The global leader in producing and distributing innovative and sustainable surfaces for architecture and design, the Cosentino Group, has introduced a new high-performance, ultra-compact stone collection: Dekton® Pietra Kode, the vision of renowned designer and architect, Daniel Germani.
Pietra Kode reinterprets the timeless beauty of three classic Italian stones: Vicenza, Travertine and Ceppo di Gré. Each of these antique natural stones has inspired three Dekton® concrete series within the collection, with enhanced technical properties for the world of modern architecture and design. Each colour incorporates contemporary elegance into the design, with the rich shades and textures creating a sensory experience beyond what the eye can see. The carbon-neutral Dekton® surface allows the collection to be used in a virtually limitless range of indoor and outdoor applications, including kitchen and bathroom worktops, flooring, furniture cladding, wall cladding and more.
Pietra Kode marks the third collection developed with designer and architect, Daniel Germani. While Germani’s previous “Industrial” and “Chromica” collections for the brand have been inspired by industrial design, the seven hues that make up Pietra Kode channel the influence of Vicenza stone, travertine, and Milan’s iconic Ceppo di Gré stone on Italian architecture over the centuries.
“For this collection, I spent a lot of time decoding each stone’s history in Italian architecture and reimagined them in a contemporary design with all of the benefits of Dekton,” said Daniel Germani. “Pietra Kode is a collection that showcases luxury in the small, understated details. It’s designed with the future in mind and compliments any space in a way that won’t go out of style.”
Four warm and versatile colours that reinterpret the code of classic Vicenza stone. With neutral, earthy tones and a rich design that flows onto the edges, all coexist in perfect harmony and complement cream, wood, and taupe palettes.
VK01 Nebbia is inspired by the texture of Grigio Alpi, with a fine-grained white creamy base dotted with warm taupe hues.
VK02 Avorio features a light beige shade in an extremely natural finish, inspired by the eponymous Avorio stone, an Italian material characterised by the presence of fossil shells.
VK03 Grigio boasts a gray colour scheme and warm nuances. VK03 Grigio draws its inspiration from Grigio Alpi, made popular by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, who used it in his villas and palaces in the Veneto region. It blends perfectly with creams, woods and taupe colours.
VK04 Grafite combines a mix of black and gray interspersed with whitish and reddish cloud-like patches, channeling the texture of dark, fine-grained limestone.
The series reinterprets the stone out of which Rome was built, made classical art shine and inspired Renaissance architecture. Two elegant designs are full of nuances reminiscent of these classic styles.
TK05 Sabbia reinterprets Italian Travertine, cut with a vein in its thread that flows through the pieces in a disorderly and colourful way, making it perfect for rustic or natural environments.
TK06 Marmorio takes cues from Travertino Navona, the quintessential Roman stone. Its porous striped structure gives an elegant, bright and lightweight look to any design.
It reinterprets the beauty of the Ceppo di Gré stone, often used in architecture in Milan, to design spaces that inspire us and connect us with nature. Like Vicenza Kode, Ceppo Kode also features design along the edges, perfect for particularly exposed applications.
CK07 Ceppo - the distinctive blue-gray multiform structure of the Italian Ceppo di Gré stone inspires this unique colour. It is an unmistakable pebbled pattern that is ideal for both indoors and outdoors, with its timeless design making it a perfect choice for a classic or modern look.
About Cosentino
Cosentino Group is a global, Spanish, family-owned company that produces and distributes high value innovative surfaces for the world of design and architecture. It works together with its clients and partners to provide with solutions that offer design and value, and inspire the life of many people. Dekton is Cosentino's innovative, ultra-compact and high-performance surface that offers endless design possibilities for outdoor and indoor spaces.
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SpeakEasy with Geoff Wilkinson
In this episode of the SBID podcast series, SBID founder, Vanessa Brady, talks garage conversions with Geoff Wilkinson, Managing Director of Wilkinson Construction Consultants.
Despite the easing of lockdown measures, our daily lifestyles may never be the same. As lifestyle patterns continue to shift, and we've had plenty of time to re-assess our new working environments and re-consider what is important in our homes, the need for functional and comfortable home offices comes to the forefront.
