Emilio Pimentel-Reid (@whatemiliosaw) is the man about town, he can always be found surrounded by other creatives, connecting people and making interiors magic happen. He is an award-winning stylist, editor and designer and is the co-author of the vibrant new interiors book Bold British Design with Photographer Sarah Hogan (@shoganphoto).

Bold British Design takes you into the studios and homes of twenty-one British creatives who are breaking new ground in interior design and décor.

1. What made you want to create this book?

The idea for this book came from a desire to share the energy, inspiration and delight I have experienced in my roles as an editor, stylist and designer, collaborating with the individuals I encounter in the UK’s interiors world. Bold British Design (BBD) reveals a snapshot of UK design today.

2. British Design has always been seen as fearless and original. In the UK we are known for eccentricity and attitude. When considering the twenty designers’ studios and spaces, did you have this in mind?

The individuals we showcase in the book are by no means an exhaustive list of Britain’s great talent pool. They have been chosen for the originality and boldness of their work as well as that of their interiors, and to highlight a breadth of styles and design categories.

One of our Design Team at the Kit Kemp Studio has been talented enough to feature in Bold British Design.

Minnie Kemp Studio- Artist and Designer

Minnie’s office lair, a light-filled single room, is an Aladdin’s cave of lamps, cushions, fabric swatch books, and the quirkiest travel souvenirs – assuming Aladdin had very eclectic taste and owned a well-used sewing machine.

A high window frames the Victoria & Albert museum’s dome and the designer’s large desk is placed facing one of the world’s leading museums of art and design. The mix of objects, fabrics, colour and pattern is so uplifting!

3.How do you feel designers are ‘breaking new ground’ – do you see any trends?

The designers are bold not just in the sense of being colourful or quirky like illustrator Camilla Perkins, they are deeply original, fearless in their interior choices, either breaking the mould or pushing the boundaries of creativity. Designer and environmentalist, Sebastian Cox, for example has his own woodland from which he harvests timber for his furniture and even grows light shades out of fungus.

They are also bold in personal ways, often unconstrained by rules, joyful (none more so than British Nigerian Yinka Ilori) and courageous both in how an individual product is made or how disparate elements are combined in a room. They also each exemplify many of the characteristics that make this country unique: a sense of humour and an appreciation for history, craft and modernity.

The trend is to be yourself and to explore your own creativity. Bold British Design is out on 18th June 2020, CLICK HERE to find out more.

Emilio has kindly offered the prize of his new book ‘Bold British Design’ to the best and boldest photo of your Design workspaces at home. Please tag @kitkempdesignthread and #BoldBritishDesign on Instagram to submit your entries. Please submit your entries by Wednesday 1st July.