Discover the Future of Luxury Design: Decorex 2015
As Britain’s most prestigious and well-established luxury and interiors show, in its 38th year, it is appropriate that Decorex should open the London Design Festival.
Located at the wonderful new venue of Syons Park in West London, Decorex will feature over 400 UK and International luxury and interiors brands, including 100 new brands, all of which seek to both inspire and showcase the latest trends. Syon House is a beautiful building, set in its own 200 acres, bordering the Thames and opposite Kew Gardens. This location, rich in history, architecture and natural surroundings, is an ideal venue for Decorex.
With a focus on the finest craftsmanship, new technologies, emerging talent and inspiring design, Decorex is the premier destination for anyone with an interest in luxury and interiors.
The London Design Festival was started by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans in 2003, with the purpose of promoting the creativity in the capital and showcasing the talent of the UK’s world class design community. Its success has led to design festivals being begun all over the world. The London Design festival brings together thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators, who seek to inspire and be inspired by the work that is being showcased.
As a leading multi-discipline design firm based in London, Callendar Howorth will be attending the show. Callendar Howorth’s reputable team of London’s top interior designers, architects, stylists and project managers are innovators in the world of luxury interior design.
Now You Can Decorate your Place Like a Pro: 5 Interior Design Secrets
A delightfully decorated interior does not only look beautiful, but also creates a feeling, which adds a personal character to your home. To get your pad to look like a professionally decorated space, you need to follow these simple five tips used by top London interior designers. Although you will undoubtedly benefit from hiring a passionate interior designer to brighten up your household – remembering these five fundamental principles will enable you to find your home’s hidden personality.
Break All The Rules
Being a stickler for the rules will only stifle the creative limitations of your home’s interior. Top interior designers know that some rules were simply meant to be broken. Ignore conventional wisdom and experiment with different ratios, styles and patterns, which speak to your heart in order to find the unique voice that your home deserves.
There is nothing wrong with painting a small room in dark colours or not following the sink-to-fridge ratio. Sometimes leaving those preconceived notions at the door can help you come up with outstanding interior designs.
Experiment With Colour
Experimenting with colours is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to transform your space. Remember that you don’t have to commit to your choice of colours forever – pick a colour you are absolutely fascinated with and go for it. After all, what is the worst thing that could happen? You can just as easily change your wall colour again once you grow tired of your current one. You’re merely flirting with colours until you find out which suits your place better.
Tip: step away from massively popular white or beige colours and try grey colour, which, contrary to the popular opinion, doesn’t have to be dull or drab. Instead, a touch of grey colour can add depth and texture to your walls. Interior design is often a work in progress and it’s actually quite rare for someone to get it right first time, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re not feeling the ambiance that you crave straight away.
The Ceiling Counts Too
We spend so much time chopping and changing furniture, flirting with different colours and fretting about what to put on our walls; that we forget about the often most neglected surface in our room – the ceiling. Painting your ceiling the same colour as your walls can make your walls look taller, which makes your room look more spacious and welcoming. It is a surefire way to add grandeur to your room!
Go Supersized
A common mistake is to think that everything in your room should be the same scale. Often this results in your home looking boring and predictable. Don’t be afraid to add oversized pieces such as a huge mirror, a big lamp stand or whatever truly speaks to your heart into your room.
Remember this is about invoking personal character of your home – not trying to look the same.
Enjoy Yourself
The last on our list is possibly the most important of all. If you’re not having fun with your creativity – you’re setting yourself up for a big fail. Interior design is supposed to be an enjoyable expressive form of art and boredom is death to your home in this game. Your home will reflect who you are and if you allow yourself to get bogged down with frustration, because you didn’t achieve instant perfection; your home will reflect this very thing.
When you start to feel overwhelmed – just remember to not be afraid to go against conventional wisdom, play around with colours, textures and sizes and to enjoy your interior design journey.
What is Luxury?
What is Luxury?
Having been in the industry of creating luxury interior designs for many years, we decided to take a closer look at the notion of luxury and what this word means?
As our society and cultural values change, the notion of luxury changes with them. Ultimately, everyone has their own version of luxury, but we would like to explore a bit the history of the subject and to see what luxury means to Londoners today.
Luxury in the past
The word luxury originates from the Latin word, luxuria, which means to dislocate and to grow rank. The Greeks, who could afford luxurious products, bought these to get extraordinary personal pleasure, but most of all to show their wealth and status to others.
