SBID Accredited Designer and head of interior design at Knights of Beaconsfield, Gill Surman shares her journey into the interior design profession, and the importance of having a strong understanding of business from the outset.
What is your current job?
I am Head of Interior Design at Knights of Beaconsfield which is one of the largest Interior Design and Retail Showrooms outside of London. I lead an expert team, specialising in luxury residences and developments in the UK and Europe.
What is your background and how did you get into interior design?
I have an entrepreneurial background having had several of my own businesses in the past, but have always had a love and flair for design. My experience in all elements of business has been invaluable. I joined a luxury construction company to focus on their marketing and got side lined to the design of their show houses. I have been fortunate that my experience was very ‘hands on’ at the top end of the design market and have had roles as Senior Designer and now Head of Design over the past 14 years.
Describe an average day in your job role..
I am usually in the office by 7.30am as it provides quiet time for me answer emails, review the projects that we are working on and work on the administrative/financial side of my role. No two days are ever the same. On an average day I will discuss with the team our ongoing or upcoming projects, meet with furnishing or fabric suppliers, source new products for particular projects, meet with clients and try and find time to design! I rarely take a lunch break and usually finish my day by 5.30/6.00pm, although I am always available to my clients in the evenings if necessary.
Which elements of your profession do you enjoy the most and/or find the most rewarding?
For me, I really enjoy taking on an inspiring project that I can visualise immediately, a project that the client and I connect on at every level. Good design is about the relationship with the client and also the property, particularly in Residential design. It is also about the client having realistic expectations, particularly when you are working with fixed elements of an existing building or furnishings that the client wants to keep. The reward is the end result and exceeding the client’s expectations.
Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?
We have taken on a property in St-Legier-La Chiesaz in Switzerland that is set overlooking Lake Geneva. It is a beautiful location!
What do you find the most challenging aspects of your job?
Managing multiple projects can be tricky. Projects often have issues as install dates are constantly moving and people let you down which has a knock on effect on everything else, resulting in pressure from clients. I am tough but fair with my suppliers, always professional and I have earned their respect over the years because of this. The trick is to use tried and tested trades that are used to overcoming issues on site and are familiar with the way our team work. You need to be good at managing stress!
What do you wish you knew before working in the field?
Thankfully I had a good understanding of business before I entered the industry, which you wouldn’t automatically think was necessary. The job is a lot more physical than people perceive and time for design can sometimes be limited!
What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance?
Have confidence in yourself and be prepared to keep learning - you can never know enough. Don’t expect to be good at everything, but excel at the things you are. Set yourself goals and strive to achieve them. Don’t assume that people know more than you do. A design degree is a good starting point but not always necessary. Experience, a good eye for colour and communication is everything.
What has been your favourite project to work on?
A recent whole house residential project in Buckinghamshire - it was a delightful project for a delightful family!
What do you think is the biggest problem the interior design industry faces?
Interior Design is a hugely undervalued profession and the perception is that it’s an easy career. It would help if the public were educated about the knowledge, skill and business acumen needed to design an interior space professionally and cost effectively. It is refreshing to see that Interior Design is becoming more regulated.
Who do you admire the most in the industry and why?
I admire longevity in this industry as it requires commitment, drive, passion and resilience. Anyone that survives the constant change in market trends and economic pressures deserve the success they have.
If you were inspired by Gill's story, click here to learn more about the role of an interior designer.
Want to become SBID Accredited? Click here for more information.
Drinking water no longer has to sacrifice design to fill a purpose. That’s what a variety of top interior designers are discovering after installing the perfect drinking water solutions into their own homes.
The kitchen tap industry has seen a boom in growth over the past five years, fuelling competition between brands as they innovate and redesign their best-selling products. Interior designers can now find taps to match seamlessly with all the latest kitchen trends in a range of styles, finishes and functionalities - including the ultimate all-in-one tap.
A clear favourite for a variety of top interior designers, the Zip HydroTap is capable of delivering up to five water options - filtered boiling, chilled and sparkling plus unfiltered hot and cold water - from a single tap and under-counter command centre. With seven tap designs and seven on-trend finishes to choose from, Zip’s premium drinking water systems lead the way in both style and functionality to offer the perfect solution for all environments.
