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This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features stunning residential CGI visualisations from the SBID Award winners for the CGI & Visualisation category with their cool, skyscraping penthouse project in London. Straddling the border between the Square Mile and Old Street, the Atlas Building takes in the best bits of both the City and East London. At 152 metres tall, it is Tech City’s newest and tallest residential addition, towering over all its surrounds. Ken Shuttleworth’s award-winning architecture practice MAKE has designed the building around nine enormous architectural blades, with a staggered design which creates a series of balconies and terraces.
Angel O’Donnell were commissioned by their client to design the incredible penthouse on the 38th floor. The design needed to be art-deco inspired whilst remaining current and cool, fit for the tech-titans that would be living in the building and working nearby. The client requested that Angel O’Donnell create CGIs in order to visualise the design within the space that would then also serve for marketing the apartment for letting purposes. Teaming up with the tech geniuses at Intermarketing, the team created CGIs that were truly astonishing, completely realistic and then topped off with a 360 degree walk through the penthouse.
SBID Awards: CGI & Visualisation Winner sponsored by Vectorworks
Company: Angel O’Donnell
Project: The Atlas Building
Location: London, United Kingdom
What was the client’s brief?
Whilst the client had a very strong idea of their design aspirations, the penthouse was ultimately to be a rental investment, so AOD needed to use as much commercial insight into the designs that they were producing as possible, to ensure it was fitting of the penthouse setting but equally that the fit-out cost was affordable whilst commensurate to a high-value rental property.
Given the long lead time before the building’s construction was due to be finished, the client requested that Angel O’Donnell produce CGIs that would provide complete clarity on the designs AOD had produced, featuring the exact furniture, colour schemes and fabrics as they would need to serve for marketing purposes.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
We started with the idea New York City and the Great Gatsby, inspired by our client’s love of art deco and being a Shoreditch sky scraper, it really was London’s answer to New York! The view is like no other in a tall building in London, you really can see an entire London cityscape, North, South, East and West, completely panoramic! So of course, if one thinks Gatsby design, they think retro Gatsby scales and we wanted to have this as a feature in the master bedroom headboard but how we could incorporate that in a modern sky scraper in East London was a challenge, to go all out art deco wouldn’t be right and it very much had to be a modern interpretation. Then on a trip to South of France, we were inspired by the all-round arches of the Pont Du Gard bridge near Nimes and felt by rounding off the Gatesby scales into arches, it gave the more modern look we were after! From there the design flowed, mixing modern, art-deco inspired loft with edgy Shoreditch penthouse.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
Builders! Once the client had seen the fabulous CGIs and 360 degree walk through we had produced on our virtual reality goggles, he wanted the project complete as soon as possible. The challenge, however, was the main contractor who was struggling to finish the building so they could handover to the client and in turn to ourselves. We ended up having to work around the contractors which had impacts on snagging, the number of people on site and of course damage to our very expensive FF&E. However, at Angel O’Donnell, we take the view that there is no such word as “can’t” and everything is resolvable, so we put in some long shifts finishing at gone 1am to get the project finished and meet the client’s high expectations.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
The comparison between the CGIs and the real thing! The CGIs were so realistic, it was easy to think that they were actual photographs, and when wearing the goggles, to believe you were in the actual apartment! Everyone was thrilled with the result and Intermarketing were able to add finesse to the visualisations that you just wouldn’t achieve from a typical render.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
Between Ed O’Donnell and myself, we’ve got 20 years’ experience within the design and real estate industry but always working for others. Having established Angel O’Donnell only a year ago, we wanted to enter an awards where just being shortlisted would be a huge honour and provide us with industry recognition of our own. We never imagined that in this short space of time we would be recognised for our talent and being shortlisted (let alone actually winning!) is testament to the hard work and long hours we’ve been putting in over the last 12 months!
Questions answered by Richard Angel, Co-Founder of Angel O’Donnell
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring the SBID Awards’ Overall Winner 2019 with the non-invasive and nature-inspired property in Mexico, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s CGI & Visualisation design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | CGI & Visualisation Winner sponsored by Vectorworks
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a clean and minimal kitchen design, evoking the fresh and inspiring environment that is Scandinavia. Taking inspiration from Sweden, Norway and Finland, Mark Taylor Design produced a kitchen design scheme that was both practical and beautiful to complement the client’s taste and lifestyle.
