With ‘renew, repurpose and replenish’ at the heart of her work, award-winning interior design consultant and SBID Accredited Designer, Rachel McLane has just completed the Bike & Boot – Scarborough’s newest hotel. As well as the design and fit-out of the 65 bedrooms, Rachel’s Yorkshire-based designers have created eye-catching common areas including the bar, residents’ lounge, film club and restaurant.
“We were fortunate with the Bike & Boot as the building was once a row of Georgian terrace houses and retains much of the original architecture. Even now, the envelope of the building remains true to its heritage,” said Rachel, who heads up a close-knit team of specialist designers experienced in concept design, design detailing and space planning for the hotel, residential, retail and leisure industries.
“It made no commercial sense to strip back and re-plaster the walls. Rather than hiding the faded grandeur of the original building, we have worked with it and given it a new lease of life.”
“My attitude is not to be overly precious; interior design is not about me forcing my ideas onto a client and their customers. Instead, it is about creating something that works for them and enhances their business. It is about producing the best solution we can, for the budget – but that does not mean holding back on quality or design. And good design does not have to cost the earth.”
Striving to be local as far as possible, Rachel employed craftsmen and suppliers from the area who were passionate about harnessing their skills to revitalise this once grand feature of the Scarborough seafront. This work has included bespoke case goods, re-upholstering furniture, sourcing local photographs for bedroom doors, creating graphic blinds using original railway poster designs and producing wall mounts featuring bicycle seats and handlebars instead of the traditional taxidermy heads. Other bespoke items in the hotel on Cliff Bridge Terrace include clocks made of brightly coloured bicycle bells and flip flops. Bespoke lighting was created from old bike wheels and crates, and a bespoke handle for the residents’ lounge is based on the ampersand between the ‘Bike’ and ‘Boot’.
A Georgian inspired colour palette was used to paint over the old anaglypta wallpaper giving the rooms a new identity and feel, and the team also designed and commissioned wallpaper based on activity maps of the area and recreated posters of original postcards of Scarborough from its heyday as a fashionable spa resort.
The design and installation of the Bike & Boot’s new hotel bar shows all of the company’s green, recycling values coming through by giving a second life to the metal back-bar of an old venue in Leeds at the same time as commissioning a Harrogate based company to produce the joinery elements to Rachel McLane’s designs.
“If you have been walking or cycling all day, you want to be able to relax and feel at home,” said Rachel. “The team sourced the bar furniture with that in mind – some of it was new and some of it was pre-loved and repurposed. An old chair can be upholstered by a skilled tradesman, and by choosing fabric of the right quality and design, the result looks great and provides the luxury of comfort.
“Renew, repurpose and replenish is an ethos at the heart of our work. I believe in avoiding sending things to landfill or bonfires whenever possible, and I am glad to say we have done our little bit with some of the bar and restaurant furniture at The Bike & Boot. This has also helped to reduce our carbon footprint in shipping in new products,” added Rachel, who worked on the concept of the Bike & Boot for two years with its directors Simon Kershaw and Simon Rhatigan, and for the last nine months with the local refurbishment contractor Infiniti Roofing & Construction.
About the Author
Rachel McLane developed a wealth of experience designing for the retail sector for eight years in London and York before setting up her practice, Rachel McLane Ltd specialising in the design of interiors for professional clients with commercial interests.
If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.
Finding the right builder for a project can seem like a daunting task, however, it doesn’t need to be difficult. SBID Accredited Designer, Katie Malik, founder and creative director of Katie Malik Interiors talks us through her tips for deciding which builder to work with. Most reputable contractors will be quite happy to show off their previous work and provide all of the things she recommends below…
In the studio, we never ask for any quotes unless we have a detailed Schedule of Work (SOW) and a drawing package ready. This ensures everything that we want a contractor to do is going to be quoted for and executed. Also, this gives us and the client a chance to compare the quotes like for like. If you’re going to execute the project by yourself, we strongly recommend preparing a list of jobs by yourself instead of leaving it to the builder to interpret. This means you won’t have to check each quote for what’s included and what’s excluded, making the final decision much easier.
