The Brit List 2018 – Designers profiles

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In the coming weeks, Hotel Designs will be profiling the 75 finalists in the Hotel Designs Brit List 2018. We continue with profiling our winning designers in alphabetical order…

This year’s The Brit List 2018 concluded on November 22, when leading designers, hoteliers and architects gathered at BEAT London to find out which of them made it on to this year’s The Brit List 2018. The hundreds of nominees and entries were whittled down by the event’s five judges, who were:

  • Gilly Craft, President of the British Institute of Interior Design
  • Charles Leon, founder of Leon Black Architecture and Interior Design
  • Gerri Gallagher, former associate editor, Tatler
  • Lysbeth Fox, founder and director of Fox PR
  • Hamish Kilburn, editor, Hotel Designs

Top designers

Rachel Johnson – vice president, studio director of the London Studio, Wimberly Interiors

Rachel Johnson brings to the team at Wimberly Interiors more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. Her appreciation for design and pragmatic approach to interior renovation has led to her working with some of the most celebrated hotel brands such as Bellagio, St. Regis, Hard Rock and Nobu among others.

As a senior interior designer, Johnson is proficient in meeting the needs of the client and advising on new innovative design techniques that introduce individuality to the project. Her acute eye for detail has been cultivated from extensive experience in the design industry. Having worked as a contract manager accompanied by more than 10 years’ experience in design management, Johnson has a strong understanding of the hospitality industry and the processes involved in project development.

Rebecca Hunt – Director, Suna Interior Design 

Suna Interior Design is an award-winning boutique interior design consultancy, which provides interior services for property developers and the hospitality industry. Rebecca Hunt and Helen Fewster head up the London-based studio ensuring that a high level of attention is dedicated to each client and project.

Tara Bernerd – Founder, Tara Bernerd & Partners 

Interior Designer, Tara Bernerd pictured in The Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London, U.K.Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. Photographer: Jason Alden for The Wall Street Journal for The Wall Street Journal
Photographer: Jason Alden

British designer Tara Bernerd is the founder of Tara Bernerd & Partners, a leading international interior architecture and design practice based in London’s Belgravia. Having cut her creative teeth under Philippe Starck at his YOO design studio in the 1990s, Bernerd has earned a reputation as one of the world’s foremost interior architectural designers.

An avowed design crusader, she believes that design can and should make a difference. Working on projects across the globe, Bernerd and her team strive to create a feeling of authenticity for each property by establishing a distinct design DNA that is true to both the location and the people who will make it their home. Whether in a hotel lobby, a restaurant, or a private residence, they seek to create meaning and connection through a distinct sense of place.

Terry McGinnity – Global Executive Design Director, GA Design (London)

Originally trained as an Architect in Australia, Terry McGinnity moved to London to continue his career. After assuming the role of managing director of GA Design in 1998, he has turned the studio into one of the most dynamic and interesting interior design firms working out of the UK.

He has recentlymoved into the position of global executive design director where he oversees the creative output for all GA projects. GA Design deserves its place in the Brit List 2018 following the completion of iconic interior designs such as The Corinthia London, W Taipei, Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam and more recently W Shanghai.

Tim Murray – Creative Director, Helen Green Design

Since the sad passing of Helen Green in 2012, the DNA of Green’s legacy is evident in the designs that have come out of the London studio in recent years. Leading that legacy now is Tim Murray. With more than 20 years’ experience of working in some of the UK’s most well-known interior design houses, Murray heads up the team of 20 at Helen Green Design Studio’s Knightsbridge residence. Spearheading the future creative direction and
development of the company, Murray’s love of design was influenced by his mother who was a fashion journalist and his father who was also an
interior designer. His role at Helen Green Design offers the opportunity to ensure the firm continuously evolves on a creative level – while also remaining artistically flexible to meet client needs.

Hamish Kilburn / 21.12.2018

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