INSIDE WOW!HOUSE 2026

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to the interior design business. I'm Geoff Hayward and I'm here in the THG Paris showroom at Chelsea Harper with my co host, Susie Rumbold, past president of the British Institute of Interior Design and creative director of Tasuto Interiors, to explore inside and outside Wowhouse 2026. [00:00:20] Speaker B: Now in its fifth year, Wowhouse, the world's most memorable pop up, has demonstrated an ever evolving approach to storytelling and collaboration. This is what keeps people coming back year after year, eager to see what has been achieved and to feel the energy that fuels the event. It has become a source of intensive creative endeavor as each new crop of designers, inspired by the achievements of previous years, strives to reach even greater heights. But what most inspires the warehouse designers and what gives them the creative energy they need to keep pushing those boundaries. Welcome to the interior design business. [00:01:04] Speaker A: We are honoured to be joined by three Warehouse 2026 designers for this special episode. Darren Price, Henry Fitzwilliam Lay and Martin Kemp. Welcome to the show. [00:01:15] Speaker C: Thank you for having me. [00:01:16] Speaker D: Thank you. [00:01:18] Speaker B: Great. So before we begin, I was hoping that perhaps each of you would be kind enough to give us a brief introduction to sort of who you are, your business and how you came to be associ with wahs. And as you're staring so intently at me, Martin, I'm. [00:01:31] Speaker C: I was going to say ladies, as you wish. I'm Martin Kemp. I established my business 14 years ago, 2012. We work primarily in the super prime, ultra high net worth, as we all refer to it, residential market. Internationally, we have a global style. We primarily work with private individuals, private families, occasionally commercial developers. Otherwise it's somewhat exclusive and we very rarely unfortunately show any of our work for that reason. [00:02:04] Speaker B: Yes, very discreet. [00:02:05] Speaker C: Discreet, yes. [00:02:06] Speaker D: And Andrew, I started my business in 2004, so 21 years, 22 years almost in the business. We do residential work only because that seems to be somehow once you start doing something, people always pigeonhole you in there. But so putting it out there, I'd love any hotels coming my way. So residential work for and all over the place. We work in the uk, we've done work in Norway, in France, Costa Rica. So very exciting, lots of fun. [00:02:49] Speaker B: Did you get to do any site visits to Costa Rica? [00:02:51] Speaker D: I do get to do site visits to Costa Rica. That is a. It can be a perk. It's not always a perk, but it can be a perk. [00:02:59] Speaker B: And finally, Darren. [00:03:01] Speaker E: So I'm Darren Price. I'm one of five partners at Adam Architecture. We are traditional classical architects and we're fortunate enough to have a strong workload of residential projects. We've done educational facilities. We're diversifying into other markets as well. Overseas, we're opening an office. And primarily it is. We're known for the sort of the country house. And a lot of our work is around discretion and confidentiality. And I think one of the things that appeals to me is the fact that we can actually share what we're doing and the stories that we're creating at Warehouse. So this is a real novelty. [00:03:37] Speaker B: And how did you become involved with Warehouse? Did they approach you or did you approach them? [00:03:41] Speaker E: Well, I think a lot of my work is collaborating with interior designers and garden designers. It's the creative energy that I really enjoy. And my clients, when they approach me, we're often having these conversations very early on. So I became aware of the Warehouse about three years ago and I was fortunate to visit one evening and I was just bowled over and I thought, this is exactly the type of event that I would love to somehow contribute to. I couldn't figure out how I might be able to sort of create an opportunity. And long story short, we did have a conversation with the Design center and an opportunity came along, really, to work on a courtyard space. And I thought, well, this is great because we get to work with garden designers, we can do something that maybe has an architectural element. And unfortunately, it just got away just because of time. We didn't make a decision quick enough. And I was really disappointed and thought, fair enough, we'll try and come back to this next year and we'll have a bit more time to think about it. And then it was probably a matter of a month later we got the call to say, actually we have another idea. Would you be interested in the front facade? I thought, hell, yeah, this is exactly. So I didn't have to think about it. I just said yes immediately. And then the conversation took place from there. [00:04:55] Speaker B: And Henry, how did you come to be involved? [00:04:57] Speaker D: The Casimans group Mesia, contacted us kind of out of the blue. So fortunate it