Secrets of the Trade from a London Interior Design Consultancy

Something from Nothing
I spent a delightful afternoon off a few weeks ago with my sons wandering through Tate Modern, London's premiere modern art destination. As I walked through the second level, a celebration of surrealism, I was struck by how remarkable the paintings and sculptures are in this collection. This floor alone must be valued at hundreds of millions of pounds, maybe even billions. But it is easy to forget that each and every one of these artworks started out with a blank concept pad and maybe some pencils or paint. All that was needed were the ideas and handiwork of a talented artist. At Global Interior Design, the interior design consultancy that I founded, we recognise that so much of what is valuable comes to life in this way. Other UK interior design consultancies like Bentheim and Adrienne Chinn Design Company all began in the very same way - with an idea and a piece of paper. And every new project that my interior design consultancy takes on starts out with nothing more than big ideas and a touch of magic. It's so inspirational and I go into work each and every day just so excited to passionately realise and explore the reality of "nothing to something!"

Interior Design for the Stage
Just a few weeks ago a dear friend of mine was visiting London from Paris. I was just so delighted to have the opportunity to talk with her about how things are going for our interior design consultancy and all the exciting projects we have active right now. One of the things we enjoyed together was a trip to London's Comedy Theatre on prestigious Panton Street to see the renowned George Bernard Shaw play "Mrs. Warren's Profession." As I was leaving the theatre, I reflected with my friend on the similarities between the work of an interior design consultancy and the work of stage/set design teams. In both cases, the goal is to create atmosphere and drama. In both cases, we work alongside other experts like lighting designers, carpenters, and audiovisual engineers. But the key difference is that interior design consultancies have to create spaces that are "livable," not just "spectacular." A great lesson to remember as we start to move toward the second half of this year!

Balancing Life and Work
Just recently I was invited to fill in an online survey about work-life balance. And it got me thinking about my top tips for maintaining a healthy equilibrium. As the founder of a busy London interior design consultancy, it's never easy to disconnect from my intensive work commitments. But here are a few time-tested ideas that I thought might be of interest to readers of this blog:

• Holidays are important! Colleagues at my interior design consultancy know that I work hard but that I also sometimes need a good break where I can fully disengage from my work. I love to get outside London at the weekends, especially in the summer months when the countryside and beaches are so beautiful.


• Don't forget sports! Keeping fit is one of my many passions and I love to go running in the one of London's magnificent Royal Parks after a busy day of work at our interior design consultancy. No matter how busy you are, you can always find time for a touch of sport - and it will make you feel even more fabulous the next day!

Bucking the Trends
Last week I was asked to comment on how our interior design consultancy sees the latest trendy London design ideas. I responded at once that I just ignore them completely! I think that our work as a well-known interior design consultancy should be grounded in our own reflections, experiences, and time-tested sophistication married with practicality. Every new project that our interior design consultancy takes on is really a journey of its own. The process begins with the conceptualisation phase, where a new vision gets fashioned - maybe out of the blue, but more often triggered by an exhibit that I may have seen at a London museum or a thoughtful interaction with another designer. From there our interior design consultancy works collaboratively to re-envision, improve, and retarget the atmosphere and feel of the design concept until we are ready to implement.

Taste Versus Style
I've written about taste and style on this blog before, but I thought I would revisit it today as our London interior design consultancy enters a new phase of hiring. To meet the demands of new projects and larger commissions, we are actively seeking both interns and new support staff to become part of the team at our interior design consultancy. We are a fun group to work with, and if you are London-based I would encourage you to apply via our website if interested. But one of the things that I always wrestle with is how to help new hires really understand the "taste" that goes into our signature design aesthetic. And I have decided that the best approach is just for employees to roll up their sleeves and jump right in! Learn from your mistakes, move on, and be open to constructive criticism.

Thoughts from the Studios of a London Interior Designer

Home Extensions
One question that I am frequently asked by trainee interior designers pertains to structural remodelling: "how much is too much?" Any interior designer can easily add an inch here, take off an inch there, but all of these changes add cost to the overall budget - and some older London residences may be impacted by heritage laws and local authority mandates on maintaining tradition. My golden rule is to only make structural modifications when every other approach will fail to give the desired result. Even just a few centimetres removed from a key wall can open up amazing new opportunities for the professional London interior designer, and if the client craves unique results this may well be the only viable solution.

Styling Magnificent Hotels
Interior designers who work exclusively on hotels often have a very different headset from those who focus on residential work. The main reason for this is a difference in the key underlying criteria. Even in the most luxurious London resort hotels, it is essential that a given interior design scheme be easily replicable from floor to floor and across different rooms on each floor. Most London hotels will ask the lead interior designer to create something that is repeatable, not unique. By contrast, the unique and fabulous interior designer flair is more suitable for residential scenarios.

