Discussing Design with Carolina Sandri, Casa Forma

Meet Carolina Sandri

creative director, Casa Forma

Carolina Sandri has more than a decade of experience designing and implementing high-end interior design and architecture projects in London and around the globe. Trained as an architect, she established her own architectural business in her native country Brazil before moving to London 15 years ago.

Her passion for design excellence and extensive knowledge of the luxury global market makes it possible for her to transform any client’s aspirations into a truly bespoke luxurious space. Her architectural background gives her a combination of creative design skills with a wide range of technical knowledge.

Carolina is the creative director of the award-winning luxury design studio Casa Forma and is responsible for delivering leading-edge residential schemes for international high-net-worth individuals and property developers.

How do design preferences differ between Brazil and the UK?

Brazil is a hot and tropical place, and it’s well known for architect Oscar Niemeyer’s white concrete buildings. In Brazil designers are freer with their use of colour and more daring in their combinations of different styles, furniture and accessories compared to London. I’ve been working here for more than 15 years, and while a number of new modern buildings with minimalist architecture have been constructed over the last few decades, I would say the classic traditional style is still most appreciated, not only by our UK clients but our clients from abroad. I believe it’s because of this country’s history and strong Victorian design heritage. Of course, every country has its own past in terms of style and elements. There aren’t really typically Brazilian or typically London design preferences. What differs is the tastes and requirements that dictate what’s important to clients and their families’ lifestyles. We design around that.

What is a luxury amenity a client has recently requested?  

We’ve seen many crazy luxury requests! A client in Dubai asked us to design a large circular shark tank and incorporate it into an entertainment space. It was also connected to an outdoor infinity swimming pool – separated by a very thick glass wall, of course! It was meant to hold no more than two sharks. Our team was responsible for the design, but not the installation, so we don’t know how it came out in the end. We were curious how the sharks would look to a person swimming in the bottom of the pool – almost like a scene from a movie. Our tank design also integrated audio, light and sound systems and controls. Most of our clients want the ability to open blinds and control everything in their home just by touching a button.

Where are your go-to places for finding new materials for your design library?

I go to a lot of industry events such as Decorex, Masterpiece, London PAD and Design Week, which I find great fun. It’s very important to see and hear what our collaborators and suppliers are up to. I use a lot of social media these days. Instagram is especially full of nice suppliers and is an easy way to track new inspirational materials using hashtags. I also really enjoy museums, having been to a lot in the past. Last year I took a client to Masterpiece, which has loads of art, because she wanted to source some pieces. I like to see different kinds of furniture and antique pieces with their own styles. Design Week is a mix of modern and contemporary items. I go to, let’s say, six or seven of them each month. There’s always something going on in London.

How do you stay current with changing design zeitgeists, and how is this reflected in your projects? 

I read a lot of design magazines like Architectural Digest, House and Garden, Elle Décor, as well as online articles, to keep current with tendencies, but I don’t believe in really following trends. There’s nothing wrong about working with the latest trends, but I believe in timeless designs. Styles incorporating neutral colour palettes with textures, layers and well-placed lighting add longevity to my design schemes. This is one of the reasons our clients come to us. They know we’ll design a place they can live in for a long time, maybe changing a few accents and accessories, but the main spaces will be around for five or ten years.

Carolina is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Can Tufekcioglu

principal interior designer, Arcadis

Can worked for 15 years in Istanbul before moving to Dubai as principal interior designer for Arcadis. He has been involved in a wide range of multidisciplinary projects ranging from healthcare and offices to residential and educational. He is primarily focused on the technical aspects of the projects; however, his personal preference is for space planning and design.

How do interior design practices and tastes differ between Istanbul and Dubai?

I went through a phase of being a super minimalist, that was the style of the practice I worked with a long time ago when I’d just graduated from school in Turkey. And then I came here to Dubai and worked on projects with lots of ornamentation. However, tastes have developed so that modernism now infuses elements inspired by their traditional backgrounds. I love that, because it has character as opposed to what you might envisage as a minimal space in the Western world. Here, it’s very different because it has an Arabic touch. In Turkey, modernism was closer to the Western style with neutral colours. But here, it has a touch of local taste, which is great.

Methodologies are definitely different, too, plus it depends whether it’s a small practice of one-to-ten people versus a proper consultancy firm with multi-city locations. They’re worlds apart. If the company is small and it’s a one or two-person job, you just do everything pre- and post-contract yourself without the need to produce much documentation. Everything is in your head. That’s how it is where I come from. Projects don’t need to be that documented or regimented. You can just get away with things, but that also stings you when it’s time for payment, because people take advantage of undocumented services.

Whereas in this part of the world, in the West, or in bigger practices, everything is very documented, regimented, there are milestones and a proper contract. You can’t break it, and if you do, there are implications. I’ve adapted to this system, which I like a lot, because people must bear the consequences of what they say they will do. If you don’t deliver or if you’re not paid for something, there are consequences. I haven’t been to Turkey in 14 years, but from what I hear, things are slowly moving in this direction.

How do your designs support local communities?

I’ve worked on projects in India, Africa, Turkey, and the Middle East, and my role has always been to use design to improve people’s lives. When a designer is involved, the whole idea is to create a better, more comfortable, and functional space. I can’t imagine that anything produced by the design community would be unwelcome unless it was offensive to people’s beliefs or religion. For instance, I worked on the Adobe campus of New York University in Abu Dhabi, which was very welcome because it brought an international approach to education. Another example is the Fish Market in Abu Dhabi, which upgraded the ancient method of displaying fish by arranging it on top of ice dumped onto the floor. We brought the market up to speed in terms of hygiene whilst maintaining their culture and perception of architecture and interiors based on their historical background. We’re currently working on housing for the people who will construct a massive new development in Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea Coastal Village with lower, mid, and high-scale villas and townhouses. Once construction is complete, this accommodation will be converted into housing for the people working in the village.

