When interior designers say the words "garden design", they are crossing an invisible boundary - from interior to exterior. Historically, interior designers have focused exclusively on what lies within the home. But today some of London's most prestigious interior design teams are starting to apply their wealth of knowledge and experience to garden schemes. The resulting whole-estate approach means that top interior designers can now offer homeowners full-service comprehensive expertise that covers every possible need. London is a splendid city in which to work as an interior designer who also focuses on gardens because it is so easy to find fabulous garden furniture, plantings and exterior illuminators from the many outstanding garden centres and wholesalers across the home counties.
If there are walls on either side of a set of steps, you may hear your interior designer start to talk of a "brick-light". The name comes from the fact that its size and shape are precisely the same as a brick! This clever little illuminator can be set back into the wall to provide a general wash of light across the steps. Some prestigious London hotels will use this approach, but it can also be effective for private homes, provided your interior designer specifies a special louvre cover that focuses the light downwards. Some clients crave extra drama - in such circumstances, your interior designer may choose to incorporate directional spotlights, set into the wall to chase the light down. For even more atmosphere, especially in Central London where street lights may be bright, directional spotlights can be set into the wall to light each step individually. Your interior designer may turn to fibre optics - their tiny pretty fixtures are ideal for this type of application. If you have only a few stone steps, it may be best to conceal a lengthy low-voltage strip under the front trim of the steps to provide a continuous downward wash of light. This works well only if the light source is well-hidden; otherwise the effect will be too glittery and glamourous and your interior designer might as well be designing a London hotel!
Well that brings to an end my series titled "Welcome to my Designer Garden! A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs". Thank you so much for reading.
London Renovation Company - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design and renovation services.
Showing posts with label London Interior Designer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London Interior Designer. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs - Pathways
When interior designers say the words "garden design", they are crossing an invisible boundary - from interior to exterior. Historically, interior designers have focused exclusively on what lies within the home. But today some of London's most prestigious interior design teams are starting to apply their wealth of knowledge and experience to garden schemes. The resulting whole-estate approach means that top interior designers can now offer homeowners full-service comprehensive expertise that covers every possible need. London is a splendid city in which to work as an interior designer who also focuses on gardens because it is so easy to find fabulous garden furniture, plantings and exterior illuminators from the many outstanding garden centres and wholesalers across the home counties.
London's top interior designers know that garden paths should always be a key part of an overall garden scheme - and this requires cleverly thought-out lighting design! Paths must always be lit for practical reasons - safety and easy access are critical, whether from house to garden or from one part of the garden to another. But interior designers love to use their designer flair, and fortunately for our clients we can make even this type of lighting just as pretty as in other zones of the garden. Sometimes reflected light from illuminated features, such as outdoor urns or statues, may be sufficient to brighten up a pathway at nighttime, but more normally your interior designer will draw out a map of where the ground changes levels (safety first!). Extra illumination may be necessary here, particularly for when elderly relatives come to visit. Some London Interior Designers love to recommend pretty little indicator lights that incorporate LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which are perfect when used to show the route of a path on a dark night or when installed underneath a balustrade.
Let me explain just a little more about LEDs. These clever little lights are often used in digital watches and pocket calculators, where they offer the ultimate in low-heat illumination. Some interior designers love to create patterns within paving stones by replacing a tile detail with an LED! Thanks to their long-life bulbs, LEDs can also be an attractive alternative to fibre optics. Interior designers love to design with LEDs because there is no remote light box to conceal - only a small transformer. Practical even for the most compact London urban gardens!
With the third and final article in this series titled "Welcome to my Designer Garden! A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs", I will focus on how to illuminate garden steps and stonework.
London Renovation Company - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design and renovation services.
London's top interior designers know that garden paths should always be a key part of an overall garden scheme - and this requires cleverly thought-out lighting design! Paths must always be lit for practical reasons - safety and easy access are critical, whether from house to garden or from one part of the garden to another. But interior designers love to use their designer flair, and fortunately for our clients we can make even this type of lighting just as pretty as in other zones of the garden. Sometimes reflected light from illuminated features, such as outdoor urns or statues, may be sufficient to brighten up a pathway at nighttime, but more normally your interior designer will draw out a map of where the ground changes levels (safety first!). Extra illumination may be necessary here, particularly for when elderly relatives come to visit. Some London Interior Designers love to recommend pretty little indicator lights that incorporate LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which are perfect when used to show the route of a path on a dark night or when installed underneath a balustrade.