didn't end up in junk mail. You know, we were shocked, absolutely super surprised by it and delighted, obviously. [00:05:16] Speaker C: Similarly, we were approached directly by Chelsea Harbour, by Claire. We've never done anything publicly, as I mentioned earlier. You know, our work is super confidential. And so I think Clare considered a bit of a coup. And indeed, we felt it was a bit of a coup and a very positive one for us to become involved. So we were very flattered to be approached, weighed up the options and the spaces that were available and said, yeah, okay, we'll, we'll, we'll give it a go. We'll do it. [00:05:44] Speaker A: And how does it feel, Martin, to be on the verge of becoming a wow. [00:05:48] Speaker C: A wowzer. Well, I feel very, very honoured to be part of the group now. I'm delighted to be one of the early ones. She was saying, in a hundred years time and it's still there. We'll look back. While we won't look back. You never know. You never know. [00:06:05] Speaker D: Exactly. [00:06:06] Speaker C: So, yeah, it's a great accolade. [00:06:09] Speaker D: Yeah, same. I think you really feel like you've kind of reached a certain bar in the business and it feels like an achievement. I mean, we are absolutely delighted [00:06:24] Speaker A: down second year. [00:06:26] Speaker E: I mean, it's a huge honor just to do it once. Absolutely delighted. I also felt very privileged to be doing that. And then not long after the exhibition closed last year, we were starting to have these discussions again about what could happen, can it be reused? And then that evolved into an opportunity to come back a second year to which I thought was incredible and really, really pleased to be able to do that, and a part of that collective of wowzers. I feel chuffed. [00:06:56] Speaker B: So good. For the first three years, obviously the warehouse was. It was really just an enormous trade show style tent. I mean, it obviously was much more than a trade show, but the actual thing, it was just an enormous. An enormous temporary structure. Who first came up with the idea to enclose the space? I mean, you talked about the fact that it was going to be a courtyard. So was it Claire's, Clare German's light bulb moment? [00:07:20] Speaker E: I'm sure it was. It was somebody within the design center. [00:07:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:07:23] Speaker E: And so the brief sort of came across, okay, we can dress at the front. So we have an experience, we have a moment. And I was thinking about, what do I do here? I'm sort of an architect at an interior designer's party. How can I justify my existence? What do I do with this? And I started to treat it almost like a real world project. I start to look at the context, I start to look at the environment, how people flow through the space. But also it's an experience as well. So trying to understand how we might be able to curate that became a very interesting concept. And from my first experience, it was a case of arriving at the steps, working our way through, and then sort of just leading into the rooms beyond. And very early on I decided, well, actually, we need to stop people. We need to create a moment of pause. And essentially it's a set piece. So how do we create that pause? How do we create the moment where people meet their friends or have a bit of time just to get ready to go through the rooms? And I think that's where the experience started. And I often referred to it almost like the opening of a play. It's the sort of preamble to everything that happens beyond so on, because the [00:08:29] Speaker A: routes themselves, they vary wildly for traditional to a very modern contemporary, too. So designing a facade for that kind of house, I mean, that's not something you would do online. How did you approach that? [00:08:42] Speaker E: Well, I took that on board as quite a difficult brief, actually. What makes this facade appropriate to the diversity of the rooms beyond? How do we use that? And it came down to the context. We're in London. I wanted to make sure that it was representative of that. The work that I do in the real world is of place. That's part of being a traditional architect. So how do we make this house of place? First of all, it's got to be an invitation. So a private house suits that, a London house. And I think a lot of people often think about traditional classical architecture as maybe sort of copying from the past. And a little bit of pastiche creeps into the conversation. [00:09:20] Speaker C: And I thought, well, actually, I want [00:09:22] Speaker E: to make sure that I'm keeping up with all of this energy beyond. And so how do we turn this classicism into something that's a little bit more modern, a little bit more contemporary, so that you actually get the appropriate facade for what is happening beyond. [00:09:36] Speaker C: With a bit of a twist. [00:09:37] Speaker E: With a bit of a twist, yeah. [00:09:38] Speaker C: But also. [00:09:39] Speaker E: Also to be calm enough and to be gentle enough so that it's not sort of getting