Well we've been as busy as ever with lots of fingers in lots of pies and what an exciting time to step back into our journal than with a super sexy new website!

A huge thank you to our ever patient Orlando over at Out of Nowhere Design for executing a beaut of site, and when I say patient, literally that man has the patience of a saint... .

So what have we been doing apart from plotting and planning. Well we completed our Barnes project to tremendous feedback from our clients and social media followers.  There is nothing more rewarding than having clients adore what you have designed for their home and furthermore living and breathing the space.  Following a photoshoot at the house, we are beyond and thrilled to already be shortlisted for 4 further design et al International Design Awards for this project in the following categories: Project Value £2.5m-£5m, Luxury Residence London, Regeneration/Restoration and Market Value £2.5m-£5m.  We are now up for 8 design et al awards this year with our Nottingham Penthouse also being shortlisted.

We are flying through our Chelsea Townhouse project, working with new contractors 'Cheyne Construction', we have been very impressed with the level of care and management they demonstrate, a real joy to work with.  We are project overseeing this project as well so it is full on and every day is a curve ball kinda day with listed building consents and heritage restrictions but we have a great team around us and we are gently navigating our way through it.  It's the 4th time working for these simply brilliant clients and they trust me and the team to get on with it, they are currently residing in Singapore and periodically flying back and forth so we've had to be incredibly organised on this one and design well ahead of the programme.  Watch this space as we progress and complete for the end of the year.

We've been busy designing a fabulous 7 bedroom family home in the heart of Nottingham, this Grand Edwardian old girl is getting a full overhaul and we look forward to sharing progress on this as we start on site imminently, a small detail of asbestos to remove first, oh yes, we experience it all, the glamour!

We've also been designing two gorgeously contemporary bedroom suites in Derbyshire, 'His and Hers' both with en-suite bathrooms and dressing rooms, LOTS of bespoke joinery in addition to a large loft conversion for two teenagers, very complex pitches and skeilings to navigate, a most definite head scratcher for poor Jodi who was tasked to do the CAD drawings on this one...though with breathtaking river views, all will be forgiven in no time!

And if we're not busy enough, two further clients got back in touch, our Esher client who wants vast amounts of new joinery, now you know we make it no secret that is one of our favourite things to design so designing we are, head down in TV room, boot room, office joinery amongst other things.  And our super clients over in East Sussex asked us to convert their stable block into a super cool gym / health suite, adding a golf simulator room, sauna and pottery room - we cannot wait!  In addition to redesigning their master dressing room, games room and reception room integrating state of the art wine joinery - we are in our element.

We also started the year winning Best of Houzz Design and Service for the 10th consecutive year running, blown away and proud of our consistency within the industry.  We had a great team visit to Maison Objet (Paris) at the end of January, it was half work at the brilliant trade show where we highlighted some incredible new suppliers and contacts balanced with play and lots of treats for the team, followed by a fabulous lunch at The Ritz, Paris - work hard play hard!

We completed our Claygate project, the clients were delighted with the end result including a stunning outdoor kitchen which they are thoroughly enjoying.  Not an easy project this one, you don't always have the joy of working with great contractors and this one was tough and a long process for the clients but we got there and they are very much enjoying their home which is just wonderful and they really deserve it.

So finally, what's next...in truth we don't know, we're full on busy as ever in the studio and we never know what is around the corner, one day the phone just rings and you adapt to what is happening, from CAD work, full interior design, problem solving, negotiations, construction issues, local planning hurdles, supplier issues, wonderful client relationships, new suppliers, we are constantly spinning those plates, the design world is not black and white but one wonderful colourful mix of skill sets, it sure is one ride we love to embrace!

For now, keeps smiling, spring is upon us... .

with love,
Rebecca & team.

So the summer is truly upon us, we have experienced some incredible sunshine and some rather forceful rain spurts, thankfully nothing that has affected our sites so far.

