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    Oscar Lucien Ono talks about the inspiration behind his design work in the latest episode of DESIGN POD

    Episode 42: Inspiration Translated into Design

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    In the last episode of series five of DESIGN POD, sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper talks to Oscar Lucien Ono, Founder and Director, Maison Numéro 20, about the influence of art and history in his design work and how he took an opportunity 20 years ago that formed the basis of his success today…

     

    Oscar Lucien Ono describes his early forays into the design world as instinctive and fortuitous, driven by a love of art and a good eye for pairing colours and objects together. Not officially trained in design, Oscar learnt his trade on the job, having taken a leap of faith 20 years ago. Ten years later, Oscar had learnt enough to found his own studio, Maison Numéro 20.

    Inspired by 20th century interior designers like Pierre Chareau, Oscar brings his own interior architecture expertise and creative flair to projects in which custom-made is paramount. Hotels, large residences, restaurants, and bars around the world have been the subjects of Oscar and his team’s design work with a focus on immersion and timelessness. The studio is made up of the talents of a team of architects, decorators, space designers, graphic designers as well as experts in hospitality.

     

    You can catch Oscar at this year’s installation of EquipHotel Paris on 3rd – 7th November:

    For the first time ever, EquipHotel has created a space designed as a mini-museum to play host to four designers and their take on the perfect seat for conversing, talking and sharing. That’s why the new Inspiration Gallery is featuring a new exhibition called “Confidences pour confidences”, giving carte blanche to four talents to showcase four tête-à-têtes (also known as conversation benches) in four different 30 square metre settings. Designer Fanny Perrier, architect Marco Lavit, interior architect Oscar Ono and the creative duo Marthe Simon & Paul Peller took part and set their tête-à-tête chairs in a winter garden, a dressing room, a salon and a space designed as a spa lobby, creating a way to show a piece of furniture differently by focusing on the experience.

    Conversation is also at the heart of interior architect Oscar Ono’s design. His “Disco Bathroom” transports visitors into an undefinable space that’s part bar, part bathroom, part boudoir, part dressing room, all punctuated by creations made using traditional know-how and others using recycled plastic 3D printing, because the world is changing and so are practices.

     

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

    Emma King speaks to Sophie Harper about Implementing Sustainable Measures as Brand Standard

    Episode 41: Implementing Sustainable Measures as Brand Standard

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    In the seventh episode of series five of DESIGN POD, sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper chats to Emma King, Head of Premium, Luxury, and Lifestyle Design – Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts, about the changes the hotel company is making to its brand standards to ensure each of its hotel rooms is as sustainable as possible, from collaborating with external companies to forming its own Green Team!

    Leading InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Design team in Europe, Emma King is responsible for the design, development and product quality of all new openings and refurbishments. Having been instrumental in developing new brand standards and design handbooks for IHG and taking a closer look at the products and materials used within their projects, Emma tells us how she and her team are working towards a more sustainable future.

     

     

    From working with external companies such as MindClick and We Want More, to placing more responsibility on internal teams to find more sustainable solutions, Emma tells us how IHG is making waves to ensure their sustainable commitment is not only met, but shared with other hotel operators to help the industry as a whole.

     

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

    Andre Straja talks about creating the perfect vision

    Episode 40: Creating the Perfect Vision

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    In the sixth episode of series five of DESIGN POD, sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper catches up with Founder and Principal at Goring and Straja (GaS) Studio, Andre Straja, about the mechanics of crafting and delivering the perfect design vision – especially when reality kicks in…

    Andre Straja describes himself as a ‘cultural chameleon and professional immigrant’ – born in Romania, he then moved to Quebec, then Texas, then California before going back to his European roots and settling in Milan.

    He brings logic and acute understanding of what makes a luxury experience to his designs, and in this episode he talks about the reality of delivering that all-important five-star experience where landscape plays a major role in the hotel architecture.

    Straja talks about one of the studio’s recent projects, Casa di Langa, in Piedmont, Italy and the intricacies of the design and impact of the site.

    He tells us more about his career and his views on the design world in general, believing if we want to know what’s in store for the future of design, we should refer to the past…

     

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

     

     

     

    Tina Norden speaks to Sophie Harper about Experiential Design on the latest DESIGN POD podcast

    Episode 39: Experiential Design

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    In the fifth show of series five of DESIGN POD, sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper catches up with Partner and Principal at Conran and Partners, Tina Norden, about the logistics of working on global projects and creating experiential hospitality design that appeals to tourists and locals alike…

    A well-known personality in the design industry, Tina tells us about her evolving role from architecture to design through to her current role as partner at Conran and Partners and how she’s excited to see her peers’ careers unfold.

    Her design knowledge and understanding of the human condition has contributed to her natural ability to sculpt hospitality environments that offer guests an all-encompassing hotel experience.

    Listen now to hear Tina talk about working closely with clients to really get under the skin of their target market and showcase the visual expression of the brand, as well as incorporating each project’s locality to add depth and immersion.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

    Nicholas Oakwell speak to Hotel Designs about Fashion's Affinity with Hospitality for DESIGN POD

    Episode 38: Fashion’s Affinity with Hospitality

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    In the fourth show of series five of DESIGN POD, sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper talks to Creative Director and Founder of NO Uniform, Nicholas Oakwell, about his career and the inspiration behind his unique clothing collections designed specifically for the hospitality sector.

    Ahead of the opening of the brand-new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London, we caught up with Nicholas Oakwell, who designed the team’s wardrobe to honour the hotel brand’s Asian heritage while keeping the styling modern and respectful of its surroundings.

    Having started his career in millinery and gone on to launch his own couture design label, Nicholas didn’t anticipate the swerve ball that led him to establish No Uniform, a bespoke clothing design service that now dresses the teams at the most exclusive hotels in the world.

     

     

    Listen now to hear about some of No Uniform’s most notable project collections, from Raffles and Fairmont Doha, to Rosewood London, and Nobu Portman Square. Talking about the complexities of fabric choices to ensure durability and practicality, Nicholas explains that one of the most important aspects of his designs are that they wholeheartedly represent the hotel brand – as well as making the team feel fabulous whilst wearing them!

     

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

     

    Main image credit: NOUNIFORM

    Louis Thompson talks about Unconventional Design on episode 37 of DESIGN POD

    Episode 37: Unconventional Design

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    In the third show of series five of DESIGN POD, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper chats to Nomadic Resorts Founder, Louis Thompson, about his ideas on unconventional design and how he applies different forms of architecture and craftsmanship to some truly unique hotel projects.

    A true believer in creating experiences that enhance a guest’s stay and that complement the local surroundings, Louis Thompson thinks so far out of the box, it makes you question why there was even the option of a box in the first place.

    Talking about customer demand for more interesting and adventurous hotels and resorts, Louis tells us about the projects he has worked on and why going back to basics is key to making unique experiences that are in harmony with and utilise their natural settings.

    Here he unravels his thought process and the research that goes into creating some of the most stunning hospitality projects in the world which, as it turns out, are built in a more conventional way than stereotypical developments.

    Listen now to hear about Nomadic Resorts‘ projects, including a restaurant in the Maldives made in the form of a stingray and constructed from bamboo, and  a completely accessible luxury development in Fiji.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

    Main image credit: Nomadic Resorts

    Episode 36: Creating Timeless Design Within an Ever-Changing Landscape

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    On the second show of series 5 of DESIGN POD, Sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper talks to Tatiana Sheveleva, from Chapi Chapo Design Inc., about creating timeless design within an ever-changing landscape and Tatiana tells us about some of her latest design projects…

    Tatiana Sheveleva comes from a diverse background that has shaped where she is today. Moving to the United States of America opened her eyes to interior design, where she made a massive career move to be part of the beauty she saw in front of her.

    She talks about the definition of luxury and what that meant to her, and how we can use timeless details to bring together design, both in interiors and in fashion. If it’s not comfortable and it’s not beautiful, it’s not timeless design. We discuss how to bring timeless design to multiple generations, especially in a world that moves as fast as ours does today.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

    Main image credit: Tatiana Sheveleva

    Jacu Strauss, Creative Director, Lore Group

    Episode 35: Storytelling in Design

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    On the first show of series 5 of DESIGN POD, Sponsored by EquipHotel, Hotel Designs Editor Sophie Harper talks to Jacu Strauss, Creative Director at LORE Group, about the storytelling process of hotel design to get a better understanding of how forming a narrative directly impacts the guest experience…

    Jacu Strauss is, by his own admission, a serial country dweller and culture seeker… this has opened his eyes to a number of fascinating local communities and the stories to which they relate – which is why he considers storytelling such an integral part of the design process for hotel projects.