Finding that all-important extra space can be a challenge, but construction specialist, Geoff Wilkinson shares his expert advice and outlines some of the important considerations to bear in mind if you're thinking of turning an old garage into a usable office space!
From discussing planning permission practicalities and insurance to ventilation and window fittings, Vanessa provides a unique, professional perspective on converting garages with respect to achieving effective interior design that is compliant and fit-for-purpose.
Tune in to the whole conversation to discover more.
As we all adjust to a lifestyle of remote working amid the coronavirus outbreak, confined to our own homes, we begin re-evaluating our new working environments. SBID Accredited Designer, Katie Malik, founder and creative director of Katie Malik Interiors offers her expert advice for how to make home offices work for you or your clients, no matter the space or size.
Many of us face the challenge of the limited spaces we inhabit. In addition to this, our needs usually change with time as our jobs, likes and family life continues to evolve. This means we might need to transform an existing space to ensure it is suitable for new activities that have to take place there. This brings us to the current situation, while a lot of us are facing the reality of remote working. So, I'm sharing my tips for designers and homeowners, to help us create working spaces as efficient and as pleasant as possible, even without a dedicated 'office' room.
When planning a home office, we must consider a few important factors:
1) Position - where is the best place to make office space; consider distractions, surrounding noise etc.
2) Comfort - how to make the space as comfortable as possible.
3) Lighting - how should the space be lit; consider working hours and access to natural light.
4) Overall Look & Feel - how to make the space still look and feel like an extension of the home.
Ideally, you would have a separate dedicated space which you can lock at the end of the day. However, many of us, don’t have that luxury and need to think ‘outside of the box’. First of all, if there isn't a spare room we can convert into a home office, we need to be realistic about where we can fit everything we need in order to be able to work. Do we have a big screen or maybe even two? Can we work on a laptop? How much space are we going to realistically need? This is a number one question that’s going to determine a lot where you can or should position a home office.
The next big factor to take into consideration is where you can actually afford to ‘spare’ some space for a desk? By desk, I mean any form of desk, which doesn’t need to look like a traditional top with four legs. If you have any flexibility here, it's advisable to choose a place in the back of the house, or the place where people tend not to flock to all day long. This could be part of the living room or a corner of a bedroom. For some of us, it might be a guest bedroom or other part of the house. We’ll develop this point further, but whenever possible, chose a space with plenty of natural light; filling the space as much natural light as possible is better for your eyes and mental well-being. We have designed small home offices where they were either part of the joinery and disappeared when they had to, or were freestanding multi-functional pieces that blended in with the surroundings.
Asking questions will help you understand what is needed to make the space comfortable and fit for purpose. Ask questions like; Do you have a comfortable chair to sit in? Can you regulate the chair’s height? Does the chair have the armrests? Do you have enough space on your desk to put all the essentials out without being disrupted or creating the mess?
I would say planning and organising space is one of the most important factors. Make a list of everything your client needs and then think about what would make them happy working there. Is it having something on the desk, such as a photo that brings back nice memories? Or maybe you just a few pens and a coaster for a cup of tea? Do they need a pinning board to pin ideas/reminders etc? Knowing these things can help you plan and execute the right space for a home office.
Apart from ambient lighting, a task light and informed light selection is a must. Opting for a flexible energy efficient LED reading light is ideal for use as a task light for specific areas. A type of lamp with dimming features is also suggested, so the strength of light can be regulated for different purposes / times of day. Look for lamps which produce natural white light (especially if your access to daylight is limited). Another handy tip is to use a lamp with a base or shade that can rotate 360 degrees to facilitate more flexibility over the positioning of the light, allowing it to be directed wherever it is needed.
Especially if it’s part of a bigger space. In this case, consider blending the working area as much as possible with the existing design of the room; think similar finishes, colours, shapes etc. If you use completely different pieces style and colour wise, they will stand out more, and probably become an eye sore with time. Whenever we have designed a home office space, no matter how big or small, we would always blend it in as much as possible so it looks natural in its surroundings.
Solution 1:
The client purchased a beautiful one bedroom flat in Cambridge and wanted a space where he could occasionally work from. Due to space constraints, we proposed a small lean-on desk with shelves that blended in beautifully with the rest of the room.