too much attention early on, that it's just allowing you to settle and then proceed into the rooms beyond. [00:09:48] Speaker B: It's like the deep breaths you take before you plunge in. [00:09:51] Speaker E: Exactly, exactly. And a lot of it was on compression and release. So arcades either side were about compression and then release into the space beyond. But I've been reflecting on that and I've realized actually the facade was the compression and the release was the runes beyond. So, yeah, there's a couple of little mechanisms in there as well. [00:10:09] Speaker C: Well, I'm intrigued. Yeah. And I think because none of us really know what we're doing. Well, we know what we're doing. We don't know what each other are doing. So that's the fun to hear Darren speak and think about what you're creating. [00:10:23] Speaker B: Oh, obviously now you're going on to do 20, 26. And without giving anything away, no plot spoilers, please. How will this year be different? [00:10:31] Speaker E: Two last year, but I felt the weight of responsibility last year. This year it's even worse. It's sort of like it's second elm syndrome. [00:10:37] Speaker C: But how. [00:10:38] Speaker E: How do we create something that has the same effect and it sort of justifies a second year around? There is a twist. There is a lot of reuse of the existing materials as well. The fibrous plaster, the stonework. And for me, it's a conversation on how can we reinvent, so how can we use the portico that was there previously? We've turned that into a bit of a loggia. And also that moment, I've tried to expand upon the principle of inhabiting the house. So actually, this year, there's a moment where you can inhabit the facade. Not just look at the facade as a piece, but actually inhabit it. [00:11:20] Speaker A: And do you think the addition of a facade changes the visitor's perception of the installation? [00:11:26] Speaker E: I think it does. A lot of the benefit of this happening in the month of June is that you're getting Real World Review. And a lot of the positivity was actually making its way back to us. So we felt that people were enjoying it, and we felt that it had sort of elevated that experience. So it did exactly what we wanted it to do. I feel that the experience now is not so much you're visiting an installation of 20 rooms. [00:11:51] Speaker C: You. [00:11:51] Speaker E: You're actually visiting a place. It has become somewhere that you go to. And that preamble of the facade actually puts you into a mindset. It's very atmospheric. It's leaning into the conversation around mood. So I'm hoping that has elevated the [00:12:07] Speaker C: experience, gives it gravitas, literally. [00:12:10] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. It's not just a tent. It's not just a, you know, the sheets thrown over something. [00:12:19] Speaker B: The words turned up last year were really interesting too. Even what kind of walk. You know, they're coming in through the doors of the design center, coming around [00:12:25] Speaker D: that corner and going. [00:12:26] Speaker B: Yeah, because it was so unexpected. [00:12:29] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:12:30] Speaker E: There was a moment where Claire took me to one side and said, just stand here next to me and listen to people when you come in. [00:12:35] Speaker C: We just. [00:12:36] Speaker E: Yeah. And they were saying, wow. [00:12:39] Speaker D: Wow. [00:12:39] Speaker E: And so they were actually saying, wow. It was really good fun. [00:12:42] Speaker C: Yeah, I love it. [00:12:44] Speaker D: And then we. [00:12:45] Speaker B: You touched on this a minute ago, but pop ups and temporary spaces are often criticized for being incredibly wasteful of resources. Was that part of your initial thinking, to not be wasteful? And how have you addressed it? In 2026? [00:12:57] Speaker E: Well, we were using much of what was there in 2025, so I think we've been very responsible about that. It was a very conscious decision to be mindful of materials. The windows, for example, the sash windows, they are actually being reused as samples, so they go back into the workshop. The door has been reused elsewhere. The fibrous plaster, some of it's made its way into our office as examples that we can share with clients. A lot of it is about deconstruction as well, and so we're deconstructing it carefully so that it can be reconstructed a second year. But I think, more importantly, if we can actually cultivate this conversation within the industry, which a lot of people are now, we're all aware of this, but if we can talk about this to clients and other designers, then actually, I'm pretty optimistic that the way that we've approached the front facade actually has a bigger narrative out there in the industry. [00:13:49] Speaker C: Very good. [00:13:50] Speaker A: And, Henry, you've been tasked with designing and delivering the warehouse bedroom. Are you working with a supplier sponsor on this, and if so, who are they and what do they do? [00:14:00] Speaker D: So I am working with the Casamans