THE MAGIC OF MUSHROOMS

The magic of mushrooms was never a mystery to me. No, I did not grow up in a hippy commune as one could assume - anything but. My mother, a researcher in mycology, simply would talk about her work at home. She’d be waxing lyrical about fungi as the “almighty kingdom” of the natural world, explaining to her skeptical teenage children how science had merely scratched the surface of their seemingly infinite potential.

Fast forward a few decades and, admittedly, my mother turned out to be right on this topic too. Research labs are churning out building materials, medicines, cleaning products, textiles, biofuels, packaging, and countless other products from fungi. As a designer, I’m particularly drawn to mycelium applications in the design and architecture industries for their intrinsically sustainable and recyclable qualities.

However, you know you’re onto something good when established fashion brands of the likes of Hermès, Adidas and Stella McCartney are designing products with a high quality alternative to leather developed from mycelium.

As we may be on cusp of seeing fungi-based products becoming mainstream, I find myself dreaming of sofas upholstered in soft mycelium leather only to realise that my mother’s legacy is very much alive, well beyond my fungal sibling named after her.

Images: MycoWorks, Mylo, Sebastian Cox

PRETTY AS A PICTURE (aka the instagrammable interior)

Theatricality in commercial interiors certainly was a thing long before Instagram - think the iconic Sketch designed by India Madhavi back in 2003. In the era of the selfie, however, creating “Instagram moments” has become an essential part of the brief given to designers in hospitality, retail and even some residential projects.

What makes an interior “instagrammable” , might you wonder? Photogenic appeal seems to be powered by a strong graphic essence, a fearless use of colour, surprising and whimsical elements, playfulness and fun. Interestingly, pink is often the hue of choice - but then, it’s a most flattering colour for all skin tones.

For designers, planning interiors for the gram is definitely a challenge: get it wrong and you’ll create something gimmicky and lacking authenticity, get it right and you’ll hand to your clients a very powerful branding tool, as well as having people flocking to take pics of your loos. Now, that has to be a legacy worth working for.

Image source: Sketch - La Durée - Milk Train - Defhouse - Ice Cream Museum - 2LG Studio - Dyce - Buha’i’rest bar - Annabel - Shoreline Hotel - The Berkeley Bar - Caffetteria - Aubaine - Tiffany

FINDING YOUR TRUE COLOURS

For as long as I remember, I felt a certain clarity when it came to colour: I knew what I liked and had the confidence to trust my own instincts. The reason is simple enough: I just really like colour.

Working with clients, however, I’ve realised that, for many, choosing colour for their homes can be a daunting task. There’s a real anxiety of getting it wrong, which can translate into playing it safe - or worse, in the inability of making any decision. Fear not, there’s help at hand.

GO FOR PAINT Paint is readily available, easy to apply even for the unskilled and, most importantly, relatively inexpensive. Premium brands offer better quality pigments, therefore more colour depth, but any kind of paint has a hugely transformative power.

THE SCIENCE BIT Familiarising yourself with the colour wheel theory can be a useful way to start. In summary, a monochromatic scheme would use one colour only, in different shades (it’d feel uncluttered and harmonious). A complementary scheme would use colours that sit opposite on the wheel (by playing on contrast, it’d enhance the intensity of opposing colours and add drama). And finally, a related scheme would use adjacent colours on the wheel, with one being the dominant colour and two on either side used as companions (good way of successfully implementing existing colours).

THE RULE BOOK I don’t believe there are rules to be observed as such but there are a few things worth considering. Warm colours can make a room feel cosy by making spaces feel smaller. On the other hand, cool colours can make a room airy by making the spaces feel larger than they are. North facing rooms (in the northern hemisphere, that is) can be tricky as the light coming into the room can feel cool - colours with warmer undertones are therefore preferable to counter balance this. Forget about having to paint a darker room in a light colour to make it more interesting - you’ll be achieving exactly the opposite of that.

SAMPLE, SAMPLE, SAMPLE! Never choose a paint colour from a tiny chip on a colour card - it’s a recipe for disaster! Select the colours you’re attracted to and buy sample pots for them. Instead of applying paint directly on walls, create large sample cards with cartridge paper (A4 at least). Move the samples around the room you wish to paint and look at them in different light conditions (natural, artificial, morning, afternoon, evening). Different light conditions can affect the perception of colour immensely, so always take your time before jumping ship.

If you still haven’t found the colours you’re looking for, or would like an extra hand getting started, do get in touch for a colour consultation.

IN & OUT CLUB

Great to see that, at last, renovation works are well under way in Cambridge House, Piccadilly (also known as the In & Out Club). PDP London have been appointed to transform this derelict Palladian style hotel particulier, and its adjacent buildings, into the lavish “Cambridge House Hotel & Residences”.

I’ve been fond of Cambridge House since I moved to London, as I would walk past it on my daily commute to work. Such was the sadness of seeing this fine building in a state of abandon - for so long - that I took it upon myself to work on it for final project at the Inchbald School of Design. This gave me the chance to get to know it intimately - with a detailed on site survey first and then endless hours spent on its floorplans.

This is how Cambridge House looked like back in 2010:

And this is how Cambridge House will look like once resurrected by PDP London to its former glory - a splendid 5 star hotel, plus seven residential apartments fully serviced by the hotel, right in the heart of London:

Free from the commercial pressure of the real world, my student project was somewhat more radical: a club for artists, curators, collectors, and curious people alike, where they could meet, relax and enjoy contemporary art in a not museum-like environment. Not much of a runner, obviously, but great fun to work on!