SINGAPORE, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/-- From traipsing through websites to visiting countless showrooms to find the perfect interior designer, the process of redecorating a home is challenging at best. Hometrust, an interior design and renovations review platform, is transforming the industry by connecting designers and homeowners on Singapore's only two-way marketplace for home renovation and design.

Unlike other mainstream platforms which promote interior design firms based on their works to consumers, Hometrust takes the extra step by helping consumers find highly-rated interior designers by leveraging on user-generated content to create a comprehensive rating system that consumers can discover and compare to find their ideal designer.

While other industries have embraced online marketplaces, interior design has typically relied on traditional channels to get the word out. With limited resources at their fingertips, homeowners are left to do their own research-- and even after finding a designer, it's tough to find unfiltered customer feedback on firms. Self-promotion is also highly inaccessible for smaller designers who can't afford to invest thousands to reach their customers through advertising or media platforms. Hometrust empowers both designers and homeowners with its one-stop-shop for interior design projects. The platform gives interior designers with an avenue to showcase work and upload accreditationswhile providing homeowners with an open platform to browse previous design projects, interact directly with firms, and access honest customer reviews.

"The world has evolved, and the interior design industry needs to evolve along with it. Before Hometrust, the interior design industry operated mainly as a one-way street, making it difficult for homeowners and customers to connect in an open, authentic way. Hometrust brings interior design into the digital age through our beautiful, intuitive platform," said Jasmine Chong, Head of Operations, Hometrust.

Hometrust bridges homeowners and interior designers with transparency and unbiased information

Hometrust creates just that: home trust, with greater transparency for homeowners and designers alike. The platform rebuilds trust in the industry by providing a forum for 100% unbiased, unfiltered reviews of designers to assist users in the decision-making process; and levels the playing field for designers by giving firms an open platform to showcase their work, build their customer base, and connect directly with homeowners.

Once a homeowner has narrowed down their shortlist, they can quickly browse through the designer's portfolio and previous projects, as well as read over 2,000 honest reviews and nearly 9,000 recommendations from existing customers. On top of that, users can upload floor plans and send images directly through the platform-- allowing them to cut down on waiting times and kick-start conversations straight away with online video-meetings and consultations, before meeting recommended designers.

Unlike other mainstream platforms - which promote interior design firms based on their portfolio to consumers - Hometrust takes the extra step by encouraging homeowners to upload photos of their completed renovations and rate designers according to artistry, customer service and more.

This helps consumers find high-ratedinterior designers, rather than traipsing through countless portfolios to find the right designers or aesthetic, Singaporeans can avoid dreaded designer fatigue by hopping on to Hometrust to search by house type, budget range, and style.

Story continues

On top of their search function, homeowners can also use the platform's unique new photo search feature to browse more than24,000 interior design photos and over 2,600 real design projects from local homes. By running a search for a specific keyword, such as "L-shaped sofa", "bathroom", or "feature wall", users can instantly source inspiration from previous projects from an array of local interior designers.

Founded and developed by Singaporeans for Singaporeans, Hometrust is proudly homegrown and has localised its platform to the unique housing demands of Singapore. In addition to browsing local firms, Hometrust allows users to search for specific designers for HDB, condo, and commercial design projects, as well as browse unique articles and upcoming events in the region.

For more information, please visit https://www.hometrust.sg/

About Hometrust

Hometrust is an innovative interior design and renovations marketplace with complete designer listings, portfolios and photos, as well as honest reviews from customers. The platform promotes open discovery and sharing of interior design firms from a growing community of homeowners, while providing designers and decorators with an open avenue to share their work and grow their customer base.

SOURCE Hometrust

The rest is here:
Redesigning interior design: Hometrust connects design firms and homeowners with innovative online marketplace - Yahoo Finance

Bookshelves are having a moment.

Not long ago, their epitaph was being written. Ikeas redesign of its Billy unit to accommodate objects other than books was cited as evidence that we had turned the page on possessing print.

Now, that story has a sequel.

Self-isolation has people rediscovering the value of having hardcovers at home. In addition, TV networks shift to interviews via Skype, rather than in a studio, is revealing the bookcase backdrops of pundits, news anchors and celebrities at home. That domestic exposure sparked a social media conversation about literary decor.

Room Rater on Twitter, for example, offers regular, and often snarky, critiques of shelves in the rooms visible behind various talking heads.

Room Rater dishes compliments, too. Just enough clutter, one tweet reads. Looks real.

Domestic libraries are first and foremost about books. But the displays also lend an inviting graphic element to decor. Just please, designers say, dont arrange books page-side out. That affectation makes no sense. However, please do pair books with objects, art, photographs and ephemera.

The book Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home with Books by Nina Freudenberger showcases enviable bookshelves around the world. Photos of collections and the rooms they inhabit are accompanied by interviews with their well-read and often-notable owners.

The hardcovers it pictures may make you want to read and display more books.

Bibliostyle features more than 250 color photographs of 35 homes in 15 cities and eight countries. Residences include the homes of writers, illustrators, designers, editors and collectors readers all.

Highlighted rooms range from clean contemporary to overstuffed classic. Shelves showcase rare editions, fairy tales, gardening volumes, coffee-table tomes and even vintage comic books. There are books in closets and bedside stacks, books on landings and books lining dining room walls. Theyre arranged by color, by author, by language, by genre or not organized at all.

People live in different ways, says Freudenberger, a Los Angeles-based interior designer. I think to not have books, its a red flag. It makes me a little nervous. Books have something incredible. The smell. Theyre an object. Theres a legacy.

True to her Rhode Island School of Design education in architecture, however, Freudenberger does appreciate creative order.

I dont think you have to jam every shelf full, she says. Empty space is important.

She suggests using bookends for visual breaks and is fond of natural wood shelving, which, she says, is warm and accentuates the books.

Interior designer Dayna Flory Rasschaert of Dayna Flory Interiors in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., says:

Books can be a tricky item to visually conquer. Trust me, there is no better feeling than the warmth of being surrounded by books. However, if not properly allocated, they can become visually overwhelming and very busy to the eye.

Flory Rasschaert, like many designers, finds a crazy quilt of paperbacks and book jackets visually jarring. Some will remove paper jackets or cover books with paper or custom bindings for a more calming uniformity.

I arrange the books by genre, and very importantly, by color, she says. Grouping the books by color gives visual order and quiet.

Rasschaert says bookcases work in any hue.

Black is one of my personal favorites, she says.

New York interior designer Celerie Kemble, the author of the book To Your Taste, says custom built-in bookcases are ideal and are especially appealing when they surround windows.

Whatever the display, Kemble writes, A well-used bookcase offers heft, stability, backbone, character and a sense of life lived.