Let me explain just a little more about LEDs. These clever little lights are often used in digital watches and pocket calculators, where they offer the ultimate in low-heat illumination. Some interior designers love to create patterns within paving stones by replacing a tile detail with an LED! Thanks to their long-life bulbs, LEDs can also be an attractive alternative to fibre optics. Interior designers love to design with LEDs because there is no remote light box to conceal - only a small transformer. Practical even for the most compact London urban gardens!
With the third and final article in this series titled "Welcome to my Designer Garden! A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs", I will focus on how to illuminate garden steps and stonework.
London Renovation Company - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design and renovation services.
A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs - Entrances and Exits
When interior designers say the words "garden design", they are crossing an invisible boundary - from interior to exterior. Historically, interior designers have focused exclusively on what lies within the home. But today some of London's most prestigious interior design teams are starting to apply their wealth of knowledge and experience to garden schemes. The resulting whole-estate approach means that top interior designers can now offer homeowners full-service comprehensive expertise that covers every possible need. London is a splendid city in which to work as an interior designer who also focuses on gardens because it is so easy to find fabulous garden furniture, plantings and exterior illuminators from the many outstanding garden centres and wholesalers across the home counties.
If your London home is not far from a well-lit urban street, your interior designer may recommend more intense illuminators to create the designer impact you crave for your garden. By contrast, in the countryside outside London, moonlight may sometimes be sufficient to allow residents and guests to wander safely, but a touch of supplementary light may still be essential to brighten up an entrance or exit. Many interior designers recommend tungsten halogen illuminators, which guarantee the most real-looking colour and are suitable for most buildings. However, I would note that if your home is particularly large, a warmer light source, such as sodium, may be advisable. Metal halide illuminators tend to be very cool and they are therefore best for buildings in London's most urban areas - this type of crisp snow-coloured light can prove highly dramatic in such settings. (If used in the countryside, guests may feel that the effect is slightly too cool and unfriendly.)
Just as entrances prepare us for the interiors to come, so exits should herald a tranquil slide into the garden without. Zones that lie just outside French windows, such as terraces, require first-class mood lighting. Your London Interior Designer will recommend this approach not only for practical reasons but also to guarantee a gentle, atmospheric transformation as your guests move between house and garden. Professional interior designers know that if lights are too bright indoors, reflections on windows will render any garden lighting almost invisible from inside. As a consequence, it is essential to have easy controls to dim down the lights next to an exit or adjacent to your windows that enter onto a terrace. By softening these lights with a dimmer, your interior designer can heighten the intensity of the lighting outside and set the scene for the perfect London garden party.
With the next article in this series on how interior designers create magical garden designs, I will focus on how to illuminate garden pathways.
London Renovation Company - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design and renovation services.
If your London home is not far from a well-lit urban street, your interior designer may recommend more intense illuminators to create the designer impact you crave for your garden. By contrast, in the countryside outside London, moonlight may sometimes be sufficient to allow residents and guests to wander safely, but a touch of supplementary light may still be essential to brighten up an entrance or exit. Many interior designers recommend tungsten halogen illuminators, which guarantee the most real-looking colour and are suitable for most buildings. However, I would note that if your home is particularly large, a warmer light source, such as sodium, may be advisable. Metal halide illuminators tend to be very cool and they are therefore best for buildings in London's most urban areas - this type of crisp snow-coloured light can prove highly dramatic in such settings. (If used in the countryside, guests may feel that the effect is slightly too cool and unfriendly.)
Just as entrances prepare us for the interiors to come, so exits should herald a tranquil slide into the garden without. Zones that lie just outside French windows, such as terraces, require first-class mood lighting. Your London Interior Designer will recommend this approach not only for practical reasons but also to guarantee a gentle, atmospheric transformation as your guests move between house and garden. Professional interior designers know that if lights are too bright indoors, reflections on windows will render any garden lighting almost invisible from inside. As a consequence, it is essential to have easy controls to dim down the lights next to an exit or adjacent to your windows that enter onto a terrace. By softening these lights with a dimmer, your interior designer can heighten the intensity of the lighting outside and set the scene for the perfect London garden party.
With the next article in this series on how interior designers create magical garden designs, I will focus on how to illuminate garden pathways.
London Renovation Company - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design and renovation services.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Modern/Contemporary
Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This fifth and final article in my series moves on from countryside styles to modern/contemporary - a major focus of the London interior design community today.
