Achieving Sustainable Development at Home

We are all increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability in every aspect of our lives – and lifestyles. Sustainable development in design is no exception. So, we asked the team at Mark Taylor Design to discuss this further:

The concept can be interpreted in many different ways. But we like the clarity of the Brundtland Report’s definition: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” To achieve this, planning and preparation is key. Accordingly, we are seeing a huge demand for sustainable design services, as more and more clients prioritise sustainable development goals for their homes.

The rise of sustainable design

There are many reasons why sustainable development/design has become so important. First and foremost, it helps to lower negative impacts on the environment, and improves building performance. It minimises waste. It improves the value of your property – and, crucially, creates a healthy and productive environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly shone a spotlight on the importance of being more thoughtful about ourselves and our environment. It has also transformed how we view our homes – and what we want from them. Fortunately, this sea of change has coincided with an increase in the quality and quantity of sustainable designs available, both inside and out.

New expectations

The events of the past 18 months or so have had a profound effect on home design. There's no doubt we have changed the way we live – and the way we want to live. After all, they say that necessity is the mother of invention. “I think that people have learnt to become more self-sufficient, largely because they have had to!”, explains our director Mark Taylor. “People have also reallocated their budgets. Foreign holidays might not have been possible, yet renovations have skyrocketed. Then, of course, there’s the working from home phenomenon. This has prompted people to use their properties very differently; this is not just in terms of adding another room or a home office in the garden.”

Working from home has definitely made us much more aware of the space we have, and how best to use it. It has prompted many people to finally get round to home improvements which have long been languishing on the back-burner. In turn, trades have become so busy it’s now difficult to get renovation projects complete without booking well in advance.

Family and wellbeing

Done properly, sustainable development isn’t just good for the environment, it enhances personal wellbeing too. Spending so much more time at home and with loved ones during the pandemic has led to a marked recalibration of priorities. Many people have reassessed the importance of family life, health and happiness and have made changes to their home accordingly. This might include creating space to decompress, and changing lighting and colours. Another key development is the rise in pet ownership. This had led to the creation of more/different spaces in which to accommodate them, such as boot rooms and utility areas.

Sustainable development is a win for the environment, your personal and professional lifestyle – and your wallet. Updating your interiors, installing a new kitchen or bathroom, or even adding another room such as a properly insulated orangery, can all add significant value to your property. Before you proceed, however, it’s important to identify your key objectives. For some people, a sustainable design project is all about ‘opening up’ existing space. For others, the priority is to create more rooms, to accommodate multi-generational living and working from home. Design professionals can best advise how to do both, for example, by creating hidden break-out spaces, sliding doors, and so on.

Sustainable materials

Many synergistic elements combine when creating and implementing a successful sustainable development interiors project. These include factors such as size, location, layout, insulation, lighting and energy. The use of sustainable materials has also become increasingly popular, as clients become more aware of the environment and climate change – which has been hugely publicised throughout the pandemic. With so many of us working from home over the past 18 months, there was a considerable decrease in global emissions. This in turn has made us all question what else we can do to help. Popular design trends include carpets made from recycled plastics, concrete work surfaces, large sheets of recycled ocean plastics converted into work surfaces and wall coverings, and eco paints.

Graphenstone has a great range of ‘green’ paints and coatings. This eco-friendly range of products includes natural elements that help to purify the air we breathe inside our homes. It’s recommended for indoor enclosures, hospitals, nurseries, retirement homes, hotels, environments and rooms for babies and children. It’s also suitable for people suffering from chemical intolerances. Their paints even help limit pathogens derived from Sick Building Syndrome and prevent the growth of mould, fungi and bacteria.

High quality, recycled and recyclable plastic is another sustainable material we are incorporating into many of our new kitchen designs. The Good Plastic Company aims to transform waste into beauty. In fact, its unique technology re-uses up to 75% of existing types of plastic. It uses post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste to create stylish, modern wall panels, shelving and storage.

Back to the future

Looking ahead, we think sustainability will continue to be a key theme within home décor. Recycling has become far more popular and prominent. Many people are now thinking of clever and unusual ways to upcycle and recycle, in order to minimise waste and be kinder to the environment. We also think smart homes will go much further than simply featuring stand-alone devices. They will provide greater insights into energy use that will allow us to become more energy-efficient and mindful of ecological factors.

