The Power of WOW!house

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to the interior design business. My name is Geoff Hayward and I'm joined today by my co host, Susie Rumbold, past president of the British Institute of Interior Design and creative director of Tasuto Interiors at the THG Paris showroom in Chelsea Harbour to explore the power [00:00:17] Speaker B: of Wowhouse, the power of the interior design phenomenon that is Wowhouse is undisputed, showcasing as it does the talents of international designers working at the top of their game. For the public, it's a rare opportunity to immersively experience the type of rooms most people only get to see in the pages of glossy magazines. A fleeting chance to taste firsthand what it must be like to own and inhabit such spaces. But what is it really like on the other side of that heavy velvet curtain? What does it take to be one of those designers? How do they go about creating their spectacular rooms? And what relationships must they nurture to pull it off successfully on the day? Welcome to the interior design business. [00:01:09] Speaker A: Now we are thrilled to welcome a fantastic panel for this Wowhouse special. Alexandra Singer from Wowhouse, Monser Thou Paris, globally renowned interior designer and Wowzer, Natalia Meyer and and the designer of the Warehouse 2026 Morning Room, Sara Cosgrove. Welcome to the show. [00:01:26] Speaker C: Thank you for having us. [00:01:27] Speaker D: Thank you for having us. [00:01:29] Speaker B: So before we begin, I was just wondering whether each you would perhaps just give us a brief introduction to yourselves, your business and your connection to Warehouse. So Sara, would you like to start? [00:01:39] Speaker C: I'm Sara Cosgrove. I'm an interior designer based between Dublin and London. I was lucky enough to study in the harbour back in the day and my connection to Wowhouse is is via the company I'm going to be collaborating with, which is Philip Jeffries and Natalia. [00:01:54] Speaker D: Hi Susie. Jeff, thank you so much for having me on this fantastic episode. I am an architect and designer based in London, in Miami and I get the privilege of working on residential and hospitality projects all over the world and I am one of the early day Wowzers. I did it the second year. [00:02:14] Speaker E: And finally, Alexandra, I'm the creative director for THG Paris where we are today. We manufacture luxury brassware in France and we are in our second year in the showroom in the harbour and have been offered the space in the cloak room this year. [00:02:33] Speaker D: Being involved in Warehouse is certainly something I remember. Do you know, it was a great synergy because I think the team at the harbor led by the incredible Clair German, are very good at putting together sponsors with the right designer. And I was approached to collaborate with Luisa from Casa Luisa by colony. And she had a very interesting range of materials that were showcased in quite a different way than she thought I would do it. And so we had a chemistry call and decided that it would make sense for us to work together. And that's how I got involved, and the rest is history. [00:03:16] Speaker B: But Claire approached you guys. Is that how it worked? So she kind of put you together and then. [00:03:21] Speaker C: Correct. [00:03:21] Speaker B: We were all on that call together. And she introduced you and. Or you knew each other already? [00:03:25] Speaker D: No, no, they introduced us. You know, they said. They called me and they said, nathalia, would you be interested in doing this? I said, absolutely. And then I had the call with Louisa. I don't know. You know, I'm not sure how it works for everybody. [00:03:35] Speaker E: It's changed now, I'm guessing. Yes. You're like us. We were asked as a sponsor to join, and they asked us who we would like to do it with. [00:03:45] Speaker D: Well, maybe Louisa wanted to do it with me. [00:03:47] Speaker C: There you go. [00:03:49] Speaker E: Secret admirer. [00:03:51] Speaker C: I actually remember Natalia's room very clearly. That room has actually inspired me in terms of skiing creation. No, quite honestly, I did a hallway based on your bedroom in a house. [00:04:03] Speaker D: So just. [00:04:04] Speaker C: There you go. No, because I think it's really. Well, it's incredible for outsiders to come in. Like, for designers, we're often in our own headspace. We're often. Especially when you're running your own business, you know, your opportunities to get really enmeshed in design are actually quite rare. So when you come to Wowhouse, you're getting. It's like this massive turbo boost of design. It's a dopamine. It is. And it's actually the detailing, because you're coming in and there's the wow of the room. But actually, what I'm looking at is the junctions, the details. How do they fix that? What's that? Architrave, like, all those different things, and you've got the world's best designers basically putting it out there. So, of course, when I was so lucky to get the call from Philip, from Philip Jeffries, you know, your thing is, okay, I can't be the one to let you know, to drop the baton. I've got to try and at least match what's come before and hopefully inspire my colleagues as well as all the thousands of visitors. So it's. It's daunting, I'm not going to lie. But it's also. It's a call you don't forget. And I think in the industry now, there's just this plethora of platforms and things. There's very few things that kind of define you as a designer. And I think warehouse gives you an opportunity on a different level. [00:05:22] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:05:22] Speaker B: So I think you may have actually sort of just answered my next question. [00:05:25] Speaker D: No, no, no. [00:05:27] Speaker