During the Renaissance the French king Louis XIV built the Chateau de Versailles. This building was and still is the largest and the most luxurious building from that era. Louis XIV displayed his wealth through extravagant lifestyle and luxurious castles adorned with lavish ornaments, furniture, and fountains. Yet, the ordinary citizens of France at the time thought that his architectural creations were foul and tasteless, because his luxurious lifestyle was more than the acceptable standard of quality.
At the end of 18th century and the beginning of 19th century, the relation to luxury architecture changed rapidly. As the first modern luxurious city Chicago was developed, people started to accept luxury and started to feel comfortable about it. Adamo Boari and Adolf Loos were notable architects in this change.
Today, there is a large focus on luxury on a global level. Luxury of today can be divided into two main groups: material luxury and immaterial luxury. Historically, luxury was exclusively something material, that people could show off to gain some respect, wealth and status in the society.
The new kind of luxury is what Fritz and Gülow call “real experience”. Those luxurious, unique experiences, such as chartering a yacht to Alaska or eating out at a beautifully decorated gourmet restaurant, serve as a proof of wealth. With the advent of social media such luxury rapidly gained popularity, as people like to share their luxurious experiences with friends and followers.
Luxury today
We decided to check how people perceive luxury nowadays. A survey that Thulasi Sivapalan (MA Interior design, Staffordshire University) conducted is based on opinions of Londoners. According to them luxury is associated with something desirable, yet unnecessary in life. It is something that people aspire to have and what could be bought for money and could improve their quality of life. It turns out that the most desirable material luxury items are luxury interior decorations, property, clothes and shoes.
The survey also showed that unlike material luxury, immaterial one was much more personal and connected to emotions rather than to things. This study showed that both types of luxury are important to people these days with immaterial one being slightly more popular than the traditional material luxury.
What kind of luxury do you prefer?
A little more about Thulasi Sivapalan.
In 2013 Thulasi graduated from Aalborg University in Denmark with B.Sc. in Engineering (Architecture & Design). Right after graduation, she started working at Bjerg Arkitektur, the only passive house design company in Denmark. In 2014 she worked for Denmark’s largest and one of Scandinavia’s largest architect practices, C.F. Møller Architects.
In 2015 she started the MA in Interior Design at Staffordshire University through National Design Academy. As a part of her interior design degree, she chose to make a research about luxury design, because there is a global challenge of defining luxury today. Her goals was to understand how people percieve the word “luxury” and how they use it in their everyday lives.
The Clerkenwell Design Week
Clerkenwell in London is a thriving hub of top interior designers. Indeed the small district in the English capital boasts more creative businesses per square mile than anywhere else in the world.
Is Red just the language of Love?
RED or DEAD?!
Colour is an important part of our life and our culture. We use colours to indicate or give significance to objects or actions – however, colors are not interpreted in the same way by different cultures or regions of the world.
The more you understand colour and what it relates to in terms of our emotions, our moods and general wellbeing it can become a complete game changer. To consciously choose an “optimum outcome” within your interior design gives your kitchen, living room, bedrooms or bathrooms a valuable meaning that you may well have have missed – creating a healthy, happy home as opposed to a dull, oppressive or tired one. (more…)
Hoarders and clutter collectors
January is often a time of reflection, a chance to take stock of where you are, identify what you want to achieve with the New Year and the opportunity of a fresh start.
What better way to ‘clear the head’ than to physically clear the decks – get rid of some of the clutter that you may have accumulated over the past year and beyond!
Here is our top tip for your January clear out…
Top of the World Interiors in Manhattan
432 Park Avenue – this is the address of the New York skyline’s newest ornament and of the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere. Towering up to 1,396 ft, the skyscraper offers 104 apartments at 30,000 sq ft each with 12.5 ft ceilings, 10 x 10 ft windows, and prices ranging from $16,95 million to $82,5 million.
This breath taking condo tower was designed by Rafael Viñoly and took three years to construct. It is situated in the centre of Manhattan, and the upper penthouses offer a view of all of New York City: from the Hudson to the East River, from the Bronx to Brooklyn, and from Central Park to the Atlantic Ocean. The building also features a private restaurant with an outdoor terrace, a 75ft swimming pool/spa, a screening room/ performance venue, climate-controlled wine cellars, a children’s playroom and a board room.
The skyscraper will welcome its first residents next year, so if you’re looking for a nice little place in NY and have a solid bank account, you’d better hurry, as the penthouses are going like hot cakes.