All the senses will become increasingly important. Clients are becoming more conscious of how sound, textures and lighting affect mood and productivity. It was interesting to see that designing for wellbeing was a common theme at Decorex. We noticed nature and biophilic design principles have inspired many companies and brands. Wallpapering a whole room – as opposed to a token feature wall – seems to be back on-trend. Also, beautiful texture wallpapers are now featuring eye-catching pops of colour. There is definitely a shift towards warmer and more welcoming textures and patterns. Gone are the days of grey schemes. Colour is definitely back and here to stay.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

Arteriors is delighted to introduce its latest collaboration collection with renowned US interior designer, Celerie Kemble. The collection debuted at London Design Week as part of Arteriors’ Spring Summer 2022 launch. As part of the brand’s successful Guest Designer programme, the collection features a series of furniture, lighting and tabletop accessories, with pops of wonderful, whimsical colour and repeated use of natural materials.

“Great design is at the core of who we are, which is why we've tapped some of the most prolific interior designers with whom to collaborate as part of our guest designer program. Each designer brings a new perspective that marries their unique design philosophy with the Arteriors aesthetic” - Arteriors Design Team.

As Celerie’s second collection for Arteriors, the range is built upon a desire to blend a range of materials, texture, soft colour and different finishes to create a playful collection for spring.

Taking inspiration in both colour and material from nature, and particularly the warmer climates of the tropics, the range is filled with playfully textured ceramic vases and lamps, polished rattan tables, mirrors, trays, and other statement pieces, in natural hues and luxe materials that lend a traditional-meets-tropical allure. The palette incorporates muted hues, pale woods, and shell motifs to mimic sandy beaches, and pastel skylines of a springtime abroad.

Celerie Kemble on the collection:

“In most of my work, I’m trying to find ways to add levity and sweetness, each piece I have designed as part of the collection is very functional, but adds a note of whimsy to your décor. I believe that it is in the quirks that things become distinctive, that interiors become animated by life and nourished by their inhabitants.”

Browse items from the collaboration online at www.arteriorshome.com or visit the London showroom to see the designs first hand.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a residential home design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, The Furniture Union.

What was the client's brief? 

The client approached us with a sentimental and emotive brief, to refurbish and redesign her mother’s house – the home she grew up in. The home is steeped in family history and fond memories.  Situated on a beautiful and rural winding country road in Dorset, ‘Dorset Place’ stands opposite a picturesque village church. What looks from the front of the property to be a detached, red brick two storey home deceives the eye.

The objective was to create a family home, suited to entertaining and building on the family ethos of memories and quality time spent together. It was also a fabulous example of self-expression; the client who themselves was the founder of an interior design practice. Her keen eye for design and naturally explorative nature made this project an exceptional example of design meets functionality. Toying with adventurous and modern finishes, technology and sumptuous furnishings an entire space was formed with a collective concept.

What inspired the design of the project?

What can only be described as a visual “Tardis”, the front door leads to an extended open plan living space; divided from the exquisite garden with sliding, full height glazed doors. The glazed doors to the garden completely slide back onto return flanks, allowing the first floor to hang in space! The first floor is cantilevered over the living space, kitchen and terrace. We took inspiration from Le Corbusier’s open plan approach, bringing the outdoors inside. The poured concrete floor finish runs seamlessly throughout the property and extends into the garden to form the terrace space outdoors.

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

The staircase proved to be the toughest hurdle getting the position right In the centre of the floor plan, we positioned a floating staircase, casting the first few treads in poured concrete, the rest of the staircase transcends into black veneered treads and wall panelling to tie in the black wooden floor that runs fluidly through the first floor. We created a sculptural chandelier arrangement to hand down from a raft ceiling with an ambient glow around the perimeter.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The clients en suite was completely clad in Dekton Laurent, with brushed copper brassware and black glass basins, which float on a black and walnut wall hung unit. With a range of suppliers such as Antonio Lupi, Geberit and Gessi the key design element here ties in the darker aesthetic found on the first floor.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

This exceptional home is contemporary with flare, personality and built on family values. We believe the house expresses our company values and showcases our teams skill in everyway.

Questions answered by Bella Gough, Design Director, The Furniture Union.

Founded in 1987 in the United States by Mark Moussa - now the president at the helm of the brand - Arteriors are celebrating 35 years as leaders and trendsetters in the world of luxury lighting, furniture, and accessories.

