As this year comes to an end, we would like to share with you our 2022 highlights. Here’s a combination of your favourite blogs and some of our proudest achievements…

January

We all know the classic saying ‘New Year, New Me’ and so we shared with you our bedroom ‘dos and don’ts’ to help you have your very own ‘Firmdale sleep experience’ with our blog post: New Bed, New Me.

February

Topping out ceremonies are a time-honoured tradition held when the last beam of a structure or the roof of a building is put into place. February was a very exciting time for Firmdale Hotels as we topped out our upcoming hotel at Warren Street in Tribeca, New York. Here is an artist’s impression of Warren Street Hotel. We can’t wait to welcome you through its doors in 2023.

We often share stories about artists and designers who have made their creative achievements ‘Against All Odds‘. Polina Rayko (1928-2004) was a self-taught artist born in Tsyurupinsk in Ukraine (renamed to Oleshky in 2015) and is an inspiring example of how art is essential to the healing process and transcends our life experiences. Find her remarkable story here.

We also gathered together some tips and ideas to help you with your scrapbook creations. Whether it’s new products for Shop Kit Kemp, bespoke wallpapers, or a new collaboration, there’s a constant need for new ideas at our Design Studio. One of the most important tools for this is our sketch books and scrapbooks.

March

We introduced you to The Kit Kemp Collection for Annie Selke. This magnificent assortment of rugs, pillows, and bedding was inspired by Kit’s favourite destinations – New York, London, and Barbados. We loved sharing the collection’s many storied items, each one infused with artisanal warmth and the power to transform the look and feel of an entire room.

We also announced our Papillon Wallpaper design. This delightful wallpaper encompasses willow trees that dance with blooming powder-pink roses and burnt orange butterflies, against chalky teal skies.

April

We went ‘Out and About’ in April and joined the celebrations at London Design Week. It saw Kit present our Annie Selke collection with Andrew Martin. Minne was at the Julian Chichester showroom, where she revealed her design for their new window display and shed a light on the S/S 2022 collection.

We also announced the arrival of Artists Corner, a creative nook at Shop Kit Kemp. Here we curated a selection of unique artwork by some of our favourite artists, makers and craftspeople. Shining a light on emerging and established artists, Artists Corner is a treasure trove of handcrafted artworks and limited edition pieces and brings you the opportunity to add inspiring one-off creations to your home.

May

We gave you the first look at Richmond Buildings. This is an office space that offers so much more than just a space to work. Located right next door to The Soho Hotel, we wanted these new-build offices to complement the local area. We wanted to create a building with style and design traits that make coming to the office an alluring prospect.

June

The WOW!house at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour was a collection of 20 rooms by renowned designers. In June, Kit and Minnie were asked to design the Day Room and together, they turned this space into a world of wonder.

July

We are often asked how to style a sofa with cushions so in July we thought we would take you through our top five tips.

August

From time to time we share our latest bedroom schemes in our ‘Sleeping Around‘ blog posts. In July we escaped the busy streets of New York and retreated to room 1005 at Crosby Street Hotel. With sweeping views of Downtown Manhattan, this scheme boasts energetic teals and corals. Explore this Top Floor Deluxe Room here.

September

In September, we loved sharing how you’ve used our fabrics, wallpapers and carpets in your very own design projects. These were our top 5 favourite designs… by you!

October

For the first time Ham Yard Restaurant & Bar appeared at Frieze Masters in Regent’s Park in October. Firmdale Hotels’ Head Chef Joe Fox created a menu based around seasonal ingredients which embraced the late summer harvest. We gave the pop-up restaurant our own Design Studio flair by incorporating some of our favourite fabrics from our collections with Christopher Farr Cloth. Kit, Minnie and Willow also joined Olivia Paterson, co-Founder of Paterson Zevi Art Agency for Deutsche Bank International Private Bank. They talked about the importance of art collecting and how the creative ethos at our hotels and Design Studio is evolving from one generation to the next.

At Covent Garden Hotel, we got together in the Drawing Room and celebrated the launch of SJ Axelby’s beautiful book ‘Interior Portraits’. SJ brings new life to interior portraiture, capturing in paint the favourite rooms of 89 leading interior designers, antique dealers, florists and chefs.

October also saw us join Willow for a chat about how her involvement at our Design Studio has evolved and how she is scoping an exciting future, where a passion for art, design and architecture meet. ‘Meet Willow Kemp’ here.

November

We rolled up our sleeves and created our very own decorations for tablescaping. Revisit our tips to make your very own artichoke candle holders, decorative pillar candles, a table centrepiece and block printed vases. Get stuck in here!

December

We saw the year out with a bang! At The Whitby Hotel we introduced a new format for our Art Tours. Spicing things up, was the addition of a guided drawing workshop, hosted by Lyora Pissarro.

Also in December, Christie’s Lates celebrated the art of craftsmanship. Kit joined for a panel discussion ‘Why Making Matters’ and spoke alongside Helen Chislett (journalist and author), Lulu Lytle (founder and creative director of Soane Britain) and Chris Cox (creative director, Cox London).

Since we’ll all be celebrating togetherness this year, our Festive Edit put a special focus on creating decorative arrangements as well as ideas and items to bring warmth and joy into your spaces.

Thank you for revisiting 2022 with us. Here’s to another year packed full with colour, crafts and inspiring design! From London to New York, join us at our hotels for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Explore what we’ve got planned here.