What changes have your clients been asking for in your recent projects: layouts, materials, palettes, etc…?

Arcadis is a consultancy that implements other people’s initial concepts. Sometimes it’s because they don’t have the ability to build a project in another country, so we take on the role of architect of record and develop it towards the construction phase. However, there are also bits of a project we start from scratch. I’ve worked in both capacities throughout my career and see both sides of the process.

The trend is for projects with more natural and subdued palettes as a result of ecological awareness. There’s also a tendency for using different metals such as bronze that become all the rage, but you know, things come and go. I suggest designers take a more holistic, natural approach. There’s also a movement towards open-plan living areas. The bigger the space, the better.

This happens a lot when you have people running a project and making decisions on behalf of other people. But then at last the call goes to the big cheese, who has not necessarily been involved every little step of the way. Suddenly the decision-maker feels something has moved too far away from the initial intent or isn’t what they’d had in mind, and late-stage changes must be made, which is painful as a project consultant. But then of course, there are also changes as far as how space, colours and materials are being used..

How do you anticipate artificial intelligence will affect architecture and interior design practices?

I hope it will be a positive leap, but I don’t see it at happening very soon, at least in my part of the world. Everyone wants to design buildings in a BIM environment, but artificial intelligence is usually better for calculation-based things engineers work on that don’t involve personal choice about whether should be black or blue, marble versus rubber flooring, or whatever the preference might be. I can’t see this being used much in interior design at the moment. If somehow it is, I’d be delighted because it takes so much off your plate.

Can is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Stella Gittins

co-founder and group director, Accouter Group of Companies

Stella Gittins is the co-founder of Accouter Group of Companies (AGC), London’s fastest-growing portfolio of award-winning international interior design companies. Creating the benchmark in luxury living, Accouter Group of Companies is home to Accouter Design, A. LONDON and BoxNine7 delivering world-class interior architectural and furnishing services to the private clients and the global property market.

With 15 years of experience mentoring and directing diverse teams within the field, Stella has spent the last seven building AGC into one of the best places to work in the property industry, as voted on multiple occasions.

Taking a lead creative role for the group, Stella is responsible for all aspects of the brand and design. She has published four bespoke books that discuss every corner of luxury life and feature the inspirations behind Accouter Design’s schemes and collaborations with iconic brands such as Rolls Royce and William & Son. The fifth publication is due to be launched in 2020.

What are some of your secrets for designing a show home that will entice buyers?

There aren’t necessarily secrets, but there’s definitely a method. Designing schemes for private clients in houses they’ll live in themselves is a very different to creating show homes where the ultimate goal is to maximize the value of properties and make them extremely desirable for quick sales or lets. Our job is to ensure buyers or tenants immediately fall in love as soon as they enter.

We are storytellers providing a look into their futures. The easiest way to do that is to develop a design that projects a new lifestyle, spaces that let them imagine how they would live there and utilise each area. We analyse the best characteristics of the location and the kind of lifestyle buyers would expect given these features and the property value. For example, someone buying a property in Chelsea would have different expectations than someone living in trendy Shoreditch: where do they work, where do they shop, what do they read, what do they wear, what do they eat, where do they eat, and what is their social life like? The trick is to imagine who that character is. We brainstorm quite a bit to figure out who the person is that’s going to be walking in the door, and then develop a floor plan accordingly.

It’s a myth that you need less furniture in small spaces. The best solution is to create zones that each have their own purpose. People walking into a large home might think, “Oh, we don’t need furniture because the house is so big and amazing.” But actually, people get scared thinking about what they’re going to do in every single room. We have to provide ideas for what they’ll be doing so they can imagine how their lives would play out in the property.

We like to bring local elements into the rooms to create suggestions that potential owners or renters might get to know the barista in the independent coffee shop or support the neighbourhood bakery.

It’s also important to make a show home memorable. We don’t like to follow interior trends, not only because they might not be right for the area or the specific property, but also because they might not allow the show home to stand out. When someone spends only a little time in a place and then walks out, there must be something that causes them to remember it. For example, we incorporated many amazing antiques into an historic Chelsea Waterfront property by Lots Road in London, plus there was tailor-made furniture we designed ourselves. In one corner was an organically shaped loveseat that would inspire someone to think it was an amazing space. Or it could be an incredible headboard fabric that catches the eye because it’s just a little bit different.

How is design evolving in response to lifestyle changes?

Without a doubt the biggest influence is sustainability. In fact, we publish a book every year and this time it’s entirely centred around this subject. Everyone is becoming more environmentally conscious, including in their interiors. It’s not just a trend, it’s something for life that people are really becoming quite aware of in their homes’ designs. We use a lot of antiques where we can, and people are getting more into upcycling. Our companies are working towards ISO 14001 accreditation, so we’re looking how furniture is packaged in the warehouse, how can we offset our carbon footprint, our paper usage in the office, all those types of things.

Our book also explores how the luxury market is evolving with Bentley, Lotus and Tesla producing electric cars, not just lower-end manufacturers. Sustainability is also affecting where people go on holiday, whether the 1 Hotel in Brooklyn or the world’s first “energy positive” hotel being built in Norway.

Interiors and fashion tend to change side by side, with people investing a bit more in higher quality pieces that last over time. Rather than following trends, our designs for private clients are more timeless with items people will keep for generations. Across all our brands, we try to incorporate old forms of craft as well as things made in the UK, for example art by Nat Bowen who layers resin on recycled acrylic. At our Chelsea Waterfront project, she hand painted gold leaf directly onto the walls. It’s an amazing skill to have because she only gets one chance to do it. But again, it’s not mass manufacturing. It’s just her. We also work with Jennifer Manners who designs amazing rugs made from recycled plastic. Our goal is to think about our projects’ environmental impact and how we can make them sustainable, because it’s important to everybody. And if a developer sees this as a selling point, we can also make it part of the marketing brief for a show home. I think we’re going to see this more and more, and it’s something we push them towards.