group, and the brand specifically is Mesia. They're a French company, and the bedroom, funnily enough, was not there. I think first choice, shall we say, they didn't see themselves necessarily positioned as a fabric company associated with bedrooms. You know, everybody's open to their own interpretation, I suppose. Anyway, that was kind of, for us, quite fun because it meant that we didn't have to feel, you know, like we had to stick to this trope of, you know, the bedroom, the boudoir, whatever it was. We could kind of maybe mix it [00:14:45] Speaker B: up a little bit. [00:14:47] Speaker D: So we did. [00:14:48] Speaker B: So how does the. How does. When you're applying for a room, do, you know, how does the application process work? So if you wanted to sponsor or design a room, where would you go? And how long ago did Missia and you express an interest to the designer? [00:15:04] Speaker D: Well, sponsoring, I mean, I would have no idea. You'd have to ask Martin about that, getting involved. But Misia approached us fairly early on, you know, at the. Towards the end of last year. [00:15:18] Speaker B: All right. [00:15:19] Speaker D: Yeah. And they said that they had. They had wanted to do 2025, but they felt that they didn't get their ducks in order or whatever fast enough, so they pounced on 2026. And already many of the rooms were already taken. And of course, for, you know, a fabric company, they're not going to want to Do a kitchen or a bathroom, you know, so, you know, they have to be specific about the rooms they're going to choose. So I think there's a, there's a lot of, there's a lot of interest. [00:15:59] Speaker A: And with it being a bedroom, could they be specific on the products they wanted you to use or were you able to make those choices on their behalf? [00:16:09] Speaker D: Clearly they would like us to use things that are current in their collection. That's important. But they were very gracious in letting us. They didn't give us any parameters from the beginning. They kind of told us about the company. We did the explore ourselves, we went to the harbor, obviously we went online. We did a whole deep dive into their collection and researched it a bit and slowly. As the concept started coming together, we had our preliminary meetings with the group and started talking about our ideas in what direction we wanted to take it in. [00:16:47] Speaker B: You're not restricted to just using Mecea though, are you? Yes, you are. You have to just use Mesia. So all the fabrics in that room are going to be from that one supply? [00:16:55] Speaker D: They sure are, Yep. [00:16:56] Speaker C: Tuesday. [00:16:57] Speaker D: Yeah, good to know. [00:16:59] Speaker B: Martin, you're responsible for the, the design of the parlour, I believe, at this year's dry house. Do you also have a luxury supplier on board? [00:17:07] Speaker C: We don't. I think we're somewhat unusual in that we are self sponsored. Wow. Does that mean that's. Well, indeed, kind of. We're paying for it, but we're not strictly paying for the whole thing. We are collaborating with our own in house new brand which we're launching at Lighthouse, called From the Avenue. [00:17:26] Speaker D: Yes. [00:17:26] Speaker C: Which is a product line, a homeware product line. So for that reason we decided to self sponsor. That said, we are being loaned some incredible. Well, I say loaned, given some incredible fabric from Dadar. And a bit like Henry was just saying, we are only using Dadar exclusively. So we will promote Dadar in that sense. But no, we're not sparse. [00:17:52] Speaker A: I mean, it must be amazing to have complete design freedom without the usual constraints and post by a client or. [00:17:58] Speaker C: It really is. Yeah. [00:17:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:00] Speaker C: But that said, I mean our clients don't really impose too many constraints. I don't know what it's like for Henry and Darren, but for us we have such broad minded clients and clients with such vision, they kind of go, here's a blank canvas, do what you think is right. So for us it's another wonderful experience for us to play. Yeah. But with, obviously with a serious approach. [00:18:24] Speaker A: Where's your inspiration? [00:18:25] Speaker C: I was afraid you'd ask me that. Well, I. I believe it or not, I was at the dentist. When I left, I walked. I walked past a boutique. It's going to be white. And the boutique was all one color. Every single thing in it. Ceiling, walls, floors, carpets, products, lamps, everything was all one color. And I thought that was very inspirational. I went back to the studio and said, oh, I've just seen this amazing boutique all in this one colour. I guess there's nothing new in that. But the idea of us just working with one color was unusual. And we got excited by that and chose a very well, I suppose you call it Rouge Noir. One of the team was wearing rouge Noir nail varnish. I mean, that's the color. It's that color that we need to use. So we're working with rouge Noir. [00:19:13] Speaker D: Wow. [00:19:13] Speaker