B: What is it, what is it that makes designers aspire to be wowzers? Because we all know that you can't buy it. [00:05:33] Speaker C: It's an invitation and it's a collaboration and an acknowledgement. Oh, it's of. I met Philip and Jeffrey in Marrakech in 2012. We've met all over the world. We always meet once a year in Paris. And it's also acknowledgement of like an industry, friendships and every single company that we're working with to create wow and bring wow to life. That's decade, you know, years and years of layered work, you know, that's coming in, you know, and, and I think it's, it's, it's, it's an amazing opportunity to do that. [00:06:08] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:06:09] Speaker E: I reckon. It's also probably the only place where you can. Coming as a supplier. We have done exhibitions all over the world, permanently trying to promote our brand, and it's the only place where you can actually incorporate design into an exhibition without feeling like you're throwing money out the window. Because when you do an exhibition, it's three days. Yeah, it's three days. You're hoping people are going to pop around, you know, not to name. Honestly, we do so many exhibitions and Wowhouse is a month long. You have the opportunity to ask for so many favors, so much help, everyone wants to be part of it. So you're not begging, you're literally being asked for by different suppliers. Can we participate? I think we had something like 40 requests just for the powder room. So you can imagine, you know, a morning room or whatever. And it's so famous now that frankly, we're better off as suppliers doing, you know, promoting and sponsoring a room than doing four exhibitions in the uk. But it's just not worth it. [00:07:14] Speaker B: I also suppose it gives you the opportunity to show her. Showcase your product in something that's much more complete than you would ever find in a normal traitor. [00:07:22] Speaker E: It's exactly what Sarah was saying. It's inspiring. And the photography is different. The feeling of your product is in use and it's not like you're putting. For the taps sake, you're putting plinths and you've had taps on a white wall or wallpapers where they're all together. It's a real experience. We've been in the queue for A while. [00:07:46] Speaker C: Really? [00:07:47] Speaker E: Yes. I've been trying for a few years, but. But getting the showroom obviously helped a little bit, but also, I think, you know, Claire knew. I mean, every year I knock on the door and I'm like, come on, let us do something. I think mostly because we're so famous for intricate jewelry, like, products. It fitted the vibe, so. [00:08:04] Speaker B: So then, as a designer, probably, Natalia, this might be a good one for you. Do you get to request the type of space that you want to do or not really? It doesn't sound as though it works that way. [00:08:15] Speaker D: No. I think, again, I'm sure each relationship is a little bit different, but in our. It was the primary bedroom that was. Yeah, I think that was available. I think there were a few, but that's the one that Louisa felt was right. And I was very happy to do it. I thought it was a perfect fit for a canvas. I mean, that's one of the things that's really exciting for designers. I mean, there are so many elements of Wowhouse that we can talk about that are important, I think, for the London design industry, for the profession globally. There are so many different angles, but personally, the fact that you have this completely blank canvas, other than working with a supplier whose work you like, whose products you like, so that's a great start. It's a blank canvas to come up with something immersive, and that feels very personal. And that was exciting for me and Zara. [00:09:12] Speaker B: Did you have a choice? [00:09:13] Speaker C: No. And no. I would have taken. I would have taken a shed out the back. No. I ended up with a great room, the morning room, the primary bedroom. The brilliant rooms to have, as are all of the rooms. But I think the morning room was very, very exciting for me. And when we had the initial call with Philip on the team, this was back at the end of last November, and you know that we were going through all their new launches and all of that, and then literally they were kind of going through the full presentation. But the minute I saw the kind of key, the hook for me, which was this paper, I was like, okay, we can stop the call now. I've got it. Just leave it to me. I'll be back. But it is about using things in creative ways. Like, we're actually doing a custom dog, cat bed, and we've got wallpaper on the interior, we've got wallpaper on the exterior, and it's going to be a little custom because you're literally like, how can I. As I said, it's like. And without it being more of a novelty than a gimmick as well. You want something that you would genuinely have, so you want it to be a reflection of yourself, of the best self that you can have. And then it's to bring things that. Because it is those little details. It's those little. I can't remember who did it last year, but the little bronze mouses. And they were like these little Easter eggs. I think that was in a bedroom as well. So you're kind of like, I want people who maybe go once or twice to spot different. Or you walk through and then you walk back and it's like a different experience. So it's. To have all those little. Just. Did you see that? You know, or what's that little skiffer on the corner of that architrave? Or, you know, you've all those little details, and I think that's what Wowhouse does. You're really trying to. Wow, but in a good way. So once Claire has kind of gathered [00:11:04] Speaker B: her team together and everyone's been onboarded, you know, you've