Other factors include the growth in healthier lifestyles and the need for convenience. I recently designed a five-bedroom property with timber floors so that a room could be changed into a gym in the future. Its ensuite bathroom was designed like a spa, and its landscape contained a Zen garden.

Our market is very international, and our clients may only stay in their London homes from one week to a couple months per year. So we need to think about full turnkey packages for them, including what bed they’ll sleep in, their sheets, their towels. We make sure they have all the elements needed to live in their homes.

How do you feel about young Instagram design stars who have large followings but don’t know how to write a spec?

Ultimately, everyone has to start somewhere, and I have no concerns about people promoting their passions especially if it helps the design industry. I follow some people myself – but there are different tiers to design.

A lot of these Instagram stars are more into styling, which is one of the hardest things to be trained in because it’s subjective. You don’t necessarily need a qualification to be a stylist because some people just have a natural eye. Some of the best designers aren’t always the best stylists.

It is possible to be an Instagram design star who is good at dressing an interior. However, if they want to evolve that passion into a profession, it’s important they have the correct skillset and training behind them. Being an interior designer and interior architect is very technical. I wouldn’t mobilise a team to work with our clients that didn’t have the correct skills or support.

When working with developers, you don’t have carte blanche to design whatever you want. What are some examples of when you didn’t get your way, and how did you reach a compromise?

Designers can be very passionate about their designs, and developers can be very passionate about what they want. That’s why the briefing stage is so important. The way we overcome it is to always show clients what they want, because they want to know we can deliver what they asked us to do. But if we are passionate about another direction, we need to share our suggestions and try to inspire them in some way. Then the debate starts. It’s about saying, yes, we can do what you want, but actually, this is what we recommend. We constantly try to encourage clients out of their comfort zones. For example, in a recent show home, the developer was extremely keen to have artwork that reflected the view, while as designers we wanted something that would contrast. The compromise was an abstract piece that hinted at the form of the buildings around the area. Some of the larger developers have a bigger track record and their own “look” because they have a clear idea of their target market. So this is when we go back to basics, have a bit of a debate, and meet somewhere in the middle.

Stella is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Graham Robinson 

showroom and design manager, Halcyon Interiors

Graham Robinson is the showroom and design manager at the Halcyon Interiors flagship located on London’s Wigmore Street, a road that has become the epicentre of kitchen design.

Over the last 20 years he has developed a passion for contemporary design and honed his eye for meticulous detail, allowing him to create practical kitchens that look stunning for many years to come. Whilst he likes to be aware of current trends, he prefers to give his clients classic looks that transcends fashion.

How can a well-designed kitchen reduce food waste?

When you design a kitchen, find out how your clients are actually cooking. Generally, there are two types of people: those with really big fridges and hardly any freezer space, and those who freeze leftovers. It’s best to have a practical kitchen with spice racks and visible, accessible storage. I like to design larders with pull-up storage features so you can see what food you’ve got. A lot of people have old things hidden at the back of their cupboards, but if items face forward you see all there is and don’t let anything go out of date.

People are eating more fresh food now, so it’s good to have refrigeration with nought degree, low humidity drawers that provide filtration so things like salads, green vegetables and meat remain edible longer. You get an extra couple of days and don’t end up just throwing things away. It’s also possible for kitchen cabinets to include a vacuum drawer, so if only half of something has been eaten, you can vacuum seal what’s left inside a clear bag. The vacuum feature can also be used for marinating food or steam cooking in a water bath.

How do your designs anticipate your clients’ future needs, including gadgets and appliances they might acquire?

Most kitchens we create are for houses our clients live in rather than somewhere they plan to sell. We advise them to invest in quality brands because they’re won’t go wrong. Talking to them about how they cook is important. Do they need a steam oven? Do they really need a microwave oven or are they anti-microwave? We find out what they’re actually going to need long-term, because maybe in three- or four-years’ time they might no longer use microwaves and move towards steam cooking that’s more healthy.

Most people seem to want taps that provide boiling water, it’s definitely growing in the market. Also, it depends on the age of the client, but sometimes features like pull-out storage are integrated so they won’t need to bend down as they get older. When creating a kitchen for a woman in a wheelchair, we looked at details such as oven height and how it opened, how the fridge was configured and where she put her tap. We designed a long thin hob, and because she couldn’t reach the hood, its fan and lights automatically turned on when the burners did. It’s also more popular to have appliances with technology that lets them be monitored and controlled remotely, for example from your phone you can track the progress of your washing machine, your dishwasher, turn your oven on and some ovens let you look at what’s happening inside. Say you have meat in your oven, you can actually see remotely a clear picture of it every 30 seconds. It’s slightly gimmicky, but it’s there if people want it. Others have a door that opens slightly after the oven’s s turned off so an item doesn’t carry on cooking from retained heat.. The hot air is pushed out and cool air is drawn in so food isn’t overcooked. Some people talk about the fact that gas might not be around forever, so if you’re going to futureproof a kitchen, induction hobs are good to have.

With kitchens at the heart of the home, how do you design for inclusivity and the wide range of activities that take place there?

You initially need to get a real understanding of how the kitchen will be used every day, and then build from there. It’s making sure the kitchen works for the customer in every scenario. For example, will it will be used for functions, and will they cook when entertaining a large number of people or get caterers in? We offer layout ideas for when it’s breakfast for two, how to change it for four people, when doing homework with the children, or if they’ve got the whole family around. You’ve got to make sure there are the right amount of cooking elements and enough storage for however many sets of plates they’ll have for dinner service.