Known for bringing modern interior creativity to hotels and commercial spaces all over the world, Jason and Jenny Rose MacLean of Studio MacLean were thrilled when they found the Zip HydroTap after struggling to find an all-in-one tap that would be striking enough for their own kitchen refurbishment.
“We’ve come across all-in-one taps through work before, but the design has never really been eye-catching enough,” Jason said. “That’s until we came across Zip’s All-in-One Arc. We couldn’t believe we’d found a tap that could give us filtered boiling, chilled and sparkling water as well as unfiltered hot and cold. It meant we could keep our kitchen uncluttered with no need for a kettle or any bottled water - which we are very keen to avoid anyway from an environmental perspective.”
Owner of interior design company Studio Fortnum, Rebecca Wakefield has been gradually renovating her own home to create a light, airy and calming living space after purchasing it in a dilapidated state in 2016. After spotting that the number one luxury, top of the wish list item in her clients homes is a boiling water tap, Rebecca started to consider how much she’d benefit from one, as long as it could fit in well with her green and brass colour scheme.
“Zip had been on my radar for a while, so I was thrilled to discover they offer taps in brushed gold,” Rebecca said. “But I know from experience that style can often outweigh performance and there’s nothing worse than something that looks great but just doesn’t work. Luckily Zip is a trusted brand so we chose the Zip HydroTap Celsius Arc in brushed gold.”
Much more than just a boiling water tap, Rebecca loves the additional benefit of having unfiltered hot and cold water alongside filtered boiling: “Because it is my regular kitchen tap as well as my boiling water tap, the kitchen has retained a clean, minimal feel. My counter tops aren’t cluttered and we have no use for a slow-to-boil kettle. It really has transformed daily life for us.”
Discover more about how a Zip HydroTap could change the way you design on their website: specify.zipwater.co.uk
About the Author
SBID Accredited Industry Partner, Zip Water is a provider of award-winning technology that transforms water instantly with filtered, chilled, boiling and sparkling drinking water solutions for home and business.
If you'd like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.
SBID delved behind the scenes with SBID Accredited Designer, Katie Malik, founder and creative director of Katie Malik Interiors to find out about her journey in the interior design industry, and how proper training and experience helped her get there.
I’m a creative director at Katie Malik Interiors. I manage a small team of passionate, dedicated design experts, who help me bring our clients dreams to the reality.
My background is in linguistics, but as a daughter of a very talented furniture designer and maker, design has always been a big part of my life, My career in interior design started in 2011 when I decided to retrain. I have always wanted to run my own business, but I knew I needed to train first and gain hands-on knowledge and experience, so important in the design industry. After I gained my qualifications at Chelsea College of Art, I was lucky to have my first internship in a high-end interior design studio based in Mayfair. After that, the door to other interior design studios opened to me, and I was offered the second internship and then a position at 1508London, which specialises in high end residential and hospitality interiors. Then, I was ready to move on to work on residential projects under my own brand: Katie Malik Interiors.
I typically start my day with a good breakfast at home, and of course with an Instagram flick through and Inbox check for anything requiring urgency or priority. I typically arrive in the studio quite early, as I like to make a head start. Then it’s the order of the day, setting tasks, checking the order of priorities, communicating with my team, and depending on the day, it could be a lot of very focused designing, building schemes, client meetings, site meetings, procurement etc.
I love everything that being an interior designer encompasses, but there are two parts I enjoy the most, one of them being designing, coming up with design solutions to meet and exceed clients’ expectations, and the second one being the final project installation, when the designs become the reality and our clients’ dreams come true.
We are working on a number of exciting projects at the moment, and each of them being very different, provides a lot of creative stimulation, but I am also very excited about finalising my first book ‘Love your space’ which I have been collecting the material for for the last 4 years.
I would say the job itself is quite challenging, which I enjoy, but one of the most challenging aspects is managing procurement aspect of the job, ensuing everything arrives on time, in the right condition, and is installed correctly; there’s a lot of time involved in this part of the process, and however wonderfully rewarding, it’s also one of the most challenging aspects for someone who is a perfectionist.
