A former interior designer, Butter Wakefield developed an eye for art and design working at Christie’s New York, and then in London at Colefax and Fowler, before turning her attention to the outdoors in 1992 with her own award-winning garden design business. Wakefield credits her time at Colefax and Fowler for teaching her the key principles of great design: scale, colour, pattern and texture – all elements she plays with within her work. Wakefield’s fascination with architecture and sculpture, the way buildings are put together, and the materials that are used tend to inspire most of her garden designs, with the work of Sir Christopher Wren and David Nash particular favourites.

Image credits: Clapham Old Town, Bayswater Garden & Notting Hill Courtyard by Ellie Walpole (1-9); Ravenscourt Park by Clive Nichols (10-12)

@butterwakefield

The Soho-based architecture and design practice, Szczepaniak Astridge, take a research-led approach to their work, prioritising wellbeing and the climate whilst marrying artistic spirit with the strength of science to create ‘Sensory Architecture’.

Szczepaniak Astridge’s approach to the procurement, collaboration and fabrication of their designs results in efficient and affordable outcomes that allow the culture’s they complement to thrive. The practice embrace the ephemeral, and consider it a key component to their designs, as it allows their constructions to change with time, growing into their true depth through their unrepeatable experience.

Szczepaniak Astridge work with ambitious individuals and organisations across the world, taking on all manner of projects – from residential homes to beauty and spa brands, and world-leading technologists – to create spaces that invigorate the senses and balance commercial and emotional value masterfully.

Image credit: Nicholas Worley

@szc.ast

Founded by Alfred Newall, the London and Sussex-based cabinet makers The London Workshop specialise in designing and making historically inspired furniture using traditional joinery methods, with particular attention paid to proportion, functionality and longevity.

After training at the Building Crafts College, Newell took up a post at hallowed kitchen makers Plain English for two years, where he finessed his alchemic talent for transforming blocks of wood into beautiful pieces of furniture. He then set up his own practice in 2010 and continues to design bespoke, freestanding and fitted furniture for both private and commercial clients, using sustainably sourced materials. Last year saw him launch his first collection with The New Craftsmen – a selection of colourful tables in signature bobbin style, each one hand-turned on a traditional wood lathe. Other, simple items – such as bath racks, chopping boards and library steps – are stocked at Labour and Wait and LASSCO. Newall, a Brother of The Art Workers’ Guild, credits most of his inspiration to the Arts and Craft movement, and aims to replicate the simple, vernacular style with his own designs.

@alfrednewall

Founded by Harriet Farlam and Ben Chandler, Farlam & Chandler bring together 25 years of experience across the garden design and construction industries. Their timeless gardens combine the creative with the practical in perfect balance, whilst seamlessly responding to the context of their surroundings and their clients’ needs. The pair behind Farlam & Chandler have helped to deliver two RHS Chelsea Gold and Silver medal-winning gardens over the recent years.

Their approach is centred on the harmony between their clients’ emotional and practical responses to a site, giving spaces a depth of meaning and authentic character. Their ideas are realised in collaboration with architects, interior designers and talented craftspeople, working together to create spaces that offer as much versatility as the adjacent interiors that they are designed to complement.

@farlamandchandler

Founded by Sheena Murphy in 2014, Nune is a small design studio run by the London-based Murphy and her New York-based partner, Tor Sauder. The studio’s cross-Atlantic presence sees them taking on residential, commercial and staging projects all over the globe. Nune believe that simplicity is key to a good interior, and that simple, considered design positively contributes to the wellbeing of those immersed in it.

As well as upmost consideration for the desires and needs of their clients, Nune put priority on the health of the planet and its people. With this as a central tenant, small businesses and craftspeople are used as much as possible, collaborating with Nune on spaces that make their inhabitants or users feel good, be them a home’s kitchen, a coffee shop or a hotel room.