Sector: KBB Design
Company: Mark Taylor Design
Project: Scandinavian Inspired Kitchen
The clients wanted a large kitchen and entertaining space, where the children could have their playroom and sitting area, leading into the dining area, and then onto the kitchen. The kitchen needed to feel large but take up only enough space to allow the rest of the living area to feel spacious and fluid – the garden also needed to be very accessible from the kitchen and dining area, as this would also form an important part of the living space in the summer.
We talked to the wife and husband together. She is Scandinavian and likes simple, clean, light spaces, uncluttered. She and her husband are interested in fresh food and entertaining, so lots of space was required for fresh food storage and preparation, while they didn’t want a long worktop run. We needed to find a space for the walk-in larder and extra large double-width fridge, so we changed the building plans to incorporate them. This allowed us to build the rest of the kitchen around these core features. The space needed to be as free-flowing as possible at worktop level. The clients were very keen to have a large island and we used this as the metamorphosis between the dining area and the kitchen.
The hardest part was positioning the tall units so that they didn’t impinge on the rest of the space.
The horizontal dividing bi-folding doors with hidden magnets that keep them in an open position when required is our highlight of the design features. Also receiving our clients glowing report, “We absolutely love our MTD kitchen, down to the last detail. After working close with the MTD design team, we now have the kitchen that we feel perfectly fits our wishes and the style of our house. Aside from the look, what we enjoy the most is the quality of the workmanship which is outstanding! The MTD team were a pleasure to deal with throughout. They were responsive to what we wanted, creative and gave us some well needed advice on the design and layout. We were grateful that they were flexible to our timelines and coordinated well with our builders. Also, the installation team were great; meticulous, tidy and enjoyable to deal with.”
Questions answered by Mark Taylor, Managing Director of Mark Taylor Design
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a super stylish, yet exquisitely comfortable interior for a residential development in Berkshire, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s KBB design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Photography Credits: Jonathan Bond Photography.
This September, we’re sharing the latest innovations from sustainable bathroom products and modern tap technology, to luxury cellaring options and commercial surface solutions. Polyflor prove that materials matter as their latest vinyl tile collection champions the balance of aesthetics with durability to offer design-led and easy to maintain flooring for commercial environments, while Bette puts sustainability at the forefront as they invest in energy-efficient manufacturing and 100% recyclable materials.
Polyflor relaunch their premium heavy commercial Luxury Vinyl Tile collection, Expona Design
Polyflor, the UK‘s commercial vinyl flooring specialist has announced the relaunch of Expona Design, their premium heavy commercial Luxury Vinyl Tile collection. The new collection now features 30 stand out shades, including 24 brand new designs that incorporate the latest trends in industrial materials, salvaged timbers and rustic metals. Blurring the boundaries between wood and stone with harmonious colour tones across designs, shades can be mixed and matched to zone, transition and make statement in a variety of heavy commercial interiors, across multiple sectors, including retail, leisure and office spaces.
The introduction of four outstanding reclaimed timber designs balance the range by beautifully capturing the natural extremes in colour variation of authentic salvaged wood. It is clear to see this playful, stand out collection delivers individuality alongside practicality and longevity. All Expona products are enhanced with Polyflor PUR, Polyflor’s exclusive and robust polyurethane reinforcement which is cross linked, and UV cured to provide superior cleaning benefits and a cost-effective maintenance regime.
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Housebuilder CALA ensures its latest luxury development has boiling water on-tap with Zip Water UK
Housebuilder CALA Homes turned to Zip Water for a recent development in South Lanarkshire, knowing that having a HydroTap would be a key selling point. Eileen Kesson, interior designer at Envision for CALA Homes comments: “Because of its exclusive nature, it was imperative that all the homes on this development included the most up-to-date product on the market. After Zip was recommended to us by our kitchen supplier Creative Designs, we had no hesitation in including it as standard.”
The product chosen was the Zip HydroTap Celsius Cube in matt black, providing filtered boiling water alongside unfiltered hot and cold. This WRAS-approved 3-in-1 tap ensures the homeowner can not only keep their stunning kitchen worktops free from drink-making clutter, but can enjoy the time-saving benefits of having filtered boiling water in an instant.
