Jetsetter Design Creates a Wellbeing Haven Wherever You are in the World

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a modern and relaxing jetsetter design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Greenpoint Technologies.

Greenpoint curated the Retreat interior for a distinguished jetsetter focused on health and self-care priorities. The client requested a modern, serene, and nurturing interior. Greenpoint Design drew inspiration from biophilic design and wellness trends to create the experience of a luxury spa retreat. The Retreat interior seamlessly balances sustainable details, live greenery, and progressive, intuitive technology. The result is a wellbeing haven wherever you are in the world!

Guests enter the aircraft through a rotunda featuring a topographical-inspired accent pendant and an internally lit terrarium housing a tropical environment. Inspired by flowing water, the cabin features a ceiling panel system with a high-gloss metallic finish reminiscent of a river meandering throughout the interior.

Greenpoint’s Retreat interior achieves a modern, relaxing atmosphere ideal for the sophisticated world traveler. Each room offers an opportunity to unwind and relax, with advanced technology discretely concealed within the bespoke cabinetry. Whether traveling for business or leisure, the Retreat interior offers a sophisticated oasis for all owners and guests onboard.

What was the client's brief? 

Greenpoint curated the Retreat BBJ MAX8 aircraft interior for a distinguished jetsetter focused on health and self-care priorities. The client requested a modern, serene, and nurturing interior with live greenery and sustainable details. The process began with an undulating river-like floorplan catering to the client’s nature-inspired vision. Greenpoint Design detailed the interior architecture and furniture standards, then modeled and sketched all interior elements. Lighting and soft materials including fabrics, colors, and textures finish the interior and are presented to the client for final approval.

What inspired the design of the project?

Greenpoint Design drew inspiration from biophilia and wellness trends to create the experience of a luxury spa retreat. Greenpoint Design focused heavily on biophilic design; the creation of living indoor spaces using organic, natural design elements. The team studied the benefits of biophilic design including stress reduction and a positive impact on one’s mood, energy, focus and productivity. The Retreat interior is comprised of organic, sustainable materials throughout.

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

One of the biggest hurdles was working the lighting on this project. This was the first airplane interior that we completely blocked the windows, and all natural light, in order to provide the cabin more adaptability of scenery through OLED screens. In blocking the windows, we lost the sunlight that so often provides shadow and dimension to the cabin. We solved the issue by providing layers of lighting, highly reflective materials, and depth with the use of backlit terrariums.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Seeing all the new ideas that everyone brought to the table. It really showcases our team’s willingness to push the boundaries to create such a unique interior. Greenpoint Design continues to imagine and conceptually design interiors with emerging and advanced technology, pursuing exploration and innovation.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards provide esteemed recognition to interior designers from all industries across the globe. The Awards encourage innovation by offering the opportunity to draw inspiration cross-industry and propel designs into the future.

Questions answered by Annika Svore Wicklund, Design Director, Greenpoint Technologies.

Special Features:

• Customisable behind the mirror accessory system with a full range of configurable accessories available
• Complete with a concealed built in shelf for consumables
• Liquid soap, paper towel dispenser and hand dryer accessories available
• Back lit Cool White LED lighting
• Gas strut hinges enables effortless access
• Freedom to incorporate own accessory icons
• IP67 waterproof electricals

To find out more visit our website or contact our Sylan team on 01763 276200 who will be happy to help.

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Biophilia can be defined as an inherent human desire to connect with the natural world and elements of Arteriors' interior décor encourage this. Biophilic design isn’t just trendy from an aesthetic perspective – surrounding ourselves with nature has additional benefits elevating our mood and creating a holistic environment.

In residential design, a biophilic environment can encourage relaxation and a separation from bustling outside life. In an office space, benefits include increased productivity and creativity. In both instances, including elements of nature into the design of a room boosts overall physical and mental health.

Natural materials are the obvious addition and just one of the ways we can ensure we are benefitting from mother nature’s touch. Materials such as rattan, wicker, and various woods are great additions and can be used in furniture, lighting and accessory design. Season upon season we’ve seen more brands offering designs that integrate natural weaves and raffias, making it easier for designers and their clientele to create a grounded, organic décor scheme.

The positive influence on people is paired with the sustainable credentials of using these materials. Inherently biodegradable and regenerative, the resulting products are crafted with the future in mind.