There’s a common belief that there is nothing better than a recommendation from a friend or a family member, and in most cases, this is true. Nevertheless, it’s also useful to do your own research by reading reviews, checking previous projects and references of builders whose work you like. A contractor should offer you a contract, guarantees, proof of insurance, and a clear schedule of payment. All of this combined with a recommendation from someone you know who’s used this builder, such as your architect and/or interior designer, will put your mind at rest.
We recommend taking similar steps when choosing a builder to those when choosing an interior designer. Since you’ll be engaging your builder to work on/in your home for an extended period of time, you want to ensure you like their previous work and you like them as a person.
The new Ask the Expert blog series invites you submit the questions about interior design you want help finding answers to, whether you’re a consumer looking to redecorate your home or professional looking for expert business advice. Please submit your questions to [email protected]
Katie Malik, founder & creative director of Katie Malik Interiors built her career in residential interior design, assisting on projects in New York, Chicago and London before setting up her practice in 2014. Inspired by colours, the interplay between symmetry and asymmetry and wellbeing, Katie’s aim is to bring authenticity to each project.
Your home should reflect your personality and taste and be attuned to your unique needs. However, achieving this on our own can be a real challenge, especially when your work and family commitments place so many demands on your time. When investing both time and money into a project, it’s important to know how to choose the best designer for it. You want your designer to unlock the space’s full potential by doing this in a creative yet practical manner. So how do you choose the right interior designer for you? SBID Accredited Designer, Katie Malik, founder and creative director of Katie Malik Interiors outlines some important considerations.
It’s absolutely essential that you research the designer’s portfolio to see whether you like their style and completed projects. Don’t approach designer’s based solely on their proximity to you or how high they come up in google search. You have to like what you see, so number one criterion when choosing a designer is the style match.
A good interior designer will have the perfect balance between focusing on the bigger picture ultimately leading up to the final outcome, whilst also focusing on the immediate jobs which need to be done. Therefore, look for reviews and recommendations of the company. It’s important to understand the quality of work and the team you’re hiring before you fully commit.
Also, check whether the designer is accredited by or a member of a professional body, such as SBID – this would give you an added security that the work will be completed to the highest industry standards.
A good brief and a full and open discussion about what the job entails is the best way for your designer to work out a fee and a project timeline. Experienced interior designers have an abundance of planning experience when it comes to undergoing a design project, and they can provide a step by step plan of action with a start and end date. This takes the stress away from you, so you don’t have to this about the logistics so when choosing an interior designer, ask whether they can provide a detailed plan of the project and the space.
An experienced designer will have a wealth of knowledge and contacts that they’ve built up over their career to enable them to collaborate with other professionals, such as lighting designers, landscape and garden designers, and architects. A good interior designer will take an interest in the architect’s vision for the building too.
You want a designer who is fully invested in the project – someone who’s passionate and willing to ensure your project is complete to the highest quality possible. You want someone who will take all of your own ideas on board and develop them in the best possible way, adding their own professional opinion. Look for an interior designer who will push you completely out of your own comfort zone, encouraging you to go for an original and refreshing design.
Click here to discover how to choose the right builder for a project.
The question that immediately arises is: how could our homes change following the emergency from Covid-19? This “change” doesn’t exclusively come from the need of adopting higher hygiene precautions, but also from the search for home wellness and from the will of maximising the functionality of our internal spaces.
“Staying at home” and “working from home” has given rise to new needs but also favoured the recovery of spaces that seemed to have gone out of fashion. The new total home project therefore starts from the need to exploit even small spaces to bring together various ways of living, starting with the re-evaluation of the entrances. These are the main areas to consider:
1. Entrance 2. Home workspace 3. Kitchen as an extension of the living area 4. Outdoor area 5. Relaxation and wellness area
An example of this shift is evident in the concept for one of my latest projects, showcasing how I was required to update an interior design scheme to suit clients changing requirements due to Covid-19. The first draft was made in January but, after the lockdown, the users needs have changed and consequently, so has the design criteria. Here were the design proposals:
First of all, in this design it was necessary to reconsider the entrance / hallway as a filter room between the outside and the home. In the second proposal made to the client, we designed a dividing wall before entering the living area. This space now offers a place to store everything we bring in from outside (such as shoes, masks, coats, telephone, keys, etc.). The insertion of a table top serves to store hand sanitiser, with the option of a cupboard to install a Samsung AirDresser for antibacterial treatments.
