Sisterhood, Celebrating International Women’s Day

Posted on 7th March 2018 by n1kkir33s

I’m celebrating International Women’s Day by taking a moment to talk about sisterhood. Both my sister Lorraine and I started our own businesses in industries that can seem from the outside a total luxury. With interior design and beauty filling our Instagram feeds it can appear superficial and unimportant. But behind those squares we go deeper than just designing a perfect picture as we both share a passion to enhance the natural beauty of our client’s homes, face, or body and to make them feel happy in their own skin.

I started my interior design practice in 2013, I loved designing but I wanted to spend more time with my growing family. I wanted to have a more flexible lifestyle than my corporate career offered. I work more hours than I thought possible overseeing all areas of my business while organizing my family. But it is on my terms, around school pick-ups, bedtimes and school holidays. It’s a constant challenge but I love that my sons see their mum doing a job she loves. I have found the school playground a constant source of resource and support, leaning on so many amazingly talented mums that want to be there for the school pick up but also have a desire to do something they love.

I’m obsessed by creating beautiful homes that tell my client’s story. With most home renovation projects I work predominantly with the wife, listening to them to create their family’s dream home. It’s a privilege to be invited on such a personal journey with them to create a home that expresses their personally in a real and honest way. This might be creating a colour scheme that makes their heart sing or taking a special piece of furniture they already own feel relevant and refreshed within the new. Interior design is more than just a styled shoot. It’s about creating a grounded home a family love to come home to and where they can make happy memories.

Growing up our Grandad was very entrepreneurial before it was fashionable and our parents started a family business when we were at school so starting our own businesses never felt too scary as our family are always so supportive and told us three girls we could do anything. Lorraine, my youngest sister, realised a long-held dream by starting up a skin aesthetic brand with two London clinics and was voted Best London medi spa by Suitcasemagazine.com. Lorraine fell in love with skincare products and the way anti-ageing and rejuvenation treatments can not only enhance the way we look but also enrich our emotional wellbeing and self-confidence.

Lorraine takes time to hand pick skin treatments that achieve visible results for her clients. Her hands-on method allows her to help clients with life-long skin or hair concerns that make such a difference to the confidence of both men and women. When Lorraine asked me to design the Eden skin clinic within the globally renowned TONI&GUY in Kensington I was keen that we could capture her spirit and fresh approach to skin care. we worked hard to create a space that was not the stereotypical ‘female’ beauty salon but reflected the state-of-the-art non-invasive aesthetic treatments she specializes in such as the Venus freeze. The clinics interior is clean and bright with accents of colour and edited imagery and playful quotes that reflect the Eden brand philosophy. We were so proud to be featured by Hello magazine who described the clinic as an “oasis of calm”. While Stylenest felt that “the family touch gives a real comforting ambience to the clinics yet the sleek design makes them current and fresh.”

Design and beauty is always a personal journey and we both enjoy taking the time to closely work with so many amazing women to create homes that they enjoy every day, which reflect their values and personality or give them a new confidence in their own skin. It’s exciting to make such a difference and to be on this journey with my sister as we support and inspire each other by sharing ideas, tips and clients it’s a true family affair.

Today is a good day to think about the women in our lives. Mums, sisters, daughters and girlfriends and how we can all support and challenge each other to be our best selves, to be happy and to follow our dreams every day. Make IWD your day! – everyday!

#IWD2018 #PressforProgress

www.nikkirees.com

www.edenskinclinic.

Masion & Object

Posted on 3rd February 2018 by n1kkir33s

On a rainy Sunday in January I woke up bright and early and headed to Paris with Debbie from the Decorcafe. We were on a mission to absorb as much inspiration as we could in one day at Masion & Object, the largest trade show for furniture, lighting and interior design. The show was awash with bold solid colours, with shades of greens mixed with warm terracotta emerging as a strong trend. My absolute favourite stand was Petite Friture, I loved their use of graphic colour and illustration. Their furniture and lighting felt so fresh and original I could have spent all day on their stand.

I loved seeing on many stands the mix of natural materials such as leather, woods and rattan. There was a real trend for mixing miss matching metals together, with woods and marbles. Think mixing different shaped coffee tables together or clusters of mirrors in all shapes and sizes. A great idea if you want to add to existing furniture instead of replacing everything.

Bringing the outside in was a big trend in 2017 and its here to stay, if something stood still long enough at the show there was a plant placed on it. But think bigger plants and trailing plants for shelving displays. I had to pop down to my local florist the minute I got home to purchase a couple of trailing succulent plants just bring so much life into a home especially in these cold dark months.