got all your designers and you're sponsoring suppliers. What happens next? Is there like a big, massive introductory meeting? [00:11:15] Speaker D: So it's like a. [00:11:16] Speaker B: There's a big. [00:11:17] Speaker E: There's quite a few of them. [00:11:18] Speaker B: The first one. I'm just thinking about the first one. What information are you given at that first meeting? And this again, Natalia. I guess it might be quite different now. [00:11:27] Speaker D: I think it's evolved, Susie, a little bit, because I do remember feeling, you know, we got the brief on the room and we did a design. But one thing, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but we didn't have a sense of what the rooms around us were going to be like. And, you know, what this spatial sequence was going to be from one space to another. Again, not necessarily that it's a problem, but it did lead to some hairy situations where. Sorry, is your architrave going to be. Is the back going to be visible from your entrance? I think that element was. Yeah, we felt quite relaxed. We were like, just get on with it. So less. Less involvement, but maybe that has changed. [00:12:13] Speaker E: It was quite clear from the beginning that there are some massive amounts of rules and regulations. So I think what we didn't see coming was that bit, because it's very exciting, it's very pretty. You know, we've seen flawless wow houses for five years, and suddenly you enter the room and. And there are piles and piles of documents and health and safety and this and that, administrative documents and legal stuff, and we're looking at it. And I remember we were with Luke, my md, and we were just sat there going. We didn't know what we were hitting into. We had no idea. We were like, are we really going to do this? I don't know. Did you fully. [00:12:49] Speaker C: I have the office like full, you know, just basically trying to get all the rams and get everything. But it's a testament to how it's a military operation. And I actually spoke to Natalia once. I got the nod because I spoke to her, I spoke to Henry and I spoke to Stefan because I was literally like, you just wouldn't, don't, you know, underestimate things. But I think once again, we're all seasoned legionnaires in the, in things like that. Yeah, but I think it's just, it's. How do they create that flawlessness in four days? And it's a bank holiday Monday this year. So you're literally like, how does that happen? How does it. And they all sounded just so chill. And I'm like, claats, how did you do this? We want the magic secret, but I think it is because it's also organized and to be fair, we've had multiple meetings, everything. And we're trying to get the stand builders to do as much for us as possible before we arrive. But definitely coordination is tricky and then access is limited and then electrics and coordination on that side of things. [00:13:57] Speaker B: And interesting warehouse last year compared to the first year, definitely reads more as a house. [00:14:04] Speaker D: Oh, it's another level. [00:14:06] Speaker B: And I realize partly because of the facade, but putting that to one side, it definitely reads less as a series of isolated rooms. Whereas the very first one felt like you were walking through a set of room sets, a suite of room sets. [00:14:19] Speaker D: Well, it was a very brave thing to do because there had never really been anything like that. I mean, I'm Americans in the U.S. you have all sorts of, you have Kips Bay, you have, you know, all of the tradition of the show house, but it's usually in a house. I mean, this was a pop up in the middle of Chelsea Harbor. I mean, what a genius idea. But it was a series of rooms without ceilings. Because that was a surprise to us. You know, I think when we chatted, you wanted to know what surprises. We had plans where there was a fixed ceiling and we had lighting. We had gotten someone on board to do spotlights. And then right before they said, no, you get a fabric mesh. So there was less lighting. And we had. It was, you know, and by the way, that happens in every project everywhere. So you just roll with the punches and you, and you get on with it. And the ceiling heights were lower, so it definitely felt like a temporary exhibition. Whereas what is incredible now is you walk in, you're like, this room could be a permanent room. [00:15:19] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:15:20] Speaker E: And there's air conditioning then, which is essential. [00:15:28] Speaker D: But isn't it great that they're always taking on board the feedback from the designers? I mean, that is, that is one of the, you know, the, the, the many great things I think that Claire oversees. But every year she's interested in how can this get better and more impressive as an ambassador for, you know, as a way to mark all of the great talent that there is in London and now also internationally as well. So that evolution is great to see. [00:15:57] Speaker C: It's so easy to work with good people. Like, that's the joy. And I actually spoke to Mark, you know, and he's so excited because it's when you're connected to the product that you're collaborating with, it's like there's no, there's no pushback, if you know what I mean. And basically I actually pulled the idea together relatively quickly. It was inspired by my first year in London, which was 2004, a more analog time. I wanted something that was very free of tech, very elevated, very like just serene. And the minute, as I say, I saw the paper, it all coagulated very, very quickly. And then we did our sketch. And then I flew to Paris in January, met with Philip. We did a lovely lunch. I showed him the sketch. He asked me to make one change and add. Cause thanks to Natalia, we have ceilings now. So in