C: So that was the inspiration. That was the inspiration. It was a fashion boutique, not the dentist. And. Yeah. [00:19:22] Speaker B: And then, Henry, what was the inspiration behind your bedroom? [00:19:26] Speaker D: So many things, really. It is. It is just past the 100 year anniversary of Art Deco, of the original OG exposition in Paris, which is exciting. And knowing that, and having gone through all of the wares that Mesia has, we started seeing certain things that kept jumping out at us also simultaneously in life. As you're saying, you're walking, you're going to the museums, you're seeing expositions, you're going to films, all of these sorts of things that you're constantly being fed into your ideas. I suppose so. We had seen the Nigerian Modernism exhibition, we had seen the Tropical Modernism exhibition. These had all just been in the summer before we were asked to do the show. So that. And then looking at the fabrics and kind of coming up with a story, really. It's like you're saying you need a hook. For you, it's color drenching or whatever. And for us, we were like, right, how can we take this play that we're seeing and pull out these elements? So we have quite a strong African influence, Japanese influence, a bit of like Brazilian modernism influence. All things that we had been seeing the whole time, you know, in our travels, so to speak. And I think that plays in really well to Art Deco, because Art Deco was a time of great innovation and travel and exploration and whatnot. So it sort of, you know, plays into that. We didn't want to do the pastiche of an Art Deco room, like you don't want to do that. So we wanted to take it and make it feel fresh. I love brutalism, which I also feel like is something that's quite British in a way, you know, with that real love hate relationship that the Brits have with it. And so putting this kind of world of glamour and shine and glossy art deco that we all conjure in our mind and setting it against a raw, slightly rough, angular backdrop was just outgoing. It is. [00:21:59] Speaker C: I mean, look at. [00:22:02] Speaker B: Did you mentally invent kite? Was there a. Did you have a kind of abstract person or an abstract set of people? [00:22:08] Speaker D: We do do that sometimes. You know, often when we're designing a room or even sometimes when we're styling a room, we'll be like, you know, who is she? Who is he? Who is this person? And, you know, obviously we've got our clients as well, but, you know, sometimes you need to go a little bit beyond that. And we did sort of have this person, this dandy, this person who traveled the world and, you know, was open to all sorts of different styles and eras, and obviously they were one of our greatest clients ever. This. This imagination, this imaginative person that we had invented. But, yeah, we do sort of. It. We do sort of take our inspiration. [00:22:52] Speaker B: Darren, do you have a. Do you have a. A fictitious client that you're closing your facade for? [00:22:57] Speaker A: Loosely. [00:22:58] Speaker E: But it's part of the narrative of who could possibly live in a house like this. I think for me, it was that terrifying moment of realizing, well, actually I [00:23:07] Speaker C: might be the client. [00:23:08] Speaker E: Not in terms of, this is my house, but the decisions are with me. So how do I take all of these variables? Yeah, all of these opportunities, and how am I filtering them? How am I distilling them? And I think the complexity that I have is the words. So many ideas. And you wake up at 3 o' clock and you say, oh, I got another idea, and I'll try and put this in. And I want to say something about that, so I'll design around this. And actually, it was sort of an editing exercise. So I spent a lot of time thinking and a lot of time discarding. You know, what's the main driver? What am I trying to achieve? Here's the debt free of ideas all around, and you're just thinking, okay, well, I've got to keep this simple, and I have a client. And we often just look at each other and say, restraint. It's just holding back just enough. So I think that was the complexity for me. It was really just sort of setting your course and sticking to it. [00:23:58] Speaker C: It was strange. [00:23:59] Speaker E: Is that you're the Bachelor? [00:24:01] Speaker C: Absolutely. It certainly is. In Warehouse particularly, I think we've been more restrained than we could have been. But generally in my work, we are very restrained in some projects and very. What's the opposite of restraint? Opulent. [00:24:16] Speaker A: Yes. [00:24:16] Speaker C: Perhaps not ostentatious. No, not ostentatious, no. [00:24:19] Speaker B: What's been the most challenging aspect of pulling your space together? Because it sounds quite out there. [00:24:25] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, I'm sure Henry and Darren would agree. It's just bringing everything together at the same time and not really having a room yet to go and visit. Because, of course, usually one has a space, usually not always to visit. And so it's been a challenge