Bold British Design, a Q&A with author Emilio Pimentel-Reid

BOLD BRITISH DESIGN A brilliant new book by Emilio Pimentel-Reid.

Modern living spaces to inspire fearlessness and creativity…

Emilio Pimentel-Reid

Emilio Pimentel-Reid (@whatemiliosaw) is a Creative Director who works across the disciplines of design, events, retail, publishing and is the co-author of a new book called Bold British Design smarturl.it/boldbritishdesign with photographer Sarah Hogan (@shoganphoto).

Emilio takes you into the homes and studios of British-based creatives - collectors, decorators, product designers, artists, colourists and craftspeople, who are all breaking new ground and a few rules too in interior design and decoration.

Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook) Photography ŠSarah Hogan, styled by Emilio Pimentel-Reid

My book in ten, our Q&A with Emilio.

What was the idea behind the book?

The idea for this book came from a desire to share the energy and delight I have experienced in my role as a Creative Director collaborating with the many talented individuals I encounter in the UK’s interiors world.

Created in partnership with photographer Sarah Hogan, our book is a snapshot of UK design today showcasing the houses and studios of 21 British-based people working in a range of interiors-related fields.

Through profiles and short interviews, we provide context and insight into their design choices. The various spaces reveal distinctive elements of their work, personality, taste and training that led them to create personal, stylish workplaces and homes.

What characterizes British Design?

In today’s British design landscape, a respect for history coexists with extreme modernity.

Craftsmanship and tradition are revered but not left to grow stale. International artistic influences blend with the home-grown, both as a result of media exposure and the arrival of immigrants who keep their traditions alive while becoming a part of our nation. It is in this environment that the interiors and design we highlight sit.

Alternative Flooring’s Seagrass Herringbone in Emilio’s library and home office as seen in the book Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook).

Photography ©Sarah Hogan, styled by Emilio Pimentel-Reid

How did you decide on the edit of designer spaces?

The individuals featured in the book have been chosen for the originality and boldness of their work as well as that of their interiors, and to highlight a breadth of styles and design categories.

My personal favourite is my own flat in an 1815 Regency building in Bath which has opened up new decorating possibilities for me personally and professionally.

Tell us about your own space and the design choices in your flat.

Spread across the two main floors of a Grade I listed Regency building, I now enjoy a sun-filled duplex with high ceilings, architectural details that survived the blitz and creaking floorboards of Baltic pine. The front overlooks the handsome chestnut trees of one of the first public parks in the country, and the back my romantically overgrown garden. Designed by architect John Pinch the elder in 1815, the rooms have been restored and updated for modern life by the team at Donald Insall Associates. The clear light and airiness of the apartment reminds me of growing up in the Dominican Republic surrounded by lush vegetation and high glass-paned windows.

I have reimagined my flat as an indulgent one bedroom with a living room, library/home office, as well as a kitchen (in the former withdrawing room) and a garden room. My style at home is personal and reflects my interests, upbringing, friendships and mentors. I’m exposed to and work with the most contemporary things in my professional life and yet don’t want to live exclusively surrounded by newness. I appreciate furniture with history and having a couple of pieces dated from the same period as the building acknowledge what the interior could have looked like in the past. They also look great in the context for which they were created. I live with a mix of Georgian, Regency and Victorian furniture as well as designs that have just been launched.

Alternative Flooring’s Seagrass Herringbone in Emilio’s bedroom as seen in the book Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook). Photography ©Sarah Hogan, styled by Emilio Pimentel-Reid

Colour and pattern make me happy and the scale of my rooms (the ceilings are over 4 metres) means I have the challenge of plenty of wall space to hang art and textiles. I don’t care about price or provenance in the sense that something good does not need to be expensive. I regularly pick up fabrics, ceramics and many other interesting accessories

at vintage shops and local markets. Other times I do fall for more expensive things that require a little more consideration before I invest.

My preference at home is for things that are well made and not disposable – whether old or new. If I really love something, I’m not afraid to go for a trendy piece; I know the trend will eventually be forgotten and I will end up with an object that I love forever.