the coffered ceiling, could we add some lighting? Because we were wallpapering it and he was like, actually if we added a bit of led, you'd see more of the paper. So it was so beautiful and easy. And so we were able to crack on very quickly. But I think you're using things as well that you've collected that maybe you haven't like. We're doing a beautiful fire case with Victoria Stone. The Brompton that was on my MO board for a while. I hadn't gotten a chance to use it in a project. I get to use it. We're working with an amazing Irish girl who embroiders fabric. She's just been doing the mesh in New York, so she's doing a one off piece inspired by flowers from where I'm from in the west of Ireland. You know, there's all these different people. And then also we're reusing someone's French doors from a couple of years ago. We wanted larger windows. And then Simone and the team said, I think we've got a beautiful pair of French doors. [00:17:41] Speaker B: So is there a. Is there a warehouse full of leftover [00:17:44] Speaker C: beasts so they try and reuse? Because I think Claire is very, you know. You know, we part of the whole. Exactly. [00:17:52] Speaker E: To reuse and because environmentally it's all. And so we've been asked and we've been asked to let them know what we're going to do with the products, what we're going to do afterwards. Some of the stuff was loaned. Sorry, I interrupted you. No, no, not at all. The stuff was loaned. Which makes it much easier than. There is no waste. But the rest. We are attempting to refit it in our parents showroom. [00:18:17] Speaker D: I love hearing that because when I did the room, you know, there was no warehouse. It had just been done a year before. And when I approached my design, sustainability was very much in mind. I was like, this is a room that's going to be taken down after a few weeks. And it informed my strategy. I wanted to do, you know, beautiful, elegant room but sensible. So it actually makes me very happy to hear that because you can only get so. Wow. When you are being as practical as I was. If I were to do it all over again, it might have been a little bit less practical. More Wow. I love. [00:18:53] Speaker C: Because that. It's interesting that you said that about the lack of light that the lighting in your room. What I remember about your room was the mood and the tone. So I don't know, like sometimes there's serendipity, you know, that comes into it, you know, and we did have tricks on. [00:19:07] Speaker D: Yeah, we did. We found solutions when we couldn't. But no, you know, it's a primary bedroom. It's meant to be, I know, cozy, you know, enveloping and soft and a little sexy. Yeah. So the lighting was very much. It was always going to be moody. We just didn't know quite how moody it was going to be. [00:19:25] Speaker B: So going onto something slightly more prosaic. How do the finances work? Do Warehouse contribute any funding towards the rooms? [00:19:32] Speaker E: No, you have to pay Warehouse. [00:19:34] Speaker B: Wow. [00:19:34] Speaker E: By the square meter. So morning room will cost much more than Hyglocroom. And it's the sponsor who takes it on after that. I'm guessing it really depends on the designer and the relationship between the designer and the sponsor who pays what I can only spend. Speak for my experience. We took it on. On the agreement with Mark Mark that we would ask for as many favors as we could. And frankly, we didn't have to ask much at all. It was brilliant. We've had so many people helping us for free, loaning, giving. We even had the builders for this showroom do the building for free, for hours, so. [00:20:19] Speaker B: And was it the same in your day, Natalia? [00:20:21] Speaker D: It was, but I think we participated in other ways. We borrowed a lot of things, which I thought was great. I love an opportunity to showcase suppliers and people. I love working with and showcasing the projects. I know some designers who spent a lot of money. Again, I wanted to approach it in a very practical way. I had designed some beautiful pieces of furniture that were going to be a part of my new collection. They seamlessly integrated into a project at the end of the summer. So they weren't, you know, so we were sort of clever that way. The art was my personal collection, but again, that was design, but also financial cleverness. Yeah, I think, and I think it [00:21:02] Speaker C: comes back to what we were talking about earlier. But it's, it's. There is financial outlay, but the return in you couldn't quantify that. And I think, like, one of the things myself and Philip were very simpatical on is if you're going to do something, you do it properly and you go for it. And instead of trying to do 10 million different things, it's actually, I like to do one big thing a year if I can, or maybe, you know, and so I'm more than happy to invest my marketing budget or what I need to. To your point, so many people want to help out, but there's certain things that you just can't. Like we've got a lot of architectural detailing, molding elements, all of that. They've given us a really good discount. But you understand, it's. It's tens of meters. So you want to contribute, or you've got curtain makers. You know, there's labor costs there that can't be covered. So it's, you know, I'm more than happy. But where the product can be showcased, you know, we have had no problems. And like the fabric houses, and there's even. We're working with John Cole in lighting on the lighting scheme. And of course, the whole thing is I want it to be analog and simple, but that's kind of an art in itself. So you're working with service providers things. But for me, it's a worthy investment. And because it's there for 30 days, you know, you would not do this for many other