Q&A

HOUSE & HOME: How do you make a retail environment welcoming?

ALEX COCHRANE: A store like Selfridges is incredibly visually noisy. Our approach is to incorporate an element of repetition to find balance. In the men’s department, racks of clothing are on the outside, with formal display in the middle, so there’s a sense of quietness. Everything is spaced out and lit effectively so shoppers can see the product quite well.

H&H: You’re known for creating the silence room at Selfridges.

Do you meditate?

AC: I think it’s incredible to have space and quietness. The room was part of the No Noise campaign in 2013, where famous brands produced limited editions of their products with no brand names on the packaging, and, ironically, it created a lot of buzz.

The room was meant to be there for four or five weeks, but it went on for five months. People did go in to meditate and pray, and there were yoga sessions. My wife is into meditation and yoga — I’m too impatient for that. I like to run quite far outdoors; I find that rather meditative.

H&H: Where do you go for inspiration for your work?

AC: Inspiration is everywhere. I like being in nature, and I’m interested in plants. I find if I can just get away and go into a completely different world, ideas start to flow. Or just being absent from design, stepping away from what I do every day of the week. Art is also a big one; if we’re trying to show an idea to the team, it can just as easily be a shape as a finished piece of art.

The boathouse’s original A-frame beams were sandblasted to repair damage from nesting birds. In the bathroom (right), white oak–veneer panels add style and warmth.

LEFT: Alex uses this Victorian boathouse as a writer’s retreat; it once belonged to a royal boat-keeper in Berkshire’s Windsor Great Park. BELOW: Folding doors on the second level open onto a new balcony that floats over the water. BOTTOM: Alex collects chairs; this sculptural version by Norman Cherner has ribbon-like arms.