to visualize the dimensions of everything and the shape of everything and the concept for it all. Yeah, but it's getting there. We'll get there. We have another few weeks. [00:24:53] Speaker D: Well, you know, you'd love to just go in and put a little lick of paint on the ceiling and have a look and see how it. How it looks. You can't do that, you know, so you've just kind of. You've got to imagine it. And even with all of our technology now, even with the, you know, computers and AI and rendering that you can do, it's still. It's just not the same as being in a room measuring and measuring something and saying, okay, the bed's going to, you know, so it's sitting there over and over again, like you say, pulling out the samples. You know, we are using something like over 25 different missia fabrics in our little five by five room. And that's a lot of interview, you know, it is all about the edit. It's, you know, pulling it in. How much of this, how important is it? You know, every little decision you make is. Is an editing process. [00:25:50] Speaker E: For me, I've realized how long, particularly for myself, design takes. [00:25:56] Speaker D: Yes. [00:25:57] Speaker E: And in the real world, you'll have months and months where you can start to formulate ideas. Are we responding to the brief? Does the client like it? Is it approved? Shall we tweak it? And here what I found is it's all compressed, so you've got to come up with it quite quickly. You've got to then send it for approval. How does it work with the room beyond? How does it work with the courtyard in front? [00:26:16] Speaker C: The things I fractured. Find manufacturers who are able to work to the deadlines. [00:26:22] Speaker A: Fixed points on those yellows. [00:26:24] Speaker B: What is the approval process like? Actually, that's something we. I hadn't thought to ask. [00:26:28] Speaker E: I find it relatively straightforward. I think when I first did the original concept of the facade, I remember passing it across the table and they sort of looked at it and there was that moment of awkward pause where I thought, oh, my gosh, she likes. I hope they like it. Obviously, as designers, we hope everybody likes it. But I was reading it as though that they didn't. And after a couple of minutes, they were like, no, we just don't know how we're going to do it. [00:26:52] Speaker C: I was thinking, well, it's easy. [00:26:53] Speaker E: You just make it as high as you possibly can and as wide as you possibly can. And, you know, it's complicated, but we'll get that. And the reality of that was it took a lot of discussion. It took a lot of coordination. And I remember having a meeting with 40 people with a mix of Design Center. We had Alex Hoyle, who's the plantsman and the gardener at the front, Artorias Weber, and then we had Victoria Devar as well. And we treated it like a project in the real world. We started to try and understand the risks and design around them. And I think from that perspective, it was. It became quite apparent that, yes, we were really turning up the ambition with this, but we will get there and we will do it. So the approval process was. Was literally just sketch. So do you like it? And it was a nod, and we sent the drawings in, and it was sort of tick boxed, and that was it. [00:27:40] Speaker C: We moved on. [00:27:41] Speaker E: So I think we were all aware of the complexities, one of those being the time of construction as well. How are we going to do this in four days? But we've got amazing builders. We have great, amazing craftspeople and suppliers. And because everybody knows how important it is to get this right, you just feel that you've got the attention of everybody. [00:27:58] Speaker C: And I would echo that and praise all the craftspeople that we've approached similarly have been so supportive and so enthusiastic to work on Whale House. Pretty much anybody that would pick up a phone to absolutely leaps at the opportunity to offer either their services or a product for explosion. And it's such a positive event. People are falling over themselves to hell. [00:28:22] Speaker E: Amazing. Yeah. [00:28:23] Speaker A: What about the other designers? Are you a new collective or working together? [00:28:28] Speaker C: Well, I think we will. Yeah, I think we will that week. [00:28:31] Speaker D: Yeah. And even beforehand, you know, there's your camaraderie. Talking a bit about a threshold or this or that. I think our rooms are right next to each other. [00:28:40] Speaker C: We are right next to each other. [00:28:41] Speaker D: So. [00:28:42] Speaker C: Amazing. Yeah. And we've communicated, I know, with your team about the threshold between how your fabric beats out. [00:28:49] Speaker D: It's also so funny because, you know, having visited Design, the Design center for years at Going to warehouse. I mean, did I ever walk through a threshold? You probably did and go, oh, look at this threshold. Look at, you know. Of course not. But now I'm obsessed with thresholds, you know, so it's, it's one of those things. [00:29:09] Speaker E: And