    Speaking about the storied design projects he has directed, Jacu tells us how he lived in Amsterdam to soak up the local atmosphere whilst working on Pulitzer Amsterdam and in the ‘States whilst working on Riggs Washington DC.

    He describes the buildings’ historic relevance and the stories already imbedded within their walls, and what his go-to is when a building doesn’t offer up immediate inspiration.

    We also discuss the features that make a hotel special and memorable, and how in turn that makes its staff and guests feel. Storytelling is, after all, an inherently human trait of connection and familiarity offering a sense of intrigue and experience whilst giving us a level of safety and comfort.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by EquipHotel, produced by Kevin Lines, and hosted by Sophie Harper.

    Main image credit: LORE Group

    John Williams headshot for DESIGN POD

    Episode 34: unconventional narratives in design

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    Episode 34: unconventional narratives in design

    The final episode of series four of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Geberit, welcomes John Williams, Founding Director of SpaceInvader Design, to discuss creating meaningful, unconventional narratives in design…

    John Williams headshot for DESIGN POD

    Meet John Williams, an interior designer based in Manchester who is the Founding Director of SpaceInvader Design, a studio with a single-minded purpose: to transform the way organisations use space and motivate people through their environment.

    With this approach, John and his team have created some impressive – and unconventional – design narratives, which Editor Hamish Kilburn explores on this episode of DESIGN POD.

    As well as taking a look at the people and projects that have helped to define SpaceInvader Design as a leading interior design studio, including WILDES Chester, Tribe Hotel Malta and Oddfellows on the Park Cheadle in Manchester and Stock Exchange Hotel Manchester, the episode also throws it back to Williams’ somewhat unorthodox launch into the industry as a studio owner.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by Geberit, produced by Mel Yates and hosted by Hamish Kilburn.

    Headshot of Neil Andrew and the DESIGN POD logo

    Episode 33: the future of net-zero in design

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    Episode 33: the future of net-zero in design

    Still fresh from winning The Eco Award at The Brit List Awards 2022 for the studio’s ambitious pledge to be net-zero (embodied carbon) in projects by 2030, Neil Andrew, Head of Hospitality at Perkins&Will joins Editor Hamish Kilburn for the next episode of DESIGN POD…

    Headshot of Neil Andrew and the DESIGN POD logo

    Meet Neil Andrew, an interior designer based in London. As well as being a skilled craftsman in his trade – and with the aim to deepen design’s meaning in hospitality – Andrew and his team at Perkins&Will are on an honest and, at times, unapologetic mission to operate in a net-zero landscape. In 2022, the studio announced that it will be net-zero embodied carbon) in all its projects by 2030.

    Cutting through the noise somewhat, the studio launched its Net-Zero Now: Hospitality report. In it, the studio sets out a series of targets to achieve its deadline and goal. “As a company we have been at the forefront of sustainable design for more than 25 years,” Andrew explained. “It [incorporating net-zero into design] is not something you can switch on overnight – it is a process. The good thing about the term ‘net-zero’ is that people can understand and get hold of from outside the industry.”

    Aside from a headline-grabbing initiative, which led to the studio winning The Eco Award at The Brit List Awards 2022, Host Hamish Kilburn invited Neil onto the design podcast to explore how this social and environmental mindset is opening doors to wider opportunities.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by Geberit, produced by Mel Yates and hosted by Hamish Kilburn.

    DESIGN POD Alessandro Munge

    Episode 32: transforming spaces (Alessandro Munge)

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    Episode 32: transforming spaces (Alessandro Munge)

    Hot off appearing on Travel By Design, a podcast hosted by Hamish Kilburn and brought to you by Marriott, Alessandro Munge, Founder of Studio Munge, joins DESIGN POD for a heart-to-heart masterclass on how to effortlessly transform spaces in hotel design…

    DESIGN POD Alessandro Munge

    Meet Alessandro Munge, the Founder of Studio Munge; a visionary interior designer who has worked with leading hotel brands on a global scale to redefine hospitality through the power of design. Editor Hamish Kilburn welcomed Munge as his special guest for episode 32 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Geberit.

    The Toronto-based designer and Kilburn first met on the Travel By Design podcast, by Marriott, where the two explored the fabrics, materials and the overall design story of Muir Halifax, Autograph Collection, a luxury hotel in Nova Scotia.

    On this episode of DESIGN POD, Kilburn’s aim was to start where they left off from that meaningful discussion, to understand more about Munge’s approach to projects and how he has helped brands, through clever and socially driven design, to amplify perhaps a different side of their personalities.

    A soft interior design scheme inside bedroom at Muir Halifax

    Image caption: Muir Halifax, Autograph Collection, designed by Studio Munge. | Image credit: Marriott International

    In addition to understand the architecture and design narrative of Muir, Kilburn spoke to Munge about sensitively designing EDITION’s first residences in Miami, how to effortlessly amplify a hotel brand’s language through design and the challenges involved in designing Sangri-La’s tallest hotel within its portfolio, which will open soon in Nanning, China.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by Geberit, produced by Mel Yates and hosted by Hamish Kilburn.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    Great Plains Dereck Joubert with camera

    Episode 31: design through a filmmaker’s lens (Dereck Joubert)

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    Episode 31: design through a filmmaker’s lens (Dereck Joubert)

    In episode 31 of DESIGN POD, Editor Hamish Kilburn strips back the layers to understand how two National Geographic wildlife filmmakers and photographers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, have designed luxury safari camps in harmony with the natural world…

    Great Plains Dereck Joubert with camera

    Welcome to Africa, where nature unapologetically rules! In episode 31 of DESIGN POD, Editor Hamish Kilburn meets Dereck Joubert, a wildlife photographer and filmmaker who for his whole life, while working with the likes of National Geographic, has campaigned to protect wildlife conservation in Africa.

    To part-fund his and his wife Beverly’s selfless journey, they created Great Plains, a cluster of luxury safari camps dotted across the continent. But these aren’t just any camps. Each one tells a different story through design and has its own raw personality.

    The considered approach at the start of each development always starts the same; with Dereck and Beverly camping out under the stars, exposed to the elements, in order to take conscious steps to ensure that each property, deliberately designed to feel ‘semi-permanent’ – works with and not just in nature’s spectacular setting. “The way we design was to limit impact on environment,” Dereck says. “I also wanted to convey a sense on impermanence. I wanted to give a sense that we, all of our guests are temporary here. We are here for a moment. We are visitors to landscapes like this.”

    Redefining luxury through the filmmaker’s lens, Dereck and Beverly’s social approach to luxury travel has resulted in Great Plains African safari experiences in Botswana, Kenya and now Zimbabwe. And it doesn’t stop there. The husband-and-wife team are committed not only to wildlife conservation in Africa, but, through many charities and initiatives launched and nurtured by Dereck and Beverly themselves, they also work tirelessly to offer and promote equal opportunities for those living and working in and around their camps. This took on a whole new meaning after one incident, sensitively explored on the podcast episode, that Beverly fighting for her life in hospital.

    DESIGN POD is brought to you by Hotel Designs. This series is sponsored by Geberit, produced by Mel Yates and hosted by Hamish Kilburn.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD: Pallavi Dean standing, looking at the camera, taking off a VR headset

    Episode 30: Design in the metaverse (Pallavi Dean)

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    Episode 30: Design in the metaverse (Pallavi Dean)

    In episode 30 of DESIGN POD, the design podcast for all architecture and design enthusiasts, editor Hamish Kilburn speaks to Pallavi Dean, Founder of Roar, about interior design and hospitality in the metaverse…

    DESIGN POD: Pallavi Dean standing, looking at the camera, taking off a VR headset

    The metaverse will not replace the human-centric nature of physical hospitality and design. This is the overarching message from episode 30 of DESIGN POD. The design and architecture podcast, sponsored by Geberit and fuelled by progressive conversations, entered uncharted territory when it welcomed Dubai-based interior designer Pallavi Dean as a special guest to explore design’s role in the metaverse.