That being an interior designer is so much more than the design, and that in order to run a business, one must also learn about how to become a businessman/businesswoman.
Follow your path and what you love doing for hours without looking at the clock- that is your true calling.
I really don’t have a favourite one because all my projects make me genuinely proud and I enjoy working on all of them. However, if I had to chose one, I would say a redesign of a kitchen with dining and a conservatory which gained quite a lot of attention and landed its own editorial in the Ideal Home magazine in February 2016 and on Houzz in April 2017.
I also loved working on a costal redesign project, which was a refurbishment of the whole property located in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. The project received a UK Property Award 2019 for the Best Interior Design Residence in the South East.
I think there’s a lot of misconception about the profession and what interior design experts can do for homeowners and business owners. Also, I believe there’s a lot of potential issues that can arise in connection with products that interior designers specify from trusted trade sources and which homeowners can find online for less.
If you were inspired by Katie's story, click here to learn more about the role of an interior designer.
When designing a room, the details can make all the difference, from the perfect paint colour to that dreamy flooring. It can be frustrating when essential fixtures and fittings, such as plastic light switches, affect the end result. Well, wouldn’t it be great if these electrical fittings were part of a solution and not the problem? Step forward innovative stylish switches that stand out for all the right reasons.
Check out four key styles for switches that are breaking all the rules and turning electrical accessories into cool interior must-haves.
Busy family homes are often packed full of colour, which changes on a daily basis depending on what toys are being played with or the latest craft project on display. So, wouldn’t it be great if you had versatile electrical switches that could mirror this playful vibe?
Opt for a light switch that has interchangeable cover plates and you’ll be able to change up the look every time the surroundings evolve.
Make it a feature. Turn a colourful switch into part of the backdrop by giving it a role in an exciting gallery wall display of prints and photographs. You could even include childrens’ artwork in clear frames for a humorous touch.
Often overlooked as a significant part of a room scheme, designers are now rethinking the role of the light switch as a stand-alone interior feature thanks to the many new styles and finishes available.
For example, if you’re looking to complement a classic, high-end interior, then an elegantly designed switch is a sleek and sophisticated solution. Featuring a chic metallic finish, a charcoal steel frame will team perfectly with dark tones and raw textures, while its sublime simplicity will ensure it melts away into the backdrop.
Encourage the simplicity. For added efficiency, this switch features a simple push-button operation for an extra streamlined finish.
Whether you choose to make a feature of an elegant switch, or give it a quieter role in your scheme, we guarantee it will still make a design statement in any space.
Take a super-sleek and simplistic design, for example. With clean lines, matt finish and LED-lit push buttons, it will fade into the backdrop of a soothing living space, yet will bring a designer elegance that a basic plastic switch just couldn’t match.
Show it off in a prominent position. Forget having to hide switches behind doors or curtains where they won’t be seen. With a sophisticated collection, you’ll be encouraged to fit them in eye-catching spots that not only pull focus but are also convenient to use.
The laidback look of a simple switch fits right in with a neutral palette of weathered timbers, natural linens and calming greys – perfect for a creative coastal interior.
And to encourage that easy-living vibe even more, the switch could feature pictograms that clearly indicate each operation, so you can go straight to the downlights, ceiling fan or room you want.
Design a bespoke switch layout. Before choosing any electrical accessories, consider how you use each room so you can pick the right combination of switches to suit the function of the space. For example, dimmer switches are great for living spaces where you may want mood lighting, while USB chargers are going to be essential in study spaces, bedrooms and above kitchen benches.
Create a coordinated look in every room. With a complete range of switches, outlets and electrical accessories, including fan controls and cooker switches, you can ensure your home is style-ready as well as future-ready.
SBID Accredited Industry Partner, Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management and automation providing energy technologies, software and digital automation solutions for efficiency and sustainability in the home, buildings, data centres and more.
This article was written by Louisa Buckley, Residential Segment Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric.
Interior design studio manager of SBID Accredited Design Practice, Rigby & Rigby, James Ashfield highlights what he believes to be the two biggest challenges the interior industry faces today, and tells us how he forged his successful career in interior design.
I manage the interior design studio at Rigby & Rigby, overseeing all interior design projects and the creative vision for the studio.