It was great to see a homelier feel filtering into office furniture, with a simple paired back style that could be recreated in a corporate or home office. So many of us are working from home now that this space needs more thought than ever to keep us inspired and motivated. Office furniture in the past has always been too hard and utilitarian, but now it is becoming cooler with a focus on woods and muted colour and textiles that are practical. I have been designing workplace for several years and it’s always been challenging to find furniture that is not hard or in scary bright colours.

The day was a long one with 22,000 steps on my Fitbit, I felt I soaked up as much inspiration as I possibly could, I loved to see the interesting European brands with young designers emerging from Belgium and Portugal with a fresh approach. What I also found interesting was how many UK based brands I got to meet for the first time who do not always exhibit in the UK, therefore I will be popping over next year as I loved the day.

I thought I would end this blog with my favourite product of the day. I loved the shape of this stunning floor lamp, totally gorgeous.

Bathroom Interior Design tips

Posted on 3rd January 2018 by n1kkir33s

Happy 2018, I’m currently in the middle of designing 3 bathrooms for a lovely client so I thought it was the perfect time to share with you a few tips and ideas as so many of us have removed the Christmas decorations and started to see our homes again in a different light. Winter makes me want to soak in the bath for hours with a candle and a good book and I feel a bathroom needs to be designed with a little wanderlust in mind. You can take inspiration from a luxurious hotel and their use of opulent materials or by taking a few tips from stunning spas with their scents, reflective surfaces and natural woods and then make it your own.

You need a sense of glamour and luxury to help soak away the stress of the day. But in turn when you are rushing to get the family out of the house in the morning, washed and dressed you need to consider the logistics and design the layout to make it easy to reach the towel from the shower and not make the floor soaking!

Create a Sense of Space

A bathroom layout is key. You want to create a sense of space, a light and airy feel so you can move around freely. Don’t try and cram too much into a small space. Be practical in your space design and plan the layout to make the room a comfortable haven.

Smart storage solutions are vital for a decluttered bathroom. If you are designing a contemporary bathroom, look at added recesses or hidden storage to hide away the boring everyday stuff and display the prettier things.

Think about your lighting and how it complements the layout. Remember to have lighting just in-front of your face so you can see when putting on your make up, a lit mirror or wall lights can create a stunning center piece to a bathroom.

Material Finishes

I like a bathroom to feel like an extension to your living space. It does not need to be tiled wall to wall, ceiling to floor, but it can be softened with paint or by adding pattern and texture. Matt paint such as Little Greene’s Intelligent matt emulsion and stunning wallpapers will add texture and a material finish looks stunning in a bathroom.

Tiles have become more gorgeous and interesting allowing you to play around with different sizes and finishes within the same pallet. Try and mix different finishes such as a Carrara marble and a wood finish such as an oak for a stunning and timeless style. I’m currently using the new Mimica Statuario Venato Matt from Mandarin stone, a stunning large format matt porcelain Carrara style tile which I can’t wait to share the photos of with you.

Colour Me Happy

Don’t worry about the size of the room, you can use a dark colour in a small bathroom or cloakroom as it will create a cocooning environment.

A darker wall colour contrasted against white sanitary wear to create a sharp and contemporary look and feel.

Select a colour palette that makes you feel relaxed. As a starting point consider looking at the colours of the seasons and which season you can relate to the most, for example warm tones for summer, luxurious white on white for a winter feel. Colour is so personal, select a colour by how it makes you feel. In a bathroom, you should feel your most Zen ready for another day.

If you would like help with a bathroom design Please contact hello@nikkirees.com

How to Design The Perfect Entrance Interior

Featured

Posted on 16th April 2017 by n1kkir33s

I thought it was about time I spoke about interiors on my blog, starting with how to make an entrance and then working my way through the home with tips and ideas taken from our interior designs and interiors I love that tell a story. I am passionate about living well and creating beautiful homes that simply function better, taking you effortlessly from breakfast to supper. I hope this blog will inspire you to create a home that reflects you and your ideas.

Making an entrance

First impressions count, so don’t let it become a dumping ground for coats and shoes. Spend time thinking about what storage solutions will work best for you to help hide the unsightly everyday items.
Create a strong statement with bold carpets, lighting and making the most of architectural features.

Let it shine

Layer up on lighting. Practical task lighting is required to help you enter and leave but have fun and create drama with statement decorative lighting such as oversized pendants and wall lighting.
Give thought about how you configure your light switching so you can easily light your way through the house top and bottom and pay attention of the electrical plates throughout the home as these little details make all the difference. Look at interesting metals such as satin nickel, antique brass or black.

