebrate a space befitting of its historical past and create pride for its future.
The Park is a 1,000m² sales gallery that celebrates the past success and history of Rui Hong Xin Cheng in Shanghai, and also showcases their latest mixed-use development. Being in and around nature plays a large part in the concept of this project. Staying true to the naturalist concept of the entire development, this project strives to find the symbiotic balance of nature indoor and outdoor.
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the timeless explorer’s lodge which beats with the pulse of wild Africa. Lying on the edge of Botswana’s mysterious Savute Channel and within Chobe National Park – where the big five roam, the skies are large and the land is washed with the muted colours of the Savute – the Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge has undergone a full redesign and has since become a tented retreat infused with the romance of a bush camp. This is the result of a robust collaboration among Belmond (owner/operator), Luxury Frontiers (project manager and architectural, infrastructure and back of house design), and Inge Moore of Muza Lab (interior design). Together, the team designed entirely new public areas including an arrival lobby, dining room, lounge and bar, library, pool, spa and game-viewing hide – while also refurbishing the guest accommodation suites. The resulting design is a contemporary tribute to the golden age of exploration. And while the design rightfully evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, guests are also drawn to connect with the natural world and slow down to the rhythm of the land that surrounds them.
SBID Awards: Hotel Public Space finalist sponsored by Viva Lagoon
Practice: Luxury Frontiers
Project: Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge
Location: Chobe, Botswana
The Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge has long enjoyed a beautiful location within Chobe National Park, Botswana’s most biologically diverse park with one of Africa’s largest concentrations of game. However, the lodge had become tired, it was not engaged with its location as an experience and it did not reflect Belmond’s commitment to sustainable development and practices.
In addition to design responsibilities, as Lead Consultant and Project Manager for the project, Luxury Frontiers was responsible for the full coordination and contracting of the professional team, bringing on board the local expertise of general contractor Lodge Builders of Botswana and the hotel interiors talent of international designer Inge Moore. With the lodge’s state of affairs, Muza Lab and Luxury Frontiers were tasked with reinvigorating the resort not only to reflect Belmond’s principles, but to also engage guests through curated spaces and to showcase the natural beauty of the locale.
The goal was to create spaces which both reflect the greatest sense of place and are where people can embrace their surroundings, all while paying the highest respect to the environment through sustainable design. Materials are simple and natural, including limed and white painted saligna wood floors, rattan furniture and fabrics combining bright geometric prints with earthy tones. The tented public areas which include an arrival lobby, dining room, lounge and bar, and library are a collection of tented rooms which flow outdoors onto large terraces with magnificent views. The public areas have been designed to lend a comfortable, lived-in feeling with layers of collected artefacts, yet bring in plenty of local context with clusters of carved poles recalling the sticks used by the indigenous people, traditional decorative screening details and locally crafted lights inspired by the region’s clay pots.
Befitting to Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge’s location within an unadulterated wilderness area, all structures were designed to celebrate the great African bush, frame spectacular views and have a truly experiential function. Take for instance the game-viewing hide which allows guests to inconspicuously watch the area’s beloved herds of elephants and other exotic animals which gather around the lodge’s watering hole. Added to that are the hide’s beautifully simple design and its composite bamboo walls, which cast striking, spindly shadows throughout the space.
A real point of pride for the team was the fact that the project was devoted to minimising environmental impact to the lodge’s stunning site and to supporting local businesses and organisations. All of the lodge’s structures were constructed on suspended, timber-based platforms and made of composite boarding and canvas. The previous lodge’s timber was recycled and reused, and the lodge’s decks were rebuilt using composite bamboo – one of today’s highest green timber alternative products. In the guestrooms, local thatching grass purchased from communities in Northern Botswana was chosen to cover the roofs. In fact, all the furniture, fixings and equipment at the lodge was sourced locally in Southern Africa, including gorgeously crafted pieces produced by The Blind Society of South Africa.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
A design challenge – but one which was embraced – was the team’s commitment to making the lodge completely self-sufficient. As a specialist in infrastructure and back of house design in off-the-grid locales, Luxury Frontiers was excited to think outside the box and come up with efficient, cutting-edge solutions. Previously, the whole lodge was run on generators, which could consume up to 300 liters of diesel daily. This was replaced with a state-of-the-art solar farm of 665 panels and a Tesla battery system (one of the first in Botswana), and this has cut fossil fuel consumption by approximately 90%. Luxury Frontiers had installed a new anaerobic Sewage Treatment Plant, replaced the gas-fired hot water heaters with power-efficient thermodynamic geysers for each of the guestrooms, and put in an automated biodigester (the first of its kind in Botswana). The machine processes five tons of kitchen food waste monthly and turns this into compost, which is then bagged and used in local community-based farming initiatives.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
The Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge project team was excited to enter the SBID Awards to give credit to the complexity of the project, which was further heightened by the sensitivity of the project’s site (an unadulterated wilderness site within a national park). As projects are judged by SBID on both aesthetic creativity and technical merit, we knew the work done at Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge needed to be highlighted and heralded in the design community as world-class interior design was thoughtfully married to the utmost sustainable design considerations. Through our work here, we hope the design community (and the hospitality world) witness and strive to further the push the boundaries in sustainable design.