I always had a passion for art and technology, so architecture and interior design was a great fit for my creative and practical interests, which led me to study Interior Architecture.
I now have 15 years industry experience. My first role was for a small architecture, interior and development practice and I’ve since held positions at leading London architecture and interior design practices including the Harrods Interior Design Studio.
A typical day consists of multiple client meetings and presentations with our team across many disciplines. There might be a site visit to a Prime Central London site to inspect progress or a coordination meeting for a landmark residence Rigby & Rigby are developing in Knightsbridge.
Sometimes my job takes me overseas if clients are based outside of the UK. For example, I worked in the Middle East for two and a half years where I acted as a client advisor on all architecture, interior and development projects for an UHNWI who was based there.
The most rewarding element is the design journey with the client, whose lifestyle we try to facilitate through the delivery of creative solutions and beautiful interiors.
I also have the pleasure to work on some of the finest and most incredible homes, with the multi-disciplinary support from our architectural, construction and marketing teams and a young and energetic interior design team. It’s always exciting to see a project come to life.
I love the scope of what I do and where it can take me. Currently I am working on a 17,000 sq ft landmark private residence in Knightsbridge, a 50,000 sq ft private development in Asia, and a 300sq ft Chairman’s office in Central London.
The most challenging aspects of my job are the logistics. Our suppliers come from all over the world, and sometimes there are unavoidable delays which can create challenges caused by anything from the weather to an international event. To combat this, we have to create contingency plans.
I think it’s useful to know that success can be found in all ways, not necessarily the obvious routes. I think it’s important to also have an understanding of growth opportunities in your chosen career, and evaluate these against your skills and values.
That working hard and putting in the hours does pay off.
The landmark residence in Knightsbridge and a modern ski chalet on a remote island in Japan.
I think the two biggest issues are sustainability and quality. We are very conscious of our impact to the environment and should make sure our materials are sustainably-sourced as much as possible.
There are many re-purposed materials that can be used in interior design. I think designers need to look at alternatives very carefully while ensuring they are giving the best to their clients, particularly when there are trade-offs to consider.
As for quality, our construction team are often asked to turnaround another contractor or designer’s project that has not been satisfactorily completed. I find it very reassuring to be part of a design and construction business where you can fully rely on the project team.
Which people do you admire the most in the industry and why?
As a practice we admire the French interior designer Jean Louis Deniot who delivers elegant, minimal and sophisticated interiors. We are also fans of the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma with whom we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating together on two overseas projects.
If you were inspired by James' story, click here to learn more about the role of an interior designer.
Want to become SBID Accredited? Click here to find out more.
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features Interior design that synthesises Eastern and Western styles. The interior design plan of this luxury property unites the Eastern and Western classical elements, giving it a bold and alluring character. The captivating Roman vault structure built at the entrance creates impact thanks to its remarkable detail and decor. The achromatic colours soften the visual impact, the soft whites, which serves the main colours, blend with oriental natural landscape scenes. YZ Environment Design used decorative details diversely to incorporate elements from the oriental architectural while infusing the Western design style with ink-based art, creating a blended and innovative Chinese classical style.
SBID Awards: Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
Practice: YZ Environment Design
Project: Synthesis of Eastern-and-Western Classical Styles
Location: Beijing, China
What was the client's brief?
The proprietor is China Resources Group, a respected developer in China. This case is a model room of high-end luxury apartments, located near Beijing Medical University - which is an excellent location. The main customers have rich wealth and knowledge. The proprietor’s request is to make the clients feel elegant and to provide a unique experience.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
Chinoiserie is a decorative style in Western art, furniture, and architecture, especially in the 18th century, characterised by the use of Chinese motifs and techniques. European countries absorbed the Chinese culture; particularly the symbols and cultural elements, however, the meaning and value of the elements are often ignored. Such surface-level cultural input made “Chinoiserie” not able to be widely applied and it eventually disappeared into the history of design. Although the Chinoiserie style represents the Europeans’ yearning for China, the imitation of Chinese art crafts and the shallow understanding of the culture make it hard to get deep into and extend the Chinese culture. People just see what they want to see about Chinese culture instead of the whole picture of it. Capturing the essence of Chinoiserie therefore was a key inspiration for this project's design scheme.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
The toughest challenging was how to let the engineers and product processing staff understand the concept of the theme and intrinsic classic detail to create a transformation which is great enough to compete with the classics. The design involved many important craft processes such as hand-printed wallpaper, stairs, and mosaic with a large number of sketches and 3D drawings to develop.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
Visitors are introduced to classics from different periods and different regions when they enter the property. There are design distinctions and differences among the classic features, but they have been curated to blend so naturally and elegantly they are not noticeable. It gives people a whole new feeling. At the same time, exquisite and rigorous technologies have helped provide technical support to creating these new classics.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
We found SBID Award is a high-quality competition when we entered the award in 2015 for the first time. The judges are concerned not only about technology, materials and the undergoing changes in them, but also value highly culture and art and human spirit.