I think there's a. There's a creative energy. It's not just about the details. It's about support and looking after each other and knowing everybody is trying their very best. [00:29:16] Speaker C: We're not competing. [00:29:17] Speaker D: No, we're not competing. We all want it to be great. It benefits all of us for it [00:29:24] Speaker E: to be good, if anything, encouraging. [00:29:26] Speaker C: Yes, exactly. [00:29:27] Speaker E: I spend a lot of time thinking, well, can we do this? And all I'd hear from Victoria was, yes, you can. Absolutely. So you're elevating everybody's pride and ambition [00:29:36] Speaker C: and we're all being brought out of the shadows. Although certainly I am. [00:29:40] Speaker A: So it's important work, isn't it? [00:29:42] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. The way we. [00:29:44] Speaker B: Because everybody is working on a different room in a different style, you're not going to be directly in competition with each other. Yeah. So you're all just your colleagues and collaborators. Competition. [00:29:55] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:29:56] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [00:29:56] Speaker B: So interesting. Do you think Wowhouse has a role to play in setting underlying design trends you've done? [00:30:05] Speaker D: Yeah. The thing is, their rooms are all so different and I think you take from them what you want. [00:30:11] Speaker A: What have you taken it? [00:30:12] Speaker E: That case? [00:30:13] Speaker D: Oh, my gosh. Loads of things. Loads of things. Fabrics that I've seen that I thought, oh, my God, absolutely love that furniture juxtaposition, layout. I mean, you know, I think as designers and architects, you, you are a magpie for this sort of thing. This is, you know, this is the ultimate goody and design. [00:30:33] Speaker C: It continually evolves. [00:30:35] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:30:35] Speaker C: I don't think there's any fixed point where you can alight and say that is. [00:30:39] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:30:40] Speaker C: I mean, trend is not something that we like to talk about generally. [00:30:42] Speaker B: No, that's why the point about it not being surface, because I think trend [00:30:46] Speaker C: is very short lived. [00:30:47] Speaker B: Deep seated. Deep seated. Direction of travel, I suppose. [00:30:51] Speaker C: I think quality of imagination and creativity and quality of thought that goes into all the spaces is certainly what we've taken away in the past. [00:31:02] Speaker E: For me, as an architect, I think we are a little bit nervous about talking about trends. [00:31:08] Speaker C: A lot of the work that we [00:31:09] Speaker E: do where I deserve us, it's more about enduring. How can I create something that will look just as good now, if not better in 10 years? [00:31:15] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:16] Speaker E: And that's fine. When you can think about a building and weathering and how those Sort of impacts. But it's very apparent when I'm designing the front that, you know, I want this to look good in five, 10 years and for it to be part of the story of the warehouse. And so trends, like you just mentioned, it's something that I try and avoid. [00:31:36] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:37] Speaker E: And I strike to think about enduring projects, enduring colors, enduring styles as well. And I think if. If the design has the DNA of something that can be familiar and to be historic, let's say, in terms of Georgian architecture, and we're taking that into the. Into the future, then for me, that's. That's where I want to be. [00:31:58] Speaker C: I agree with you. [00:31:59] Speaker D: And also, I think nowadays we're bombarded. The public is certainly with. With so much information. Trends, if you like, you know, now. Now, the difference between now and, say, 20 years ago, when I started with clients coming to you with their Instagram and their Pinterest pics and their choices about what they like. And, you know, so this is the opportunity to be like, huh? We can put all of that aside and we can just completely create our own idea from scratch. [00:32:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:32:31] Speaker A: And it feels to me like clients would come to you and say, I was inspired by what I saw. [00:32:35] Speaker D: Yes. And maybe so. And hopefully it's something that they. Is totally unexpected, you know. Oh, I didn't know you did X, Y or Z or whatever it is. You know, it's an opportunity to do something out of what, perhaps, you know, this groove, like I was saying, you get into, people see something you like, and they want you to do it again and again or whatever. This is your opportunity to step out of that groove. [00:32:59] Speaker C: It's a magazine. It's a portal into a magazine. Ready? When you see things printed in magazines, that's one thing, but when you can walk through so many different spaces, Juxtapose. [00:33:09] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah. [00:33:10] Speaker