things. And I have an incredible team. We're all flying in and out and we. Yeah, and. But I'm working. It's just. It's so worth it because it's also sort of dialogue. So there's people. Each of the fabrics are. Are people that I've worked with for over 20 years. Like Patrick Garland's doing the framing. You know, there's. There's all these people. And a girl that used to work for me at Harrods and then at Starwood Cap, she's now set up an amazing shop called pitch in St Leonard's so we're doing the art and all the accessories together. So every piece, there's all these relationship. There's something bigger than a marketing exercise or. Do you know what I mean? It's. It's kind of a seminal thing. I don't know if you'd agree with that. You know, maybe you'll be doing it more years than us, but as a designer, it feels quite one off. [00:23:17] Speaker E: This is what my. My colleague was asking me, saying, you got a lot of favors this year. Are we. Are we going to carry on getting that help? You know, because ultimately, the price, if you want money, if you want to know numbers, the reality is an exhibition like Salone del Mobile in Milan a couple of weeks ago can cost easily half a million euros, easily. To be at the exhibition, to have a stand. [00:23:43] Speaker C: I was at your stand last Wednesday. [00:23:47] Speaker E: It's complicated now. We took the decision to actually open a showroom there because it was actually cheaper, which is crazy when you think about it. Wowhouse is nowhere near that. In reality, in real numbers, as in what you're spending, the outlay of people is a bit different. You add people to that. People cost. But between the help, between Mark's incredible support and how he asked for so many favors, et cetera, and also we did. We're going to be less than that. And it's for a whole month and there's only, what, 15 rooms or 20 rooms compared to whole halls. Halls, yeah. So it's. No, it's an incredible opportunity financially, even if you do outlay, you know, a value, a valuable amount. [00:24:29] Speaker D: For me, it was from a sort of publicity point of view and the photography, although my room was very hard to photograph. I think one of the things we talked about is, like, I was perfectly happy doing a primary bedroom, but it was very difficult to photograph because you came in from the side, so there wasn't a great angle for it. But it was convincing a lot of my clients to be a little bit more adventurous in allowing us to use color saturation or certain materials that they had in. And I did. I mean, this is one thing, and I'm sure you've both thought of this, because you're far more clever than I am, I'm sure. But, you know, it's 30 days of trying to be present, you know, and obviously you can't be there every day, but sometimes you miss that one person. So I entertained in the space quite a bit. You know, they're quite good about picking when you can host events. So I had a breakfast for clients and I had drinks for. Or the suppliers who help us. Like, there were opportunities to do that. But for me, I looked at it as, what would I like a client to do that I can't convince them in a drawing? And that was like, let's use the same color everywhere on every surface. Because it was just something I really wanted to test. And it worked out great. [00:25:51] Speaker B: But that's where Whitehouse is unique, I think, in that it's. It's a chance for the public to see those types of rooms and those cases. [00:25:58] Speaker E: It's total freedom as well. Yeah. I mean, we weren't given any restriction. There was a problem at some point because there is a whole wall, which is basically a media wall, and it's a view. And it was a problem for photography, which is what you were talking about. It's really bad for photography. But they didn't say, no, you can't do it. They were kind of scratching their throats going, how are you going to photograph this? On and on and on and on until we found a solution. But they. We didn't find. Did you find any restrictions? Did they say anything? [00:26:29] Speaker C: No, absolutely not. Here. I felt they've been so. And I think because they've got that five years, they really know what the pitfalls are, and they've really helped us navigate that. As I said, even finding us some French doors, which was amazing, and things like curtains on either side, like, a lot. And we've been in touch with the designers, even either side of us, to get the transitions. But to your point, and we were talking about this earlier, Jeff, you know, the transitions will be quite interesting. There's very different designs going on, but I think that's what makes it so evocative as well. [00:27:01] Speaker B: And again, just coming a bit practical for a minute. So when you kind of start and you've kind of got your vision in your head, do you then almost do a fee proposal for the project in the sense that you're actually allocating a certain Amount of studio time and a certain amount of your time and a certain amount of time. [00:27:15] Speaker C: No, not for me. Whatever it takes, you just jump in [00:27:18] Speaker D: both feet and see what happens. It is what it is. I mean again, you know, you can be as practical but you know, installing down to the wire, I have to say I'm very proud. We, we were the first designers finished. We finished our installation on time, ahead of schedule. [00:27:36] Speaker C: Because we're so organized. [00:27:38] Speaker D: We're organized about things like that. I hate that last minute panic. I can rush. [00:27:42] Speaker C: No, it's either. [00:27:43] Speaker D: It's too much stressful. It's too stressful. So you know, we give everybody internally. But no, Susie, I mean you just, you know, you jump in and you have to take it as far as you can. Again, you know, one of my