Table of Content
A magnificent assortment of rugs, pillows, and bedding, ‘The Kit Kemp Collection for Annie Selke’ is a collaboration and friendship that came together with grace, humour, and relative ease via Zoom! After many months of sketching, sampling and scheming we couldn’t be happier to see the collection launch on 7th March 2022. Follow our series of 'Sleeping Around' blog posts which capture the inspiration behind some of our interiors at Firmdale Hotels. Watch our exclusive series of short films in which Kit Kemp, takes you on a journey through some of her most treasured spaces designed by Kit Kemp Design Studio and at Firmdale Hotels in London and New York.
The room is filled with Kit's finds, such as the unusual antique wood panels that she cleaned of their grime and paint and hung on the walls in strips. "It's somewhere else to put beautiful fabrics and flowers," she says. "Every time I get a new fabric, I stick it over the arm of a chair. It's always changing. It's a complete indulgence. And I'm all for indulgences." Kit loves a barter system, devising one of the bedroom schemes around pieces garnered from a showroom set she designed, while another bedroom houses armchairs she created for a stand for home furnishings company Blithfield. I love the color and patina of fine old wood, polished and cared for over several centuries. There is nothing to replace the feeling and character of a fine antique.
Related Articles
There is a rustic look to the carvings on aprons of card tables and blanket chests, often with mythical creatures and scalloped-shell motifs that I find interesting. An interior designed by Kemp features her Mythical Land wallpaper, created in collaboration with Andrew Martin. I included a section in the book on projects such as painting frames and making shell mirrors and appliqué cushions, all things that we’ve made in our design studio. They’re not perfect by any means, but they’re actually better because of it,” says Kit. Here an inspiration board comes to life around a fireplace, with designer reference materials stored in the hearth. The master bedroom has an embroidered canopy based on an 18th-century textile, a small desk where Kit writes letters by hand, and a jewel box of a dressing room hung with funny hats.
The grandest room in the house, the new drawing room, is not the one the couple uses most, although it does contain Tim's grand piano and a fireplace they love to stoke on cold winter nights. Rather, the room is a colossal canvas where Kit can express her all-out passion for decorating and collecting. Always evolving, the room is anchored by a large sofa and a pair of slipper chairs upholstered in bold red and white.
A guide to creating a relaxing bedroom
At Covent Garden Hotel’s drawing room, we have a large 19th-century Japanese marquetry desk that becomes a talking point and axis to the room. For Kemp, textiles and fabrics are also essential for bringing drama and showmanship to a space. “Textiles were my first love and I’m never happier than on the floor surrounded by different fabrics,” she says.
There’s always something that gives it character, whether it’s one of my fabrics, a chandelier or a headboard,” says the hotel maven. In London‘s Covent Garden Hotel , one of Kit’s signature gabled headboards is upholstered in Jim Thompson’s Heliconia Dreamin’ fabric. “I love a sharp green, as well as chrome yellow contrasted by white or a red earth colour,” says Kit. Kemp commissioned artist Alex Hollweg to create a mural that embraced its past life as an old car park. “I loved the idea of a Rousseau-esque painting but with an old car wreck to reference the building’s history, it’s great! ” Hollweg is just one of many talented makers and artists that Kemp commissions to add charm to her designs.
A Bold and Beautiful Townhouse
“As soon as something is handmade, it automatically adds character to your interiors,” she says. A big inspiration for her home was Charleston, the country house of Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. In both homes bold patterns and bright color are combined to create an interesting blend of styles which leads to a brilliant unique home. A room should not be a pastiche on the past, but a fine antique will always draw the eye and be given a nod of appreciation in any well-designed interior. Large rooms often need a large piece of furniture to ground the space.
Designers Kit Kemp and Annie Selke have joined forces to launch a new travel-inspired homewares collection. We’re mostly about the home but Jen also likes to share other things she thinks you’ll love, like food and travel. In this exclusive series of short films, Firmdale Hotels Creative Director, Kit Kemp, takes you on a journey through some of her most treasured spaces at The Soho Hotel.
The Soho Hotel - The Soho Hotel by Kit Kemp
About 10 years ago, they completely refurbished it, adding the orangery – or dining room – as well as an extra bedroom, new entrance hall and stairway. Clearly, pieces have been collected from all over the world – in a bedroom, for instance, a traditional hunting scene hangs above ornate Indian side tables. In Kit’s capable hands, elements that, in other settings, might not sit together comfortably make perfect sense. Some evenings, when it's just the two of them, the Kemps will take their meals on the faux-shagreen cocktail table in their living room, a newly created space open to the kitchen. Here, an artwork by the English textile artist Anna Raymond hangs above the mantel, flanked by a pair of antique Venetian mirrors.
I still love a scrapbook – it means more to me than scrolling through Pinterest. Framing a large-scale, original work of art is one way to make an impact, but it's far from your only option. A uniform display that incorporates a series of prints can be just as effective. These folk-inspired images are available as part of Kemp's Bergdorf Goodman collection. Here, we shed light on some of Kit's most inspired uses of art in the home.
Kit has take the latter approach here, picking out the monochrome palette of this canvas by Grisaille in upholstery and accessories. Kit’s Mythical Land wallpaper, available through Andrew Martin, enlivens a London home. “I’m doing a mural in a playroom inspired by an image from a book with a moon and little creatures with lanterns. One way Kemp builds this individuality and character is by capturing a sense of history. At Charlotte Street Hotel, history is reflected in design, incorporating references to the Bloomsbury Group, a set of intellectuals who lived in the area during the early 20th century.
Discover a series of posts about our 'Dos & Don'ts' to design any space and make it your own, from using strong colours to creating a timeless space. I am fascinated by early embroideries and fragments of early needlework. There is a certain shade of peacock blue that I find in 17th- and 18th-century tapestries and embroideries that has altered over the years but is still quite beautiful.
A daughter's room has a red polka-dot headboard, while a tiny guest bedroom is draped in black-and-white toile. "They feel secure and tucked up. I think that's important in a bedroom." His wife, Kit Kemp, wears miniskirts and go-go boots and commutes on a Serotta bicycle custom-colored in her favorite shades of orange, pink, and green.
You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel.
Kit Kemp, Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels and Kit Kemp Design Studio, is passionate about creating exciting and unique interiors. Kit is an author, a successful textiles, homewares & fragrance designer and respected champion of British art and craft. Pairs of antique tables are highly prized and easily adapt themselves to modern interiors either side of a fireplace or either side of a beautiful door in a hallway. This mid-sized luxurious hotel in the heart of the theatre district hides behind a nineteenth century store entrance façade. The inside is introduced to everyday living with Kit Kemp's inimitable fashion with pin-striped wall masking and comfy floral upholstery. I also love picking flowers on a Friday evening – sometimes I get tense about work, but whenever I start putting the flowers together, I begin to feel so relaxed.
No comments:
Post a Comment