DE S IGN CENTRE
THE SECRET OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE
What is the secret to creative harmony between an architect and an interior
designer? Leading names in both fields tell Giles Kime that the answer lies in a mix of communication, clearly defined roles and plenty of understanding
Where exactly is the invisible line between the architect and interior designer? And how is it best negotiated? Is it a clear split between inside and out? Or is the answer more nuanced? And is interaction potentially more fraught? To borrow from the title of a bestselling book about
human relationships, architects are from Mars and interior designers from Venus. In the same way that interaction between the sexes can be hampered by intrinsic differences and poor communication, these related disciplines can also make unhappy bedfellows, often at the expense of the aesthetics and function of a project, as well as the schedule and cost. It wasn’t always thus; a common characteristic shared
by some of the world’s most distinguished buildings – the Pantheon, St Paul’s Cathedral, Somerset House, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Castle Drogo, Villa E-1027 to name a few – is that their interiors and exteriors appeared to be the works of the same hand. Today, with a tiny number of exceptions, the two disciplines have become wholly distinct as the growing complexities of 21st-century construction and interior design have required greater specialisation. “The architect now has to juggle planning approvals, neighbourhood issues, building regulations and ever more complex technical requirements. It’s no wonder the internals of a building have been left to the interior designer,” says Mike Fisher, creative director and founder of the multidisciplinary practice Studio Indigo that is currently engaged in a wide range of high profile projects, including a 50 rooms new hotel for the Mandarin Oriental on Hanover Square.
Yet where do the responsibilities of the architect stop
and those of the interior design begin? As Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Form follows function – that has been misunderstood, form and function should be one, joined in spiritual union.” The same could be said of architecture and interior design which has to be coherent. “Interior design isn’t something pasted onto a project but integral from the outset,” says architect Richard Parr who was recently responsible for reimagining the buildings that form The Newt hotel in Somerset. “The aspirations of a client should be identified and converted into a brief from the outset,” he says. “Teasing out that brief can be done by two professionals working alongside each other and then executed in collaboration.“ As is the case with any successful project, timing is key.
“In an ideal situation we’re brought in at the outset, often before the architect, and sometimes simultaneously, in order to ensure that there is a unified aesthetic vision for the project,” says Douglas Mackie who studied architecture at Cambridge before becoming an interior designer. “Important, too, is a clear philosophy about the
detailing for the house, and, at a very early stage, an analysis of how each room will be laid out in terms of its furnishing.” Yet if architects and interior designers live on distant
planets, with very different set objectives, how does one ensure that they have chemistry? That, it seems, isn’t just the responsibility of the professionals themselves. Instead, a degree of match making is required. “The importance of the compatibility between the two teams cannot be
OPPOSITE: One of Studio Indigo’s projects, founder Mike Fisher’s own home in Kensington, featuring a dramatic travertine-clad staircase and rug from Tim Page Carpets. The practice has a multidisciplinary approach, with architects and interior designers under one roof
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