Kit Kemp with her husband Tim, is Co-owner and the dynamic Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels which they started in 1985, and have since grown to 8 hotels in London and 2 in Manhattan. A prolific creative talent, Kit has designed numerous collections of fabrics, wallpaper, fine bone china tableware and furniture for her hotel empire. These collections have been brought together and launched in a unique collaboration with Bergdorf Goodman. The store’s light filled 7th floor loft space has been transformed with scrupulously detailed settings of a dining room, drawing room and bedroom that showcase signature Firmdale items now for sale in this pop-up shop from April 19th- August 12th.
I discovered the Firmdale Hotels through one of my clients, who having stayed at London’s Knightsbridge Hotel wished her home to have a similar cozy and informal sensibility. I visited the hotel, loved what I saw and have stayed there exclusively for the last 11 years.
If you’ve not been to any of the hotels, visiting Bergdorf Goodman’s pop-up store is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the Kit Kemp lifestyle. The first thing you’ll notice is the exuberant mix of vivid color, texture and fabrics, with bold offbeat artworks and charming craft pieces sprinkled throughout.
Asked about her design process in conversation with BG 5th/58th she shared that…“my biggest inspiration is textiles, organic pieces, remnants, colorful threads, ethnic, ancient or contemporary, colorful or monotone, linen wool dyed or natural I love them all. My chief inspiration is a love of texture and color and a passion for works by local artists.”
To coincide with the launch of her home decor collection Kit has released her latest book Design Thread , her third in a series which details the “lyrical way she layers intricate detail within interior landscapes to capture our imagination.”
Read here my earlier posts about Manhattan’s Whitby Hotel and One Denman Place, Firmdale’s long stay vacation apartments.
photograph from BG 5th/58th
Photograph from Firmdale Hotels
Photograph from Firmdale Hotels
Photograph from Firmdale Hotels
Photograph from Firmdale Hotels - Sailors Farewell fine bone china tableware designed with Wedgwood
Photograph from Vogue Magazine - here’s a selection of items available for sale
