Supplier of the Month: Crownwell Basements
At Callender Howorth, we strive to help our clients make the most of their homes, leaving no stone unturned in the quest to invigorate an interior design project. In fact, when it comes to bringing a home to life, we believe in starting from the bottom up: enter Crownwell Basements, a valued supplier of Callender Howorth.
About Crownwell Basements
Crownwell Basements is a specialist design and build contractor – one that boasts over 20 years of experience in taking what appears to be ‘dead space’ and transforming it into a high-end, luxury extension to your living space.
Experts at fulfilling a basement’s potential, Crownwell look at their clients’ lifestyles and listen closely to their needs before suggesting ideas. It could be a wine cellar for the amateur sommelier, a home spa or gym for the busy executive, a study that provides peace and quiet, or a games room for all the family. The possibilities and ideas from Crownwell Basements are endless. It’s all about thinking outside of the box.
Jacob Puddy, Managing Director, elaborates:
“People tend to be put off by the idea of a dark and dank room, but with modern decor, good insulation and ambient lighting, the basement can become just as warm and inviting as any other room in the house. Even the smallest room can be made to look spacious and designers employ plenty of tricks to make tiny rooms look airy and elegant.”
What They Offer
From architectural drawings to planning consent, structure reports, heritage statements and listed building consent, the team at Crownwell Basements are on the case from conception to completion. They even offer specialist basement design services that include methodology statements, hydro-geology reporting and flood risk assessments.
It’s practical things like this that can make all the difference. Styling an area is one thing, but it is senseless to install a gym in the basement of a home if the floors can’t absorb the vibrations of a treadmill, and it’s not a good idea to store books and art in a basement if the temperature isn’t conducive to their long-term conservation.
That’s not to say creativity isn’t their strong suit too. From repurposing old items, such as baskets and metal cabinets, for storage, to carefully arranging pieces of art, ergonomic furniture and specifically placed, high-quality lighting, Crownwell Basements excel when it comes to the finishing touches.
Collaborations
At Callender Howorth, we pride ourselves on only collaborating with the best of the best. Recent years have seen a surge in popularity of basement renovations, especially in London, with the best UK interior design companies helping to maximise a limited space.
With Crownwell Basements, however, experience long supersedes this current mood for digging. This is a company where extensive knowledge and an innate sense of artistic requirement offer a winning combination – an expert skill set that most definitely runs deep.
Collaborating on many projects with Crownwell Basements, we have transformed many houses by installing basement spaces for the families to enjoy. Does your house have the potential to gain a floor? Contact the friendly team at Callender Howorth to start your home’s transformation.
How to Blend Vintage and Modern in Your Home
Our interior design services provide the opportunity to enjoy your home every day, whether having your family over for a feast, watching a film with friends or throwing an elegant soiree. One way that we do this for clients is by blending chic modern design with vintage class. We can create not just a home but a collection of pieces that are personalised for your family; various talking points that include the treasures you found on your travels, items of sentimental value, and unusual features that convey a sense of your personality.
Exchange Building
The great thing about interior design is that you can marry vintage and modern together to characterise an aesthetic that characterises you.
Mix contrasting shapes, styles, colours, materials and patterns to achieve your desired mix.
Exchange Building
Achieving a fine blend of modern and vintage furniture is a work of art and can turn your home into a stylish space in which to entertain. Such an interesting blend of styles can make the room visually interesting and inviting.
One could draw inspiration from our Nice Apartment project, which fashions a large, bold, modern chandelier as the focal point of a room. To achieve a desired style, we utilised softer vintage lamps to underpin the elegance and balance of the room’s design.
Nice Apartment
Theres no need to stick to one era when designing; pay testament to your eccentricities and tastes. Assemble a space over time to find only the best items, don’t order from the pages of a catalogue.
If you don’t want to be too bold you could source interesting works of art to create a strong look. Buying a vintage painting and displaying it in a modern frame perfectly blends vintage and modern, evoking sophistication and style. Alternatively, hang a modern work in a vintage frame – or place it on a vintage table, as in the Exchange Building project – to create a gallery wall that attracts your guests’ attention.
The most exciting and inspirational rooms combine different colours and textures to emphasise both the old and new and to generate the feeling of stylish effortlessness. The Cordy House project was recently completed by our designers and blends different styles from varying eras. The team scoured the world for the perfect items; a vintage table that was sourced from the Eiffel Tower in Paris is a particular highlight!
Islington Townhouse
Nice Penthouse
If you’re struggling to pull elements together, give us a call and book an appointment.