Wireless All Around
One of Global Interior Design's flagship projects right now involves a London client who craves the best of modern technology. As his lead interior designer, I have been asked to include all sorts of wireless touch-sensitive controls, switches and systems. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem, but I learnt recently that with so many different wireless standards in a relatively compact area, one can easily run the risk of interference! This particular London project demanded several different technologies. One of my junior interior designers counted no fewer than five different wireless standards - WiFi for internet, a proprietary wireless standard for in-ceiling illumination, Bluetooth for hooking up some high-end iPod speakers, and yet another radio control pod for a luxury audio-visual system! The lesson: interior designers should always double-check for compatibility and require that installers test all systems thoroughly before handover.

Anticipating the New American Embassy in London
As every interior designer must know by now, the new American Embassy in London will be situated in classy and fashionable Wandsworth. And I was delighted to hear that the great designers at KieranTimberlake in Pennsylvania USA have won the competition to create the new embassy building! KieranTimberlake is more of an architecture firm, although they do employ a number of interior designers. Like Global Interior Design, KieranTimberlake focuses on the needs of the inhabitants of new buildings. Their team prizes the process as the first art, incorporating many layers of information and participation to create masterful expressions of light and texture. I can't wait to see what they will come up with here in London - and as an interior designer, I will be excited to see the 3D renderings of the planned internal spaces and structures!

Thoughts from the Studios of a London Interior Designer

Thoughts from the Studios of a London Interior Designer

Opening the Neoclassical Box

Not long ago I had the pleasure of taking a sturdy modern mansion and transforming it into a Georgian-style country house just outside London. A luxurious, amply-proportioned, bold, high-end interior designer style was requested by the Asian owners. One of my favourite transformations was the master bedroom. I used all my professional interior designer experience to create a room that would feel like a retreat and a sanctuary while still adhering to the owner's preferences for daring pizazz. I am particularly proud of the powerful zigzag insignia on the carpeting and the beautiful circular portal-style artwork that really reaches out and engages with the viewer, creating a foil against which one of my junior interior designers artfully placed a Venetian mirror together with a selection of Régence chairs from Paris. A truly remarkable and unique look to welcome this family to London and the Home Counties!


Departing from the Horizontal

I wanted to share with readers of this blog some new thinking of mine on how to shift away from the horizontal in fresh new design schemes. As a professional interior designer in London, I am often asked to give consultations on grand new projects. Recently, a London firm was hoping to renovate some office space on the executive level of their headquarters in Blackfriars. I was asked to offer my professional opinion on the interior designer concept options that lay ahead. Specifically, the chairman was eager to move away from the idea of "horizontal and vertical" in the scheme. One great example of this is the traditional London conservatory roof. One of my associate interior designers came up with a really imaginative way of using galvanised sheet-metal blades together with steel cables to create a ceiling piece that draws the eye upwards and gives the illusion of an angled slant. We presented our proposals to the executives at their London headquarters, and although they elected not to proceed it is definitely a scheme that I love as an interior designer. I hope to use a similar approach in a future project.


New and Old, Juxtaposed

Just a few days ago, I received a phonecall from a journalist who was interested in my opinion as a professional interior designer. She asked me about how interior designers today successfully merge old and new into eye-catching but aesthetically pleasing schemes and concepts. I told her of a recent project that the Global Interior Design team had completed for a large house in a London suburb. The client had specifically requested a fusion of modern and traditional, and we achieved this by linking the notion of restful retreats with sophistication and serenity. Our interior designers used armillary spheres with gothic columns, and we hung a mixed-media modern artwork over a traditional fireplace. The unifying theme was the colour - our client loves all shades of beige, and we took advantage of that fact to truly embrace the connections between old and new. Her renovated London residence was exactly what she and her family craved.


Working with Couples

Working with couples as clients can sometimes be a challenge for the less experienced interior designer. Couples can get along extremely well but nonetheless they may have different approaches to life and design. Specifically, we recently worked with a London couple where the gentleman was a television journalist and his wife was a successful executive. She was formal, but he was much more casual. Her focus was on clean lines and interior designer flair, while he was seeking more restful, den-like, shag-carpet comfort. Ultimately our team of interior designers decided to come up with a compromise colour board, with rooms "for him" and "for her" that would maximise the spatial opportunities while taking full advantage of their fabulous and expansive London home.

Interior Design Insights from Across the Globe

Interior Design Insights from Across the Globe

When is it Right to Downsize?

