Kelly Hoppen MBE is the inspirational South African-born British interior designer and owner of Kelly Hoppen Interiors
Kelly has, amongst many projects, designed a Gary Rhodes restaurant, interiors for British Airways First Class cabins, the boutique hotel Murmuri in Barcelona and in 2011, she presented her own show on Channel 5 called Superior Interiors.
In this months issue of Kitchens, Bathrooms and Bedrooms trade magazine KBB Review Kelly gave an interview on the kitchen industry, the quality of design in the kitchen industry and her latest KBB project in working with Smallbone Kitchens.
Here is an excerpt from her interview
Talk us through your Kelly Hoppen Collection in collaboration with Smallbone of Devizes...
When Smallbone approached me to design a kitchen collection I jumped at the chance. They are brilliant craftsmen so I had no doubt that it would be a top product. The key was to make it a modular collection with elements ispired by retro, vintage and modern design. The central island design pays homage to Willy Rizzo and the Mondrian dresser is inspired by my love of east-meets-west style. These beautiful pieces of kitchen furniture are all talking points and can be used in endless combinations to bring modernity and sleekness to a home.
What are the most important factors to consider when designing the perfect kitchen?
The kitchen is a centre for family life. How you want to use your kitchen will determine how many zones you require within the space. Getting the right balance between functional, social and style and making sure the different areas for food preparation, cooking and eating are zoned and planned properly.
What makes ‘good’ design in your opinion?
For me, good design is about good planning. Design must suit the lifestyle of the individuals using the space but be stylish and timeless at the same time.
What impresses you about the KBB industry?
The way the bathroom and kitchen industry in Europe, has evolved over the years has been phenomenal. There is some incredible design. What’s great is that we’re seeing some some sensational new designs and creativity coming out of Britain. It has become a much bigger market because people are still investing money on their home
As a designer do you disagree that form should follow function in KBB designs?
Functionality has to be number one in a kitchen and bathroom but that doesn’t mean to say you can’t design something fantastic. I’ve used a lot of texturing and layering in my kitchen design for Smallbone to emphasise this.
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