A kitchen has to be right for how someone is going to cook – or not cook. At the moment we’re creating a large kitchen where day-to-day it’s just the four of them, but every Sunday they have a big family function. We’ve designed it as an open-plan space where the island can be moved into an alcove so the table can be extended. Others have separate dining rooms and secondary kitchens for caterers to use when the client hosts large events. Some people are desperate to have places for their cling film, tin foil or store their rubber gloves. One client argued with his wife because she always used a tea towel rather than rubber gloves. In our showroom, we demonstrate the physical space so that clients get a feel for how much room they’ll have between their island and cabinet run. They might see a picture that looks really nice with a row of four barstools behind an island, but in reality, those barstools are never going to be in line and you don’t really want to sit in that line, although you might want to sit facing each other.

What’s on the horizon for kitchen design?

Kitchen features are becoming more like furniture. They’re still quite sleek, but with warmer colours and added textures that make them a bit more comfortable and friendly. We’re seeing mechanisms for opening doors in different ways, but some of them are just for the sake of doing things differently rather than an actual invention.

In recent years, the real innovation has been with ceramic worktops you can put hot things on and that are completely non-porous. Whether synthetic quartz or manufactured ceramic, modern counters have lots of interesting patterns and veining that appears realistic, or others look like concrete. These manufacturers copy the stone, marble, and quartz that occurs in nature, but the textures, colours and finishes all match.

Graham is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

With the deadline to enter the SBID Product Design Awards officially extended, and the judging process primed and ready to commence, get to know the remaining judges for 2020!

A technical judging panel will determine the finalists to be announced, with the impressive international jury set to contribute 70% to the final winners’ scores and the remaining 30% taken from the public vote!

This year’s Judges include:

Henry Reeve  |  Director of Interior Design, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)

Henry is Director of Design at InterContinental Hotels Group. He is responsible for creating the interior design and guest experience for IHG’s Kimpton and Hotel Indigo brands across Europe. Since joining IHG in January 2015, Henry has worked across some of IHG’s most celebrated and award-winning design projects, including the launch of the first Kimpton hotel outside of the Americas – Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam. He has led the teams responsible for the design of all new Hotel Indigo properties over the last 5 years. As well as designing new hotels in IHG’s pipeline, Henry has worked on more than 20 refurbishment projects across IHG’s existing hotels.

Kar Hwa Ho  |  Head of Inerior Architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects

Kar first worked with Zaha Hadid Architects in 1985 following his studies with Zaha Hadid at the Architectural Association. After completing his studies in the UK and USA, Kar worked on projects around the world for Kohn Pederson Fox and Louis Vuitton Malletier, with a focus on interior architecture, commercial developments and retail design before re-joining ZHA as Head of Interior Architecture in 2014. His residential interiors, in particular, have won numerous awards and have been widely published.

Trevor Cotterell  |  Managing Director, Areen Design

Trevor Cotterell became the Managing Director of Areen Design in 1989. Since then, he has led the UK based group through many successes, including the acquisition of Richmond International in 1991 and Pascall+Watson in 2015. Trevor now leads over 120 interior designers, architects and procurement specialists in delivering fast-paced, large scale projects in some of the world’s most challenging regions and the group now employs over 350 people across 6 offices, worldwide. As a director of each Areen Group company, Trevor drives the strategic growth of the Group by fostering the skills and specialisms of each company, encouraging cross-pollination and opportunities to put the Group’s complementary skills into action.

Dr. Jeff Ning  |  President, Wanda Hotels and Resorts

Dr. Ning is the President of Wanda Hotels & Resorts. During his tenure at Wanda, he has led the design, construction and operation management of over 100 upscale and luxury hotels. Under his leadership, these hotels have won many prestigious international design awards, including the SBID Awards, Gold Key Awards, IIDA-Best of Asia Pacific Design Awards, Hospitality Design Awards and many more.

Heinz Richardson  |  Principal, Jestico + Whiles

Heinz is the Principal of Jestico + Whiles. He has been instrumental in building up the size and international reputation of the practice for high quality client focussed design. He has a respected expertise within the design world in the fields of sustainable design, residential and complex and demanding projects. Most recently he has overseen the multi-award winning restoration of Sir John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor. Heinz has lectured widely, both here and abroad and is a Civic Trust awards assessor. He is also a client advisor on a number of projects. In his time as a Director he has overseen numerous award-winning projects and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Katharine Pooley  |  CEO and Founder, Katharine Pooley Ltd

Katharine Pooley is one of the most sought-after interior designers working internationally today. Recently named ‘British Interior Designer of the Decade’, ‘International Designer in Asia of the Year’, and ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’, her design ethos is both highly respected and uniquely far reaching. Overseeing her team of 47 interior designers and architects, her eponymous Knightsbridge Design Studio was established over 15 years ago and continues to create unmatched luxury interior designs for landmark commercial and residential projects in London and Worldwide for the most discerning clients.

Carolina Sandri  |  Creative Director, Casa Forma

Carolina has more than a decade of experience on the design and implementation of high-end interior design and architecture projects in London and around the globe. Trained as an Architect, she established her own architectural business in her native country Brazil before moving to London 15 years ago. As the Creative Director at the award-winning luxury design studio Casa Forma, she is responsible for delivering leading-edge residential schemes for international high net worth individuals and property developers.

Nicholas Cowell  |  Director, Cowell Group

Nicholas Cowell is the Co-founder of The Estate Office and most recently the Cowell Group. He is responsible for residential and commercial acquisitions and specialises in advising on the sale and acquisitions of large portfolios. Nicholas is also a Director on the Board of a number of successful property companies, working closely with joint venture partners and high net worth local and overseas investors. His knowledge of the property market is unparalleled through 30 years’ experience and working deals to maximise returns.

