Skip to main content

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners of the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Workplace category, Modus Workspace, share the key elements they focus on when designing workplaces and predict future changes in workspace designs.

SBID Awards Category: Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Workplace

Practice: Modus Workspace

Entry: Modus: 30 Years of Excellence

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

It’s so important to our team and our clients. I’m lucky enough to work with a group of people who get up every day and truly love what they do, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if an award is waiting for them at the end of a project, but it sometimes helps. For my team, it gives them the recognition that they deserve and keeps them motivated to continue to aim high, always. We have seen just how powerful winning awards can be for our clients, from stakeholder management to employee retention and hiring top talent, it also reaffirms to our clients that their investment and trust in Modus was worth it.

As a specialist in workplace fit-out projects, what are the most important considerations when designing for working environments?

For the past 30 years, Modus has been designing and delivering office spaces with the objective and empirical evidence to support, that this helps our client’s businesses perform better and have happier, healthier work environments. Every project is unique, and we approach each one with open minds, because it is about understanding the fundamental needs and wants of our clients including their goals and ambitions. However, there are a few key areas that form the baseline for all decision making: workplace strategy, sustainability, wellbeing, culture and future proofing their space for today and tomorrow.

What insights can you give regarding the future of the workplace? How should office designs evolve alongside changing trends?

There’s a lot of talk around the future of the workplace and how it will evolve and change. The digitalisation of spaces will be a big thing. From ‘zoom’ kitted out meeting rooms to intuitive tech, the office of the future will be designed for a different kind of working and a multitude of different office landscapes.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

We’ve got so many exciting projects already in the pipeline for 2022, we’ve been venturing abroad with projects in Dubai and Europe – it’s all under wraps for now but watch this space!

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Think big, think broadly and have a go. Be brave with your designs and send that email to the D&B firm you’ve always wanted to work at, you never know what’s around the corner. At Modus, we pride ourselves on nurturing the designers of the future. It’s something we take very seriously and I particularly love doing. We are always looking to take on new talent so if you’re looking to start a career in design, get in touch with us at [email protected].

Questions answered by Vidhi Sharma, Creative Director, Modus Workspace.

Vidhi Sharma

Vidhi graduated from the University of Ryerson, Toronto with a degree in interior design, and came to the UK in 2007. She joined Modus in 2013 and was promoted to the Board in 2019.

“My passion for the Design and Build industry began when I emigrated from Toronto, Canada and started a new life in London, a place that I always viewed as the vanguard of global office fit out. Working for other D&B companies and latterly Modus, I have had the privilege of creating workplaces for some of the world’s leading companies in iconic architectural buildings, such as the Shard, the Leadenhall Building and 22 Bishopsgate. Naturally curious with an intrigue for the components of brand, I strive to create a positive impact on both the individual and the business. Whilst I will always work on my own clients’ projects, I also lead a large, multi-disciplined team of designers, 3D artists and technicians. Our aim is to be the most foremost workplace design team in the UK and to do that we have assembled an incredibly talented group of people who love working together, inspire each other and delight their clients.”

Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change me

If you missed last week’s Interview with the KBB design category winner Extreme Design, click here to read it.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners of the KBB Design category, Extreme Design discuss the evolution of clients’ wishes and what role kitchens play in homes today, as well as their approach to designing interiors that reflect the client’s personal style.

SBID Awards Category: KBB Design

Practice: Extreme Design

Entry: The Lake House

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

The SBID awards create awareness for outstanding achievement and celebrates design creativity and excellence worldwide. It allows designers to push the boundaries of design and bring global recognition to those with good design practices within the industry. At Extreme, it is our vision to make an impact on design in this country, and the awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase our work.  An SBID award carries credibility and helps build our reputation amongst clientele hoping to engage with Extreme for their unique and special projects.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

At Extreme, we believe that every great design starts with an inspiration. This belief and design approach gave us the freedom to design every detail of the client’s kitchen to suit their vision. The elegance, sophistication and character of Art Deco design had captured their imagination and would form the basis of the design narrative. Influenced by The Churchill Bar and Terrace at the Hyatt Regency in London, the scheme works as a functional family living space and exudes luxury and exhibits a firm nod towards the clients love of everything art deco. The design transcends material and function and creates a one-of-a-kind space where every detail reflects our client.

As experts within the kitchen design sector, what do you think has been the biggest evolution in the kitchen space over the last decade? What external factors do you think have played a role in this shift?

