LED is the future

With the New Year upon us, The Society of British and International Design have given us another exciting and inspiring opportunity to network and learn at 2014’s first Continuing Professional Development networking event. This month’s agenda was lighting design, an evening filled with talks from both commercial and residential industry experts, along with a panel discussion on the increasing use of LED lighting in design.

A handful of SBID members and guests filled the impressive Roca London Gallery, a highly stimulating, curvaceous space designed around the themes of water and fluidity, from the eponymous Zaha Hadid Architects.

First to present was Calvin Caunter of Vision Accendo, commercial LED lighting specialists. Calvin emphasised the numerous benefits of LEDs vs. incandescent lighting, including their energy efficiency, their longer life cycles and low maintenance properties, as well as the long term financial advantages.

Click here to see more photos from the CPD event

Lucy Martin, Design Director at the award-winning John Cullen lighting, delivered an engaging presentation on the fundamental importance of lighting in residential spaces. She touched on the emotive and behavioural impact that lighting has on us, along with the visual control that lighting grants us – enabling us to create focal points around our architectural features, to make smaller spaces appear larger and to make large spaces more manageable. The consideration of surfaces and finishes was also discussed; the way these elements will affect the colour of the lighting and therefore the overall mood of the space. Lucy’s persuasive approach during the talk allowed her genuine passion for lighting to resonate and the overall importance she places on educating people into truly understanding the impact of good lighting design.

The third and final speaker for the evening was Kevin Grant of Buro Happold Lighting. With a portfolio of large-scale commercial lighting projects in London, LA and Saudi Arabia to name a few, Kevin provided us with an interesting and impressive overview of the company and their approach to challenges associated with lighting. With spaces in which natural lighting is required but limited, Kevin discussed their use of sun blocking, a technique to channel natural sunlight into a space through tubes which reflect and refract the light, whilst at the same time blocking out the sun’s negative UV affects.

Click here to see more pics

The inspiring talks were followed by a Q&A session. An opportunity for Vanessa Brady, President of SBID, along with audience members, to pose questions to the speakers and to challenge some of the points raised. Issues such as the quality of LED manufacturing in many parts of Asia vs. Europe were debated; how to compete with a thriving market elsewhere in the world. The consideration of obsolescence in LED lighting products from design to implementation was another point of interest discussed.

With the overall thought for the evening, ‘LED is the future’, I was no doubt more convinced of this conclusion by the end of the event. With the lights dimming, I left the curvaceous tunnels of the gallery inspired by the wealth of knowledge I’d accumulated on the subject and the invaluable conversations I’d had with others in attendance.

The number one issue with aquariums in high risk clinical environments is infection control! An aquarium situated in a healthcare interior like a clinic, surgery or care home not only creates a dynamic and visually appealing feature, but is an effective tool for reducing anxiety, improving recovery and overall wellbeing. These remarkable benefits are often overshadowed by the potential health risk posed by the standard design aquarium system in clinical settings.

Aquariums can quite easily become hubs for communal cross infection as people (children in particular) will have a tendency to touch the display, leaving behind bacteria and viruses on the surface of the glass and surrounding cabinetry.  The other source of potential infection is the water itself, with waterborne bacteria potentially creating further complications with recovering patients.

Managing hygiene and cross contamination between patients, staff and members of the public is a major challenge faced by healthcare facilities. Hygiene is a big topic within this sector and the media, with recent outbreaks of so called super bugs causing epidemics on local and national levels. There are serious financial implications connected to poor hygiene for healthcare organisations. Consequences in the event of an outbreak can vary from more money been spent on resources for cleaning and treatments, to a chronic loss of revenue from closures of departments and buildings. This can be a real issue for private organisations that rely on reputation and trust to ensure future sales and consistent revenue.

The design of healthcare spaces has recently become a very specific niche within architectural and interior design. For a designer, creating beautiful healthcare spaces presents a difficult challenge as the usual materials and surfaces that most designers like to work with (i.e. wood, stone and fabrics) are unsuitable for the healthcare environment.

These materials contain pores that allow pathogens to hide and multiply, making these surfaces difficult to keep hygienically clean.  Non-porous surfaces like plastic, glass, corian and metals are typically used in these environments as they are easy to clean, however if not applied correctly these surfaces can create a very clinical feel to the environment. Recent innovations in this sector have led to the development of antimicrobial surfaces. These surfaces are made up of materials that contain properties which disrupt the molecular structures of bacteria and viruses causing them to die on contact.

