REDD MEETS: Hamish Brown from 1508 London

Established in 2010, 1508 is an interior and architecture design studio that creates exceptional spaces worldwide, specialising in private residential, hospitality and multi-unit developments. With their expertise extending across all stages of design and construction, REDD are delighted to announce 1508 London as the selected studio for their forthcoming project, 6 Charles Street, which will become a benchmark prime rental scheme of 11 apartments. 

Sharing core values when it comes to sustainability, quality and luxurious design, this is set to be an exciting match for the project. With this in mind, we sat down with Hamish Brown, Partner and Business Director of 1508 London to discover the joyous and challenging aspects of the industry, 1508 London’s approach to design and his advice for a budding designer.

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WHAT HAS BEEN 1508'S FAVOURITE INTERIOR DESIGN MOMENT?

One of the joys of 1508 London is our breadth and ability to design in different locations. We’ve always steered away from having a house style, when we start a new project in a different location it brings a whole new design ethos of culture, architectural styles and cultural references - that is the part that I find most exciting. Whether that be a resort hotel in Napa Valley or a private client home in London, each brings total uniqueness to the table.

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What’s the most challenging aspect of your industry? How do you overcome it?

‍The most challenging aspect is as designers, we’re not fine artists, we work for people, we have a brief and when a client comes to us, our job is to understand what is in their mind. So quite often the client or developer has a vision for that site. It’s our job to unpick that vision and put it into a mould that is not just aesthetically and creatively groundbreaking but is also financially viable, so unpicking that part can be challenging.

At 1508 London, we work with both commercial and private clients, so we are often bridging the gaps between the developer, owner and the hotel brand or in a private client scenario, husband and wife, so it’s often about balancing ideas and motivations.

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What would your advice be to a budding interior designer?

My advice would be, you could be the greatest designer in the world, but if you don’t have the ability to present and articulate the design, then your designs are never going to be realised – it’s important to nurture the ability to present and articulate your vision. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good designer, bad designer or in between, you will stunt your growth as a designer.

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How do you separate your own tastes and opinions from your clients?

‍For us at 1508 London, it’s an easy thing because the entire ethos of the business is built on our ability to do that. Everyone that joins 1508 London, design or management, has an intrinsic love of design, whether that be maximalism, or modernism or everything in between. 

As a studio we put great importance on understanding the location and building to build an entirely unique and location-specific brief – a home in New York should look totally different to a home in Antibes. When we meet a client, regardless of where they’re from, whether that’s Asia, the Middle East or America, whether they’re in their 30s or 70s, we have to embody their characteristics and then interpret the way they live. Our success as designers is our ability to interpret our client's lifestyles, with our design knowledge.

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What’s the biggest mistake clients often make?

Not trusting the process. Design is methodical, you have to start at A and work your way through to Z. If you jump to Z you will miss all the joy in-between – that’s the key.

For us, it’s about really trying to unearth the potential – the truth is there are a thousand ways to get to a great result, and a thousand variations of a great result, but it has to be right for that particular client and market. The only way to get there is to go through that process and answer those questions. As a truly international team and studio, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring ideas, perspectives and understandings from around the globe. My advice to a client would be to trust the process and open your mind to the possibilities. It's our role as a designer to show our clients the unexpected or imagined.

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Which future projects are you particularly excited about?

‍The great strength we have is that we work on projects all over the world. 6 Charles street being a very exciting project situated on one the most historic and beautiful streets of Mayfair, arguably one of the best streets in Mayfair. It’s somewhere intrinsically British and together with REDD we are curating something that belongs in London. That’s one of the many great things about partnering with a business such as REDD, where the team are just as passionate about design as us, but also understand the key values we apply to all of our work.

The flip of that is a resort we have been commissioned to do in Napa Valley… I can’t say more than that! That juxtaposition encapsulates the variety of the work we do and is equally exciting.

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