Questions answered by YZ Environment Design
We hope you feel inspired by this week's Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a Victorian family home with modern, industrial aesthetic & open plan living, click here to see more.
SBID Awards 2019 | Residential Design Over £1M finalist sponsored by THG Paris
SBID Accredited Industry Partner, Schneider Electric provide energy and digital automation solutions to residential and commercial markets with an emphasis on efficiency, reliability, safety and sustainability. Committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, Louisa Buckley, Residential Segment Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric tells us about the brand's 180 year history, and how they are moving even more towards a sustainable future.
What are the origins of your brand?
Schneider Electric is originally from France and was established over 180 years ago by the Schneider brothers. It is a global organisation specialising in Energy and Digital Automation solutions. Our technologies ensure that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone at every moment. Schneider Electric has gone a long way since it first started in the steel and machinery industry in 1836. A few years later it then entered the emerging electricity market. After experiencing two world wars, Charles Schneider restructured the company in 1949. Throughout the 20th century, different companies were acquired and the focus was more on electricity. Then, during the beginning of the 21st century more on products and solutions. Schneider Electric has always kept efficiency, reliability, safety and sustainability at the heart to all of products and solutions for their customers.
As a global company, we committed to the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ to help end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. As part of these goals, we have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030. We are committed to help our customers on this journey to help the planet with our products and solutions.
How do you work with interior designers?
Our electrical accessories are built to complement inspired interiors. Designed by award-winning craftsmen in the Schneider Electric Design Labs, our range of light switches bridge the gap between form and functionality to perfectly fit in any interior. We have a wide range of beautifully crafted, high-quality devices to suit every taste and budget.
What value does your sector add to the interior design industry?
Introducing Electrical Safety, Smart homes, Style and Net Zero products and solutions. This is important for customers who want to be stylish but still be sustainable. Wiser, KNX and C-Bus are smart home solutions that can be implemented in the home to help contribute towards net zero.
How do your services/offering enhance an interior designer’s projects?
We have an inspirational and visualisation tool called ‘Find your Style’. Our smart home offerings will help futureproof interior designer’s projects e.g. C-Bus/KNX/Wiser. We also have a tool on our website to find an Electrician/Installer to come and install our products for peace of mind. They are approved partners who have had all the relevant trainings to safely install Schneider Electric products and solutions.
What are the latest trends you’ve noticed in your client’s requests?
Sustainability. This is a ‘hot’ topic at the moment from the government and press. Our customers want high quality products that meet their styles whilst improving the energy efficiency and comfort of homes.
Why did you want to become a sponsor of the SBID Awards?
We are proud to sponsor the SBID International Design Awards. This is a great opportunity to connect with Interior Designers and other professionals from the interior and décor industries. It is a brilliant place to also view some of the best interior design projects, which will support us in inspiring our customers.
Residential Apartment Under £1M Category Sponsor | SBID International Design Awards 2020
To find out more about becoming an SBID Awards sponsor, click here or email [email protected]
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a cool, clean and industrial-inspired residential design located in a conservation area in leafy Balham, South West London. SBID Accredited Designer, Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture was tasked with fully refurbishing, re-configuring and extending the five-bedroom Victorian family house. The project involved adding a large open plan ground floor extension to the rear of the property, whilst configuring the rest of the ground floor to include a formal sitting room, utility room, ground floor guest toilet and extra storage. The rest of the house was sensitively restored and redecorated with one bedroom being converted to a study and both bathrooms redesigned.