    Dean, who when this episode was recorded had purchased four plots in the metaverse, is among a cluster of designers who are exploring how a connected virtual universe can allow brands to explore new facets of their personalities in a safe space where there is no such thing as coordinates, timezones or gravity for that matter.

    Listen to the full episode here:

    The special episode of DESIGN POD touches on what designers should consider when purchasing and designing property in the metaverse, from crypto wallets to accepting virtual commodities. Beyond the practical elements of entering this new chapter where technology and hospitality collide, the episode also futuregazes towards the idea of guidelines and rules – like building regulations, for example – reflected in virtual worlds.

    Throwing it back to concepts we have come to understand, the episode also explores how the theory of the ‘democratisation of everything’ – first discussed with technology expert Jason Bradbury on an early episode of DESIGN POD that, in simple terms, suggests that social media and technology is allowing everyone to have a platform – will evolve outside the world we recognise today.

    Taking the VR headset off for a minute, Kilburn and Dean also discuss how Roar has evolved since 2013, discussing some of the milestone projects the interior designer has undertaken in the real world, and why Architectural Digest described it as, ‘one of the hottest boutique design companies in the UAE’.

    > Since you’re here, why not read about the panel discussion on the metaverse from HIX 2022?

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    Wren Loucks DESIGN POD

    Episode 29: Stimulating Wellness (Wren Loucks)

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    Episode 29: Stimulating Wellness (Wren Loucks)

    Wren Loucks, CEO and Creative Director of Be-kin, joins DESIGN POD, the design and architecture podcast for all creative enthusiasts. In episode 28, the interior designer and Editor Hamish Kilburn discuss sensory design, holistic hospitality and how, through stimulating wellness, hotel design can find new meaning…

    Wren Loucks DESIGN POD

    In episode 29 of DESIGN POD, a design and architecture podcast dedicated to cutting through the noise to unveil real, gamechanging conversations, Editor Hamish Kilburn welcomes interior designer Wren Loucks as a special guest to explore the concept of stimulating wellness. The discussion, which is the third episode to drop is series 4, sponsored by Geberit, covers everything from how Loucks first used design to make sense of the world around her to uncovering new researching around sensory design and holistic hospitality.

    Loucks, who was named last year as one of the top 25 influential interior designers, joined the podcast following her involvement in Geberit’s Hotel Guest Experience Report, in which the designer examines ritual, sensory-rich experiences and social sustainability in hotel design. The award-winning designer looks at how the differences in sensorial, cognitive, and physical abilities can be catered to by designing facilities to suit a range of needs, such as wheelchair accessibility, neurodiversity and an ageing population.

    In addition to being an integral voice Geberit’s recent report, Loucks has also been a contributor on Hotel Designs, authoring a number of articles, covering sensory design in sound, touch and seasons. She also, backed by science, published a whitepaper on conceptual design, WISH, which was awarded highly commendable for the Celia Thomas Prize for disabled guests at the International Blue Badge Access Awards in April 2022.

    Since launching Be-kin in November 2020, Loucks has completed six projects, ranging from Grade II listed buildings to a private gym in Fitzrovia. In addition to design, Loucks aims to educate her clients on how they are affected by spaces across their senses and create spaces that stimulate their wellbeing. For the studio’s commercial clients, the designer creates spaces that support social sustainability – designing for a range of cognitive, physical, and sensorial differences. She is, put simply, challenging conventional approaches to interior design, architecture and hospitality with a human-centric approach that is giving the entire arena a deeper purpose.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD circadian lighting with Michael Curry and Mark Tweedale

    Episode 28: Circadian lighting’s role in design (DPA Lighting)

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    Episode 28: Circadian lighting’s role in design (DPA Lighting)

    Meet Michael Curry and Mark Tweedale, from DPA Lighting, two lighting designers who have joined the DESIGN POD podcast with the aim to explore circadian lighting…

    DESIGN POD circadian lighting with Michael Curry and Mark Tweedale

    Episode 28 of DESIGN POD, brought to you by Hotel Designs, sponsored by Geberit and produced by Mel Yates, is all about circadian lighting in design and hospitality.

    With lighting and sensory design continuing play majors role in hotel design, in sync with the ever-growing demand among modern travellers for wellness to be injected into all hospitality touchpoints and for experiences to feel more meaningful, could the answer designers are looking for be in sophisticated circadian lighting?

    In addition to understanding the challenges that the design and architecture industry face injecting this level of technology into spaces, Kilburn, Tweedale and Curry find common ground when discussing one particular project, Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol, a hotel designed by HBA, with architecture by Mecanoo, that I first reviewed in 2015 – before it had even opened to the public. The hotel, which is wrapped in a distinct cubic structure, features a 42-metre high glazed roof, which, by night becomes a display of lights.

    Almost a decade since that project opened, lighting in design continues to be at the forefront of conversations among designers, architects and clients. So, will circadian lighting in design change the game in wellness and hospitality, or will it break the bank and become another gimmick that will continue to be stripped out at value engineering stages of projects?

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD ep 27 main image

    Episode 27: Sustainability in materials (Richard Holland)

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    Episode 27: Sustainability in materials (Richard Holland)

    Meet Richard Holland, Co-Founder and Director of Holland Harvey Architects, who is pioneering a new era in socially and environmentally designed buildings. Some of the studio’s recent projects, explored in this episode of DESIGN POD, are, put simply, changing the game in this new chapter of meaningful hospitality, design and architecture.

    DESIGN POD ep 27 main image

    In episode 27 of DESIGN POD (the first episode in series four), sponsored by Geberit and produced by Mel Yates, Editor Hamish Kilburn welcomes Richard Holland, Co-Founder and Director of Holland Harvey Architects, on the podcast to explore the significance of materials when having a sustainable approach to hotel design. To contextualise this, Kilburn starts the episode by asking Holland about how his ‘free architecture’ concept led to the creation of the socially and environmentally driven architecture studio, before exploring some of the projects that, put simply, change the game in the conscious hotel and hospitality arena.

    Listen to the full episode here:

    InHabit Hotels, is a fine example of this, which is a cluster of socially connected, environmentally responsible hotels. Holland Harvey Architects together with the interior designers at Caitlin Henderson Design were on the design team from when the brand launched its first hotel in 2019, in Paddington, London. The confident mindset from the client allowed the design team at the studio to, well, design deeper by applying research and finding unconventional ways to retain materials existing buildings, while not taking anything away from the contemporary Scandinavian-meets-British design aesthetic.

     

    In addition to discussing how the story of Inhabit Hotels developed through conscious approaches in both design and architects, and understanding how this developed further in Inhabit Hotels’ second property, Holland and Kilburn discuss greenwashing, materials and putting emphasis on the social aspect of ESG in hotel design.

    Inhabit London Queens Garden

    Image credit: Inhabit Hotels

    Outside the hotel arena, the studio recently completed a project for Shelter From The Storm (SFTS), a London-based homeless shelter that provides 42 beds, fresh food and holistic support to its guests. “Every single space had to be considered with a particular mindset, which myself and my colleagues did not understand at first,” Holland says on the podcast. “We very much leant on the founder to help us understand what the experience meant, what the challenges were and how design could soften the impact of finding yourself in this situation, arriving at the shelter and finding the space and time to rehabilitate yourself to leave the shelter, which is the ultimate goal.”

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD LORRAINE STOUTT GRIFFITH

    Episode 26: Formula 1 hospitality design in Silverstone

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    Episode 26: Formula 1 hospitality design in Silverstone

    We are racing towards the chequered flag as we round off series 3 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, with an episode that explores the latest hospitality development at Silverstone, the home of British motor racing…

    DESIGN POD LORRAINE STOUTT GRIFFITH

    Meet Lorraine Stoutt Griffith. She’s an architect, a visionary, who for the last few years has been creating the foundations of an iconic hospitality development in Silverstone, the venue that hosts the UK Grand Prix.