Modern or contemporary design is all about simplicity. Interior designers tend to focus on fresh, clean lines, together with simple colours and basic shapes like perfect circles and rectangles. But the question I hear again and again from my interior design students in London is, "How to make a contemporary/modern design interesting and unique?" This can be a real challenge - interior designers always want to give their clients something special, but within the constraints of very simple, almost minimalist, design briefs, this can require some serious creativity!
My recommendation to interior design students is always to use extra imagination in the details. In London, wealthy homeowners tend to be very focused on subtle extras. To add interest to a standard modern/contemporary scheme, the interior designer can consider highlights, trims or accents in the colour scheme. Even if one only has a monochrome palette to work with, perhaps a white piece of furniture would look stunning with a beautiful bespoke black throw. Or maybe a hint of pink can be introduced into a grey tone to create a really "interior designer" look for a room? There are all sorts of possibilities, and in London's most prestigious districts today the most important thing for interior designers to keep in mind is that the label of "modern/contemporary" is just a guideline. If the client has a favourite piece of furniture or artwork that doesn’t quite fit the "modern/contemporary" label, use your interior design creativity to figure out ways to incorporate it into a scheme. You really can’t go wrong if your "modern/contemporary" design is unified and classy - and in London many clients are very sophisticated, with an eye for beauty and detail. If their needs are met, the London interior designer has done their job!
Well, that closes out my series on "Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style." Thank you so much for reading - I hope I have been able to give you some perspective on the many different styles that are and have been popular with London’s interior design community over the decades.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Modern or contemporary design is all about simplicity. Interior designers tend to focus on fresh, clean lines, together with simple colours and basic shapes like perfect circles and rectangles. But the question I hear again and again from my interior design students in London is, "How to make a contemporary/modern design interesting and unique?" This can be a real challenge - interior designers always want to give their clients something special, but within the constraints of very simple, almost minimalist, design briefs, this can require some serious creativity!
My recommendation to interior design students is always to use extra imagination in the details. In London, wealthy homeowners tend to be very focused on subtle extras. To add interest to a standard modern/contemporary scheme, the interior designer can consider highlights, trims or accents in the colour scheme. Even if one only has a monochrome palette to work with, perhaps a white piece of furniture would look stunning with a beautiful bespoke black throw. Or maybe a hint of pink can be introduced into a grey tone to create a really "interior designer" look for a room? There are all sorts of possibilities, and in London's most prestigious districts today the most important thing for interior designers to keep in mind is that the label of "modern/contemporary" is just a guideline. If the client has a favourite piece of furniture or artwork that doesn’t quite fit the "modern/contemporary" label, use your interior design creativity to figure out ways to incorporate it into a scheme. You really can’t go wrong if your "modern/contemporary" design is unified and classy - and in London many clients are very sophisticated, with an eye for beauty and detail. If their needs are met, the London interior designer has done their job!
Well, that closes out my series on "Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style." Thank you so much for reading - I hope I have been able to give you some perspective on the many different styles that are and have been popular with London’s interior design community over the decades.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Jacobean and Victorian
Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This second article in my series introduces traditional/period design, with a focus on the Jacobean and Victorian styles.
Traditional design uses materials that reflect the wealth and opulence of historic times. London interior designers will often take the best of the features that were available back then and skilfully combine them with elements that are available today. Traditional/period interior design projects tend to focus on elegance, with a look and feel that is comfortable, rich and sumptuous, although sometimes also a little fragile.
The Jacobean theme is popular in London mansions and other residences that have a real sense of history. The Jacobean style focuses on heavy wooden features, with dark-stained oak often used to create panels for walls and floorboards. Oak is also often used for the furniture, and the overall interior design feel is that of robustness, with pleasantly-proportioned pieces to fill the available space. Tapestries are also an important part of the Jacobean look. However, many interior designers recognise that tapestries can be impractical nowadays, and one approach often used by London's best-known consultancies is to recreate the tapestry appearance on modern upholstered furniture or curtains.
One caveat with Jacobean interior designs is that the style does need plenty of natural light. because otherwise the darker wood stains can seem uninspired. This can be problematic in smaller London residences, but is generally not an issue with more luxurious mansions that often feature huge south-facing windows and substantial grounds.