Spiral Cellars are passionate about creating elegant, creative and distinctive luxury cellars for wine collections of all sizes
With 35 years of knowledge and expertise under their belts, Spiral Cellars have created more than 4,000 luxury wine cellars in the UK alone and numerous others across the globe. Their portfolio of cellaring options is unrivalled, including bespoke walk-in wine rooms, state of the art wine walls, elegant wine cabinets and of course, their eponymous underground Spiral Cellars. Each and every Spiral Cellar wine room, cabinet or cellar offers the perfect cellaring conditions for both bottle aging and ready-to-drink wines.
Bette’s head of marketing, Sven Rensinghoff (centre) being presented with the EPD by Hans Peters (left) and Dr. Alexander Röder of independent assessors, IBU.
Bette bathroom products’ sustainability standards confirmed
Glazed titanium-steel bath, shower tray and washbasin manufacturer, Bette, has had the sustainability of its products confirmed by a new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The EPD, which is based on the ISO 14025 and EN 15804 standards, covers the entire life-cycle of Bette’s products, and their functional and technical qualities. It provides quantitative information on the environmental performance of Bette products, and independent verification of their sustainability.
Bette ensures that sustainability and product durability are central to its manufacturing. Its baths, shower trays and washbasins are made from glazed titanium-steel, which uses only natural materials in its production, and they are so durable that they come with a 30 year warranty. When Bette products do, eventually, reach the end of their life, they are 100% recyclable. Bette has invested in energy-efficient manufacturing and creates 2/3 of its own energy requirements with electricity that it produces itself from renewable sources.
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a prestigious residential property in the heart of Mayfair with the restoration of a grade II listed townhouse in one of London’s most illustrious addresses for the rental market. Working in close collaboration with Schiller Beynon Interior Design, Shape London, and Cumming Corporation, Portview applied their artisan skills in craftsmanship to uncover a plethora of classical, period features that complement the chic, contemporary interior. Spread over five floors, the spacious property is the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of city living, with large, expansive rooms that boast opulent ceilings and ample natural light. Positioned just 0.1 miles from Hyde Park and 0.6 miles from Bond Street, the property offers the city’s most popular leisure destinations just around the corner.
Sector: Residential Design
Company: Portview Fit Out Specialists
Project: Mayfair Townhouse Restoration
The brief was to inject the house with a new lease of life by restoring the beautiful period features throughout the property and combine them with new, premium quality finishes and a contemporary colour palette. Essentially, our task was to mix the old with the new to create a very understated, yet luxurious interior that is compatible with modern living.
As this was a residential refurbishment for the rental market, we used our experience in restoring listed properties to deliver an interior that retained its historical integrity to uncover and develop period features into a number of unique selling points.
The house comprises of two reception rooms, a large dining room, and a ground floor drawing room that is located just off the main entrance hall where a stunning console table made of marble, metal and painted wood, awaits. The vestibule area on the first floor – dressed minimally with beautiful basket weave oak flooring – is particularly impressive as an ideal space for entertaining guests.
The master bedroom occupies the second floor and benefits from a separate dressing room and marble clad bathroom that has been finished with a bronze trim and matching brassware. An additional three bedrooms are located on the third floor, each tastefully dressed to the same exacting standard.
From top to bottom, elements of surprise await guests at every level. A great example of this is a roof terrace which boasts stunning views of the surrounding area, ideal for relaxing in the sunshine or socialising casually with friends.
For the lower ground floor, a further bedroom (and bathroom) can be found. In addition, the family kitchen offers a more informal dining space and features a rear, private entrance via the patio garden.
Working with a listed building presents a number of unique challenges. In this case our biggest challenge was the grand nineteenth century staircase, which was actually installed in the mid-1800s from another building. To make it structurally sound, we had to work closely with our engineers and the listed building officer to position the staircase in the correct place, level it out and make it fit for purpose.
In addition, the basement comprised of a lot of small, tiny rooms that needed to be opened out to create more classically proportioned spaces that are in keeping with the architectural style of the building.
The transformation has really been quite remarkable and it’s all largely down to the great relationships we have with our project partners. The Portview team work tirelessly to ensure every detail is carefully considered and that every finish is crafted to the highest standard. The biggest highlight by far is the fact that we exceeded the client’s expectations and that they are very happy with the finished look.
Questions answered by Simon Campbell, Managing Director at Portview
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring Discovery’s new, inspiring and 5-star green rated head office which stands as an architectural landmark in South Africa, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Portview Fit Out
This July, our product highlights for the month offer design solutions for a range of spaces; from kitchen to bedroom, bathroom and home office! With sustainable storage and furniture solutions to add practicality to home offices, or functional modular wardrobe systems to create stylish spaces for organising bedrooms, we’ve got the latest recommendations for every room! Scroll to find out more.