It's been fast paced once more, I don't know why this always surprises us as we seem to function in 5th gear as standard, part of our drive to be efficient and because we love what we do so we're always pushing. Site is progressing incredibly well on our Barnes project and we are nearing the crucial stage of the run up to completion. The final 6 weeks in any project is always so critical with so many plates spinning, we simply cannot let one plate slow down, let alone stop! Constant supplier liaison ensuring deliveries are on time, install dates, snagging, the list goes on, this phase is always incredibly admin heavy. On a personal note we really would love to see this project come to an end as the clients really have been hit with some curveballs with structural issues which caused delays and expense, the clients deserve to be presented with a beautiful home and that is what we will give them, a real team effort!

We have been appointed on a fabulous Chelsea townhouse in a stunning square, this is the 4th time working for this fabulous family who we are immensely fond of, superb taste and always fun. Once more we will be partnering with the brilliant Hawksmoor Construction, and on this one we have also brought in the lovely duo over at Holloways + Holloways Architects. The house is Grade II listed so it will come with many applications for Pre Apps, Listed Building Consents and Planning Applications so we need a separate team to focus on this element. Rebecca has already started on the designs and we are very excited as some of the items on her design bucket list (yes she has one) are being used, we will definitely be sharing this ride with you, follow us on Instagram to keep up to date.

Our small Barn project in Sussex is nearing completion, all the furniture is in situ and we're waiting for the final installation of the large crittal doors overlooking the lake to go in at the end of August, these will look stunning!

Design and scope of works are pouring out for St John's Wood and Nottingham projects we are waiting to get off the ground.

We have had a fabulous trip to Mallorca which is always a treat with amazing designs and architecture, you can't fail to smile as you walk around. The big news, we had a very special trip indeed to the fabulous and breathtaking island of Capri, Italy as we were shortlisted for the inaugural design et al Elite Awards. We were shortlisted amongst the top designers of the world of yacht, aviation, hotel and residential design, the elite of the elite, in the Residential Project category for our Sandbanks project which you can view on our website and I am thrilled to announce that... . we won! Utterly speechless and so thrilled for the team, needless to say there were a couple of days added to the trip to celebrate in style. To be amongst the top designers and elite of the design world globally is an incredible honour, certainly one for the memory bank.

So from our very busy studio to wherever you are, maybe you're sitting in an office or staring at stunning palm trees enjoying magical islands, have a fabulous summer.

with love
Rebecca & team.

I simply cannot believe it's taken us so long to update you all, inexcusable but the reality of how busy we have been in the studio, not sure even where to begin, apart from sincere apologies. Here goes... .

What a summer we had, the studio was flying with new instructions and we simply didn’t stop to catch our breath and then we were truly knocked with the passing of our beloved monarch Queen Elizabeth II, a woman like no other and irreplaceable.

Time stood still for a little while whilst we adjusted to the shock, mourning and changes that took hold across the U.K. Following this adjustment we were very much focused on getting designs completed and projects geared up for implementation on our many sites ranging from Sussex, Surrey, West and Central London and Nottinghamshire.

To our absolute delight we won the double with International Design Excellence awards, design et al Design and Architecture Award for our Sandbanks Project (design over £5m) in September and the SBID Design Excellence Awards for our St John’s Wood Coco House the following month. As a small studio to win such global and prestigious industry awards against large architectural and design studios from the Far East, USA, New Zealand to Europe makes it all the more meaningful. We’re so proud to deliver excellence and that personal service to our clients many of whom are repeat clients who we cherish dearly. With tens of thousands of votes cast, we cannot thank you enough if you took time to vote for us!

Following this we learned we had been selected as a finalist for the Elite design et al Excellence Awards to be held in Capri, Italy in July 2023, our Sandbanks project will be up against global players from both the private aviation and super yacht categories, voting will go live in June so we hope once more to have your support.

Rebecca had a house move amongst all of this, a stunning period property, as ever she likes to keep her world private but I’m sure a few photos will sneak out. Our fabulous Associate Director Lauren went on maternity leave and we are delighted that she had a beautiful little girl ‘Elsie’ in November, a gorgeous little sister for Coby. As I type this, it’s been that long since our update, Lauren actually returns from maternity next week!

Amongst all of this we celebrated 15 years in business, something we do not take for granted is what we have managed to achieve in that time, it blows our minds but we do try and stay as grounded as we can. We are so lucky to be supported daily by an incredible business mentor, something we are huge advocates of as a business. This individual is an outstanding business person with a proven track record in their field who we respect beyond measure, importantly this is someone outside the field of design allowing us to view the world and our approach through a different lens. We are very blessed and it’s an absolute privilege that they give their time and that we are able to learn and strive under them.