Solution 2:
The clients didn’t want a home office, but still needed a desk space and a filing storage facility. We proposed a desk in the entertainment area, directly overlooking the views of the sea. Behind, we designed clever joinery for A4 files, that blends in with the kitchenette design. When not used for remote working, it’s a perfect entertainment room width adjacent terrace.
Solution 3:
The clients were in need of a multifunctional space, which would cater for many functions, one of them being able to work from home (doing homework to be more precise). Their daughter loved doing homework while her parents were watching TV or reading, and because the room we were designing was pretty small, we found a way to incorporate the desk into the built-in joinery with a clever solution; using a pull-out drawer, the desk could disappear completely when it was no longer needed.
Solution 4:
The client needed a space for working from home and for playing and studying music. The challenge was not only for this room to be designed in a way that caters for these activities, but also, not to feel as office. We suggested incorporating a foldable desk with clever built-in bookshelves to house a large book collection, and a seating bench which doubles up as housing for his amplifiers.
To support the community, Katie Malik Interiors are now offering FREE design consultations for those struggling with the design and organisation of their home office during the Coronavirus pandemic to help us find/create suitable spaces to work from home.
To arrange your consultation, drop an email to [email protected]
About the Author
Katie Malik is the creative director and founder of Katie Malik Interiors; an award-winning Cambridge and London based interior design studio, specialising in private residential, developments & hospitality interiors. Katie’s aim is to bring authenticity to each project.
For more information about becoming SBID Accredited, click here.
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a cool, clean and industrial-inspired residential design located in a conservation area in leafy Balham, South West London. SBID Accredited Designer, Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture was tasked with fully refurbishing, re-configuring and extending the five-bedroom Victorian family house. The project involved adding a large open plan ground floor extension to the rear of the property, whilst configuring the rest of the ground floor to include a formal sitting room, utility room, ground floor guest toilet and extra storage. The rest of the house was sensitively restored and redecorated with one bedroom being converted to a study and both bathrooms redesigned.
Practice: Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture
Project: Balham House
Location: London, United Kingdom
What was the client's brief?
The brief was to completely transform a much loved (but very tired) family home into a place suited to modern living, without losing that feeling of belonging. Being very keen gardeners, I was also asked to make the garden more of a feature from within the house.
What inspired the interior design of the project?
My clients love for their house was clearly a driving factor in my approach and their new found enthusiasm for the industrial aesthetic allowed me to explore the use of exciting elements and materials such as the metal framed windows, glazed brick slips, polished concrete flooring and engineered brickwork.
Wrap around windows were used to form the connection to the garden and a living sedum roof was installed to give a verdant view from the bedroom windows. I also used crazy paving for the patio, substituting the mortar with moss to soften the transition.
Other interesting touches were to re-use salvaged Victorian tiles from the original demolished conservatory floor and installing a custom made mural of a vintage map showing the local area when the house was first built.
What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?
Due to initial delays caused by bad weather and because of a very long supply lead time, the windows had to be ordered before the openings were formed meaning that all of the responsibility was on my shoulders if they didn't fit, but thankfully they did!
The decision to re-use hundreds of the original Victorian floor tiles salvaged from the old conservatory seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turned out to be a complex, challenging and time consuming process as there were so many different shapes, sizes and colours to contend with. They all had to be labelled and sorted before the jigsaw puzzle could begin.
What was your team’s highlight of the project?
Seeing my clients move back in and immediately feel settled and at home, even though everything had changed!
Questions answered by Richard Dewhurst, Founder of Richard Dewhurst Interior Architecture
We hope you feel inspired by this week's Residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a comforting, patient-focused healthcare design, click here to see more.
Want to become SBID Accredited? Click here to find out more.
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the SBID Award winning project for Residential Apartment Under £1M. Located in the centre of Kiev in a property whose architectural heritage dates from the 19th century, the apartment boasts high ceilings, a clear rhythm of windows and good proportions in every room. The project is created in the American classic style with an Art Déco theme, balanced with a welcoming and comfortable aesthetic; there isn’t any overblown show of luxury to distract the eye.