David Chang  |  Founder & Design Director, David Chang Design Associates International

David Chang, founder of David Chang Design Associates International (DCDA), a registered Professional member of NCIDQ, ASID, SBID and IIDA, has over 25 years of experience in hospitality and high-end residential interior design and management experiences in North America and Asia.

In 1998, David Chang founded David Chang Design Associates International (DCDA) in Vancouver, Canada, and expanded to China market in 2006, established firms in Guangzhou, Beijing and Taipei, to provide exclusive upscale design services on landmark projects for local top developers. 

Lesley McMillan  |  Interior Designer, The City of Edinburgh Council

Lesley is an award-winning interior and architectural designer. With a 20-year career spanning residential and commercial design. Wellbeing is paramount in Lesley’s designs with a passion for holistic, sustainable, inclusive and therapeutic design, particularly applicable to the diverse range of public buildings she has designed interiors for in her role at City of Edinburgh Council. 

Graham Robinson  |  Showroom and Design Manager, Halcyon Interiors

Graham is the Design Manager at Halcyon Interiors flagship, on London’s Wigmore Street; a road that has become the epicentre of kitchen design. Over the last 20 years he has developed a passion of contemporary design and honed his eye for meticulous detail, allowing him to create practical kitchens that look stunning for many years to come.

Simone de Gale  |  CEO & Director, Simone de Gale Architects

Simone de Gale Architects (SGA), is based in exclusive Belgravia, London, UK, whose style is grounded in luxury developments. Winner ‘Architect of Year’ 2017, ‘International Entrepreneur of the Year’ 2018, ‘Westminster Lion’ 2018, SGA is now developing its international portfolio, the first project, a £200m masterplan in Tbilisi, Georgia. As well as securing a large scale masterplan project, the company has secured other international projects; in Croatia, Abu Dhabi, the Caribbean, and USA, as well as developing current opportunities in Ukraine. 

Constantina Tsoutsikou  |  Founder & Creative Director, STUDIO LOST

Constantina is the Founder of Lost, a brand new studio focusing on high-end, hospitality, residential and boutique commercial projects in collaboration with the industry’s most respected global brands. Having led the European arm of International hospitality giant HBA for many years, Constantina has worked on award-winning hotel projects around the globe, creating also an array of bespoke products and furniture lines for her clients along the way.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Katharine Pooley

ceo and founder, Katharine Pooley Ltd.

Katharine Pooley, ceo and founder of Katharine Pooley Ltd., is the recipient of numerous high-profile British and international awards. Established more than 15 years ago, her Knightsbridge studio comprising 47 interior designers and architects creates landmark luxury commercial and residential projects in London and around the world for the most discerning clients. Katharine’s highly personal approach of immersing herself in every detail in her clients’ complex projects has resulted in a loyal international fan base. Her aesthetic is very much client-driven, and she prides herself on being a complete design chameleon.

Katharine also has a standalone retail boutique in South Kensington that, as well as her website katharinepooley.com, showcases a range of curated accessories sourced from around the globe.

How are lifestyle changes influencing the way products are designed?

Nowadays it’s all about timing, materials and costs. We really want to design our own bespoke products for clients rather than just buying things off the shelf. We want to create something that’s very special. Many of our clients are high-net-worth individuals who are looking for unique items – although we’re also still buying a lot of antiques. It’s lovely to mix a bit of new with a bit of old.

The new generation wants cleaner living spaces. They’re not that into clutter or, ironically, antiques. It depends on the generation and the age of the client. In the Middle East, for example, they’re looking for items that are dust-free, so they don’t want pieces designed with shadow gaps that cause them to have to clean all the time. Some people have been quite fussy about glass and frames, some are saying they don’t want polished chrome and others want bronze because it requires less cleaning. It’s all because we have less time nowadays and more stress than ever before. People are looking for an easier, more balanced life.

How is the luxury market changing?

Luxury is very different for many different people. For me, time is a luxury because I never seem to have it. For those who have so much wealth and so many assets, luxury is all about layers: wanting something bespoke that no one else has got and that is so unique, it can’t be bought for anyone else. To be honest, I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. I think it’s far better to take the approach that less is more, but that’s just my opinion.

We’re talking more than ever about the economy and the climate. I do an awful lot of international work. For example, in Hong Kong, there were the riots, and now the coronavirus, and then in Australia, the flooding, it’s one drama after another. What I would love to look at this year is trying to encourage our clients to be happy with what we’ve got. But also, to think about the environment and maybe not using shagreen, not using rosewood, and trying to protect the Earth as we can. I was recently asked at a conference how we ship products for our overseas projects. Well, it’s absolutely right everything can go by boat, which helps the environment. But at the same time, maybe there are things we can choose locally. I really do believe in quality, and in Britain we’re very blessed to have the best, so it’s important to get it right the first time. I’m very into the ethos of the environment and preserving the world.

Is more always more? How do you balance patterns and materials to avoid visual overload?

For my clients, there’s no such thing as overload. They want more and more and more, whether it’s a trim on a lampshade or whether it’s a different material within the pleats, or whether it’s three trims on curtains. It’s amazing, they just want that attention to detail. One of my favourite designers is Kit Kemp, who has the most amazing ability to add huge amounts of different fabrics and materials. Look at Martin Brudnizki’s design of Annabel’s private members club – you can’t get more fabrics in one room, can you? There is a way to make it work. But is it sustainable and is it liveable? That’s only a matter of personal choice.

More and more, my clients say they’d rather trust my opinion. If I think something is too much, I have no qualms about being honest with them. We’ve had times when clients say, “No, I’m going to have it,”, but then really hate it. So, we have to be careful. But look, interior design is about fun, isn’t it? It’s always enjoyable to be able to have some play areas and some that are calmer. It’s also about trying to find the calmness for one’s life.

Where do you find your treasures? Do you have a network of scouts who keep an eye out for quirky pieces?

