This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series comprises of a spectacular penthouse set across two buildings and a charming garden apartment. The Eaton Place residence offers an unparalleled level of luxury and sophistication; with a fusion of opulent style and functional design, this period property has been thoughtfully re-designed to epitomise luxurious modern living. An iconic address in the heart of Central London, Belgravia is one of London’s most vibrant and prestigious destinations, with grand Georgian architecture surrounded by the green open spaces of both Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace Gardens. Working in close partnership with developer and interior designer, Fenton Whelan Design, Nulty Bespoke assisted with the completion and installation of several stunningly custom-made lighting pieces throughout this luxury residential apartment. The overall interior design skilfully mixes contemporary finishes with the building’s classical proportions, giving a homely yet truly inspiring sensation to each space. The sympathetic treatment of the listed building’s key rooms ensures that the historic grandeur of the property is not only retained but enhanced. Céline Gehamy, Product Designer at Nulty Bespoke comments,
‘We immensely enjoyed working on this residential project with its high spec and elegant design. From designing a creative, beautiful and practical solution for a chandelier in the tall, thin stairwell, to overseeing the colour combinations of the glass pendants within the dining room, this was just the kind of project that the Nulty Bespoke team thrives upon. Throughout the design, manufacture and installation every detail was diligently considered - from the positioning of each individual element in the design stage to the threading and fastening of every tiny crystal’.
We interviewed Celine Gehamy and Ollie Yates, Product Creation at Nulty Bespoke about their collaboration with Desariot Ademaj, the Creative Director at Fenton Whelan Design to produce bespoke lighting solutions for a project of this luxurious magnitude!
Company: Fenton Whelan Design & Nulty Bespoke
Project: Eaton Place
Project Location: London, UK
What was the client's brief?
The client requested a selection of unique and individual luminaires designed for a luxury residential apartment in London. There were a number of spaces that we had to create bespoke pieces for ranging from the living room, dining room, entertainment space, stairwell and bedroom. The project was very high end and the design of the pendants had to reflect this, whilst supporting the individual style of each room.
What inspired the design of the project?
Each space required its own identity, and this is reflected in the design of the luminaires. Such as the finishes, the shape, light source and colour temperature.
A light sculpture in the main entertaining space of the apartment, incorporates 22 mouth-blown dish-like glass shades made in London. Each shade is a combination of different hues of purple and white. The sculpture consists of two separate polished champagne-gold-coloured metal frames, which seamlessly blend together as one. Each section has two ceiling plates incorporating the same metal. The LED light source is housed in an oval-shaped detail accommodating the natural, variations of glass thickness. The underside of the glass resembles an oyster shell with a pearl nestled within.
Three large tailor-made Art Deco inspired luminaires add a stylish touch to the top floor entertaining space. The refined light fittings, each measuring 1.6m x 0.25m have been handcrafted with sandblasted reeded glass, a material reminiscent of the Art Deco era. Each luminaire exudes a diffused light, and a warm temperature of 2400k providing a soft radiant effect within the ceiling cove. The trio of elegant handmade luminaires brings a sense of perspective to the room and demonstrates that simplicity can most definitely be striking. The quality of the luminaires complements the rich materials used in the interior design, adding a classic touch to the gentleman’s club-feel of the room.
A statement cluster of 19 hand-blown glass shades made in England hang above the dining table, complementing the sense of drama in this opulent space. Dimmable filament bulbs, produce a warm colour and the shades have a variety of finishes (diamonds, ribbed, smooth) and colours (amber, grey, purple and light brown).
A handcrafted seven-metre chandelier is suspended from a precision engineered, polished nickel structure positioned directly below the elliptical skylight within the stairwell. The frame is purposely simple and open in a design to make sure the flow of natural light is not restricted. The impressive lighting installation resembles a waterfall and comprises over 100 handmade Italian glass twists and 1500 faceted crystal spheres. The glass twists have a rippled texture, an opaque centre and a pointed tip for added definition, and they complement the crystal droplets beautifully. Cascading through the centre is a spiral of 22 frosted glass lanterns housing LED lamps, which provide a soft, warm glow of light to the space, while highlighting the sculpture's intricate glass work and sparkling crystals.