Here at Global Interior Design, London's Fun-Fast-Fabulous Design House, we occasionally receive calls from clients who are considering "downsizing."This can be prompted by a variety of different reasons, and as interior design professionals we always work to try and understand the context of such a change so that we can envision the perfect interior design solutions for our clients as a result. Some people downsize for economic reasons, others due to life-change events, and for yet others it can simply be a matter of time - interior design rework can only go so far with a given architectural "shell"and some clients get bored of their existing homes. Our London-based interior design team can work with you if you are considering downsizing, helping every step of the way to truly make your new house a home.


Celebrating Scottish Heritage

Global Interior Design is known for our sophisticated signature design style and our ability to work on challenging projects. One of our former interior design associates recently moved on from London and had the opportunity to do some work renovating famous Killochan Castle, about 50 miles to the south of Glasgow. He asked me to write about it in this blog in case any of my readers are interested in moving outside London into this amazing 14th-century castle which has three primary buildings. The £3million property has authentic interior design flair and features an eight-bedroom, five-bathroom main castle together with an attached site manager's flat. In addition, there is the three-bedroom gatehouse and an enchanting four-bedroom bridgehouse. The interior design style is in keeping with the history of the property and its surroundings (the Girvan River passes through the grounds) and the castle is being sold fully furnished.


Kitchen Comfort for Bare Feet

Do you ever spend hours in your kitchen preparing a fantastic meal before realising that your feet or back have become exceedingly cold or stiff while standing on the hard, frigid floor? Interior design professionals are becoming increasingly aware of this problem, particularly in older London residences which often feature tiles or other unheated hard floor surfaces. A great solution that I like to recommend to my most discerning London interior design clients is the gel-filled floor mat. It is made with a shock-absorbing 100% gel-filled internal channel that is perfect for people with back pain or foot pain, or simply for those who find themselves often dropping heavy pots or pans and wish to protect expensive tiles. Available in multiple colours and textures, gel mats can fit almost any interior design scheme.


Helping White Aesthetics to Feel Rich

Sometimes our London interior design clients will request a minimalist aesthetic, but they are keen to not have the end result seem “empty.” As an interior design professional, I seek rich fullness in all of my designs - and often a great way to do this in a minimalist context is to use glass walls and to intersperse grays and an accent of black into an otherwise white-dominated room. For a recent project, the client’s wife was very keen on a pure, intense all-white interior design look. I steered her away from this by recommending a gray “London clay” shag carpet and chairs with a subtle yellow covering. She was astonished and delighted with the rich intensity of the results!

Interior Design Insights from Across the Globe

Interior Design Insights from Across the Globe

Reviewing Cher's Beautiful Homes

Many regular readers of this blog will be fans of the fabulous Cher - superstar singer and global showbusiness icon. Cher regularly visits London, but she doesn't actually (yet) have a home in our nation's capital. Just recently I was looking at photos of some of her recent prestigious purchases and their unique interior designs. I was astonished to lean that Cher's magnificent and opulent residences are all in the USA - and she moves regularly: 1979, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2002, and now 2010. Her prized locations include Bel Air, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Aspen. Cher's interior design choices are definitely inspired by her long-term interest in Buddhism ... another celebrity example of how interior design should reflect a client's personality and lifestyle - from interior design in London to Lima, this principle always holds true!


Working with Difficult Clients

It is fairly rare these days that I take on an interior design assignment that ends up involving a "difficult client."Most of my more recent projects have been in or around London, and generally I would say that my clients are highly appreciative of the interior design insights and expertise provided by myself and my world-class London-based team. But sometimes we do have to work with a client who is more challenging. And in such cases, I often find that it is because the client isn't really sure what they want in terms of interior design results. I always remind my London interior design interns that educating the client and managing expectations is just as important as bringing fabulous design into their homes and lives.


David Linley's New Creation

David Linley is a famous London-based cabinetmaker who crafts simply magnificent woodwork and artisanal structures in a variety of different interior design styles. Just recently he made a delightfully unique jewellery box, crafted in the shape of New York's prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art (the equivalent perhaps of London's Tate Museum), which I was invited to view. The price tag is far from lightweight, at US$43,015, but thankfully a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the museum itself to continue funding their famous collections. Unique pieces of artwork or sculpture can really add flair to a London interior design project, and I often encourage my London clients who are seeking the ultimate in luxury to seriously consider pieces like this one.


Ralph Lauren Moves into Interior Design

Many of the readers of this blog will be avid fashionistas for whom the famous Ralph Lauren brand is an everyday luxury. But did you know that this world-renowned marque has now moved into interior design with " Ralph Lauren Home"? You can find their decorative pieces at London's Fulham Road and New Bond Street boutique locations. One of the most celebrated pieces to arrive as part of this interior design collection is the wonderful leather-wrapped Harrison desk box. At a very reasonable price of about £350 at both London stores, this white-inlaid black leather piece is perfect for modern interior design schemes, with the sophisticated lines and understated details that are the signature of the firm's accessories and furniture ranges.