The Best of UK (Hospitality) vol. 4

THE ALEXANDER, A LUXURY COLLECTION HOTEL YEREVAN BY ALEXANDER JAMES INTERIORS

Alexander James Interiors have been shortlisted for Hotel Under 200 Rooms- Europe Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2021.

The brief was to create the first luxury hotel in Yerevan, strong visual reference was to be made to the location, however, AJI were given the freedom to determine where these influences would be used within the design.

The designer chose to be guided by the richness of Armenian history, the hotels proximity to Mount Ararat, according to Christianity the resting place of Noah’s Ark, along with the sun worshipping practices of ancient Armenians formed the starting point for the design concept.

The hotel has 114 guestrooms with 40 guestroom types including a luxurious Presidential Suite at the top of the building with dramatic views over the city, having many room types serves to give the guests a unique experience even with multiple stays. Panoramic views are also shared by the Spa and pool as well as the main restaurant, this restaurant space is broken down into a variety of seating zones with the use of a mixture of chair and dining sofa types and includes a Private Dining Room.

WANDSWORTH HOUSE BY ROSENDALE DESIGN 

Rosendale Design have been shortlisted for Luxury Residence £2.5-5 million Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2021.

The brief for the house, was to make them their dream home. The family had been waiting to move into their dream home for some time, but wanted to wait until they could achieve their dreams. Due to Rosendale design’s long standing relationship with the clients, they were confident the designers would realise their vision.

The key aspects that really are important are on the ground floor. Here, the spaces were all broken up and boxed in. The space needed opening up as the family entertains a lot and opening the spaces up onto each other would improve the flow dramatically. They also extended the living room and installed a fully glazed facade to flood the space with natural light.

The client, being a celebrity Chef, wanted a special kitchen to be proud of. He did not only want to have a statement kitchen but to create an area that would become a gathering space for the whole family, which is so important to him. Secondly, he always assumed that he would do filming in the kitchen so he wanted it to be a show kitchen that reflected him, this also made light and lighting so important.

DESIGNER PROFILE: JACQUELINE FISKEN DESIGN, DIRECTOR OF AMPERSAND INTERIORS

Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc):
Having graduated with an MA(Hons) in English Literature from Aberdeen University in 1988 I took a traditional apprenticeship at an established interior design company in Edinburgh called Dunedin Interiors. I came on board with Ampersand as a start-up in 1991 and carried out a management buy-out in 1993. While remaining a small practice focussing on a highly personal service, Ampersand has grown over the years developing a core team of experienced and talented designers. I have continually pushed the boundaries of interior design to keep at the forefront of the industry, ensuring that we are as skilled and imaginative technically and logistically as we are creatively, covering interior architecture, furniture design, and ensuring a complete service from the drawing board to the final installation.

How would you describe your personal interior design style?
Eclectic and layered – whether it is a mix of pattern, colour and texture or a combination of old and new pieces.  To me this always results in a more interesting and individual interior.

Where does your design inspiration come from?
My obsession with colour and texture means I am constantly taking pictures whether it’s of distressed paint on an old door or an amazing picture at a gallery.  One way or another those colours find their way into my schemes.