Supplier of the Month: LBConstruct
In order to deliver bespoke projects of the highest standards, we have been working closely with a range of distinguished partners here at Callender Howorth. From builders to art consultants, and everything in between, our contacts bring the best in construction, design and production to our projects, perfectly complementing the refined interior design services for both commercial and residential properties that we at Callender Howorth already offer.
Valued partners of Callender Howorth, the committed team at LBConstruct specialise in bespoke craftsmanship and joinery for both residential and commercial interiors. The company produces bespoke furniture, tailored wardrobes, kitchen units and bathrooms for both professional and domestic settings. The company is based in Bethnal Green and, according to Louis Baker of LBConstruct, being “a small cabinet makers and joinery company enables [them] to deliver a very personal service.”
Among recent projects, LBConstruct were essential in the transformation of the Belsize Park penthouse apartment, located within a redbrick mansion block in an exclusive area of London. We worked closely with the team to honour the building’s original charm, while adding a sophisticated portrayal of modern interior design. The tired apartment was converted into a timeless space with the careful placement of LBConstruct’s polished and contemporary furnishings.
Showcasing the latest in contemporary London interior design, Regents Park House is a conversion of three former mews houses. Positioned alongside an inviting cobbled court, the slick modern door hints towards the modern interiors of the upscale home. LBConstruct worked closely with Callender Howorth to create a design that is unique in its aesthetic, channeling modern methods of design and production for innovative results. LBConstruct’s crafted furnishings are illuminated by the custom gull windows and floating swimming pool that spans the length of the building.
The exclusive Kensington House, a family home located within the Boltons, had not been renovated in 30 years until Callender Howorth and LBConstruct set about bringing the space’s potential to life. The high end furnishings were crafted using organic and natural themes in order to contribute to the homes overall relaxed atmosphere. The children’s bedrooms feature crafted elevated beds with the added feature of a slide, allowing for a quick dash to the large sociable spaces of the Kensington House. This project best demonstrates the adaptable manner with which LBConstruct approaches a task.
The Flamingo International Offices in London exemplify LBConstruct’s ability to transfer their skills into a commercial environment. The property was recently brought up to date in terms of design, with this creative interior design. Through the close partnership with us at Callender Howorth, LBConstruct furnished the space using modern interior design techniques. Bold colours were utilised with the added touch of modern pop art in order to emphasise Flamingo International’s forward-thinking approach. The ambience of the brainstorming areas allow for colleagues to relax in areas which incubate creative thinking.
Through our joint effort with LBConstruct, we carefully placed modern fixtures to create a space that was both sophisticated and creative.
Please contact Callender Howorth to find out more information on how our partnership with LBConstruct can benefit your interior design.
How to Choose the Right Colour Scheme for your Interior
A hint from the best London interior designers: when it comes to decorating your home there is nothing more important than the colours you choose. They affect everything from the obvious aesthetic to the emotions we feel. For example, using rich deep reds can make a room feel vibrant and warm, but too much exposure has proven to increase stress. Therefore, choosing a theme or colour before you begin is absolutely vital. Ask yourself, do you want the décor to be cool or warm? Cosy or business-like? Bright and cheery or subdued and reflective?
Is slow design the new luxury?
While design projects seem to be completed in increasingly shorter timescales in order to cut not only time but also money, a trending tenet of contemporary interior design seeks to overturn this habit of rushing, extolling the virtue of patience within the industry.
The art of Slow Design – a phrase coined by designer, Alistair Fuad-Luke – promotes a ‘paradigm of design philosophy’ that values quality, in all aspects of approach, over any other design factor. Fuad-Luke says that slow design aims to ‘balance socio-cultural and individual needs with the well-being of the environment,’ in order to remove ‘the time constraints of the economic growth and expediency’ to go ‘beyond the fabrication of things for the marketplace.’¹ Six core principles of Slow Design include reveal, expand, reflect, engage, participate and involve.
Slow Design is characterised by edifying traits: an extended design procedure, with increased preparatory efforts; a preference of locally sourced materials and regional processes; an acknowledgement of region conventions; a nod to natural time cycles; and recognition of general wellbeing.
Companies such as Front Rugs produce products with the Slow philosophy in mind; their projects often take years to complete and are inspired by the beauty of the natural world. The collections from designer Micheala Schleypen, for example, are named after nature – ‘Beach,’ ‘Ocean,’ ‘Palm Leaf’ and ‘Lotus.’
So can contemporary design projects really benefit from the use of slow design products? Can the Slow Design approach really yield a worthwhile end-product? Are the added expenses, which are invariably incurred from Slow Design, really justifiable?
Promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly methods of design are admirable, but not always realistic. It is an unavoidable fact that interior design projects are often backed with a commercial interest at hand. Whether multinational corporations or small-scale businesses, companies that commission interior designers in the UK, for example, are necessarily restrained by a financial boundary. Moreover, it is usually the case that time plays a crucial role and a rapid turnaround is necessary. In these circumstances, Slow Design is a luxury that is simply out of the question.
While an increasing number of interior designers are favouring Slow Design projects over conventional design method, it is plain to see the flaws in the phenomenon, which seems to be a luxury that is reserved for projects with high budgets and a lengthy timescale.
Callender Howorth Studio Event
At Callender Howorth, we value our clients greatly and enjoy working on the many and varied interior design and architecture projects with them.
We host a quarterly “party” at our interior design studio for past and present clients. Generally a fun evening with excellent food and wine.
We also get to present some of the latest products on the market and key trends in interior design.
Take a look at the photos taken during our latest get together. Needless to say…a good time was had by all!
The event was organised in association with TEN concierge.
Top 5 Remarkable Energy-Saving Furniture Designs
Growing ever popular, energy-saving devices and furniture are yet to have their golden age, thought it’s certainly ebbing closer, with heavy on-gong research and rapid innovation emerging from all over the world. Fantastic for domestic use and indeed use in the workplace, solar and wind powered furniture doesn’t have to be the eye-sore in the room. Check out some great looking, practical energy-saving furniture below, as well as a couple of whacky ones too!
Foton Illuminating Furniture from Hanmak
In a bid to raise awareness and premote renewable energy, Hanmak’s products use solar and wind energy to create electricity which is then stored in the battery that is used to power it. Marketed as ’street furniture’ Hanmak make benches, futons and chairs, all functioning in the same fashion – the LED strips gain power from built-in-batteries that are fuelled by the use of wind and solar energy. The material used accentuates the ‘glowing’ look of the furniture and can be a number of colours – its signature trait.
Image Source Vivien Muller
Anyone who believes the Foton Electree to be a pure ‘novelty’ device is mistaken. Ideal for charging up your gadgets and devices in the workplace or at home, the Electree doubles up as a great looking piece of decor of any contemporary space. This cool looking 41cm ultra-contemporary looking device comes in a modular kit allowing you to take control of how you’d like it to look. A fantastic piece of kit for owners and those in the hospitality sector, the Electree is sure to impress guests and clients whilst also representing your business as ethical and eco-friendly.
The solar powered ‘leaves’ can be placed in any position so you can manually maximise and harness the sun’s energy. One full charge of 36 hours will fill an IPhone5 nine times over, and you’ve got two USB ports to play with. The handy wireless charging unit is located in the wood-panelled base inside a 2,500mAh battery. This neat little charger looks the part and delivers results.
Image Source Sol NRG
The first generation of its kind, Sol NRG’s solar charging table continues to grow in popularity in the hospitality industry, being a lightweight, simple and highly efficient piece of furniture technology. Use it to charge your devices such as phones, tablets and laptops and for plugging in your lamp so you can be out on the terrace till dark on those long hot summer nights. This is the most practical and all-round contender in our list from a restaurant or bar owner’s point of view. The table can be folded to a 90 degree angle, allowing you to save space if you need to clear it after use and being surprisingly lightweight, you don’t have to worry about doing you back in at the end of the day shifting it around. Allowing you to effortlessly reduce your carbon footprint, the Sol NRG charging table is the leader in commercial green energy. Design-wise, it’s adaptable to any decor, with its sleek and glossy black finish that blends into its surroundings – a veritable chameleon.
Bio photovoltaics – Moss Table
Image Source Inhabitat
Still in the very early stages of development as part of the Design in Science research project at Cambridge University’s institute for Manufacturing, (though making boundless progress), BPV, aka Bio-Photo-Voltaic devices channel electricity from light energy that would have otherwise been used for photosynthesis. Using several BPV devices, the table can generate electricity. As in the photo above * the many potted plants are the natural fuel that can convert chemical energy into electric energy via organisms like algae, cyanobacteria, vascular plants and moss. So what is the energy used for you might ask?
It can be spent on smaller devices such as clocks though it is not yet able to power larger devices. So watch out solar energy – you’ve got an energy saving competitor on your tail! A similar product also in the early stages of development is Marjan van Aubel’s ‘Current Table’ (what better name to market revolutionary furniture?!), and works by mimicking the act of photosynthesis. Perhaps more aesthetically pleasing than the Moss Table, Current Table is the former’s direct competitor in bio-photo-voltaic devices.