Over the last decade we have seen clients move away from interiors which follow a common style or trend and look for something more personal, something which is a direct reflection of them and their life story. Since the 90’s the kitchen has been the centre of every household, and our clients are spending more time than ever in these multipurpose rooms. The clients story dictates the design direction, and we are selecting materials and finishes based on emotional connection and not just look and feel. Once a utilitarian design decision, kitchens now truly reflect the homeowner’s life, style and taste.

How do you make sure a design reflects the clients’ individuality and personal stories? Do you have a specific approach and how do you balance this with your own design style?

The client’s story is at the heart of every design, and it stems from our belief that a design reflects a life lived, not just a lifestyle. We approach each project with a fresh perspective, bringing new ideas founded from our wealth of experience. The details we gather go beyond just practical and functional requirements. We take time to listen, understand and connect with how our clients want to feel in their new environment. Part of what makes Extreme so different is the design freedom that we bring to every project. Each design is individual, so we don’t limit ourselves or our clients to set styles or ranges. Each design begins as a blank canvas and evolves to reflect each client’s personal design story.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

The awards have given us the belief and drive to continue developing our design approach, knowing that we have a formula that realises some of the most individual and exciting projects in this country and worldwide.

We are constantly working on what’s new and what’s next! And we look forward to sharing this with you in the years to come.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Open your eyes to the world; you can find inspiration in everything. Listen to your clients, stay focussed and don’t be afraid to push your client to the edge of their boundaries. Everyone is different, so listen to your client’s story and use this to fuel your creativity and create a design that is truly special.

Questions answered by Jade Jones, Design Manager, Extreme Design.

As Design Manager, my role spans every project, ensuring consistency of practices, fulfilment of Extreme’s design ethos and delivery of quality standards through close collaboration with the team. I thrive from the satisfaction of working with a creative and dynamic team, sharing my desire to create and improve the built environment to ultimately enhance each design. I enjoy following our clients’ journeys from design through to final completion, endorsing efficiency and accuracy to uphold Extreme’s design values and promise to our clients. My aspiration is to create interiors which feel exciting, and I am energised when bringing ideas that fuse ergonomics and aesthetics to realise a client’s vision.

Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change me

If you missed last week’s Interview with the Restaurant design category winner Design Command, click here to read it.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners of the Restaurant Design category, design command share their tips on designing hospitality interiors with user experience in mind and talk about using natural materials in interior design projects.

SBID Awards Category: Restaurant Design

Practice: design command

Entry: Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

Extremely important for us as an Interior Design Company that mainly specialise in hospitality design. To receive the recognition after the difficult years or 2020 and 2021 is an amazing achievement. Being recognised by SBID Awards introduces you to new contacts and you feel like part of a hospitality family.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

We didn’t follow current trends and mainly focused on reflecting the amazing views and this was the inspiration for all ff&e selections and the colour palette. We think this made this restaurant’s interior design unique.

When working on a hospitality project, how do you incorporate the end user’s experience into the overall vision and functionality of the interior?

The Interior has to be both captivating and a comfortable place to dine. Equally important is how it works operationally for staff as they use the space on a daily basis and we want to have an interior that they are proud to showcase.

Do you often work with natural or unconventional materials, such as stone, rope, reclaimed timber? What made you choose these materials, and are there any particular considerations when working with them?

We like to work with natural materials on most of our projects as we find they add more contrast and interest overall, whilst also being environmentally friendly.

We wanted to reflect the coast and surroundings as much as possible and chose a range natural materials to express this throughout. When choosing these materials it is important that you apply them to the correct areas within the space.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

It was a big surprise and we are still taking it all in and looking forward to new opportunities in hospitality design for 2022. We are looking forward to working on new restaurant and hotel designs. I began my career in hotel design and am excited to bring that passion full circle.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Always believe in yourself and no matter how much experience you have never dismiss an idea – it could be the best one for that particular project.

Questions answered by Clare McDonald, Founder & Creative Director, design command.

Design Command is a multi-award winning London & Hertfordshire based Interior Architecture Studio founded in 2013 by Clare McDonald. Clare brought over 13 years expertise in hotel and restaurant interiors to projects across Europe; designing 5 star hotels and over 50 restaurants, as well as student hotels, high-end residential schemes and boutique offices. Design Command has quickly grown to several designers working on hospitality projects throughout the UK and abroad – offering the experience and flair to realise your design ambitions.

Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change me

If you missed last week’s Interview with the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Residential category winner ALTER EGO Project Group, click here to read it.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners for the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Residential category, ALTER EGO, the designers discuss creating interiors that perfectly align with the clients’ desires and blending the architectural style of the residence into its interior design.

