1. Tell us about the inspiration behind Design Stories?

I really wanted to showcase the studio’s versatility – from hotels and private residences to collaborations and commercial premises. This is my fifth book and it feels like a great opportunity to highlight new projects and spotlight the artists, craftspeople, brands and makers that have been part of my creative journey. Also, two of our daughters, Willow and Minnie, are now an integral part of the design studio and it feels special to celebrate that. 

2. A sense of the unexpected runs through your schemes – why is that important?

I think there’s a sense of wit – more than just playfulness for example – that pervades. It often comes through in those ‘in-between’ spaces, whether a corridor, a windowless lobby, or by an elevator, such as with the Maarten Baas grandfather clock in The Whitby Hotel in New York, where the artist himself appears to draw the clock’s hands in real time every minute. I always think a scheme should have something in it that delights you, prompts a smile and makes you want to come back a second time to investigate. Those moments are, after all, what make travelling fun.

3. You’re known for being adept at designing large spaces as well as small – what’s the key to humanising a scheme?

Firstly, you want to eliminate that impersonal, echo-y feel that grand spaces can sometimes elicit. There’s a home in Westchester featured in the book which has a very impressive entrance hall. I decorated it for a young couple, and we had fun introducing a little informality, from the seagrass flooring, which we layered with a rug on top and an organically shaped oak table on top of that. Then it was about creating some very loose symmetry, something bold for the eye to fall on in the centre - in this case a bold, contemporary light fitting - and then some moments for conversation, through relaxed seating. When all of these elements are in dialogue with one another, a room feels well-scaled.

4. And conversely, smaller spaces can present their own challenges – how best to create a sense of generosity?

In many ways, you have to be even cleverer with a compact space. My daughter Willow’s London mews house features in the book, and we approached it a little as you would when designing a ship, meaning that every square inch needed to be carefully considered. Unnecessary corridors have been eliminated, so the front door opens directly onto the kitchen, which necessitated some clever thinking about making the space both beautiful and practical. Hidden in the floor underneath the natural mat covering is a storage hole, while a yoga-cum-guest room upstairs features green linen walls with a pull-down bed. Willow designs spaces so well – she thinks very architecturally.

5. What about your approach to your own London home – in what way is it a place of experimentation?

Well, let’s just say that more than a place of experimentation, it’s often where early pieces and designs still in progress find a home. But I love that, because I enjoy pieces that are a little imperfect. In the sitting room, there’s the first run of my Knight’s Tale fabric for G P & J Baker whose ground felt a little too flat; at my desk, there’s a chair upholstered in a prototype Raoul Textiles’ Sari fabric. I also find myself collecting ideas, especially on my walk to work through the park - the veins of a leaf or simply the way the light falls might inspire a fabric, for example. There are so many projects to work on within a day, whether the hotels, a collaboration or Shop Kit Kemp, that I find the transition between home and office by foot really clears my mind.

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To read the full interview with Kit, head over to the Design Thread Blog.

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