Splashing About: Swimming Pool Design in London - from Global Interior Design, the No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios

Splashing About: Swimming Pool Design in London - from Global Interior Design, the No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part I

Today's rising stars of London's executive jetset desire the highest quality in design that allows them to luxuriate and recharge following an intense day in the boardroom. On many occasions, our in-house bathroom design team has had to go for gold to meet the latest demands for spa-style extravagance and high-tech luxury. One of the most often-requested features is an outdoor swimming pool, which our high-end London clients will request for either a garden or a stunning cityview roof terrace, or even for the upper deck of a prized houseboat. Join me in this series of blogs as I explain how we achieve amazing results!

Splashing About: Swimming Pool Design in London - from Global Interior Design, the No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part II

When invited to create an outdoor swimming pool, our bathroom design team will normally rely on ocean-inspired colours and textures that evoke the core mindset of fresh aqua harmony. Often, this means plenty of deep navy or indigo illumination, perhaps with underwater fibre optics that throw a burst of light onto the surface and create a stunning glow in the fresh London nighttime air. Our team of clever bathroom designers will use all their indoor-inspired talent for this outdoor scenario, incorporating easy-clean tiling, luxurious side-decks, and a bespoke blend of lighting fixtures that is both eye-catching and safety-aware.

Splashing About: Swimming Pool Design in London - from Global Interior Design, the No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part III

Some outdoor pools in London are only intended for seasonal usage, thanks to our occasionally inclement weather in autumn and winter. For this purpose, our London bathroom design

team may encourage clients to select lighting hardware that slides seamlessly into the tilework, creating a flush surface that can be more easily drained and that is more robust to frost during the off-season. We love to use cross-throw illumination patterns that artfully link high-intensity and more shadowy areas to build the sense of mystique and majesty.

Splashing About: Swimming Pool Design in London - from Global Interior Design, the No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part IV

High-efficiency halogen illuminators are readily available from London lighting wholesalers, and these - together with fibre optic lights - are normally sold in slimline packages that can be embedded into pool walls or floors. As a professional London bathroom designer, I will routinely encourage clients to explore more dynamic colour ecosystems. For example, I love the concept of a wireless colour pad that can be installed next to the illuminator junction. Clients can use a remote control device to choose the desired colour any time, and our bathroom design team can also incorporate an "auto-cycle" option, which dynamically shifts through the entire spectrum of hues over the course of an evening.

Splashing About: Swimming Pool Design in London - from Global Interior Design, the No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part V

This is the final blog posting in my series on outdoor swimming pool design, from the perspective of our London-based bathroom design consultancy. Pools can be great places to enjoy a fabulous summer garden party or enchanting soiree. It is important to include ample privacy-aware changing facilities for guests, together with dry zones and wet zones to avoid slip hazards and ensure compliance with all relevant safety regulations. Our bathroom designers will also try to make the pool accessible to the elderly or those who are less mobile, perhaps by incorporating an easy-lower deck option and a shallower zone with warm bubble jets where older guests can relax in comfort and gaze out over the London skyline.

Making an Impact: Thoughts on Historical Influences, from the Desk of London's No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios

Making an Impact: Thoughts on Historical Influences, from the Desk of London's No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part I

No matter your age or mood, you almost certainly love to luxuriate under a hot shower jet, or perhaps in a home whirlpool tub to which you can add your favourite rejuvenating lotions and aromatic cleansers? London's top bathroom design teams understand that sophisticated residences demand opulent and sumptuous spa-like bathroom designs. But all too many Londoners are totally in the dark when it comes to the history of bathroom design! In this short series of blog postings I'd like to tell you all about how and why bathroom designs came to be the way they are today.

Making an Impact: Thoughts on Historical Influences, from the Desk of London's No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part IIIf you ask a young child to imagine a bathroom, they will begin to tell you about the smooth, cold whiteness of porcelain and plastic, and the crisp, clean feel of sanitised tiles. Astonishingly, these bathroom design elements became commonplace only in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s. And it wasn't until the thirties that bathroom designers were finally introduced to new accessories and ornamentation from London's up-and-coming bathroom hardware factories. London's bathroom design mavens eagerly incorporated these new items, using them to great effect to build flair and sophistication for their most discerning clients.

