Contemporary and fresh, luminous and colorful, intriguing and surprising; the interior design of a newly finished apartment project in London speaks the visual language of its maker, award-winning designer Karim Rashid. Having spent the past four decades in the field of design and architecture, Rashid has manifested both his talent and approach with an always recognizable design DNA.
For this London project, Rashid was brought in to design an atypical type of home, a timeshare. The real-estate developer behind the project, Flyway, specializes in second homes based on the timeshare principle, a vacation property with a shared ownership model. Not a new concept as such, yet Flyway has introduced its own angle, concentrating on well-designed spaces located in popular cities. "Flyway introduced themselves as a new innovative model in the market where multiple people will be able to own luxury second homes and enjoy them, starting this with pied-à-terre in London. I've designed hotels from top to bottom, uniforms, key cards, scents, and we wanted to do something similar with Flyway, giving guests a fully designed experience. I chose all the flatware, dishes, appliances, etc.," explains Rashid.
The timeshare apartments differ from hotels in the sense that people will stay here for longer periods of time and perhaps several times a year, something Rashid considered in the design process: "With hotels, the experience is very temporary so I’m always looking to create an experience like no other. But the Flyway apartments will have longer-term stays. I wanted to create a neutral palette but still with energizing pops of color. For me, it is quite subdued. The white walls and wooden floors act as a neutral canvas for the color in the furnishings, artwork, and details throughout. It is my continuous goal to create an intimate environment that focuses on positive energy, rejuvenation, privacy, relaxing, and getting away from the world. This was a perfect opportunity to pare back to high-quality basics that meet the needs of many."
Rashid has worked in close partnership with Danish design brand BoConcept since 2012, developing whole ranges of furniture together. For the Flyway project, Rashid included some of these products as he found them particularly suitable: "I chose the Chelsea collection for this apartment as it epitomizes my design language of fluid organic forms. I want to remove hard surfaces and sharp edges to create visual and tactile comfort and an arresting sense of calm. These needs are a must, particularly in urban homes that tend to be smaller, as with this London flat."
The London apartment is an example of how our needs and desires in terms of new ways of living constantly evolve, and how the real estate market quickly picks up on it. Thoughtfully designed interiors have become an increasingly important factor for people in choosing where they want to spend their time. The value of design is increasingly recognized by users and the market naturally follows.