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.