SBID Accredited Industry Partner, RAK Ceramics will be exhibiting its exclusive designer collections, RAK-Cloud and RAK-Variant at the upcoming KBB Exhibition in Birmingham from 1 to 4 March. With the prestigious product designers set to attend, we wanted to find out more about the collections and what inspired them. Read our interview with Giuseppe Maurizio Scutellà, Daniel Debiasi and Federico Sandri to discover what makes their designs so unique.
Giuseppe Maurizio Scutellà was born in Alcamo, Sicily. His collaboration with RAK Ceramics begins with RAK-Cloud, a project that continues the creative thinking of the Italian designer and that integrates perfectly with his other projects such as the collection of lamps “Pirce” by Artemide (Good_Design 2008, Red Dot Award 2009, IF Design Award 2010) and the “Metropolis” collection of crystal and ceramic tables by Tonelli Design.
What inspired the collections? RAK-Cloud, born from my love for sculpture, soft and organic and sensual lines, and marries with a speech that I have been carrying on for some time, in fact I designed a tap for Gessi, which is called Equilibrio and is inspired by the stones and nature. Identical process for my perhaps most famous project, in the world of light, with the Pirce suspension lamp, made for Artemide. While RAK-Petit is a specific request addressed to the architectural world, the need to combine washbasins in confined spaces, which do not renounce glamour, and the elegance of solutions that can be developed in larger spaces.
What was the design process? All my projects are born on paper. I like to explore different solutions quickly and instinctively. On paper I already imagine the finished volumes, identify the solutions that convince me most, 3D model the whole collection in order to have a coherent overall picture. I submit it for technical verification, from which I receive the feedback that I transfer to the collection. Then we proceed to 1:1 scale prototypes and if everything works, it goes to final production.
What is unique with these designs? There is a word in English, which does not have an exact equivalent in Italian, and it is understatement, which for me means creating a proposal, made of elegant but not screamed details, to give rise to unobtrusive, timeless proposals. A careful search for volumes and proportions, combined with cuts in the surfaces to create dynamism and at the same time sensuality, in an environment such as the bathroom increasingly inserted in a modern and contemporary living context, completes the number of projects.
Daniel Debiasi and Federico Sandri founded their own design studio in 2010 and work within various fields of design, ranging from objects to spaces. Multiple experiments and the relationship between manufacture and craftsmanship form the basis for a much broader thinking. They have created work for Antoniolupi, Lema, Ligne Roset, Normann Copenha-gen, Offecct, Rosenthal, Stelton, Villeroy & Boch among others. Together with Rak Ceramics, Daniel Debiasi and Federico Sandri present the project RAK-Variant (2019).
What inspired the collections?
RAK-Variant, like many of our projects, was born on the basis of a specific material. In this case, ceramics, a material, whose production must combine two supposedly distant worlds: the serial production, precise and standardized; but also a need for manual sensitivity, which cannot be ignored.
What was the design process?
Designing is never a linear path and very often, in one single project we have to process, bring order and translate all the different thoughts that flow together into actual products. In the specific case of RAK-Variant, we set ourselves the goal of achieving a formal synthesis that would allow the collection’s various elements to be easily integrated into different types of interior. In order to achieve this, we played around with the balance between the expressiveness of a product and its attribute of being consciously silent.
At the same time, we focused on some details that convey the quality while enhancing the intrinsic beauty of the ceramic material itself. The result is a collection of 25 basins in different shapes and dimensional variations that offer multiple installation possibilities.
What’s unique with these designs?
The top views of the washbasins, with a geometric and controlled matrix, interact with the very thin edges evoking, in this way, the delicacy of the material while creating a new timeless three-dimensionality, well suited to any interior context.