Making an Impact: Thoughts on Historical Influences, from the Desk of London's No-Fuss Bathroom Design Studios - Part III

From the 1920s onwards, things just got better and better for London's bathroom designer communities. Forward-thinking design stars started to encourage clients to choose luxury vanity units with built-in lighting, they created bespoke cabinetry for favourite aromatherapy oils or household medications, and they began to incorporate spa-like elements such as mud, shell and hot-stone treatment zones. London's bathroom design industry had come alive with creativity and dynamism in a way that would change the interior design community forever.

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part I

LinkedIn is a very business-orientated type of social network. I like to say that this one is all about "networking" and minimally about "socialising!" My interior design company will regularly accept resumes and job inquiries via LinkedIn from sources that we trust. The site also makes it easy to connect on the basis of geography. Since we are a London-based interior design company, we can restrict the scope of our search terms to (say) only identify potential collaborators in the home counties, for example if we have an upcoming speciality project that is in Central London.

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part II

It seems that rarely a day goes by without the social networking giant Facebook being in the news! One of my colleagues here in London at our interior design company finally persuaded me to join this high-profile social networking community in 2009, and I must say that I have found it a valuable - and fun! - experience. Facebook is the online home of so many interior design firms, lighting specialists, project managers, and master craftspeople that it makes for an exciting and thought-provoking interchange of ideas. And of course, I simply love to Facebook with members of the public in need of interior design inspiration or ingenuity - whether in London or anywhere on the globe!

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part III

Twitter is one of the newest social networks, and it too can be an amazingly helpful means for interior design companies to connect with their followers. I started out by using Twitter primarily to stay abreast of the latest new design ideas. But since then my Twitter usage has evolved to feature a lot more original content. For example, my Tweets link back to new and interesting blog postings and articles that are written by myself and by my team here at our London interior design company. Similarly, I get to follow all sorts of star designers whose work I admire. It feels like there is always so much to learn!

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part IV

That brings me to the end of this series of blogs on how to use social networking to promote engagement between your interior design company and the broader online community. I hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts on this exciting new area. These days, it seems that London's interior design companies are slowly but surely moving towards building up more of a social networking presence, and I only hope that this will accelerate as technologies continue to develop that make it ever-easier to stay connected anywhere on the globe.

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part I

Recently, our interior design company was contacted by the producers of the BBC TV sensation "Britain's Empty Homes" for help with augmenting their property portfolio for an upcoming series! I'm sure you are familiar with this fabulous show in which famed London-based presenter Jules Hudson seeks out and renovates some of the million-plus properties in the UK that are currently lying empty. These abandoned homes offer amazing potential for fabulous and glitzy revitalisations - the entire concept meshes perfectly with our interior design company's "from drab to fab" philosophy. I was honoured to be called up personally by the producers of this hit show, but it got me thinking about how and why they chose Global Interior Design from among London's many excellent interior design companies. In this series of blogs, join me as I talk about social networking and the role it plays in the life of a modern interior design company!

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part II

When I think of social networking, I primarily think of self-expression and communication. For me, social networking is all about communicating messages to my interior design company's supporters, collaborators, and of course past/present/future clients. My social networking strategy focuses on creating compelling, evocative, inspirational and entertaining streams of interior design expression. Astonishingly, most London interior design companies still refuse to engage with social media, but in my experience it is an amazing way of connecting with thought leaders in the international interior design community while simultaneously enhancing the general public's understanding of interior design.

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part III

I still come across all too many London locals who are confused about the role of interior design companies - they still believe that it is 100% about delightful textiles and colourful paint swatches. Furthermore, confusion persists about the key differentiators between an interior design company, an interior decorating contractor and, say, a general-purpose builder. Social networking can be a huge help in both answering these questions and promoting the interior design profession. I love to engage in online conversations and I am always honoured when people in the industry describe me as a thought leader or interior design maven.

Staying Connected: Social Networking Tips from a London Interior Design Company - Part IV

I truly believe that social networking is best for engaging with individuals who might never otherwise connect with an actual interior design company. I love the idea that anyone in the entire world can comment on this blog posting and immediately engage in conversation with me or one of the team here at our London-based interior design company. In the next few parts of this extended set of blog postings, I will tell you all about a few of the social networking websites that I use. Please send me a connection request on any of these sites, or otherwise just send an email to our interior design company's main contact address. I always prioritise responding to genuine inquiries or interesting comments.