    In a special episode of DESIGN POD, the podcast for all design and architecture enthusiasts, Griffith was invited to speak to Editor Hamish Kilburn, host of the podcast, to explore how the project is accelerating the convergence of lifestyle and luxury, while also challenging conventional approaches to designing hospitality properties. In the exclusive interview, the architect unravels the challenges that she and her team at Twelve Architects faced and then confronted with innovative solutions to push boundaries in the luxury wellness arena of hotel design and hospitality.

    Listen to the full episode here:

    The development, inspired by high-end residential and hotel design, is called Escapde Living, which Hotel Designs first spoke about in early 2021, after Bergman Design House created the initial interior design scheme. Since then, things have gone up a gear. Now that the structural presence of the individual residences are taking shape – Kilburn went to see the site for himself ahead of this episode – Griffith’s years of planning are starting to transform into a physical space, just metres from the track, offering what is argued the best views over the iconic race track.

    The trackside luxury retreats are being designed to be an abstract representation of a Formula 1 car overtaking – any reference to motorsport in the design and architecture will be subtle, sensitive and seamless. The residences themselves will have cantilevered terraces, allowing spectators to get even closer to the racetrack. The interiors will  Light-filled and with high acoustic specifications. The sanctuaries will have underfloor heating, comfort cooling and ensuite bathrooms – each nook has been designed with its iconic location in mind.

    Establishing render shot of the development at the iconic British racetrack

    Image caption: The new luxury accommodation will overlook the iconic racetrack at Silverstone. Image credit: Escapade Living

    More than just a hospitality experience inspired by motorsport, the architecture and design of each property needed to offer views and capture atmospheres that also championed the venue’s countryside vistas. To do this, Griffith and her team worked on creating structures that would frame vistas of track one side (where the living room will be) and more tranquil greenery on the other (where the bedroom and private areas will be). By savvy design, Escapade Living then become destinations in their own right

    Keep your ears open as DESIGN POD will return soon for series 4. In the meantime, we’ve archived all previous episodes in one place – making it easier than ever to catch up on conversations, debates and interviews with the people who are shaping the future of design and architecture.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Karen Stonely

    Episode 25: capturing a deeper sense of wellness (Karen Stonely)

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    Episode 25: capturing a deeper sense of wellness (Karen Stonely)

    In episode 25 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Editor Hamish Kilburn, host of the podcast for design and architecture enthusiasts, meets Karen Stonely, Co-Founder of SPAN Architecture, to understand how she and her team capture wellness and wellbeing in design and architecture…

    DESIGN POD Karen Stonely

    Meet Karen Stonely, an artist, designer, architect and the Co-Founder of SPAN Architecture, a New York-based studio that aims to create wellness and wellbeing experiences in all landscapes.

    This episode of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, explores wellness in design through unconventional materiality, evoking unconventional sense of place and calling out ‘wellwashing’ in hotel and hospitality design. To do this, Kilburn understand’s Stonely’s unique approach to designing projects. “We’re looking at getting the most out of a place and an experience,” Stonely explains. “We want our design work to be a gift of the place that heightens your experience.”

    One project, in particular, that cleverly captures a new and perhaps surprising meaning of wellness in its location, Times Square in Manhattan, is Hyatt Centric Times Square; a project that is best described as ‘nature revealed in neon’. One of the biggest challenges for the team at SPAN Architecture was to take natural forms – elements from the parks of New York City (lungs of the city) back to their fractured essence – and rethink how they could become geometricised in an urban format. Working in a holistic and layered manner, soon strategies emerged that contributed to the one-off spatial experiences; an adaptation of nature lying between the natural and artificial.

    The other case study explored in the episode is August Moon, a completely different hospitality experience, in contrast, that is expressed as a ‘secret escape from the city’; a private waterfront retreat that overlooks Maine’s Western Bay. Named by her after the Chinese mid-autumn harvest festival, the two original structures – a separate glass teahouse and a small cottage with pool – were designed by the architect, Robert Patterson in the 1960s.

    For the restoration and new builds, the studio sought to find original materials used by Patterson, discovering original design documents at the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, which further informed the concepts.

    The new residence is situated to the north where two ridges come together. It takes its cues from the existing rocks, waterfront, trees and topography of the site, paying homage to the existing Patterson cottage. The building sits in a saddle in the landscape beyond the garden ridge that separates the Pool Pavilion and Guest House from the Main House. Stonely explains on the podcast how the project’s architectural structure ‘deceives the eyes’, and walks Kilburn through the materials and forms she explored to create this jewel.

    Other episodes in the archive that touch on wellness in design include Kilburn’s interviews with Ivaylo Lefterov, Holly Hallam, Jo Littlefair, Marie Soliman and Rachel Hoolahan.

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    DESIGN POD Brian Messana

    Episode 24: ‘sliding doors’ moments in design

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    Episode 24: ‘sliding doors’ moments in design

    Meet Brian Messana, the special guest who joined Editor Hamish Kilburn for episode 24 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London. Messana, who is the Co-Founder of Messana O’Rorke, opened up about his turning-of-the-page career moments – and unveiled the risks that were and were not worth taking…

    DESIGN POD Brian Messana

    This episode of DESIGN POD, the podcast for all design and architecture enthusiasts, more than others perhaps, is about reflection; looking back at the decisions and circumstances around them that persuade us as creatives to ‘slide open’ new doors into new eras of design and life in general. The concept of the episode was inspired by Editor Hamish Kilburn’s recent trip to the Douro Valley, where he unexpectedly met another podcast host who was a guest at the hotel he was reviewing at the time. Jennie Becker is the host of ‘Sliding Doors‘, a podcast that welcomes inspirational people to identify and discuss the split seconds that changed the course of their lives. With Becker’s permission, this episode of DESIGN POD therefore explores just that. And the subject of the experiment is the charming Brian Messana, architect and Co-Founder of Messana O’Rorke.

    “I’m an introvert. But once I start talking, you can’t shut me up,” he tells Kilburn when he sat down to record episode 24 of DESIGN POD. The New York-based architect is currently at an interesting point in his career, where his work is being recognised, celebrated and he is starting to wear a ‘legend’ status – not that he would agree with that. But leadership in Messana O’Rorke is not from the front. Instead, it is driven from within, putting less emphasis on owning an idea and more focus on, collectively within the team, making the concept as strong as it can be for the client. Indeed, this is what has allowed Messana and his business partner, Toby O’Rorke, to create their own style as a world-renowned studio.

    25 years on from launching their business, following previous years’ working for and with the likes of Richard Meier, Thomas Phifer, Hani Rashid and Peter Marino, the dynamic pair have just launched their first monograph. Within the meaningfully curated mix of pages, they have identified 25 projects that reflect the soul, personality and ambition of the studio – some projects identified are more obvious than others.

    On the podcast episode, Messana and Kilburn discuss loyal partnerships, the value of building a team that is on the same journey. Throughout the conversation, while referencing key projects – past, present and future – it becomes clear how challenges, opportunities and bold decisions led to break-through moments in the architect’s life.

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    Matthew Balon DESIGN POD

    Episode 23: understanding ‘lean luxury’ in hotel design

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    Episode 23: understanding ‘lean luxury’ in hotel design

    Episode 23 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Editor Hamish Kilburn welcomes Matthew Balon, Head of Design at Ruby Hotels, to explore the emerging concept of ‘lean luxury’ of which the brand is built on…

    Matthew Balon DESIGN POD

    In episode 23 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Editor Hamish Kilburn has changed his approach. Instead of interviewing an independent designer or architect – or one from a leading international design firm – he has deliberately invited a designer whose role it is to work within a hotel group to ensure that each property shelters its own unique narrative while also feeling connected to the other hotels within the portfolio.

    Ruby Hotels, no stranger to Hotel Designs with its strong European and London presence, has an interesting take on ‘luxury‘. The brand’s philosophy of offering what it describes as ‘lean luxury’ is all about being smart with space, streamlining and digitising systems – and doing away with the things you don’t need, all while ensuring the guest experience remains seamless.

    In charge of ensuring the design and hospitality concept of ‘lean luxury’ is met within each hotel is Matthew Balon, Head of Design at Ruby Hotels. In this special episode, Kilburn speaks to the designer to understand what this looks and more importantly feels like.

    > Keep listening (below) to hear about the pair’s hilarious and somewhat awkward first encounter, when Kilburn and Balon met the morning after the night before Ruby Leni’s grand opening party in Düsserldorf, Germany.