If you'd like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a truly magnificent residential design for a home befitting of its prime location in Wentworth; one of the UK’s premier private estates. This 6 bedroom, 7 bathroom detached house offers inspiration and excitement at every turn. Having worked extensively with the client over the last twelve years on multiple overseas properties and a limited edition Oyster yacht, Hill House Interiors were the natural choice to transform the home, using inspiring fabrics, innovative textures and complementary tones to seamlessly integrate the 3,000 sqft extension into the rest of the home.
SBID Awards: Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
Company: Hill House Interiors
Project: Private Estate, Wentworth
Location: Surrey, United Kingdom
What was the client's brief?
Hill House Interiors were commissioned to design the interior scheme for this prestigious property in 2006, since which, they have further worked with the owners on their stunning villa in Zagleta and limited edition Oyster yacht. It was, therefore, sheer delight to be contacted again to revisit the client’s Wentworth home to devise the scheme for a vast refurbishment and 3000 sqft extension of the already sizeable 9000 sqft home.
Initially born from the desire for a much larger, walk in closet and dressing area for the master suite, the clients swiftly realised their dream of considerably larger entertainment spaces to include on the wishlist; a stunning new dual aspect fireplace, feature bar, and sumptuous cinema room.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
Hill House drew inspiration for this remarkable space from the Art Déco era – that fascinating period in history when bold geometry, artistic mirrors and exquisitely rich materials started to be incorporated into private homes.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
The hallway is the first thing guests see when they enter a home, so it is always a key feature and starting point of any scheme. This transitory spot was the perfect place to sweep guests off their feet and was utilised to add elegant décor details that helped to elevate the overall ambience of the home.
Upon entering, guests are met with a stunning Jerusalem crema grey marble staircase with glass balustrade and leather handrail. This installation is a beautiful contrast to the bespoke, hand sculpted artwork – a single bonsai tree – spanning the 20ft wall. Specially finished in a shimmering hand-applied pearlescent coat, subtle, soft recessed lighting enhances the incredibly intricate detail of this favoured far eastern tree. The sublimely elegant hand-blown floating crystal leaf chandelier that presides over the space - apart from making a stunning sculptural visual centrepiece - creates a beautiful light and shadow play across its surrounding surfaces, enhancing the space further.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
The SBID Awards are highly respected within the design industry, and every year it’s incredibly inspiring to see such a wide variety of skills and styles represented across the various categories, showing the amount of diversity within the interior design industry.
The projects that take home an SBID accolade are truly the best in the business, and the awards evening is an event we look forward to every year. We continue to be delighted to take part in the SBID International Design Awards, and are keeping our fingers crossed for 2020!
Questions answered by Jenny Weiss, Co-founder of Hill House Interiors
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring luxurious, golden age glamour for the Hilton Imperial Hotel Dubrovnik, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a sleek, clean-lined kitchen design that is quietly impressive and elegantly understated. Using a Taj Mahal Quartzite clad island, teamed with wall cabinetry in a dark pigmented concrete finish and combined with a hot rolled steel worktop, Eggersmann Design created a beautifully bespoke and contemporary open plan kitchen to provide the food-loving family with style and complete functionality.
SBID Awards: KBB Design finalist sponsored by VitrA UK
Company: Eggersmann Design
Project: Wimbledon
Location: London, United Kingdom
Our brief was to create a sleek and elegant kitchen that didn’t compromise on functionality. As the owners love to cook and entertain, their requirements extended beyond looks so we included easy-clean surfaces, considered storage and hardworking appliances. As the kitchen is situated in a large open-plan dining / living space it was important to consider this brief with a wider, holistic approach. It was essential that we took these surrounding zones into consideration when designing the new kitchen.