We had a fabulous new addition to the team with the delightful super talent from South Africa joining us, Jodi, she has slotted straight in and clients adore her, a superb knowledge on the wine front too, a win win!

And then it was Christmas! And what a Christmas it was, December was just magical from London trips, the beautiful Christmas lights in Regent Street and even flurries of snow, very special company and a truly wonderful sign off to an incredible year.

The new year started with a bang with the news we had won Best of Houzz for the 10th consecutive year running, wow just wow, very humbled!

We were instructed to design the new London HQ for an international luxury brand too, based in Primrose Hill, everyone involved adored working on this, it was just FUN at very top speed turnaround! A special shout out to our dream team over at Hawksmoor Construction who delivered to military precision and to the most superb standard. Again, our 4th time working for this client both professionally and personally.

Our current projects progress well. We completed on our South Kensington, Camden and Chiswick projects. We will try and get around to shoots - do bear with us! New instructions include a stunning 5 storey Town House in Chelsea, the 3rd time working for these fabulous clients, Hawksmoor will be supporting us once more! We will be working again for our International brewery client on his personal home in Scotland for the 5th time. We have the 3rd phase for our Claygate clients designing their garden (yes we do those too) with a superb outdoor bar and kitchen area.

Barnes is entering the exciting stage with tiles and 2nd fix starting to take shape - we cannot wait to showcase this gorgeous family home, a real labour of love and such fabulous design savvy clients! This project has proven very technical with many curve balls from structural issues resulting in site delays, additions such as air conditioning which hasn’t been straight forward, having to redraw over 100 drawings due to the structural changes, there have a been a fair few!

We had a fabulous two days with another client in St John’s Wood who flew in from Dubai to spend two days with us reviewing designs and visiting suppliers in London. We are really gearing up designs for our Nottingham family home, such beautiful clients and we cannot wait to kick start this project in Rebecca’s home town!

And as IF this wasn’t enough our Balearic dream edges closer with design concepts approved for clients in Deia and Pollensa - Mallorca, we cannot wait to cut our teeth on the magical island and our Palma studio edges closer to becoming a reality of having a presence on the island.

To finish off this update , we also took time to appreciate (we do every second of every day but this was an excuse) our most long standing team member Harry. Rebecca started the business and 3 years later Harry joined her and has been by her side ever since. The most perfect shadow and team member, every business decision and design direction Harry has been by her side, every new team member Harry has vetted so it’s only fitting that we did a special photo shoot to capture our aging peppered and most loved team member by the super talent Gez Gethings.

So I think that covers almost everything, at least it's a condensed overview without boring you!

So as always, thank you for sticking by us. Keep smiling and as always stay safe and we hope to excite you throughout the year with a few photo shoots we have up our sleeves!

with love
Rebecca & team.

So sorry, it's actually been 3 months since I last penned this! a sign of how busy we are as a studio with a few curve balls thrown in for good measure.

We have just recruited two fabulous new faces, welcoming Jodie and Marian to the LEIVARS family who will be joining us at the end of August. Really excited to have them on board and seeing what magic they can add to the mix!

Interior Design isn't always glamorous or plain sailing no matter how tremendous the trade teams and contractors are that we work with. During our Barnes strip out back to brick work we encountered some rather fearful structural cracks running through the building, fast forward a team, yes a 'team' of structural engineers on site, we are now in a position to piece the beautiful old girl back together. Sadly a cost you simply cannot foresee at the start of the project but only as the building is unpeeled. We have top class contractors on board so as a team whilst we can't eliminate the costs for this extra work, we can make it as smooth as possible and try and play catch up so the clients are not displaced for any longer than necessary, a heartbreak for all but something that cannot be ignored.

We have started on site for Phase 2 works for our fab and much fun clients in Claygate, Surrey, this relationship is really based on trust and it's an utter joy! Our Camden Family Home is in full swing and should be complete by the end of October so full steam ahead on an admin level there processing all orders and getting organised for install later in the year. We managed to complete Phase 2 of our Kensington design which once again required a supersonic turnaround, never ideal but from time to time required.