Questions answered by Graeme Labe, Principal & Managing Director at Luxury Frontiers with support from Inge Moore, Principal at Muza Lab
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring Art Déco inspired interiors for a luxury residence, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s sustainable Hotel design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | Hotel Public Space finalist sponsored by Viva Lagoon
The Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) announces the launch of its Product Design Awards celebrating the finest design, innovation and functionality for products within the residential and commercial interior design sectors.
Now open for entries from around the globe, the competition invites product, industrial and interior designers, as well as manufacturers and suppliers, to propose original products realised in the last two years across 17 categories: Accessories; Bathroom Product; Brassware; Cabinetry & Joinery; Fabric & Textiles; Furniture – Contract; Furniture – Residential; Heating & Cooling; Ironmongery & Metalwork; Kitchen Product; Leisure & Wellbeing; Lighting; Outdoor; Sanitaryware; Sound & Vision; and Surfaces & Finishes.
Entries close on Friday, 13 March 2020, with winners chosen via a three-part process. A technical judging panel evaluates entries’ professional merit and determines the finalists to be announced 9 April. From this selection, a jury representing a broad range of design skills and connections will decide 70% of the winners’ scores, with the remaining 30% the result of an online public vote that will be live until 30 April.
Truly extraordinary industry experts will lend their insights and experience to the SBID Product Awards’ judging panel, including Karim Rashid, president, Karim Rashid Inc; Vasiliki Petrou, group ceo and executive vice president, Unilever Prestige; Dr. Jeff Ning, president, Wanda Hotels and Resorts; Can Tufekcioglu, principal interior designer, Arcadis; Trevor Cotterell, managing director, Areen; Kar‑Hwa Ho, head of interior architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects; Gary Clark, principal, regional leader of science and technology, HOK London Studio; Henry Reeve, director of interior design, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG); Heinz Richardson, principal, Jestico + Whiles Architects and Designers; Letitia Fitzgibbon, head of interior design, Harrods Interior Design; Herbert Lui, partner, Dexter Moren Associates; and Dr. Vanja Garaj, head of design, Department of Design, Brunel University London.
In the glamorous setting of Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, the awards ceremony on Friday, 5 June 2020 will be an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the very best in global product design while mingling with top-tier industry leaders from across the world.
To find out more about the SBID Product Design Awards, visit www.sbidawards.com
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a truly magnificent residential design for a home befitting of its prime location in Wentworth; one of the UK’s premier private estates. This 6 bedroom, 7 bathroom detached house offers inspiration and excitement at every turn. Having worked extensively with the client over the last twelve years on multiple overseas properties and a limited edition Oyster yacht, Hill House Interiors were the natural choice to transform the home, using inspiring fabrics, innovative textures and complementary tones to seamlessly integrate the 3,000 sqft extension into the rest of the home.
SBID Awards: Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
Company: Hill House Interiors
Project: Private Estate, Wentworth
Location: Surrey, United Kingdom
Hill House Interiors were commissioned to design the interior scheme for this prestigious property in 2006, since which, they have further worked with the owners on their stunning villa in Zagleta and limited edition Oyster yacht. It was, therefore, sheer delight to be contacted again to revisit the client’s Wentworth home to devise the scheme for a vast refurbishment and 3000 sqft extension of the already sizeable 9000 sqft home.
Initially born from the desire for a much larger, walk in closet and dressing area for the master suite, the clients swiftly realised their dream of considerably larger entertainment spaces to include on the wishlist; a stunning new dual aspect fireplace, feature bar, and sumptuous cinema room.
Hill House drew inspiration for this remarkable space from the Art Déco era – that fascinating period in history when bold geometry, artistic mirrors and exquisitely rich materials started to be incorporated into private homes.
The hallway is the first thing guests see when they enter a home, so it is always a key feature and starting point of any scheme. This transitory spot was the perfect place to sweep guests off their feet and was utilised to add elegant décor details that helped to elevate the overall ambience of the home.