Practice: Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture
Project: Balham House
Location: London, United Kingdom
The brief was to completely transform a much loved (but very tired) family home into a place suited to modern living, without losing that feeling of belonging. Being very keen gardeners, I was also asked to make the garden more of a feature from within the house.
My clients love for their house was clearly a driving factor in my approach and their new found enthusiasm for the industrial aesthetic allowed me to explore the use of exciting elements and materials such as the metal framed windows, glazed brick slips, polished concrete flooring and engineered brickwork.
Wrap around windows were used to form the connection to the garden and a living sedum roof was installed to give a verdant view from the bedroom windows. I also used crazy paving for the patio, substituting the mortar with moss to soften the transition.
Other interesting touches were to re-use salvaged Victorian tiles from the original demolished conservatory floor and installing a custom made mural of a vintage map showing the local area when the house was first built.
Due to initial delays caused by bad weather and because of a very long supply lead time, the windows had to be ordered before the openings were formed meaning that all of the responsibility was on my shoulders if they didn't fit, but thankfully they did!
The decision to re-use hundreds of the original Victorian floor tiles salvaged from the old conservatory seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turned out to be a complex, challenging and time consuming process as there were so many different shapes, sizes and colours to contend with. They all had to be labelled and sorted before the jigsaw puzzle could begin.
Seeing my clients move back in and immediately feel settled and at home, even though everything had changed!
Questions answered by Richard Dewhurst, Founder of Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a comforting, patient-focused healthcare design, click here to see more.
We delved behind the scenes with SBID Accredited Interior Designer, Annette Frommer, Founder of Israeli-based design studio, Annette Frommer Interior Design. Serving an international client base and specialising in interior design in Jerusalem, Annette stresses the importance of staying inspired to keep designs fresh and original, and shares how essential our smart phones have become when it comes to doing business!
Can you describe your current job?
I am an interior designer based in Tel-Aviv, Israel. My clients are from abroad and looking to have a second home in Israel whether in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
I was born and raised in Belgium and have been living in Israel for the past 35 years. I am fluent in six languages which certainly helps when interacting with my international clients. I always knew that I was going to somehow be involved in a creative profession and admired beauty and design, whether in architecture, art, or fashion.
Luckily I do not need too many hours of sleep in order to function, and I can honestly say that I spend most of my day working. Yes, I am a workaholic. I get up very early, prepare my coffee and then straight to the computer. I receive many mails at every hour imaginable since my clients, and some suppliers, are located in many different time zones. I like to feel that I start the day with a relatively clean slate.
I then go to my office, another cup of coffee, and meet with the team. We go over projects and other matters at hand. Next is the field. I am a great believer in being hands on in every project, so I visit all my projects on a weekly basis meeting with the builder, other professionals, etc. There are days of course dedicated to “shopping” and “choosing” – those I love the most.
I usually return home at about 7pm and after a quick bite, it is back to work. Again I answer mails, go over plans and documents, gather samples, and prepare all that is necessary for the next day. I don’t know how we once worked without a computer and without a smart phone.
The world today moves at an incredible pace. We are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information. I believe that most of us wish for homes that are serene, tranquil and that provide a sense of safety. Rewarding to me is seeing my clients happy with the result of my work – with the way I planned the space, chose the colour palette, textiles, lighting etc. Often times I am given ‘carte blanche’ and make all the decisions on behalf of the client. So it is definitely rewarding to see a big smile on their face.
No matter what the style, I always endeavor to achieve beauty, harmony and elegance. Elegance is key and it is achieved when there is cohesion, softness, subtlety, so that the final result appears to be effortless.
Yes. There is one project where I am planning and designing 5 apartments with the same layout for 5 siblings. It is a challenge designing each apartment unlike the other and making sure each sibling feels that his apartment is unique and designed especially for him!
Another project is a 1,000sq townhouse for a single family - with many bedrooms. The challenge here will be to make this vast space with so many bedrooms feel like a home, and not a hotel.
Coming across problems in the field, and coming up with solutions that are exceptional and actually make the space look even better.
