What spatial delight can be expected when interior design is approached as storytelling?
Intriguing. Beguiling. Provocative. Otherworldly.
Elegant. Subversive. Unpredictable. Quality. Permanent.
Graceful. Rigorous. Luxurious. Privilege.
Subtle. Opulent. Singular. Timeless.
Intelligent. Discreet.
These are the lexicon of words that describe the works of David Collins Studio, an award-winning interior design studio founded in 1985 that builds luxurious brands and creations from high-end hotels and restaurants to bespoke residential interiors. David Collins Studio masterfully captures and expresses brand values, crafting iconic projects that resonate with sophistication and allure for clients around the globe. As one of Positive Luxury’s Real Changemakers, the studio received the Butterfly Mark Certification for its unwavering commitment to sustainability, inspiring others to follow suit.
Building brands through storytelling
David Collins Studio creates cinematic spaces, evoking the narrative and themes of a particular film or period. The studio’s philosophy is founded upon deriving bespoke design and spatial storytelling to build brands for its clients, achieving narrative and emotional depth. Each project begins with a clear idea that evolves through a meticulous selection of materials, colours, and moods, resulting in intriguing, beguiling, and timeless spaces. The aesthetics of the design is underpinned by its commitment to attention to craft and artful details. Founding inspirations are derived from multidisciplinary art, cinema, music, fashion, architecture, and history fields, creating designs that resonate emotionally with its users.
Crafting immersive experiences
The portfolio of David Collins Studio related to restaurant design deeply connects to a sense of history and cultural period portrayed through material expression and spatial storytelling. Reminiscing the atmosphere of the Art Deco classic film, the Connaught Bar in London explores a palate of rich materials, intricate details, and dramatic lighting that resembles a film set’s thematic settings and lighting. Artists and artisans integrate bespoke pieces into their designs to amplify the storytelling. One of the artworks is a bespoke mural by Pierre Bonnefille, which captures a Hibernian landscape, incorporating art into the architectural space as an integrated scene.
The Wolseley is an iconic London restaurant set within a historic car showroom by William Curtis Green in 1921. It is a spatial delight that blends Art Deco and British sophistication. Leveraging the original spatial features of the building, such as grand columns, arches, and high ceilings, the modern sensibilities of geometric patterns, the rich materiality of black granite, marble, and brass, and a blend of black, gold, and cream, the space enmeshed into the scene of a grand European cafe.
Redefining maritime hospitality
Beating the odds of an interior design studio being commissioned to design for the luxurious maritime hospitality industry, David Collins Studio began this first maritime project, collaborating with Cunard on their newest luxury cruise ship in 2019 to redefine the cruise ship concept. Just recently, in May 2024, Queen Anne was set to sail. David Collins Studio unveiled the design of 18 areas onboard Queen Anne, including the most luxurious suites, specialty restaurants, and The Pavilion entertainment hub. Although not explicitly inspired by film set design, it draws from Cunard’s rich historical heritage and the Art Deco period, with modern elements to create a bespoke atmospheric experience. David Collins Studio, along with other design collaborators, worked under the creative direction of Adam D. Tihany to ensure that Queen Anne’s interiors reflect a blend of classic and contemporary styles.
Drawing from the principles of set design, the studio creates immersive environments that transport occupants into a different world. While embracing innovation, the theme was to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the ‘Golden Age’ of travel seen in various spaces on the ship, such as the Grand Lobby, which features an art deco design and a metal mural sculpture with integrated lighting that changes throughout the day.
It highlights Ian Kirkpatrick’s triple-height brass engraved wall painting.
To heighten the spatial drama, the Britannia Restaurant features four murals by illustrator John Biggs depicting the Greek mythology of the Anemoi wind gods symbolising the four seasons. The colour palette of the restaurant is inspired by these gods, with each direction represented by a different colour – blue for the north wind (Boreas), orange for the south wind (Notus), yellow for the east wind (Eurus), and green for the west wind (Zephyrus). Also, German artist Mevlana Lipp’s work is featured, expressing the abstract richness of underwater life.
Whether it is immersive dining experiences or cruise ship interiors, David Collins Studio’s ability to translate cinematic techniques into interior design results in beautiful spaces that evoke a strong sense of place and story, much like films. These works enmeshed material, colour, iconic references, light and shadow to evoke a cinematic setting. The studio is a spatial storyteller that evokes emotions – this is how they build brands!