Oh, we were shortlisted for two further International Design Awards, this time, SBID (Society of British Interior Designers), our accredited body, so a real honour. The design et al awards are at the end of September and the SBID in October, so a fun Autumn awaits the team. and again for our St John's Wood and Sandbanks projects, bringing our shortlisted awards this year to 10 no less (we did celebrate a lot!)... . We also had a wonderful feature in The Sunday Times Property showcasing our client who we have worked for now 3 times, so that was lovely to see. Thank you so much for finding the time to support and vote for us in the SBID awards, those votes are now closed and I do believe the design et al vote line opens the 1st August so we would love your time and support once more, never taken for granted.

We had some utter joyful news that our beloved Lauren is expecting her second child so will be leaving us for a little while at the end of November, always exciting to have a baby amongst the team, so huge congratulations to Lauren and Dean and little Coby is getting a new little brother or sister.

We've been busy doing lots of design concepts for our Nottingham, (new) St John's Wood, Hurstpierpoint and Chiswick projects, we will let you know how they progress. We've also had some lovely enquiries from Yorkshire to the Home Counties so watch this space!

We've loved seeing all of your wonderful photos you are posting on Instagram of travel, always so inspiring so keep us smiling and more, more, more please, dreaming of magical islands... .

So for now, enjoy every drop of sunshine as before we know it the autumn crispness will be well and truly upon us.

Stay safe and keep smiling!

with love
Rebecca & team

Yet another busy month in the studio with a lovely spring bundle of things to celebrate.

At the beginning of the month we carried out a photo shoot at our St Johns Wood project, yes the one we’ve been talking about throughout 2021, projects always take a little while to get to the shoot stage, well we got there and then a week later the very same project was shortlisted in 4 categories for the prestigious International design et al Awards 2022, it was fair for say we didn’t expect that! Bringing our total shortlisted nominees to 8 this year, roll on September for the awards ceremony - not that we’re wishing the year away, quite the reverse reverse, like New York it’s so good I repeated it twice! This project is somewhat different as we have worked for this CEO of an International luxury brand 3 times now and a wonderful friendship has formed so to be able to celebrate this with her is rather special as she was our second ever client way back at the start.

We have been full on in the studio designing more spaces and beautiful rooms for our Camden, Hastings and Nottingham projects. We’ve been on site overseeing a very tight schedule with a one week turnaround project in Kensington which in truth has not been plain sailing but we got there and have a happy client, the ‘behind the scenes’ moments clients should never know for no other reason than we carry the strain and it’s a testament to the team how we get across the finishing line and the client(s) being blissfully unaware!

We’ve had lots of administration time in preparation for our Barnes family home starting on site in early June, once Rebecca returns from a much needed one week recharge to the magical island… . We’ve appointed a wonderful new contractor for this and we’re very much looking forward to a great team relationship forming and making magic happen on site.

We’ve been appointed on a fabulous apartment in Eaton Square, London, we have 3 live projects for this client now and having worked with them on one previous project - we can’t wait to get started, a family we are very fond of.

Rebecca had the pleasure of taking a very special and much loved client on a closed house private tour of Chartwell House in Kent, home to Sir Winston Churchill, a truly memorable day for so many reasons and an utter privilege and reminder of being proud to be British and what as a nation we have both learnt and achieved since WW2.

So as spring is most definitely upon us, we can very safely safe summer is knocking on the door and we cannot wait to let her in!

For now, keep smiling and stay safe… .

with love
Rebecca & team.

What a month! From London to Paris, sunshine and snow, we've had it all!

As a studio we have had a heavy administrative month of order raising and cross checking multiple times, ensuring all schedules are accurate and issuing tender packs for pricing, all of which takes tremendous time and attention to detail for the whole team. It really has been a team focus month too which only strengthens the end result the clients get to experience so a win all round!

We are pushing ahead on new designs for our Farmhouse in Hastings where we're knee deep (literally) in barns/outbuildings and designing for the guest house, spa and designing our first pottery studio for our European clients. Full interior design for two beautiful family homes in Camden and Claygate. We are also fully engrossed in a retrofit for a beautiful Coach House in Kensington, the second time working for these wonderful clients, retro design work is always technically difficult juggling balls to ensure everything runs smoothly and that there is minimal disruption to the house and meeting very rigid timeframes. We are weeks away from starting on site at our stunning family house in Barnes, we're really looking forward to getting going on this project, the most decisive clients which has been a wonderful experience for the whole team and they have trusted us to design some really cool features which we're excited to execute.