I’m always travelling, always on the go and on the lookout for different things. I feel very blessed. I do go back to the same people, but I also try new things. Nowadays, it’s so hard to find unique things because clients have access to all the shows like Maison et Objet. So, it’s quite important to try and find unique things. For two really big projects we’re doing now, I’ll give my sources carte blanche to find something and then if I don’t like it, they’ll go off and find other things. They’re always sending me fabrics and I’ll say what I like or don’t like, and then that’s how we reach agreement with a client. Some clients don’t care about, and some really do. It depends on the clients themselves.

We end up designing a lot of our own stuff, which gives us an advantage and also helps us deal with the issue of copying that is quite a big concern now.

What inspires you both professionally and personally?

Travel, without a doubt, inspires me professionally. I’m very blessed to get to travel and have always been inspired by different cultures. I grew up in the Middle East when my mother and stepfather were posted to Bahrain. I feel very comfortable living and working in the Middle East and have an office there. I also lived in Hong Kong for 16 years and am very into the Asian life and ethos. I feel very blessed to have a multi-cultured background that enables me to understand different cultures.

Personally, because I’m so in love with so many different designs and styles, I’m always wanting something like that in my house and end up with a complete museum of my projects. For example, I loved a panel by Palestrina, a division of Turnont & Gifnon, it’s amazing. My husband keeps saying to me. “Oh my god, what now?” All I’ve learned inspires me personally.

Katharine is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Herbert Lui

partner, Dexter Moren Associates

Herbert Lui, partner, Dexter Moren Associates, has extensive experience working on complex mixed-use developments on challenging sites. Along with a strong awareness of stakeholder aspirations, he has a proven ability to convert constraints into opportunities. A graduate of Westminster University and the Architectural Association in London, as well as the National University of Singapore, Herbert joined DMA in 1999 as a project architect and was appointed a partner in 2008.

In 2018 he secured planning consent for the 252-room Bicester Heritage hotel. Located on a former Royal Air Force base in the heart of “motorsport valley”, the property is close to a number of Formula One teams and the Silverstone Circuit.  In November 2019, he achieved consent for the third and final major phase in the refurbishment and expansion of the Mandeville Hotel in Marylebone, London.

Herbert has also brought his hospitality experience into the multi­family residential/private rental sector in London’s Canary Wharf and has been the design leader for several hospitality schemes in North Africa and Nairobi.

What changes do you forecast we will see in the design industry in the years to come?

Environmental concerns and sustainability will be a driving factor. Dexter Moren Associates belongs to Architects Declare, an initiative committed to creating architecture and urbanism that has a more positive impact on the world around us. Careful selection of certified and sustainably sourced materials will be an even greater priority moving forward. This will affect how we build, and indeed, what we build.

Does incorporating public realm into private rental sector and hospitality sites encourage acceptance by a community that may be reluctant to change, and why?     

Enhancing the public realm is integral to the design of all our hospitality projects. Creating places where people want to stay or live is one of Dexter Moren Associates’ core values, and the creation of high-quality outdoor spaces improves the setting of our buildings while also helping regenerate streets. Improving the public realm is a key aspect in planning negotiations as it is a means of giving back to the community. I’m working on a project in the Tooting area of South London where the delivery of a high-quality communal public space has been a key influence on the project. Allowing public access for non-hotel guests is important for encouraging social inclusivity.

You’re a specialist in working on complex mixed-use developments on tricky sites. What’s one of the toughest challenges you’ve had to resolve in your career?

Unlocking value through good design and efficient space planning is the key to whether or not a project progresses beyond the first sketch. I’ve been involved in several projects where clients explored multi-basement hotel developments. Ensuring that the design quality of subterranean hotel rooms is not compromised is a challenge. With our London Road project in the South London area of Croydon, achieving planning consent for circa-600 guest rooms across four underground levels required us to challenge existing perceptions of the locale and win over the authorities through contextually relevant designs that would enhance the neighbourhood.

Is there a product that makes your life as an Architect easier?

A Leica Laser Measure, which takes accurate site measurements and is a lot quicker than a traditional tape measure!

Herbert is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Lesley McMillan

interior designer, City of Edinburgh Council

Lesley McMillan, interior designer, City of Edinburgh Council, is an award-winning interior and architectural designer with a 20-year career spanning residential and commercial design. Wellbeing is paramount to Lesley’s designs, with her passion for holistic, sustainable, inclusive and therapeutic concepts particularly applicable to the diverse range of public building interiors she has created for the City of Edinburgh Council. She is passionate about community participation in co-designing spaces with end-users, and her recent projects shortlisted in the SBID International Design Awards included a library; a home for children and young people in care; a crematorium; and nursery schools.

As the SBID Education Council chair and SBID’s Scotland regional director, Lesley is keen to promote best practices and expert knowledge within these sectors of interior architecture.

How can the design of learning environments help students prepare for the future?

My current role with Architecture and Design Scotland really has two elements: co-designing with pupil, teacher and community involvement, which in turn helps schools transition to agile learning environments. Digital transformation has recently gone from analogue to digital, and now, to virtual with the introduction of augmented reality. For the schools we’re building now, we need to consider that teaching methods and learning spaces are changing rapidly. We’re creating learning environments that encourage children to develop the skills they need for the jobs of the future, work that will require creative and collaborative critical thinkers.

So, much like the introduction of smart technology into offices, the design and furniture for schools must reflect these new capabilities. We will be taking inspiration from spatial learning typologies such as “campfires in cyberspace”, with adaptable configurations that let students gather in different group sizes for shared and collaborative learning. The furniture doesn’t necessarily have to be tables and chairs, it could be a comfortable sofa or a beanbag.

Can your designs help students grow into better adults?