By incorporating non-porous materials and antimicrobial technology into the design of an aquarium you can significantly reduce or even eliminate the risks related to poor hygiene and cross infection. The following design features are should be considered when specifying an aquarium into the layout of a healthcare space:

1. Laminate the aquarium outer surface with antimicrobial glass such as the one developed by AGC.
2. The support frame that bears the weight of an aquarium is usually made of wood, powder coated steel, or anodized aluminium. By using a copper plated aluminium frame you can prevent bacteria and fungus growing on those hard to reach surfaces.
3. For cabinetry doors and panelling use corian or acyrllic. They are not anti-microbial but are strong, non-porous materials that are easy to clean and come in a wide range of colours.
4. Alternatively use anti-microbial Copper or copper alloys (some copper alloys look like stainless steel) for doors and panelling.
5. Significantly reduce the threat of waterborne bacteria and viruses by incorporating UV sterilisers into the aquarium circulation system. UV sterilisers continuously kill microorganisms by damaging the DNA.
6. Ventilate the aquarium via extraction and ducting to remove moist air within the cabinetry preventing the proliferation fungus and the spread of spores.

Creating attractive spaces that are safe and suitable for the application intended is the challenge faced by every designer working with healthcare environments. By specifying interesting features that are made out of the right material a designer can transform a dull, emotionless clinical space into a visceral experience that encourages good wellbeing and a positive state of mind. The use of antimicrobial materials will increase the material cost of a project budget. However this initial investment pales in comparison to the costs associated with an outbreak.  Incorporating the right materials into the construction of a healthcare aquarium allows a designer to gain all the visual benefits an aquarium adds to a space whilst minimising the potential risks to patients and the public.

Today’s post is dedicated to the second installment about the recently opened The Wellesley hotel in Mayfair.

A lot has happened since Part 1 when A-Gent of Style reviewed the ground floor public areas of the already prestigious hotel.

But first and foremost, congratulations are in order: The Wellesley and award-winning Interior Design company Fox Linton Associates have been shortlisted for three awards at the 2013 European Hotel Design Awards; The Jazz Lounge and Oval Restaurant, The Crystal Bar and also The Suites are now in competition.

What an impressive achievement. Highly deserved.

A-Gent of Style was granted access to all floors of this 5-star ‘new kid on the block’ (The Wellesley itself confirmed it is not a 6-star hotel despite the media hype before its opening) and is taking you today on a private tour of the guest rooms.

Above the public areas of the ground floor, The Wellesley is graced with 36 guest bedrooms spreading over seven floors, the last two culminating in the signature Wellesley Penthouse offering a private terrace with stunning views of Hyde Park.

Every room offers 24-hour-butler-service and is individually finished with sumptuous décor and amenities, equipped with the latest state-of-the art technology ( electric curtains, 52″ flat screen TVs, in-room laptops, Samsung control tablets and complimentary Wi-Fi), all cleverly integrated in the bespoke elements.

The rooms are sheathed in a palette of cream, ivory and off-white – mostly faux leather panels on the walls, luxurious wall-to-wall carpets and beautifully drapes of pleated fabric on the windows – with different accent colours (gold or burgundy in the Deluxe rooms), and some of the bespoke joinery designed by Fox Linton Associates is made of Art Deco-favoured ebony Macassar in a high gloss, veneer-finish. There are hints of brass and bronze in the custom-made lamps by Dernier & Hamlyn (who also created the chandeliers on the ground floor) and also the ribbed lever handles by Joseph Giles (but polished nickel on the bathroom side). The stepped, coffered ceilings provide soft and flattering glow that complement the colour schemes. Elegant black and white framed photographs from Vogue and Vanity Fair archives, probably shot by Blumenfeld, are scattered around the rooms (and the corridors). The headboards are upholstered in leather and the deluxe king-size beds are enveloped in customised luxurious bedding.
A perfect night, no doubt, to be had in the arms of Morpheus.

The Penthouse floors comprise the Churchill Suite, Wellesley I, Wellesley II and Penthouse Suite which are the jewels in the crown of The Wellesley. The latter is situated over the top two floors which are linked by a private leather-panelled staircase. This suite can boast its own private terrace, boardroom and personal humidor.
All the rooms are interconnected and give a great sense of rhythm, fluidity, privacy and exclusivity.