The libraries featured in Bibliostyle are stunning examples of the substance that books lend intellectually, aesthetically and emotionally.

Poet and author Caroline Randall Williams of Nashville, Tenn., whose heirloom cookbook collection is featured, speaks to the emotional value.

If the house were burning, Randall Williams says, Id probably rush to save The New World Encyclopedia of Cooking, purely because Nana pressed fresh flowers into its pages, and I would be heartbroken if I failed to preserve them.

Concern for an orderly display is often less important than the pleasure of the collection itself. Still, the collectors homes in Bibliostyle make up an inspiring portfolio of interior and architectural design. There are high-ceilinged European apartments, a poured-concrete modern in Mexico City and a wonderfully layered 19th-century New York farmhouse with windows framing Hudson Valley views like color plates in a vintage book.

The Paris dining room of textile designer Carolina Irving has custom bookshelves crammed with global titles. The result, Freudenberger observes, is a colorful cacophony on the shelves, a warm, natural wallpaper with snapshots of Irvings family, bits of pottery and sculpture.

More minimalist homes also are depicted. Emmanuel de Bayser, a proprietor of concept stores in Paris and Berlin who says he doesnt understand people who dont have books, has a collection tailored to fit the midcentury modern decor of his Berlin apartment.

To be honest, in Paris, I went to find several clothbound books in specific colors, de Bayser is quoted as saying. The priority was the looks. But one is a special edition of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke.

I happen to really like Rilke; it made sense, and it was a beautiful green cover.

The Los Angeles home of Roman Alonso, one of the founders of Commune Design, manages to maintain restraint while also being book heavy. He keeps many of his volumes in a reading nook, as he calls it, where theres a daybed for reading and a turntable for listening.

Alonso says his books are like old friends to me, and I miss them when I dont visit them.

Many of the featured book lovers have arranged their furnishings to accommodate reading.

After visiting the homes of the featured aficionados, Freudenberger reached her own conclusion about the elements of a really good reading chair. Being near natural light is nice, she says, and she likes the idea of proximity to the kitchen.

The most inviting spot among those pictured may be in a vignette from the Brooklyn brownstone of writer Kathleen Hackett and artist Stephen Antonson.

A chair, known as The Chair, with an appealingly broken-in sheepskin, is the most coveted reading spot in the house.

It is, of course, beside a bookshelf.

Fellow Brooklynite, the novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, also says books and reading are about place.

Im really attached to the idea that different spaces, whether physical or interpersonal, will create different thoughts and experiences, Foer says. Having a comfortable chair, good light these things do put you into a state of mind to better absorb ideas.

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Social isolation, and video chats, are renewing attention to the art of the bookshelf - Greensboro News & Record

The 50 States Project is a yearlong series of candid conversations with interior designers we admire, state by state. Today, were chatting with Laura Hodges, founder of her Catonsville, Marylandbased design studio and retail shop, about how going into business with her husband changed her (work and home) life, the challenges of sustainable sourcing, and why she goes green whether or not clients ask her to.

You had an installation this weekwas it your first post-coronavirus install, and how did it go?Surprisingly, it was our second in two weeks. It was a little nuts. One of the projects was supposed to have wrapped up in January and the other in February. Obviously its hard to do an installation [now] with everybody wearing masks and trying to keep 6 feet apart.

As those projects did get delayed, what has been the reality of wrapping them up in the last two months?For both projects, it was natural delayswhich, under normal circumstances, wouldnt be such a big deal. We redid the stairs and built a whole wall with windows inside this loft space, and there were various structural parts that were taking longer than expected, so things kept getting pushed back. In March, we started to think, Hows this going to work? For the custom staircase, for instance, it was a fourth-floor loft space and the installers were bringing in the massive stringers with a crane. It was a big thingnot like they were just delivering a sofa. It involved a lot of people who really couldnt be 6 feet from one another.

What have the regulations been like in Maryland?Maryland has been pretty strict about sheltering in place. Yes, construction is essential, but the metal shop shut down for two weeks. It was challenging because the contractors are all considered essential, so they just kept going, but we were like, Well, were not essential. It was hard to keep up! I couldnt come out to the job site and do all the stuff I would normally do.

We did FaceTime as much as possible, but not everybodys on board with that way of doing things. It means asking builders to get on a FaceTime calls with us as we go, Show me what that baseboard looks like! We had to explain to our clients, Were doing the best that we can, but we have to be safe. Were very happy to have the work and to keep going, but it became challenging. Were trying to run a business, but you dont know when its all going to end.

Rightwhat counts as essential can be so vague.Like, do I just leave that custom table I ordered with the maker in Baltimore for the next year until they find a vaccine, and then Ill look at it? I [ended up going to see it] with a mask, and Im glad I did, because this is expensive furniture that I want to be a certain way and I was able to make some adjustments in personbut at the same time, its not essential.

Has your mindset changed in the past eight weeks?For sure. It started off like, We all have to be super safe, we have to stay in our homes and not do anything, its not worth it. I have two young boys and I dont want them getting sick, and of course were just trying to be responsible for our employees by doing the right thing. And then at some point, youre like, Well, this is not going to reasonably change anytime soon. So are we just going to sit here in our houses and not do anything?

A lot of the work that we do is totally remote. But Im used to going to my project sites at least once a week, because theyre [usually] all within an hours distance. Mistakes can be made, people can misinterpret your designthere are all kinds of things that you could avoid if you actually were there. At that point, I started thinking of it more as, What can we do safely, keeping in mind that this is probably going to go on for a very long time? Were going to have to make sure the furnitures right, move it in, and make sure the electrician put the light in the right spot.

We wear masks and gloves, we have 8 million things of hand sanitizer, we dont touch anything unless we have to, and were washing our hands. You cant control what other people are going to do, though. So we just do our best with our own company to maintain our own standards for how were going to do things.

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

Tell me about your firmhow did that grow and evolve?I started by myself. I have a business degree, so theres a part [of me] that loves the business sidebut more the entrepreneurial side, coming up with and growing ideas, not so much the financial side. I like to see that we are profitable, but Im not like, How much did we make today?

My husband [Tim Hodges] has worked for different appliance companies in corporate roles like sales and marketing. He enjoyed it, but he was always interested in the projects that I was working on and thought it was neat to see how it all came together. He would look over my shoulder as I was doing budget spreadsheets and be like, Why dont you do this? Make a pivot table! I just wanted to shove my computer toward him and be like, You do it. And then two years ago, we were having brunch one day, and said, What if we did work together? What would that look like? I do all the design, he does all of the business, and we can stay in our own lanes. It was hard for me at first to let goId been doing it on my own for such a long time, but I had to recognize that things work better as a team.