I’m currently creating a process and guide to encourage the co-design process of inspiring and agile learning environments that looks not only at environmental sustainability in furniture and material specifications, but also social sustainability. Something I’ve done for my own projects, and which I encourage local authorities and pupils from other schools to do, is work with Scottish supported businesses, which are companies with at least fifty percent of staff who are disadvantaged or disabled. We’re exploring how the teaching environment can help people to be kind by reflecting on factors such as the ways environmental conditions can affect moods. It might just be that in a more pleasant atmosphere with natural air and comfortable surroundings, people are more likely to be happy and kind. Or perhaps spaces that have more organic and natural patterns, shapes and colours, which fits with biophilia; the idea of bringing nature into the interiors. We’ve really just started looking at it, but we are considering how we can make learning spaces socially sustainable with procurement and the creation of inclusive environments. We’ve done a lot of work with the Education Council to create spaces that feel comfortable for pupils and adults who require additional support for learning needs, addressing issues such as acoustics and how high stimulus colours contribute to sensory overload.

How do your designs encourage students’ capacity to learn?

Deep learning occurs when pupils are happy and relaxed, so my designs for learning environments consider their wellbeing with spaces that feel nurturing and comfortable. Biophilia has a big influence on my concepts. It’s proven that bodies release serotonin in the outdoors, which means people are happier and more comfortable when they’re outside. Lots of studies show that bringing natural materials, colours and patterns into interiors promotes that same sense of wellbeing, so I really try to apply this to the schools I design. I no longer like to call them “classrooms.” I prefer “learning spaces” because with so many different breakout and outdoor spaces that can be used, learning can happen anywhere.

What’s the best way to get people to participate in the creative process and accept new designs?

When co-designing a space, particularly a learning environment, it’s good to look at the school’s local community and the context of the local site. I often ask pupils to look at local nature, landscapes and history for inspiration, and then we pull from that, whether specific or in broad terms, to create a design narrative.

For example, involving the pupils and the parents in the design of St Margaret’s Primary School gave them a sense of ownership. We looked at Queen Margaret’s journey when she came to Scotland. She was responsible for the creation of the Queensferry crossing that resulted in the construction of three bridges over the Firth of Forth. Since she travelled by sea, we took shapes and colours from the coast to create a “learning ship,” and also incorporated graphics of the bridges and lyrics from the school’s song about Queen Margaret to give the space an identity.

What needs to change in the design industry?

SBID is already doing a great job but, we can do more to strengthen interior designers’ reputation in the design industry and as a profession. Appointing an interior designer on a job isn’t a luxury. We bring benefits to public projects by creating environments that consider wellbeing, pedagogy, sustainability, and inclusivity. We can consider the design of nurturing and comfortable places such as children’s homes where my aim has been to create more therapeutic environments. An interior designer is an integral part of a design team and should be appointed from the outset. There’s the unfortunate misconception that interior designers just come along at the end and pick some colours and put in some cushions. But if we are actually appointed at the beginning of the project, we help form the interior architecture to ensure it works. In addition to providing decorative aesthetics, the job of an interior designer is complex. It is the only discipline within design that interacts with almost all other areas of the design industry such as architects, furniture designers/makers, surface pattern and textile designers, product designers, and graphic designers. We are aligned with all other building professions, from mechanical and engineering to architecture, etc and are highly experienced in refurbishing or re-purposing spaces. Qualified interior designers – with an accredited degree from a university – spend a lot of time on Continuing Professional Development and have a wealth of professional experience – something demonstrated by SBID Accreditation.

Lesley is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Tim Bowder-Ridger

senior partner, Conran and Partners

Architect and designer Tim Bowder-Ridger, senior partner, Conran and Partners, is passionate about creating authentic experiences centred around cultural spirit and personality. Drawing on his hospitality and residential experience, Tim leads the design direction of the practice as a whole, as well as being responsible for its operations. Recent projects include the conversion of the Brutalist-style Centre Point in London from an unused office tower into residences, and Kita Aoyama, a high-end residential development in Japan.

As senior partner of Conran in Hong Kong, Tim is also responsible for the overall leadership and coordination between the UK and HK subsidiary and has been building the company’s reputation with new work in Japan.

How do your projects embrace the Japanese concept of wabi sabi, the celebration of imperfect, impermanent and incomplete beauty?

Our approach in Japan has been to use authentic materials in their natural forms, for example timber that patinas with age to add further life and spirit. We call that the “honesty” of the material, with every piece being unique compared with artificial printed timber that always looks lifeless compared to the true thing. The Japanese and the British cultures have a similar connection to the landscape and nature, a romantic view about enjoying them. We tend to use a lot of natural materials, but Japan has particularly good techniques for concrete, which is used a lot due to earthquakes. Being a poured material, there are always imperfections, but even these are embraced as beauty.

How is COVID-19, the coronavirus, affecting your work?

We are reducing our long-haul travel a bit, which is probably not a bad thing, and our Hong Kong studio are all working remotely from home at the moment. We have a very good technical team here who’ve set up the computers to work, so there’s not been a hit on our productivity nor our new business development.  But I think it’s a bit too soon to know where it’s going to end up, really, and the commercial knock-on effect of China being shut down. Statistically you’re far more likely to die of flu than coronavirus but the difficulty is whether people have confidence in their various government actions. We just review it on a case-by-case basis – but give it another four weeks and we might have a clearer idea of which way we’re heading. The fear is that so much is made in China that it will have an impact on construction stages. Luckily, at the moment we have a lot of pre-construction work.

How do the lifestyle preferences of Tokyo urbanites compare to those in London, and how did your design approaches for Kito Aoyama and Centre Point vary to accommodate these differences?

