Here at Kia Designs we like to carbon offset our yearly contributions and invest in environmental projects in the UK. We try to keep as paperless an office as possible, and keep our printing output low. Interior Design isn’t the cleanest industry, we use lots of cotton (particularly in carpets and curtains) which is one of […]
We’re often asked how we start a design. It’s a hard thing to answer as it’s really an intangible concept. After we’ve decided on the new layout, we start by asking the client a lot of questions, and getting a firm idea of what they don’t like and what they gravitate towards, as well as […]
We’re often visited at our office by sales reps who have come to show us their new wares and demonstrate their products. It’s great to see what’s in the pipeline before it hits any showroom, and it’s always good to have a library of innovative products in mind when listening to clients concerns. A recent visit that […]
Every week we receive emails from prospective interior design interns. They are usually from students looking for experience in their holidays, or recent graduates looking for intern programs that will translate into permanent positions. Occasionally we get applicants who want to completely change career, or who have experience in a similar field and want to gain […]
It’s trade show time again. This week we’ve been looking at new trends in tiles and at the various wares on show at Surface Design. The big emerging trends are more geometric shapes, lots of hand-painted effect tiles and imprinted porcelain. Whilst we never really go in for “trends”, as nothing dates a property faster, […]
Pretty much every client that we have ever worked with has wanted an island unit in their kitchen. The island unit holds a variety of benefits: obviously it provides one with extra preparation space whilst cooking, it also provides a more casual eating area and is more social (if your hob is on the island […]
Recently we have been on the look out for a variety of lighting options for a client of ours in Mayfair. The rooms within the house are extremely large and, as a result, it has been somewhat of a challenge for us to find lighting that fits the proportions of the room. This piece will […]
One of our newest clients is re-vamping their 6 floor home in Mayfair: we are having a number of older pieces of furniture re-upholstered and so we are in the process of finding furniture which will link the old with the new. A number of Porta Romana lamps fulfill this specification admirably: I find these […]
Quite often we design studies/offices for clients – within such areas they will sometimes hold meetings and will sometimes simply want to relax with a book. In such instances we are always very careful with regard to the seating that we choose: often having a meeting whilst sitting adjacently with a client on a sofa […]
Yes you did read the title of this post correctly! We are looking for wreckable rugs because we are currently designing a teenage girls bedroom who apparently has a unique talent for wrecking almost anything that is put in her room…so today we are looking for rugs that are cheap enough that her parents may not […]
One of my favourite feature pieces to search for are dining tables. With the diminishing size of many inner city properties the traditional ‘dining table’ is becoming an item that many households are starting to live without as many people instead use a more multipurpose table to dine at. The social aspect of eating is […]
Bar stools for a modern home can really add a wow point in an interior design, especially if they are in an open plan setting. Recently we have been looking for some gorgeous modern bar stools for a project we are working on outside London. From left to right: Tonic Home Rings Barstool, Calligaris Even […]
Most of the projects we take on tend to be full scale refurbishments, with this in mind we are often looking at a completely blank slate at the beginning of the project. For me one of the most important parts to get right are the fixtures (get them wrong and they are a pain to […]
As you may, or may not, know I have a bit of an obsession with lighting. For me it is one of the most important parts of interior design as its presence can not only highlight some of the most beautiful parts of a design but can also add depth and texture. Today we are […]
Every part of a room design is so important and making a great first impression is the name of the game. These gorgeous door handles would certainly make an impression on your guests! 1. Rococo Pop POA 2.Dragon Door Handle £150 3.Japanese Knob & Rose Set 9.99 ***Note: We are currently changing over our blog […]