SBID Awards Category: Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Residential

Practice: Alter Ego Project Group

Entry: Oiseau Bleu

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

We are absolutely delighted and honoured to become a winner of the SBID Awards in the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Residential category. Receiving recognition from one of the most prestigious and renowned awards in the global design industry brings not only status and global promotion but also inspiration for new incredible projects and hopefully the future victories.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

This project on the Cote d’Azur is an example of successful synergy when the wishes of the Client and their willingness for innovative ideas coincided with our creativity and experience in the realization of unique and complex turnkey projects.

One of the customer’s key desires was a house exposed to nature so in this coastline villa we implemented the concept of a space with blurred boundaries, open to light and air. The seascape of the French Riviera inspired our team and became the main visual component of the interior. From certain angles it seems transparent. Each room faces picturesque views from panoramic windows.

A high point and best illustration of the concept is a sophisticated light composition – a flock of glass birds “hovering” in the central room of the villa. These bespoke pendants of different shapes and sizes were created according to our designer’s sketches by outstanding glass artisans. The functional content of the house and all storage systems are designed to create a feeling of completely unfurnished space, where nothing distracts from the purity of lines and the beauty of proportions.

The exterior of the residence is an architectural statement in itself. How far did this inspire the design of the interior?

A good interior is always a consequence of high-quality architecture. The villa blends perfectly with the surrounding landscape and the design solutions correspond to the context of the place. Bionic forms present in façade design, inside the house turn into large-scale arches, the curved wall panels set up a unique plasticity of the space and create a feeling of perfectly smooth surface. The decorative effect is enhanced by Onyx Rainbow inlay of extraordinary colours and patterns, perceived as stunning pictures created by the nature itself. A mesmerizing Calcite Blue picked up as the main bathroom finishing material captivates the observer with the charm of its sugary tones that, on one hand, suggest the perception of ethereal beauty and, on the other, symbolise freshness and clarity. White colour, prevailing in the interiors, acts as a joint background, emphasizing the continuity of spaces.

When taking on a turnkey project, what is your approach to establishing a successful design scheme that achieves the client’s vision/brief?

Our first responsibility and aim are to hear and understand the client properly. We do our best to ensure that our architectural or interior design concepts hit the customer’s wishes on the first try. This is a very ambitious goal, but there is no other way to start working on a complex, unique project.

Accurately hitting the client’s wishes on the first try means that an invisible connection has been found, a person has been heard and understood, and understood not only at the conceptual level, but at the level of further interaction – we already know which project timeline to build, which team will be most effective in working on this project, which contractors will be able to meet the client’s expectations, and much more.

How to achieve such an understanding from the first minutes? It is probably easier to answer how to be a human…

But there are simple ingredients: experience, good education, wide vision, and most importantly – passion for what you do.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

Among new directions for the company’s development, we could highlight the sphere of hospitality. Our deep knowledge and many years of experience in private premium sector are highly demanded by hotel developers, allowing them to embody the principles of unique comfort and exclusivity in commercial hospitality projects.

Due to the change of travel conditions, that we are witnessing now, people’s requirements for a hotel are also changing, as they often have to spend more time there. So, new boutique hotels more often make use of the experience of bespoke residential construction, creating the most comfortable and thoughtful living conditions for their guests. And we are very pleased and excited to cooperate with developers in this industry.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Starting work with a potential Customer it is important to place the person in the centre stage, to hear and understand them. Therefore, in order to more accurately determine their concerns, interests, hobbies, favourite places and preferences, designers should listen to the Client more than talk about themselves.

Do not focus only on your ideas and sources of inspiration, always put the interests and wishes of the client first, and do not forget that the ideal interior is always created exactly for a specific customer and takes into account the smallest details, like a tailored suit, made exactly to measure.

Questions answered by Julia D. Lantieri, Founder and CEO and Vyacheslav Labzin, Architect and Creative Desirctor, ALTER EGO Project Group.

Julia D. Lantieri and Vyacheslav Labzin

Julia‘s managerial talent and degrees in political science, economics, architecture and design, as well as an MBA, made it possible to turn a team of the best professionals into a global company, implementing projects in all corners of the world and gaining recognition from the professional community.
Vyacheslav graduated from MARKHI (Moscow Academy of Architecture) in 1996. Since 2007, he has been Chief Architect and Head of ALTER EGO Project Group creative department. A winner of prestigious awards, architect with extensive experience, author of over 500 spaces, member of the Union of Architects, photographer and graphic artist – Vyacheslav realised his talents and creative ideas in large-scale, high-status projects around the world.

Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change me

If you missed last week’s Interview with the Product category Furniture – Residential winner Lalique, click here to read it.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards Overall Winner, Angel O’Donnell, the practice’s co-founders reflect on their journey in the interior design industry and discuss their approach to incorporating local influences and culture into their designs.

London-based interior design studio Angel O’Donnell has created award-winning interiors for private homes, luxury show apartments and vast, mixed-use developments around the world. The studio prides itself on not having a signature style. That way, they can create beautiful and ownable designs that are 100% tailored to each client’s wants and needs.

SBID Awards Category: Overall Winner

Practice: Angel O’Donnell

Entry: The Dumont

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards and receive industry recognition for your work?

Hugely important. Without question. We’ve said it before to our followers on Insta: the SBID is a lobbying titan and we’re thrilled to number among its members.

It’s a much loved and deeply respected organisation. How could it not be? In your own words you ‘represent, defend and promote professional interior designers in the UK and in 71 countries worldwide’. Affirmations don’t get much stronger than that.

And, yes, it’s lovely to be recognised by your peers and role models. The SBID always attracts a stellar judging panel packed with industry luminaries at the top of their game. So, naturally, when they give your work the thumbs-up, it’s seriously validating. And people do regard you differently afterwards, there’s no doubt about it. Clients love it, too, which is always a good thing when you’re pitching for increasingly bigger and splashier creative opportunities.

Angel-O'Donnell---The-Dumont-(4)

What do you think made The Dumont an overall award winner?

Tough question. We’re still pinching ourselves that our project received that honour. The competition, as always, was fantastically strong.

Our guess is that The Dumont has something for everyone. The design manages to blend a lot of elements: earthy pigments with calm neutrals, densely textured fabrics with smooth glass and metal finishes, kaleidoscopically bright art with delicate objet. On paper, it sounds like a heady mix. But in reality, these things come together like old buddies: happily and without friction.

The judges may have also appreciated just how much was bespoke. Everything from wool-bouclé swivel chairs and curved velvet sofas to plushly padded upholstered walls and a bronze-clad fireplace was designed in-house.

The artwork, too, was a major part of our design. We lavished our client’s home with specially commissioned acrylics, hand thrown ceramic bowls, delicate origami, metal sculptures – even an intricately beaded African ceremonial crown.

That said, there’s a playfulness to these pieces. Nothing takes itself too seriously. We always want our designs to feel relatable. Luxurious, yes, but also accessible. We think a lot of people can imagine themselves living in the rooms we design.

AOD_Chelsea_HR-7-copy

When working on a new residential project, how do you incorporate local influences, artistry and culture from the surrounding area into your design?

We’re always careful when we take inspiration from an area. We don’t want to get swept up in lots of stimuli, no matter how fabulous, as this would drown out a client’s needs and wants. We also don’t want to create anything pastiche-y or thematic. So, we tend to think abstractly about our surroundings. For instance, in The Dumont, our client wanted us to create an interior that could echo the vibrancy, artistry and culture of London. Dizzying as that brief was, it prompted us to fill mood boards with lots of colour and pattern. To collaborate with local craftspeople. And to think about artists from around the world to reflect the capital’s rich melting pot. It wasn’t a literal interpretation by any means, but it nailed the brief.

More recently, we were tasked with creating a quintessentially British pied-à-terre in the heart of Chelsea. We set about defining what ‘quintessentially British’ means to us and concluded that it’s about craftsmanship and the assemblage of unique and creative pieces. With this interpretation in place, we worked on producing a series of lively and vivacious rooms, filled with expressive prints, rich hues and beautiful detailing.

The bedrooms were treated to handmade Savoir Beds. Other rooms featured sculptural lamps inspired by the late great Barbara Hepworth. Walls were filled with artwork by an exciting mix of British talent, including an original Damien Hirst giclée print on aluminium, and an explosive figurative oil on canvas by rising star, Jack Penny. There were also whimsical pieces, like a pale pink cuckoo clock and prints of early 19th century botanical drawings of Japanese Sago Palms. It was like nothing we’d ever done before, and the result was fantastic.

Tell us a bit about your journey in the interior design industry. What have been the most rewarding takeaways since launching Angel O’Donnell?

We’ve been travelling very fast, on a vertiginously steep trajectory, for just over three years now. And what we’ve learned is just how much there is to learn. Always. We never stop. Every pitch, client, project, building, problem, solution, collaboration, challenge, creative block, creative breakthrough – it’s different every time. And yes, it can keep us awake at night – but the end result always makes it worthwhile.

