Material Boy

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Courage, passion and a willingness to work are the greatest attributes that an interior designer can have, according to David Collins, founder of the David Collins Studio and designer of iconic projects such as The Claridges Bar, The Connaught Bar, The Blue Bar at the Berkeley Hotel and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

“I am not afraid of any of these, especially hard work. That’s what people find surprising when they enter this industry, that it is very hard and requires great focus and tenacity,” he said.

Collins started his career as an architect, before shifting his focus to interior architecture. His work is defined by intelligent use of materials, lateral thinking and attention to detail, he explained.

“I think that one of the characteristics of my work, and the thing that people respond well to, is the choice of materials,” Collins continued. “People always say that I define luxury without making it vulgar, as well as paying great attention to detail. These are the things that are subliminally transmitted to the client and to the user,” he said.

“My definition of minimalist luxury, which is a phrase I coined many years ago, is really letting a space and volume follow the dictates of the light and architecture. It’s also having a strong concept with attention to detail and a carefully balanced choice of colours. Every piece of furniture or art should be chosen because of its suitability.”

Situated at the top end of the market, the David Collins Studio has remained largely unaffected by the economic slowdown, Collins explained. “We tend to work at the luxury end of the design market and so our work (which is of course always commercially-based, and has to come in on time and on budget) is doing quite well. We are enjoying a surge of interest from overseas.”

The Middle East is of particular interest, although Collins is focusing on a very specific segment of the market. “I was quite inspired by some of the work that I saw in the Middle East, and the scale of some of the projects is really amazing,” he said.

“I think that, as with everything, time will tell which projects become iconic and associated with their location and size.

“The Middle East is a market that is of interest to me, but I am working on a more focused and refined area in the Middle East – areas where luxury and originality are part of the scale of a project. I want to do things beautifully, and this means working on projects that aren’t too enormous.”

Ultimately, it is this pursuit of beauty that drives and defines Collins’ creativity. “My dream project is to have somebody enthusiastically collaborate with me to create something really unique and beautiful. When working on projects, I can look at designs which seem very interesting, but I always ask myself: ‘Is it beautiful?’ That’s the test.”