Making hotels like home
Back in the early 1990s I was invited to a South Kensington terraced house to meet friends who were staying there. We had afternoon tea in a warm cosy room. The furnishings were individual and smart; the staff helpful without being obsequious – the atmosphere was redolent of an expensive private house.
The terrace suite at the Soho Hotel. The curtains were made for Kit in India and the patchwork sofas were created in collaboration with Pippa Caley
It wasn’t, of course, but neither was it an ordinary hotel or B&B – the only two categories of paid-for sleeping quarters in those days. Before the term was coined I had visited one of the first boutique hotels. The owners, Tim and Kit Kemp, created the place ‘because they thought it would be fun’. Neither had any hospitality training. Kit had worked in shipping and Tim in property. Their first hotel was a student hostel, which they decided to take upmarket. ‘I suppose it was the arrogance of youth,’ says Kit. ‘You have an idea, and you just get on with it. You have no conception of what is really involved, and perhaps if you did, you wouldn’t take the risk.’
The conservatory has a garden-like palette of blues and greens
The couple must have done something right. Today their company, Firmdale, has seven hotels in central London and one in New York. What distinguishes them is their unique interior style, which is all put together by Kit.
Matching Ikat Flower fabric by Kvadrat in the bedroom
‘I never trained as an interior designer and don’t use computer design programmes. I just know what a room needs,’ she says. But Kit, who refurbishes 80 rooms in her hotels every year, does not just put in what a room needs; she makes it exciting. Her talent is to bring together disparate objects from all over the world, mixing patterns, colours and styles to create a look that is comfortable and welcoming. Wherever possible, she commissions one-off pieces by potters, furniture makers and artists. In her beautifully illustrated book, A Living Space, she explains her methods with chapter headings, such as Bespoke And One-Offs, Compare And Contrast, Taking Risks and Living With The Things You Love.
Kit Kemp in her studio
Kit Kemp’s starting point is a beautiful fabric. ‘Some designers are led by the love of line and architecture. My inspiration comes from a love of fabrics, their texture, colour and tone, whatever age or geographical origin.’ Often she doesn’t have the luxury of beautiful architecture to work with – the Firmdale Soho Hotel was an undistinguished modern car park and the Charlotte Street Hotel a dental warehouse. Kit Kemp is certainly a very talented designer, but how does she manage to run hotels, too? ‘With our first hotel we did everything ourselves, but now we all have particular jobs. Some people on the hotel side have been with us since we started. To get good people you have to win their respect and show them the end goal. Also, of course, on the way I have learned what’s important to guests. When designing and running a hotel, I have to think more like a man. We women can take some things too personally.’
A mix of blues and whites on the ceramic jars and the sofa fabric lends a nautical theme to the room Right: The Crosby Street Hotel drawing room features paintings by Mimmo Paladino and roughly hewn pots provide a strong focal point
Now with three grown-up girls, Kit Kemp is, in her opinion, working harder than ever, although she says she doesn’t regard interior design as work. At present she and her husband are converting a derelict building behind Piccadilly into a hotel with apartments, a bowling alley and a small theatre.
A Living Space by Kit Kemp is published by Hardie Grant Books, priced £30. Firmdale Hotels: 020-7581 4045, www.firmdalehotels.com
The terrace suite at the Soho Hotel. The curtains were made for Kit in India and the patchwork sofas were created in collaboration with Pippa CaleyIt wasn’t, of course, but neither was it an ordinary hotel or B&B – the only two categories of paid-for sleeping quarters in those days. Before the term was coined I had visited one of the first boutique hotels. The owners, Tim and Kit Kemp, created the place ‘because they thought it would be fun’. Neither had any hospitality training. Kit had worked in shipping and Tim in property. Their first hotel was a student hostel, which they decided to take upmarket. ‘I suppose it was the arrogance of youth,’ says Kit. ‘You have an idea, and you just get on with it. You have no conception of what is really involved, and perhaps if you did, you wouldn’t take the risk.’
The conservatory has a garden-like palette of blues and greensThe couple must have done something right. Today their company, Firmdale, has seven hotels in central London and one in New York. What distinguishes them is their unique interior style, which is all put together by Kit.
Matching Ikat Flower fabric by Kvadrat in the bedroom‘I never trained as an interior designer and don’t use computer design programmes. I just know what a room needs,’ she says. But Kit, who refurbishes 80 rooms in her hotels every year, does not just put in what a room needs; she makes it exciting. Her talent is to bring together disparate objects from all over the world, mixing patterns, colours and styles to create a look that is comfortable and welcoming. Wherever possible, she commissions one-off pieces by potters, furniture makers and artists. In her beautifully illustrated book, A Living Space, she explains her methods with chapter headings, such as Bespoke And One-Offs, Compare And Contrast, Taking Risks and Living With The Things You Love.
Kit Kemp in her studioKit Kemp’s starting point is a beautiful fabric. ‘Some designers are led by the love of line and architecture. My inspiration comes from a love of fabrics, their texture, colour and tone, whatever age or geographical origin.’ Often she doesn’t have the luxury of beautiful architecture to work with – the Firmdale Soho Hotel was an undistinguished modern car park and the Charlotte Street Hotel a dental warehouse. Kit Kemp is certainly a very talented designer, but how does she manage to run hotels, too? ‘With our first hotel we did everything ourselves, but now we all have particular jobs. Some people on the hotel side have been with us since we started. To get good people you have to win their respect and show them the end goal. Also, of course, on the way I have learned what’s important to guests. When designing and running a hotel, I have to think more like a man. We women can take some things too personally.’
A mix of blues and whites on the ceramic jars and the sofa fabric lends a nautical theme to the room Right: The Crosby Street Hotel drawing room features paintings by Mimmo Paladino and roughly hewn pots provide a strong focal pointNow with three grown-up girls, Kit Kemp is, in her opinion, working harder than ever, although she says she doesn’t regard interior design as work. At present she and her husband are converting a derelict building behind Piccadilly into a hotel with apartments, a bowling alley and a small theatre.
A Living Space by Kit Kemp is published by Hardie Grant Books, priced £30. Firmdale Hotels: 020-7581 4045, www.firmdalehotels.com