A glamorous chandelier hangs from the centre of the bedroom ceiling. Two bronze-plated rings form the base of the chandelier and over 100 triangular Italian glass prisms hang from the rings and refract the LED light within, producing a warm colour temperature. Dark brown fabric envelopes the cables leading to the bronze-plated ceiling plate. The entire piece has a drop of 400mm from the ceiling
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
Adapting to the construction constraints on site proved tricky at times but we managed to work closely with the client to provide quick and efficient solutions to deliver the project on time and to a high standard.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
A highlight of the project for us lies within the attention to detail of each piece. Each luminaire was a labour of love from the initial design sketches to the final installation on site. To see our creations come to life and fit within each room perfectly brings a great sense of satisfaction as designers.
Questions answered by Celine Gehamy and Ollie Yates, Product Creation at Nulty Bespoke
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring an extravagant mansion in the gated 'Karma' compound overlooking the luxurious quarter in Cairo, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Nulty Bespoke | SBID International Design Awards 2018
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features an extravagant mansion situated at the top of a cliff and surrounded by an incredible landscape in the gated upscale 'Karma' compound overlooking the 'Sixth of October' luxurious quarter in Cairo, Egypt. Nihal Zaki had always been acclaimed for her talent in mixing period classic styles and making them blend lavishly, so when commissioned by a mature couple with this mansion to fulfil their retirement dreams, the design unsurprisingly embraced the client's love of travel, antiques and art collecting; merging traditional period style features combined with Chinese and Tibetan influences for an elegant and eclectic interior scheme.
Company: Nihal Zaki Interiors
Project: KARMA Mansion 'Chinese Bathroom'
Project Location: Cairo, Egypt
The ‘Chinese bathroom’ located in the KARMA Mansion comprised of a powder room and guest bathroom in the ground floor. The client didn’t give us a brief design-wise. They only specified that they wanted to achieve a classically inspired design style.
My client travelled a lot and was a big antiques collector! One day they sent to our office an ancient Tibet wooden piece with a magnificent dragon carved into it, and the moment I laid eyes on it I knew that this would be my pièce de résistance for the guest bathroom and hence the ‘Chinese bathroom’ came to life.. We suggested ‘Chinese’ as a concept because we wanted to create a diversity of styles and our client was fond of Chinese art as well as Tibetan heritage.
The concept revolved around warm yet vivid red and earthly colours while introducing indirect LED lights with subtle reflections and shades. Glass orange mosaics were used to enrich the overall experience and black granite sinks were carved and mounted in both the powder area and bathroom. This bathroom is mystical, boasting magnificent Eastern essences.
The walls! The shape of those two joint spaces (powder room and bathroom / toilet area) were diagonal and irregularly shaped! The powder room was more of a triangle whilst the toilet area was a narrow corridor.. We overcame that by panelling and framing coloured rattan inspired wallpaper with wooden Asian-style frames in keeping with the traditional, Chinese inspired design vision.
The clients were a mature couple who chose this heavenly spot as their retirement place and they were passionate about travelling and collecting all sorts of antiques and vintage items from all over the world. It was our job to design and build interiors that would complement their precious acquisitions which was a rewarding challenge! The Tibet prayer chair was another problem piece acquired by my client that was later added to the bathroom space, greeting the guests as they entered!
Why did you enter the SBID International Design Awards?
Because of its incredible reputation and the versatility of entries and designs, submitted from all over the world. The SBID Awards feels like the champions league!
Questions answered by Nihal Zaki, CEO of Nihal Zaki Interiors.
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a country home which married together a traditional façade with a contemporary and sumptuous interior, click here to see more.
Nihal Zaki Interiors | SBID International Design Awards 2018
Property is built to last, but how it is used is constantly evolving. As properties now see many incarnations, adapting their usage from old banks, railway stations and working mills into homes, wedding venues and boutique hotels - the interior design approach we take has had to evolve.
From staying true to a building’s end purpose to embracing and emphasising glorious heritage features to give us interiors inspiration, every detail of the interior design scheme needs to be considered. From the common concept of choosing your colour palette, to the more abstract concept of incorporating balance and harmony into the design mix - gone are the days of basic and simple designs that blend in; we are now embracing a much bolder design era through every room. This is especially true in the bathroom which previously was just a place for functional use but now sees design inspiration from other areas as people look to use it for relaxing, unwinding and getting some elusive ‘me time’.
