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March 8, 2020

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Timeless authenticity that speaks your guests’ language

Source: Shanghai Daily | 00:00 UTC+8 March 8, 2020 | Print Edition

WHO is he?

Robert Angell was born in Dorset, on the south coast of England. In 1995, after gaining a BA (hons) degree in Interior Design at Nottingham Trent University, he fled to London. A chance meeting with David Collins was the start of an incredible journey which lasted more than 15 years before launching his own design studio Robert Angell Design International in 2010.

Since 2010 Angell developed his own style bringing in references from the great modernists and the masters of the past. At Robert Design International, they re-discover and re-invent projects into a modernized yet timeless aesthetic for today’s contemporaries. He has designed some of the most prestigious restaurants, bars, hotels, residential and retail interiors for some of the world’s leading brands, helping to enhance the lives of their clients, whilst also developing the DNA and evolution of the brands and individuals they work with.

Tell us some of your works, and name the one you are most proud of?

It is hard to choose as every single project is unique. We have recently completed One Aldwych Hotel in London for the Pineapple Group, which is timeless British design with a twist. Each of the bedrooms are unique in shape and size, celebrating color of British landscapes and craftsmanship.

We also worked on Fritz & Felix Restaurant and Bar in Germany with Oetker Collection and Brenners Park Hotel & Spa, drawing inspiration from the Black Forest.

We are proud to have worked with such an iconic brand such as Belmond Grand Hotel Europe. Our work on the ballrooms, adjacent areas and the hotel bedrooms draw inspiration from local culture and nature. We wanted to celebrate the main ballroom, which has incredible historical details. We took out all the mouldings, cornices and decorative plasterwork and carefully restored them for re-mounting. The existing stained glass ceiling and chandeliers were all cleaned and restored, and we installed a huge light box behind the ceiling to emulate daylight.

The bar and adjacent areas have details from the Camomile flower, the national flower of Russia, celebrating the nature and culture of St Petersburg. In the bedrooms, we continued the concept of richness of color, the element of nature and we wanted to be true to the beautiful city of St Petersburg, bringing in the local artisans. Taking all these ideas into consideration, we commissioned local artists to hand paint wall panels each side of the bed, which turned out really beautiful and authentic. The richness of materials together with some of the existing decorative elements that we carefully restored make the rooms ooze sophistication. Guests can truly feel relaxed and inspired.

Are you currently involved in any other project?

We are working on projects in New York, the Middle East, Europe and the UK. We are working on hotels, restaurants, bars and some residential projects too.

Describe your design style.

I would say timeless. I don’t have one style but treat each project as unique as each have their own individual briefs and styles. The projects must have authenticity and they need to speak to the guests. We always create spaces where you feel amazing, as opposed to just spaces that look good aesthetically.

What does your home mean to you?

A space where I can rewind, relax and also entertain. Somewhere I can forget the outside world for a moment, feel good and let my mind flow free. For people passing by, a home can be just a bricks and mortar, but when you enter indoors you feel the character and uniqueness of that particular home, it’s an extension of one’s character.

What do you collect?

I like collecting art and antiques. Art brings so much joy, so much color and inspiration to a home. Antiques are fabulous pieces to be celebrated with the detail and care that has gone in to them is incredible. They also pinpoint a point in time which reflect the thinking of people at that place in time which is creating our history.

Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?

The Yuyuan Garden and the old city to see how this amazing rich Chinese culture has inspired the new 21st century towers which now dominate the skyline. The backstreets are usually full of culture and originality and, of course, the people that make the city.

What will be the next big design trend?

Taking art and sculptural pieces and inspiration to create a focal point or help define an interior. A nod to nostalgia and history but perhaps as a modernist keeping it simple. But then anything goes as long as the back story has a provenance or a fantastical element that excites the end user and creates that special memory in time.

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