The kitchen returns to offer more functional storage spaces. The 3 fundamental areas, such as the one dedicated to storage (fridge and pantry), cooking and washing/preparation have been zoned, offering each area more operating space. The client also felt the need to separate the kitchen from the rest of the house without oppressing the space.
Sliding glass doors have been inserted to maintain visual contact with the dining room and at the same time contain any kitchen odours but, if necessary, the environment becomes open plan – making it easy to control the use of space for children who may study and play in the living area.
The need to have a private home studio was a must-have request since the very beginning with exclusive access to the studio. An adjoining reception room, where to wait in complete safety, has now been provided. The separation with the rest of the environment is represented by a plasterboard wall with a glass door inserted to let the light filter from the outside, as well as enjoying the views of the garden.
A small intervention was also made in the sleeping area. More and more concerns arise regarding how long the coronavirus can survive on clothes and how to properly sanitise them. Since the clothes we travel into the city in are the same we will return home in, we have also proposed a system for sanitising and cleaning clothes and shoes in this area. By slightly reducing the square meters of the walk-in closet and the private bathroom, a niche has been created in the hallway of the sleeping area, where the Lema wardrobe with Air Cleaning System will be installed.
This post is part of a series exploring the ways that the health emergency of Covid-19 has changed the way we conceive public and private spaces. Click here to read the previous post about public spaces.
Elisabetta de Strobel is an internationally acclaimed Interior Designer and Art Director, originally from Rome. Her studio offers expert consultation services for interior design, product design, branding and strategic market analysis.
Founder of HomeSmiths and member of the SBID Healthcare Council, Jacqui Smith shares her expertise in the art of care home design as an experienced healthcare designer with a deep understanding of dementia-friendly design.
Relevant and engaging art makes an enormous difference to communal areas in care homes. Whilst colour contrast, good lighting and furniture layout are key to supportive design for older people, well considered art will elevate a scheme from one that works to one that truly enriches the lives of residents. To me, art has a key role to play in making an environment homely and relatable. Whether you are designing a care home or a retirement living scheme, carefully chosen art will help to provide the building with its personality and often enable it to stand out from the competition. For new builds I think that this is especially important since art will help to root the building in the local community by establishing links with what was there before or what residents will know the area for, and therefore be familiar with. I would also say that in some cases, engaging the wider community within the content of the art can be an advantage, not only by reinforcing those community connections but by engaging with a group of people who otherwise might not have necessarily welcomed the upheaval of construction on their door step!
Whilst budget of course plays a role with art, there is so much material to be found on eBay and in charity shops. Art provides a fantastic opportunity to re-use and recycle. At Henley Manor Care Home we commissioned Soozi Jenner from Stitch Creative to create some tactile art panels for the sensory lounge in the dementia community. Using remnants of Sunbury Design, Panaz and Agua fabrics, kindly donated by Steve Nixon at Edison & Day, Soozi created two stunning pieces of art including features such as removable clouds and boats.
One of our clients, a recently opened home in Middlesex, asked us in to transform one of their residential areas into a dementia friendly wing. Pinner Fair has a history dating back to 1336, so we adopted this as a theme for the main lounge. We again engaged the services of Soozi for this project, asking her to create some colourful bunting using remnants from the upholstery fabrics. Hanging the bunting on two levels so that both mobile residents and those in wheelchairs could interact with it, the bunting leads you from the corridor into the lounge. Keen to make this as sensory as possible, we used tactile fabrics and of course the anti-microbial properties of the material will help the bunting to withstand regular touching.
Plenty of famous people hail from Pinner so we were rather spoilt for choice when it came to notable people. Framed Elton John and Tony Hatch albums feature in one of the corridor areas as well as black and white vintage photographs of Ronnie Barker and The Shadows.
At Great Horkesley Manor in Colchester, we embraced a cricket theme for their newly refurbished front of house communal areas. Comprising two adjoining rooms we designed one area with a bar/pub feel and the other as a tea room. Scouring the internet for Essex County Cricket Club memorabilia which we could put to good use, rewarded us with some fantastic old team photographs, a signed cricket bat as well as a vintage cricket sweater, all framed to suit the pub style of the scheme.