Upon entering, guests are met with a stunning Jerusalem crema grey marble staircase with glass balustrade and leather handrail. This installation is a beautiful contrast to the bespoke, hand sculpted artwork – a single bonsai tree – spanning the 20ft wall. Specially finished in a shimmering hand-applied pearlescent coat, subtle, soft recessed lighting enhances the incredibly intricate detail of this favoured far eastern tree. The sublimely elegant hand-blown floating crystal leaf chandelier that presides over the space – apart from making a stunning sculptural visual centrepiece – creates a beautiful light and shadow play across its surrounding surfaces, enhancing the space further.
The SBID Awards are highly respected within the design industry, and every year it’s incredibly inspiring to see such a wide variety of skills and styles represented across the various categories, showing the amount of diversity within the interior design industry.
The projects that take home an SBID accolade are truly the best in the business, and the awards evening is an event we look forward to every year. We continue to be delighted to take part in the SBID International Design Awards, and are keeping our fingers crossed for 2020!
Questions answered by Jenny Weiss, Co-founder of Hill House Interiors
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring luxurious, golden age glamour for the Hilton Imperial Hotel Dubrovnik, click here to see more.
SBID Awards 2019 | Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
Head of Marketing at Yves Delorme UK, Prune Allain des Beauvais reveals how the heritage of the French luxury brand has shaped five generations of exquisite embroidered and bespoke bedding and linen homewares, from timeless classics and fashionable prints, to unique customisations and original hand-painted artwork.
What are the origins of your brand?
Yves Delorme is the French luxury linens brand for the home and our passion since 1845. Since then, the name Fremaux has been synonymous with home linen and the company is proud to be one of the oldest businesses of its kind in Europe. 1845 was a special year which saw the creation of a linen weaving mill near Lille by Ernestine Fremaux and her husband. Time and generations have gone by, the company has grown, consolidated its experience and know-how and achieved a strong authentic personality: creative, demanding and courageous. A creativity which was increased tenfold in the early 80’s, with the association between Dominique Fremaux, the current president and Yves Delorme, who was then renowned for his bath linen collections. The excellence of the Fremaux-Delorme’s heritage can be found in the history of the men and women who have built the company, its expansion and all its products to the point that the passion and know-how of five generations are woven into every sheet, every towel and every tablecloth branded Yves Delorme. A member of the Comité Colbert since 2001, Yves Delorme today epitomises a lifestyle which is truly exceptional, when luxury living is a daily experience.
How do you work with interior designers?
For their projects, Interior Designers usually use our classic collections; our percale (Athena collection) and sateen cotton (Triomphe collection) lines. We also have an amazing collection of luxurious quality towels called Etoile. Yves Delorme collaborates directly with interior designers, selecting from our Bespoke catalogue of fabrics, embroideries, monograms and colours to customise a truly unique set of linens. Begin the creative endeavor with a pristine canvas of the finest long staple cotton in percale or sateen, then build from a choice of distinct Yves Delorme embroidered designs, with a selection of 48 stunning thread colours and a range of monogram styles and placements for a personalised and made to measure design.
Yves Delorme Bespoke options apply to flat sheets, duvet covers and all sizes of pillow shams and cases. Monogram services are also available in our Etoile range of bath linens in 19 fashionable colourways. Yves Delorme also offers the option for made to measure sizes.
What value does your sector add to the interior design industry?
Our values are Poetry, Audacity, Excellence and Savoir-faire. Maintaining the highest standards in the selection of natural materials and fine fabrics, and in the excellence of finishings and attention to hand-made details, the Yves Delorme design is recognised for timeless classics and fashion prints, integrating original hand-painted artwork and heritage to Haute Couture. Yves Delorme shares with the designer community its passion for luxury linens!
How do your services/offering enhance an interior designer’s projects?
Our monogramming service is very popular. We can add initials, logos or bespoke designs on any of our products to enhance interiors with unique, personal touches.
What are the latest trends you’ve noticed in your client’s requests?
Today, the desire for beautiful, embroidered and bespoke linen has never been so strong, which is why we founded Yves Delorme Couture. A timeless collection in endless white tones, fresh and delicate percales, silky soft white satins, featherweight cloths and classic linens. A collection designed to be transformed, played out by your imagination to take you beyond wonderland…
Why did you want to become a sponsor of the SBID Awards?
We are proud to sponsor the SBID Awards. We have been partners for the second year and it is a great opportunity to connect with other professionals from the interior and decor industry.
Hotel Bedroom & Suites Category Sponsor | SBID International Design Awards 2019
Sponsorship for the SBID International Design Awards 2020 is now open.