We decided to open a store together around the same time, coincidentally. He started working with me, and then we decided to buy this building where we could open up a shop and have a studio where we could both have our own offices. Shortly after, we realized that neither of us actually wanted to work in the store, so we hired someone managed the shop, and then in her downtime she also was doing design. We ended up having more design work for her, so we hired a design coordinator, whose main job now is the shop. Shell help Tim, my husband, with the business sidehe tends to do the order placements, tracking, figuring out where everything is for our full-service projects, in addition to bookkeeping. She helps him out with receiving and deliveries, and sometimes with initial planning, drawings and design proposals.

Rolling back all the way, how did you launch your firm?I officially started my firm in 2016, though I had been doing a few smaller jobs before that. I worked in New York for other designers for a couple years after I got my degree from the New York School of Interior DesignI interned with Jamie Drake and then worked for Thomas Jayne. When I was having my first son, I knew that I wanted to stay home, so I took off close to five years to stay home with my boys when they were young. And then when my youngest was about 3, I started doing a little bit of work part-time. When he was in preschool, Id run over to the local library and work on projects. The design center was very close to his preschool, which was very convenient, so I could just run over there, source some fabrics, then pick him up.

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

You said you have a business degreedid you go to NYSID right after, or what was the in-between?The in-between was actually five years working at a marketing company before I realized that it wasnt quite fulfilling my creative interests. I always knew that I loved art and music when I was in high school, but I didnt really understand the industry. I really just looked at it more like decorating. So I got my business degree, worked for a marketing company and then started feeling like I wanted to do something else.

I was looking at this online design degree, and the more I looked into it, the more I realized: Wow, this industry is so much deeper than I ever thought it could possibly be. I realized, if Im going to do this properly, Im going to get a degree. I mean, you could teach yourselfand there are a lot of amazing designers who havebut Im the type that needs to get all the information. I really want to know everything. If somebody asks me, Why did you choose this chair? I can be like, Its this gorgeous Biedermeier that coordinates with the English Regency table you have. I dont want to be like, Because it looks great! I wanted to have a thorough understanding of the history of design, how to do drawings, and the technical side so that I can do the best possible job.

Did the design school experience live up to your expectations?Its funnythe two people that weve hired have degrees in other areas. At first, I only looked for people who had design degrees, but I soon realized that just because you have a degree, it does not make you a good designer or a great employee. It means a lot, but it only goes so faryou need to have all these other layers to be the right fit. So [that education] definitely laid the groundwork for me. But you also need that apprenticeship-type situation, which I think is hugely important.

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

Tell me a little bit about Maryland. How did you land there and start your firm there, and what is the design scene like there?So originally, Im from England. My dads from Jamaica, my mothers English, and we grew up going to England, where my grandparents live most summers. We moved to Maryland when I was little and I grew up here. I always knew that I didnt want to stay in my state for college, and in [the 15 years I spent] in New York, I knew that was the right place for me. I couldnt imagine leavingthat whole mindset of, How could you possibly live anywhere else? And then we had kids, and I was like, Oh, right.

That sense of, This is why people leave?Exactly. Dont get me wrong, I still love New Yorkit was just no longer the right place for me. My parents and brother still lived here in Maryland, so we thought, Why dont we at least get closer to family? And you know, we wanted a backyard. My son was afraid of grass. He was 18 months old and wouldnt step on the grass! So when we got here, we had to introduce him to bees and butterflies.

How has it been for your design business, and what types of projects are you working on?We have a big range. In Maryland, our tri-state area is with D.C. and Virginia, and were sometimes a little bit left out of the design scene. When people say Maryland, typically theyre talking about closer to D.C., but Im closer to Baltimore. There arent as many designers in our area, but Baltimore has a great design scene. There are so many amazing people who make awesome products, so we try to have furniture made here. Our shop is full of local makers and artists.

The Washington Design Center is the big design center here, but we tend to do a little bit more local sourcing. Theres a smaller design center closer to us that has fabric, wallpaper and some furniture. They dont have as much as the D.C. design center, and certainly nowhere near the New York Design Center. When I first came down here, I was like, Where am I going to find anything? But you get used to requesting samples and if something is not available, you look online more. In New York, you didnt have to do that at all.

I remember when I was interning at Jamie Drakes office, the designer I was working with asked for a lamp, and I said, Oh, I saw this one on a website. And she said, Dont show me anything unless youve seen it in person. I cant say that to my employees, because theres nowhere to go see it, but I think of [that moment] all the time, because I wish we could go see everything. We normally go down to High Point every six months, and we went to KBIS in January. We try to get out there, because theres less to source here.

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

Is that what led you to open your store, Domain? I think every designer secretly wants to have a store, because we see lovely things all the time and want to give them a home. I [also] love the idea of being able to support people who are making things locally. Almost everything that we have in the shop is locally sourced. We have a lot of artwork from local artists. Its been such a lovely experience to get to know them all and be able to genuinely say, Shop local. Many times, people are like, Well, I just dont know where to look, I dont know whos out there. Well, here they are.

Were always looking for beautiful things for our clients, and often we find amazing things that arent the right fit for that particular project or client. Many times when we would source accessories, it was hard to find the right things, because I dont like to buy the type of accessories where you are buying 20 of something, putting them in a warehouse and then putting one in every bookshelf. We like to get very specific to the clients tastesome vintage pieces, some antiques, and it was harder to find those finishing pieces here.

Does the shop bring in customers who turn into design clients?Weve had a few really good projects come in directly from the shop. The studio is right down the hall, so if somebody comes in, they can talk to us because were right there. We put our design boards up on the wall toohuge cork boards with all of our active projects so we can say, Heres what your process would look like. We can show them the materials and finishes, how we workthey get the ins and outs without having to buy in straight away.

We can also source things from Domain. I actually thought at first that that was going to come across as a little weirdto be like, Heres a vase that just happens to be from our store, like Im just trying to sell them stuff that I already had. But our clients actually asked us to do that. Theyre like, Dont you have great artwork? Dont you have linens? Dont you have all these lovely things? And I was like, Well, I do, and if thats OK with you, Id love to bring them in. It took me a second to realize that our clients are probably going to like whats in the shop if they like what we do. It makes for great client gifts, as wellwe always have stuff that we can take over there as a little gift.

Youre a LEED professional. Why was that important to you?My husband has always called me Captain Planet because Im a little obsessive about reusing and recycling everything: What are you using that paper towel for? So its always been important for me. Were obviously a very materialistic industry, always buying new things or tearing down perfectly good buildings to build a new one that looks more beautiful. Its hard sometimes to be thoughtful and responsible about what were doing, so I felt like I needed to get some training in that. I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was talking about and not just saying, Well, we sourced this from this person [who says its sustainable], but we dont really know what all these acronyms mean.