On top of this we made time to visit the wonderful and long awaited Maison Objet in Paris for a few days, running a very busy studio with a small team it's imperative that we continuously keep abreast of new suppliers and gain inspiration, so this was simply perfect and we have very much missed this annual trade highlight, 265,000 m2 of fabulousness which really got our creative juices flowing. It was also a wonderful opportunity for me to thank my brilliant team and have some much needed quality time together soaking up Paris in the spring, no work talk, just chatting endlessly and laughing a lot as we walked the banks of the Seine, looking up at the glorious sunshine hitting the most stunning architecture and experiencing all the delights that Paris has to offer. We did however have an impromptu design meeting at Charles de Gaulle Airport en route back, you do what you need to do when you need to do it!

I managed to sneak in a photo shoot too at the London home of the CEO of a leading luxury brand, a perfect little hideaway of a gem in St John's Wood, the brief was contemporary Art Deco and feminine tones with drama, so that's what she got! It's the 3rd time we have designed homes for her and it's always a treat! We're excited to share the images with you very soon. We've had wonderful joinery installed too at our Barn in Sussex which the clients are thrilled about, I just adore designing joinery. So we really haven't stopped this month and if that wasn't enough, this happened... .

I was approached last year to be included in the prestigious design et al 'The World's Leading Design Names' book for 2022 (Volume 12), truly an honour in itself and a career highlight, imagine my delight when the book arrived and design et al had selected one of my projects for the front cover, the project in question was our Esher, Surrey project which we won an International SBID Design Award for in 2019. Simply wow!!! ! I truly love what I do and I'm so proud of the team around me and the sheer hard work and dedication I have shown to my clients over the past 14 years, so moments like these really are the icing on the cake, very humbling and it really has spurred me on to create more wonderful homes and timeless designs for my fantastic clients and they really are, I am very lucky to work with the clients that I do and I'm also very proud to have achieved this and to be representing the Midlands on an international stage. A special shout out to my biggest fan, they know who they are and who spurs me on daily.

So, I'm not sure how to top this but top it I feel I must. April is a busy month for us with flying the nest to create more beautiful memories and adventures... .watch this space and one thing for sure is, we will continue to keep smiling as we have lots to smile about!

with love
Rebecca & team.

It almost seems trivial to start a monthly journal with so much hurt going on in the world right now, without getting political, the Ukrainians have shown incredible spirit, resolve and strength and they are constantly in our thoughts daily. Praying the conflict comes to an end soon.

We’re having to keep the wheels turning regardless and February is always a blink once and you miss it kind of month, we managed to capture a few Insta posts but we were very much busy heads down into the ‘grit’ of projects, the technical / cross referencing and writing of specification of works and more cross referencing against floor plans and elevations, all whilst keeping plates spinning on our other projects, always a challenge and hopefully we managed to keep all happy.

It’s full steam ahead on our Camden, Kensington, Sussex and Barnes projects with huge amounts of designs going into our other Sussex, Claygate and Hastings projects. Others in the planning will start to come to life, a little like spring, their heads are popping up. Some lovely new enquires too so watch this space!

We’ve had a lot of joinery design to complete which is always fun from what starts as a doodle or two leading to more detailed drawings, well I guess anything progressing from a doodle will be more detailed which our CAD team member Sean will be testament to. He hates when I say, “I have an idea and did a quick sketch”, in other worlds someone else rather likes my odd sketches, naming no names!

We have a busy March ahead with team holidays and our long awaited European trade show in Paris (Maison Objet) which the whole team will be attending which will be a good mix of work, inspiration and cocktail tasting or two!

We’re trying to keep travel to a minimum right now so we’re more studio based for the volume of work we’re tackling which is needed.

So a short journal this month more out of respect for the bigger issues around.

Keep safe and remain humble always and as an incredible and great man reminds me often, keep smiling, it’s all good!

with love
Rebecca & team.