    Balon, who joins the podcast (from bed) inside one of Ruby’s many hotels around Europe, gives the listeners of DESIGN POD an insight – a window into the hotel, if you like – into how he approaches each project he works on – from public areas to guestroom details and check-in experiences – so that each property shelters its own fun and quirky personality.

    With a lean organisational structure and concentration on the essentials, Ruby Hotels succeeds in creating a contemporary, affordable form of luxury for modern, cost and style-conscious customers. Founded in 2013, the Group already operates thirteen Ruby hotels, with a further 22 hotels under construction or in the planning phase. Ruby is expanding into Asia with the joint venture Ruby Asia, founded in 2018. Ruby also offers Ruby Workspaces in Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf.

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    Sue Timney main DESIGN POD

    Episode 22: what makes British design special? (Sue Timney)

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    Episode 22: what makes British design special? (Sue Timney)

    Episode 22 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, was all about understanding the DNA of contemporary British design and architecture. British design icon Sue Timney was this week’s special guest, and for good reason. Listen to the full episode of the podcast below…

    Sue Timney main DESIGN POD

    With The Brit List Awards 2022 well underway – the shortlisted finalists have just been unveiled – there is no better time to explore the make-up of British design and architecture. On the podcast this week, therefore, we welcomed British interior design icon Sue Timney, who has been the mastermind of many extraordinary spaces, including (and not limited to) houses for the McCartney family and even featuring on Grand Designs’ 100th programme that was nominated for a BAFTA in 2013 with the project, The Water Tower in Kennington, that involved transforming a water tower into a modern-luxury abode.

    Timney joined Editor Hamish Kilburn, host of DESIGN POD, remotely from her riverside home in London for the podcast episode – listen below.

    Her work is not limited to residential design, though. Timney, who recently became a judge for The Brit List Awards 2022, has also journeyed into the design and fashion arena. Following commissions from retail giants such as Marks & Spenser and House of Fraser, Kilburn wanted to understand what had to evolve in her creative process to design commercial items on a mass scale over the private and personal spaces she was accustomed to.

    Sue Timney’s interior design studio, more than 30 years in perfecting, specialises in creating one-off interiors within unique architecture settings – an element that leading British designers and architects have always enjoyed most. This work combines residential and commercial projects that sensitively reference aspects of historical and contemporary design, resulting in uniquely accessible spaces. The Water Tower in Kennington was a huge restoration that is a prime example of this creatively mentality.

    Today, the the designer is working on several diverse commissions, including a group of boutique hotels and new residential developments in England and New York. 

    Main image credit: Hotel Designs/DESIGN POD

    Holly Hallam DESIGN POD

    Episode 21: a new era of lifestyle in design (Holly Hallam)

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    Episode 21: a new era of lifestyle in design (Holly Hallam)

    In episode 21 of DESIGN POD, Editor Hamish Kilburn gets comfortable on the Minotti London sofa with Holly Hallam, Managing Director of Design LSM, to discuss why lifestyle hospitality and hotel design is moving into a new era…

    Holly Hallam DESIGN POD

    Prepare to be inspired. Holly Hallam is a rare breed of an interior designer – she and her team at Design LSM unapologetically don’t quite fit the mold. With the studio based outside of London, in Brighton, Design LSM turn what could be considered a weakness by not being centrally based into its greatest strength – there’s nothing quite like being inspired by crisp sea air. In addition, Hallam who has no formal training as such, but learned from the sidelines by watching her interior designer father, is able to inject a new layer into the studio and indeed the wider arena. With her strong background in marketing and branding, Hallam understands the need for a 360-degree mindset in the modern hotel design scene.

    Listen to the full episode below:

    Utilising this thinking, Hallam and her team have worked for brands including, but not limited to, The Alchemist, Gaucho, Curio by Hilton and Kiss The Hippo.

    In episode 21 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Hallam joined Editor Hamish Kilburn on the DESIGN POD sofa to discuss a new era of lifestyle. During the interview, which naturally led from a previous episode where Kilburn and designer Jo Littlefair explored ‘a new era of luxury‘, Hallam highlighted key projects that she believed helped to pivot lifestyle in design and hospitality into a new lane.

    Main image credit: Hotel Designs/DESIGN POD

     

    Ivaylo Lefterov Svart DESIGN POD

    Episode 20: Energy-positive hotels (Ivaylo Lefterov)

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    Episode 20: Energy-positive hotels (Ivaylo Lefterov)

    In episode 20 of DESIGN POD, Editor Hamish Kilburn catches up with Ivaylo Lefterov, inside the Minotti London showroom, to understand how his plan is coming along to develop the world’s first energy-positive hotel, which sits under a glacier in Norway…

    Ivaylo Lefterov Svart DESIGN POD

    Ever since Hotel Designs heard the first whispers of the project – and its ambitious aims – the publication has been engaged and excited to follow the development of Svart, which in 2024, is slated to become the world’s first energy-positive hotel. Whether its the curvaceous architecture, iconic location, striking interior design scheme, its eco-conscious attitude, or all of the above, Svart which will be operated by Six Senses Hotels and Resorts, is going to break new boundaries on the global hotel design and hospitality scene. And the man pulling together all element to ensure it hits all the right notes is Ivaylo Lefterov, who caught up with Hamish Kilburn recently to discuss how the project is coming along.

    Designed structurally by Snøhetta, the 94-key Six Senses Svart will combine a futuristic design, led by interior design studio, Space Copenhagen, and technological innovation with earthy, organic materials that will use the latest embedded energy. The hotel, which will be poised on poles above the crystal-clear waters of the Holandsfjorden fjord, at the base of a glacier, aims to raise awareness of the possibilities of regenerative travel and the importance of the polar region, in partnership with the local community.

    Innate to this project, and an integral part of its DNA, is the commitment not to compromise the fragile and pristine glacial surroundings or the property’s beauty and quality. The major design pillars of Six Senses Svart are environment and nature, sustainability, technological innovation, wellness and mindfulness, which have been integrated in tandem because they all directly impact each other.

    Main image credit: Hotel Designs/DESIGN POD

    Image of INODA+SVEJE in front of pink background and the DESIGN POD logo

    Episode 19: unconventional design details (INODA + SVEJE)

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    Episode 19: unconventional design details (INODA + SVEJE)

    To kickstart series 3 of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Editor Hamish Kilburn speaks to the Co-Founders of INODA + SVEJE to understand their design direction and inspiration behind the furniture pieces they designed for the Minotti 2022 Collection. In truth, though, this episode was so much more than striking design details…

    Image of INODA+SVEJE in front of pink background and the DESIGN POD logo

    One week after their debut collection with Minotti was debuted to the world at Salone del Mobile, Editor Hamish Kilburn caught up with Nils Sveje and Kyoko Inoda, the Co-Founders of INODA + SVEJE, to understand why furniture pieces they designed for the Italian luxury furniture brand were such a hit.

    Minotti describes the collaboration – the items being Yoko, Lars and Sendai – as ‘two worlds connecting’. The brand refers to the the two owners’ separate heritages – one Japanese and the other from Denmark. But, in reality, these protagonists within the 2022 Collection are the result of three cultures coming together in harmony, including Minotti’s Italian heritage. The tread that connects each piece is the language of minimalism, told is various ways.

    INODA+SVEJE was founded in 2000 in Copenhagen and is now, since 2003, situated in Milan. Together, working as a team of two – expanding beyond that would disrupt each designer’s harmony (their words, not mine) – they have developed a sensitive approach applied to both the design process and the resulting form and aesthetics.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD/Hotel Designs

    DESIGN POD Series 2 with Gam Fratesi

    Episode 18: Luxury product design (GamFratesi)

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    Episode 18: Luxury product design (GamFratesi)

    To conclude series two of DESIGN POD, which has been in association with Minotti London, Editor Hamish Kilburn speaks to Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi, based in Copenhagen, to understand the process of product design for the luxury Italian furniture brand, Minotti…

    DESIGN POD Series 2 with Gam Fratesi

    Just weeks before Minotti drops its 2022 Collection in Milan, and to aptly conclude this series of DESIGN POD that has been sponsored by Minotti London, Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi joined Editor Hamish Kilburn to discuss their process when it comes to luxury product design.