Framing vintage catalogues, magazine spreads, books or knitting patterns can provide another sustainable and cost effective way of producing engaging art. An Extra Care scheme we designed in Reading for Home Group, included some 1970s seed catalogues which we found on eBay. Sutton Seeds started life in Reading so one of the corridor wings took on this theme with old black and white images of the original headquarters, an historical time line detailing key points in the company’s past, botanical art and spreads from flower and vegetable pages. It actually took me right back to my childhood where I would sit in my father’s greenhouse, soaking up the warm and the comforting scent of tomato plants, flicking through the Sutton Seeds catalogue, helping him make his selections for the next season.
At Henley Manor, as part of the craft themed lounge and corridor end in one wing of the dementia community, we framed old Patons and Sirdar knitting patterns as well as copies of 1960s and 1970s women’s magazines. Sifting through my eBay haul of crochet and knitting patterns from Women’s Weekly, I came across one of those perfectly posed “catalogue man” shots, sporting a blue cable knit sweater which my mother knitted for my father many moons ago. I also remember us popping into the local newsagents each Thursday after school to collect my mother’s reserved copy of said magazine. Engaging art will prompt memories and start conversations so much more than a generic hotel style watercolour.
Working with Hallmark Care Homes, throughout the dementia community we added framed questions in simple and easy to read, black on white text. These questions encourage engagement with the art by asking questions of the residents. For example, in the Farmhouse Kitchen at Henley Manor, we framed vintage Family Circle magazine covers with classic 1970s dinner party recipes, next to which the question of “Magazines like these were full of recipes, what did you enjoy cooking most?” So the art prompts memories and the question encourages engagement.
Not all projects will have the budget for bespoke and locally themed art, nor the talent within their client team which we had at Henley Manor Care Home, but having an element of it within a design scheme, makes an enormous impact to both residents, care team and people visiting the home. Hollie Allen, Assistant Designer at Savista Design and Build, is hugely creative so it made complete sense to engage her talents for this project. This 80 bed care home, with accommodation over three floors offering residential, nursing and dementia care, presented many opportunities for bespoke art. Hollie’s work included watercolours of iconic Henley shops, vintage tea pots and cake stands for the Riverside Café, to suit the soft green and blush pink of the scheme and soft botanical drawings for the hair salon to echo the fig design of the curtain fabric. Hollie’s work also extended to the Farmhouse Kitchen in the dementia community, with art featuring bread baskets, old fashioned weighing scales and traditional mixing bowls.
Arguably, in the pursuit of interesting angles and approaches to the art, I do spend a great deal of time researching themes, delving into the history of the local area, but the feedback from care teams, residents and relatives does really make it worthwhile. Who knew that Edward III, frustrated that all the Romney Marsh wool was being exported to Europe to be woven into cloth, invited the weavers and dyers from Flanders over to Tenterden in Kent, to teach the local men their art, heralding the start of a decade-long prosperous weaving industry? Or that George Orwell was from Henley-on-Thames? I certainly did not until I started researching themes for an assisted living scheme and care home. Never thought that my role as an interior designer would boost my pub quiz knowledge but there you go!
Jacqui Smith, founder of HomeSmiths, is an SBID Accredited interior designer who permanently lost vision in one eye in 2012. Jacqui specialises in healthcare design and uses her experiential knowledge of visual impairment in her designs for care home projects.
The COVID-19 health emergency has accelerated the design process exponentially, pushing companies to respond to new, emerging needs with intelligent and functional strategies, whilst adopting innovative ways to reconnect with the world and make a difference. Moreover, the goal and great merit of the designers lies in the ability to grasp the trends and changes of the eras they live in, and convert them into objects and ideas.
The reopening of public places is the driving force behind the latest challenge designers face – to completely rethink common places in order to recreate new spaces, where all the design elements are in harmony with each other and in which the emotional component reflects the same sense of security and “feeling at home” sensation. All of this is done by involving the consumer in a very conscious way. Enough with the banal and unaesthetic plexiglass plates, we must uncover more client-friendly alternatives!
Whilst COVID-19 is bringing increasing attention towards health and wellness related issues which affect all sectors from food, retail and furnishings to travel and beauty, social attitudes towards sustainability and environmental factors is also still gaining momentum. New products and environments will be strongly influenced by the principles of the Circular Economy, based on concepts such as sharing, reusing, repairing and recycling existing materials and products, abandoning the bad habit of disposable use.