Here, the rooms are wrapped in a palette of champagne and pearl, the accent colours on the sensuous mohairs and velvets are rich, saturated midnight blues and browns, and there are hints of silver and gold to express the glitzy “Roaring Twenties”/Hollywood feel.

A-Gent of Style found the stepped, travertine Art Deco fireplace simply sublime.

A humidor and a wine cabinet, both in high gloss Macassar, are flanked on both sides of the dining table.

All the bathrooms at The Wellesley are equally stunning: the focal point is unquestionably the beautiful, deeply veined Italian Carrara Arabescato marble on the floor and on the walls which give the rooms great character, substance and grandeur. The shiny mirrored, silver-polished vanity units and shelves add a sense of elegance. Top-end bathroom fixtures and accessories by Dornbracht and Villeroy & Boch finish off the décor superbly well.

So, whatever takes your fancy – a top-notch cigar, Cognac, cocktail, intimate meal, celebratory Afternoon Tea or romantic stay in a suite (A-Gent of Style will happily settle for all of them. At the same time) – The Wellesley is the latest ultimate hideaway in London to ‘Chanel’ your inner Agatha Christie in stylish and tasteful surroundings.

A-Gent wishes Fox Linton Associates and The Wellesley good luck on November, 19 at the EHDA awards ceremony.

Following the success of last year’s Design Your Bin challenge, Brabantia has launched its ‘Pimp Our Print’ competition  which is open to budding designers across the globe regardless of age, experience or location.

Those entering the Pimp Our Print competition can really let their imagination’s run wild. The panel will be giving full consideration to entries of all graphic styles from street and modern art though to photography, illustration, textiles and traditional forms. I anticipate some heated discussions during the judging process!

And there will certainly be plenty to discuss as to date there are already 750 entries with more arriving daily. These are displayed in the Gallery which is updated as the entries come in and members of the public can peruse the designs and also vote for their favourites.
The International Design Panel,  (SBID President Vanessa Braday is one of the 10 international acclaimed judjes) will be creating a shortlist from which the overall winner will be chosen. Their print and name will appear on a range of Brabantia canisters, and potentially a whole product range including Bread Bins, Touch Bins and Pedal Bins.

What a fantastic chance for a designer to launch their ideas to the world. It’s a big responsibility for all of us to shortlist only the best designs. I can’t wait to get started.
The winner will also receive a three day trip for two with tickets to Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2014 in Milan, luxury hotel accommodation, transport and spending money for this trip of a lifetime (11-13 April 2014).
But the public get a chance to have their say too in the “People’s Choice” category which runs separately from the main competition.

Check out the ‘Pimp our Print’ website for details of how to vote.
So it’s going to be an exciting few weeks – last entries need to be in by 22nd October. Keep an eye out for what the SBID decides!
Enter today: www.brabantia.com/design

Can you imagine just five years ago , the human race embracing technology in such a dynamic and dramatic way , Smartphones have become a way of life, young and old now have the world wide web at their fingertips and digital cameras at the ready!

Along with tablets (mobile computers) communication with loved ones and friends is now a breeze with the help of apps such as Face time , Skype , etc.

YouTube for me is for sure the future if you haven’t got a  YouTube TV channel make sure its high on your list of priorities before the year is out , YouTube is the world’s second biggest search engine and the biggest growing video sharing  website in the world at the moment  and since it was purchased by Google, this popularity is showing no signs of stopping. Video is an important feature of maintaining a web presence, and is a highly effective marketing tool.

YouTube receives somewhere in the region of 3 billion searches a month. Some of the people making these searches will be potential clients of yours, and it is important not to miss out on this market. As with any other aspect of SEO, your use of keywords is vital. Make sure your video title features your strongest keyword, and that it is relevant to the content.

I realised the phenomenon of video back in 2011. A couple of years earlier in 2007 I was introduced into the sport of kite surfing after falling in love with the sport on a trip to Rhosneigr in Anglesey Wales, I followed the sport closely through the power of video and soon became familiar with the professional athletes and brands associated with them.

A couple more years passed and I finally found the time to go and learn to kite surf , all my research and brand awareness was found through the internet, It got me thinking the power of video is such an amazing tool I could use this in my own industry and so I did! I  employed a fantastic company Shutterbox Films to come and film and produce a short movie in my showroom owners Lee and Dawn are so cool their portfolio of work is immense , they did a fantastic job for me.

Fast forwarding to 2013 I now employ a small in-house team to look after my websites, blog, social media, publications and now new YouTube TV channel we have now produced our own videos showcasing client case studies, bringing to life photographs potential clients can now actually get a feel of your portfolio along with your beautiful photographs of your work.