SBID Awards: Residential Apartment Under £1M winner sponsored by Lalique
Company: Kolomoiets-Project
Project: Apartment with History
Location: Kiev, Ukraine
The customer has expressed a wish to completely re-plan the apartment, considering the habitation of a couple. In terms of the interior design, he has suggested finding a balance of historic style, respectability, sophistication and functionality.
In one of the Kyiv salons, we acquired a chair in the style of Louis XV; classic in shape, modern in decoration with ebony and wool upholstery of a local fuchsia colour. Later, it took the place of the dominant subject in the living room. The balance of classic architectural forms and aesthetics using colour and materials of the 21st century became our main idea and motto. The fact that the apartment is located in a late 19th century building with a rich facade in the historic city centre inspired some of the design decisions and solutions throughout.
While reconstructing the old wooden floor, the floor level has rose by 250mm. This led to the arrangement of two steps in front of the front door. The home office also inherited a passage to the laundry room, namely a disproportionately low opening in the load-bearing wall. We made the decision to decorate this passage with a double-leafed, stained glass door which became a particular highlight in this room.
We achieved a good design solution in the living room area by using a boiserie of old Venetian mirrors. They extended the space somewhat and enhanced the decorative effect of the room.
Why did you enter the SBID Awards?
Design is a creative method, process and result. No less important for the development of creativity is the professionals’ evaluation, especially on a global scale - and that is why it was so important for us to participate in the SBID Awards!
Questions answered by Alla Kolomoiets of Kolomoiets-Project
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring the SBID Award winners for Development Sales Centre which combine traditional culture with modernity and contemporary spaces, click here to see more.
SBID Awards 2019 | Residential Apartment Under £1M Winner sponsored by Lalique
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features stunning residential CGI visualisations from the SBID Award winners for the CGI & Visualisation category with their cool, skyscraping penthouse project in London. Straddling the border between the Square Mile and Old Street, the Atlas Building takes in the best bits of both the City and East London. At 152 metres tall, it is Tech City’s newest and tallest residential addition, towering over all its surrounds. Ken Shuttleworth’s award-winning architecture practice MAKE has designed the building around nine enormous architectural blades, with a staggered design which creates a series of balconies and terraces.
Angel O’Donnell were commissioned by their client to design the incredible penthouse on the 38th floor. The design needed to be art-deco inspired whilst remaining current and cool, fit for the tech-titans that would be living in the building and working nearby. The client requested that Angel O’Donnell create CGIs in order to visualise the design within the space that would then also serve for marketing the apartment for letting purposes. Teaming up with the tech geniuses at Intermarketing, the team created CGIs that were truly astonishing, completely realistic and then topped off with a 360 degree walk through the penthouse.
SBID Awards: CGI & Visualisation Winner sponsored by Vectorworks
Company: Angel O'Donnell
Project: The Atlas Building
Whilst the client had a very strong idea of their design aspirations, the penthouse was ultimately to be a rental investment, so AOD needed to use as much commercial insight into the designs that they were producing as possible, to ensure it was fitting of the penthouse setting but equally that the fit-out cost was affordable whilst commensurate to a high-value rental property.
Given the long lead time before the building’s construction was due to be finished, the client requested that Angel O’Donnell produce CGIs that would provide complete clarity on the designs AOD had produced, featuring the exact furniture, colour schemes and fabrics as they would need to serve for marketing purposes.
We started with the idea New York City and the Great Gatsby, inspired by our client's love of art deco and being a Shoreditch sky scraper, it really was London's answer to New York! The view is like no other in a tall building in London, you really can see an entire London cityscape, North, South, East and West, completely panoramic! So of course, if one thinks Gatsby design, they think retro Gatsby scales and we wanted to have this as a feature in the master bedroom headboard but how we could incorporate that in a modern sky scraper in East London was a challenge, to go all out art deco wouldn't be right and it very much had to be a modern interpretation. Then on a trip to South of France, we were inspired by the all-round arches of the Pont Du Gard bridge near Nimes and felt by rounding off the Gatesby scales into arches, it gave the more modern look we were after! From there the design flowed, mixing modern, art-deco inspired loft with edgy Shoreditch penthouse.