The Victorian interior design style, by contrast, is considered a more staid approach. Interior designers often focus on small rounded tables, often covered entirely in cloth, and fat, heavily-buttoned chesterfield settees. So much of London became urbanised in Victorian times that the style also came to include nature as a theme for textiles, serving as a counterpoint to accelerating industrialisation. Consequently, Victorian interior design schemes often feature floral elements and birds on both walls and furnishings.
In the next article in my "Designing in Style" interior design series, I will focus on a third and final period style that is particularly important for London residences - the Georgian style.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Traditional design uses materials that reflect the wealth and opulence of historic times. London interior designers will often take the best of the features that were available back then and skilfully combine them with elements that are available today. Traditional/period interior design projects tend to focus on elegance, with a look and feel that is comfortable, rich and sumptuous, although sometimes also a little fragile.
The Jacobean theme is popular in London mansions and other residences that have a real sense of history. The Jacobean style focuses on heavy wooden features, with dark-stained oak often used to create panels for walls and floorboards. Oak is also often used for the furniture, and the overall interior design feel is that of robustness, with pleasantly-proportioned pieces to fill the available space. Tapestries are also an important part of the Jacobean look. However, many interior designers recognise that tapestries can be impractical nowadays, and one approach often used by London's best-known consultancies is to recreate the tapestry appearance on modern upholstered furniture or curtains.
One caveat with Jacobean interior designs is that the style does need plenty of natural light. because otherwise the darker wood stains can seem uninspired. This can be problematic in smaller London residences, but is generally not an issue with more luxurious mansions that often feature huge south-facing windows and substantial grounds.
The Victorian interior design style, by contrast, is considered a more staid approach. Interior designers often focus on small rounded tables, often covered entirely in cloth, and fat, heavily-buttoned chesterfield settees. So much of London became urbanised in Victorian times that the style also came to include nature as a theme for textiles, serving as a counterpoint to accelerating industrialisation. Consequently, Victorian interior design schemes often feature floral elements and birds on both walls and furnishings.
In the next article in my "Designing in Style" interior design series, I will focus on a third and final period style that is particularly important for London residences - the Georgian style.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Insights into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings - Installing Pictures
When interior designers use the term "wall hangings," they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design. In this second article in my series on "How Interior Designers Select Wall Hangings," I will talk in detail about several approaches that I have seen while working alongside many of London's most successful interior design professionals.
As a general guideline, pictures tend to work well when arranged in squares or rectangles. London is a world fashion centre, and jaunty mismatched shapes can be interesting for certain highly customised interior designs, but in most cases it is best to stick with simple 90-degree angles.
Second, symmetry is important. Often when the interior designer has one central picture and several others in a set, they will choose some sort of symmetrical arrangement.
Third, a popular approach in London's interior design community is to use the concept of "horizons" against which to align the upper edges of multiple pictures in a group. If an interior designer has an assortment of differently-sized rectangular frames, they may choose to hang an upper row from one "horizon" and the lower row from a different "horizon."
Fourth, London interior design consultancies often talk of "anchoring." This refers to a technique by which the largest images in a set form the corners of an imaginary rectangle or square, while smaller pictures are used to "fill in" the rest of the available area.
Fifth, to add interest and move away from rectangles, certain interior design professionals love to use the cross technique" when they have rectangular frames of various sizes. This requires arranging pictures in the shape of a cross, with the larger pictures below the horizontal line and smaller frames above to balance their mass.
Sixth, London interior designers often focus on hanging the largest pictures at the bottom of a group, along a single horizontal line. This can give a stable feel to the broader arrangement. I have worked with some top London interior design teams who always choose to place the tallest image in the centre of this horizon to draw the eye upwards and accentuate features of the presentation.
In the next articles in this series, I will talk about best practices in the use of lighting and mirrors to highlight wall hangings of various types.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
As a general guideline, pictures tend to work well when arranged in squares or rectangles. London is a world fashion centre, and jaunty mismatched shapes can be interesting for certain highly customised interior designs, but in most cases it is best to stick with simple 90-degree angles.
Second, symmetry is important. Often when the interior designer has one central picture and several others in a set, they will choose some sort of symmetrical arrangement.
Third, a popular approach in London's interior design community is to use the concept of "horizons" against which to align the upper edges of multiple pictures in a group. If an interior designer has an assortment of differently-sized rectangular frames, they may choose to hang an upper row from one "horizon" and the lower row from a different "horizon."
Fourth, London interior design consultancies often talk of "anchoring." This refers to a technique by which the largest images in a set form the corners of an imaginary rectangle or square, while smaller pictures are used to "fill in" the rest of the available area.