Since USM’s very beginning, sustainable development has been a keystone of its business
As a furniture company, that means two things. Firstly, it holds itself to the very highest standards when it comes to the materials and production methods it uses and the energy and emissions it produces. Secondly, USM does everything it can to provide its customers with furnishings that allow them to live in a sustainable manner. USM build and frequently redevelop its factories and workshops to meet a high standard of environmentalism. The steel at the heart of its products is highly recyclable, and its manufacturing processes are carefully built around the goals of energy efficiency and almost total recyclability at every stage.
In 2007, USM became the first European company to be certified by the Greenguard Environmental Institute for the low particle and chemical emissions of its products. Low emissions make home and work environments healthier by reducing indoor air pollution. In 2018 its continued dedication to sustainability awarded USM the Cradle to Cradle® certification for its USM Haller and USM Kitos M ranges.
USM build products that endure: wear-resistant materials, fine craftsmanship, durable designs, and timeless style all ensure that USM furniture lasts a lifetime.
A functional, designer model with a strong contemporary accent: Martini presents the Essenza wardrobe
Choosing the right wardrobe plays a fundamental role in the organisation of the bedroom. Martini offers flexible, modular systems to meet every need, creating the ideal solution for keeping clothes, shoes, accessories and jewellery in order, and the new Essenza wardrobe has been conceived to allow the project designer to create furnishings with no limits, with or without doors. For a functional, designer setting with a strong contemporary accent, the Martini programme of walk-in and closed wardrobes in Titanium Oak and Platinum White is given an extra touch of elegance thanks to the leather coverings and metal details. The light-coloured interiors are completed with an endless variety of accessories and LED lighting.
With shoe and clothes racks, accessory compartments and shelves available, the Martini wardrobe can be customised for both him and her. The composition designed for him is in India Rosewood, with dark leather and metal profiles with a brass finish. Dividers, rasters and shoe holder elements help optimise space and keep clothes and a whole range of different clothing accessories in perfect order. The wardrobe for her is light and sophisticated, with Platinum White lacquering that highlights the brushed steel details. The spaces are equipped with painstaking detail, and the island features an elegant, supremely practical make-up area. The matte, satin-finish steel adds a vintage touch to the whole structure, and the pull-out columns and parts fitted with doors offer a stylish environment for belongings.
Introducing the THG Paris West Coast Collection with Timothy Corrigan
With offices in Paris and Los Angeles, Timothy Corrigan’s timeless design philosophy combines European elegance with California comfort. Timothy comments on his recent collaboration with THG Paris:
“I have always been so impressed by the beautiful design and extraordinary attention to detail that one finds in all of the THG Paris products, that one cannot but compare them to jewellery for the bathroom. The intricate details and pleasure that one feels when touching the handles turns a routine and often mundane experience into one that is special. For me, beauty and detail are a basic part of the THG Paris DNA. With that thought in mind, I looked back at a period when jewellery and decorative objects became a greater part of a everyday life: the 1920’s and 30’s. When some of the most beautiful silver and jewellery pieces were created by such leading French and American jewellery makers as: Cartier, Christofle, and Tiffany’s.”
Cosentino’s Dekton® Stonika blends with nature to create 4 classic colours of a hyper-realistic beauty
Vibrant veined patterns and textures with the highest technological performance of a revolutionary surface. Dekton® Stonika upholds Cosentino’s high quality standards with its thermal and scratch resistance; belonging to the XGloss collection, it retains the same scratch properties as other polished colours. Base and surface react in the same way to temperature changes, avoiding common cracks caused by the difference in expansion between the two elements.
Inspired by the quartzite of the Taj Mahal, the Dekton® Stonika Taga is an interpretation adapted to current trends while maintaining the character of natural stone. The general greyish tones with marble and crystalline veins enhance its natural structure. Its splendid sheen and aesthetic quality contribute to making this a premium model.
Bisque launches competition to find the next generation of stylish radiators
Named one of The Observer’s CoolBrands three years in a row, Bisque paved the way for a radiator revolution. Notable models include the Leaf and Cactus radiators, while partnerships with the likes of Paul Priestman have kept Bisque at the forefront of cutting-edge radiator design ever since.