regrets is that I probably didn't staff it enough for the subs, you know, for the 30 days, you know, we didn't, you know, we are in a showroom with natural salespeople or that we are [00:28:04] Speaker E: very lucky to be here because I can send someone every day to spend time in place and also one, when we send clients over we can then meet them here. And I think it showcases we compared to designers who you're so restricted most of the time because you work with high end clients who will not show their properties. You're so restricted with what you can show, aren't you? Whilst we're very lucky, we're literally across the road saying you've like what you've seen. [00:28:30] Speaker D: Come on there. [00:28:31] Speaker E: Yeah, they'll show you more. So that's a big advantage. [00:28:35] Speaker C: And I've actually brought clients so I flew in last year with some clients to actually walk the space. We were starting a project and I knew it's kind of a controlled environment but I thought this, you know, this client's going to get a lot from it and it was amazing. And then we were, you know, we were walking through and Berglisha was in her room and she did a talk that day. So I always do the tours. I wait and I, or I text Rebecca and I say when are you doing a tour? Because once you go on the tour you get so much more up for me as a visitor because you're understanding even if the designers aren't there, the tall process behind key pieces within the space. And I think you're right. Like staffing is, you know, having. So actually we've got my whole team are going to kind of cycle through and we'll do a couple of days a week and then the Philip Jeffries team and then actually some of the brands that we're working with, like pure white lines, they've offered to come and help us. So I do think having a presence on the stand is a good. Yeah, we'll try and do that. [00:29:36] Speaker D: But as you know, as a design studio, my fantastic team are great designers. They're not natural salespeople necessarily. So, you know, we ended up writing a little script, [00:29:48] Speaker C: we did a little [00:29:49] Speaker D: postcard, you know, postcard with a bit of the information and we said, okay, these are key things to say but lots of learning experiences out of Wowhouse, which, you know, that's something we haven't talked about. The didactic element for our team or for us as designers, whether it is reading the manual of regulations or thinking about how you really want to maximize it in marketing, it's a very fast tracked learning experience. [00:30:21] Speaker B: So when you first they set the thing up, you gotta walk in, you're gonna get your first glimpse of this space that you are going to dress, that you're going to create. Tell me about that experience. [00:30:32] Speaker D: I mean it's chaotic and you know, as much as you've planned it, you have to imagine that everybody's in the same. And we were a middle room. Right. So you had to get through the de Gournay room and I can't remember who was on the other. [00:30:45] Speaker B: Is it kind of at that first. Is it like tape on the floor or the walls? [00:30:48] Speaker C: Oh no, they're all constructed so that we before. I think they're going to start putting in the stone for the front entrance next week or that's. It's all starting now. And then the week before the structure is put in. And then you then get that Monday morning at 8 o' clock you're in. [00:31:04] Speaker D: But everybody's in on Monday. [00:31:06] Speaker C: Everybody. [00:31:06] Speaker D: That's my point. I'm not saying that it's chaotic in the way it's the implementation because it isn't. And they know what they're doing is just crowded and crowded and you know, and people are tripping over things and you know, everyone's got their own entrance now. [00:31:21] Speaker C: I think they've, they've organized. [00:31:23] Speaker D: I didn't have my own entrance. [00:31:25] Speaker E: It's literally. [00:31:27] Speaker D: That's a much. But that's so much. [00:31:29] Speaker C: So my fresh doors don't go in till the Thursday because. And you've only got access. You've. No, you can't go. They're blocked off. [00:31:37] Speaker D: I feel like I was a pioneer. [00:31:40] Speaker C: You were. [00:31:40] Speaker D: I was a pioneer. [00:31:42] Speaker C: We were pioneers in Simon Stone. [00:31:44] Speaker D: No, no, it was an honor and a privilege. But, you know, I wonder what year one was because. But ours, we were literally sandwiched. And it was, it was, it was, it was, it was a thing. But we, we survived and, and enjoyed it. Exactly. [00:32:01] Speaker A: And obviously there would be elements of your design that need to be attached to and supported by the warehouse structure. So how early in the process do you start working with the on site building team, Sara? [00:32:12] Speaker C: I mean, how that happens? Yes, you had a very hard date for your technical pack to go out to Stabilo. Who are the builders? And they had lots of really good questions for us. Funny enough, like, famous last word, Sarah. But, you know, we made the decision to get Stabilo to do as much as possible off the base build because for me, it's to get ahead. It's for us to have as much of those four days now. Things happen. We had a sequencing of. Because we're putting down a beautiful kind of timber panel floor. We've got a limestone fireplace to go in. We've got a serious amount of wallpapering because if you stood in that room long enough, you'd get wallpapered. So, you know, literally it's that sequencing and then we've got, you know, we've just heard, oh, no, we can't get the fireplace in that day. So now we're like, okay, well, how can we flip this around? You know, so you are, you're very much trying to navigate. But as we said, we've tried to