To find out more about becoming an SBID Awards sponsor, click here or email [email protected]
SBID Accredited Designer and Founder of London-based design firm Ana Engelhorn Interior Design, blends the old with the new to create charming and characterful interiors. Ana’s practice utilises the imperfections of natural building materials such as a original hardwood floor and emphasises rich textural sensations like silk, cotton and oxidised metal; combining the innate authenticity of a room with its objects through antique furnishings and traditional features. Read more to discover Ana’s secrets to sourcing antiques for her ‘rough luxe’ interior designs.
At Ana Engelhorn Interior Design, we take a perfectly imperfect approach – uniting old with new to create fresh, timeless interiors for residential and commercial properties. We approach all of our projects with a sustainable mindset and love working with natural materials and furniture in its raw state. Celebrating imperfections found in natural objects and building materials, we especially love antiques – and have become somewhat of an expert in pieces of furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries and the 1950’s and 1970’s.
This past month I headed over to Madrid to discover some of their antiques. Although I’m half Spanish, half German and was born in Switzerland, I have always been drawn to British antiques so don’t have much knowledge of the market in other countries. Antiques here in the UK, where we’re now based, are highly prized and shops exist in abundance. The price, as you might expect, is high, so it can be a challenge to find amazing pieces with the right price tag.
I was thus very keen to explore abroad and see what I could find. Travelling through Madrid and making contact with suppliers there, I was amazed to learn the quantity as well as quality of what is there. As interior designers, we are only as good as our suppliers, so we spend a good deal of time finding like-minded crafts and tradespeople who sell or produce quality products or salvage and up-cycle older items. We try to encourage our clients to restore and reuse their furniture or donate it to charities or who will re-purpose it, so going to Spain was a real opportunity to potentially expand the number of pieces we could recommend and learn more about sourcing antiques in other countries.
When young people in Spain leave their parents’ home, they usually want to make their own mark. The last thing they want, therefore, are interiors that look like their grandparents’ house. They tend to live in apartments that are more contemporary or lean toward furniture from the 1950’s, which is highly coveted across the country. Thus, those from wealthy families who inherit large stately homes or palacetes often find antique dealers like Anticuarios Alcolcer to buy their heirlooms and resell them in stores across Spain and the United States.
I was delighted to find that the prices for antiques are generally lower in Spain – you can find truly beautiful pieces, well-preserved and documented but at much more accessible prices. The biggest barriers to finding these suppliers are usually time, money and lack of knowledge. However, with the internet and in the globalised world we now live in, these hurdles can easily be overcome. One particularly straightforward option is to use a Travel Consultant like La Españolita. They will organise the trip for you and make introductions. Your days are then clearly mapped out and you can really make the most of your time.
Another way to find antiques dealers is to search for Architectural Digest guides on the specific region you want to visit. Usually, where there is one there are many. For example, when I visited El Modernario, the owner recommended two other stores: Tesla Antiques and Concha Ortega. I found it heart-warming how eager most owners are to share their clients with their competitors. In this industry, there really are people who believe that when one does better, everyone benefits.
Antique shop owners are also keen to have coffee or a drink to talk about the trade and swap stories. I speak Spanish so it makes that part easier! I find that with antiques in general, and Spain specifically, people want to get to know you and find out who you are – you can then start to build a relationship and work together to help each other.
Sourcing antiques from foreign countries doesn’t need to be daunting. The antiques mission I just underwent in Spain is one I will try to repeat for France, Sweden and Italy (my current favourite countries for older pieces). I’m looking forward to what I might find!
This article was written by Ana Engelhorn of Ana Engelhorn Interior Design.
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This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features luxurious, golden age glamour for the Hilton’s Imperial Hotel design in Dubrovnik. The Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik was originally built in the 1890’s, situated just above the UNESCO World Heritage site of Dubrovnik’s old town. Originally named ‘The Grand Hotel Imperial’, it was an immediate hit with a French Riviera feel and the glamorous cachet of an international clientele. The hotel was shelled during the Yugoslav war and subsequently brought back to life in 2005, when it was rebuilt in its original style. However, costly building works meant that the interiors weren’t the main priority at that time and were primed for a completely new treatment this time round.
When Goddard Littlefair was first commissioned, the hotel was already very well established and incredibly popular, with a wonderful location overlooking the old fort and the Adriatic. Drawing inspiration from the romance of the hotel’s former glories, the new design scheme sought to re-inject golden age glamour into one of Europe’s most historic hotels.