In public places consumers want to feel protected and “safe”, for this reason working environments will have to be organised according to some guidelines.
After months of lockdown, it’s important to return to the workplace feeling at ease and be encouraged to act responsibly. A six feet office has fixed workstations, semi-isolated or limited by graphics that visually delimit the space, making the safety distances perceived. The periods of ongoing isolation at home have questioned societies habits, encouraging them to seek more and more balance between private life and work life – and will be increasingly eager to work in an environment that reflects the home environment, in colours, furnishings and perfumes.
They must have a partially insulated entrance that acts as a filter with respect to the rest of the room where you can carefully sanitise your hands, deposit your clothes and wear disposable shoe covers. In this regard, Samsung has created AirDresser, a sanitising cabinet that eliminates bacteria, mites and viruses through steam jets.
The menu will be contactless and digital: with the Sooneat app, every customer from their smartphone can avoid the queue at the entrance, sit at the reserved table, consult the menu, photos of the dish, order and pay with a simple click.
Speaking of tables and chairs … how will they be organised? Large-sized restaurants will have the opportunity to rearrange the tables according to the safety distances provided, but what about small restaurants? To one of my clients I proposed a shaped table top to be screwed simply to the existing table structure, optimising the space compared to combining two square modules.
It will also be very important to reorganise the outdoor spaces. It will be one of the most important missions of restaurants and bars to guarantee an experience up to the past again.
The visit to the hairdresser and beautician will be much more psychological than one might expect, it will be a 360° wellness and beauty experience with customisable treatments and mainly green products, all bookable through an app. New restyling for waiting rooms where possible, with modular furnishing solutions that are able to maintain a minimum contact between customers but respecting the safety distance. The image represents a typical Martex furniture solution before and after Covid-19. The furnishings can be adapted according to needs and are covered with 100% antibacterial fabric.
This post is part of a series exploring the ways that the health emergency of Covid-19 has changed the way we conceive public and private spaces. Click here to read the previous post about private spaces.
Ana Azevedo, founder of SBID Accredited Partner, Kassavello shares her insight into the interior design industry as a supplier of high-end brands and bespoke furniture solutions to interior designers.
What is your current job?
I head up Kassavello’s London office and manage sales and customer relations with particular focus on the interior design community. I founded Kassavello with my business partner Renata in 2015. We offer a selection of curated products from elite brands and bespoke furniture to interior designers, architects and end clients.
What is your background and how did you get into interior design?
My previous career was in business management within the hospitality sector where I managed a number of high-profile restaurants and bars. I had always had a passion for design but having exposure to such a variety of prestigious venues ignited my interest and I enrolled in a series of interior design courses at the University of Arts in London. Moving from client-side within hospitality to client-management within design was a hugely rewarding transition where I was able to transfer and combine old and new skills whilst working in a creative industry that is constantly evolving and never fails to inspire me.
Describe an average day in your job role..
My business partner Renata is based in Portugal, the location of our key suppliers and manufacturers and it’s critical that we stay aligned at all times so that there’s a consistent and seamless workflow. Every day begins with a video conference call where we run through current priorities, project status and actions required. I then follow up client-side, more often than not this is with a UK based interior designer, on any decisions required for bespoke furniture production such as discussing design detailing or scheduled fabric deliveries. Whilst we often receive DWG drawings from our clients, we always produce detailed technical drawings for approval working closely with a team of dedicated craftspeople in Portugal who have decades of experience and can often propose sleek solutions to practical design problems. Most days also bring new enquiries which I follow up on often whilst juggling the logistics of overseeing white glove installation on site. I also dedicate time each week to keep abreast of industry trends and developments too as its critical that designers can trust us to be one step ahead of the game when it comes to innovation and evolution within the luxury design space.
Which elements of your profession do you enjoy the most and/or find the most rewarding?
We frequently use different artisans to deliver individual elements for one piece of furniture – for example an exquisite brass handle crafted by an exemplary metal artisan combined with beautifully inlaid veneer from our expert team of joiners. Facilitating a designer’s unique vision through our trusted network of craftspeople is always rewarding when you see the vision from conceptual drawings through to final installation.