The property was only 10 years old when the current owners bought it from a self-builder. They lived with a kitchen they hated for a further decade before the old-fashioned timber cabinetry and awkward layout got the better of them. The space itself was light, airy and generous so there was no need to extend but the kitchen was long overdue an update. Specific bug-bears included a cooker facing the back wall and seriously uncomfortable pew-style seating below the beautiful Crittall-style windows, which were the first step in redecorating the space. We didn’t change the layout hugely, we just made it more intuitive to use. We switched cooking to the island to provide a nicer outlook and designed upholstered seating that’s a pleasure to recline on. The upholstered banquette area brings colour and shape to the kitchen. The sensual shape was inspired by a sofa the client had spotted while travelling, the rest of the house is very colourful, filled with the owners’ quirky accessories and cheerful artwork, so we used these accent materials to connect everything – the kitchen should never have a separate identity within any home.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
A key part of the brief was that they wanted a large stone-clad island with as many clever storage solutions as possible. The client wanted a sleek and elegant kitchen that didn’t compromise on functionality. The island unit, clad entirely in Taj Mahal quartzite, showcases our precise engineering skills – the cabinet fronts are made from solid quartzite cut to slabs just 11mm thick. The same stone is wrapped around a steel sub-structure to create a 4.3m long worktop with intricate details such as 45-degree mitre joints and recessed grip areas to create a monolithic appearance.
The eclectic use of materials: natural stone, resin, concrete, hot rolled steel, brass and American walnut. The cabinetry is made from dark pigmented concrete, which is hand-trowelled and built up in layers like polished plaster. For the sink area worktop and splashback, the owners opted for hot-rolled steel featuring two artfully welded-in sinks and draining board. The finely textured matte steel surface is resistant to fingerprints and scratches making it perfect for this young family.
The SBID International Design Awards are important as a global showcase of creativity. Not only do the awards provide a great platform for us to communicate and illustrate our company’s points of difference but to also hopefully inspire and inform style within the industry and beyond.
Questions answered by Gary Singer, Founder and Creative Director at Eggersmann Design
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring contemporary healthcare and wellness design by the XDH Design Firm for Five Fitsport fitness centre, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's Kitchen design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | KBB Design finalist sponsored by VitrA UK
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the SBID Award winning project for KBB Design. Masterwood Joinery designed this kitchen with a delicate fusion of Oriental and commercial modernity within this magnificent Queenstown home. Clean, straight lines, natural materials and simple monochrome tones set the scene. With traditional Chinese sliding screens separating the kitchen from an informal lounge area, heavy duty steel box section legs support two islands with a commercial stainless steel kitchen extractor suspended above the chef’s island. The chef’s island has a cantilevered teppanyaki grill mounted in Ceasarstone, while the pastry island has an outstanding marble work surface, while the self-contained coffee station affords sweeping views of the range. Storage was also effectively integrated into the design with a glass fronted display cabinet and fully equipped pantry areas. True to the Oriental theme, form and function are in perfect harmony throughout this contemporary kitchen design scheme.
SBID Awards: KBB Design winner sponsored by VitrA UK
Company: Masterwood Joinery
Project: Slopehill Road
Location: Otago, New Zealand
Our Client was specific and very focused during the brief for this project. Being a Hong Kong born, British subject he was wanting a very oriental feel, yet still trying to retain the beauty of the New Zealand landscape within this magnificent home. Both he and his wife are avid cooks so every aspect of culinary creating had to be achieved. Perfection was a prerequisite with no tolerance for anything but.
Basically, the clients love of Hong Kong and the orient, and the challenge of achieving this by using modern techniques to give the oriental elements a contemporary twist.
Definitely the installation. There was a significant use of steel beams and panelling which required precision placement internally without the use of cranes.
The first highlight was standing back at the end and seeing what we had created and looking at the faces of our very happy clients. The second was winning the SBID International Design Awards in London.
We were advised by the judges of the 2019 NKBA awards that our design had won convincingly, so they suggested that we enter the SBID Awards. And now here we are! We couldn't be more proud of what we have achieved with this project.
Questions answered by Jim Cleveland, General Manager of Masterwood Joinery
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring SBID Award winners for Healthcare & Wellness Design with the quirky and artistic aesthetic for a halotherapy Salt Room, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's KBB design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | KBB Design Winner sponsored by VitrA UK
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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
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