We have plenty more case studies lined up for later this year together with a launch of a brand new resource publication dedicated to Architects , Designers and Interior Designers this will include augmented reality driven by Aurasma bringing video to printed media our next edition of Revealed Design Home Interiors is due out too later this year.

Obviously it’s not quite so easy to just make a video and pop it on YouTube or another video sharing site like Vimeo , you have to promote it to get views social media comes in perfectly and with the help of your clients , followers and peers you can soon spread the word.

Written by SBID Member and Interior Designer Lisa Melvin

Check out Lisa Melvin’s YouTube TV channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/LisamelvindesignTV?feature=watch

As an interior designer I am always on the lookout for products designed with environmental consideration in mind.  What better place to find such products than to visit the “ecobuild” exhibition held annually at the Excel, London.

This year again the event was buzzing with manufacturers showcasing their sustainable designs of new and innovative products and technologies, for the construction industry, lighting design, interior design and garden design.

Two products caught my attention this year as I wandered around the exhibition.

Beautiful hand made decorative lighting designed by Sarah Turner.

Sarah hand makes these decorative lights from every day waste plastic drinking bottles collected locally.  You would not be able to tell where they originate from once the lighting had been created.  They looked magnificent.  After cleaning the bottles she sand blasts them to give the opaque look.  They are then hand cut and sculpted in to decorative forms.  Sarah uses her talent to help recycle just a few plastic bottles and thus contribute towards resolving problems of landfill site.

Timco wood is a wood plastic composite product made from 100% recycled wood chip and high-density plastics.  This eco-friendly product is used for decking, cladding, fencing and balustrade system.  It has the warm feel of wood with durability and water resistance of polyethylene plastic.  As such the product is easy to install and it doesn’t splinter, rot or warp.  It is also low maintenance and will look good for years to come.

The availability of the range of colours, materials and textures allows you to create many stunning contemporary as well as conventional looks.

The product is readily used in commercial environment but I would specify this product for busy, budget and time discerning families who prefer to spend their time enjoying the garden and family rather than worry about the maintenance and the condition of the decking, time and cost.

Written by interior designer Sangeeta Goyal

The use of reclaimed and recycled materials is starting to become relatively standard, with many designers embracing the challenges that using a non virgin material brings.

There are myriad advantages to using any type of reclaimed material, but despite ecological and sustainable design becoming part of any discerning design studio’s working practices there can still be the misconception that ‘eco’ design does not necessarily mean ‘refined’ design.

Even though there can be distinct limitations to the reuse of an object or material, these can, and should inform the design process, with the clearest and strongest qualities being developed for the new object.

What is encouraging to see is that there are more and more products being developed along these lines, with a recycled foundation but a refined end result.

An example of this developing strand of design is beautifully illustrated by Canadian designer Tat Chao with the BIPOLAR range of pendant lights.

At first glance, these pendants appear to be lit glass lozenges which have been pinched around the middle with a metal ‘belt’, possibly during the glass blowing process.

But their appearance is rather deceptive. These are not hand blown glass shapes. They are recycled wine glasses.

Forming part of Chao’s IN VITRO range, the BIPOLAR light uses two reclaimed wine glasses to form each of the pendants. Their bases are removed and used in another project and the stems are shaped to a point before they are joined about the rim with a thin anodised aluminium band, housing a strip of LED lights.

The result is a simple, glowing pendant light which ticks not only the sustainability boxes but excels at being a piece of elegant design.

Whilst this is not a ‘bespoke’ piece as such, the fact that reclaimed materials are used in the process of construction ensure that each BIPOLAR is different from the next, with each light varying in glass design, shape and size.

Plus, this is a project where the concept can be carried across a range of found materials with ease, ensuring that the design is adaptable – an essential element of any true ‘sustainable’ product that uses recycled pieces. There is no point designing a product which becomes so popular that virgin materials have to be used. Design a process which can adapt.

The BIPOLAR light succeeds on all of these main points – it is simple yet elegant – in conception, construction and when finally suspended and lit. A great example of a truly beautiful, sustainable lighting design.

Visit www.tatchao.com for further information on the range.

Written by eco interior architect & designer guest blogger Claire Potter

The energy saving bulb has been with us for a number of years, but even though many of us elected to purchase them when our old bulbs blew, the phasing out of the incandescent bulb has meant that it is one of the cheapest and most readily available replacement choices for consumers.