Is there anything new you are excited to be working on?
We’re currently working on a proposal for a significant number of bespoke items for a project in Malta in collaboration with one of our favourite designers. She has a passion for bold design and colour and is always looking to push the boundaries in terms of shape and form which is thrilling for us and the team of experts that we work with. There’s nothing like a creative challenge!
What do you find the most challenging aspects of your job?
Managing expectation versus budget is a familiar challenge to everyone in the industry and our sector is no exception. Our clients consistently want to deliver exceptional pieces but sometimes you have to set expectations and find the best solution in terms of materials or a design tweak that offer a very good result and one that also comes in on budget!
The logistics of delivery can also be very challenging. Whilst we work with outstanding white glove delivery teams, we can often be faced with logistical issues and dependencies on a 3rd party in terms of access or red tape, particularly in central London. Always surmountable but always a challenge!
What do you wish you knew before working in the field?
How much attention to detail interior designers have. This is certainly not a criticism, in fact far from it – we work with some exceptional designers who can sometimes request a change of design equivalent to a few millimetres. When we first developed the business, we had no idea how particular clients could be but with the benefit of experience behind us we are now able to guide and collaborate on those decisions, knowing when they will and when they won’t matter to the stability or aesthetics of a piece.
What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance?
Follow your gut feeling… if a project or a client does not feel right, it probably isn’t
What has been your favourite project to work on?
We were very fortunate to be given the opportunity to work on an exceptional project in Kuwait with an end client who had no budget constraints and an appetite for luxurious finishes and styling. Having the opportunity to work alongside her and her family to furnish their beautiful villa was a design dream and allowed us to select hand-crafted pieces that are rarely accessible but are truly timeless heirloom items.
Conversely, we recently worked on a project in Chelsea with high client expectations but challenging budget constraints. We spent a lot of time with the designer developing solutions and alternatives that did not detract from the exceptional result that was required and ultimately delivered – hugely rewarding.
What do you think is the biggest problem the interior design industry faces?
The access to information for end clients via social media has become overwhelming. It can make the decision- making process extremely drawn out when the client suddenly spots something new they love, or when they have seen a cheap copy of an atelier piece of furniture and fail to appreciate the value in the time and craftsmanship that is put into bespoke pieces. It’s something that the industry is working hard to address and a conversation that we are always happy to be a part of. With close and long-standing relationships with some of Europe’s finest artisans we absolutely appreciate the skill and dedication that goes into every piece of bespoke furniture.
Who do you admire the most in the industry and why?
In terms of furniture design, Kelly Wearstler is a personal favourite of mine. Her curation of vintage, contemporary and architectural forms within her pieces is truly exceptional. She is always innovative, inspirational and evolutionary – outstanding traits in a designer that consistently pushes the boundaries and is a leading industry narrator. Architecturally it has to be Joseph Dirand, his eye for volume and space underpinned by classical proportion is unsurpassed – a true master of his craft.
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We can all agree that COVID-19 has caused drastic changes in every respect of day-to-day life and consequently, is pushing people towards making different assessments and decisions than they would have made before, with an entirely new perspective on what’s important. Perhaps it is the first time in modern history that we have really lived the concept of home; its spaces and its livability.
For many, the enforcement to #STAYATHOME has paved the way for an incredible kind of rediscovery that has brought attention back to our environments which, now more than before, represent the constant background of our lives.
The reorganisation of domestic spaces is one of the first needs that emerges from this, and will be a compromise between the needs, the type of activities performed and the square meters available, both for those who are renovating or buying a house, and for those who simply want to restyle their interior design to create more pleasant and comfortable home environments.
The popular open space entrances that overlook the living room or kitchen will be re-evaluated, preferring instead a partially isolated entrance that acts as a filter for the home. Hybrid solutions can also be adopted that can host, for example, a wardrobe, a shoe rack and a small bathroom, where hygiene-related actions can be performed.
The kitchen, even a small one, is the place of the “carefree meeting” where we cook, experiment and also try out playful activities with the little ones. Staying at home has forced – or perhaps enticed – us to spend more time back in the kitchen. A return to the origins but also a chance to spend more time together, setting aside home delivery services like Just Eat for some quality cooking time! We begin to focus more on making kitchen spaces more adaptive for cooking with the family and performing other activities (like homework!).
