Notes from a London Bathroom Designer: A History of Bathroom Design

Notes from a London Bathroom Designer: A History of Bathroom Design

Lino Revolutions

1864 was a big year in the history of bathroom design. Yorkshireman Frederick Walton invented linoleum, a material that was to alter the bathroom design profession in remarkable ways. It was almost 1870 when Fred first welcomed the public into his London showroom in a year when showers were starting to be seen as a viable alternative to the traditional bathtub. Bathroom designers needed to move away from the wallpaper or panelled veneer wallcoverings, which would start to warp and grow mouldy when exposed to steamy humidity next to the shower. In part this was also due to faulty designs of the steel heating vessels, which made them liable to overboiling or even explosions! Linoleum was a huge hit among Bathroom Designers in London – this fresh new look and practical yet stylish flair found its way into clients’ bathrooms all over the capital.

The Birth of Luxury

Regardless of how old you are, you probably adore the feeling of a bubbly steam shower, maybe with the addition of fragranced salts and aromatherapy gels? Bathroom Designers in London today recognise that so many discerning homeowners crave a luxurious, indulgent, spa-style bathroom concept. And yet most of the public are completely unaware that there is literally heaps of history that impacts every modern bathroom idea or feature! Ask even the least design-aware individual to describe a standard bathroom, and most likely they will immediately start talking of stone, marble, white non-porous substrates and fresh cleanliness. Remarkably, these very ideas and concepts began to play a role in bathroom design schemes only in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries! And bathroom designers had to wait until at least 1925 before they got access to a range of accessories with which to add perfect stylish flair to designer bathrooms. But from there it just snowballed! Bathroom design professionals began to recommend high-end cupboards with interior illumination, they started to design recessed hideaways for keeping favourite shampoos or medicine bottles, and they got creative with storage areas that would make sure unsightly clutter was never seen. London’s bathroom design industry had finally come into its own!

Victorian Times

Londoners in Victorian times craved perfect hygiene in their bathrooms, and bathroom designers responded with gusto! But just a few years later well-heeled London homeowners began to demand a breath of sophisticated refinement to give their bathrooms distinction and flair. Bathroom Designers in London created fresh new concepts that featured attractive but muted highlights around groutwork or on ornaments. These designers also began to step out in style with plugs and handle-levers of brushed metal or varnished cherrywood. The quintessential bathroom centrepiece – the lavatory - also underwent a fabulous transformation. New lavatory styles were suddenly in stock, and bathroom designers had no hesitation in recommending them to discerning clients. Of major importance was the creation of lavatory systems with cisterns at seat level instead of positioned high up on the wall.

Delighted by Deco

The First World War and the years after were notable for the continued explosion of the bathroom design profession. London’s Top Bathroom Design teams began to meet with clients who craved the latest styles. New options became available in terms of lavatory cistern designs. We started to see exterior panelling of ash and veneer, together with stylish reconfigurable timber accessories. The Art Deco movement had a major effect on bathroom designers all across England. We saw fresh new tints and hues, with turqoise, strawberry, ochre and sapphire making an appearance in the freshest and most cutting-edge bathroom tiling concepts. Bathroom designers responded to clients’ desire for attractive colour matching by combining tasteful tap hues with similarly tinted trim, accessories and groutwork.

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Notes from a London Bathroom Designer: A History of Bathroom Design

Notes from a London Bathroom Designer: A History of Bathroom Design

The Twentieth Century

Ask an elderly person who grew up in the early twentieth century about bathroom design in their youth and they will probably look at you blankly or smile at you, confused. In reality, bathrooms back then were often makeshift sheds with no running water or sewage outlets. As a result, professional bathroom designers in those days were naturally few and far between! Even well-heeled Londoners were horrified at the thought of a bathroom within one’s residence. Despite the fact that this was just a hundred years back, the difference between then and now is astonishing. Bathroom design is a huge industry, and the most famous London Bathroom Designers are very much in the public eye – on TV, in magazines, writing books. In fact, top estate agents confirm repeatedly that a breathtaking designer bathroom can boost the asking price for a home by literally thousands of pounds!

Prehistoric Times

Archeologists believe that the very first baths appeared in roughly 3500 BC. I would suggest that this actually represented the emergence of the bathroom design profession! If you go to one of London’s many historic collections, you may well find bathroom fixtures and lavatories from ancient Indian and Pakistani civilisations. Roman baths are celebrated because of their use of plumbing systems and the availability of hot, bubbly water for refreshment and health. Roman bathroom designers had to figure everything out themselves – no Ikea instructions for them!! - From plumbing of channels for hot and cold water to wastewater drainage systems to unvented storage tanks. I have accompanied some famous London Bathroom Designers to view archeological specimens and we have all been astounded at the likeness between bathroom plumbing infrastructure of today and that of thousands of years ago! Astonishing!

Renaissance Creativity

The concept of the modern “private bathroom” came into existence post-Renaissance. Londoners started to realise that unclean water made people ill, and as a consequence bath-houses everywhere started to close from the sixteenth century on. The true private bathroom is inextricably linked with the early nineteenth century, and many would argue that the first modern bathroom designers also emerged in this era. Londoners were very particular about Victorian values, and this led to a situation in which it was considered highly rude to even mention the word “bathroom” in a sentence! Cleanliness was top priority, and London Bathroom Designers of those decades chose to throw their energies into gleaming glazed enamel and whiteware – akin to the stonework used for washbasins today. Bathroom designers looked to make their bathrooms 100% non-porous, to make for easy cleansing and guard against the buildup of mould and mildew. Their goal was to provide residents with a sensation of germ-free sanitary freshness.

Emergence of the Dressing-Room

A few weeks ago one of my assistants took a call from a writer who was hoping to understand how bathroom designers distinguish between a dressing-room and a bathroom. I was honoured to be asked for my opinion on this important terminology question, and so I made sure to call the journalist right back. I told her that the word “dressing-room” started to gain popularity in about 1860. Around that same time, top Berlin and London Bathroom Designers began to include bathtubs and handwash basins in the dressing-room. They installed the lavatory in a separate room (or at least behind a hefty partition) in order to prevent affronting odours from tickling the noses of Victorian ladies as they powdered their faces. I explained to the journalist that back then not every plumber was completely comfortable with creating and levelling U-bend hardware that is a major odour control feature of modern bathrooms. But by about three decades later, this problem had largely been overcome and London’s most celebrated bathroom design professionals were willing to create concepts in which the loo was back in the bathroom where it really belonged. By the turn of the century, even the most well-heeled Londoners were ready to say a resounding “yes” to this approach!