Striving to further our connection with nature, our design team has endeavoured to include additional materials such as corn husk, coconut shell and abaca fibres that give a varied aesthetic but provide the same benefits. We’ve always wanted to ensure we honour the ingenuity of master artisans, where skills are passed down from generation to generation – particularly in places such as Southeast Asia, where the incredible artistry has inspired our collection of natural materials where we’ve weaved in inventive details (pun intended). Combining contemporary form with rich texture and traditional craftsmanship evokes a warm, welcoming aesthetic.

Another key element to consider is the colours used in a space – neutral tones, and earthy hues are grounding and provide an effective canvas to incorporate additional elements of biophilic design. Pops of green are also proven to reduce heart rate and promote calm whether selected as a key colour in furniture choice or across a statement wall.

Final additions make a world of difference, with planters and hanging baskets, dried flowers and fresh posies quite literally adding an element of the living natural world. More than aesthetic, plants and flowers work like gentle air purifiers moderating temperature, humidity and levels of toxins present to create a more pleasant living environment.

Key to a positive outlook and beneficial to health in all senses of the word, it’s no wonder designers are keeping this as a priority for residential, commercial and hospitality design. Each season, we want to make sure we’re creating products that work with, not against the environment and encourage biophilic living.

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No bathroom is complete without a mirror, and RAK Ceramics ensures that including this essential accessory as part of a purchase is no hard sale, with several new additions to its collection.

Both ranges feature four shapes – Round, Square, Soft and Oval – and have LED lighting, a demister pad and touch sensor activation, bringing the latest bathroom technology into the home in a seamless way.

Also new to the RAK Ceramics mirrors collection is RAK-Ornate, available in the same choice of finishes and with the same technological features. The RAK-Ornate mirror has an integrated shelf for handy storage of bathroom essentials, making it the perfect addition to a master ensuite for a hotel-inspired look.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a kitchen renovation design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Celia Visser Design.

What was the client's brief? 

The expat owners of this 1990s architecturally designed home returned to New Zealand for their retirement and called upon the designer to renovate their kitchen living area. They wanted to ensure it would fit with the home’s existing architecture and, as avid cooks, needed a much larger space to comfortably use. The wanted to enhance the harbour views the room enjoyed which was constrained by walls on entering the space.

What inspired the design of the project?

The Clients brief & the house architecture. The home had quite industrial and native NZ timber features, especially the open stairwell which can be seen from the front and larder.

The clients had lived in a lot of Asian & Arab countries & had brought back a lot of treasures and special objects they had collected on their travels and wanted them to be displayed in the kitchen. The open shelves were designed to match the stairs, like a commercial kitchen having all products on display.

The colour Palette was chosen to blend all these elements together.

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

One of the main challenges for this project was that the kitchen’s size in proportion to the house size and function was very small. There was also an unused room behind the existing kitchen that could be incorporated, but the three dividing wall and posts were a major structural support for the three-storied home.

The removal of the structural and supporting walls was a big undertaking, this meant employing an engineer to redesign the house foundations and constructing new supporting steel beams.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight was viewing the opened kitchen to the adjacent room for the first time. This increased the space to double in size while exposing the beautiful harbour views which had been hidden from many areas of the entrance & living room. It was a very special moment when the client saw what a difference the larger space would have on their lives & especially being able to see the harbour from all angles while she cooked – a moment to remember.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

I entered and won the SBID award KBB category in 2018 & love that these Awards have grown to be such a force globally & I feel they are so prestigious and recognised now. It helps my credibility as a designer both in New Zealand & Internationally. I can market my award as being at the top of my career globally so it’s a very special award for me.

If I have a great project I want to enter for the recognition it gives, even to be a finalist is a great accolade.

Questions answered by Celia Visser, FNKBA, CKD/CBDNZ PDINZ, Celia Visser Design.

Consistently expanding on its contemporary custom designed offering sofa.com is delighted to introduce the launch of the SS23 Collection to a trade audience.

Launched on February 7^th, the new season collection at sofa.com is a celebration of bespoke, high-quality comfort and sleek, shapely style. The collection comprises two hero upholstered seating options, new dining and storage furniture, and expansions of best-selling ranges, with a focus on growing bedroom and dining categories as well as presenting range expansions for the residential areas. Catering for a range of design specifications across commercial and residential projects, the collection introduces two main trends, with elements of coastal charm and modern rustic weaved through new product design.

The overarching palette for Spring is one that calms and comforts. Relaxed shaping and minimalist detailing are present throughout. Thirteen additions to the already vast assortment of fabric options include new varieties of velvet, subtly patterned weaves, and trendy tweeds, with a myriad of seascape blues central to the selection. All pieces of the expansion are also available as COM to create bespoke options to allow designers breadth of choice.