    The design studio, which was founded in 2006, takes its creative drive from a fusion of tradition and renewal, while also injecting an experimental approach to the team’s chosen materials and techniques. With their dual traditional background, Gam and Fratesi draw on the classic Danish furniture and craft tradition as well as the classic Italian intellectual and conceptual approach.

    In this special episode of DESIGN POD, the pair discuss each collection that they designed for Minotti, while also giving Kilburn and his listeners a window into the studio doors of GamFratesi.

    In 2019, GamFratesi designed two indoor proposals for Minotti, namely the Angie armchair and dining little armchair and the Shelley armchair, which is also available in the lounge and dining little armchair versions.

    The partnership evolved and was strengthened in 2020 with the launch of the Fynn family of seats, in the armchair, lounge and dining little armchair, bench and coffee table versions. A project characterised by an ultra-light aesthetic, expressed in the indoor and outdoor versions, associating the creativity of fine cabinet-making found in the wooden elements with the sophisticated sartorial elegance of the fabric or saddle-hide coverings.

    Now very much part of the Minotti family of select interior designers, GamFratesi’s latest work for the brand will be unveiled at Salone del Mobile in Milan, where the 2022 Collection of timeless furniture pieces will be unveiled to the world.

    DESIGN POD will be back in July 2022 with series three, which will feature yet more inspirational figures from all corners of the design and architecture arenas.

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    DESIGN POD for Simon Kincaid

    Episode 17: Flexibility in design & architecture (Simon Kincaid)

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    Episode 17: Flexibility in design & architecture (Simon Kincaid)

    In episode 17 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, Simon Kincaid, Partner at Conran & Partners, joins the sofa to discuss the benefits of a flexible approach to design and architecture… 

    DESIGN POD for Simon Kincaid

    Simon Kincaid, who joins the DESIGN POD podcast, has more than 20 years’ industry experience in residential, hotel and hospitality design. Arguably, there is no one who is better equipped with the skills and know-how to understand and enforce flexibility in an industry that is ever-evolving.

    His latest projects include, among others, Puro Kazimierz, Blake Tower, Luma and The Conran Shop in Seoul.

    The interior designer and architect has worked across residential, hospitality and retail sectors, and brings a great understanding of consumer lifestyle trends to the communal and public areas of all project typologies, often to engage with the wider neighbourhood, as well as creating well detailed desirable homes, hotels and experiential retail experiences. And he does all this (and more) while generating a strong sense of place and identity in every brand he and his team touch.

    Kincaid joins Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde for this episode, sponsored by Minotti London, to explore why now designers and architects need to be able to bend in order to create strong brand awareness and deeper narratives.

    For Kincaid, his ability, which was the result of working in various corners of the design and architecture arena, aligned cohesively with Conran & Partners’ approach to projects, which is to put the brand at the heart of the project.

    In the next episode of DESIGN POD, the duo from GamFratesi joins the Minotti London sofa to speak about furniture product design.  

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    DESIGN POD Ed Murray

    Episode 16: Fluid architecture (Ed Murray)

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    Episode 16: Fluid architecture (Ed Murray)

    In episode 16 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, architect Ed Murray joins the sofa discuss sustainability in architecture and fluid, cohesive design schemes…

    DESIGN POD Ed Murray

    Ed Murray, who last year was listed as one of the top 25 architects in Britain, is an accomplished associate and architect who has led a wide range of projects for independent owners and international brands across the entire hospitality spectrum, including luxury hotels, banqueting and conference venues, resorts and spas.

    For this episode of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Murrary joins Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde to discuss fluid architecture – as well as what modern studio life looks and feels like at Dexter Moren Associates.

    For the last two and a half years he led the delivery of the Westin London City, in the City of London. The new-build 222-key, five-star hotel, and nine residential apartments opened last year as Westin’s first brand in the UK.

    The Westin London City is one of those projects that has it all; four scheduled monuments; four existing buildings; archaeological works; an existing bridge structure over one of the primary arterial routes through the City of London; the St Paul’s height limitations and a brief to create an exemplary luxury hotel, with two restaurants, a wine bar, a spa with pool, a double-height ballroom and expansive meeting facilities.

    Working on a land-locked site as complex as this comes with its challenges. But out of the challenges Murray has delivered Dexter Moren Associates’ vision for a strong and cohesive building that is firmly anchored in the City of London, and delivers two elements of public access with a single strong architectural idea; first, it provides a unique connection between the area around St Paul’s with the Queenhithe Dock through the hotel’s public areas, and, second, it introduces a river walkway, which is the final piece of a pedestrian riverside walk which will connect Albert Embankment with the Tower of London.

    In the next episode of DESIGN POD, Simon Kincaid joins the Minotti London sofa to speak about the legacy Sir Terrence Conran left behind, as well as how his vast experience in all corners of the design industry has shaped his career at Conran & Partners.  

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Series 2 Jo Littlefair

    Episode 15: A new era of luxury design (Jo Littlefair)

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    Episode 15: A new era of luxury design (Jo Littlefair)

    In episode 15 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, interior designer Jo Littlefair joins the sofa discuss interior schemes, materials and projects that are shaping a new chapter of luxury in hotel design and high-end residential (scroll down to listen)…

    DESIGN POD Series 2 Jo Littlefair

    Jo Littlefair, who won Interior Designer of the Year in 2019 at The Brit List Awards, is the Co-Founder of Goddard Littlefair, a design studio that is unquestionably on the curve of the hotel design industry. Taking time out of her daily mission to purposefully challenge the perception of luxury in interior design, she joined Editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde – virtually due to a Covid-19 curveball – to discuss the ever-evolving luxury hotel sector in 2022 and beyond.

    Injecting inspiration from her travels into the studio and sharing her passion for new and exciting dining, dwelling and hospitality experiences, Littlefair’s curious and observant nature allows her to recognise emerging evolutions in consumer, industry and design trends.

    Having recently completed projects such as Villa Copenhagen, The Curtain – At The Mondrian Shoreditch and The Mayfair Townhouse – while currently working on, among others, the interior design scheme inside Mandarin Oriental in Vienna and the spa inside Raffles’ first hotel in London, Littlefair and her team shelter the skillset (and passion) to make meaningful noise and intuitive impact within the hotel design and hospitality arena.

    So, let’s meet her shall we?

    DESIGN POD, series two, is sponsored by Minotti London. In the next episode, Kilburn and Forde chat to Ed Murray, Associate at Dexter Moren Associates, to explore fluid and boundless architecture.

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    Guy Oliver DESIGN POD on purple backdrop

    Episode 14: Modern design in heritage buildings (Guy Oliver)

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    Episode 14: Modern design in heritage buildings (Guy Oliver)

    In episode 14 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, award-winning interior designer Guy Oliver is invited on the sofa to discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with injecting modern design touches inside heritage buildings…

    Guy Oliver DESIGN POD on purple backdrop

    It’s probably easier to tell you about the hotels and luxury residences that interior designer Guy Oliver has not touched in Mayfair, London. His portfolio includes, but is not limited to Claridge’s, The Connought Hotel and The Princeton Club in New York – making him, arguably, the most qualified to discuss the topic of blending old with the new in hotel design.

    In this episode of DESIGN POD, sponsored by Minotti London, Oliver joins Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde to discuss the challenges (and opportunities) that emerge when blending contemporary elements into heritage buildings, which is the ultimate juxtaposition in design and architecture.

    In addition, Oliver shares his experience being involved in the latest series of BBC’s Interior Design Masters, where he was a judge in the ‘hotel challenge’, and tasked the contestants with the challenge to design guestrooms that sensitively celebrate the quintessentially British grounds of Highley Manor Hotel.

    DESIGN POD, series two, is sponsored by Minotti London. In the next episode, Kilburn and Forde chat to Jo Littlefair, Co-Founder of Goddard Littlefair, to understand the new era of luxury in hotel and high-end residential design.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Series 2 Hen'a Yadav

    Episode 13: Unconventional materials in design (Hen’a Yadav)

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    Episode 13: Unconventional materials in design (Hen’a Yadav)

    In episode 13 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde meet Hen’a Yadav, Principal at Studio Carter, to explore the qualities of raw and unusual materials in design and architecture…

    DESIGN POD Series 2 Hen'a Yadav

    Hen’a Yadav’s journey in hotel design recently moved her from LA to London. The Principal at Studio Carter’s first gig here was at HIX 2021, when she was asked to design a multi-layered hotel wellness suite concept. Her approach to design “one room with many faces”, as she described it, allowed her to explore new materials and forms, while harnessing wellbeing properties through a soft and muted design scheme.