Both are world cities but different in the sense that London is more international, more akin to New York than Tokyo.  Tokyo feels distinctly Japanese, which is why we all like going these because it’s such a unique place. However they are both prime residential markets where people are well-to-do and well-travelled, so those individuals probably have more in common than they would otherwise. It’s less nationalistic as people are from the same global tribe. There was a lot of commonality in our approaches, but with Centre Point the apartments react to the existing structure of the 20^th century heritage building, whereas Kito Aoyama is a new build. For all our projects around the world we’re determined to have a sense of place, we try and engage in the context, local culture, all those things. One specific Japanese requirement is the way you pass into an apartment. There’s one entrance, but then doughnut-shaped circulation paths with private family areas in one direction and public reception spaces the other way. In traditional Japanese houses, people step over a threshold – although today they are level. And then there’s a small space to pause and greet one another and, then a separate, and sometimes quite large, room to take off and store your shoes.

There’s a layer of privacy that creates a physical manifestation in the apartment while still trying to enjoy all those different moments and thresholds. It’s like landscape design, a layered approach of being led from a sculpture to a temple to a lake. The difference is that with Japanese apartments, we do it twice, one way for the family and the other for guests. The kitchen and dining spaces are where it all comes together.  Even in Tokyo where space is a premium, they make it work. We’re also working in Hong Kong, and the reason why people eat out so much for entertainment is because their apartments are so small. Even there we try to create a layering of experiences.

What qualities make a product’s design exceptional?

It’s very simple: combining functionality with emotion. You can see that with Apple products or the ultimate cliché, BMW cars. They function very well and are desirable, so therefore sellable. It’s about effectiveness, intelligence in functionality and cost. With architecture and interior design, it’s very complex because it’s just about the world’s most collaborative profession to be in with so many different people involved. The job of the architect is really to distil that into a single point-of-view that balances all these different requirements. If you apply that to running a business, like I do, it’s no different. There are so many different things I need to bear in mind that I am forever designing the business. There’s a lot of crossover between running a business and designing a building, given the complexity and judgement – that’s where the creativity comes in.

How does good design equate to good business?

That depends – is business just about selling things or is it our business, a big part of which is trying to leave the world a bit of a better place than we found it. Terence Conran, our founder, always used to say that good design improves lives and it is absolutely the partner of commerce. When he founded his businesses, what he was doing and what we still try to do is provide ideas people want but might not even know they want until their exposed to it. That’s where we’re adding value. The future of the British economy has to be entirely about providing ideas. The creative industry is the UK’s largest after finance. Our great design schools and artistic heritage have a real worth that feeds creative ventures for their continued growth. Whilst this adds value to the world, it can also benefit business and the economy, which is key in the current post-Brexit climate.

Tim is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.

Meet Simone de Gale

ceo and director, Simone de Gale Architects

Not only has Belgravia, London – based Simone de Gale, ceo and director of Simone de Gale Architects, been named Architect of the Year in the 2017 Women in Construction Awards; the International Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018; and a Westminster Lion in 2018, she is also the inventor of a patented materials defence technology developed in partnership with the Ministry of Defence. SGA is currently working on a £200m masterplan in Tbilisi, Georgia as well commercial and residential projects in Croatia, Abu Dhabi, the Caribbean, the USA, and a feasibility study for the London Hammersmith Flyunder.

What social trends are driving change and how do your designs respond to them?

Automation and technology. Our clients expect their homes to have the same kinds of tech found in commercial spaces. For example, we’re designing residential bathrooms with sensors to automatically turn on the lights and taps. This kind of demand will continue to intensify.

How will your pioneering work with the Ministry of Defence influence the way products and buildings are created in the future?

We invented a process that can make any material stronger, whether a metal or composites like S2 glass and carbon fibre. It makes materials more resistant to blasts and can be used to protect soldiers in armoured vehicles from IEDs. The patent has been granted for BASL (Blast Absorption Systems Ltd.) technology, and I’m the main inventor. We’re working with companies to make their items blast-proof. Products made using this technique are stronger and lighter than those without it, so for example, the ground floor of a skyscraper could be reinforced with ,high-performance materials for the flooring, wall panels, and hybrid composites that look like stone but perform better while being heat-resistant, more durable and low maintenance. Prestressed bending causes the material to react in a mechanical way that makes it stronger on one side. The prototype has been monitored at the MOD’s blast testing ranges, and the calculations done so it’s ready to be used in industry.

How do your designs anticipate your clients’ future needs?

It’s all about spatial planning. We try to give clients a unique design but with a robust shell and core that gives them flexibility without needing to make major changes in the building structure. For example, we’ve designed commercial co-working spaces that have a stage so they can also be used as a wedding venue or for Christmas parties. Workstations intended for hot-desking can be packed up at night to make room for a DJ and compere. We always use pure geometry like a circle or square or natural forms like a butterfly. Squares are particularly good because they have 100% useable space.

What needs to change in the design industry?

Architecture and interior design are quite far behind compared to other industries. The principles of product design need to be applied to buildings and infrastructure. For example, the iPhone is initially designed at a very high-level, but then specs are sent to manufacturers who roll it out on a mass scale. We’re getting there with modular prefab construction, but the ambition is to deliver precision manufacturing in building systems. Once a design is completed, it is fed into computers for robots to build. BIM is helping achieve that. In order to reach higher standards and cost efficiency in shorter periods of time, our mindset should be to design according to manufacturers’ standards, using new materials and advanced technologies to model spaces and coordinate work with other teams.

What wisdom can you pass on to interior designers and architects who are new in their careers?

It’s the same advice given to me – only work on a design if you’re passionate about it. There will be a range of options and materials in the design process, and it’s important to follow your heart and go with something you can develop. If you’re the lead designer, you have to push a concept forward, and believing in it will reassure your clients’ questions, doubts and ambiguities.

Simone is one of the prestigious experts invited to join the extraordinary jury for the SBID Product Design Awards, alongside other renowned professionals across industrial and interior design, brand development, architecture, educational research and forward-thinking enterprise.

Click here to view the full judging panel.