A lot of the LEED program has more to do with the architecture of the building, which is why I [also got certified through] the Sustainable Furnishings Councils green leadership program. Thats more about how furniture is made, which sometimes gets a little left out in this sustainability conversation with so much furniture made overseas where the standards are so different.

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

Do you think theres progress being made in the realm of sustainable furniture production and consumption?Its hard, because theres so much competition in the pricing. How do you get something thats well-priced, well-made, and also sustainably made? Theres not a lot of auditing that happens in terms of how everything is being sourced, so its hard to knoweven companies like Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn, they say that they use FSC-certified wood, but the [Forest Stewardship Council] doesnt really audit that much, so how do we really know what were doing? We can only do our best, of course, but I think that the furniture side of things still has a long way to go in terms of making sure that were being responsible.

With sustainability in mind, what are the parts of that process you prioritize?We try to source a lot of vintage pieces. We also work with our clients to donate anything theyre not using. Last year, we worked on this law office project. It was an office full of lovely traditional furnitureleather boardroom chairs, mahogany tablesand they really wanted to go super-modern. I was like, Thats cool, but that means we cant really keep any of this furniture. Those tufted leather chairs looked like they were from 1992, but they were in great condition.

We also work with a local childrens home on the side when they have various design issueswell help them if theyre having an event. So we talked to the law firm and arranged for them to donate their furniture to the childrens home. They didnt care that they were tufted leather chairs from the 1990s, they were very happy with them. And it looks great, you know? But thats also sustainable, because nobody would buy this stuff. It would have just gone to the dump.

We also try to donate cabinetry and appliances. Those custom stairs that I was talking about earlier, we recycled all of the old steel from the staircase that came out. And it helps to be able to say that we can do that for clients. Not all of our clients value it in the same wayI mean, I think they value it, but I dont know that its top of their list. But I do think they always appreciate it.

Do you just say, By the way, sustainability is part of our process? Yes. We definitely use it as a selling point. But its also like, If its not important to you, were not going to harp on it, but were going to do it anyway. When we talk to clients, so many times its just that they dont know what the options are. The loft that we did recently, we had a local nonprofit that took all the cabinetry, appliances, doors, everything. Nothing really went to the trash except for drywall. And the client, I dont think they were even aware that could happen. Its not that they dont care and dont want to, its that they dont necessarily realize how to do it.

Did getting those certifications change your approach to projects or sourcing?You start to learn about how companies try to manipulate things. Theyll say that theyre green, but then when you see why they say that theyre green, its like, Thats not green, youre doing that for cost savings. If youre doing it for the sustainability side of it, you would carry that [sensibility] through. You wouldnt use these high-VOC finishes on your furniture.

Weve found really amazing craftspeople who make amazing wood furniture in this country. Its made within 500 milesthats one of the sustainable things for LEED certification, so thats great. Its made with rapidly renewable wood. Thats awesome. And then youre checking off all the list with all the things, but then its insanely expensiveor you dont even like it. Once you narrow it down to whos truly sustainable, good luck finding something that actually fits your project.

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

Where do you see the opportunity to grow? What are you most excited about in the year or two ahead?We are knocking on some wood here. We have been lucky to stay busywe just signed a new project yesterday, actually. I love designing furniture, so were hoping to be able to expand that way. Licensing might be interesting, or developing our own line, but furniture is a hard thingespecially because of all the sustainability challenges. I can get on my high horse about this stuff, but then you see the reality of it and you understand that it costs an arm and a leg to get the right type of wood, the right person to do it, all these things. You add up all these costs and suddenly your chair is $9,000. But anything that we make or support should fall into line with all those values. We dont want to have things just for the sake of having them. It really needs to fit into who we are, which is hard.

How do your clients find you?We have a lot of repeat clients, which is fantastic. New clients [often find us by referral or sometimes through press coverage]. Weve been lucky to get a decent amount of press, as wellwe were on House Beautifuls Next Wave and Traditional Homes New Trad in the past year, so weve had a decent number of people come to us through that. And then the shop is a big draw as well.

What is the impact of the press? Is that immediate? Its nice to have the added layer of appreciation from an objective audience. It also helps us with pricingto be able to show that were not just some design firm down the street, that we actually have some credentials to our name. It is hard sometimes for people to understand how much work and detail goes into these projects.

How do you approach pricing?We charge hourly. We explain that we do two different types of projectsfull-service where we do it all for you, or design-only, where you [take our vision and execute] it on your own. Because not every client needs to be a full-service client and some people are going to have an amazing design but want to do it themselves. We talk about price and budget right awaymost of the time people say that they have no idea what their budget should be. If theyve worked with a designer before or have had multiple homes, they tend to know more about what they want to spend. But honestly, I have clients and theyre just like, I dont know. Do what you think is best? Just dont break the bank. But what does your bank look like?

Its hard to know sometimes what theyre expecting, but theyll always set us right. We might show them something and they might say, Thats not quite the budget we were hoping for. By the time were presenting a project, if they say, Oh, its too expensive, we havent done our job at all. We certainly get to that conversation way before that. We had a client recently who said, I have no idea what my budget is. And we started talking and about half an hour in, she was like, I dont think Im going to feel comfortable spending more than $100,000, and Im like, OK, so you do have a budget. Then we need to prioritize what you actually want to do. Because $100,000 isnt enough for what you want. So we have that conversation as soon as possible, because it makes it more efficient for sourcing. Like, can we even design custom furniture? Is there any point in going down that path of explaining some element of design that I know is going to cost more than what theyre willing to spend?

Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

Did the time you spent working for Jamie Drake or Thomas Jayne influence the way you approach budget?I was so lowly at Jamies office, I was only in on a few meetings with clients to even hear that conversation, and the numbers that I was hearing were nowhere near what my brain would even comprehend. But I knew that it was really important to be up front about the cost, because the type of people I wanted to deal with are in the position theyre in because theyre OK with talking about money.

How do you feel talking about money?I still hate having that conversation. I dont mind talking about their budget, but I hate talking about how much Im going to cost, because theres always that weird situation where youre like, I deserve this! I do! Im good, I know what Im doing! But at the same time, I just want to do as much as I possibly can for themI want to make them happy, I want to make sure that they love their home, and I want to make it affordable for them, so its really hard to say, Im so sorry, but in order for me to do my best work, its going to cost this much, and you already said that you dont want to spend that much.