Builders! Once the client had seen the fabulous CGIs and 360 degree walk through we had produced on our virtual reality goggles, he wanted the project complete as soon as possible. The challenge, however, was the main contractor who was struggling to finish the building so they could handover to the client and in turn to ourselves. We ended up having to work around the contractors which had impacts on snagging, the number of people on site and of course damage to our very expensive FF&E. However, at Angel O’Donnell, we take the view that there is no such word as “can’t” and everything is resolvable, so we put in some long shifts finishing at gone 1am to get the project finished and meet the client’s high expectations.
The comparison between the CGIs and the real thing! The CGIs were so realistic, it was easy to think that they were actual photographs, and when wearing the goggles, to believe you were in the actual apartment! Everyone was thrilled with the result and Intermarketing were able to add finesse to the visualisations that you just wouldn’t achieve from a typical render.
Between Ed O’Donnell and myself, we’ve got 20 years’ experience within the design and real estate industry but always working for others. Having established Angel O’Donnell only a year ago, we wanted to enter an awards where just being shortlisted would be a huge honour and provide us with industry recognition of our own. We never imagined that in this short space of time we would be recognised for our talent and being shortlisted (let alone actually winning!) is testament to the hard work and long hours we’ve been putting in over the last 12 months!
Questions answered by Richard Angel, Co-Founder of Angel O'Donnell
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring the SBID Awards' Overall Winner 2019 with the non-invasive and nature-inspired property in Mexico, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's CGI & Visualisation design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
SBID Awards 2019 | CGI & Visualisation Winner sponsored by Vectorworks
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a four-bedroomed, new-build residential property in Berkshire. Allison Pidgeon Interiors worked together with the developer on the specification design throughout. Using their many years of expertise to uniquely tailor the interior design to flow seamlessly with the specification, reflect the aspirations of the purchaser profile, and also the Client’s vision for the development. This resulted in the delivery of a super stylish, yet exquisitely comfortable interior through a stress-free and enjoyable process enhanced by the collective commitment of trusted tradespeople, meticulous project management, and outstanding service. These carefully managed interiors were delivered on time and within budget without compromising on quality, craftsmanship or superior design.
Sector: Residential Design
Company: Allison Pidgeon Interiors
Project: Oak Apples Drive
Location: Berkshire, United Kingdom
We offered a uniquely personal service to our Client, drafting suggested furniture layouts for all plots on the development. These enabled him to plan functional heating, lighting and electrical layouts for all plots. We also assisted in specification selections throughout, ensuring a nice flow of palette and a high quality of finishes. We joined our Client in numerous meetings at various show rooms to select kitchen and bathroom products and finishes, floor and wall tiling, carpets and hard flooring, paint colours and internal doors and door furniture. We even selected paint colours for the front doors.
Once all these selections were made we used our extensive expertise in residential design, and our research in understanding the target market, to curate timeless interiors which reflect the high quality specification on the development.
The choice and quality of the specification, the purchaser profile, local competition and the Client’s own vision inspired the remainder of the project. We avoided whimsical trends, garish patterns and colours, and instead focused on providing tactile, comfortable interiors in a muted soothing palette, which are aspirational and sophisticated. We believe this direction was correct for the target market.
Many of the items we supplied were made bespoke for the project including upholstery, soft furnishings, window treatments, furniture, artwork and florals, and we sourced beautiful objects with which to complete dressing of the property.
To be honest the project was a dream with a delightful Client and we didn’t have any major hurdles.
We were delighted to see the property installed and complete, but this was surpassed by our Client’s sheer delight when we handed the property over to him (a day ahead of schedule). The positive feedback we’ve received from the selling agents and interested buyers and the fantastic testimonial our Client has written have all been highlights of the project.
Questions answered by Allison Pidgeon, Director of Allison Pidgeon Interiors
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a lavish interior for an new residential development, click here to see more.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's residential design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire
Image Credits: Photography by Chris Snook
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a prestigious residential property in the heart of Mayfair with the restoration of a grade II listed townhouse in one of London’s most illustrious addresses for the rental market. Working in close collaboration with Schiller Beynon Interior Design, Shape London, and Cumming Corporation, Portview applied their artisan skills in craftsmanship to uncover a plethora of classical, period features that complement the chic, contemporary interior. Spread over five floors, the spacious property is the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of city living, with large, expansive rooms that boast opulent ceilings and ample natural light. Positioned just 0.1 miles from Hyde Park and 0.6 miles from Bond Street, the property offers the city’s most popular leisure destinations just around the corner.