Colour Me happy

When decorating you should complete this room last, however you should start thinking about this space first so you have a consistent thread running throughout your home such as a palette of colours that tonally work together, making your home feel more spacious and architectural.
All rooms filter off the hallway and landing so the colour palette in this space needs to tie the interiors together and create a look that’s coherent. Think about how the wall colours, flooring finishes, and materials meet.
Remember as you move through the house the natural light will influence the paint colour so make sure to test the paint colour in different areas around your home, give some thought on the natural light source and the direction the interior faces.

Dress to impress

Interior accessories will lift and bring character to the entrance. When you have taken care of the storage solutions for the everyday items in your entrance hall you have more space for the exciting elements that bring character to the space.
A statement chair or an oversized mirror will help reflect natural light if your hallway is a little dark.
Again, preplanning at the beginning allows you to configure lighting and sockets to allow you to emphasis artwork or sculptural pieces that make your house a home from the second you enter.

For more ideas to make your house a home feel contact hello@nikkirees.com

Images Reference

Image 1 Kelly Wearstler & Waldo Works

Images 2 Ben Pentreth & The Decorcafe

Images 3 Nikki Rees

www.nikkirees.com

How to create a Christmas window on a shoe string

Posted on 14th December 2016 by n1kkir33s

We have been working harder in the studio this month than Santa’s elves completing the finishing touches to a couple of interior schemes so our clients can enjoy their homes in time for Christmas. We were also in the festive spirt early this season as we have enjoyed working with a handful of local businesses in South London to create simple, yet stunning, Christmas window campaigns on a shoe string. As a little gift to our local small businesses here are our top 5 window display tips.

Christmas Hero
The key inspiration this holiday season is to ‘hero’ your product in the window and less about theatrics. This is perfect for smaller retailers as you can create a real impact with a little imagination and a sprinkling of fairy lights (which are definitely not just for Christmas!) At Paint the Town Green an Eco Paint company based in Wandsworth, we wanted to hero their paint. We created a simple yet effective window by stacking their beautiful graphic paint pots into the shape of an abstract Christmas tree. We decorated a few pots with gorgeous oversized red bows and draped them with fairy lights to add a little sparkle. We then made sure to continue this in-store to make a bigger festive statement. A very cost effective yet bold statement for Christmas that was easy and quickly achieved.

Brand your window
Remember to always keep your brand message clear, yet seasonally inspired. Try to create an experience for your customers. Our Christmas message for Paint the Town Green was “Give the Gift of Colour”, highlighting their gorgeous colours as well as advertising the Christmas gifting pop up shop created instore. So many designers and artists this year have collaborated with brands and Paint the Town Green have cleverly collaborated with local artists and small creative businesses from the Decorcafe to create a stunning mix of thoughtful gifts and original homeware within their pop up gifting shop. This is a perfect idea for small retailers such as furniture and kitchen showrooms that want to increase footfall over the festive season while supporting other local creative business that complement your brand.

Winter Wow Factor
I have designed for many luxury brands and you don’t have to spend a small fortune to make a window look festive and luxurious, you just need to give your scheme a little thought. Simple oversized Christmas decorations grouped together and repeated can look stunning and impactful. Fresh real garlands giving the customer a full sensory experience or olive trees look super stylish and are a modern twist this season. DZD and Moorplan are specialist visual merchandising retailers who have plenty of window display ideas, you don’t have to buy in bulk and you can tailor to look bespoke. Also, high street favorites such as Paperchase and Muji are brilliant resources. You just need to keep your brand aesthetic in mind and think about the customer experience.

Let it shine
You need balance in the window scheme so think about creating height in the form of a pyramid shape with product and not just filling the whole window as your customer won’t know where to look. Remember to look at the shape of your window and to focus the display. Items always look better arranged in multiples of 3 and 5 rather than 2’s and 4’s – trust me it’s a visual trick. Try and tell a story by grouping items with a similar theme together or arranging by colour to create a bold statement. Give special items space to ‘breathe’ – abundance is good for bestsellers but a 100 of an expensive item tends to devalue the item!

It’s not just for Christmas
There are so many simple off the shelf modular systems out there now that you could hack and use to create an effective window display. You should not just think about Christmas when planning the window so keep things reusable – a simple set of wooden crates or cubes can be transformed with a lick of paint each new season! Your shop front is the window into your brand and should be as big a focus as any social media message so make them work together and have the same look and feel, whether it’s too celebrate the Tennis in Wimbledon fortnight or to highlight the new spring summer range these are the little details that enhance your brand and make you stand out on the high street. But most of all try and enjoy the process and have fun with it.

We hope this helps and if you’re still struggling – we offer a practical and hands on approach to visual merchandising giving inspirational advice for window and in-store displays, project management through to installation. Contact us if you want to know more. hello@nikkirees.com