Smart working areas will be essential for future flexible working possibilities. From a minimal desk or a coffee table as a support surface on the side of the sofa to a deeper shelf inserted in an equipped wall, creating smarter working stations will become increasingly important. These spaces should be close to natural light, so as to feel less constrained and ‘boxed in’! Alternatively, using perimeter lighting systems that give the environment a calibrated and homogeneous light can help to simulate the solar one.
Introducing more plants into the home helps us feel less detached from the outside world. Bringing more of nature inside, together with relaxing fragrances to perfume the air, can improve our mood – as well as productivity!
A multi-functional bathroom can also double up as a space-saving fitness area. Integrating bathroom furnishings dedicated to personal care into a gym system could help keep you in shape at all hours of the day with compact fitness corners, suitable for any types of space.
Air purifying becomes a key concern. As our awareness of health and hygiene comes to the forefront, we look to keep the temperature of rooms controlled in order to promote psycho-physical well-being; evaluating the use of machines capable of transforming oxygen into ozone to fight bacteria, viruses, mites and moulds.
Finally, we cannot forget the outdoor environments too (even if it’s just a balcony or a small terrace) – outside areas have been seen as a real luxury throughout the quarantine period, providing that all important access to fresh air and open space. The value placed on outside areas and gardens, what they look like and how to maximise them, will become bigger considerations moving forward in a post-coronavirus world.
In short, it is necessary to design quality houses, with intelligent solutions that allow you to optimise spaces that are no longer a trivial copy and paste from design magazines but that, on the contrary, are able to reflect the personality and way of life by those who live there!
This post is part of a series exploring the ways that the health emergency of Covid-19 has changed the way we conceive public and private spaces. Click here to read the first post.
SBID Accredited Partner, Ledbury Studio opened the doors of its bespoke kitchen furniture showroom in 2019, but founder Charlie Smallbone is no newcomer to the industry. The legendary designer has been pushing the boundaries of kitchen design for over 40 years.
What is your kitchen design philosophy?
‘A kitchen is for life’. I said that to the actor George Layton in 1981, when I installed one of my first kitchen designs at his London home and I still believe it to this day. At the time, though, I think George was more concerned with the cost of the kitchen than with my musings!
That said, Ledbury Studio is much more about the future than the past – every day I look forward and try to produce something unique. I still want to deliver contemporary designs using beautiful, mostly well-known materials, but I am looking to treat them in a radical way to produce something that can’t be found anywhere else.
What materials did you choose to work with for your Ledbury Studio designs?
Traditionally, the use of metal in the kitchen has been largely reserved for appliances and handles, with polished stainless steel and brass the prime material choices. But having worked with both solid and liquid metal progressively for a number of years now, the idea of broadening the application of metal in the kitchen and taking it beyond its traditional uses excited me. It was also was one of my primary inspirations in founding Ledbury Studio.
From the outset I realised that this application of metals needs to be carefully executed. For this reason, I decided to take a disciplined approach with our first Ledbury Studio kitchen concept, the Metallics Collection – to use ‘metal with integrity’. So, rather than using liquid metal finishes, I opted to explore the potential of solid metals: initially copper, pewter, zinc, bronze and stainless steel. At the same time, we also considered the practicality of the finish that we were applying; aware of the potentially debilitating impact of extreme heat and water penetration. We then moved on to assess suitability of finishes in different areas of the kitchen.
Design is always about more than simply making something look nice. But I have found that incorporating these metals, and researching the different finish possibilities that each has, really does bring a unique quality to a kitchen.
Can you talk us through the Ledbury Studio design process?
The process starts with a design consultation during which we will review any architectural plans. If clients don’t have them, we will arrange a site visit so that we can measure their proposed space and chat about how best to maximise it. At this point we are able to start putting a conceptual layout together including hand sketches and some initial 3D spatial concept modelling and material selection, based on what we have already talked about. At the same time, we will also provide an initial estimate of cost (furniture, appliances, delivery and installation).
Once we have an agreement on the basic design, budget and quote, we move forward with floor plans, 2D elevations and a formal estimate. At this point we like to create material selection mood boards and also, as required, 3D renders, as this helps us really get to grips with how the design will look and work in the space.