• Carmel joins the upholstered furniture family as the all-encompassing comfy sofa choice, with a relaxed slouch and bulbous features. Extra cushioning creates oomph and a welcoming squish. Available as armchair, sofa, chaise and footstool to create a complete and streamlined aesthetic.
• Memphis plays with negative space with shapely open detailing core to the new dining table design. Available as rounded, square or rectangle, with a wooden top – configure to suit varying dining requirements from intimate meals to family gatherings.
• The perfect occasional chair for modern design lovers, the Seattle armchair, with clean lines and a simple silhouette, is a statement seat that epitomises sofa.com’s new contemporary design handwriting and a desire to cater for countless décor schemes.

Speaking on the collection, trade development manager Laura Tarratt comments:

"We have seen a slight uptick in coastal and rustic styling and predict these themes to be the trends for 2023. Our new SS23 collection perfectly caters for these re-emerging themes with relaxed and minimalist shaping present throughout the collection. This season seating is at the core and we wanted to ensure each sofa, dining seat or armchair would stand alone as a beautiful, functional residential piece but also work to create a statement within restaurants, bars, office meeting room or set the scene in a hotel lobby."

"The overarching palette for spring is one of light tones and natural materials that embody comfort.  Beautifully represented with plush velvets and subtle patterned weaves, we are expecting coastal themes to emerge in hotelier commercial and residential projects. Complementing this neutral colour scheme is the presence of rustic textures and solid fabrics rather than patterns.

Modern rustic radiates a relaxing and comfortable feel, which fits in with people’s desire for cocooning furniture.  Boasting over 75 fabrics and the option to upholster all pieces in COM, our in-house team can fulfil any project brief becoming a one-stop shop for our growing interior designer clientele base."

Cover image: Sofa.com Seattle accent chair in Oyster boucle £940 each and Alexandria side table in black £310

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Multi-disciplinary architectural practice, Studio Power has specified Cosentino’s Silestone® in Arcilla Red from the carbon neutral Sunlit Days collection for a freestanding island and matching flooring at its Salford studio. Dekton® Eter has also been selected for the kitchen area worksurfaces and splashback.

“We explored various materials during the design process and felt that the warmth, earthiness and calmness of the Arcilla Red Silestone® was perfect for the studio island unit. We have always aspired to have a sculptural installation and Arcilla Red Silestone® has done just that! Meanwhile, Dekton® Eter has been perfectly combined with the matt charcoal grey kitchen units to achieve a coherent monochromatic backdrop, which acts as a shadow to showcase the Arcilla Red Silestone® installation to its fullest potential,” says Jyh Lee, Architect at Studio Power.

Studio Power specified Silestone® in Arcilla Red for both the kitchen island and flooring. The island is designed in a 12mm thickness and the flooring, 20mm. This carbon neutral material is made from 20% recycled materials and is a fully sustainable choice. Part of the Sunlit Days collection, it’s a deep and earthy red that adds warmth and a statement look to the open-plan space. A hybrid surface of premium minerals, quartz and recycled materials, Silestone® ’s innovative HybriQ+ technology ensures it is also low maintenance with a high resistance to scratches and stains, making it the perfect choice for this busy working studio.

Dekton® Eter in a 12mm thickness was then selected for the kitchen area worksurfaces with an 8mm thickness for the splashbacks. Fabricated by Bolton-based Signature Splashbacks, this innovative ultracompact surface is made from a mix of porcelain, glass and quartz. It’s extremely scratch resistant, stain resistant, fire and heat resistant with high strength and versatility in its application. Along with residential projects of any size, whether kitchen or bathroom worktops and wall cladding, it can also be used for residential building facades, flooring, furniture and shower trays.

Just like Silestone® ’s Sunlit Days collection, Dekton® is also carbon neutral and combines sustainability with safety and energy efficiency. Dekton® has LEED and BREEAM certifications in environmental and sustainable design along with the highest classification in fire resistance. Part of Dekton®’s Natural collection, Eter is a dramatic black and grey-toned surface material with a contemporary look ideal for Studio Power’s kitchen area.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a modern residential development design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Yuan-Art.

What was the client's brief? 

BBMG Jinchengfu is located in Gaoxin district, the most prosperous zone in Chengdu. It is a high-end residential project in the area. The project occupies the core and surrounding environment of the area, with pleasant ecology and surrounded by parks. The courtyard villas, bungalows and high-rise buildings are planned. The villa adopts the new Chinese style, which perfectly integrates modern elements with traditional architectural styles. The garden is designed and built on the model of the top ten cultural and historical attractions in Chengdu.

