What’s your design philosophy?
Our studio designs interiors that provide a sense of escapism. I want people to enter our interiors and have an emotional reaction to them – whether that be excitement, nostalgia or relaxation. Our interiors are designed and crafted with longevity in mind. They are interiors that will live with you and beyond.
What do you find inspiring?
I’m inspired by lots of things: scenes in books, the colours of a piece of fruit, the natural formation of a shell or the texture of a wall. I am subconsciously absorbing everything around me and storing it up for future reference. I believe anything can inspire you, even the mundane. It just depends on the way you choose to adapt that object, texture or colour.
When you first started the Brasserie of Light project for Selfridges, what was your design approach?
It was to be glamorous yet comfortable and provide a sense of escapism. Our first job was to make sure that when guests arrived in the restaurant, they would be able to navigate their way through intuitively. Once the flow was established, we were able to select materiality that would work in harmony with the modern architecture and huge Damien Hirst [sculpture], ‘Pegasus’, which was encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals. We decided a bold colour palette of blue and yellow would work well and accented this with pops of pink and lots of antique mirror and brass, all of which would reflect the natural light coming [in] through the double-height windows.