Design Stories With British Interior Designer Kit Kemp MBE - The Gloss Magazine

The hallmarks of Kit Kemp's hotels are their whimsical interiors, filled with vibrant colour, statement furniture and unusual art ... Hotel connoisseurs will know Kit Kemp, creative director of Firmdale Hotels, which she co-founded with her husband Tim in 1985. As an antidote to often bland corporate, cookie-cutter hotel designs, their decidedly quirky hotels are defined by their use of colour and approach to pattern. Arguably, Kit is also responsible for kickstarting the trend of using statement headboards, with many beautifully embroidered by Pippa Caley. She also popularised the use of ikat textiles, which she's fond of incorporating into lampshades - see her collection with Christopher Farr Cloth. Other design signatures include using zigzag patterns on walls, furniture and cushions, and adding sculptural mannequins to rooms, providing a focal point (they can also be bought online). When I'm in London, I often stay at The Knightsbridge or Number Sixteen; these lovely townhouses on tree-lined streets are close to museums, parks and boutiques, yet far from the madding crowd. They're welcoming, immersive spaces that hit that sweet spot of balancing comfort with a fresh, contemporary take on artisanal techniques and craftsmanship. If you stay at one of her properties, you'll find framed moodboards of elements used across the hotels, from fabric swatches and trimmings to sketches and paints, all providing décor inspiration galore.