Finally, we drill down to specific fascia finishes, and worktop and splashback materials. By now we want our client to have a real feel for the kitchen and how individual areas of the design are going to work.
How closely do you work with you clients to create the final design?
The best kitchens evolve from a design process that is a rooted in the ideas and interests of our clients, which then combines with the design expertise of the team. This process informs initial ideas on which materials are going to work best for the kitchen design.
A good example of this was on our Cheshire Kitchen. The design was influenced and underpinned by the client’s collection of pewter-ware, which had been collected over many years. Inspired by the material, we decided to incorporate quite a number of pewter doors on the kitchen cabinetry. We ‘hand-textured’ sheets of pewter, and applied a patina using acids to age it, finally sealing the surface with lacquer.
Where are your kitchens made and who do you work with?
Our kitchens are built in our Wiltshire workshop by a small team, who have worked with us for many years, from our Smallbone of Devizes and Mark Wilkinson days.
We also collaborate with a handful of talented artists and artisans: Emma Culshaw Bell, an artist and specialist painter who creates bespoke colours and finishes for our painted furniture, and designs and fabricates the Verre Eglomise incorporated into our kitchens; Quentin Reynolds, the craftsman behind our pewter door fronts; and George Winks who carves wood beautifully. We have worked carefully, on a project-by-project basis, to incorporate these elements into our furniture.
What’s the best part of your job?
It’s the enjoyment that comes from working with talented people, bringing designs to life and creating furniture that inevitably is more complex as a result of that teamwork. For me, an open and collaborative process is always infinitely more satisfying than working solo. Of course, the process needs structure. But it’s important to try to maintain enough freedom to be flexible. That way, if something unexpected and good arises, we can work to incorporate it in the final design. This is really what I love about my job – to watch the evolution of an idea, and then to see the finished result in someone’s home.
Staying six feet apart. This is the reference measure that will regulate our private life and social interactions in public spaces for quite some time, or perhaps permanently, after the pandemic.
The new regulations, which will become even more operational as commercial activities and entertainment places begin to be reopen, force us to totally rethink the configuration of public spaces and the measures implemented to maintain safe, hygienic environments which are mindful of allowing for a new lifestyle social distancing. Not only limited to public spaces, this same necessity will emerge also in the private sectors.
The good old ‘entrance’ area may be back in fashion – and with a similar function of the past in the public and in the private sector, it is likely to be used to store clothes and objects that must be sanitised upon entry into a building, or even allow space for a screening process to take place before being permitted access. Here, we will also have to wash our hands and wear what you need to preserve yourself from possible infections.
When considering our future environments, material selection will become a key consideration. Let’s first consider some data. The virus resists:
In light of this, it is easy to understand how even the mere choice of surfaces we will come into contact with will be crucial – not just the floors and walls!
Aside from the surfaces we touch, the new reality will drastically affect the entire environment that surrounds us; from furnishings to the division of spaces. Fundamental changes will then be applied in the furnishings and organisation of public spaces: layout of restaurant tables, clear directional signage to control traffic glow, access to sales counters and screening, distancing of hairdresser and beautician stations, etc. In these public spaces, we can also also see it becoming important to install forced ventilation systems for air purification.
The above image represents a group of workers in the Honda factory in Wuhan, China during their lunch break. A grid, drawn on the ground, highlights the safety distances imposed. Very cold and militarian isn’t it?
In this case, appropriate interior design intervention would certainly have had the ability to recreate a more pleasant environment full of positive spirit, especially after the feeling of solitude experienced during to the coronavirus quarantine.
It will not be only these strict hygiene measures adopted which will change the world we know today. The change in mentality will be more far-reaching. As awareness of our environmental impacts and concerns over climate change has heightened since the world came to a standstill, societal attitudes are changing on a global scale and our lifestyles may never be the same. As we begin to shift away from the patterns of wasteful consumption and throwaway culture – instead we look to the preservation of goods and the value in buying for longevity.
Hopefully, the art of conservation will pave the way for a better world, a better world will be one in which people will try to build a better future: better to have a small house with a small garden, than being stuck in an apartment! Who knows if, with these premises, urbanisation will reverse its trend!
Keeping you informed. For the latest daily updates on government and business relevant to the interior design industry during the coronavirus pandemic, click here to read more.
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