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair - Light up your Garden

Some interior designers would say that garden or other exterior design is outside their realm of expertise. But I would say quite the opposite. I rarely blog about garden design, but today I would like to talk a little about exterior lighting – which ends up being extremely critical in this speciality area. Larger London gardens can really come to life when your interior design team incorporates a broad spectrum of subtle lighting techniques to add visual flair and accentuate the designer feel that you crave. Many of London's Interior Design Consultancies will focus specifically on different types of exterior illumination solutions. These can include dappled moonbeam specials, ranging all the way to tinted uplighters that evoke depth and woodland magic when positioned to shine up against an oak trunk or feature stonework. Interior design teams will use such lighting tools to re-envision the dynamic range of a given garden map, adding all sorts of features to build atmosphere and focus on zones of particular interest. The goal is to bring a smile to the faces of London soiree guests who will adore the elegance and luxury of your designer garden!

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair - Design in the Public Eye

Today's best interior design consultancies are more visible to the general population than perhaps ever before. The most popular interior design shows on Sky and digital cable see massive viewership ratings – and TV watchers can’t wait to see the latest reality contest-style shows that make their way over from the USA. In these programmes, several interior designers will go head-to-head, trying to envision the best possible design schemes – often under time pressure! However, one of the things that these shows often completely miss is the practicalities of design. Today’s discerning clients often crave storage options. In the real world, London flats are all too often spatially challenged. Clients will crave both zones of relaxation and imaginative, efficient storage options that complement their life-patterns uniquely and effectively. More than ever, Londoners are calling up interior designers and requesting storage solutions that will boost the value of their homes and simultaneously show off their favourite outfits while creating spaces of tranquility where they can luxuriate. London's Top Interior Design teams are well aware of this emerging trend and they will prioritise functional flair – our clients adore extras including pull-out rod-style storage for clothes hangers, tie holsters that are expandable, custom-designed jewellery keepsafes, and heated racks for underwear.

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair - Notes of White

As an interior design professional, I will sometimes create a design concept for a busy London client that incorporates many different notes of white. Some clients would be startled at the very idea, worried perhaps that the outcome may lack the designer flair that they crave. But today I would like to reveal a secret - London's very best interior design teams understand deeply that the many available offwhite, crème, snowflake or chalk options can build into wonderfully inspired motifs and ornamentation. Many of today's most prestigious London Interior Design consultancies are able to create speciality designs with fresh, harmonious and lifestyle-friendly schemes – the spectral-hue white philosophy really steps aside, letting the illumination to reign, move and shimmer throughout the interior space. Of course, December in London can be a little dull – rainy skies, drizzly mornings and the occasional snowflake. Accordingly, multiple of our clients crave bright, fabulous, sunny designs that really let the light take hold. Interior designers will incorporate visual flair by adding dimpled specks to the paint or perhaps using ultra high reflectivity coatings to build shine and resilience.

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair - Ancient Inspirations

A new movement in interior design came into existence in the latter half of the eighteenth century – namely the search for ways to include Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman motifs and ornamentation into new concepts for discerning clients. The shift occurred partially as a consequence of the new excavation work by archaeologists in Rome and at other Italian sites of interest. Interior design boutiques - including London’s most famous designers - had previously focused primarily on the “Rococo Style” but they adored the incoming Ancient Greek or Ancient Roman inspirations, which perfectly offset the Rococo stylisations, making for a more true-to-life picture of natural figures and shapes. Eventually this new movement came to be called the neo-classical approach. It is quintessentially focused on Palladian columns, footsteps, and stone facades. Marble is a centerpiece. The best London Interior Design boutiques will select neo-classical designs for tables, chairs and couches since their clients often crave clean, fresh lines and timeless design philosophies.

London Interior Design - Interpreting Designer Flair - Into the Limelight

Ask most London interior designers what they require in a spotlight system, and they will point to three major alternatives, namely surface-inserted, track-inserted, or 100% in-ceiling recessed. Spotlights normally illuminate using a fairly tight cone of white, but they can be made more versatile with lenses that broaden and dampen out some of the intensity. The best interior designers will use purpose-designed lenses that filter out ultraviolet light in order to preserve ancient artwork or fragile paintings, bought perhaps from one of London’s celebrated galleries. I have worked with top London Interior Design teams who purposely select spotlights for artwork that features multiple coats of paint or heavy, blotchy textures. This can enhance the atmosphere and drama of the overall scheme. Any mirror-shine effects on account of the varnished mounting will be reduced substantially when the interior design team uses a spotlight in uplighting mode, for example.

Outdoor Inspirations from a London Interior Designer

Outdoor Inspirations from a London Interior Designer

Illuminating Larger Gardens

The hottest new movement in lighting design for larger gardens involves a technique called “offset lighting.” Some of London’s top interior designers will use offset to illuminate a feature from the distance. This is perfect for larger gardens because it can be used to cast light out towards the very periphery of the garden to create focus while also building the sensation of wide-open spaces and expansive outdoorsy nature. An walkway or scenic area leading up to a hedgerow or water feature may be given extra definition when your interior designer uses this technique, while the plan of the garden is accorded better context.

Larger Gardens

As a professional interior designer, I truly believe that expansive, magnificent lawns are a centrepiece of larger gardens that often fail to get the attention they crave from lighting design teams. In my London interior design consultancy, I will sometimes recommend floodlights or spotlights mounted up high to create narrow paths of light that race across the lawn for superb night-time impact. During the London winters, I know all too well that lawns can be the only colourful zone of a larger garden. When you use lighting as I have just explained, your garden will be a source of visual interest while also providing relief from the dull whites and greys of the coolest months. As many professional interior designers know, this effect is preferable when one looks at the garden from a single perspective. I particularly like it in winter when viewed from inside. The technique is less ideal in summer when viewed from the garden itself, as the lighting can lead to glare. Your interior designer might recommend a seasonal switching board so that these lights can be deactivated automatically during London’s summer months.