The pioneering British design brand has announced an exclusive competition to find the ‘next big thing’ in luxury radiators and celebrate its landmark 40th anniversary. Budding designers and Bisque fans alike will be invited to join the movement and make their mark on the design industry by creating the brand’s newest model. Eagle-eyed Bisque fans may recall the last time Bisque invited the public to design a new model to join its repertoire. The prize model, the Archibald – designed by Italian Leo Salzedo – went on to win the 2006 designboom competition and is still one of the brand’s most iconic and instantly recognisable radiators today.
Find out more
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a timeless residential design for a young family of three. Inspired by 1930’s American luxury interiors, the apartment incorporates stylistic Art Deco influences as well as classic New York city design qualities throughout in light of the family’s vision after returning from a recent trip to NYC. Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design worked closely with the client to create a design scheme which complimented their needs, requirements, lifestyle and tastes, whilst also reflecting Alexandr’s signature style as an interior designer.
Company: Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design
Project: Private Apartment
The project was designed for a young family of three. At that time, the owners of the apartment had recently returned from a trip to New York and were still fresh in the memory of the impressions, designs and inspirations found in the local interiors, architecture and atmosphere of this fascinating city so naturally, they wanted us to capture this ‘New York city vibe’ in the design of their new family apartment.
Based on the client’s travels, the inspiration for the project was found in the American luxury interiors of the twentieth century, namely the 1930’s and the rapid flowering period of Art Deco with bright memories of Manhattan and New York.
The client’s fully shared and provided us with their stylistic vision and gave us full freedom to its realisation that in result was embodied in a perfect and verified, modern but classic interior.
I had a goal to create a timeless interior within my signature style as an interior designer. I worked closely with the clients to ensure the process from initial concept to final completion were both easy and to their requirements.
We were given very short time frame to implement the design of the project. We had only one year from project’s inception itself to develop the concept, designs, logistics, implementation and final fit-out.. Just 12 months and a 200 m2 space in which also needed some repairs before proceeding to implement the final interior design scheme.
Our task was to develop a design project and place orders at all factory contractors so that they could produce products and deliver them on time. All departments of our bureau worked cohesively and together, so that we coped and delivered with the task on time!
Luckily, despite the time constraints, our client trusted us completely so our work was easy and successful. To me, it is very important when the customer can fully trust the creative flow of the designer and not make adjustments during the implementation of the project. I think this is the greatest achievement!
Throughout the design process our priority is always to exceed our client’s expectations and to ensure that they enjoy the journey as much as we do. And with this project, we certainly achieved that!
Questions answered by Alexandr Shepel, Chief Designer at Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring stunning CGI visualisations for an apartment building near the sandy coastline of the Baltic Sea, click here to see more.
Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design | SBID International Design Awards
This month we’re all about the kitchens and bathrooms. As essential areas of the home, it’s becoming increasingly important to make sure your kitchen and bathroom interiors make optimal use of space with a balance of modern design features and functional efficiency. Bringing the newest products, technology and finishes into your kitchens and bathrooms can give your designs that innovative, yet practical edge which complement contemporary lifestyles and tastes.
THG Paris partners with Pierre-Yves Rochon for its latest collection, Le 9
THG Paris, the leading French atelier for the bath, partners again with celebrated designer Pierre-Yves Rochon for a sophisticated new collection that represents the same luxury and refinement characteristics of the renowned French atelier. Le 9 will be on display at 2019 Decorex international fair. Following nine other emblematic partnerships between the celebrated designer and THG Paris, Le 9 combines Rochon’s creativity with THG Paris’ know-how. Le 9 is a study of pure form and a contemporary interpretation on the Art Deco style while reflecting an alluring blend of defined contours and refined materials.
THG Paris CEO, Michel Gosse, said “With Le 9, our partnership reaches new heights by showing just how easy it is to bring an evolved and urbane aesthetic to the bath.” The cylindrically-shaped howlite handles of Le 9 feature contrasting quadrants in the same finish as the spout. The juxtaposition of materials further yields a multidimensional feel that showcases the high-quality craftsmanship of all THG Paris products. As with every THG Paris collection, Le 9 is offered in various configurations for basins, matching bath tub and shower systems and a range of matching accessories.
