For 40 years, David Collins Studio has been designing hotels, restaurants, bars and a few select private residences imbued with a sense of timeless, layered luxury. CEO Iain Watson founded the firm with David Collins, and their first project together was Marco Pierre White’s white-hot restaurant Harveys; its success kick-started a trajectory that saw the studio dominate the London hospitality scene with landmarks such as The Wolseley, The Connaught Bar and Bob Bob Ricard. ‘We like to say we redefined contemporary glamour in the spaces we’ve done,’ says Iain. ‘I’ve got a slightly more laid-back interpretation of that at home.’
‘Home’ has been Notting Hill for three decades or so. While the neighbourhood has changed, it still has the little pockets of the ‘high/low buzz’ that first drew Iain there. ‘Near the top of Golborne Road is probably more the vibe of 30 years ago; you still have second-hand furniture, but you might see Le Labo in between people frying fish in the street!’ Queensway’s rebirth, with the new apartments and Six Senses Hotel in The Whiteley, is the next big development in the area. ‘I’ll be in that spa at the weekends!’ Iain remarks.
He has lived in his current home for 15 years, sharing it with his partner and their Brussels Griffon Zoltan (‘a big name for a small dog’). Designed by Future Systems – the architects of Birmingham’s famous silver-clad Selfridges and the media centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground – the apartment occupies the ground and lower- ground floors of a Victorian house. ‘It was completely stripped out. I liked the high ceilings and curved walls,’ he recalls, adding: ‘It was a bit bare in terms of finishes, all white lacquer and plywood – quite architectural, as you would expect.’
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He removed one wall to create a study on the lower floor, where the main bedroom and bathroom are also located, with a winter garden leading onto a terrace. The open-plan ground floor houses the kitchen, dining and living rooms. ‘Relaxed glamour is what I like – touches of something exquisite, nothing too over the top,’ he says of his approach to the interior decoration. ‘I cherry-picked some of the elements that the studio is known for, like an unusual marble and a hand-carved plaster finish.’ Some of the fabrics the studio designed with Baker also appear on cushions and upholstery.
While the studio is behind some of the world’s most stylish bars, Iain admits that his own vintage drinks trolley doesn’t see quite as much action as it should. ‘I probably ought to entertain more,’ he says, chuckling. For him, the home is more of a retreat, and he appreciates escaping to the study. ‘When I go downstairs, it’s to have my reading hour, away from screens, the kitchen and chores.’
His furniture is a mix of contemporary pieces, some from the studio, as well as vintage finds from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. ‘The layout is quite informal, which helps,’ he adds. An elegant 1950s day bed by French designer Jacques Adnet for Hermès is a perfect example of Iain’s everyday approach to beauty. ‘It was likely my first antique purchase – I bought it 30 years ago from Hemisphere Gallery, which specialises in mid-century furniture,’ he says. ‘It’s got sentimental value, but it’s used every day.’
He also cherishes a pair of chairs that are part of the studio’s range, designed with the Italian brand Promemoria. ‘They are a special edition: the wood is dyed navy blue and we’ve brushed gold leaf into the grain. It’s an architectural looking chair – very refined and elegant. Luxury, colour and texture in one piece is what the studio loves to do.’
Those pillars of David Collins Studio’s philosophy have been applied everywhere from spaces for Alexander McQueen and Jimmy Choo to the award-winning Mandarin Oriental Msheireb Downtown in Doha and the Nobu Hotel London Portman Square. While each has its own distinct character, rooted in the building and location, Iain believes they all carry a hallmark: ‘There’s a subtlety to it, but people see the commonality in the approach.’
As he gears up for a celebratory year marking the studio’s 40th birthday, Iain reflects on how the business has grown since he and David started out together, their skill sets perfectly complementing each other. ‘He had the architecture training and I had the business background. I guess I had a sensibility for realising his dreams,’ he says of the late designer, who died in 2013. The company became more established in the early 1990s and there are around 70 people working in the studio today.
A turning point came 20 years ago when they broke America, thanks to a project for the legendary Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. ‘That was a good entry point to the US,’ Iain muses. ‘I think our understanding of mixing periods, timelessness and glamour were well received in the States.’
Over the years, David Collins Studio has worked in 25 countries and currently has projects in 10 worldwide, from The Beverly Hilton in California to an expansion of a vineyard hotel outside Cape Town and a landmark historic hotel in London, where it is responsible for a number of signature elements as part of a complete refurbishment. Iain describes the latter as a ‘jewel-box project’ for the team, led by chief creative officer Simon Rawlings.
‘Each decade has had a shift,’ he says. ‘Whether it’s a focus on America, the Far East, the Middle East… My passion is for bringing creativity and commerce together – that’s exciting.’ Back in Notting Hill, his home will continue to evolve, too. ‘You know what they say: an architect’s house is never finished!’ davidcollins.studio
