2020 in a Nutshell

This year has been anything but ordinary…We’ve all worked hard to compromise, adjust, adapt and explore a new way of life. As with anything bad however, good is always just around the corner. We hope our Design Thread blog has kept you company throughout the year, and we are always filled with joy when we hear from you and see you joining in with our creative projects.

We thought we would take a look back at the best bits from the last 12 months and remind ourselves of the brilliant projects we have worked on throughout the year. We urge you to do the same, no matter how small the achievement, you will be surprised at how many happy moments resurface!

The world might not have been everyone’s oyster this year, but we made do with a nutshell…

JANUARY – Christopher Farr Trims

In January, we kicked off the year with the launch of my new collection of trims for Christopher Farr. As with all my collections, the colour palettes are designed to work together and complement each other within a scheme.

We love the chunky woven braid with its handmade feel. They look great down a curtain leading edge or even wrapped around a lampshade like we did for Vaughan’s ‘Made in the Shade’. Watch here as Willow Kemp and Michal Silver talk trimmings and how the finer details within a scheme are so important.

FEBRUARY – The Potting Shed

In February, we gave our beloved Potting Shed at Dorset Square Hotel a fresh new fabric scheme using some of our favourite designs from Pierre Frey, Christopher Farr and Alma Leather. This joyful scheme works beautifully in this restaurant, with its zinc topped bar and cosy alcove seating. Despite everything this year, we were over the moon to hear about the number of wonderful wedding celebrations that have happened here…Congratulations!

APRIL – Exploring Exhibitions at Home

Despite galleries being closed, art still found its way to shine through wonderful online viewings of exhibitions. Top of our list was the Aubery Beardsley collection at Tate Britain. Beardsley is known for his prints, but his drawings are so beautiful; the quality of line, the way he distorts features, how he plays with scale. As with all clever design – the more you look, the more details you discover.

MARCH – Getting Creative at Home

Faced with concepts we were completely new to – ‘lockdown’ and ‘isolation’, we did what any design team would do…we got creative. From bread making to candlestick painting, floral headdresses to paper puzzles – we all set about working on mini home projects, which we shared with you and you with us on #DesignThreads.

MAY – Homes & Gardens Guest Edit

This year, I was honoured to be asked to work with Homes & Gardens magazine as Guest Editor. It was so exciting to share my favourite aspects of design with you, from some of the brilliant makers we work with, fabric collections we’ve designed, at home craft ideas and even scrumptious recipes for those long summer afternoons.

Simon Brown’s stunning photography lets you experience each room and the details within, from new pieces to sentimental heirlooms. These details are so integral in creating a home.

JUNE – A Sneak Peek of a Residential Project

I was thrilled to share a newly renovated residential project here in London.

JULY – The Collector: A Collaboration with Christie’s

Antiques are always a key component within our schemes. They are such an important feature to add depth and interest within a space with their wealth of history and storytelling. When Christie’s approached us to design some schemes around key pieces they had on auction, we felt very at home!

AUGUST – Dorset Square Hotel’s New Drawing Room

In preparation for the hotel’s November re-opening, a new fabric scheme was revealed in the light filled Drawing Room at Dorset Square Hotel. The famously peachy terracotta walling had new companions – with my ‘Romany Weave’ fabric for Christopher Farr on the sofa, a Hazleton House hand block on the curtains and my new pendant lighting design for Porta Romana glowing in the centre of the room.

SEPTEMBER – Potato Patchwork with Molly Mahon

Charleston House is a constant source of inspiration for us here at the Kit Kemp Design Studio. With people coming together more than ever before this year, we were delighted to be included in a worthy charity auction to raise funds to keep the historical home of the Bloomsbury Group open. Molly Mahon brought together a selection of designers and asked them to create an artwork using potato block printing. Here was ours…

OCTOBER – The New Terrace Suite at The Soho Hotel

We love collaborating, especially between disciplines. Clio’s Peppiatt’s sustainable fashion line is filled with hilarious nuance and storytelling. Together, we created this bespoke headboard for the new Terrace Suite at The Soho Hotel.

The hand embroidered headboard is the star of the show in this lyrical scheme. This design was the perfect antidote to lockdown 2, with calming soft blues and pinks.

NOVEMBER – Our New Shop at Bergdorf Goodman

We are excited to announce we now have a permanent space on the 7th floor of the New York department store, Bergdorf Goodman, which opened in November. The walls are decorated with my own ‘Wychwood’ and ‘Unicorn’ wallpaper designs.

This jewel box is bursting with trinkets and treasures, from papier-mâché creations and handmade cushions to our signature mannequins. We plan on changing this little space seasonally, so look out for new one-of-kind creations.

DECEMBER – Rocking Robin for Porta Romana

We’re so excited to show you our Rocking Robin pendant light for Porta Romana. When switched on, the eggs give out a soft warm glow, while little sculpted robins add interest as they perch on the stems of the mobile structures. This will be launching very soon so keep your eyes peeled!

We thank you for joining us this year. 2021 is already peeking around the corner, with a whole host of exciting projects – from a new hotel in New York, some gorgeous residential projects, new schemes and even new books!

We’d love to hear your highlights from this year, from weddings to learning new skills or decorating your home… we would love to learn about your adventures!