Company: Portview Fit Out Specialists
Project: Mayfair Townhouse Restoration
The brief was to inject the house with a new lease of life by restoring the beautiful period features throughout the property and combine them with new, premium quality finishes and a contemporary colour palette. Essentially, our task was to mix the old with the new to create a very understated, yet luxurious interior that is compatible with modern living.
As this was a residential refurbishment for the rental market, we used our experience in restoring listed properties to deliver an interior that retained its historical integrity to uncover and develop period features into a number of unique selling points.
The house comprises of two reception rooms, a large dining room, and a ground floor drawing room that is located just off the main entrance hall where a stunning console table made of marble, metal and painted wood, awaits. The vestibule area on the first floor - dressed minimally with beautiful basket weave oak flooring - is particularly impressive as an ideal space for entertaining guests.
The master bedroom occupies the second floor and benefits from a separate dressing room and marble clad bathroom that has been finished with a bronze trim and matching brassware. An additional three bedrooms are located on the third floor, each tastefully dressed to the same exacting standard.
From top to bottom, elements of surprise await guests at every level. A great example of this is a roof terrace which boasts stunning views of the surrounding area, ideal for relaxing in the sunshine or socialising casually with friends.
For the lower ground floor, a further bedroom (and bathroom) can be found. In addition, the family kitchen offers a more informal dining space and features a rear, private entrance via the patio garden.
Working with a listed building presents a number of unique challenges. In this case our biggest challenge was the grand nineteenth century staircase, which was actually installed in the mid-1800s from another building. To make it structurally sound, we had to work closely with our engineers and the listed building officer to position the staircase in the correct place, level it out and make it fit for purpose.
In addition, the basement comprised of a lot of small, tiny rooms that needed to be opened out to create more classically proportioned spaces that are in keeping with the architectural style of the building.
The transformation has really been quite remarkable and it’s all largely down to the great relationships we have with our project partners. The Portview team work tirelessly to ensure every detail is carefully considered and that every finish is crafted to the highest standard. The biggest highlight by far is the fact that we exceeded the client’s expectations and that they are very happy with the finished look.
Questions answered by Simon Campbell, Managing Director at Portview
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring Discovery’s new, inspiring and 5-star green rated head office which stands as an architectural landmark in South Africa, click here to see more.
Portview Fit Out
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a timeless residential design for a young family of three. Inspired by 1930's American luxury interiors, the apartment incorporates stylistic Art Deco influences as well as classic New York city design qualities throughout in light of the family's vision after returning from a recent trip to NYC. Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design worked closely with the client to create a design scheme which complimented their needs, requirements, lifestyle and tastes, whilst also reflecting Alexandr's signature style as an interior designer.
Company: Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design
Project: Private Apartment
The project was designed for a young family of three. At that time, the owners of the apartment had recently returned from a trip to New York and were still fresh in the memory of the impressions, designs and inspirations found in the local interiors, architecture and atmosphere of this fascinating city so naturally, they wanted us to capture this ‘New York city vibe’ in the design of their new family apartment.
Based on the client’s travels, the inspiration for the project was found in the American luxury interiors of the twentieth century, namely the 1930's and the rapid flowering period of Art Deco with bright memories of Manhattan and New York.
The client's fully shared and provided us with their stylistic vision and gave us full freedom to its realisation that in result was embodied in a perfect and verified, modern but classic interior.
I had a goal to create a timeless interior within my signature style as an interior designer. I worked closely with the clients to ensure the process from initial concept to final completion were both easy and to their requirements.
We were given very short time frame to implement the design of the project. We had only one year from project's inception itself to develop the concept, designs, logistics, implementation and final fit-out.. Just 12 months and a 200 m2 space in which also needed some repairs before proceeding to implement the final interior design scheme.