The idea of changing rooms has never been truer than when we look to the hotel industry. Not only is it the public spaces which get upgraded but the bedrooms and bathrooms are becoming a bigger focus and opportunity for the industry to ban the bland and opt for playful spaces which help them stand out and meet the demands of increasingly trend-aware guests. There’s more to marry up than ever before though.
In the age of the digital detox and the mindfulness movement, Biophilic interior design, connecting with nature, isn’t new but it’s definitely sought after and helps hotels get guests through the door. But it’s no mean feat bringing the outdoors in to calm the mind and cleanse the soul while making sure the minute you get in the room, cutting-edge technology can still keep you connected to the outside world.
Then of course you drill down to the basics, the practical products that make or break a hotel room. Keeping the space clutter free, building clever compositions with furnishings and finessing the focal points, while making sure your guests have a home for everything they may need during a stay. In the bathroom, this can mean a drenching shower, quiet soft close toilet seat and a towel in the perfect place when needed.
To discover how bathroom brands are adapting to the changing demands and priorities of hotel guests, and therefore specifiers in the digital age, we spoke to Sophie Taylor, the National Specification Manager of luxury bathroom brand, Heritage Bathrooms.
“A hotel could easily get caught up in a revolving design overhaul, ushering in new trends as they come and go, and when you work in the hospitality industry the high traffic wear and tear a space will see could probably justify it. But at Heritage, we believe that you could turn our products to any backdrop and their distinctively individual design will continue to shine through year after year.”
“One such way to ensure a bathroom can stand the test of time and be infinitely adaptable is to opt for products which are built with personalisation in mind. Heritage cast iron baths which are primed and ready to paint in any hue or retro fit brassware which can be updated as though it is jewellery on a designer outfit, are products which can evolve in line with changing trends and demands, and therefore a smart and stylish way to future-proof your design.”
“Of course, substance remains equally as important as style especially within the hospitality industry, so striking the perfect balance between fashion and functionality is paramount for specifiers. That’s where multi-purpose products come in.”
“The exposed metallic base of a washstand for example oozes boutique glamour, but options with accessories and amenities to add a little something extra to a hotel guest’s experience are also ideal for ticking the practicality box. Glass shelves to display toiletries and towel rails for convenient hand drying are little touches which go a long way and help to keep a hotel bathroom both clutter free and chic, while ensuring guests leave feeling like they’ve had the luxury treatment.”
“This all ties into the idea of well-being, self-care and ‘me time’ too which is a huge focus within the specification market at the moment - where the role of a bathroom is no longer really just a bathroom at all. Providing a relaxing place to not only bathe but also read a book, pamper or listen to music is key in order to appeal to modern guests who are already increasingly blurring the lines between bathroom spaces and living spaces within their own homes. This expectation means specifiers should take an integrated approach to designing technology, lighting, flooring and décor to ensure the final vision for the interior design is seamless and all elements work together in harmony.”
“Finally, in the age of Instagram where the seeds of interior design inspiration are sewn and shared, bathroom designs which delight and make an impact are providing hoteliers and specifiers with a new and exciting viral marketing opportunity too. Despite this being a relatively new phenomenon, Schofield’s insurance recently found that 40% of 21 – 37 year olds now choose their holiday destinations based on how good they will look on Instagram - so it’s more important than ever that hoteliers and specifiers work together to create unforgettable spaces in order to remain competitive and make the cut in this growing market. At Heritage, we support this by constantly reviewing trends and bringing the latest inspiration to our products. For example we have just launched a daring mock-croc effect bath called Alderley with these Instagram guests in mind, giving hoteliers a playful way to introduce showstopping and tactile textures with ‘feel appeal’ across all elements of a guest bathroom space. It is the ideal way to create a truly unforgettable aesthetic that guests are sure to love to share.”
Creating the new hybrid hotel to make it a timeless destination and an oasis of opulence, calmness and serenity, will take its own design journey, one that is perfect to start at the Independent Hotel Show on 16/17 October at Olympia, London – an event that plays host to a curated collection of innovative products and brands from across the hotel supply chain. Heritage Bathrooms are showcasing some of their stand out designs and sharing inspirational ideas for boutique hotels. Visit them on stand 187.
To find out how the Heritage Bathrooms product portfolio of beautiful brassware, suites, freestanding baths and accessories could help you when changing your rooms, or to find out more about its end to end specification service visit: www.heritagebathrooms.com/specify
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