MY STYLE INSPIRATIONS Interior designer Kit Kemp
The textile and homeware designer and creative force behind London and New York’s Firmdale Hotels on her love of colour, folk art and her unexpected journey into the world of interiors
THE POWER OF LOVE
The first hotel my husband Tim and I opened was the Dorset Square Hotel in 1985. We were at the forefront of the booming boutique hotel era and everything felt fresh and exciting. I don’t remember
Tim ever asking me to design the interiors, but I realised that the less involved in his projects I was, the less I got to see him!
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES
One of my design heroes is Vanessa Bell – a painter, interior designer, Bloomsbury Group member and the sister of Virginia Woolf. She had a real talent for making any space desirable. People who visited never wanted to leave and that’s something we’d all like to achieve in our homes (and hotels!). I have a real passion for sculpture too, and have been inspired by the work of Tony Cragg and Botero, the latter being a Colombian artist who makes larger-than-life sculptures – perfect for hotels’ larger-than-life scale.
GLOBAL GATHERING
Some designers are led by a love of architecture, but my inspiration comes from fabrics; their texture, colour and tone, whatever the age or geographical origin. I’ve always got my eyes open for brilliant design, whether it’s hand-dyed blankets in South America, the wonderful bright colours in Mexico or even the intricacies of Indian metalwork. I love folk art and anything that’s handcrafted – embroidery, collage, you name it. Folk art isn’t seen as serious art, but I believe it enriches everyday life in a way that’s immeasurably satisfying. It brings me enormous visual and emotional pleasure.
WORK LIFE
The process typically begins with initial drawings that guide the architects through the look and flow of the building, and ends with painstaking decisions around where each individual piece of furniture will be placed. Art and storytelling, as well as a love of utilising local craftspeople, play a major part in my work and make the hotels very individual. It means the interiors can’t be repeated – they have a narrative of their own.
MY CITY
I live near the Royal Albert Hall and love walking across Hyde Park to go to the theatre, shopping or to work. For me, London is all about walking and cycling – it’s a series of villages waiting to be discovered. I walk to work down Exhibition Road, where I’m flanked by the beauty of the V&A Museum on one side and the Natural History Museum on the other. These two buildings bring pleasure to so many people, both architecturally and with the moving exhibits inside. Tim and I are also faithful fans of the River Café, a unique Italian restaurant on the Thames that grows fresh ingredients on the terrace. It’s magical all year round.
A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
At home, surround yourself with the things you love and mix it all up like a design porridge. Tell a story about who lives there – it’s a bit like baking a cake: you don’t want it to look shop bought. We’ve just moved back into our house after a year-long renovation where we reconfigured the ground floor. Now, it’s filled with colour and all our whimsical art and craft pieces.