Why magazine editors love our projects

Glossy interiors mags receive thousands of photos and press releases every day, but very few get printed. 
So we are proud that many of our designs regularly appear in prestigious magazines in the UK, Turkey, Russia, Canada and many other international markets.This is testament to our excellent design work, our commitment to always going that extra mile, and delivering interiors that look fabulous and are great to live in. Testament too, to the trust placed in us by our clients. This is a recently completed penthouse project at London's Dockland as featured in Alem Dekor, a best-selling Turkish interiors magazine.We have appeared in Homes & Gardens, Traditional Homes & Interiors, Interior Design Yearbook, Utopia, Concept for Living, Kitchens Bedrooms Bathrooms to name but a few. And a little closer to home, we are also very proud to be regularly featured in Cambridge Magazine and Cambridge Journal, plus other glossies in Norfolk and Suffolk.

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Aram inspires top designers

Breaking the boundaries of interior design is what keeps my job interesting. So last month I was honoured to meet Reev Aram, a designer who brought contemporary design to Britain at a time when the country was a modern furniture wasteland.

Reev was speaking at the annual conference of the BIID, held at RIBA HQ at Portland Place, London, followed by a gathering at designer rug company Front, which turned into quite a party as it was also the Institute’s 50th anniversary.

Reev opened his first showroom on London’s Kings Road in 1964, filling it with the work of Castiglioni, Breuer, and Le Corbusier when the English were on a diet of G Plan and Stag.

The Aram Store in Covent Garden

Passers-by were shocked! Zeev would stand outside, listening to their comments as they stopped and stared at the bright, white, stainless steel interior. Most thought the modern showroom and its modern furniture were an affront – he even received hate mail.  "Who needs this rubbish?" they asked. They called it clinical, and wondered why anyone would want to buy 'hospital furniture'.

A few months later, Terence Conran opened Habitat further down the road; for the first time, the British consumer had an alternative to chintz. Mary Quant and her mini skirt wasn't the only revolution happening in Chelsea that year.

How times have changed, and now the pieces Zeev chose have become design classics, endlessly copied but still looking as fresh as they did in the 60s. Fifty years on, Aram is now located in the heart of Covent Garden and remains the capital’s top destination for furniture and product design.

In a room filled with the UK and Europe’s leading designers, I was not alone in my reverence for Reev Aram. As well as bringing great design to Britain, he’s a designer in his own right, notably producing the iconic arc lamp that is now so in vogue. I have used this lamp many times in my designs and I love his knack of mixing old with new for an eclectic feel that is very much the ‘At Home’ style too.

One thing Reev said really resonated with me, and it was this: ‘Good design is something that fulfils its purpose in the most beautiful possible way. I have learned to trust my instinct; if something makes me catch my breath, then I know I'm looking at good design.’

Wise words, and a sentiment that I would always aspire to.

Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home Interiors

At Home designer sale boosts animal charity

Sometimes, having a jolly good clear out can have far-reaching results. I've collected many off-cuts, samples, fabric books and other interior design bits and pieces over the years, all of which were cluttering up the At Home studio. So I decided to put them to good use, and support a charity which is close to my heart.

With the help of a few friends, At Home staged a designer fabric sale at the very beautiful Dales Country House Hotel, near my home in Sheringham, Norfolk.

At 10am there was a surge of 'fabric junkies', keen to snap up some of the beautiful fabrics from Zoffany, Coles, Designers Guild and many others. Most were just a few metres, but perfect for bedspreads, cushions, recovering chairs and many other home and craft projects.

They made short work of it, and by 11am we had a room full of empty tables! It was lovely meeting fellow interior design lovers, answering their questions and hearing about their planned projects.

We raised £400 for Hillside Animal Sanctuary, an amazing organisation at West Runton in Norfolk. I think that will buy quite a few bales of hay for the hundreds of abused and neglected farm animals they look after. They also rehome dogs - as the owner of a rescue dog myself, I would urge anyone looking for a pet to contact Hillside.

So thanks again to all of you who came to support our charity event - and for helping to declutter the At Home studio! 

Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home Interiors.

We really do feel like Superheros!

We did it! Still on a high from completing last week's Norfolk Superhero Challenge. A huge thank you to everyone who sponsored us – it’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done but feeling very proud that my team mate Sue Allen and I finished this arduous course.

Photo courtesy www.dennispederson.com

Our times weren’t bad and I’m pretty sure I was first swimmer home in the ‘Zimmer’ category with a time of 24.17 minutes. Sue is really fit and was second lady home, beating me by more than three minutes.

As well as the mile-long swim from Gun Hill to the quay at Burnham Overy Staithe, we kayaked four miles (my time 42.51 mins), cycled 45 miles (3.26 hours) through north Norfolk's most scenic roads then ran eight miles (2.22 hours) across tracks, sand, mud and marsh. My time was just over seven hours in total; they won’t be chasing me for the Olympics, but at least I wasn't last!