put as much into the origin, into the pre built package as possible decoration, all of that ceiling detailing. So, like, we've worked with AREC on all our detailing and like, we've already shipped that. That's already with Stabilo. [00:33:23] Speaker D: And we had worked with Stabilo at Masterpiece because I had done the private dining room for Masterpiece a few years before. So we had the experience with them, but you can't change things on the fly. You know, it's very, it's very expensive or they won't do it. You, you know, you couldn't bring your own electrician last minute. You know, we were very delayed. I remember at some point because the electrician that we had organized with them was taking longer in another room. And we were waiting to hang art for the wall lights to be up, you know, all of the things. But you can't just bring someone in, which is what we would do on site because of all of the regulations, which makes sense. [00:33:59] Speaker E: We've asked for a completely empty box. Even the electrician. We've said no, thank you. And brought in our own. And I'm terrified. We are internally terrified. We know it's going to be all right. [00:34:08] Speaker D: Sorry, I didn't mean to blame. [00:34:09] Speaker E: No, no. We've been terrified for a while. But it's, you know, the designer Mark keeps saying it's all going to be fine and he does make things happen and it does, it is fine most of the time. But there is that feeling inside where you know that you're bringing your own electrician from this place because the lighting is being made bespoke and can only be fitted by this guy. And then you've got the joinery which can only be fitted by these people. And you're looking at it thinking, how are we getting 10 trades all together in four days? I have no idea. [00:34:40] Speaker D: In a powder room. [00:34:41] Speaker E: In a powder room, yes. We don't get a big morning room. We have the powder room. [00:34:44] Speaker C: I think sometimes the smaller rooms are far. Are the hardest, to your point, you know, because you've got different people trying [00:34:52] Speaker B: to walk on top of each other. [00:34:53] Speaker A: That's the only time. You've got four days for. On pretty much. [00:34:57] Speaker E: And then it's photography. [00:34:58] Speaker C: Yeah. They're snagging on Friday. [00:35:00] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:35:01] Speaker B: And so did they give you a sort of. Do they look at your design and then say, right, that's a five day [00:35:07] Speaker C: install, that's three days. [00:35:10] Speaker E: You've got the time and that's for you to work. [00:35:12] Speaker B: But I mean, in terms of man days, how do they allocate the resource over there? [00:35:16] Speaker C: No, once you're on that Monday morning, by the grace of God. Yeah. The only person that we have is the electrician and that's been. Because we've got Nucleus, we've got John Cullen, we've got our own decorative fittings, we've got, you know, like to create one room. To your point, about man hours. I think if you actually really thought about the man, you would be like. [00:35:43] Speaker E: But. [00:35:44] Speaker C: But it's the same time, it is this learning curve and to be honest, anyone in my studio has even touched it in terms of the development. I know that's on their CV for life. I was part of the Wowhouse team and I really want to actually expose as much of my team as possible because I remember when I was in Helen's doing Decorx as part of her team and then when I did decorex myself in 2021, you know, that is just experience that you can't bottle or, you know, it's. It's just. You've really got to go through it, and there's no other way. It's just got to be done and it's got to be ready. [00:36:18] Speaker A: And Natalia, do you remember there being a great sense of collaboration, of people helping each other? [00:36:24] Speaker B: Sure. [00:36:25] Speaker A: And other designers. [00:36:27] Speaker D: Very much so. And it's exciting to see and, you know, everybody, you know, the success of the rooms next to you make your room look better. The idea is. And that's one of the things I've always really liked about the interior design industry. I think I have so many friends in the business. I'm. And I'm interested in seeing them do well. It felt very collaborative. It feels like everybody's mucking in and, you know, again, there can be some testing moments. I mean, I'm not going to lie to you, I was not on site all the time. I certainly walked away a couple of times and left my incredible team when it looked very, very hairy. So I'm lucky in that or a coward, one of the two. But no, it's just great energy and great buzz leading up to it. And certainly we had wonderful feedback afterwards from everybody who was involved and proud to be a part of it. [00:37:19] Speaker A: And the hotline to a supplier to say, can you help me out? I need it now. I mean, that must happen too. [00:37:28] Speaker E: Yes. A perfect example is we've asked V1. They make beautiful 3D imagery, and we had this incredible media wall that was being loaned to us and absolutely nothing to show on it. We kept putting it back saying, yeah, we'll find something beautiful, like a beautiful view and never actually put our mind to it until at some point I called Mark and I said, I think we really need to start thinking, what are we going to show? And he's like, I know what I want to show. It's like, okay, but we need to. To do this. So we called PAT at V1 and he said, yeah, we'll help you. So they're now creating a screen, like a view that moves, but not too much, otherwise it makes people feel unwell. So it's about finding the right aesthetic and things like that. But it is a last minute kind of. Can you save us, please? It does happen, and I'm