Not that this is at all a bad thing – changing just one fitting to use an energy saving bulb could save around £3 a year in electricity. Multiply this across the fittings throughout the home and the savings soon begin to add up.

New lighting technologies are being developed and released very regularly, with highly efficient LED technology being packaged into a bigger and bigger range of fittings available to the industry and directly to the public. Price does still pay a big factor in the design and bulb chosen, but the increase in purchasing inevitably creates lower prices over time.

But the one bugbear of many a designer and client has been the overall design of the energy saving bulb – namely the ‘standard’ range available at the lowest prices.

The ‘column’ type bulbs can look rather stark and the ‘ice cream’ style bulbs also have a particular look which any not contribute to your scheme. This is, of course, a very personal decision between the designer and the client and we have used both of these low cost fittings to great effect – making no apologies for their shapes.

There is however, another choice for the energy saving bulb which addresses this design issue – the Plumen 001 bulb by Samuel Wilkinson for Hulger.

Working on the logic that the glass tubes that make up all of the standard energy saving bulbs can actually be bent in a whole variety of shapes, the Plumen 001 (and newly launched, smaller sized ‘Baby Plumen’) has rethought what an energy saving bulb can be.

Using ‘plumes’ of feathers as inspiration, the bulbs two twisting tubes create a sculptural form which changes shape as you move around the fitting.

The simplicity of the design actually creates a very complex and aesthetically pleasing form, which has been designed to sit, completely unclothed in a space, making it perfect for a statement ‘bare bulbs’ scheme.

It can however, be used to great effect when paired carefully with pendants – especially simple pieces which really let the bulb’s shapes shine, or enclosed glass fittings which ‘frame’ the bulbs like little pieces of art.

And this is exactly what Plumen’s new shade sets to achieve. The ‘Pharaoh’ shade has been designed for Danish firm Lightyears, specifically for the Plumen 001 and was launched at the recent Stockholm furniture fair. The simply shaped shade is mirror finished and appears a solid piece when the bulb is off, but as soon as the piece is illuminated the shade becomes transparent – enhancing the silhouetted shape of the bulb as the focus of the piece.

Alternatively, if you want to go super simple, the Plumen 001 can be paired with one of their newly developed pendant / drop sets, which are available in a series of colours and have been designed to completely contain the black section of the bulb, meaning that the form of the bulb sits directly beneath the fitting.

The beautiful thing about the Plumen 001 is just that – its beauty of sculptural form which brings energy saving bubs out of the ‘required’ box and into our ‘desired’ box when designing and specifying.

Visit www.plumen.com for details on their bulbs and pendant sets.

Written by eco interior architect & designer guest blogger Claire Potter

ROBIN GIBB CBE

22nd December 1949 – 20th May 2012
SBID AMBASSADOR OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

On Sunday 20th May Robin Gibb passed away peacefully after a long fight against ill health. Leaving behind a mother, wife, children, brother, family, friends and fans I can only say that sometimes someone who is unseeingly very special comes along and changes your life – Robin was one of those special people.

His music is timeless, catchy, haunting and recognised by all age groups anywhere in the world. His true celebrity is simply that, anywhere in the world, at any time of day, you can hear a Bee Gees song being played on the radio.

SBID was not singled out, Robin fought for the rights of many things for the underdog, he campaigned for recognition of the Bomber Command, arguing with planners for several years that the RAF Bombers had not been recognised for their winning efforts and the lives lost during the war. After much hard work, consent was finally provided by Westminster Council, and fundraising began. Without cutting out the hard work that so many have contributed to that campaign to date, it is indeed something that will for me be the legacy of the work Robin described as the work among his achievements, that he was most proud of. I suppose that describes ROBIN GIBB perfectly. Talented, generous, giving, fighting and very funny. Robin was highly intelligent, always interested in what you had to say, he loved politics, people and had a great sense of humour.

Robin Gibb on the scaffold of the Bomber Command Memorial

Throughout his wealth, celebrity and achievement, he didn’t change, he didn’t try to be someone else, he remained a real person. I am grateful for what he, his team, his family and friends have done for the benefit of protecting and promoting British interior design around the world, but specifically in helping me personally take on a hostile business sector.

On 28th June Her Majesty the Queen will open the Bomber Command Memorial at Green Park, facing Hyde Park Corner and the RAF Club on Piccadilly.

To me, it will forever be a memorial shared with Robin.