We used to always take on many more projects than we should, and Ive been able to pare that back a lot and tell people, Heres how much a design with us is going to cost. We might not be the right fit for you, but heres somebody else who is. I always refer people. I try not to ever just tell them, Were too expensive for you.

As you grew the firm, and as you have to support more people, how did that change the kind of work you took on?Its given me a better sense of our value and whats worth our time. There are only so many projects we can work on. Theres only so much work we can do in a day as human beings. Yes, you can sell product as well, and theres more flexibility there in terms of profits, but still, there is a limit to how much we can actually work and how much we can charge for. It helped to actually have employees, because being able to look at somebody elses hours makes you stop and think, Im paying you this amount of money, so I need to be bringing in this amount of money to make it worthwhile to have you working on this. Its one thing to be able to write off your own hours, to say, Ill just work on this a bit longerIm just watching TV while Im drawing the picture, let me keep going. Once its somebody elses time that youre paying for, youre suddenly much more aware of that.

And then also when my husband started working with me, I [became] more aware of how my time was being spent, because it came down to this: Im a billable asset versus his side of thingswhich are extremely valuable, but hes not literally billing for his time. Hes doing the work that needs to be done, growing the business. But the work that Im doing, we can literally say to the client, Heres a bill for it.

Does that change a lot in your home life?It did! Its funny, its very practical. It actually made life a little easier. Because he had more of that financial mindset, he was the first one to say, I should go pick up our son from school, because youre working on a project and youre billable. I mean, if I dont do this, were not going to get paid. We have to do all the other stuff too: We have to grow the business, we have to support the business, but we also have to do the business. So the pressures there. We can joke about the fact that my husband usually makes dinner every night, but theres also that pressure of: If Im not doing my part, then whos going to do it?

To learn more about Laura Hodges, visit her website or find her on Instagram.

Homepage photo: Laura Hodges | Courtesy of Laura Hodges Studio

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Why this Maryland designer goes greenwhether or not clients ask her to - Business of Home

A home office for children has become a common request for architects, builders, and interior designers as children practice distance learning during the coronavirus. Here, a sunlit space, designed by Wadia Associates in New Canaan, features two desks and chairs, plenty of storage, bookshelves, and a gorgeous stained glass window, creating the perfect environment in which to work.

A home office for children has become a common request for architects, builders, and interior designers as children practice distance learning during the coronavirus. Here, a sunlit space, designed by

A home office for children has become a common request for architects, builders, and interior designers as children practice distance learning during the coronavirus. Here, a sunlit space, designed by Wadia Associates in New Canaan, features two desks and chairs, plenty of storage, bookshelves, and a gorgeous stained glass window, creating the perfect environment in which to work.

A home office for children has become a common request for architects, builders, and interior designers as children practice distance learning during the coronavirus. Here, a sunlit space, designed by

Theres no place like home: Design and build during the age of the coronavirus

Members of the interior design and home building industry have found it necessary to adapt to changing, evolving economies over the years. From bull markets and bear markets to recessions and post-9/11, this group of professionals has had to think creatively in order to persevere.

Now, the virulent novel coronavirus, dubbed Covid-19, has brought the entire world to a screeching halt and has radically affected the way we live, work, play, and learn, and will continue to do so for a long time to come. As various parts of the country begin to reopen, the virus is influencing the creative process. It can no longer be business as usual in this environment. Architects, interior designers, home builders, and contractors are having to think outside the box when interacting with clients, meeting with subcontractors, and presenting and installing projects.

Our vendors have offered to show their fabric lines to us virtually. They show us all the new fabrics over the computer, and then we order samples, says Jan Hiltz, an interior designer with more than 25 years experience and the owner of Westport-based Jan Hiltz Interiors. It works for me; Ive been doing this (type of work) for so long, Ive found that where theres a will, theres a way.

Were in the midst of preparing for our first Zoom presentation, adds Christine Hiltz, Jan Hiltzs daughter-in-law and an interior designer in the firm.

For some firms, virtual presentations will be the preferred procedure, at least for a few weeks or months, or longer. The virus is going to be guiding the way we do business until we get a vaccine. Things will evolve slowly, says Dinyar Wadia, principal of Wadia Associates, an award-winning architectural and interior design firm based in New Canaan. I dont think this thing is going to go away for a while. We just have to adapt.

Programs such as Zoom have been a blessing to some, like Wadia, who has noticed an unintended benefit to using the online platform: It is easier to gauge a clients or prospective clients immediate reaction to sour proposals, whereas during in-person meetings, it is rude to stare so you might miss subtle physiological responses or cues, he explains.

While some designers are choosing the practice of designing at a distance, others are bravely plunging into the fray. Wadia and Jan and Christine Hiltz are doing both, depending on the level of each clients comfort. Designers conducting in-person consultations and presentations, however, have had to arm themselves, in addition to the usual tools of color wheel, fabric swatches, and measuring tape, with masks, gloves, protective booties, and disinfectant.

Wadia notes that he is also foregoing handshakes. Although he has tested negative for Covid-19, he takes precautions to avoid exposure and prevent him from bringing the virus home to his wife, he says.

Marsha Matto, principal and head designer of Point of View Interiors in Sandy Hook, says she still conducts some in-person meetings, although they are anything but ordinary. For a recent meeting at a plumbing supply store, for example, Matto says she was required to arrive after regular business hours, wear a mask and gloves, have her temperature taken, and sign a waiver disavowing the company of any responsibility if she contracted the virus there. Business just cant happen the same way anymore, at least not for now, Matto says.

She admits, Its been difficult. And not just because some clients have put projects on hold and because of social distancing guidelines, but also because of disruptions in the supply chain. Upholsterers might still be working with a crew, albeit smaller, but theyre not able to get the cushion fillings or frames, all requisite pieces and parts that go into creating custom furniture, says Matto, who has more than 20 years of experience in high-end residential and commercial design, and who also serves as chair of the Interior Design Department at the University of Bridgeport.

The New York company she hired to pick up and deliver a furniture order in New Jersey for one of her commercial clients in Connecticut had to decline when that business was deemed nonessential, leaving Matto scrambling to arrange transport herself at a higher cost. Instead of a simple delivery and installation, it turned into a nightmare, she recalls. Frustration sets in from time to time but most people are understanding.

Robert Berger, a Westport-based architect and builder, notes that many of his clients want renovations that relate directly to the coronavirus. Homeowners are requesting that we install hands-free sinks, operated by foot pedals or a motion sensor, or a second desk or office space, ideally enclosed, as parents are working from home, and their children are distance learning, he states. Everyone is thinking about how they will be living in their homes during the age of the coronavirus, and beyond.