Known for delivering impeccable quality pieces and artisanal craftsmanship, Arteriors debuted its new Spring Summer 22 collection at London Design Week in Chelsea Harbour’s Design Centre in March.

Featuring strong links to the natural world, malleable wickers and rattans, grained mango woods, natural abaca, and solid teak feature across the collection highlighting hues of neutral beige, warmer mid-tones and shades of burnt ash.

Taking inspiration from motifs found in nature alongside shapes representative of the animal kingdom – incorporating mushrooms, meandering garden vines, and abstract botanicals into designs across items from furniture to lighting and accessories - this collection is all about grounded interiors in an ode to mother nature.

Expanding seasonally with 500 new products launching per bi-annual collection, Arteriors shows its diversity and creativity by working closely with skilled designers and pulling inspiration from around the world, always balancing nature and design - from the understated to the unexpected, offering an extraordinary assortment with special attention to material, scale and finish.

For this collection in particular, bringing textural variation and material innovation inspired by traditional craftsmen in Southeast Asia allows designs to merge modern creativity with traditional resources and expertise.

“We honour the ingenuity of our master artisans, passing down from generation to generation. Perhaps none more significant than those from Southeast Asia, where intrinsic artistry has inspired our collection of natural materials with inventive detail. Modern forms, rich textures & craftsmanship evoke a contemporary yet warm aesthetic.” - Arteriors Design Team

Browse items from the latest collection online at www.arteriorshome.com or visit the London showroom to see the designs first hand.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

Introducing the Fusion Collection from leading British manufacturer of the finest architectural hardware, Croft. With a history of over 150 years, Croft remain a family-owned company that specialise in crafting unique, hand-finished decorative hardware that displays unparalleled attention to detail.

Incapsulating industrial architecture whilst successfully balancing style, strength and quality, the Fusion Collection comprises of a door handle on a covered rose, T bar mortice knob, bathroom turn, and cabinet fittings in over 25 different finishes and patinas, including Light Antique Brass and Autumn Bronze to add warmth to the home.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a daring yet cosy apartment design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, IDA SRL & RS Interiores.

Take a tour!

What was the client's brief? 

Our client was looking to design their home, an apartment with earthy tones. They had not thought of any style or hadn't stumbled upon ideas that they would have liked in detail.

What inspired the design of the project?

The inspiration for this design came from my clients own personality, once we sat down to talk about them, I had the picture in mind of what their home would look like. A sleek super simple yet edgy design, industrial yet comforting spaces.

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

The hardest hurdle to overcome was choosing the correct colour tones, shades of neutral and nude colours to go along with such a daring yet laid back design concept.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

I just loved the way everything came together, from the textures, colour tones and overall furnishings.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

I have been an SBID Member and former winner for a few years now; I believe in the community, we are a group of professionals in design who support each other and push each other to be better - this is why I enter the SBID awards each year.

Questions answered by Rosadela Serulle, Head Interior & Lighting Designer, IDA SRL & RS Interiores.

A kitchen by ‘Kitchen Retailer of the Year’ 2021 KBB Awards winner The Myers Touch was designed within a period home in Southsea, Hampshire.

The client had previously lived in the US and loved Sub Zero & Wolf Appliances – she wanted to incorporate them into a pure and modern combined look kitchen with American-style bench seating.

Designer Keith Myers worked with the client to create a kitchen that would create the ‘wow factor’, so they could cook and entertain for their large extended family. Danetti bench seating was installed against the island unit.

SieMatic classic SC10 range cabinetry mixed with SieMatic S2 handleless kitchen range were included in the design, as well as Silestone and Dekton worktops and a Kohler Sink & Tap.

Photography credits: Phil Green

If you’d like to feature your project news here, get in touch to find out more. 

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.

SBID member Kay Hare Art creates unique art pieces by mixing different eco-friendly materials and using unusual techniques. Her art brings liveliness and positivity to the overall ambience of interiors, inspiring the clients and shaping their awareness to make more environmentally conscious choices. The oil on linen paintings reflect dream landscapes with natural gemstone diamonds and gold leaf.

What are the origins of your brand?

The paintings are not so much a brand as each one is quite different and as I work to the specification they do change. However, the roots lie in nature. I am inspired by trees and especially enjoy long walks getting lost in the woods. I love all the seasons and find beauty in the cold, wet weather of winter with frosty mornings. All my time spent outdoors is absorbed on a subconscious level and then translated into oil paintings. I work quietly alone in my studio with the paintings almost meditations in themselves often detached from reality.