Our task was to develop a design project and place orders at all factory contractors so that they could produce products and deliver them on time. All departments of our bureau worked cohesively and together, so that we coped and delivered with the task on time!
Luckily, despite the time constraints, our client trusted us completely so our work was easy and successful. To me, it is very important when the customer can fully trust the creative flow of the designer and not make adjustments during the implementation of the project. I think this is the greatest achievement!
Throughout the design process our priority is always to exceed our client's expectations and to ensure that they enjoy the journey as much as we do. And with this project, we certainly achieved that!
Questions answered by Alexandr Shepel, Chief Designer at Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring stunning CGI visualisations for an apartment building near the sandy coastline of the Baltic Sea, click here to see more.
Alexandr Shepel Architecture and Design | SBID International Design Awards
This week's instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a typical Cape Dutch style house with a traditional thatch roof in the village of Franschhoek with a quirky, residential design. The vast white walls in this sunny Cape Town home takes full advantage of the abundance of sunlight to create and accentuate the feeling of space, letting the light flood throughout the property. With the bright, white freshness of this stunning holiday home, ACID+ integrated the client's love of street art to inject the property with personality. Using authentic South African artworks and hand painted murals by South African artists to punctuate this white-washed home with vibrant splashes of colour.
Company: ACID+
Project: Franschhoek Cape Winelands
Project Location: Cape Town, Africa
To create a comfortable, creative interior and make good use of the fabulous outside space and views. The house was purchased on a whim by the clients when they visited Cape Town and the Western Cape for the first time and saw it advertised on their way to the airport to fly home. They fell in love with the area.
The house is a typical Dutch Cape style house with a thatch roof in the village of Franschhoek - beside the fabulous DeLaire Graff wine estate and extraordinary Babylonstoren wine farm in the Cape Winelands. The house also comprises of a separate guest suite with its own entrance, garden, terrace and even its own kitchen for guests to use, so they are able to enjoy privacy and meet up with other friends for sundowners [South Africans are avid Sundowners. Meeting up to drink the fabulous local wines and craft gins in the evenings while the sun sets]. The house is named ‘Rehoboth’, meaning a place to flourish. It was therefore important to balance social spaces whilst also offering privacy throughout the interior design scheme.
It’s really all about the views and the garden. The garden was designed by the previous owner and the renowned, late landscape architect Anne Sutton when the house was built 12 years ago. Fragrant Lemon blossom, lavender, Iceberg roses, Murraya exotica, rosemary and snowdrift Thyme make for a perfumed Mediterranean garden.
The weather lends itself to almost year-round alfresco living, and that's exactly what appealed to the clients; a Mediterranean climate in beautiful surroundings with excellent food and wine. The garden wraps around all sides of the house with various sitting, lounging, sunbathing and dining options to be used at different times of the day. The owners inherited the full-time gardener whom has cared for the garden since its creation. The house and gardens get sun all day from early morning to sunset and the separate entrances to the bedrooms means there is no post pool dripping through the house.
The client is a lover of street art, so we wanted to integrate this into the design of the home - bringing this concept throughout the interior, as well as on the exterior. The mural in the front garden was executed by a local street artist Wayne Becks. The mural in a guest bedroom is by Ana Kuni, a Ukranian model and artist living in Cape Town. Both artists works captured the owners eye instantly.
The time of year the interior fit out was being done was over the Christmas holidays which was - unknowing to us - the only time of the year when everything closes down. It's like Europe in summer when factory orders close. Everything closes down in October to February. It was their summer holiday! The time when everyone goes home to visit their families. This meant we had to ship furniture into Cape Town from Hong Kong which was fraught with difficulties and not something we would wish to repeat. This caused an ongoing saga for about 5 months!
When the furniture finally arrived it was in perfect order. Not a single scratch and everything fitted in perfectly. All the art used to punctuate the property with pops of colour was purchased in South Africa and is by South African artist, filling the home with unique and colourful art which they loved. Again - everything came together in the end and worked together perfectly!
Questions answered by Anji Connell, Design Director at ACID+ Anji Connell Interior Design
If you missed last week's Project of the Week featuring a contemporary and environmentally-friendly design for a sustainable family home in Mexico City, click here to see more.
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