Washers and dryers located inside the homes point of first contact (such as in a mudroom), so residents can remove and wash their clothes as soon as they come in, are also on the wish lists of todays homeowners. Eventually, I predict well be installing exterior entry doorway panels in front of which people can wave a key and the door will open, eliminating any need to touch a doorknob, Berger explains.

Hard surfaces tend to be easier to keep clean, and design professionals are specifying materials such as stainless steel, which can be cleaned with ammonia- and alcohol-based products (brass and other metals with lacquer finishes cannot), and countertops made from quartz or other hard materials, according to Berger. Some cabinet manufacturers already carry cabinets that can be opened and closed with either wave in front of the door or a single finger push opening, he says, and I think more clients will be requesting options like these now and in the future.

Some people may think redecorating a house in the midst of a global medical pandemic is frivolous but Jan Hiltz says her work has not decreased. In fact, she has a five-month waiting list, perhaps because people are spending even more time at home than usual and who knows for how long and they want their living environments to be beautiful, and to feel safe. Now, home has become a real sanctuary, Jan Hiltz states.

She reports that her company has already received several requests for outdoor projects. Many of her clients want to install in-ground swimming pools because they dont want to go to public facilities anymore, and they also want more backyard amenities that will allow them to invite friends over while still safely socially distancing.

Life goes on, and it brings joy to people even to just consider the promise of decorating, bringing new ideas into their home, and bringing sunshine and brightness to their home, she says.

One of her clients sums it up this way: We really need this.

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Theres no place like home: Design and build during the age of the coronavirus - CTPost

Suited Interior Designs Shelley Reiner tells us why she goes for projects that dive deep into its history, culture and destination.

From big brands to boutique hotels, experiential design is the hottest ticket in the hospitality industry.

Suited Interior Designs founder Shelley Reiner spoke exclusively to TOPHOTELNEWS on the sidelines of TOPHOTELWORLDTOUR London 2020, which took place on February 6 at the Conrad St James, to explain how the most successful experiences are created through considered, thorough and site specific hotel design.

Reiner: I have been designing hotels and resorts globally for the last 20 years for various firms which has taken me all over the world. In the last five years I have opened my own practice, and we are still designing globally across Asia and Europe.

Reiner: I love these sweet little projects we have on at the moment. Mostly, they are individually owned, and that requires a lot of steps and thought and research into the country and their local materials. Weve got two really good ones right now, but one of them is in the Azores. Incredible place, we did a really long, extensive research trip there. And then theres a really fantastic boutique hotel that were doing in the heart of Athens right now which has 48 different rooms and three different room types. So its a lot of work, but theyre really, really thoughtful projects that allow us to put a lot of research into them.

Reiner: Thats easy. Its the research. I always say any designer worth their salt can put a scheme together. But what we do is, before we even put pen to paper, we go to the site and we spend at least a week there. Sometimes we even bring a professional photographer with us. We hire architectural tours. We get in depth I call it the deep dive. We do the deep dive into the city or the region and really try and understand the sort of DNA of the building and the guests profile. And then we sort of put that all together and we use design as a tool to position the hotel within that market.

Reiner: One thing were seeing more of is an interest in converting healthcare properties or retirement properties into more hotel-based models. High-end rehabilitation facilities that are more like boutique hotel rooms rather than traditional rehabilitation facilities.

Shelley Reiner was a delegate at TOPHOTELWORLDTOUR London 2020. To attend, address or sponsor our boutique hospitality networking events around the world, contact the TOPHOTELPROJECTS team.

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Hotel design is a deep-dive into the DNA of a project: Shelley Reiner - TOPHOTELNEWS

The first week at a new job is always a little strange, but Marc Szafrans was downright surreal. He took the helm as president of iconic design brand Holly Hunt on March 16, just three days before shelter-in-place orders began rippling across the country. By March 20, I had closed down the central [Chicago] office and showrooms, he tells Business of Home. We had moved to a remote and virtual model.

Not many new executives have to pivot to an entirely new way of doing business on their fifth day in charge, but Szafran seems to be taking it in stride. The coronavirus, he says, wont force Holly Hunt to make any abrupt changes in strategy. Rather, the company will keep going in the same directiononly faster. COVID-19 has accelerated both what was happening in the industry and what needed to happen at Holly Hunt, he says.

More on that in a second. First, some bona fides: Szafran comes to Holly Hunt after two successive experiences running operations for well-known designers. In 2004, he began working with New York interior designer Thom Filicia, helping to develop the Queer Eye stars product business (Szafran also has some entertainment law experience and acted as Filicias manager for a time). More recently, he was president and COO of Los Angelesbased designer Michael S. Smiths company. Again, there he helped develop a product line and streamline operations.

What I loved about working [for Smith] was that it wasnt just the core business of interior designhe also had showrooms, manufacturing and all the fundamentals of a great business, and he was looking to grow.

In short: Szafran brings 15 years of experience on the operations side of businesses fronted by famously creative people. At Holly Huntwhere Hunt herself still plays a creative role, and SVP Joannah Kornak oversees creative directionhell be on familiar ground. The difference is scale: With 300-plus employees and 13 showrooms, Holly Hunt is a bigger, more complex ship to steer.

In the early days of his tenure, Szafrans approach has been to focus on the fundamentals. Especially in a topsy-turvy time, the most important thing Holly Hunt can do, he says, is not to explore new revenue channels or reinvent the wheel, but rather to prioritize relationships with designers.

New Holly Hunt president Marc Szafran has no plans to cut back on the companys showroom footprint.Courtesy of Holly Hunt

I know what decorators have to deal with, and I know that they are as good as the support theyre relying on, he says. Ive looked at ways to improve upon our customer service and our support. From that, a lot flows: faster lead times, more innovation in products, showrooms being equipped properly to serve designers no matter what the situation. When you have an organization as large as Holly Hunt, its important to make sure that one-on-one connection with the client doesnt get lost.

Which is not to say there wont be a little wheel-reinvention going on. One of Szafrans key initiatives will be to give the brands website a much-needed glow-up. A new version will launch in August, he says, with tools that allow designers to monitor quotes and track orders. A following phase of development will see the the company incorporate e-commerce.

Plans to overhaul the site had already been underway, but the closure of showrooms across the country injected urgency into the process. There are a number of areas where we have pulled back on expansion and growth, given whats happening in the market, and weve scaled the business accordingly, he says. Then there are a number of areas where weve redoubled both our resources and efforts. One of them is a digital transformation.

With the new site, says Szafran, will come an uptick in the volume of the brands quick-ship and in-stock selections. However, dont expect Holly Hunt to become an e-commerce company. Pandemic or no, Szafran is bullish on the power of a physical showroom. Holly Hunt will unveil a spacious new showroom in the Boston Design Center once local restrictions are lifted, and a new 20,000-square-foot location in Los Angeles will open in 2021.