What inspired the design of the project?

Due to its unique urban geography, Chengdu has rapidly developed into a bustling Internet celebrity city in China. However, the native people in Chengdu are not happy because of the liveliness. Instead, they hope that life would be more relaxing, that they could experience life more calmly and gently when conditions permit, and build their own homes and lives. They wish to seek a life that truly belongs to them in a more self-directed way in order to fully enjoy and be compatible with the transformation and association between life, work and society, and use another way to coexist harmoniously.

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

The style of wabi-sabi has a dilapidated beauty, which is not completely in line with people’s understanding of quality life today. Therefore, in the design, we need to reflect a certain sense of value as appropriately as possible, such as expressing through material appeals, furniture, etc., utensils, art, and those products that we use regularly. This value is convenient and comfortable, it is the guarantee and embodiment of quality, and it is also a way to improve the texture and modern atmosphere of the space scene. We want to convey that wabi-sabi brings us a gentle and comfortable life attitude, not extreme restraint.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

In this project, the space is constructed with simplicity and tranquility. The wood, stone, rattan, cotton and linen in the indoor space have a natural symbiotic relationship with outdoor green plants, sunlight, wind and rain. They flow and change due to time, season and climate. As a new enlightenment of nature, they accept the existence of time and curve traces of the passage of time. This harmony with nature and symbiosis with the environment is the biggest highlight of this project.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

The SBID International Design Award is the most prestigious award in the interior design industry. The teams that have won this award are outstanding workers and teams who have achieved outstanding results in the field of international interior design. We want to let more people know and recognize us by participating in this SBID competition. At the same time, we can also compete and communicate with outstanding international contestants on the same stage, constantly improve our professional skills and tap into our creative potential.

Questions answered by Zi Peng GUO, Founder and Chief Designer, Yuan-Art.

Discover Tektura's 10 new designs: smooth surfaces and delicate patterns complement raw silks and woven raffia. Inspired by traditional crafts, tie-dye and decoupage sit alongside blockprints and stencil effects. The ever present connection with nature is found with silhouetted leaves and shadow prints.

With 100 colours to select from, you’ll find cool whites, soft greys and pale pastels moving through to warm clay pinks and shades of plum. Deepest charcoal, indigo and dark olive bring depth and drama. Surface textures are embellished with bronze, copper and gold. Delicate metallised threads run through raw silks and woven grass.

Above: Abstract print on smooth ground. Metallic details in selected colours. Co-ordinates with Brushed Smooth.

Above: A contemporary take on a traditional silk damask. Contrasting bands of colour run horizontally. Coordinates with Shadow Silk.

Above: Inspired by ancient weaving with a contemporary twist. Co-ordinates with Enigma.

Above: Glistening interwoven silk strands create a moire effect.

Above: Grainy stone effect featuring glistening fragments in selected colours.

Cover image: Botanical Grassweave

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Homeplay is proud to be one of only a handful of integrators in the UK to have been selected, trained and authorised to install Lutron’s brand-new premium Palladiom Wire-Free Shading System.

Designed with groundbreaking technology and whisper-quiet performance, they are installed without fascia, pocket, recess or wires, making them the perfect choice for a minimalist aesthetic.

Redefine the beauty of daylight control

Available as a wired or wire-free, battery-operated system these shades look beautiful from every angle, Palladiom shades are created for the most sophisticated homes.

The aluminum brackets are meticulously hand-finished and available in a variety of finishes that blend seamlessly into any architectural style.

Shading that elevates the beauty of your home

Enhance your space with a shading solution that showcases what's beyond the window pane. Occupying no more than 3 1/4" of vertical space, a single Palladiom shade can cover a 12 x 12 foot window - highlighting expansive views while delivering daylight control at scale.

Ultra-efficient battery management technology

The Palladiom Wire-Free Shading System runs on Active Energy Optimization, a battery management architecture designed to optimize the efficiency of traditional alkaline batteries to extend battery lifetime to an industry-leading three to five years with fewer batteries.

Palladiom bottom rail

To accentuate the minimalist aesthetic of the Palladiom Shading System, Lutron has created the inventive Palladiom Bottom Rail. The design uses a groundbreaking method of clamping onto the fabric – regardless of the fabric thickness – to ensure that the hembar will always sit perfectly flat and perpendicular to the fabric plane. The subtle curve along the hembar face matches the roll diameter at the top of the shade. When the shade is fully open, the hembar disappears into the negative space behind the shade itself.

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