    In episode 13 of DESIGN POD, Yadav joined Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde to explain what those materials were, and how the project gave her a deeper sense of understanding when exploring opportunities that have emerged since modern travellers started for wellness and wellbeing being enriched in the whole hospitality experience.

    It’s an uncanny chain of events that led Yadav to this exact moment. She was born in Bombay, raised in Katmandu, and studied in Dubai, followed by Basel. With this unusual upbringing and paradoxical perspective on different cultures, she became curious about the various environments she lived in and how they mould us. Thus, her innate drive to study interiors led her to Montreal, to where she came with an ambition to revolutionise and rethink the word ‘lifestyle’.

    After graduating, she started her career in Dubai by designing royal palaces. The opulence of that lifestyle led her to seek a role specialising in hospitality. She continued to explore different design communities and cultures by working in Hasselt, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore, quenching her creative curiosity with fabulous mentors and celebrity designers along the way.

    After 18 years of this nomadic, creative journey, she has seamlessly accumulated a vast and versatile portfolio with unique set off experiences. This has now all culminated in a fabulous role in London after Los Angeles, and as a principal of a boutique, a lifestyle-driven firm called Studio Carter where she continues to spearhead the London office.

    Studio Carter consists of a team of internationally based creatives that provide a personal and articulated perspective on hospitality, creativity and wellbeing. The studio commits itself to have a positive influence through holistic and timeless design. Years of experience, a highly talented team and a strong vision create a position of trust and dependability with our clients. All work starts from an artistic viewpoint, adding authentic creativity to a unique interior design. Studio Carter transfers a story into a tangible and sharable experience whilst constructing a narrative that people will be immersed in.

    DESIGN POD, series two, is sponsored by Minotti London. In the next episode, Kilburn and Forde meet Guy Oliver, Co-Founder of Oliver Laws.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Series 2 - Timothy Griffin

    Episode 12: Design’s role in hotel development (Timothy Griffin)

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    Episode 12: Design’s role in hotel development (Timothy Griffin)

    In episode 12 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde discuss design in hotel development, and meet Timothy Griffin, Principal at Wellbrook Hospitality who was the former Managing Director for The Hoxton brand in Northern America… 

    DESIGN POD Series 2 - Timothy Griffin

    Timothy Griffin is a Principal at Wellbrook Hospitality and Co-Founder of the LEVEN hotel and lifestyle brand, which recently opened its first hotel in Manchester – and Hotel Designs were first to check in.

    As well as having his finger on the pulse when it comes to hotel development hotspots, Griffin was also responsible for the design – and all creative elements, including branding – for LEVEN Manchester And for this episode of DESIGN POD, Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde wanted to understand design’s role in hotel development.

    Throughout the episode, Griffin discusses challenges and opportunities that emerged when blurring the lines between luxury and lifestyle. In the case of the Manchester property, celebrating the raw nature of the architecture with soft and comforting elements answered this brief for the space to feel immediately residential with plush touches.

    Before LEVEN, Griffin’s career was split between New York City and London. Most recently as Managing Director for the North America region, he brought The Hoxton brand to the US, opening sites in New York, Portland, Chicago and LA. He played a key role in defining the Hoxton brand, and as the group’s Brand Director he oversaw graphic design, PR, social media, retail, digital marketing, partnerships and events.

    The next episode of DESIGN POD will explore unconventional materials in design, and will welcome Hen’a Yadav, Principal at Studio Carter, as the special guest.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD/Hotel Designs

    11_Rachel Hoolahan Orms DESIGN POD

    Episode 11: Sustainability & conscious design (Rachel Hoolahan)

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    Episode 11: Sustainability & conscious design (Rachel Hoolahan)

    In episode 11 of DESIGN POD, in association with Minotti London, Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde welcome Rachel Hoolahan, an architect and the sustainability coordinator of Orms to discuss a circular economy, greenwashing and materials passports…

    11_Rachel Hoolahan Orms DESIGN POD

    In the first episode of series two of design and architecture podcast DESIGN POD, host Hamish Kilburn and co-host interior designer Harriet Forde meet Rachel Hoolahan, who has recently become the sustainability co-ordinator at Orms.

    A pioneering example of someone who is putting forward innovative and honest initiatives that will encourage the industry – and the wider world – to work towards a circular economy, joined the podcast while the studio’s latest project to breath new life into the former Central St Martins Building in London – and has a few clever ways to convince clients to think more consciously.

    Thinking sustainability is not a new concept for Orms, though, which in 2019 completed its project as one of the architecture studios involved in The Standard London – and was the only studio, out of a handful that pitched, that pushed to save the building’s 1974 Brutalist structure. After it won the pitch, Orms was responsible for the exterior architecture / shell and core, and worked alongside interior designer Shawn Hausman Design and interior architect Archer Humphryes on behalf of Crosstree Real Estate Partners and The Standard.

    DESIGN POD, series two, is sponsored by Minotti London. In the next episode, Kilburn and Forde meet Tim Griffin, former Ennismore Managing Director (USA) who recently launched his first hotel, LEVEN under Wellbrook Hospitality.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Marie Soliman

    Episode 10: Embracing Change (Marie Soliman)

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    Episode 10: Embracing Change (Marie Soliman)

    As the industry regains momentum following uncertain times, DESIGN POD’s Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde meet Marie Soliman, Founder of Bergman Design House to discuss embracing change in hotel design and business…

    DESIGN POD Marie Soliman

    Following her departure of one of the world’s most well-known hospitality design firms, Marie Soliman with her husband embraced change when they launched Bergman Design House in 2016 with the aim to disrupt the market with meaningful and impactful luxury design.

    Today, half a decade on and with more than 25 years’ combined experience, Marie and Albin have built up an enviable portfolio of projects, spanning from London to St. Petersburg, to Qatar to New York (and have scooped up a few awards along the way. The studio is boldly taking the hotel, residential and luxury yacht industries into new eras by using design as a tool to enhance evolution. To explore more, DESIGNPOD sits down with the interior designer as she hits the halfway mark on a new ‘revolutionary’ hotel design project, The Other House, which will make its highly anticipated arrival on the hotel design scene in 2022 with its debut hotel in South Kensington.

    Marie’s passion and talent is unquestionable, as is her insatiable enthusiasm for design… Listen to the full episode below:

    DESIGN POD George Couyas

    Episode 9: Geeky About The Design Details (George Couyas)

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    Episode 9: Geeky About The Design Details (George Couyas)

    In episode nine, in association with Bathroom Brands Group, Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde invite George Couyas, Founder of Interior Design Geek, to join them on the Minotti London sofa. With more than 20 years’ experience designing high-end spaces, Couyas saw that there was a demand beyond his tight-knit client base…

    DESIGN POD George Couyas

    In this episode of DESIGN POD, editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde meet a man who regularly does his homework when it comes to establishing trends, materials and new interior design ideas. During the one year and eight months when the nation was working from home, interior designer George Couyas’ used the time to help his clients achieve their dream homes while also launching a surgery, whereby anyone who is in need of advice on their own interior design project, whatever size or budget, can benefit from having an interior designer on their side.

    With a fountain of knowledge – from materials, surfaces, colours (and everything in between) – the designer himself is geeky about the details, and joins DESIGN POD to discuss his journey in design, client management and why design is entering a new, exciting era.

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Patrick McCrae

    Episode 8: Art’s Role In Design (Patrick McCrae)

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    Episode 8: Art’s Role In Design (Patrick McCrae)

    In episode eight of DESIGN POD, in association with Bathroom Brands Group, we look at art’s role in design by meeting Patrick McCrae, CEO of ARTIQ, who is on an unapologetic mission to towards equality in art and beyond…

    DESIGN POD Patrick McCrae

    In episode eight, in association with Bathrooms Brand Group, Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde meet up with Patrick McCrae, Founder and CEO of ARTIQ, to understand not only what goes into curating the art collections for some of the world’s most incredible hotels and private spaces but also how the brand scouts emerging artists and how the company is at the forefront of ensuring that all artists are paid fairly… after all, exposure doesn’t pay the bills.