We’ve grown stronger as a team – and we’ve grown our team. We’re now responsible for people’s livelihoods and creative fulfilment, which is daunting but also incredibly rewarding. There’s lots to be thankful for. Every project we win and every design we install gives us a buzz. We don’t take any of it for granted – especially those landmark moments when you’re pronounced overall winner at the SBID. That blew our minds. What a fantastic accolade. Even better that it coincided with our 3rd year anniversary.

AOD_Chelsea_HR-23-copy

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

Our next steps will be to continue nurturing our team and looking after our clients. Beyond that, we’ll be working on two 2,500sq ft apartments in The Corniche, Albert Embankment. We’re super excited to see how this iconically curvaceous building will influence our designs. Also, we have what can only be described as a culturally epic project waiting in the wings. Frustratingly, we can’t reveal more than that right now. But as soon as we’re given the green light, you won’t be able to stop us from telling you all about it.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

When we’ve interviewed young designers in the past, the ones that have stood out to us have had a strong sense of self. They’re still teachable – we should all be that – but they’re not daunted by others who have been in the profession a long time.

To have conviction in your decisions is a powerful thing. To stand by a design choice can often open people’s eyes to new ideas and encourage them to take leaps of faith. That’s when great things happen between creatives and clients.

Of course, everything’s a balance. There’s no point digging in your heels when the people you’re presenting to are shaking their heads in disbelief. Designs have to be bought. It’s a business like any other.

But be confident. Don’t be swayed by trends. And drink in as much design – from as many disciplines – as your senses can handle morning, noon and night. Interior design is a beautiful, forever burgeoning craft. It’ll never stop evolving. And neither should you.

If any aspiring designers reading this want to show us their work, please do. We’re always happy to meet new talent.

Questions answered by Richard Angel and Ed O’Donnell, Co-founders, Angel O’Donnell.

AOD_Dumont_Portraits_HR-6

For over two decades Richard Angel and Ed O’Donnell have created elegant and inviting interiors for both private clients and developers; their partnership is rooted in a deep respect for each other’s skills, and is built on a mutual desire to deliver an authentically personal and in-depth service to their clients. From full interior fit-outs to more specialised requirements, such as sourcing bespoke artwork and objet, they provide a complete interior design service.

Skandia is an insurance company founded in 1855, with current operations in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. The systematic work environment has evolved in the same way as people and their ideas, which drives the creation of strategic environments where creativity flows and concepts of collaboration and innovation multiply. Simultaneously, the demand for workspaces that encourage social interaction, contemplation and transdisciplinarity increases.

The present project succeeds in increasing creativity and productivity within a framework of comfort, and the collaborative work in the organization becomes more visible through areas that inspire effective communication between everyone to strengthen the pride of working there. Spaces that integrate and promote both working and recreational life are designed with solutions that allow people to create the environments they need and choose the workspace that improves their individual experience of habitability.

Spaces with natural lighting, fresh and air-conditioned. Application of acoustic materials in interiors and open areas. Lightweight and transparent materials. Integration of dynamic and functional furniture. Open-door privates. Different types of Boardrooms and Casual Collisions (informal meeting spaces) between work teams that facilitate interaction. Balance between workspaces and common areas, suitable for appropriate technological connection between all users.

Skandia is equipped to meet every need that may arise within the workspace, surrounded by colour accents in functional spaces specially designed for efficiency and productivity. Workstation trains rotate at different orthogonal angles, following ceiling planks and apparent slab with coloured accents on the carpets. The colon of the space responds to the colour theory, adopting the combination of neutral and warm tones to uplift concentration and productivity, with details in green, blue and yellow to energize the people who inhabit it.

Game tables, TV screens and seating spaces were installed. As well as the University space, adapted with dynamic furniture, moving walls, front-bleachers and high-tech equipment to facilitate communication and videoconferencing. The Work Café was designed with a bar on the ground floor to enjoy the terrace, accompanied by some cabins, benches, tables and chairs.

Skandia redefines the concept of traditional offices, based on clear objectives of socialisation, creation, agility, connection and inspiration that strengthen the trust between collaborator and client relationships. By offering an iconic, productive, natural environment of social interaction and well-being, the highest standards of quality in infrastructure and service are met, and the barriers of the common functional and habitual are surpassed with spaces designed to increase work performance through comfort and versatility.