Martini launches new colour combinations and finishes in its popular range of kitchen furnishings
Passionate about kitchen living, Martini’s contemporary approach to high-end kitchen design takes on board a modern style geared towards luxury design, without neglecting the value of fine craftsmanship. After strong demand from some of their best clients, Martini has launched a new alternative finishing for their popular kitchen programme, Project ESSENZA – NUMERO 5. This composition presents ‘Bianco Platino Perlato’ and ‘Canaletto Gray’ with polished stainless steel inserts. The new colour combination is stunning and will soon will be displayed in some of the most luxurious and opinion leading kitchen showrooms around the world.
Introducing Wet Room Materials’ newest addition to the Reframe Collection
The Reframe Collection by Unidrain is an exclusive and unique series of bathroom accessories grounded in Scandinavian design and quality. Each product is designed with innovative, unique and intelligent features to improve functionality. This product range can be adopted into your contemporary bathroom space and invoke a subtle essence of class and elegance.
The latest member of the Reframe Collection is the new Corner Shelf. This item continues the functional, minimalist and simplistic concept behind the collection with its clean lines and innovative design. By using an adjustable mounting set, the shelf offers perfect placement into corners that are equal to, more or less than 90 degrees. The drainage channels and laser-cut ‘anti-slip’ barrier, allow for water to fall from the shelf and prevent bottles from sliding off the surface.
Five different colour options offer the possibility of matching all metal details, conveying a subtle feeling of luxury. The coating of these colours is done by a PVD process that provides a high quality, durable and consistent finish. Reframe the existing with unique and exclusive bathroom accessories.
Bringing Gira’s smart kitchen solutions to Poggenpohl Wigmore
Gira, one of the world’s leading full-range suppliers of intelligent system solutions collaborate with fellow German superbrand, Poggenpohl, to offer ‘partner products’ that introduce Gira smart solutions to Poggenpohl’s market leading kitchen furniture, as a standard. Fulfilling the fastest growing trend for smart home design, Gira is now on display at the newly designed Poggenpohl flagship showroom in London’s upscale Wigmore Street, exhibiting a host of smart lighting systems and solutions that enable connection, communication and power supply – in the kitchen! Whether designed with reactive or sensitive operation, remote access, programming and control or quite simply, offer improved utility and convenience, smart lighting is extremely valuable to both the overall design and function of a kitchen.
Regaining its position as the hub of the home, the kitchen is once again the epicenter of family life. Kitchen designers are therefore required to create modern shapes and design with innovative functionality however, kitchen planners often lack practical experience when it comes to technical innovations, which derive from the field of Intelligent Building Control. Both Gira and Poggenpohl aim to remove this potential hurdle, designing furniture that accommodates these types of solutions at the manufacturing stage. By fabricating the furniture to accommodate Gira smart solutions as standard, they are collectively making it possible for designers and planners to integrate all types of intelligent build applications in one single KNX installation.
Visit the showroom
Bette’s new sculptural washbasin, the BetteCraft, wins Red Dot Award for Product Design
Bette’s new circular, counter-top washbasin, the BetteCraft, has been awarded a Red Dot Award 2019 for product design. This is the second award for the basin, which was launched at ISH in March and won a Design Plus Award powered by ISH 2019. The basin combines the sculptural aesthetics of the finest porcelain with the perfect material for the bathroom: glazed titanium steel. In addition to an elegant white, Bette also offers the basin in a range of colours, including exclusive matt shades and in Bette’s new Effect colours, such as sparkling Midnight, velvety Blue Satin and iridescent Forest.
The basin’s organically-inspired design forms a rounded shape that tapers towards the top and bottom which is very unusual for extremely strong and durable glazed titanium-steel; the design is usually associated with soft clay at the potter’s wheel. Not only aesthetically pleasing, the design is also practical as the elegant taper towards the top acts as a practical splash guard. To achieve the design, every BetteCraft basin is individually made by hand, and then glazed on both the inside and outside.
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a typical Cape Dutch style house with a traditional thatch roof in the village of Franschhoek with a quirky, residential design. The vast white walls in this sunny Cape Town home takes full advantage of the abundance of sunlight to create and accentuate the feeling of space, letting the light flood throughout the property. With the bright, white freshness of this stunning holiday home, ACID+ integrated the client’s love of street art to inject the property with personality. Using authentic South African artworks and hand painted murals by South African artists to punctuate this white-washed home with vibrant splashes of colour.