Fifth, to add interest and move away from rectangles, certain interior design professionals love to use the cross technique" when they have rectangular frames of various sizes. This requires arranging pictures in the shape of a cross, with the larger pictures below the horizontal line and smaller frames above to balance their mass.
Sixth, London interior designers often focus on hanging the largest pictures at the bottom of a group, along a single horizontal line. This can give a stable feel to the broader arrangement. I have worked with some top London interior design teams who always choose to place the tallest image in the centre of this horizon to draw the eye upwards and accentuate features of the presentation.
In the next articles in this series, I will talk about best practices in the use of lighting and mirrors to highlight wall hangings of various types.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Insights into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings - Choosing Pictures
When interior designers use the term "wall hangings," they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. This can include pictures, photographs, plates, frames, mirrors, sculptures, reliefs and much more besides. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design.
One of the most important elements of wall hangings are pictures. Many interior designers know that pictures are the way to "make a house a home." However, poor positioning of pictures can easily detract from an otherwise well-planned interior design. This is especially important in smaller London homes or flats. Your interior designer will be able to outline the key points that need to be kept in mind regardless of whether you are hanging a recent family photo or an ancient heirloom. In London, interior designers have a saying, namely that "all pictures should relate to something else in the room." This means that wall hangings of this type should never look as though they were included by accident. Pictures should be related via either colour or thematic elements to display tables, armchairs, bookshelves or fireplaces - or indeed to architectural features, such as panelling or mouldings, which can often be quite historic and interesting in London residences.
London interior designers will often elect not to position wall hangings symmetrically (meaning centred on fireplaces or furniture), since this can make the overall interior design seem a little uninspired or "flat."
In London, it is important to remember that the weather is often a little rainy and cool. Therefore interior designers often find it desirable to depict slightly brighter images in their selection of wall hangings. It is also important to group pictures that are related to one another. An interior designer will often place a selection of landscapes close to one another, or they will do the same for seascapes or floral pictures. Another approach often used by some of the most prestigious London interior design consultancies is to group images by colour themes or at the very least by styles of frame or mounting.
In the next article in this interior design series, I will discuss in more detail the practicalities of how to install pictures.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
One of the most important elements of wall hangings are pictures. Many interior designers know that pictures are the way to "make a house a home." However, poor positioning of pictures can easily detract from an otherwise well-planned interior design. This is especially important in smaller London homes or flats. Your interior designer will be able to outline the key points that need to be kept in mind regardless of whether you are hanging a recent family photo or an ancient heirloom. In London, interior designers have a saying, namely that "all pictures should relate to something else in the room." This means that wall hangings of this type should never look as though they were included by accident. Pictures should be related via either colour or thematic elements to display tables, armchairs, bookshelves or fireplaces - or indeed to architectural features, such as panelling or mouldings, which can often be quite historic and interesting in London residences.
London interior designers will often elect not to position wall hangings symmetrically (meaning centred on fireplaces or furniture), since this can make the overall interior design seem a little uninspired or "flat."
In London, it is important to remember that the weather is often a little rainy and cool. Therefore interior designers often find it desirable to depict slightly brighter images in their selection of wall hangings. It is also important to group pictures that are related to one another. An interior designer will often place a selection of landscapes close to one another, or they will do the same for seascapes or floral pictures. Another approach often used by some of the most prestigious London interior design consultancies is to group images by colour themes or at the very least by styles of frame or mounting.
In the next article in this interior design series, I will discuss in more detail the practicalities of how to install pictures.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Outdoor Room: How Interior Design Companies Illuminate Gardens - Part IV
Some prestigious London Interior Design companies refer to urban garden concepts as "outdoor rooms.” If you are considering employing an interior design company to renovate both your indoor and your outdoor spaces, this four-part series of articles will help you understand how lighting can be used to create a sense of garden drama. I draw on my experience working with some of London's best interior design companies to reveal the secrets of this fascinating speciality design area.