We were commissioned to review the plans and bring a halted project (a stunning mansion located in the suburbs of Jerusalem) to completion utilising the existing layout and partitions. The basement was especially problematic as the space was long, narrow, dreary and windowless with very low ceilings, and we had to transform it to be a prominent billiard room with facilities.
The final result includes an elegant billiard room, an inviting and relaxing bar/ lounge area complemented by an adjoining decorative wrought iron cellar door that leads to a state-of-the-art wine cellar, with walls covered in authentic old bricks and floors with reclaimed ancient stones.
The Italian woodwork is finely designed and crafted with onyx backlit ceiling panels cleverly disguising a maze of pipes and ducts; creating the illusion of height.
As for the mansion: the result is characterised by ornate and neoclassical décor that is opulent and lavish. The rich woodwork, the gold and silver gilt-accented furniture, the layered textures in muted pinks, light blue and aqua hues define the formal ambience of this home. The grand entrance with refined marble flooring embodies elegance and romance.
I think that as a designer, it is extremely important to continuously be inspired, be creative, and to strive for quality and distinction. The biggest problem is when I see more of the same, when I see copy/paste designs. It is challenging to remain fresh, original and timeless.
There are a few which stand out to me! Andree Putman; a scion of her time, her projects are very classical and designed to perfection. India Mahdavi, for her creative use of colours and shapes; and lastly, Peter Marino whose work is fearless, bold and non-conformist!
If you were inspired by Annette’s story, click here to learn more about the role of an interior designer.
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features an exceptional new build residence with 5 ensuite bedrooms, off street parking and leisure suite in the heart of Notting Hill. Fenton Whelan redeveloped and designed the property to create a boutique mansion townhouse, complete with a wellness centre comprising of a gym, sauna, steam room and Notting Hill’s longest swimming pool at 15 metres! The 6,225 sq.ft house is designed with a fresh colour palette and eclectic, contemporary interior pieces, to reflect the properties geography and the vernacular architecture of the surrounding area, whilst still retaining bespoke, luxury detailing throughout.
Practice: Fenton Whelan
Project: Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill
The brief was to redevelop and redesign the traditional Victorian property and create a 6,225 sq ft boutique family town-house whist retaining the original facade. The interior design juxtaposes the traditional and heritage elements of the property by introducing clean lines, large volume spaces and modern pieces to create a luxury family home.
Inspiration was drawn from the buildings historical proportions and the vernacular architecture of the surrounding area, which has been emphasised in the design and married with meticulously designed and crafted pieces for an elegant and contemporary interior style. By combining these two inspirations the design has created a fresh and light home whilst still retaining the bespoke, luxury feel throughout.
Capitalising on ceiling heights and adding large bi-folding doors to the rear of the property on both the ground and first floors, we maximised the amount of light that flows through the property. The design and layout of the property, notably the creation of a dual aspect reception room, further emphasised the architectural volumes, making spaces feel open and bright.
The property was originally a Victorian era pub for which the façade was listed and therefore had to be retained. The process of transforming this into a modern luxury five bedroom home with leisure suite and home cinema came with a number of planning and spatial hurdles that our design team had to overcome By adding additional floors, both above and below ground, the volumes of key rooms could be maintained, and allowed spaces to remain open, maximising the flow of light throughout. Light was on the lower floors was managed through the addition of beautifully designed light wells creating private outside areas below ground. The introduction of a 4 floor sweeping staircase gives a sense of space and volume, from the first moment on entering the property.
Our team’s highlight of the project was our success in creating a unique design that harmonises a contemporary and luxurious feel whilst enhancing the buildings attributes. One example of this is the entrance hall and its sweeping four-storey staircase, fitted with made-to-measure balustrades and housing a full height drop chandelier, with custom-made lights inspired by the leaves from the tree-lined road outside.
The SBID International Design Awards are a recognition of talent and achievement, which is very important to use being placed amongst world recognised design companies who are all leaders in their respective fields.
Questions answered by Desariot Ademaj, Creative Director of Fenton Whelan
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a design which emulates the eclectic scene of downtown Frankfurt with an urban aesthetic and cool, artistic flare, click here to see more.
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