SBID Awards: Hotel Public Space / Bedrooms & Suites finalist sponsored by Viva Lagoon & Yves Delorme
Company: Goddard Littlefair
Project: Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik
Location: Dubrovnik, Croatia
The brief was to unlock the true potential of the four-storey hotel’s spectacular location, architecture, reputation and history, in order to appeal to today’s sophisticated and cosmopolitan traveller. Goddard Littlefair was initially commissioned towards the end of 2016 for a phased set of redesign works, with the first two now completed and including the reception and lobby, The Lobby Lounge, The Imperial Bar, The Executive Lounge, all connecting and guest-room corridors and all of the hotel’s 149 standard and executive rooms and 9 suites. A refurbishment of the hotel’s existing restaurant, Porat, on the lower-ground floor, will follow in late 2019.
Inspiration for the new interiors was drawn from the hotel’s incredible history, in both alluding to and recreating its glamorous heritage, whilst also ensuring it had a thoroughly contemporary sophistication. This was achieved by honouring the hotel’s existing architecture and romance throughout, layering glamour into each individual space via a Riviera palette, soft detailing and a 1920’s yachting influence, whilst at the same time balancing this with clean and contemporary lines.
The toughest hurdle was dealing with the missing architectural quality of the existing interiors that didn’t do justice to the charming exterior. The former Lobby Lounge and Bar were connected as one continuous and vast space that lacked warmth and intimacy. By breaking up the space with the use of a bespoke see-through brass shelving unit we have created a cosier transition between the two spaces. The double-height and long Reception was also addressed with regards to the lack of a solid architectural language by breaking up the height and length of the space with painted mouldings and timber panellings.
It felt like everyone was proud to be working on such a prestigious and well known historic building. From the local contractors to the joinery manufacturers, everyone involved on the project was very communicative and responsive whenever the deadlines were pressing. The quality of materials and skills involved were very high throughout the process.
As well as respecting the industry standing of the SBID and the reputation of the SBID International Design Awards, it’s also a real pleasure to have our designs recognised and admired by peers!
Questions answered by Jo Littlefair, Director of Goddard Littlefair.
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a sleek, clean-lined kitchen design, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Hotel design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | Hotel Public Space / Bedrooms & Suites finalist sponsored by Viva Lagoon and Yves Delorme
Lalique represents timeless luxury and the French ‘art of living’. Supplying decorative glass and crystal interior homeware, jewellery, perfume and art, it has become the ultimate symbol of French luxury. As a proud sponsor of the SBID International Design Awards 2019 for the Residential Apartment Under £1M category, we interviewed the UK Managing Director of LALIQUE, Frederick Fischer to share insight into the origins of this high-end luxury brand.
It is over 130 years since Rene Lalique founded the company in 1888. His career began as a designer working for Cartier and Boucheron, amongst others, and was regarded as the master of jewellery design in the Art Nouveau style. By the 1890s he was making jewellery for celebrities and public figures of the day including Sarah Bernhardt, who wore Lalique on the stage, which is where the term ‘costume jewellery’ derives.
His encounter with Francois Coty in1907 heralded his entry into the world of perfume bottles which led to Rene Lalique working entirely in glass by 1912. In 1935 he opened his boutique in Rue Royale, Paris. He died in 1945 and his son Marc Lalique replaced glass with crystal and raised Lalique’s profile to become the greatest crystal producer in France, if not the world. His granddaughter, Marie-Claude Lalique took the helm of the family enterprise in 1977, marrying modernity with tradition.
In 2008, Lalique was acquired by Swiss entrepreneur, Silvio Denz who has ensured continuity in its development, respecting traditional know-how centered on crystal, jewellery, fragrances, home accessories including furniture, lamps and decorative panels and most recently hotels and restaurants – a wide ranging orchestration of the brand’s timeless creations.
Most designers come to Lalique with specific requests concerning pieces from existing ranges. If we receive detailed ideas of bespoke pieces that they would like to be created by us, we then work closely with our studio and the designer to tailor their requirements to the project. We may also adapt current lines to personalise a private interior.
Lalique is a timeless and elegant luxury that befits any interior. Be it a house, hotel or yacht that is adorned with Lalique, it instantly gives off an essence of a ‘prestige property’.
We provide bespoke solutions and build relationships based on trust.
Our clients are not really driven by specific trends. However, I would say recently we have noticed more homes investing in large statement pieces such as the Mossi Vase in XXL for hallways and entranceways to make a bold statement. Our lighting range – chandeliers, sconces and table lamps are eternally popular. Lalique crystal panels are also hugely in demand – back lit in a wall or framed – whether the Merles & Raisins which adorned the interior of the Orient Express or the Eternal butterflies in vibrant colours by Damien Hirst – they are works of art.
To support and enhance the interior design community, which we are honoured to work with.
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