How do you work with interior designers?

I work on commission and enjoy the challenge of turning abstract ideas into a plan I can discuss clearly with clients. I enjoy offering paintings I already created. If these are not quite to the style ie. the right colours or often the right size, I will go to length to sketch out what I think the client wants, sometimes it being watercolour on paper. Once the client is happy we decide on a deadline and I make sure to stay in touch throughout the working period. Providing weekly and sometimes daily updates.

What value does your sector add to the interior design industry?

I think I bring much more than just the painting. I often suggest ideas that the client has not thought about. I am keen on working with local materials and can often suggest more environmentally conscious ways of doing things. Working with nature and natural colours can really enhance an environment as well as remind people that the natural world is precious and something we have to take care of. I like my paintings to radiate positivity and I like to bring my own enthusiasm to the project, hopefully uplifting others and providing inspiration.

How do your services/offering enhance an interior designer’s projects?  

I am quite direct when I am working with clients as I find this approach saves time and money. I also like to recommend other services or sometimes artists that perhaps may work better or as well as my own work. I am disciplined enough to know right from the start if the project is something realistic or not. I can bring to the table many past projects and the experience of thirty years of working on commission. My outlook generally is a Pollyanna mindset that anything is possible, however, we do have a responsibility to be aware of our carbon footprints and find economical, non-polluting, and eco-friendly ways of working that can still be luxurious and comforting.

What are the latest trends you’ve noticed in your client’s requests?

I think the trend is very much in the natural world and it should be. We all have to monitor our consumption habits, choose biodegradable products, be accountable for our travel habits and conscious of our environments. How can we work harder to sustain an organic world? We can use more organic products and this can be hinted at through fabrics, prints, and décor generally. Encouraging eco-friendly environments through the way buildings are designed and then running this theme through to the interiors can influence and shape an individual's awareness and an entire community. Making natural product-based materials and overall styles that hint at the salvaged, second-hand market is important to influence and support the younger generation who will have to embrace more sustainable ways of living without giving up on beautiful interiors.

If you’d like to feature your product news here, get in touch to find out more.

If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.

In this week's interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners for the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Residential category, ALTER EGO, the designers discuss creating interiors that perfectly align with the clients' desires and blending the architectural style of the residence into its interior design.

How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits?

We are absolutely delighted and honoured to become a winner of the SBID Awards in the Fit Out Contractor of the Year - Residential category. Receiving recognition from one of the most prestigious and renowned awards in the global design industry brings not only status and global promotion but also inspiration for new incredible projects and hopefully the future victories.

What do you think made this particular design an award winner?

This project on the Cote d'Azur is an example of successful synergy when the wishes of the Client and their willingness for innovative ideas coincided with our creativity and experience in the realization of unique and complex turnkey projects.

One of the customer's key desires was a house exposed to nature so in this coastline villa we implemented the concept of a space with blurred boundaries, open to light and air. The seascape of the French Riviera inspired our team and became the main visual component of the interior. From certain angles it seems transparent. Each room faces picturesque views from panoramic windows.

A high point and best illustration of the concept is a sophisticated light composition - a flock of glass birds "hovering" in the central room of the villa. These bespoke pendants of different shapes and sizes were created according to our designer’s sketches by outstanding glass artisans. The functional content of the house and all storage systems are designed to create a feeling of completely unfurnished space, where nothing distracts from the purity of lines and the beauty of proportions.

The exterior of the residence is an architectural statement in itself. How far did this inspire the design of the interior?

A good interior is always a consequence of high-quality architecture. The villa blends perfectly with the surrounding landscape and the design solutions correspond to the context of the place. Bionic forms present in façade design, inside the house turn into large-scale arches, the curved wall panels set up a unique plasticity of the space and create a feeling of perfectly smooth surface. The decorative effect is enhanced by Onyx Rainbow inlay of extraordinary colours and patterns, perceived as stunning pictures created by the nature itself. A mesmerizing Calcite Blue picked up as the main bathroom finishing material captivates the observer with the charm of its sugary tones that, on one hand, suggest the perception of ethereal beauty and, on the other, symbolise freshness and clarity. White colour, prevailing in the interiors, acts as a joint background, emphasizing the continuity of spaces.

When taking on a turnkey project, what is your approach to establishing a successful design scheme that achieves the client's vision/brief?