C: That's where it triggers things. [00:33:11] Speaker B: And everybody always says you have to walk through it and then turn around and control black. You get in because you see completely different vistas and perspectives and objects. [00:33:19] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:19] Speaker B: And that's right. [00:33:22] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:22] Speaker A: So beyond recording is one month before warehouse opens. What are you most excited about? [00:33:30] Speaker C: I think just being part of the show, obviously, but launching my product line. Soft launch. It's a soft launch, a product line, and being part of the community. Wowzers. And seeing everybody else's space and just being very stimulated by creativity. For sure. [00:33:46] Speaker D: Yeah, same. You know, I have to say, I actually really look forward to Wowhouse now every year. It's part of the design calendar, and it's an event we. We all really enjoy going to. So it feels very special to be part of it. And it has been amazing. I think, seeing the things. The collaborations we've done with various makers and craftspeople and whatnot, the unbelievable generosity on their parts to be involved and seeing that showcased that it's really exciting. And it will be as new to me as it is to everybody, as I said, because it's, you know, it's going to be put up in a matter of. Of what feels like minutes. [00:34:32] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Four days. [00:34:34] Speaker A: Minutes. [00:34:34] Speaker C: Kind of scary minutes in design. That was the other challenge, is to design something that could be built in four days. Yeah. [00:34:41] Speaker A: And last for a month. [00:34:42] Speaker C: And last for a month and, you know, be. Be walked across. Well, that's where traffic is poked and prodded. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:34:52] Speaker A: Darwin, what about you? [00:34:53] Speaker C: What. [00:34:53] Speaker A: What's exciting you? [00:34:54] Speaker E: Just to do it all over again, I think, genuinely to see all the other designers knowing at this very moment in time, we're all in the same boat. We're probably trying to figure out how we're going to do things, what needs to be addressed. And as soon as they start building, as soon as those builders are on site, the energy that's in that atrium is just unbelievable. And I would find myself just visiting just to have a look, see how things are progressing, see everything come together. They're building a little universe in there as well. It's more and more exciting. And I found that there was a moment towards this sort of later in the evening after the Ghana event, where everybody, you know, starts to relax a little bit and the champagne's flowing, but the emotion is quite incredible because everybody's just put so much love and soul into these spaces. And then to see everybody come together and enjoying it, that's. It's magical. Be great. Amazing. [00:35:46] Speaker A: Last question. [00:35:47] Speaker B: Last question. So throughout the whole warehouse journey, what has been your favorite and most memorable moment so far? Henry. [00:35:57] Speaker D: I suppose it was being asked. Really? [00:36:00] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:36:00] Speaker D: I mean, you know, that was a pretty mind blowing experience. We kind of all had to pinch ourselves in the office and say, that is so exciting. So, yes, I would say that will stick with me for a while. [00:36:15] Speaker C: I mean, I would echo that, of course, Henry. Yes. But I loved putting the materials together, working with just one color palette and playing with all the different textures and layers. [00:36:26] Speaker B: Can't wait to see it. [00:36:27] Speaker C: No, can I? Neither can I. So that was. That was great fun, too. [00:36:32] Speaker A: And second turn around there. [00:36:35] Speaker E: Well, I remember that moment, as I say, at the gala, where Victoria Devara and I looked at each other and thought we've actually done was a really special moment and that will be forever in my mind. And what's ahead, there'll be many more of those, I'm sure for everybody involved. [00:36:50] Speaker A: Oh, fantastic. Thanks so much for joining us today. It's been brilliant. Can't wait for my house. [00:36:55] Speaker B: No, we're really excited about it. [00:36:56] Speaker C: Thank you for having me. [00:36:57] Speaker B: Thank you so much for your insights too. It's been a great conversation. [00:37:00] Speaker C: Pleasure, pleasure. [00:37:01] Speaker A: And we also like to thank our sponsor THG Paris for their hospitality and listening to this which is our 100th episode. So thank you listeners. Thank you viewers. It's been Greg, Claire for your support. [00:37:14] Speaker C: Are we centenarians now? We are so wowzers and centenarians. Here you go. [00:37:21] Speaker A: You can find out more about [email protected] the interior design business is a wilder plus production. [00:37:28] Speaker E: Thank you.