Company: ACID+
Project: Franschhoek Cape Winelands
Project Location: Cape Town, Africa
To create a comfortable, creative interior and make good use of the fabulous outside space and views. The house was purchased on a whim by the clients when they visited Cape Town and the Western Cape for the first time and saw it advertised on their way to the airport to fly home. They fell in love with the area.
The house is a typical Dutch Cape style house with a thatch roof in the village of Franschhoek – beside the fabulous DeLaire Graff wine estate and extraordinary Babylonstoren wine farm in the Cape Winelands. The house also comprises of a separate guest suite with its own entrance, garden, terrace and even its own kitchen for guests to use, so they are able to enjoy privacy and meet up with other friends for sundowners [South Africans are avid Sundowners. Meeting up to drink the fabulous local wines and craft gins in the evenings while the sun sets]. The house is named ‘Rehoboth’, meaning a place to flourish. It was therefore important to balance social spaces whilst also offering privacy throughout the interior design scheme.
It’s really all about the views and the garden. The garden was designed by the previous owner and the renowned, late landscape architect Anne Sutton when the house was built 12 years ago. Fragrant Lemon blossom, lavender, Iceberg roses, Murraya exotica, rosemary and snowdrift Thyme make for a perfumed Mediterranean garden.
The weather lends itself to almost year-round alfresco living, and that’s exactly what appealed to the clients; a Mediterranean climate in beautiful surroundings with excellent food and wine. The garden wraps around all sides of the house with various sitting, lounging, sunbathing and dining options to be used at different times of the day. The owners inherited the full-time gardener whom has cared for the garden since its creation. The house and gardens get sun all day from early morning to sunset and the separate entrances to the bedrooms means there is no post pool dripping through the house.
The client is a lover of street art, so we wanted to integrate this into the design of the home – bringing this concept throughout the interior, as well as on the exterior. The mural in the front garden was executed by a local street artist Wayne Becks. The mural in a guest bedroom is by Ana Kuni, a Ukranian model and artist living in Cape Town. Both artists works captured the owners eye instantly.
The time of year the interior fit out was being done was over the Christmas holidays which was – unknowing to us – the only time of the year when everything closes down. It’s like Europe in summer when factory orders close. Everything closes down in October to February. It was their summer holiday! The time when everyone goes home to visit their families. This meant we had to ship furniture into Cape Town from Hong Kong which was fraught with difficulties and not something we would wish to repeat. This caused an ongoing saga for about 5 months!
When the furniture finally arrived it was in perfect order. Not a single scratch and everything fitted in perfectly. All the art used to punctuate the property with pops of colour was purchased in South Africa and is by South African artist, filling the home with unique and colourful art which they loved. Again – everything came together in the end and worked together perfectly!
Questions answered by Anji Connell, Design Director at ACID+ Anji Connell Interior Design
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a contemporary and environmentally-friendly design for a sustainable family home in Mexico City, click here to see more.
ACID+
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a contemporary and sustainable design for a family home in Mexico City. The project employed the concept of re-architecture; a concept that defines the re-use of buildings, through a contemporary and often environmentally-friendly design, to rescue architectural objects that otherwise would be obsolete. The ALD2 House project consisted of stripping an existing house, respecting a large part of the exterior due to rules of the complex where it is located, and from that skeleton rethinking the use of the materials and finishes in the design of the new version of this house.
The client, a lover of cars, art and literature, wanted a contemporary style but cosy, that would showcase his taste and those of his three children. A house where he and his children can enjoy themselves and grow. The project was planned with a variety of “monotone” materials and colours with a masculine emphasis in the use of colour and exploiting the use of iconic pieces of furniture like Barcelona chairs or Eames lounge chair.
Company: SpAce Arquitectura
Project: ALD2 House
Project Location: Mexico City, Mexico
It was important to the client that the house would strike a balance between modern architecture and a cosy home. With 3 small children, the owner wanted to achieve ‘transparency’ throughout the design so they would be able to see the kids all the times. The client also wanted a sustainable house, with emphasis on water and energy consumption. The design of the house therefore needed to be carbon neutral, with solar panels and work off the grid. It’s one of the first off the grid houses in the country that follow LEED standards. Part of the brief was also to factor in enough car garage space for the owner to store the classic cars they collect.