About spAce

spAce have structured a new way of looking at architecture: intending to be the best if not the biggest, they have integrated an interdisciplinary staff of highly talented and compromised professionals. spAce take into account the importance of research and technology development, then they include them both in their method of thinking and working, always seeking after SUSTAINABLE solutions which not only RESPECT environment but actually help to improve the natural habitat. spAce have created various lines of business, both interior and exterior. No matter it is a small space, a large building, campus, offices, shops or housing settlement, they do know that to achieve a great solution they have to begin from the inside. This is the basis of their philosophy: designing from inside out.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories with SBID, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners for the Outdoor Product Design category, Belgard, discusses key industry changes, gives advice for designing outdoor spaces and introduces more of their innovative outdoor products.

SBID Awards Category: Outdoor Product

Practice: Belgard

Entry: Artforms/Artex

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

Joe: We certainly appreciate the visibility that comes from receiving international industry recognition for our work. Beyond marketing opportunities, an award of this magnitude is very exciting for Belgard because it validates our approach to design, as we are transforming our portfolio to be much more design centric. It is also important to us to tell the story behind our products.

It’s recognition like the SBID awards that will help us connect to local architect and design communities across the world. This is helpful as we look to launch the Artforms system in Europe next year.

Belgard---Artforms_Artex-(4)

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

Joel: From a research and development perspective, Artforms’ design is a game changer. It is the first modular concrete panel system that can be used in a variety of applications for outdoor living spaces. The modularity of the system offers simplicity and a modern design that contractors around the world are looking for today.

Joe: The innovative approach behind the flexibility and versatility of Artforms directly aligns with current outdoor living design trends. It provides a clean, contemporary look, which was historically very expensive and time consuming to achieve, in a new, more cost-effective way.

What was the design concept behind the Artforms modular panels? What does the solution aim to achieve?

Joel: The thought process behind the Artforms concept was to create larger format panels that can be installed vertically to maximize efficiency. The modular design also achieves the simplicity that aligns with ongoing trends in outdoor living design.

Previous techniques needed to achieve a more modern, linear aesthetic were extremely labor intensive. Artforms modular design provides the ideal aesthetic result in a fraction of the time and cost.

With the burgeoning trend of indoor-outdoor living on the rise, what advice can you give designers when approaching outside spaces as an extension of the interior environment?

Joe: My advice for designers approaching outdoor spaces is that it’s critical to consider the connection with the home and how both spaces function together. People often look at it as separate environments, but the best designs blur the line and make a physical and visual connection with the exterior. When you look at materials especially, if you’re able to pull interior materials outdoors or vice versa to make sure it ties into the architecture and flow of the home, that is where we see the most success. Artforms goes a long way toward achieving that. With interior design trending more modern, Artforms extends that flow to the exterior.

Joel: Interior design trends tend to move faster when compared to outdoor living design, which usually adapts as it follows slowly behind interior trends. We saw the trend of larger format and concrete design becoming more popular and were able to predict this now ideal modular design bleeding into the backyard. The concrete look is popular indoors, with many iterations of porcelain tile with a concrete look that can be easily matched to Artforms in outdoor spaces.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

Joel: Artforms as a system, has a few next steps as we roll out a variety of applications, parts and new finishes/textures that are easily integrated into this system for personalized configurations. These additional compatible features allow the modularity to extend into the whole outdoor space with one comprehensive design. One example is the privacy panel that is part of the Artforms ecosystem.

Belgard continues to make outdoor living spaces more efficient and functional, especially with the increased interest from homeowners. We want to be able to offer all the products and features to outdoor living spaces complete and feel like “home.” Our new Elements line of products fills this need. In addition to our modular outdoor fire features and grill islands, Elements is also a collection of stainless appliances and fixtures including cooking, storage, bar and sink accessory features that make outdoor living areas – specifically kitchen and dining spaces – feel complete.

Looking at what’s next, we’re excited to share our patented system with select communities in Europe within the next year. Artforms is currently available in the United States, Canada (Artforms/Artex), and Belgium (Moodul Creation).

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Joe: Designers often get caught up on the artistic side of design or focus too much on products, creating a narrowed approach. My advice for young designers would be to not prioritize your personal goals. Understanding the consumers’ needs and lifestyle is critical, and you can work from that point to create the perfect design. If you can integrate new ideas, that’s great, but only if it’s the right fit. There is no need to push a certain look at the expense of the consumers.

Questions answered by Joe Raboine, Director of Residential Hardscapes, and Joel Remillard, R&D Hardscape Group Leader, Belgard.