Of course, both projects had been in the works well before COVID-19 struck, but Szafran is open to further expansion. Big picture, showrooms are a substantial component of our business model, he says. Its part of my philosophy [that] designers need showrooms, they want showrooms. [Showrooms] will have a different importance as we move into the digital age, but at the end of the day, we believe that designers and their clients want to see the product in a beautiful, inspirational environment.

Thats true, he says, of both established designers like his former business partners, as well as the rising generation. Indeed, keeping Holly Hunt top of mind for younger designers is a high priority. The overarching direction from Holly was: We want to ensure relevancy, to address whats most important, [including] the design and the qualitybeing best-in-class for all of that.

A tall order even during normal times, but a health crisis and a chaotic environment for business certainly ups the ante. Szafran, however, is optimistic that multiline showrooms in general, and Holly Hunt in particular, can thrive. I think the multiline showroom model is a great model. I think it serves designers really wellyou just have to be smart about it. It cant be run in the old-school ways that showrooms were being run, he says. Those that can adapt and innovate will do well. But it doesnt just happen.

Homepage photo: Marc Szafran; courtesy of Holly Hunt

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Holly Hunt's new president unveils his plans for the brand - Business of Home

Welcome to our weekly property digest, where we bring together the best homes for sale and rent across the world. This week, we have a converted butchers shop in London and an interior designers midcentury home near Melbourne.

5 bedrooms; price guide $860,000 $930,000 via Morrison Kleeman Interior designer Catherine Mazzotta of Modernist Interiors Eltham restored this 1976 Fasham Johnson home in Melbournes Hurstbridge with her architect husband Michael Archibald. The pair updated the Victoria property to celebrate its 1970s origins with raked timber ceilings, slate flooring and walls of floor-to-ceiling windows throughout. See more.

Photography: The Modern House

2 bedrooms; 700,000 via The Modern House This exceptional north London property was a butchers shop in the 1980s before being converted into a family home in the 20th century. Original features such as green and white pastoral tiles and an original wooden kiosk form the staples of its Grade II-listed kitchen, while the rest of the house has period fireplaces and timber floors. Get a closer look.

Photography: Edina Realty, Inc.

3 bedrooms; $949,000 via Edina Realty Once used as stables for a railroad tycoons horses, this carriage house has been converted into a vast loft-style living space. The Minnesota property was built in 1891 and was later converted into condos in the 1970s by architect John Buxell. Its since been reinstated as a single home, packed with historic touches, from the exposed brick walls and wooden beams to the original tack cabinets and pulleys. See more.

Photography: Lance Gerber

4 bedrooms; $3.7m via The Value of Architecture Sebastian Mariscal designed this Los Angeles around its gardens. The cedar-clad Venice home has a private courtyard screened by 40-ft pine and oak trees, with this outdoor space framed by huge sliding doors. No matter where you are in the house, theres immediate access into the pebbly, cactus-planted garden and the upstairs bedrooms even have roof gardens. See inside.

Photography: Cameron Carothers

3 bedrooms; $2.19m via Deasy Penner Podley Local architect John F Galbraith designed this midcentury modern LA home in 1965. Glass walls and a low horizontal roofline make the California property appear both solid and weightless. Get a closer look.

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Our top properties of the week - The Spaces

Staff reports

Published: Sat, May 23, 2020 5:00 AM

The Symphony Showhouse will go on, with social distancing observed because of the coronavirus pandemic, June 13-28 at 2737 Guilford Lane, which is listed with Wyatt Poindexter Group of KW Luxury Homes International for $3.25 million.

The show house has been an annual fundraiser for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and its music education programs since 1973. It will open its doors from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with the first hour reserved for those at higher risk for COVID-19. The Symphony Show House will adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local guidance for health and safety.

Grab a mask and go check it out: "This completely renovated property includes a brand-new custom pool and half-basketball court. Remodeled by locally owned-and-operated A-List Construction, the house boasts nearly 8,000 square feet with five bedrooms, nine bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling commercial windows, marble, steel and rustic wood beams."

For more information, email league@okcphil.org or go to http://www.okcphil.org. Follow the Symphony Show House on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OCOLShowHouse.

This years Symphony Show House designers include:

Elizabeth Richardson, Adorn.

Rosinna Gies, Amini's Galleria.

Tuesday Fay and Halah Songer, Bob Mills Furniture.

Abbie Wilkerson, Aleks Payne and Doris Medrano, Calvert's Plant Interiors.

Crystal Carte, Carte's Interiors.

Shara Castillo, Castle Rock Granite.

Cindy Raby, Cindy Raby Interiors.

Patti Williams, The Enchanted Cottage.

Nora Johnson, Johnson Manor Interior Design.

Jeff Muse and Beth Ketchum, K&N Interior Fabrics.

Katelynn Henry, Steve Calonkey and Steve Simpson, Henry Home Interiors.

Lezley Lynch, Lezley Lynch Designs.

Kari Lopez, Renae Brady and Tracy Knoche, LOREC Ranch Home Furnishings.

Nathan R. Hughes and Maria Magana, Mathis Design Studio.

Keven Calonkey Carl, Cassidy Brunsteter and Lance Whitlow, Mister Robert Fine Furniture & Design.

Cindy Curley and Ryan Johnson, Norwalk Design.

Deb Johnson, Paint Inspirations Inc.

Ronette Wallace, OTW Interiors and Suburban Contemporary Furniture.

Julie Miller, Tin Lizzie.

J. Mark Taylor, Traditions Fine Furniture & Design.

Steve Winters and Lisa Smallwood, Winter House Interiors.

The Show House also will host a boutique and pop-up shops featuring jewelry, art, gifts and more by The Black Scintilla, Home Dazzle, Lynda Savage Art and Vintage Gypsy.

Symphony Show House leaders are chairman, Julia Hunt; design chairman, Tuesday Fay; designer liaison, J. Mark Taylor.

Read more here:
Symphony Show House will be June 13-28 in Oklahoma City - Oklahoman.com

Having rescued this Tuscan villa from near ruin, its British owners commissioned Artichoke to design a hard-working kitchen. Arabella Youens explains more.

Originally built in 1916 by a Swiss family, this 12-bedroom villa stands nearly 4,000ft above sea level on the border between Tuscany and Umbria. It was used as a hotel, but was abandoned in the 1980s. For its new British owners, a hard-working kitchen to suit their large family of enthusiastic cooks was essential.

