27th February 2024 | IN EXPERT INSIGHT | BY SBID Share Tweet Pinterest LinkedIn If you’re a UK-based interior designer looking to partner with an industry specialist who can cater to every aspect of your next big project, then FCI London should be your first choice. Home to over 700 world-renowned furniture brands and with an end-to-end service geared towards creating exceptional homes, this innovative company is at the top of their game. Founder and CEO, Firdaus Nagree, brings you his insights on the world of fine décor and why it’s an exciting time to be in this field. FCI London FCI London What are the origins of the business? Driven by a tactical mindset, Firdaus started his career as a strategy consultant for Accenture and began trading in property from the age of 21. With his entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for “doing” his path led him to other projects, affording him positions as an investor, board member and CEO for multiple concerns. Along the way, his vision to expand his parent’s small furniture shop took flight, jettisoning the business into one of England’s stalwarts of fine contemporary design. Now an international concern with branches in the UAE, Nigeria and India, the original 5,000 sq ft shop is now a 30,000 sq ft, award-winning showroom – the largest in London. FCI London How do your products and services enhance interior design projects? With a focus on quality, FCI London offers a range of luxury, internationally recognised furniture that can be customised to suit your needs. And, with our finger on the pulse on new industry trends, our offerings are constantly expanding, bringing fresh innovations to our discerning clientele. From picking out an elegant extendable dining table to finding a sofa in the right size and style, our highly qualified team of designers, showroom consultants, joiners, warehouse experts and installers is available to assist you every step of the way. So, everything is accessible to you under one roof. FCI London FCI London What value does your specialist sector add to the industry? One of our superpowers is relationship management. Yes, service is key, but every good design business offers that. The FCI London’s approach to adding value is through listening and understanding what a client thinks they want and then converting that brief into something that pushes the bar out a little further. Comfort zones are there to be transcended and we’re in the business of breaking old habits, introducing new possibilities and expanding the boundaries of fine design. We believe that people should be happy in their homes, so filling personal spaces with well-considered furnishings is a given. But on top of that, we have a technological edge. Everything we do is geared towards keeping up with developments that bring ease to your lifestyles, and we make sure that our partnerships with industry professionals includes them in the loop. FCI London How do you work with interior designers? Our B2B offerings form an intrinsic part of our business and the affiliations we forge with qualified interior designers are important to us. From worthwhile trade discounts to free consultations where we’ll help with things like conceptualising a wardrobe or finding accessories, we’re 100% on board with every project. We also offer CPD training courses that cover integrated SMART home technology and the use of AI. So, whatever we do is geared towards helping them broaden their skill set and elevate their services. We even have a specially designed software package that will help them run their businesses efficiently. Consider us the ally you need to get you up, running, and properly sustained. FCI London What has been your most significant company highlight or success from the past year? Our expansion into the UAE has been extremely exciting, adding to our global presence and widening our skill set. It’s been a process that has involved dipping into our pool of expertise and allowing our outstanding team members to take the lead. We’re lucky to have people who are on-board, diligent and understand exactly what we do and how we do it. So, despite the challenges of working in different time zones and with diverse cultures, we’re making it happen. Integrating AI into our services has also been a significant achievement, allowing us to streamline our processes and facilitate an easier design journey for our clientele. FCI London What are the latest trends you’ve noticed in your client’s requests? After the “safe” profiles that were fuelled by Covid, people are finally coming out of their shells and statement pieces, bold colours and out-of-the box designs are trending. Things like bubble sofas are big. And even utility areas are becoming playful parts of the home. But the underlying truth of all design is that, while fads come and go, creating a timeless aesthetic that still embodies the ultimate in style will always be a priority if you’re investing your money well. So, embrace the expanding interest in retro themes, antiques and vintage chic, find materials that are durable and create something you can live with long-term. How do you see the interior design industry evolving in the year ahead? Without a doubt, eco-friendliness is becoming a key factor in any design process. From ensuring that your resources are sustainably sourced to securing low-impact manufacturing, packaging, and transportation methodologies, we’re all responsible for realising positive change. Aside from that, technology is big and will continue to influence our choices and evolve our expectations. We’re also seeing a move towards smaller living areas, making floor space prime real-estate. This will undoubtedly inspire new innovations that fit in with a more compact home. At the end of the day, the evolution of design is all about finding new ways to elevate our lifestyles. And that’s the fun in it. FCI London Is there anything new you are excited to be working on? At FCI London, we’re always excited about what we do and expanding our business internationally gives us an opportunity to share our love for design with the world. But we’re also passionate about paying our success forward and are heavily involved in several CSR activities, supporting two NGOs that make a huge difference to the causes they serve. YUVA Unstoppable aims to transform the lives of underprivileged children by providing them with both food and sanitation in their school environments. WeForest works relentlessly to protect and sustain our woodlands, ensuring that our ecosystems are properly maintained. This contributes significantly towards our fight against global warming and preserves one of the biggest resources used in interior design. Both are extremely important to us, and we feel honoured to play a small part in their endeavours. What does being an SBID Accredited Industry Partner mean to you? Being one of SBID’s accredited partners connects us to a wider group of industry professionals, all of whom are committed to upholding the highest level of industry standards. Not only does this endorse FCI London’s credibility as a discerning, professional business but it also holds all members responsible for conserving a benchmark of excellence, guaranteeing our clients the best possible service across the full spectrum of our trade. We are delighted to be a part of this esteemed network and find great value in the select opportunities that the SBID offers us. Firdaus Nagree, Founder and SEO of FCI London About FCI London FCI was established in 1985 and has grown from a 5000 sq ft showroom to one of the largest designer furniture and lifestyle houses in the UK. We are an independently owned family business with deep roots in furniture design, manufacture and interiors. We have one of the largest contemporary furniture showrooms in the UK, displaying the most exclusive quality pieces from the world’s most exclusive quality designers. Visit Profile If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more. If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.