Alternative Flooring’s Seagrass Herringbone in Emilio’s library and home office as seen in the book Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook).

Photography ©Sarah Hogan, styled by Emilio Pimentel-Reid

As a stylist and industry insider why did you select natural fibre flooring for particular rooms at home?

As a professional my Style-Refresher Service offers interior sourcing, shopping and styling to private clients (pimentel-reid.com) When I’m commissioned to hunt for that special something to enhance a room my focus is always on comfort, appropriateness and everyday usability.

The natural Seagrass Herringbone pattern from Alternative Flooring that I’ve chosen for my own space feels great underfoot and visually links the green library to my bedroom next door creating a comfortable relaxing suite.

The look of seagrass is elegant and relaxed, the flooring is practical and I must confess I adore the smell which I now associate with home.

This particular product has become a sort of signature and I regularly recommend it to clients for use in both modern and period properties.

Alternative Flooring’s Quirky B Honeycomb in Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire’s aka Mini Moderns living room as seen in the book Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook). Photography ©Sarah Hogan, styled by Emilio PimentelReid

Amongst the many creatives featured in the book Mini Moderns’ interior is particularly eye-catching. What do you like about design duo Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire’s aesthetic?

I love Mini Moderns’ mid-century modern influenced style and their appreciation of bold colour and pattern.

If you look at Mark and Keith’s accessories they tend to go for graphic applied pattern.

A lot of things around their home come from all over the place. Contemporary pieces and objects they have collected from growing up. Because they like junk shop finds, they often appreciate things that don’t have a huge design pedigree. The things they collect are pattern with a story.

I’ve included them in the book because there is a great appreciation for mid-century design in this country which still influences the contemporary output of successful brands like Mini Moderns.

What affect would you like the book to have?

BBD is not meant as a ‘how to’ book or a guide to what to do in your home, it is more of a ‘why not’. Let yourself explore your own taste and creativity just like the designers featured.

Our hope is that you feel emboldened by these personal insights to unleash your own story and creativity.

Views from Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire’s aka Mini Moderns living room and bedroom as seen in the book Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook). Photography ©Sarah Hogan, styled by Emilio Pimentel-Reid

Describe your style in three words Personal Comfortable Evolving

Any design mentors and early influences at the start of your own career?

I was born in the Dominican Republic and studied Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design in New York.

My love of colour and pattern developed at Oscar de la Renta, watching the designer mix seemingly unrelated fabrics and bold accessories, which combined to create the house’s signature look.

An understanding of clearly distilled visual concepts came from my formative time at Calvin Klein which led to an appreciation of minimalism.

A respect for both the contemporary and traditional later informed my move into the interiors field (following an MA and training in fine and decorative art at Sotheby’s) at the cult American interiors magazine Nest (edited by collector Joseph Holtzman), known for celebrating exceptional spaces and its bravery in valuing everything from stylish igloos to palaces.

View from Emilio’s bedroom with Alternative Flooring’s Seagrass Herringbone as seen in the book Bold British Design by Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille, Hardback & eBook).

Photography ©Sarah Hogan, styled by Emilio Pimentel-Reid

How are the designers you selected bold and what is the next trend?

The designers are bold not just in the sense of being colourful or quirky like illustrator Camilla Perkins (as some gravitate towards muted palettes and their work is subtle like Charlie Bowles) but they are deeply original , fearless in their interiors choices ,either breaking the mould or pushing the boundaries of creativity. Designer and environmentalist Sebastian Cox for example has his own woodland from which he harvests timber for his furniture and even grows light shades out of fungus.

They are also bold in personal ways, often unconstrained by rules, joyful (no more so than British Nigerian Yinka Ilori) and courageous both in how an individual product is made or how disparate elements are combined in a room. They also each exemplify many of the characteristics that make this country unique-a sense of humour and an appreciation for history, craft and modernity.

The trend is to be yourself and to explore your own creativity.