The inspiration came from the intersection of two volumes; one made of glass and the other one made of wood. Cuernavaca, the city where the house is located, benefits from amazing weather so we wanted to give the house the ability to be opened up, blending the interior and the exterior. As the owner has a love for cars and art, these two elements needed to be integrated into the interior design scheme. All design aspects, from the main elements to the smallest detail use the golden ratio as a guide, almost like there is an invisible grid connecting everything that is important in the house. In the same lines we decided to incorporate a mixture of finishes and materials. With all of this considered, the overarching concept of the house was to implement self-sufficient and sustainable initiatives. All architectural inspirations therefore had to merge with its concept of sustainability, from figuring out the correct angle to position the solar panels to designing a system to concentrate the rain water to be treated and used within the property.
The toughest hurdles we faced stemmed from the balancing of two differing ideals; designing very modern house without creating an environment which feels too cold as well as achieving transparency, whilst also maintaining a level privacy – all of which needed to be realised with a relatively tight budget. To design and build an off the grid house in a country where sustainability is not integrated as a standard on residential projects was also a real challenge. To combat this, a group of interdisciplinary experts were part of the team, to analyse the land, the sustainable solutions and the design. Fortunately, a positive aspect of this challenge became the client’s understanding in giving us enough time to the design which enabled us to spend time conceptualising and researching to ensure the right design and sustainable solutions could be achieved.
There are a few. One of them has to be achieving the successful integration of sustainable solutions which is a factor that much of the time, people don’t even see or notice. Another highlight to this, is that the house doesn’t necessarily scream that is ‘green’ meaning we were able to incorporate these solutions subtly and seamlessly.
Why did you enter the SBID International Design Awards?
We think that the project has exceed the client’s expectations in creating a cosy environment with a clear contemporary feeling; the house could act as a good example of how design can accomplish aesthetics and sustainable design with a relatively tight budget and in a country with an emerging sustainable design culture. Hopefully this project will be a source of inspiration for other designers wanting to achieve a similar outcome.
Questions answered by Juan Carlos Baumgartner, Founder and CEO at SpAce Arquitectura
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring the BBQ-themed restaurant design for a new dining destination in Dubai, click here to see more.
SpAce Arquitectura | SBID International Design Awards
This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a contemporary London kitchen design in sleek, bold tones to blend into the distinct style of the surrounding architecture within a recently extended building. Halcyon Interiors designed the kitchen with symmetry and clean lines as this was the client’s desire, yet the architecture of the finished building would be asymmetrical and on differing levels. Along with Architect, Jason Coleman at Robert Dye Architects, Halcyon developed a dramatic, monolithic design in a graphite hue, with wood elements to add warmth. Precision planning of the lines of the furniture and appliances create the desired symmetry of this space. A striking effect, fitting with the bold architectural style of this newly extended home.
Company: Halcyon Interiors
Project: Warwick Road
Project Location: Pinner, United Kingdom
Our London-based client briefed us to design a kitchen with symmetry and clean lines to work with the asymmetric architecture of the new building layout, and balance tonally with its surroundings.
The monolithic look of the kitchen was inspired by the striking architecture of the building, which was instrumental in deciding on the layout and design of the overall kitchen. Working closely with the Architect, Jason Coleman at Robert Dye Architects to develop the design, we achieved the dramatic look we were aiming for by choosing a dark graphite for the wall units and continuing the colour and lines of the design up and over the ceiling and into the skylight, which further emphasised the architectural elements. Over hanging the doors to completely hide the plinth and create a small shadow gap between the doors and the poured concrete floor added further to the striking effect.
The main hurdle was getting everything lined up. As any designer will know, working with materials such as plaster and brick means there is no such thing as a dead straight wall or perfect angle. It was key to have everything perfectly in line, without this the monolithic look would have been interrupted. We worked extremely closely with the builders and architects working on this project, and were able to ensure the entire project was supremely exact, maintaining the project’s perfectly aligned look.
Seeing the final result! As wonderful as CAD images are nowadays it never completely captures the end result in all its glory. Especially once the external details had been completed. It’s not just about seeing our work complete, it was seeing the hard work of the whole team bringing together the completed look. This was such a great project to work on.
We truly believed this was a great project to show our skills as a team. It took a lot of organisational skills, design knowledge and a fantastic fitter to take it from an inspirational design on paper to an inspirational kitchen in real life.
Questions answered by Louise Reynolds, Lead Designer at Halcyon Interiors
If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a luxurious residential refurbishment with an elegant design scheme imbued with character, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week’s KBB kitchen design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Halcyon Interiors | SBID International Design Awards
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