Photo Source Design & Art
Mechanised by solar energy, Mischers’traxler’s ’The Idea of a Tree’ stool (a name more reminiscent of something you’d find in the Tate Modern!) is a solar powered ‘contraption’ or chameleon, that can be transformed into various types of furniture. Depending on the amount of sunlight harnessed, the ‘Tree Stool’ is capable of spinning its threads to create furniture variations such as benches, stools and even extends to lampshades. This incredibly innovative and striking product is so simple in design, appearing like an enormous bamboo leaf wrapped back onto itself.
How it works – the threads are fed through dye & resin, then wrapped around a solar powered spun rotating mold, which shapes each piece of furniture – amazing right?! What could be considered a downside, though entirely a matter of opinion, is that the aesthetic and physical traits of the design are victim to the weather conditions (all OK if you live on the equator!). So if you’re not exposed to a lot of sunlight, the spinning motion runs at a slower pace thus influencing the texture of the furniture.
Whilst energy-saving furniture hasn’t quite yet found it’s consistency in most cases, the stand-out product that is the ‘finished article’ is certainly Sol NRG’s solar charging table, a genuinely viable product for those in hospitality. Meanwhile ‘The idea of a Tree’ stool has great potential for the future as does BPV technology which we’ll hopefully be seeing a lot more developments from in the next decade.
The article is brought to you by the famous interior design firm Callender Howorth.
London Design Festival: 100% Design
One place where you are likely to run into our team of top London interior designers this week is 100% Design – a popular and important exhibition for industry professionals. In fact, many people would say that it is the linchpin of the London Design festival. It certainly is the largest and longest running exhibition, having been running since 1995. On the back of its success in receiving nearly 30,000 visitors last year, it has been moved to Olympia this year. It will be held there between the 23rd and 26th September.
100% Design has collaborated with WGSN, the leading trend-forecasting company, to create a colour palette for 2015’s 100% Design. The show itself is separated into sections: Interiors, Workplace, Kitchens and Bathrooms, Design and Build, and (new for 2015) Luxury and Modern British.
As the UK’s largest design trade event, 100% Design has over 400 exhibitors. There are also installations, workshops and an inspiring seminar programme. The theme of the talks this year is colour, and the effect that it has on space. How can we use colours to the best effect? What does the choice of colours say about your brand? There are also other talks by industry professionals, such as one by Serena Borghero, who will talk about humanising workspaces.
For the first time, 100% Design will also run another stage that will offer practical advice and guidance, that aims to give tips to all businesses, whether large or small.
100% Design cherry picks smaller, emerging brands to feature alongside the well-known companies. This fusion of talent, from all areas of the world of design, is what creates so much inspiration and even excitement for those who attend.
London Design Festival: The Deadgood Library
Callender Howorth team of luxury interior designers will be attending some of the most prominent exhibitions on the London Design Festival calendar. One such exhibition is the The Deadgood Library. It is the result of a collaboration between YCN and Deadgood, who decided to create an immersive space in a temporary showroom for the London Design Festival. YCN is the group that promotes connections within the industry, communicating creative ideas to people working in the field of art and design. As a leading design company, that creates cutting edge lighting, furniture and interior products, Deadgood’s designers rose to the challenge of a collaboration with YCN.
With a focus on paper as a medium, they have designed a space that showcases colourful, new and classic Deadgood products in a sea of suspended, white sheets of paper. Walking through this display, people are immersed in the ethereal atmosphere that has been created.
Deadgood was established by two designers and friends, Dan Ziglam and Elliot Brook, who shared a simple vision to become known globally as a respected design brand and to be recognised for developing a collection of 21st century design classics. This British born brand designs, develops and distributes “products with personality” with a strong emphasis on eclectic characteristics, quality and longevity. Many of their investment pieces have been successfully sold to commercial environments and creative companies.
This temporary exhibition, which is part of the London Design Festival, is being held at YCN’s Shoreditch location. Shoreditch is rich in contemporary creative companies and a great place to draw designers from the industry, as well as influencers and interested parties.
The London Design Festival is an annual event that seeks to inspire creativity and showcase innovation at an international level. It is the conception of Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans, who wanted to bring all kinds of British designers and interested parties together to motivate, provoke and discover design. It has been so successful that 80 countries have followed suit, establishing their own design festivals. British designers can feel proud that the English capital is home to the very first one.
The Deadgood Library is happening from the 19th to 27th September 2015 at The Library, 72 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3AY
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