Larger Gardens

Water is an attractive feature in any garden but, as a professional interior designer, I truly believe that it is most fabulous when it can be scaled up in a larger town or country garden. I adore waterfalls, babbling brooks, swimming pools and lakes, and I always tell my clients that the subtle use of lighting can enhance the glistening beauty of water to create splendid high-impact garden designs. Plants and trees are similarly wonderful in larger landscaped gardens, but thinking ahead is key in this context. Since trees and shrubs grow and flower during different seasons, they will create changing panoramas for your larger garden at different times of the year. As a consequence, your interior designer will recommend the creation of flexible lighting concepts that can easily be modified to suit any given month. In large London gardens it has become popular to use spike-equipped hardware – the illuminator is simply prodded into the earth, where it stays in place until it needs to be moved again for the subsequent season. Such hardware is ideal for uplighting summer foliage from the lawnside or silhouetting a bare and wintry branch from the flowerbed. Many London interior designers will take advantage of shrubbery and perennials that lie close to the ground, where they can hide the spikes of the lighting fixtures. Such foliage will still permit the light to trickle out, provided you employ a talented gardener who can prune regularly right next to the illuminator. One last hint from my clever interior designer team in London: light can often seem overwhelmingly bright outside at night because there is such an intense contrast against the darkness. For this reason, we always recommend the use of a glare control feature, such as a gel, diffuser, or filter, so that your evening garden party guests will not be blinded.

Outdoor Inspirations from a London Interior Designer

Outdoor Inspirations from a London Interior Designer

Larger Gardens

Just as for more compact gardens, your London interior designer will create the perfect landscape lighting concept by first identifying the key features of your larger town or country garden. By “features,” we mean those zones or elements that are most unique or attractive and that can best be beautified with light. “Soft features” include perennials, flowerbeds, or shrubberies. “Structural features” are things like garden gnomes, urns, or fountains. Your interior designer will work hard to hide the light fixture and bulb so that only the effect is visible. With a large garden, in my opinion the most important thing is understanding when to stop. Should your interior designer illuminate the entire garden? Or just specific regions? If you live in London, will your neighbours be concerned about a very bright garden being overwhelming at night? All this and more must be taken into account.

Larger Gardens

How much light and what types of effects you request from your interior designer will be largely determined by your own personal taste. First and foremost, be sure to think about how the garden will be used and from where guests and residents will see the garden illumination scheme – from inside the house, seated in and gazing out across the garden itself, and maybe even while looking back towards the house. Your interior designer will help you focus on different themes. If your larger garden is in London, perhaps casting light on a thin concrete strip will be optimal to help safely guide residents to the garage and street beyond. Alternatively, if you are in the countryside, focused and smaller-scale illumination can cause the fields and parkland beyond to fade into darkness, leaving an air of subtle mystery and magic. Many of London’s best interior designers call this “strategic lighting.” Furthermore, light pollution in big cities like London is destroying our ability to see starry nights, and as a result interior designers will often consider outdoor illumination strategies very carefully to avoid excess “light-spill” and conserve electricity.

Larger Gardens

Larger gardens tend to have many different and attractive features – like a pagoda, lake, glen or fountain. Your interior designer will recommend comfortable seating areas that optimise guests’ enjoyment of your garden at its best. Some interior designers will include elements such as canopies to create a covered walk-area that allows for passage from the house to a specific showcase garden feature. A canopy can be perfect for rainy days, especially given London’s often-changing weather patterns. Canopies can also be used to build a strong visual focus, perhaps with wickerwork chairs or a garden table underneath. Your interior designer in London will also suggest illumination ideas to draw the eye towards the main features of interest. For example, huts and pagodas can benefit from uplighters that beautifully silhouette their shape at night.

Illuminating Larger Gardens

Some interior designers (myself included) will pay great attention to creating and illuminating natural canopies for larger gardens. For example, a sweep of climbing vines or scent-filled honeysuckle can look amazing when lit from above or from below. Top London interior designers will often hide a small spotlight in the stonework of a tall tower feature or mansion to illuminate a table or other visual interest zone that may be at ground level. Pergolas are well-suited to multi-functional up/downlighters which can build structural definition while simultaneously uplighting foliage and downlighting the path beneath. Your interior designer may recommend fibre optics or LEDs for this purpose, installed so as to echo the idea of twinkling stars in the night sky.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

Some London interior design consultancies will focus their design efforts on finding the perfect canopy. Canopies are ideal for shrouded paths, for protection from the sun and for comfort in seating/dining zones. Canopy selection is especially critical given London’s inconsistent weather - rain one minute, sunshine the next! Canopies may additionally contribute to lines of interest, drawing the eye towards a powerful visual centrepiece, perhaps by having the canopy shelter a set of botanical deckchairs or a flame-grill barbeque. Perfect for London’s summer garden parties.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

Some of London’s most celebrated interior design consultancies will work to conceal tiny spotlights within the actual stone exteriors of turrets or castle-like mansions. These design teams will use the spotlights to light up a terrace or special garden feature on the ground. Some expansive gardens feature pergolas, i.e. archways consisting of a framework covered in trained climbing or trailing plants. I am aware of one better-known London interior design consultancy that recently created a stunning design that uses omnidirectional pergola up/downlighters to great effect - lighting up the greenery from below while also brightening the pathway from above.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

The trendiest wave in lighting design for expansive gardens today is an approach known as "countervail illumination". London’s best interior design consultancies will take advantage of the countervail technique to light up a given zone of a garden from quite far away. Countervail can be ideal for more expansive gardens since this technique throws illumination towards the outermost perimeter of the garden, building a focal climax while also preserving feelings of freedom, unfettered access and the great outdoors. Of course, this may not be appropriate (say) in central London, but your interior design consultancy should be able to tell you more about countervail and how to make use of it in urban settings.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

We’ve finally reached springtime here in London, but everyone remembers the cold, snowy winter that has just bid us goodbye. And during those frosty months, lawns are sometimes the only source of colour in an expansive garden! Interior design consultancies need to create lighting schemes that are fabulous for every season. In the wintertime, garden lighting will offer an escape from the uninspired cream and ivory colours of the winter season. The effect can be especially compelling when seen from indoors. In summer, though, when guests are outside for an evening party, it is important that the lighting not cause glare and headaches as dusk sets in. Your London interior design consultancy may insist on the installation of control board that allows the owner/resident to switch off the brightest lights automatically during the London summertime.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

As in the case of smaller London gardens, a top interior design consultancy will come up with a phenomenal outdoor lighting scheme by first making a list of the best elements of your more expansive city or rural garden. By "elements," I refer to any areas or features in your garden that are especially unusual or pretty and that can be made into a centrepiece with clever illumination. "Soft elements" can include evergreens, blossoming tulips, or woody plants. "Structural elements" include waterfalls, rockeries or planters. Whatever the top elements of your garden, London's best interior design consultancies will make certain to conceal any fixtures or illumination hardware so that only the light output can be seen.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

London's most celebrated interior design consultancies will always obscure any illumination appliances or installation units such that only the light that comes out of the hardware will be visible to residents or guests. And with any king-size garden, we recognise that it is paramount to not go overboard on the design. Questions abound. For example, is it advisable for your interior design consultancy to lighten up even the furthest reaches of your expansive garden? Or would that create an undesirable effect similar to a floodlit tennis court at your local park? If you live in one of London's urban centres, could local law enforcement point to issues with nighttime security if your garden is inadequately lit? If your professional London interior design consultancy has experience illuminating gardens, they will be able to bring all these issues to your attention.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

Is it too bright out there? Too dark? What questions first come to mind when you look out onto your larger garden after dusk? You and your family's preferences and sense of style will have a major impact on how your interior design consultancy creates the garden of your dreams. Don't forget to think about "use cases" for your expansive garden. Where will homeowners and visitors be situated when they view the garden at night? Will they be walking past on the streets of your local London borough, or will they be inside your house or mansion? Alternatively, will they be sitting outdoors in the garden, and what will it look like when someone glances back toward your residence? London's top interior design consultancies can assist you in addressing these and other questions of importance.

A London Interior Design Consultancy Goes Exterior - Lighting for Expansive Gardens

Illumination-based pollution in larger urban centres like London is eliminating our view of the stars and moons at nighttime. This means that interior design consultancies have to be very cautious about outdoor lighting concepts in order to minimise "light-spill" and keep power bills low. Green design is a major feature of modern garden lighting schemes, and many London interior design consultancies will encourage you to use low-power LEDs and fibre optic solutions in place of the incandescent or halogen alternatives of yesteryear.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

Your interior design company will use custom lighting schemes to pull one's attention to centrepiece or showcase elements of your king-sized garden. For instance, teepees and summerhouses can be illuminated extremely well with up-downlighters that fabulously showcase their appearance at nighttime. Certain London based interior designer companies will focus in particular on installing and lighting up overhanging greenery for king-sized gardens. For instance, a swathe of articulated climbing plants or fragrant bluebells can look amazing when lit from above or from below.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

Some king-sized gardens feature pergolas, in which case there is one effect that you may absolutely adore. Talk to your interior design company about fibre optics or LED lighting solutions that can be installed in and among the trellises, visible from the pathway below. The idea is to create the illusion of tiny moons and planets in the nighttime blackness. As the wind gently moves the foliage, the illuminators will seem to twinkle .... a fabulous effect that I have seen deployed to great acclaim by some of London's most prestigious interior design companies.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

Some king-sized gardens feature a pergola that leads up to a rockery or fountain. Sometimes extra definition is needed, and your interior design company may recommend a custom illumination design to achieve the desired effect. However, don't let your interior designers forget about the adjacent lawns! At our London based interior design company, we have a saying written on the wall of our studio that reminds all of us how vast rolling lawns are a forgotten treasure of so many king-sized gardens. We sometimes suggest to our clients the installation of elevated spotlights to cast focused pencils of light that shine out over the lawn for a high-interest designer feel.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

Water features are delightful in every garden, but the sparkling, singing twinkle of moving water really comes into its own when you scale it up - as is only possible in a king-sized urban or rural garden! Our interior design company regularly consults with potential clients who crave more of the cascades, chutes, rock formations and ornamental bridges that are characteristic of water features in so many king-sized gardens today. We always respond that understated lighting effects can create a true "designer feel" in these types of gardens. Some of London's top interior design companies will focus on glare control for this purpose. Hardware options such as gel diffusers, or filters, can help ensure that guests at your garden party after dusk will not get blinded or suffer from headaches.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design

Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

Similar to the situation with more cramped inner city London gardens, today's most prestigious London interior design companies will devise breathtaking exterior lighting concepts by initially writing out a ranking of the best attributes of your more spacious garden - whether city-style or rustic. By "attributes", we simply mean those segments or characteristics of your garden that are delightfully distinctive or attractive, and that can be transformed into a focal appoint with custom lighting design schemes. "Soft attributes" include growing wildlife - like vegetable patches, flowerbeds, and hedgerows. "Structural attributes"; are things like water features, cascades, amphoras or ornamental bridges.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

With any large garden, the most critical caveat is knowing when enough is enough. Should your interior design company use lighting for the entire garden? Or would that make it look too much like a football pitch? If your residence is in central London, might the Neighbourhood Watch be concerned about safety and security implications if there is not enough light in your garden? Your London based professional interior design company with garden design expertise will keep all these issues in mind.

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

If your king-sized garden is in London or another UK urban centre, it can be astonishingly effective to throw some light along a thin metallic line in the ground, to allow guests and residents to easily find their way towards the carport and adjacent London streetscape. Alternatively, if your king-sized garden is in a rural area, your interior design company may use more nuclear and more modest lighting systems that allow the pastures and meadowland beyond to fade into black. The result is an atmosphere of understated mystique and obscurity. Many of London's best interior designers call this "strategic lighting".