In my previous article, I discussed how to illuminate soft elements. With this article, I will talk about how interior design companies light up structural features in gardens. Often a small spiked spotlight, masked by ground-level shrubbery, will be recommended by your interior design company because this solution will output the perfect amount of light. If a replica of an historic London statue or garden flowerpot is centred within a grassy zone, a 100% recessed adjustable uplighter may constitute a subtle, trouble-free solution while ensuring that the lawn can still be safely mown. For fabulous results, your London interior design company may choose to uplight a trellis, not only illuminating any plants or flowers that may grow up the wooden struts, but also drawing the eye towards the structure. Flowerpots and vessels are perfect to hide the source of the illumination. Your interior design company may recommend alternating narrow and wide bulbs for versatility and interest. Neon illuminators are best when the scheme requires the introduction of a new colour. The soft upward glow can help define vessels, statues and other structures. Your interior design company may position a neon lighting system below a frosted glass panel, with a standard planter (available from any London garden furnishings store) immediately above. The result will be that the coloured light emphasises the shape of the planter, instead of the flowers, shrubs or plants inside. Alternatively, your interior design company may recommend white light for a softer, less dramatic result.
With the help of a London interior design company, and with detailed planning, your inspirational ideas for your garden can become a reality! Your long-term vision for the garden is critical, and your interior design company will provide guidance so that you can look beyond the present: bushes will grow, and views will transform from season to season and from year to year. Top London interior design companies prefer to use low-voltage fittings, attached to a spike and forced into the earth, because these can be moved as planting schemes change over time.
Thank you for reading this article series on how London's best interior design companies illuminate "outdoor rooms."
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
In my previous article, I discussed how to illuminate soft elements. With this article, I will talk about how interior design companies light up structural features in gardens. Often a small spiked spotlight, masked by ground-level shrubbery, will be recommended by your interior design company because this solution will output the perfect amount of light. If a replica of an historic London statue or garden flowerpot is centred within a grassy zone, a 100% recessed adjustable uplighter may constitute a subtle, trouble-free solution while ensuring that the lawn can still be safely mown. For fabulous results, your London interior design company may choose to uplight a trellis, not only illuminating any plants or flowers that may grow up the wooden struts, but also drawing the eye towards the structure. Flowerpots and vessels are perfect to hide the source of the illumination. Your interior design company may recommend alternating narrow and wide bulbs for versatility and interest. Neon illuminators are best when the scheme requires the introduction of a new colour. The soft upward glow can help define vessels, statues and other structures. Your interior design company may position a neon lighting system below a frosted glass panel, with a standard planter (available from any London garden furnishings store) immediately above. The result will be that the coloured light emphasises the shape of the planter, instead of the flowers, shrubs or plants inside. Alternatively, your interior design company may recommend white light for a softer, less dramatic result.
With the help of a London interior design company, and with detailed planning, your inspirational ideas for your garden can become a reality! Your long-term vision for the garden is critical, and your interior design company will provide guidance so that you can look beyond the present: bushes will grow, and views will transform from season to season and from year to year. Top London interior design companies prefer to use low-voltage fittings, attached to a spike and forced into the earth, because these can be moved as planting schemes change over time.
Thank you for reading this article series on how London's best interior design companies illuminate "outdoor rooms."
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
The Outdoor Room: How Interior Design Companies Illuminate Gardens - Part III
Some prestigious London Interior Design companies refer to urban garden concepts as "outdoor rooms.” If you are considering employing an interior design company to renovate both your indoor and your outdoor spaces, this four-part series of articles will help you understand how lighting can be used to create a sense of garden drama. I draw on my experience working with some of London's best interior design companies to reveal the secrets of this fascinating speciality design area.
Gentle but appropriate focus lighting can make even a small and cramped central London garden look spectacular. At the very least, your interior design company may recommend lighting for a few specially-selected features in order to provide optical cues that mark a pathway through your nighttime garden. In a very tiny space - such as an urban garden at the back of a set of London row houses - your interior design company may simply elect to uplight a garden gnome at the furthest point in order to create a feeling of classy theatricals.
Your London interior design company will explain to you that outdoor focus lighting includes both soft features, such as a small topiary or bush, and structural elements, such as a well or fountain. It is critical to first select which elements or zones are to be lit and then to hide the illuminator such that only the effect but not the hardware remain visible. Your interior design company will think carefully about the preferred viewing angle - whether that be from indoors, through a window, or from the garden itself. London interior design companies will select different illumination approaches for either soft or structural features.
With soft features, your interior design company will evaluate the dimensions of the plants and the colours of the foliage. London's seasonal changes are important. Deciduous plants look very different from winter to summer, while gnarled bark offers a firm vertical accent that can be uplit any month of the year with excellent results. London interior design companies tend to recommend tungsten halogen bulbs to focus on flowers as they come into bloom - the white illumination from these bulbs will showcase the true colours of the petals. Small trees, perhaps clipped for ornamental purposes, will create striking silhouettes when the wall behind is lit. Your interior design company can offer advice as to whether uplighting or downlighting is best for your particular wall and foliage configuration.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Gentle but appropriate focus lighting can make even a small and cramped central London garden look spectacular. At the very least, your interior design company may recommend lighting for a few specially-selected features in order to provide optical cues that mark a pathway through your nighttime garden. In a very tiny space - such as an urban garden at the back of a set of London row houses - your interior design company may simply elect to uplight a garden gnome at the furthest point in order to create a feeling of classy theatricals.
Your London interior design company will explain to you that outdoor focus lighting includes both soft features, such as a small topiary or bush, and structural elements, such as a well or fountain. It is critical to first select which elements or zones are to be lit and then to hide the illuminator such that only the effect but not the hardware remain visible. Your interior design company will think carefully about the preferred viewing angle - whether that be from indoors, through a window, or from the garden itself. London interior design companies will select different illumination approaches for either soft or structural features.
With soft features, your interior design company will evaluate the dimensions of the plants and the colours of the foliage. London's seasonal changes are important. Deciduous plants look very different from winter to summer, while gnarled bark offers a firm vertical accent that can be uplit any month of the year with excellent results. London interior design companies tend to recommend tungsten halogen bulbs to focus on flowers as they come into bloom - the white illumination from these bulbs will showcase the true colours of the petals. Small trees, perhaps clipped for ornamental purposes, will create striking silhouettes when the wall behind is lit. Your interior design company can offer advice as to whether uplighting or downlighting is best for your particular wall and foliage configuration.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
The Outdoor Room: How Interior Design Companies Illuminate Gardens - Part II
Some prestigious London Interior Design companies refer to urban garden concepts as "outdoor rooms.” If you are considering employing an interior design company to renovate both your indoor and your outdoor spaces, this four-part series of articles will help you understand how lighting can be used to create a sense of garden drama. I draw on my experience working with some of London's best interior design companies to reveal the secrets of this fascinating speciality design area.
Roof terraces are becoming increasingly popular in London today. Often these will be accessed through a set of French windows. Decorative wall lights to either side of these windows will generate a soft, general light. Your interior design company may select recessed or slimline low-voltage spiked up-lighters, which are particularly stunning when reflected off pale adjacent walls. This option will guarantee a gentle, beautifying illumination throughout the seating area. If your roof terrace has adjacent walls, your interior design company may take advantage of this architecture to mount a spotlight with a tight, 5-degree beam about five metres up to focus on the table. This mirrors the traditional approach used by many London interior design companies for focus lighting in a dining room. In the absence of a wall or similar tall mounting point for your roof garden, your interior design company may recommend electric candles or storm lamps to achieve the same goal.
Some of the newest London roof terraces are large enough to allow for balanced lighting, which is the preferred illumination method when feasible. Your interior design company will work to balance the lighting on the roof terrace with illumination a few metres away, perhaps using a lit grille or illumination through bushes to avoid a sensation of exposure. Illuminating a single feature in the distance can also generate visual focus and enhance the interest level of the entire scheme.
An interior design company in London normally relies on lighting from below to illuminate your roof terrace. Up-lighting through Perspex cubes implanted within wooden crates can be used to generate a theatrical radiance, and illumination that is cast up through skylights from indoors can be used to great effect with shrubs and flowering plants. If you are based in a London borough that permits barbecues on roof terraces, your interior design company may deliberately position grilling equipment such that the glowing charcoal embers will contribute another type of comforting, self-contained light that perfectly complements the rest of the scheme.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Roof terraces are becoming increasingly popular in London today. Often these will be accessed through a set of French windows. Decorative wall lights to either side of these windows will generate a soft, general light. Your interior design company may select recessed or slimline low-voltage spiked up-lighters, which are particularly stunning when reflected off pale adjacent walls. This option will guarantee a gentle, beautifying illumination throughout the seating area. If your roof terrace has adjacent walls, your interior design company may take advantage of this architecture to mount a spotlight with a tight, 5-degree beam about five metres up to focus on the table. This mirrors the traditional approach used by many London interior design companies for focus lighting in a dining room. In the absence of a wall or similar tall mounting point for your roof garden, your interior design company may recommend electric candles or storm lamps to achieve the same goal.