When we first took on the project, a tree was growing through the kitchen and the basement was full of snakes and scorpions, says Artichokes creative director, Bruce Hodgson.

Using Tuscany-based artisans and local materials where possible, the company oversaw renovation works that took four years. Part of the project included merging smaller rooms to create this voluminous kitchen in the centre of the house, where it acts as the engine room, says Bruce.

One of the stipulations that informed the architecture was that a traditional inglenook fireplace spacious enough to cook porchetta (roast suckling pig) should be included. This involved running a flue under the main staircase that crosses the top of the kitchen resulting in a vaulted ceiling from which hang two striking wagon wheel-style chandeliers from Ralph Lauren Home.

Much of the decorative interest comes from the wood used on the dresser and cabinetry a mixture of local chestnut and oak, which has been bleached. For day-to-day cooking, a Wolf range was installed, with a surround of tiles in a glossy sage from Verona adding a splash of colour. An acid-etched zinc extractor, designed and made by Artichoke, adds an industrial feel.

We wanted the story behind the room to make it feel as if it had evolved over many centuries, adds Bruce.

Of all the decorating trends that have been in vogue over the last 50 years be it Scandi, Minimalism

People across the country are using their time to decorate,and with the big companies still running delivery services you're likely

Listening to the worlds greatest interior designers talk about their work is one of the best ways to get to

Interior designer Philippa Thorp tells Arabella Youens about the transformation of her Grade II-listed house in Hampshire.

Emily Todhunter took a restrained approach to the decoration of her Wiltshire bathroom. She explained more to Arabella Youens.

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A Tuscan kitchen reborn: When we first took it on a tree was growing through the kitchen and the basement was full of snakes - Country Life

This swift, dutiful retreat into the home has a distinctly historical feel to it. Suddenly, the refuge of the bars and restaurants of Soho is no longer and our communities have shrunk to Medieval proportions. Of course, we are lucky to be able to keep up with friends and family outside of our own homes with video technology unlike our ancestors, but nonetheless, our worlds are reduced to a couple of people, a series of rooms and a little garden (if were even luckier). It is this inwardness, this government approved withdrawal from society, that is ushering us towards a sort of considered degeneration, however contradictory that may be.

I dont mean this to sound accusatory nor even cautionary. Retreating to our more primitive selves in the face of lockdown is quite wonderful; it is a sort of contemplative regression to simpler ways of living in our homes. Isnt it true that even the busiest of the city workers are slowing down the pace of their lives, enjoying the resourcefulness required in such extenuating circumstances, cooking from scratch, worshipping the outdoors and keeping eyes and ears on vulnerable neighbours more than ever before?

In fact, I rather feel as if I should be writing this article with a quill by candlelight and drinking some variety of sickly mead. And theres a thought fire is having something of an engulfing presence in our lives throughout this lockdown period, and I think this has something to do with our return to the primal comforts afforded to us in this slower, more localised way of life. I cant say the same for mead.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

A gently flickering candle or the roar of a stoked fire has its place in this picture of British cosiness. Kindwood, a sustainable firewood company in the UK, has reported a surge in consumer demand for its kiln-dried logs since the lockdown was put in place. Taylor Gathercole, the companys founder, says: Fire has been bringing us together for millions of years, but now, being at home 24/7 is giving us more of a chance to spend quality time together with loved ones in our homes and our gardens and for many, fire is the perfect backdrop for this.

Gathercole is absolutely right to reference the garden and the popularity of a burning flame outdoors. Moda Furnishings, a British rattan garden furniture company, has reported that its sales of both gas and charcoal firepits are up 88 per cent, compared to figures for May last year. As we make the most of our precious square-footage in more considered and grateful ways, our gardens have become a real extension of our living spaces.

Jonny Brierley, the CEO of Moda Furnishings, says: The word cosy has never been associated with gardens. Historically, they have been purely aesthetic or functional, but now people want to make better and more frequent use of them. Many are doing this through the introduction of firepits. Firelight is said to create a more intimate setting, allowing those surrounding it to relax and talk, letting their guards down at the end of the day. The fire provides a visual, psychological comfort from which you and the entire family will benefit.

In front of the fire, you will feel more connected to your surroundings and more switched off from the busyness of everyday life (Contura)

Catharina Bjorkman, lifestyle expert at Swedish woodburning stove manufacturer Contura agrees, telling me: There are few things as comforting as sitting in front of a fire. Flames induce feelings of relaxation. We can feel absorbed, almost hypnotised, as we watch the fire. The ritual lighting of the stove and sitting together offers up quality time, making us feel part of a group or community, which in turn has many benefits for our wellbeing. In front of the fire, you will feel more connected to your surroundings and more switched off from the busyness of everyday life.

The tradition of ritual that Bjorkman references surrounding the lighting of a fire is hugely interesting. From the myriad examples of religious pyrodulia (fire worship) from around the world, such as the Olympic flame ceremony, fire has always played a huge part in marking occasions or signifying the passage of time.

For the contemporary #pyrofiles, it is the act of lighting a fire that seals off the day, symbolising the transition from day to evening, from rush to slow. Issy Granger, the founder of her eponymous homewares brand, swaps out her laptop for her candles in decorative candlesticks every evening after work, so I can allow myself time to switch off and relax.

Theres something wonderful about sitting around an outdoor fire pit at night (Moda Furnishings)

The simple addition of a flickering candle works to instantly change the atmosphere of a room, which is great to signify the end of the working day, she says. These candlesticks are available to buy online in dreamy coloured glass, with candles coming to the online store soon. Ed Ng, the founder of international architecture and design studio, AB Concept, treats the lighting of his outdoor fire after work as the commencement of a meditative experience: From stacking the small piles of kindling to lighting the fire, seeing the white smoke and hearing the crackling sound emitted, the outdoors fire is a means for meditation. The sound, the smell and the light draw me into peacefulness.

This enduring ritual is further evidence to show that the way we use our homes can have positive impacts on our wellbeing and mental health. Katharine Pooley, a London-based interior designer, believes a lit fire really does make a house a home, and in some basic, elemental way, makes you feel cocooned and protected.

Candlelight has the same effect: If you are feeling down or full of tension, as many of us are in these strange times, consider a candlelit bath or perhaps enjoy a supper by candlelight. It is wonderfully relaxing.

For Jo Littlefair, co-Founder and director of Goddard Littlefair, can also attest to this intersection of design and wellbeing. She says: I believe there is an age-old connection between our emotional state and the presence of a flickering candle. The gentle nature of a lit flame is so flattering and alluring, so when it comes to designing my clients homes, I always include lots of candles and access to fireplaces from as many rooms as possible.

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Firelight in the home is a primal comfort for an unsettling time - The Independent