Our first responsibility and aim are to hear and understand the client properly. We do our best to ensure that our architectural or interior design concepts hit the customer’s wishes on the first try. This is a very ambitious goal, but there is no other way to start working on a complex, unique project.

Accurately hitting the client's wishes on the first try means that an invisible connection has been found, a person has been heard and understood, and understood not only at the conceptual level, but at the level of further interaction - we already know which project timeline to build, which team will be most effective in working on this project, which contractors will be able to meet the client's expectations, and much more.

How to achieve such an understanding from the first minutes? It is probably easier to answer how to be a human…

But there are simple ingredients: experience, good education, wide vision, and most importantly – passion for what you do.

Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?

Among new directions for the company’s development, we could highlight the sphere of hospitality. Our deep knowledge and many years of experience in private premium sector are highly demanded by hotel developers, allowing them to embody the principles of unique comfort and exclusivity in commercial hospitality projects.

Due to the change of travel conditions, that we are witnessing now, people’s requirements for a hotel are also changing, as they often have to spend more time there. So, new boutique hotels more often make use of the experience of bespoke residential construction, creating the most comfortable and thoughtful living conditions for their guests. And we are very pleased and excited to cooperate with developers in this industry.

What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry?

Starting work with a potential Customer it is important to place the person in the centre stage, to hear and understand them. Therefore, in order to more accurately determine their concerns, interests, hobbies, favourite places and preferences, designers should listen to the Client more than talk about themselves.

Do not focus only on your ideas and sources of inspiration, always put the interests and wishes of the client first, and do not forget that the ideal interior is always created exactly for a specific customer and takes into account the smallest details, like a tailored suit, made exactly to measure.

Questions answered by Julia D. Lantieri, Founder and CEO and Vyacheslav Labzin, Architect and Creative Desirctor, ALTER EGO Project Group.

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a light luxurious show home design by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, Elicyon.

Elicyon designed the three-bedroom show apartment situated on the 31^st floor of One Casson Square, one of Southbank Place’s tallest and most striking landmark buildings. The floor to ceiling windows that wrap around the property, led to a brief that focused on enhancing these incredible city views influenced by the location and history of the site. To complement the abundance of natural light, a warm sandy colour scheme was adopted interspersed with darker autumnal accent colours of burnt oranges, mustards and rusts, creates a space that is rich, warm and heartening. The rich, woven, and natural textures of linens, cottons, and boucle wool, add to this overall natural theme, contrasted with details in blackened metal and leather adding an extra dimension of interest and a touch of luxuriousness to the space. The furniture throughout  is  bespoke and highly detailed design making each piece feel timeless, and seamlessly incorporated within the space; a clear but subtle harmony flowing throughout.

What was the client's brief? 

This was a show apartment on the 31st Floor of One Casson Square, the three-bedroom apartment had views of the city skyline via wrap around, floor to ceiling windows. The client wanted us to draw on these views and inject some soul into the apartment by looking at the area’s industrial skyline. Being a show apartment, the brief inevitably was to create a space that would have wild appeal whilst at the same time being visually exciting.

What inspired the design of the project?

The project was inspired by the area’s history as a centre of manufacturing, Art and craft, with the space featuring a range of bespoke furniture and specially commissioned artwork reflecting that heritage. A palette of ivory burnt orange and ochre, gold, teal, and sandy tones was chosen to create a warm ambience. ‘We wanted to subtly reference the vibrancy, eclecticism and culture of the area
and its history as the home of woollen cloth manufacturing, potting, and weaving,’ said Charu Gandhi, Elicyon Founder & Director.

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

If we had to think of one, then the planning and logistics of installing for a project on the 31st floor of a building – in order to ensure the installation would run smoothly large pieces of furniture had to be manufactured in smaller sections to fir the dimensions of the lifts.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

We used some eclectic and contemporary furnishings, as well as designing our own tailor-made pieces. The entrance console table was spotted by the team during their last sourcing trip to Paris and is by Portuguese furniture maker Jose Leite de Castro. A retro modular joinery piece in the study meanwhile spans two walls and was designed in the 60s. It accompanies a freestanding desk and tub chair to provide a beautiful space to work from home.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

SBID is the most well-regarded and prestigious design community within our industry, and so to be recognised and accredited by such an establishment is to achieve support and acknowledgment from a well-respected and reputable platform.

Questions answered by Charu Gandhi, Director, Elicyon.

Photos Credit: Patrick Williamson