Joe Raboine
Joe Raboine
Joel Remillard
Joel Remillard

Since 1995, Belgard’s locally made and nationally backed products have transformed thousands of residential and commercial properties across North America. They strive to improve our products by spending more than 20,000 hours in research and development every year. Perfecting new products keeps them aligned to current design trends and places Belgard on the cutting edge of manufacturing techniques and technologies.

Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change me

If you missed last week’s Interview with the category Office Design winner 4 SPACE Design, click here to read it.

In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winner for the Office Design category, 4SPACE Design talk about how they ensure a design for a commercial space represents the company’s ethos and explain their process of integrating lighting into workplace designs.

SBID Awards Category: Office Design

Practice: 4SPACE Design

Entry: BE

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

Winning an award and being acknowledge by the SBID Awards gives us untold recognition in the field of interior design. Receiving such praise is a testament to the team’s exemplary hard work and commitment to being the best firm in Dubai. The accolade allows us to build trust with our clients, both current and new. The international award gives us the opportunity to promote our award-winning name globally.

4SPACE-Design---BE-Meliorism-Office-(6)

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

Designing spaces for the innovative and forward thinking team at the BE Meliorism office allowed us to weave the personality of the brand into the interiors. The minimalist and sleek lines of the furnishings allowed us to be creative with the use strong colours throughout the office. BE Meliorism is tech reliant and the designs embrace the futuristic core of the business. Open plan spaces allow for ample natural light whilst clever screening affords the idea of privacy.

When designing for commercial office spaces, the interior becomes an extension of the company’s visual identity. How do you capture and communicate a company’s brand ethos through interior design?

As a team, we reviewed the brands guidelines and spoke to the owner and the staff to understand the company vision and its core values. We used this vital information and chose and translated the inspirations into the design. Various design elements give good ambience to the space by underpinning the company values

4SPACE-Design---BE-Meliorism-Office-(4)

What are the key considerations when specifying lighting solutions? How do you integrate lighting design into your projects, and specifically for working environments?

Life in the office was studied to understand how many users there would be throughout the day and into the night during any given 24-hour time period. We were careful to provide the necessary function with beautiful aesthetics so not to detract from the overall design.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

We want to continue to support SBID over the coming years. We have lots of exciting projects in the pipeline throughout the rest of 2021 and into 2022. The projects are diverse and cover unimagined F&B venues, entertainment, virtual reality and metaverse. Excitingly, we are exploring many possibilities of designing spaces; we are bearing witness to a new world of tech, design and a major shift from the real economy to the digital economy, which have all accelerated since the global pandemic.

4SPACE-Design---BE-Meliorism-Office-(1)

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Be brave and soar high, strive higher and be patient. Be bold, innovative, and sustainable. Leverage your effort for exponential growth, find ways to navigate the digital jungle to market yourself across different platforms.

Questions answered by Firas Alsahin, Co-Founder, 4SPACE Design.

Originally established in Damascus in 2001, founders, Firas Alsahin and Amjad Hourieh, moved their practice to Dubai to be at the centre of this vibrant market. The emirate’s booming growth in the commercial sector was an impetus for the firm to explore all the opportunities in the design industry, creating noteworthy projects in the UAE.

Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change me

If you missed last week’s Interview with the category Bathroom & Sanitaryware Product winner RAK Ceramics, click here to read it.

“A brief from the team to the team”. The new 4SPACE Design offices are designed for the team. The leaders put together a questionnaire asking the team to imagine their new workspace. Overall, the team wanted there to be an intrinsic sense of wellbeing and belonging within the space. They wanted light. And lots of it. Neutral monochromatic schemes and a large breakout area with a games and relaxation space for the team to draw breath and find a sense of peace from a busy day.

Concept

“When brutalism meets minimalism with a twist of industrial”. 4SPACE has paired unfinished concrete breeze blocks with a smooth monochromatic pallet and verdant trees to nod to biophilic living. Richly covered modern furniture, exposed piping, stainless steel accessories, and fluorescent lighting create exciting spaces for work, meetings, and play.

Various design elements

The 4SPACE Design offices are exciting. The exposed breeze block walls are treated with sealer material to enhance and preserve the brutalist look. It’s raw, unfinished, and playful. Modern angular lighting bounces light throughout the open spaces and communal workstations.

The central atrium of the offices boasts a beautifully preserved, semi-artificial olive tree that has been hand-fashioned by craftsmen in Dubai. The trees have come from historic groves across the region. Olive trees are known to flourish until they are several thousands of years old. Introducing biophilic design elements into a space can help alleviate stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance mood and creativity. The space is multi-functional, with open spaces for teams to assemble, but the team can create private spaces with impressive pivotal doors for important meetings.