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

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

Boosting Your Efficiency - I

Sometimes I will chat to trainee interns or junior employees at our London-based interior design consultancy and they will insist that there is just so much work to do and they don't have the hours in the day to complete all of their assigned tasks! Now certainly everyone at our interior design consultancy works extremely hard, and we are known for being one of London's most diligent design studios and project management teams. But my response to our junior team members when they complain of overwork is that creating a fabulous interior design consultancy absolutely requires being responsive to our customers, meeting target milestones, and remaining motivated all the time. In these next few blog posts I will share my secrets for how to get everything done, efficiently and seemingly effortlessly!

Boosting Your Efficiency - II

As outlined in my previous blog posting, today's busy interior designer consultancy needs top-notch planning and time-scheduling systems. At Global Interior Design, the London-based interior design consultancy that I founded, I have many time-tested tips for how I stay on the ball all the time. The first is as follows:

Rely on your diary.

This may seem rather trivial, but to be honest it is all too easy to get distracted and fail to take good notes. Writing up the details is key to being efficient at our interior design consultancy. Many systems are available to help .... spiral-bound schedulers are great, but so too are the e-calendar apps on the latest smartphones and laptops. I love high-tech gadgets!

Boosting Your Efficiency - III

My second tip for how our interior design consultancy stays on the ball is:

Keep a great work-life balance.

I adore the work I do at Global Interior Design, but I also know that it is important for me and my London-based employees to occasionally take a step back and relax away from the job! I prefer to use my iPhone calendaring solution for all things related to our interior design consultancy, but I also have another completely separate paper diary devoted to family, lifestyle, travel, culture, fashion and entertainment!

Boosting Your Efficiency - VI

My third tip for employees at our London-based interior design consultancy is simple:

Don't lose focus by allowing the distractions of London to tug you away from your work obligations!

I am well aware that London is one of the world centres of entertainment, fashion and nightlife! My less experienced employees sometimes get a little overwhelmed by all the opportunities, especially if they are new arrivals at our interior design consultancy and if they are not so familiar with life in the big city. Side-projects and hobbies are great, and I have nothing against the lively clubs, bars, dancehalls and restaurants that are all over central London. But sometimes I have to good-naturedly remind my work-placement students that to be a fabulous interior design consultancy in London requires that everyone works as a team and consistently exceeds expectations!

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

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

Boosting Your Efficiency - I

Sometimes I will chat to trainee interns or junior employees at our London-based interior design consultancy and they will insist that there is just so much work to do and they don't have the hours in the day to complete all of their assigned tasks! Now certainly everyone at our interior design consultancy works extremely hard, and we are known for being one of London's most diligent design studios and project management teams. But my response to our junior team members when they complain of overwork is that creating a fabulous interior design consultancy absolutely requires being responsive to our customers, meeting target milestones, and remaining motivated all the time. In these next few blog posts I will share my secrets for how to get everything done, efficiently and seemingly effortlessly!

Boosting Your Efficiency - II

As outlined in my previous blog posting, today's busy interior designer consultancy needs top-notch planning and time-scheduling systems. At Global Interior Design, the London-based interior design consultancy that I founded, I have many time-tested tips for how I stay on the ball all the time. The first is as follows:

Rely on your diary.

This may seem rather trivial, but to be honest it is all too easy to get distracted and fail to take good notes. Writing up the details is key to being efficient at our interior design consultancy. Many systems are available to help .... spiral-bound schedulers are great, but so too are the e-calendar apps on the latest smartphones and laptops. I love high-tech gadgets!

Boosting Your Efficiency - III

My second tip for how our interior design consultancy stays on the ball is:

Keep a great work-life balance.

I adore the work I do at Global Interior Design, but I also know that it is important for me and my London-based employees to occasionally take a step back and relax away from the job! I prefer to use my iPhone calendaring solution for all things related to our interior design consultancy, but I also have another completely separate paper diary devoted to family, lifestyle, travel, culture, fashion and entertainment!

Boosting Your Efficiency - VI

My third tip for employees at our London-based interior design consultancy is simple:

Don't lose focus by allowing the distractions of London to tug you away from your work obligations!

I am well aware that London is one of the world centres of entertainment, fashion and nightlife! My less experienced employees sometimes get a little overwhelmed by all the opportunities, especially if they are new arrivals at our interior design consultancy and if they are not so familiar with life in the big city. Side-projects and hobbies are great, and I have nothing against the lively clubs, bars, dancehalls and restaurants that are all over central London. But sometimes I have to good-naturedly remind my work-placement students that to be a fabulous interior design consultancy in London requires that everyone works as a team and consistently exceeds expectations!