sure there'll be more of that. [00:38:16] Speaker B: Obviously, Warehouse attracts not just the interior design community, but also a growing percentage of public visitors. As the designer, this is probably one for Natalia, because you won't know yet. So as a designer has showcasing your skills through Warehouse Room led to other commissions? [00:38:31] Speaker D: It didn't lead to other commissions, but as I said, it allowed a lot of My existing clients to push the boundaries a little bit more and trust a bit more, which was great. Again, you know, I think it is. It is. You know, we did it a long time ago. We love showing the photography. People remember it as a very beautiful, classic room, which I'm very proud of, because I've done crazy things. I've done other rooms that are crazy and more colorful. This was just an exercise, we thought, in an element of restraint. But commercially, I think it's all the other things I talked about, the didactic element, the marketing element, the Instagram of the beautiful. [00:39:14] Speaker E: Still to this day, on your socials. [00:39:16] Speaker D: Sure. But, you know, it's got to move fast. Life moves fast, so I wouldn't mind doing it again. Watch the space. I'm just hanging there for that. I can't wait to see yours. [00:39:29] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:39:30] Speaker D: But no, I think a lot of people have gotten great work out of it. It's just. It depends on what you're in it for. I'm in it. I'll support anything, Any venture of Claire dreams. I think she's just terrific. And I think what it does, and this is a point I made earlier, but I think is so important is I think it is an iconic date in the London design calendar globally. And you see it with so much press coming from different countries, from the Middle east, from the US And I don't think there are many others like that, you know, and I think that's really important because it's created not just. It's not just a hub for suppliers or a resource for us as designers. It is an iconic moment in the design calendar in the uk and it allows our talents to be showcased. So from that point of view, it is absolutely invaluable. [00:40:21] Speaker B: So throughout the whole Wowhouse journey, what was your most memorable moment and what has been your most memorable moment so far? Natalia, do you want to start? [00:40:32] Speaker D: Well, again, just because I'm the. The veteran in the group, but there's something really special about that moment when it's all come together and, you know, you're wandering through and seeing the responses. For me, the responses from my colleagues is very touching. You know, the ones who loved it and you felt a genuine sense of camaraderie and that, you know, that opening night gala, you can't really bottle up the feeling. It's really. It's a really exciting one. And this year it'll have air conditioning, so it'll be even better. [00:41:04] Speaker E: So I can't wait. [00:41:06] Speaker D: Plan the outfit now. [00:41:10] Speaker E: I think so far, I mean, I'm pretty sure the gala will be a big moment for us as a team, as THC Paris. But for me, probably the fact that I was. Mark invited me to the south of France on holiday last summer. And when I arrived, I arrived for the present, obviously, to say thank you for inviting. And then I said, and I've got another present for you. I'd like you to do Wild House with us. And obviously he was really excited. It was such a beautiful moment. And then we started drinking a bit of wine, and he said, I know what we're going to do. We're going to do A Room with a view. And he started going completely crazy about this room with a view. And I thought, where is he taking me? And I started having mild panic. But the wine helping. I was like, no, it'll be fine. We'll do A Room with a view. And I love the fact that we're almost a year later and it is a room with a view. And it's everything he described. And we created that idea together. And I didn't block him on anything. You know, when he said the type of taps he wanted, I was like, yeah, we could do that again. Why helping? And I think that's, for me, that's really the moment, you know, where you see the creative genius of what you guys do is just so beautiful to be a part of that. [00:42:17] Speaker C: I think it was actually at the unveiling of the other designers, because you didn't really know who. Who else was going to be part of it. Better than Strictly. Better than Strictly. But it was so funny because you do become part. Like you mentioned at Wowzer. Because when I was in Paris, after I'd met with Philip, I ended up just having a quick coffee with Claire and Sabine in the du Magot, as one is in the Saint Germain. And the first thing she said to [00:42:43] Speaker D: me was, you're a Wowzer. And I'm like. [00:42:46] Speaker C: I had this, like, my. [00:42:47] Speaker D: The chills. [00:42:47] Speaker E: I was like, am I? [00:42:50] Speaker C: But as I said, I mean, I'm the prayer, you know, the pressure's on, and we're so close now. This time next month, it'll be open. People will be walking through it. So it'll be actually. Yeah. I mean, it's going to be super exciting. [00:43:03] Speaker A: It will be. Can't wait. Can't wait. [00:43:05] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:43:05] Speaker B: Honestly, Alexandra and Natalia and Sarah, that's just been. What a fantastic conversation. I'm so excited. I thought I was excited before, but. [00:43:12] Speaker E: No, but Piccadillo is. [00:43:15] Speaker A: Well, it's truly on, and we can't wait. So thank you so much for joining us today. It's been brilliant. And thank you THG Paris for hosting us as well. It's been wonderful. You can find out more about [email protected] the interior design business is a wildwood plus production.