An Interior Design Company in London Reveals the Secrets of Outdoor Design - Schemes to Illuminate King-Sized Gardens

King-size gardens often feature heaps of variety and interest. Your own expansive garden may well have elements like an orangery, an ornamental pond, or a miniature cascade water feature system. Your professional interior design company will probably suggest comfy weatherised solutions for residents and visitors alike to sit down, relax and enjoy your garden in every way. Some London based interior design companies have been known to recommend features such as hooded walkways that will keep residents dry as you walk from the mansion to a treasured garden centrepiece or a secondary building on your estate.

From the Desk of Global Interior Design, London's No-Fuss Design Consultancy

From the Desk of Global Interior Design, London's No-Fuss Design Consultancy

Introducing a Touch of Historical Authenticity with the Davenport Desk

I am always greatly honoured when journalists, authors and students seek my input on articles they may be writing for interior design magazines, books or coursework. Not so long ago I was asked to supply some insights on the davenport desk, a truly fabulous example of traditional English interior design from the 1700s. A timeless classic, this item is still often used by London's most prestigious interior design firms today. Nobody really knows where the name comes from, but historians think that it probably derives from a late 1700s bookkeeping manuscript wherein lies the inscription "a ladies' desk, sold to Captain Davenport." The davenport really caught on among London's young ladies of society in the nineteenth century. At the top is a desk, which can be drawn out to cover the knees when in use. Immediately beneath are a set of nooks for pens, inkwells and looseleaf stationery. In 2010, modern interior design firms are most likely to choose a replica davenport as a convenient laptop station in a room that requires preservation of London's interior design history. I have no doubt that our interior design boutique will similarly have the chance to install one of these amazing furniture units as part of a future project!

The Snow Kitchen

Occasionally, our interior design firm suggests a high-end design for one of our London clients that includes many different notes of white. Sometimes our clients are mortified, worried that the outcome may seem chilling or spiritless. But the most prestigious interior design firms know that various notes of creme, ecru and ivory can build into wonderfully inspirational and fabulous results. I know of several modern London interior design boutiques that focus on designing fresh, harmonious and luxuriating indoor sanctuaries - and the broad-note white-inspired feel truly welcomes in the light, allowing it to energize and delight the viewer. London in December is not always the brightest environment, and accordingly designs that optimise the amount of natural light are often highly sought-after. London Interior design firms will enhance engagement levels by using different finishes in the paint, or by specifying ultra-sheen products that build the ultimate in sheer reflectivity.

Lighting up a DesignerGarden!

My readers tell me how much they enjoy my blogs about garden design, and I'm well aware that those sorts of blogs have recently been increasing in number! (Guess what I've been working on lately!?) As mentioned elsewhere, I definitely believe that exteriors are a real and growing part of interior design firms' daily business - here to stay! In this context, outdoor illumination solutions are absolutely essential. Certain more spacious London gardens can benefit from a very classy "designer feel" that harnesses a variety of more delicate and sophisticated lighting effects, guaranteed to optimise your garden's beauty whatever the season! I know of some London interior design boutiques that place a huge focus on outdoor garden lighting schemes - from twinkling starlight-esque LED dots to texturising downlighters that can really bring out the ruggedly earthy feel of a familiar garden path at night. Interior design mavens love to take advantage of these and many other illumination systems, re-envisioning the entire feel of a garden, building breadth and using subtle qualities to draw the eye towards fabulous centrepiece features. The result: an expression of delight on the faces of London garden party guests who will adore your new designer garden!

Hidden Secrets of Top Storage Solutions

Today's top London interior design boutiques are never far from the news. Hit designer programming on Sky and Channel 4 draws in massive TV viewership - the public really can't get enough of the contest-style reality show wherein a group of interior design mavens fight to build the most fabulous interior design schemes! Drama often ensues - both tears of sadness from interior design teams who can't quite finish before the countdown timer hits zero, and tears of delight from the winning stars who often get to present their very own network shows in subsequent seasons! But one thing that these programmes often miss is storage. In reality, a lot of London's newer apartments are sometimes a little space-constrained.... residents yearn for interiors that promote relaxation and harmony but a critical part of that needs interior design firms to incorporate innovative storage systems that perfectly complement our busy London lifestyles! Every day, design-conscious city-dwellers call or email London's most prestigious interior design boutiques, requesting much-needed storage zones that will boost residential market values. Such clients are also keen to show off their most fabulous outfits, while creating "sanctuary zones" where they can luxuriate and simply enjoy life. London's top interior design firms see this need every day, and they will often recommend practical but beautiful embellishments - pull-out rotator bars, expandable cravat cases, designer gemstone vases and heated towel zones to name just a few!

From the Desk of Global Interior Design, London's No-Fuss Design Consultancy

From the Desk of Global Interior Design, London's No-Fuss Design Consultancy

"Casting Light" on the Design Process

Illumination is a 100% essential element in the work of London's interior design experts today. And for our most opulent design schemes, computerised controls are just the ticket. Some designers refer to these as "pre-sets" - simply beautiful lighting contexts that are pre-loaded by the interior design team in order to supply the client with a selection of ready-made scenes for a variety of scenarios.

Not too long ago I was supervising the work of a London interior design trainee who was quite keen on lighting. I demonstrated for her the use of dimmer controls in an interior design concept so as to allow our client to create their own atmospheric changeovers to match daypart transitions from afternoon into dusk. My London interior design trainee got the hang of it quite quickly. She grasped the most critical concept, namely that illumination design is both about building and metamorphosing drama. As an interior design consultant myself, I work hard to design interiors that can start out feeling like airy and crisp task-orientated workspaces by day but that transform into dramatic, atmospheric venues of repose and tranquillity after dusk. Illumination concepts really are such an important element of my interior designs.

Design for Schoolchildren

Just the other week, an acquaintance of mine who is a nanny in London shared with me an article that suggests young kids exhibit enhanced brain development if they play or work in engaging interior design spaces. I decided to blog about the critical take-aways for interior design mavens who often need to design kid-approved interiors.

"It's not me, it's HUE!" Experts have shown that, when incorporated into interior design colour schemes, the primary colours can speed up the development of nerve cells in children's brains. I was amazed to learn that it just requires that the interior design expert include a handful of key items in primary colours. It's totally unnecessary to overdo it by asking the interior design team to recolour all four walls in luminescent yellow!

"Rough, smooth or wrinkly - FEEL counts for heaps!" Kids love to experience the universe through a good fairytale, and to be honest I find that the majority of top London interior design mavens are storytellers themselves. Adhering various swatches of fabric or flexible plastic to the walls in the form of caterpillars, London streetscapes and cartoon characters is really effective in connecting kids with the interior design process.

"But Miss, I need somewhere to put my STUFF!" London's schoolboys and schoolgirls naturally have to be at school many hours, but it's essential that the brain development keeps going even back home with the parents. Interior design mavens need to provide creative storage solutions with built-in icons or lettering to explain where things belong. This can help even the youngest kids to discover organisational skills - valuable life lessons that I count on all the time as a busy interior design professional!

An Amazing Design Scheme for a Spa

A while ago I enjoyed a rejuvenating sauna session with a colleague at her highly acclaimed London spa. And as soon as I got out of the hotroom I was astonished to see a high-class illumination concept that had quite obviously been inspired by a hugely capable London interior design team. There was an extended tunnel that connected the washrooms with the sauna suite, and along that passageway the interior design professional had created a variety of different special FX and illumination levels that totally metamorphosed the dimensions of the space. And this interior design concept had a centrepiece at the very end of the passageway - a theatrical on-wall mosaic with a set of beautiful up/down-lighters that created a sensation of pure drama and completely drew me in! For after dark, the interior designer had included lighting presets that would switch on a set of beautiful feature illumination elements in a closed-off cloisters surrounding the traditional London-style city garden.... the light swells up and spills enchantingly into a Perspex-enclosed post-spa wellness area. Breathtaking! Another splendid example of how interior design can enhance our health and wellness in even the most unexpected ways!

Lighting Up a High-End Designer Bathroom!

I often enjoy taking some time away from the bustle to reflect on how my favourite London interior design stars implement feature illumination schemes in bathrooms. Not so long ago I worked on a project in London for which the client asked our interior design team to include a bespoke lighting scheme that would morph the bathroom from a morning-crisp, high-efficiency interior just after dawn to a harmonious and serene haven after dusk. Thank goodness for my clever interior design lighting team and their superb imagination! We selected a wide-angle halogen illuminator set that showcased a set of delightful miniature rocks on the sill of the extra-broad handwash basin. For the ultimate in flair, my interior design team installed a spotlighting grid above the bathtub.... that pure snow-coloured light will guarantee a real sparkle across the water's surface at bathtimes!

"Making a Splash!" Lessons from a London Bathroom Design Professional

"Making a Splash!" Lessons from a London Bathroom Design Professional

Multi-Surface Wall Creativity

Why cover a wall with just one type of tile when a bathroom design project can be so much more? For this particular London residence, I decided that I really needed to minimise the number of walltiles - accordingly, I instructed my team to only tile the splash-protector zone surrounding the shower. The result was a more dynamic London bathroom design that could showcase more designer flair. One more thing - prior to tilework, my crew of creative London-based plumbers got to work to majorly redesign all of the underfloor piping. Thanks to their efforts, the bathroom design now features a much-enhanced drain-out profile. The water flows away just like a whirlpool spa!

A Classy Loo is Just the Ticket

"Drab to fab" is easier said than done! In bathroom design, sometimes one needs to just go for the high-end unit because only that will guarantee the authentic designer look that your client craves. For this particular high-end London bathroom project , we selected a luxury lavatory that slides right up to be fully flush with the back wall. This fine lav is a great option for a nice contemporary look, but it is critical to use a soft plastic flexi-pipe to suitably connect with the building's drainage system.

Say No to Sewer Rats!

In many London bathroom design projects, rats can be highly problematic. Not everyone realises how crafty these critters can be -they can easily clabber up many storeys of piping and get to within centimetres of your residence .... London sewer to flat in less than a minute! Eeek. This is not normally a problem but it can be a major issue when we need to use flexible piping to accommodate a classy back-to-wall lavatory unit for a high-end bathroom design as I described in my previous blog posting. Those razor-like claws can pop a major hole in flexible piping within seconds. I don't normally make product recommendations on this blog, but in this case I cannot overstate the fabulousness of the McAlpine Anti-Crossflow Rodent Barrier. This high-quality durable plastic system is a swivel-type one-way flap valve that guarantees water will flow out when the lavatory is flushed, but ensures that no rats can get into the system from the exterior building drainage piping. And at less than £20, it is a major value that no London bathroom design should be without!

A Delighted Client

This is the last blog posting in my series about a certain bathroom design project I worked on in Central London about a year ago. I hope you've enjoyed this deep-dive into the details on a few different "lessons learned" from the experience! All that remains is for me to reveal the ultimate output - great news, my client was completely thrilled when they saw their 100% redesigned London bathroom ! He would never have imagined how breathtaking the results could be - especially given the challenging original that we had to work with. I'm always delighted to share my design know-how with designers and enthusiasts alike, and I'm honoured when thought leaders in the industry ask me about my max-flair tips for bathroom design. Feel free to leave any thoughts/ideas in the comments! Thank you for reading. From Central London, this is Global Interior Design.

"Making a Splash!" Lessons from a London Bathroom Design Professional

"Making a Splash!" Lessons from a London Bathroom Design

Professional.Identifying Bathroom Problems

This blog posting is the first in a series of eight about a certain bathroom design project I worked on in Central London about a year ago. I've blogged about this remarkable London bathroom renovation before, but with this new series I will deep-dive into the details on a few different "lessons learned" from the experience! Thanks for joining me!

This particular bathroom design project was huge in scope - 100% of the bathroom needed to be redesigned. The client complained that the original seemed too aged and cramped - completely incompatible with his busy modern London lifestyle. As soon as I visited the bathroom to offer our signature free no-obligation consultation I was struck by the massive possibilities that this interior space offered. I made a list in my head: on the left was "drab" (old!) and on the right was "fab" (magic that we were going to create!). Read the next blog to find out what we did next for this exciting bathroom design effort.

Shells, but not Seashells!

I tell my clients all the time about the importance of the "shell" for any major bathroom design project. By this I mean the walls, floors, doors, etc. - everything that is on the periphery and that forms the "foundation" for any real interior design work. This bathroom design project in London began with removal of 100% of the existing tiles from the room. Sometimes we had to dig many tiles deep - my skilled London-based renovations crew had to roll up their sleeves and get to work pronto! While this was happening, my designer flair kicked into high gear and I began to think of all sorts of ways to max out the potential of the rather cramped space and difficult nooks and corners for this London bathroom design. Read the next blog in this series to learn what happened!

Beautifying the Envelope and Installing Lights

I asked my team to renew the plasterwork as a key first step in this London bathroom design project. We used pricey but fabulous angle beads for a close-cut, fresh appearance on the corners that really added dynamic flair to this slightly dated interior. I was delighted to be able to sink the ceiling down by a few centimetres in order to incorporate beautiful recessed illuminator units. We used LED-based options for this bathroom design to reduce the eco-footprint. I made sure to position the lights just perfectly in order to guarantee a subtle downward wash of illumination, sure to enhance the beauty of any Londoner that looks in this mirror! This fabulous approach guarantees that any lines and wrinkles fade completely. It's my philosophy that your bathroom design should always help you look your very best!

Making Cramped Look Spacious

I required that my team work with high energy to address a pressing problem: an old-style radiator was impairing my London bathroom design antennae and could never have been compatible with the smooth, sophisticated, contemporary feel that my client craved. I insisted that it be removed and taken away for recycling pronto. But what to do about the consequent lack of warmth? Every bathroom design needs to have what I call a "coziness factor" - nothing worse than getting up during a London winter and feeling the chill of an underheated bathroom! The answer for this particular bathroom design was an underfloor thermal system. I used fabulous ultra-large 60cm square tiles to make the floor area seem expansive while also vastly reducing the groutwork linecount.

From the Studios of Global Interior Design, London’s Hassle-Free Design Team

From the Studios of Global Interior Design, London’s Hassle-Free Design Team

Job Tips Part I

Ever since Global Interior Design began to establish its reputation as London's premier no-fuss design studios, we have regularly seen a peak in the number of job applicants in April and May. And it's that time of year again! As students approach the end of their interior design certificate or degree programmes, many are keen to enter the workforce through either full-time junior-level jobs or summer work placements. We see applications from every corner of the globe..... but to be honest a good number get shredded and recycled by my assistants or team manager because they are simply not up to par! In the next two blog postings, I will offer some advice for London interior design candidates applying for jobs in the capital. If you follow these straightforward hints and tips, you can almost guarantee that your CV and cover letter would move beyond the first-round pre-check and reach my desktop.

Job Tips Part II

Here are my top tips for jobseekers:

1. Thoroughly explore the website of the company to which you are applying! It is essential that you fully review the signature styles, expertise and portfolio of the targeted interior design firm. If you forget to do this, your cover letter and CV will end up seeming nonspecific and dull.... here comes the shredder and the borough recycling lorry!

2. Make sure your text is 100% error-free. I always tell my team manager to eliminate any job applicants whose materials have mis-spellings or grammar problems, or who fudge the name of our London-based interior design firm.

Job Tips Part III

Finishing off my top tips for those seeking employment in interior design fields:

3. Put your best foot forward. Don't be shy in explaining why you are right for the job. I am always eager to receive applications from candidates with an intuitive aptitude for interior design. Make sure to attach samples from your interior design portfolio, and don't forget to talk about your education and/or prior employment in interior design in London or related fields.

4. Don't go overboard on the flattering remarks. I am often pleasantly surprised when job applicants know about awards or publicity that Global Interior Design has recently received, or when they compliment me on the industry thought leadership that is showcased in my blog. However, I am wary of applicants who over-emphasise these things and consequently seem obsequious.

Thank you and best wishes to all of London's interior design jobseekers this season!

From the Studios of Global Interior Design, London’s Hassle-Free Design Team

From the Studios of Global Interior Design, London’s Hassle-Free Design Team

Fabulous Flooring Options - Marble or Wood?

I have to admit, flooring is sometimes not considered one of the most exciting areas of creativity among London's top interior design firms. My flooring solutions approach relies on a few key concepts, which I would like to share with all my readers today.

Marble: Interior design firms ought to think of marble for an ultra-luxury lobby in a wealthy London bank, for instance. Hard-wearing and compatible with most industrial cleaners, marble guarantees a look of sophistication and opulence that London's world-class businesspeople deserve.

Wood: This is not as pricey as marble, but is nonetheless easily cleanable and quite robust. Interior design firms will think of wood when their clients crave an enduring, historic design scheme.

Fabulous Flooring Options - Carpet Tile or Broken Paint?

Continuing from my previous blog posting, I wanted to move on to some of the more modest solutions systems for flooring.

Carpet Tile: This versatile option is ideal for scenarios where cost control is important and where we expect plenty of people walking in and out all day long. For instance, a London interior design firm might choose carpet tile for the entrance corridor of a multi-level office block in multicultural Slough, a town just outside the west of London. Each tile can be sliced with a carpet-cutter to fit the most awkward dimensions. Interior design firms will often inform clients that any one carpet tile can always be taken up and replaced in the even it becomes worn or excessively dirtied.

Broken Paint: An interior design team might select this finish for an affordable kebab house in an area dominated by social/community housing. The paint is cheap to purchase and apply, and food spills can be cleaned up very easily.

From the Studios of Global Interior Design, London’s Hassle-Free Design Team

From the Studios of Global Interior Design, London’s Hassle-Free Design Team

Designing Stylish Kitchens

Recently I was online, busy with some e-catalogues from a kitchen studio for a project in London that is being managed by our interior design firm. It made me think about some do's and don'ts of kitchen design, the most important of which is that "doable" does not equal "advisable!" On occasion, our interior design firm encounters a client who craves massive architectural modifications in their kitchen. This can be doable but may be very pricey, without guaranteeing any particularly splendid outcomes that could not be achieved more economically. In these cases, our interior design team will come up with ideas for more subtle ways to reach the design of our client's dreams.