Winter styling ideas
The rich colours at our Claremont Square project mirror the hues of the season
Well it’s here then. The clocks went back, the temperature dropped and the evenings went dark. Winter has unleashed her cold fury and, if forecasts are to be believed, it looks like she’s going to be vexed for quite some time.
So, if we’re all going to be indoors for months, we need to think about how to cosy it up a little. How to create a place that’s a welcoming haven away from the elements rather than a box that’s going to induce cabin fever and family feuds.
We have already looked at lighting; in brief stick to table and floor lamps that will cast soft pools of light or wall lights that will wash gently over the space rather than the harsh glare of overhead pendants.
Let the warm hues of our Rutland Gate project inspire you on chilly days
Now it’s time to look at the soft furnishings. This is where you need to think seasonally. The Scandinavians think nothing of changing their cushions and curtains according to the seasons and we should do the same.
Keep the textiles natural and move from cotton and linen in summer to velvet and cashmere, and a bit of faux fur for fun, in winter. These days we don’t tend to have loose covers on sofas and armchairs but, if you do, consider having two sets made. There’s nothing like snuggling up on a velvet sofa during the long dark winter months.
Velvet sofa, West Elm
If you have a fitted cover or chesterfield then invest in a few throws. Have a couple folded over the arms ready to wrap up cold toes, or drape one along the back. Add a stack of cushions in warm berry colours – this year it’s all about shades of pink with metallic golds and brass – and suddenly the thought of spending a few evenings on the sofa with a glass of something red and warming in one hand and a Scandinavian box set in the other starts to feel less like entrapment and more like an invitation.
Curtains and cushions dealt with, let’s turn to the floor. Again, it’s easy to change rugs with the seasons. Think of something warm and cosy – perhaps even a deep pile or fur for winter and replace it with something lighter when the sun comes back.
Alpaca fur rug, Kelaty
Now, we can’t finish this post without returning to the Scandinavians. After all, those Nordic lands have the longest, coldest, darkest winters of them all. And how do they get round that? Hygge.
No we’re not sneezing, it’s a Danish word that doesn’t perfectly translate but loosely means cosiness. And the way to achieve that is with candles. Light a few candles every evening and you can forget about the wind howling round outside.
Stack candleholders, Miranda Watkins
Finally, remember that Cicero said that a room without books is like a body without a soul. Bring all those books you’ve been meaning to read and make a welcoming pile on the coffee table, those magazines that you were going to rip up to make moodboards? Now’s the time. The photo albums that need sorting. Bring it on.
Winter, we don’t care how cross you are. We’re inside, we’re warm and we’re cosy. See you on the other side.
Decorative lighting
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of interior design. Just as soft candlelight is said to be the most flattering to a woman’s skin, so a great lighting scheme can hide a multitude of furnishing and flooring blemishes.
From the stunning overhead pendant that means no-one notices the wobbly Swedish storage system leaning slightly on one side, to the soft glow from a couple of well-positioned table lamps that make everyone feel instantly more relaxed. Or the concentrated beam of a perfectly angled task lamp for help with reading or sewing. There are lights for every job, lamps for every mood and bulbs for every occasion.
Good lighting is where twin aims of form and function should come together in one (actually not blinding) flash of brilliance. Here’s how to create some impact with your illuminations.
Let’s start with the most dramatic of them all. The chandelier. A thing of such beauty that it looks perfect in an empty room. Try one in the hall if you’ve got space. Let it announce to all who enter that this is a domain of serious decor. A statement of intent that the rest of the house means business when it comes to the interior design. Either that or it will cast a flattering light on all the cheap furniture in the rest of the house because you blew the budget on the lighting. What about this one from George Singer?
There’s often not enough humour in the home. You can afford to inject some wit while still keeping a practical element. There are some wonderful alphabet neon lights out there at the moment and they come at all sorts of prices so you can find one that works for you. Top of the budget will be these from Delightfull. Perfect for one signature letter – put it on the kitchen wall.
Or perhaps you can afford to spell a whole word with these from Seletti. Try putting them up the stairs to create an unexpected, and functional, display.
Sticking with the dining room, or eating space, it’s a place where you don’t always need huge amounts of light. A room that tends to be kept for evenings and where there are often candles close by, what about some pop art for the walls? These from Double Merrick will give off a soft glow at night but in the day time they double up as art.
