This week’s exclusive interview from the new homes industry looks at interior design with Simon Kincaid, a senior figure for one of the most renowned British design names in the world, Conran and Partners, who works on a range of high-quality show homes.
Please tell us a little about yourself and Conran and Partners.
I am an interior designer and director at Conran and Partners with over 15 years’ professional experience, ten of which are with Conran and Partners, working across different sectors, scales and international territories. This variety of design brief, typology and how they inform each other is a very creative and inspiring environment.
I am the design director for a number of residential projects including the conversion of Grade II listed Barbican building, Blake Tower, into 72 apartments and two penthouses for Redrow Homes. This project is full of details, materiality and form inspired by the Barbican development; brought up to date to create desirable contemporary homes based on our design concept of ‘Modern Heritage’. This has, in effect, created the first ‘new’ residences within the Barbican estate in recent times. I am also working with developers Argent to deliver a bespoke scheme within their King’s Cross masterplan.
Conran and Partners works across many different sectors: residential, hotels, restaurants, bars and retail. With all our projects, we aim to create environments with identity and personality, considering the customer, the positioning and the history of a site to ensure our design is appropriate and contextualized. With Blake Tower, for example, we were inspired by the physical form and material palette of the Barbican as well as its cultural and creative status within the city. The layouts and specification are appropriate to the target buyer and we designed bespoke elements such as curved terrazzo sinks and brass ironmongery specifically for the project. It’s a timeless design approach.
How has the promise of a busier UK housebuilding industry affected your company over the past year or so?
We have found there has been an increase in the design aspiration within non-prime locations and developments over the past few years. Traditionally, within this sector, design has been relying on a ‘copy-and-paste’ approach which lacks genuine individuality or point of difference. Whereas now I feel that buyers at all price-points are wanting more bespoke products, forcing developers to be more competitive in the middle markets. For example, we’re now working on a housing scheme in St Albans, with the same level of aspiration and design consideration as those in central London.
Which of your current show homes are you most proud of?
Designing and implementing the marketing suite and show apartment for Blake Tower has been a very exciting process. Strategically located within an adjacent Barbican building next to the site, we set out to capture the ethos of the design scheme and to attract passing potential buyers visiting the estate.
The sales area balances being both a hospitality space to welcome buyers/visitors and a retail space for the scheme, whilst reflecting the design aesthetic and lifestyle offer of the new apartments. The show unit displays elements of a listed brutalist building while still conveying a softer domestic feel. In recognition, the design won an FX International Design Award last year.
Gabriel Square in St Albans launches in May. This is a unique project of 80 units; 50 of which are four-storey, four-bedroom townhouses. Meyer Homes are the client and we are the interior designers. The sales suite is across the ground floors of two units with a fully styled four-storey townhouse next door. The completed unit offers views of the cathedral from the roof terrace, through to a fully stocked fridge and curated artwork on the walls!
What have been the latest trends in colour/materials/features in the world of interiors?
I think it’s important to not rely too heavily on trends. We design contextually and only incorporate trends where it’s fitting, to ensure a space remains timeless.
There is a spotlight on terrazzo across retail, hospitality and residential at the moment. People are responding to it because of its honest quality and longevity. It’s not traditionally luxe, but is still captivating with a tactile allure. We incorporated terrazzo into Blake Tower, not to make it ‘trendy’ but to tell the story of the building and its surrounding context.
Another trend is, of course, ‘wellness’. In design, this goes further than just the application of finishes. It’s about how residents use, respond to and feel within a space that is most important to enhancing wellbeing. Consumers are more design conscious than ever before, more aware of what is available to them, and aspire to recreate hotel experiences in their own homes. For instance, it’s common now for residential bathrooms to have a spa-like feel to them and for wardrobes to be inspired by high-end retail stores.
In an age dominated by everything digital, are developers still focused on the potential of a beautiful show home to attract buyers?
Show homes for developments within the owner-occupier market will always be crucial, because ultimately these buyers want to see and feel the quality of their purchase. Although it is fascinating that we can now utilise technology to enhance the customer experience. Show homes can now feature virtual reality to offer a multi-platform experience for the buyer. So, as well as touching materials and fittings, customers can also click their way through different unit types in a virtual interactive environment selecting different finishes palettes to help them visualise their preferred design and space.
Do you find that many buyers come to you for additional work after they’ve seen what you’ve done with a show home?
Our job as architects and interior designers is to create environments that respond to context and the lifestyles of future users. With Blake Tower, we designed a timeless canvas with a Barbican aesthetic that allows buyers to style in a way that suits their tastes. So this is where our expertise lies, rather than with interior decorating.
Can focal points such as a kitchen or master bedroom still be the deciding factor for a buyer, or is there a broader spectrum of interest for many of them?
I strongly believe that the layout and sense of space, in all residential units, small or large, are key to what buyers are looking for, both off-plan and when you view a property. We worked on a scheme recently where the units were smaller than in a client’s previous development, but felt bigger when readdressing the spatial layouts. It’s not just about how much footprint or square meterage you have, it’s about how you use it.
Amenity spaces within developments are becoming tailored and less generic, which is also something that buyers are responding to.
Can you tell us about projects you have in the pipeline and which places look like being property hotspots over the rest of 2017?
Some of our residential projects in the pipeline include Centre Point Tower on Tottenham Court Road for Almacantar, Gabriel Square for Meyer Homes in St Albans and two projects for Argent in King’s Cross.
I think there are areas in Zone 2, especially south of the river, that are really starting to come to life and get a name for themselves as desirable, well-located neighborhoods. These areas are relatively low density with multiple buildings that are under-developed and under-valued but have lots of potential. For example, Lambeth has really evolved over recent years to become a part of the capital of London, not just a suburb.