The swim was hard, with a strong wind creating lots of ‘chop’. The kayaking was great fun – a bit like dodgems at first - with friendly jostling for position. We cycled into what felt like cyclone winds and all was going well until mile 26 when cramp hit me – first one leg, then the other. This is the first time I’ve ever experienced it, so it chose a great time to hit.  The highlight had to be running along Holkham Beach with the tide far out and the sun shining. Our legs got sand-blasted, but it was worth it.

And then there were those kit changes; getting your foot stuck in your wetsuit can cost you precious minutes, so we made sure we practiced beforehand.

Sue was a fantastic team mate and got me through my various bouts of cramp, with amazing encouragement and her homemade flapjacks – rather difficult to chew with a dry mouth but ok when washed down with litres of Isotonic water.

The fabulous Pink Lady marshalls, the relaxed ‘no rules’ policy and the wonderful feeling of camaraderie among competitors, whether they were an elite athlete, semi pro or complete amateurs like us, made it a brilliant event.

Hugh and training buddy, Mocha

And of course, I couldn’t have done it without my faithful training buddy Mocha, whose four legged company saw me through many a dark, cold morning when I really didn’t feel like getting my kit on.

Will I be back next year to do it all again? You bet I will.

• So far Sue Allen and I have raised around £1,900 for Wells Lifeboat, which is manned by volunteer crews. We hope to get our total up to £3000! If you would like to donate, please visit our page on Just Giving.

A return to interiors that make you smile...

Pared-back Scandi-neutral has been the design norm for some years, so I am excited to see a return to eclecticism and colour - and no-one does this better than hotelier and designer Kit Kemp.

Kit co-owns the chic Firmdale group of boutique hotels in London and New York, including The Soho Hotel. Kit's home, pictured, has all the style and charm we've come to expect - she has a fantastic eye for the unusual, with wonderful artifacts that draw the eye in.

Kit said: ‘My style is carefree and colourful – colour always makes me smile – but this is balanced with neutrals because I need it to feel calm too. I want to be able to come in, shut the door, and for my home to feel magical."

Kit also uses many handcrafted details such as appliqué and needlepoint which make an interior feel more human and tell the owner's story. To me, this is the designer's greatest skill - to create an interior that the owner feels instantly at home in, that looks as if it has been created by their hand, though they may not have have the skill, time or confidence to achieve it themselves.

Photo courtesy www.dailymail.co.uk

www.athome-interiors.com

firmdalehotels.com

My four-legged training buddy keeps me focused!

Hugh Jamieson and Mocha, his training buddy

Hours before I arrive at the At Home design studio, I'm up with the larks to run a five mile circuit around beautiful Sheringham Park, near my Norfolk home.

I've signed up for the Norfolk Superhero Challenge next month to raise cash for RNLI Wells Lifeboat. It's a grueling course, but I have a devoted training buddy to keep me focused – my dog, Mocha.

I rescued Mocha 10 years ago from the Greek island of Naxos, and I confess, without his company on my morning run, training would be hard-going. Mocha is so enthusiastic and probably runs four times as far as I do, in his endless quest to find rabbits!

The Norfolk Superhero Challenge takes place on Saturday 6th June and the route meanders round the most beautiful parts of north Norfolk. Teams swim one mile from Gun Hill to the quay at Burnham Overy Staithe with the incoming tide,  kayak a four mile course through creeks, cycle a 45 mile circular route on north Norfolk's most scenic roads then run eight miles across tracks, sand, mud and marsh. 

With my team mate, Sue Allen, we hope to £3000 for Wells Lifeboat which is manned entirely by volunteer crews. We'd love your support, so if you'd like to donate, please visit  www.justgiving.com/NorfolkSuperHero112

I, and Mocha, would be very grateful!

Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home Interiors, Norwich and Cambridge.

For more information please contact Hugh Jamieson 01603 520535

Why clients should have a Love Interest...

'Hugh, I have fallen in love,' declared my client. 'Oh good...' I responded, a little uncertainly; this was not my usual Tuesday morning client/designer phone call. 

'Yes,' she continued, 'Page 21 of April's Homes & Gardens. I simply have to have that wallpaper!

Great interiors are a mix of good practical design and considered aesthetics - but also those elements that come from the heart to give a space warmth and personality.

In this case, passion came in the form of a Christian Lacroix wallpaper from Designers Guild, featured in the Hot House feature of one of my favourite glossy magazines. And I could understand my client's infatuation. The vibrant colours and striking design of 'Canopy' was truly stunning.

I acted immediately and ordered the required number of rolls, incorporating it into my finished design, using it on a feature wall in my client's dining area. 

I advised my client to go with a slightly softer colourway with a duck egg ground that complemented the rest of her home. The paper arrived at the At Home office the very next day, and was gracing the walls of my client's Norfolk retreat within the week.

So this was the latest wallpaper design, in the latest copy of H&G, in my latest design project. All quite a coup. But more than that, after months of renovations and 'nuts and bolts' planning, it signified one of the the personal finishing touches that set a home apart. Indeed, we pride ourselves on really listening to client's desires to give them the scheme they want. 

And of course, in life and decorating, it's always good to have a little love interest.

By Hugh Jamieson, Principal Designer, At Home interiors.
Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire.

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