Moving into the sitting room, this is the one place where you need to layer different types of lighting as it’s probably used for the most different activities. It’s also possibly the one room where you don’t necessarily need an overhead light. Think about wall lights instead for an ambient background glow, such as these quirky squirrels from Atelier Randall. Then add table lights, a floor light and a task light by one of the chairs. This can go on either the wall or the floor depending on the space.
‘A well-considered lighting scheme allows for different scene setting,’ explains Mike Kazer from The Light Corporation. ‘We would always suggest the circuiting is designed so that you can mix the different lighting features to balance the space and offer different moods depending on the occasion. Using downlights to highlight features such as artwork, be it sculpture or prints, will give the room some interest. Only use downlights for feature highlighting. Then build the levels up.’
‘Try adding a pendant if you have the space or use a downlight to highlight the coffee table separating the sofas, this creates real drama, always on a separate circuit. This way when scene setting you can make the room appear larger by having a brighter middle and softer outer.’
We’ve been past the letters on the stairs (what did you spell out?) and move into the bedroom. An overhead light is practical for getting dressed on dark winter mornings, but it’s a bedroom. Make it pretty. Try the Lee Broom crystal.
‘The beauty of table and wall lights is that they offer warm light at a living level,’ adds Mike. ‘This can create a softness that can quite often be forgotten in contemporary schemes.’
Or do something different. Why not free up the bedside tables (they’re full enough with all those piles of books you’re never going to read) and hang a pendant light from either side of the bed. Just make sure you can turn them on by the door as well as when you’re under the duvet. It’s a dramatic and unusual look that is completely practical too.
And while we’re on the subject of being practical why not hang your book on one of these?
Living in… Hampstead
Hampstead is one of the most sought-after areas of London. Not just for the huge heath – one of London’s so-called green lungs – but also for the lofty Edwardian houses and large Victorian villas which lie along its leafy streets.
NW3 has long been associated with the intellectual left wing; the liberal literary set and the slightly more louche characters of Oasis and Ozzy Osbourne.
In recent years, in addition to the rock stars and the actors who move on from Crouch End as soon as they can afford it (which is at about the same time they make the transfer from small to big screen), there has also been an influx of City bankers and lawyers.
This is because the bankers are the only other people who earn celebrity salaries. Or it might be the other way round. The point being that if you haven’t got several million in the bank you can’t come in.
As Frank Townsend, manager of the local Savills estate agents, happily points out; the core market is between £650,000 for a two bedroom flat to around £3m for a four-bedroom family home. Although he did sell a double fronted, unmodernised, six-bedroom Edwardian house for £12m the other day.
‘The market has been pretty consistent and from its peak in 2007, apart from a slightly quiet period after Lehman Brothers closed, it bounced back in 2009 and is now 20 per cent higher than six years ago,’ he says.
‘The clientele is pretty cosmopolitan. We also have several Arsenal footballers and we spotted someone from One Direction with an estate agent the other day.’
He also enjoys telling a tale of looking up from his desk to see Rod Stewart yelling up at a window opposite before Ronnie Wood poked his head out and agreed to come down.
Having said that, you don’t have to live in Hampstead to enjoy its pleasures.
There are lots of great restaurants, including many of the better chains, Cote and Carluccio’s, a few gastropubs such as The Horseshoe (owned by the Camden Brewery, London’s most successful micro brewery) The Wells Tavern (John Le Carre’s local) or The Spaniards (frequented by Liam Gallagher).
And, after a good lunch, there are plenty of shops to browse round. Zadig & Voltaire and Questionnaire if you’re feeling flush, Nine West and French Connection if you’re not. In terms of interiors? Well you can buy your Farrow & Ball paint and your Fired Earth tiles (obvs) and after that it’s off to Zara Home.
Don’t forget there’s always that added thrill of celebrity spotting. One word of advice though, if you haven’t got a chauffeur, the parking can be a bit of a nightmare.
THREE PRODUCTS THAT SUM UP HAMPSTEAD
In a nod to the area’s literary history you better brush up on your grammar with these grumble mugs. £39.95 for set of six, The Literary Gift Company
Not forgetting the current rock and roll residents, these cushions would fit right in or perhaps the nest of table would show you know your genres. £55 each, Quirk & Rescue
There’s no doubting the area has become rather blingtastic in recent years so Philippe Starck’s AK47 gun light for Flos in 18k gold should sort the plastic from the platinum. £1,541, Utility
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |