MEET THE MAKERS

Interview with Kit Kemp, Firmdale Hotels

6 minute read
Emma Johnson

The veritable doyenne of the global luxury hotel group Firmdale, Kit Kemp has made a name for herself as a bold and creative designer who brings her love of colour and pattern to every single room and space she designs…

From cosy restaurants decorated with highly patterned wallpaper to textured cushions and boldly colourful bedspreads, Kit Kemp’s creativity and expert eye are evident in all of her beautiful London hotels. 

Dream Escape’s Head of Product, Louise Murray, says: “As soon as you step into a Firmdale hotel you know that you are somewhere special. Kit Kemp’s unique design eye is everywhere, and she brings an unparalleled elegance to the use of colour and pattern. Each hotel has its own identity and all of them capture the very essence of London life and style.” 

Dream Escape has a unique and trusted relationship with Firmdale, which means any bookings made through Dream Escape include a host of special extras, such as welcome gifts, food and beverage credits and room upgrades. Providing an inside scoop on her creative process, Kit Kemp sits down with Dream Escape to talk about finding inspiration from London’s extraordinary history, and the joy of working on new collaborations.

Do you recall the first time you consciously knew you were designing a space?

Yes, I do! It was my first bedroom at home, which was the size of a postage stamp. I actually just covered the entire wall with pictures from magazines, in a sort of blocking pattern. I didn’t have any glue, so I used flour and water. My bed was the same height as the window ledge, so I could sit up there and just look straight out into the garden and the trees. It was my little eyrie. I really love tiny spaces.

Where did your passion for design come from? 

I think because I’ve always loved colour and pattern – and so people often asked me about it. Even with the way I dressed, it shouldn’t have worked, but it did. I didn’t know that I was going to be an interior designer because I think I thought it was far too sophisticated for me. But then, wherever I was working, I always ended up redoing things and looking at interiors again.

Is colour coming back? 

Definitely. Colour gives strength to things. It makes you feel happy; it’s joyful. It’s very powerful. You don’t need lots of really frantic colours, but you do need that warmth and the joy that opening your front door to a lovely yellow hallway can bring. It instantly brightens you. 

Is that how you want people to feel, when they check into a Firmdale Hotel? 

Yes. I want them to say: “Oh, come and have a look at my room.” I want each room to have a clear design thread which is congruent and harmonious and that you just love for the time that you’re there. And if I can get someone who just wants to live in beige and white interested in a fabric or a texture or a colour, then I think I’ve achieved something. Getting them to look around, look again, be curious, and feel like they’re having a bit of fun.

So, do you always have a clear vision in mind either when you’re designing or sort of redoing a hotel? 

I actually think the best interiors are those you haven’t thought through to the nth degree. Design is an organic process, and you’re learning along the way. I actually do the common parts of each hotel, and the really important rooms like the penthouse suites last. So, it’s sort of built up to by that stage. I always say to people to just allow yourself that little bit of time and space to create and know you’ve got it right. 

Quite a lot of the buildings that you’ve got hotels in are quite old or historic. Is that a big influence for you?

Definitely. With Charlotte Street, being in Bloomsbury was such a great starting point. And The Fox Club in London, which was all about Charles James Fox. I love the fact that you’re learning about the city you’re in, and London is such a rich encyclopedia when it comes to history. 

I’m a trustee of Heritage of London Trust, which protects things like fountains, tops of steeples, and church towers. I love going along to these weird places, like the Wanstead Grotto in E11. Or somewhere in the city. All the time, I’m just assimilating, and it’s really helping me with my work. 

You clearly like to get inspiration from lots of different places. Is that why you started working on collaborative design projects? 

I think things like that are great for me, and fantastic for my team. Suddenly you have to really think about crockery, cutlery, glassware, textiles – and bringing that together into a collection is exciting. And sometimes a bit frightening too. Which is good.  

It’s a really great thing for a designer to do because it pushes you outside your comfort zone. And you should always do that. 

One of your most recent collaborations was with Annie Selke. How did that come about? 

Oh, she’s amazing. We actually worked on this throughout the pandemic. She’s really funny and fabulous to work with. I immediately liked her. We created three collections of some of our favourite places – London, New York and Barbados. Barbados is bright, bright, bright; New York is sophisticated. And then London, more of those Bloomsbury colours. 

Do you have a few favourite pieces in it?

I love Lily Pad mainly because of the Strié thread, which means that within one ball of wool you get several different colours, giving it lovely depth and texture. Eternal Spring – the original inspiration came from wonderful Scandinavian rugs that were made in the ’60s. And then Hotline, which has loads of different colours in it, comes up at you and sort of goes back – yet it can go with so many different schemes. 

It’s lovely to hear about your inspiration from all over the world. But I know London is really close to your heart. How do you like to enjoy the city when you’re here?

My London is all about walking. I love to walk and to see all the different areas. I walk all the way from Covent Garden back to my office in South Kensington in a very short time. And within those streets there’s so much love, and it’s so cosmopolitan. I mean, you know, London is one of those cities where every nation is represented, and I love that. 

IMAGE CREDIT: Images courtesy of Firmdale Hotels, Kit Kemp and Kit Kemp Studio

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