The execution and ambience

This project was extraordinarily fast and only took a month to complete. It was a complete family affair where the 4SPACE design team, contractors and suppliers all contributed to the seamless execution of the new office space. Each person provided valuable support to achieve the tight timeline for the transition from the old offices to the new.

The 4SPACE office has the appeal of a solid but inviting fortress. The distinctive concrete modernism provides light-hearted intrigue yet is minimalistic and intimate. The office is set amidst endless city skyscrapers. As a result of the open workspaces, the office possesses spectacular views across the Dubai waterfront and the iconic Dubai Eye.

4space-office-06

Challenges overcome and the unique key features

Contractors struggled to manoeuvre 2.70-metre glass partitions in the elevators; their hard work and brave efforts have created a remarkable installation. The concrete flooring was quite challenging; it had to be poured, dried and levelled precisely. From the questionnaire, the entire design process and construction took a mere 45 days.

There are many focal points, but the most exciting key features are the olive tree, concrete and exposed breeze blocks, the neutral monochromatic colour scheme and the open ceiling concept with exposed industrial metal piping.

Material selection: concrete, glass, metal, aluminium, wood and black leather.

About 4Space Design

Originally established in Damascus in 2001, founders, Firas Alsahin and Amjad Hourieh, moved their practice to Dubai to be at the centre of this vibrant market. The emirate’s booming growth in the commercial sector was an impetus for the firm to explore all the opportunities in the design industry. Eschewing quantity for quality, profile of the project and relationship with clients, the studio credit its people’s distinct ideas strategic business development.

If you’d like to feature your news or stories with SBID, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a family home design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Artwill Interior Design House.

Today, living well is many people’s dream… then “how to live well?” may be the next question. To the couple owners of this 1,792 sq.ft. duplex in Hong Kong, they want to live happily together with their sons and form a big family when their sons get married.

The couple prefers modern contemporary style, however, their sons have their preferences, too, making the task of the designer even more challenging. The designer has fulfilled the individual needs of the family members and linked different styles to form a harmonious atmosphere for the whole family. “Harmonized atmosphere should not only be presented in style and form, but also transformed into daily life. Our design has successfully encouraged interaction between the family members, which the owners have always longed for” said the designer Regina.

SBID Awards Category: Residential Apartment Under £1M

Practice: Artwill Interior Design House

Project: The Bond

Location: Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R.

What was the client’s brief? 

The clients are a family of five, including the owner couple, the elder brother with his girlfriend and his teenage brother. As the owners always wanted to build up a big family with their sons, and enjoy easy retired lives, we transformed the 4 bedrooms into 3 en suites. The master bedroom is set on the lower floor and sons’ rooms are set on the upper floor. Now the sons can share sweet moments with the family members, while at the same time retaining their own space.

What inspired the design of the project?

As always, our inspiration is derived from home owners’ needs – we restructured the house to cater for different requirements of the family members.
In addition, we were inspired by the magnificent view and the exquisiteness of the duplex, therefore we opened up the foyer, and used diverse range of materials like marble, leather, metal, wall paper so as to bring out the extraordinary taste of this mansion.

13a

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

The toughest challenge for us was to revamp the foyer. Before the foyer was dark and cramped, the designer then turned the enclosed kitchen into a semi-open space and extending its functions to the foyer. She also changed the direction of the staircase and used transparent glass stair-rails to broaden the magnificent sea-view and enhance the exquisite taste of the house.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Thanks to designer’s speciality in combining different styles, we are all in love with the harmonized atmosphere that we created. As different family members have different preferences, such as modern contemporary on the lower floor, the luxurious touch for the elder brother and his girlfriend’s room, and the minimalism for the teenage brother’s room. These styles were linked up with neutral palette, black lines, metal finishing and wood flooring.

The harmonized atmosphere is also transferred into the daily life. Whether at the desk, the pantry, living area, or the common area on the upper floor, the goal is to encourage interaction between the family members.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Project The Bond is one of our favourite recent projects, it does not only cater for the needs of the home owner and bring out the extraordinary taste of the mansion, but also has created a harmonised atmosphere for this sweet family. Therefore, we want to share our favourite design with the world.

Questions answered by Regina Kwok, Design Director, Artwill Interior Design House.

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s design!

If you missed the last instalment of Project of the Week, featuring a light and airy spa design by Bishop Design by Paul Bishop, click here to read it.

Join SBID

Join SBID

Find out more about our flexible membership structure.

Apply Online