In all cases, your London interior design firm should be giving you guidance and regular updates on the key decisions and costs involved.

Luxury for Aspiring Chefs

When I am teaching my interns about kitchen design, I always remind them to think about special extras! The interior design firm in London should always explore the client's needs and desires. For example, will the home regularly be visited by London's landed gentry, who enjoy fine wines and restaurant-style meals? Does the aspiring chef desire a high-end rotisserie for flame-grilling chickens, or a floating-lid panini maker, or a granite-topped island with extractor fan for preparing marinades? Does the kitchen area need to serve multiple purposes, perhaps as a drinks area for visitors during summer soirees? The interior design team should work hard to understand their clients, anticipating needs even before the clients know themselves!

Use Cases for Kitchens

Junior interior designers often have difficulty imagining themselves in the shoes of their clients. Certainly, London is highly diverse, and people from different cultures and cuisine heritage regions will use kitchens in different ways. But in my view the interior design team needs to lay out what I call "use cases" to guarantee the most appropriate kitchen design. For example, the interior design professional should ask their client whether children will ever be in or near the kitchen? Should child-proofing of dangerous appliances be made a priority? Alternatively, some London residences need to feature panic buttons for older relatives - the kitchen can be a great place to install such a system. Does the kitchen need to serve as overflow for larger gatherings or garden parties? And will it be a vegetarian kitchen, or one that serves only Muslim-approved foods, for example? Today's modern London interior design professional needs to understand all these possibilities and more.

Lessons from a London Interior Designer

Lessons from a London Interior Designer

Multicultural and Cosmopolitan Designs

Whenever I travel, I love meeting interior designers abroad to understand how their cultural heritage influences their work. Over the past decade, I have observed a real boost in Indian/Chinese/Japanese design influences in London's wealthiest neighbourhoods. Many interior designers in London are using international themes to create aesthetically pleasing and original work that can be breathtaking. I also see African elements in many of the upholstery and wallpaper styles that are available from London's best-known designer homecare boutiques today. There is always so much to see and learn, and this discovery process is really what I like best about my job.

Designing with Technology

New technologies keep popping up all over the place! The modern London interior designer

needs to know about the wide range of high-technology electronics and accessories that is available. But it goes well beyond the living room. I love to modernise homes and offices by installing futuristic fibre optic lighting arrays, bathroom warming lamps, touch-control showers and computerised security and air conditioning networks. Interior designers are increasingly expected to recommend home entertainment systems as well. Just the other day I had to update my knowledge of high-end living room luxury - from video-on-demand systems to Sky dishes, iPads and surround sound systems! I am as excited as ever to learn how the biggest technology trends will continue to impact London's top interior designers.

Starting a Blog about Interior Design

Not so long ago I was asked to reflect on what makes an effective interior designer blog. With this posting, I would like to reveal why I love to blog and why it might be good for you as well!

A top suggestion for any London interior designer who is considering starting their own blog: don't be shy, just do it! Of course, you won't suddenly be a thought leader with your first posting - it takes time - but anyone can put forward great ideas and provide inspiration for others. Probably the best way to start is to just put down a few comments on designs that you have already completed. If you work in London, try to attend an interior designer conference and blog about key points from the lectures or celebrated speakers.

How to Blog about Interior Design

My other hint for bloggers is to focus on areas of interior design that you consider engaging or interesting. For me, that means blogging about my role as an interior designer at Global Interior Design, my London-based interior design firm. I also enjoy sharing about difficulties that we come across and creative solutions that my team uses to guarantee fabulous results. Just looking at a few recent blogs of mine, I see postings on spa design, garden lighting, luxury bathrooms and outdoor swimming pools.

One last point: please do be certain to respond to reader comments on your blog. I'm always honoured to win compliments from my readers who enjoy my interior designer blog and feel inspired to beautify their own residences as a result. Occasionally, my readers will even use the comments fields to suggest fabulous ideas for subjects that I might wish to discuss in future postings!

Lessons from a London Interior Designer

Lessons from a London Interior Designer

Contracting Out

Those who are starting out as interior designers in London today are often startled to learn how difficult it is to identify and recruit a highly-qualified workforce of tradespeople. London is full of interior designers - together with career carpenters, labourers, furniture movers, plumbers and electricians. How then to select the perfect individual for a given task? In the next two blog entries, I will reflect on my experience as the founder of Global Interior Design - London's premier no-fuss consultancy - to offer a selection of helpful hints and tips on how best to manage contracting.

Contractors, the Internet and Employment Law

My first tip is: "just becomes someone is listed online doesn't mean they are any good!" Interior designers should ideally only employ tradespeople who are personally known by them or who have outstanding references from other London-based interior designers or decorators.

Second (but just as important) is the reality that you must check that all tradespeople have the right paperwork to be employed in England. London's interior designer community is responsible for a lot of contracting, and sadly there are always unscrupulous contractors out there who are illegal aliens or who lack European Union work authorisation. Don't take shortcuts. Contracting with such people has serious implications for your insurance status, your reputation as an interior designer, and your ability to obtain legal support in the event of a workplace accident.

Contractors and Communications

Third, it is best to get a guarantee from your tradesperson that they will be able to devote the hours needed to your project. Some contract workers will accept several jobs from multiple London-based interior designers to fill their available time over any given period. You need to get right to the point with your contractor and make sure you and he are on the same page in terms of time availability.

Finally, communicating well with your tradespeople is imperative. World-class results only become a reality if there is continuous and accurate communication between the interior designer and your contractors. All the more so if the contractor has English as a second language!

With the hints in this and the previous blog postings, I truly believe that talented interior designers can make amazing projects come together with minimal hassle.

Home and Away

Not so long ago I was sitting in my interior design studio and reflecting on how London continues to change. London is a major world metropolis, which means that new interior designers are always coming over from the continent and from across the globe. Furthermore, new students are starting their certificates and degree programmes every year - they can't wait to become interior design professionals in London as well. Often, interior designers who arrive in London to make a career for themselves will carry their own heritage and ancestry in a way that impacts their careers and outlook. Similarly, some international interior designers start working in London but then go abroad. In the next blog posting, I will discuss how I have seen these international themes develop in recent years.