Some of the newest London roof terraces are large enough to allow for balanced lighting, which is the preferred illumination method when feasible. Your interior design company will work to balance the lighting on the roof terrace with illumination a few metres away, perhaps using a lit grille or illumination through bushes to avoid a sensation of exposure. Illuminating a single feature in the distance can also generate visual focus and enhance the interest level of the entire scheme.
An interior design company in London normally relies on lighting from below to illuminate your roof terrace. Up-lighting through Perspex cubes implanted within wooden crates can be used to generate a theatrical radiance, and illumination that is cast up through skylights from indoors can be used to great effect with shrubs and flowering plants. If you are based in a London borough that permits barbecues on roof terraces, your interior design company may deliberately position grilling equipment such that the glowing charcoal embers will contribute another type of comforting, self-contained light that perfectly complements the rest of the scheme.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
The Outdoor Room: How Interior Design Companies Illuminate Gardens - Part I
Some prestigious London Interior Design companies refer to urban garden concepts as "outdoor rooms.” If you are considering employing an interior design company to renovate both your indoor and your outdoor spaces, this four-part series of articles will help you understand how lighting can be used to create a sense of garden drama. I draw on my experience working with some of London's best interior design companies to reveal the secrets of this fascinating speciality design area.
Some popular London garden elements include a terrace for al fresco meals, well-lit safety-approved doors, steps and pathways, and the optical interest of a chosen showcase item or a panorama enhanced with light. The key goals of garden lighting are the same as for an interior, but the way your interior design company achieves these objectives will vary - not least because of the absence of a ceiling. In previous articles I have described the "tools of light” that are available for interior design companies to work with. These include general, task and focus lighting, all of which can be combined to build dramatic but coherent styles. Garden-certified interior design companies will rely on up-lighting, spotlighting and silhouetting for these purposes. For example, some London gardens feature brick walls around the perimeter - these can be glanced with illumination for a more pronounced texture. Shrubs can be backlit for dramatic shadows. One general rule which your interior design company will explain to you at the outset: in the garden, there is no need for strong general lighting, and it is preferable to use more subtle highlights for ornamental focus. In particular, the outdoor tennis court approach - with overwhelmingly bright floodlights of the type that are often seen in London's public parks - can be disastrous. Your interior design company in London will work to create a fabulous, magical effect - expect small wells of light that emerge from a dusky background, with heaps of atmospheric mystery thanks to the interplay between the illuminated and shaded areas of your garden.
Your interior design company will often recommend a terrace with garden seats and a table to serve as the centrepiece of a London garden on a summer evening. Many interior design companies will rely on soft background lighting together with focus lighting over the table. Your interior design company may also provide an option to enhance illumination levels at the outskirts of the garden. With this lighting scheme, a standard London terrace can become a perfect spot for entertaining guests or business associates.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Some popular London garden elements include a terrace for al fresco meals, well-lit safety-approved doors, steps and pathways, and the optical interest of a chosen showcase item or a panorama enhanced with light. The key goals of garden lighting are the same as for an interior, but the way your interior design company achieves these objectives will vary - not least because of the absence of a ceiling. In previous articles I have described the "tools of light” that are available for interior design companies to work with. These include general, task and focus lighting, all of which can be combined to build dramatic but coherent styles. Garden-certified interior design companies will rely on up-lighting, spotlighting and silhouetting for these purposes. For example, some London gardens feature brick walls around the perimeter - these can be glanced with illumination for a more pronounced texture. Shrubs can be backlit for dramatic shadows. One general rule which your interior design company will explain to you at the outset: in the garden, there is no need for strong general lighting, and it is preferable to use more subtle highlights for ornamental focus. In particular, the outdoor tennis court approach - with overwhelmingly bright floodlights of the type that are often seen in London's public parks - can be disastrous. Your interior design company in London will work to create a fabulous, magical effect - expect small wells of light that emerge from a dusky background, with heaps of atmospheric mystery thanks to the interplay between the illuminated and shaded areas of your garden.
Your interior design company will often recommend a terrace with garden seats and a table to serve as the centrepiece of a London garden on a summer evening. Many interior design companies will rely on soft background lighting together with focus lighting over the table. Your interior design company may also provide an option to enhance illumination levels at the outskirts of the garden. With this lighting scheme, a standard London terrace can become a perfect spot for entertaining guests or business associates.
Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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.
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 designerneeds 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 DesignNot 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 OutThose 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 LawMy 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