    Below is full episode:

    Main image credit: DESIGN POD

    DESIGN POD Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde

    Episode 7: Meet The Hosts (Hamish Kilburn & Harriet Forde)

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    Episode 7: Meet The Hosts (Hamish Kilburn & Harriet Forde)

    In episode 7 of DESIGN POD, in association with Bathroom Brands Group, we are stripping it right back so that our listeners can get to know our hosts, while also understanding how the concept of the podcast for designers and architects on-the-go was born…

    DESIGN POD Hamish Kilburn and Harriet Forde

    DESIGN POD is the contemporary podcast for all architecture and design lovers – it’s a safe space that amplifies interesting conversations and topics that mean something. Following the release of six engaging episodes, we thought it was fitting to strip back the veneer in order to really learn more about the two personalities who host it.

    You may already know – or know of – Hamish Kilburn, who is the editor of Hotel Designs and who recently became the host of DESIGN POD. Kilburn’s passion for people fuelled his journey to launch the podcast platform, but it was not without the help and support of Harriet Forde, Founder of Harriet Forde Design and co-host of DESIGN POD. The conversation to launch a podcast for designers and architects came following a lunch where the two were discussing topics and issues that were directly impacting the industry. Forde’s knowledge in interior design is an integral voice on the platform, while Kilburn’s unparalleled perspective on design, architecture and hospitality has enabled the team access to meet simply extraordinary people. And this is just the beginning…

    Listen to the full episode here:

    DESIGN POD Mel Yates and Flo Rolfe

    Episode 6: Framing Design & Architecture (Florence Rolfe & Mel Yates)

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    Episode 6: Framing Design & Architecture (Florence Rolfe & Mel Yates)

    In this episode, in association with Bathroom Brands Group, editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde meet stylist Florence Rolfe and photographer Mel Yates, who often work together on international shoots for leading hotel brands, to see design and architecture through a slightly different lens…

    DESIGN POD Mel Yates and Flo Rolfe

    DESIGN POD is the contemporary podcast for all architecture and design lovers – it’s a safe space that amplifies interesting conversations and topics that mean something. In episode 6, we look at architecture and design through a slightly different lens in order to understand responsibilities of – and challenges faced by – stylists and photographers.

    Florence Rolfe is a freelance stylist who started her career working for House & Garden magazine. Mel Yates, meanwhile, in an award-winning architecture, interior design and portrait photographer. Together, they form a powerful story-telling team who bring to life narratives of spaces and people. This episode will challenge conventional approaches to the design and encourage you to change your perception, ever so slightly, to become more open to creative opportunities.

    Listen to the full episode here:

    DESIGN POD Carden Cunietti

    Episode 5: Creativity Crafted (Carden Cunietti)

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    Episode 5: Creativity Crafted (Carden Cunietti)

    In this episode, in association with Bathroom Brands Group, editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde meet Audrey Carden and Eleanora Cunietti, the founders of design studio Carden Cunietti, to discuss creativity,  diversity, how to design good business decisions and explore the trends that both ladies would hate to re-emerge…

    DESIGN POD Carden Cunietti

    Interior design and architecture has accomplished exponential leaps forward over the last few decades. For Audrey Carden and Eleanora Cunietti, time has moved quickly since they first launched their much-loved Notting Hill store in London in 1996 to now, owning a thriving interior design practice – perfecting their craft by putting everything they have learned along the way into their projects.

    The duo’s journey together in business started when they bumped into each other at a London antique fair while scouting for distinctive pieces for clients. The organic decision to start their business with just £20,000 (how things have changed) led to success, failures and too many stories to fit in to this episode.

    Listen to the full episode here:

    DESIGN POD Jack Irving

    Episode 4: Fashion Meets Design (Jack Irving)

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    Episode 4: Fashion Meets Design (Jack Irving)

    In the this episode, in association with Bathroom Brands Group, editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde welcome designer Jack Irving as the show’s special guest. Having created outfits for the likes of Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton, The Spice Girls and more, Irving discusses fashion highlight, collaboration goals and the result of his debut interior design project. This is what happens when fashion and design meet…

    DESIGN POD Jack Irving

    Often interior designers and architects admit that they are inspired by the energy and buzz that radiates from the fashion industry. The quick conveyer-belt of collections – blink and you will miss this season’s frocks and colours– naturally allows boundaries to be stretched and incubated creativity to explode onto the runway. And yet, it is rare (not unheard of, though) for the two industries to work in harmony.

    In episode 4 of DESIGN POD, editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde meet a designer who, for many reasons, is an inspiration in both arenas. Jack Irving was just 21-years-old, a student still at Saint Martins College of Art and Design, when his dream collaboration came true. The iconic ‘Mother Monster’ herself, Lady Gaga, had seen his otherworldly designs and asked him to create an outfit that she would wear on the final night of her Art Pop world tour in Paris. Rising the occasion, Irving created the Sea Urchin Showgirl inflatable dress.

    As impressive as his fashion portfolio is, it was Irving’s debut interior design project that put him on the radar of our producers – and here’s why.

    Listen to the full episode here: 

    DESIGN POD Jason Bradbury

    Episode 3: Technology In Design (Jason Bradbury)

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    Episode 3: Technology In Design (Jason Bradbury)

    In association with Bathroom Brands Group, episode three of DESIGN POD, the podcast for all designers and architects on-the-go, has landed. In this episode, we explore technology’s role in design, with special guest Jason Bradbury, the former presenter of The Gadget Show and the original technology influencer…

    DESIGN POD Jason Bradbury

    DESIGN POD’s latest episode, which is entitled ‘Technology in Design’, is now available to listen to all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music and Acast – and welcomes technology expert Jason Bradbury as the special guest for the episode.

    With technology’s role being questioned as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, for episode three of DESIGN POD, Bradbury, who once reviewed a hotel for Hotel Designs 30 years in the future, was invited to add context and give us answers of what technology’s role will be in tomorrow’s design and architecture projects.

    Listen here:

     

    DESIGN POD logo and image of Christos Passas

    Episode 2: Architecture Beyond Boundaries (Zaha Hadid Architects)

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    Episode 2: Architecture Beyond Boundaries (Zaha Hadid Architects)

    In association with Bathroom Brands Group, episode two of DESIGN POD, the podcast for all designers and architects on-the-go, has landed. In this episode, we explored architecture beyond boundaries with special guest Christos Passas, Director, Zaha Hadid Architects…

    DESIGN POD logo and image of Christos Passas

    DESIGN POD’s latest episode, which is entitled ‘Architecture Beyond Boundaries’, is now available to listen to all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music and Acast – and welcomes Christos Passas, Director of Zaha Hadid Architect (ZHA), as the guest professional for the episode.

    The podcast episode, hosted by editor Hamish Kilburn and co-hosted by Harriet Forde, virtually unlocks the door behind the ZHA studio and, as well as discussing how the brand pushes boundaries in design and architecture, it also dives deep into the legacy that the late Zaha Hadid left behind, whose outstanding contribution to the architectural profession has been acknowledged by professional, academic and civic institutions around the world, including (but not limited to) the Forbes List of the ‘World’s Most Powerful Women.

    DESIGN POD Constantina Tsoutiskou

    Episode 1: Choosing Your Lane, With Constantina Tsoutsikou

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    Episode 1: Choosing Your Lane, With Constantina Tsoutsikou

    In association with Bathroom Brands Group, and to kickstart our DESIGN POD journey, editor Hamish Kilburn and co-host Harriet Forde explore the topic of ‘choosing your lane’ in architecture and design.

    DESIGN POD Constantina Tsoutiskou

    Whether you are working for a brand, independently or are about to embark in a new journey, choosing your lane – your style, if you like – is an integral and pivotal moment of any design/architecture process. In order put some personality into this topic, Kilburn interviews special guest interior designer Constanina Tsoutsikou, the former Creative Director of HBA London, to understand the process and challenges that came with launching her new design studio, Studio LOST.