Image credits: Queens Park Avenue by Michael Sinclair (1-3 & cover); Slope Kitchen, 18th Street Loft & Bruey Cottage by Nicole Franzen (4, 8-9 & 11-12); 4th Street Townhouse by Sarah Elliott (5-7); Hopefield House by Genevieve Lutkin (10)

@studio_nune

Founded by James Alder and Thom Brisco, this London-based architecture practice works across the UK, designing spaces to live and work, as well as exhibition spaces and furniture. Alder Brisco has had its projects featured in Dezeen, Architects’ Journal and the RIBA Journal.

Their innovative ‘attic of warm wooden curiosities’ for Studio Represent was shortlisted for the Architects’ Journal’s Small Projects Award, and Alder Brisco’s four cast benches – a collaborative work at Rectory Lane Cemetery in Hertfordshire – have been shortlisted for RIBA Journal’s 2021 MacEwen Award, which celebrates ‘architecture for the common good’.

Alder Brisco was recently included in the fourth edition of New Architects – an influential series of publications that features the best British practices that have been established in the last 10 years, which work across architecture, urban design, public space and related specialisms.

Image credits: Studio Represent by Agnese Sanvito (1-4); Studio Nencini by Nick Dearden (4-6 & cover)

@alderbriscoarc

Founded by Louisa Grey, House of Grey have developed a distinct aesthetic that holds both the earth and human health within the studio’s core values. House of Grey approach interior design from a ‘whole-person-whole-world’ perspective that combines their remarkable, defined aesthetic with evidence-based, salutogenic design concepts and cradle-to-cradle® materials.

This all-encompassing approach means that considerately sourced, natural materials are used as widely as possible, which often go beyond sustainability and instead positively add to the earth at their end-of-life. In this way, House of Grey are dedicated to eliminating unnecessary waste all together to create a supportive, circular model that incites long-term wellness for the world as a whole.

Over the past 20 years, House of Grey have undertaken interior design projects for both residential and commercial clients, and consulted and styled for international brands, including Wallpaper*, Elle Decoration and COS.

Image credit: Michael Sinclair

@houseofgreylondon

Since setting up her own firm in 2017, North London-based garden and landscape designer Alexandra Noble already has a clutch of awards to her name. Her residential gardens and landscapes – noted for their compositions rich in colour and texture – have featured on BBC 2 and Gardener’s World, as well as in British Vogue, the Telegraph, ELLE Decoration and Enki magazine.

Noble originally obtained a degree in Architecture from the University of Bath before changing tack to study Horticulture at Capel Manor in Regent’s Park. A two-year stint at the studio of Luciano Giubbilei followed, as well as work with Jo Thompson, before Alexandra Noble Design was formed. Since then, the practice has completed projects across sites including an installation at London Bridge and a house on the borders of Hampstead Heath ponds, paying special attention to the surrounding natural habitat with schemes that encourage plant pollination and local wildlife to thrive.

CAN was founded in 2016 by Mat Barnes RIBA ARB, who was formerly an Associate at Studio 54. This London-based architectural studio designs characterful – and often colourful – homes, installations and workplaces that respond to their social and physical contexts.

Attention is paid to pattern, line, colour and form to create idiosyncratic and striking projects that reflect their clients’ unique personalities and interests. CAN believe that architecture can – and should – make the city a more joyful, inclusive and inspiring place to be. They provide a fully tailored design service to guide clients through the home-making process, from developing a brief to moving in.

CAN’s work has won multiple awards and has been featured by The Times, *Wallpaper and Dezeen, amongst others.

London-based architectural firm Jonathan Tuckey Design has gained plaudits for its work with existing buildings and structures, creating thoughtful contemporary designs that layer new beautifully with old. This harmonious juxtaposition requires a sympathetic eye; a deep understanding and respect for the provenance of a building, as well as vision – something this architectural studio seems to have in spades, with projects ranging from slick international hotel makeovers to 400-year-old coastal cottage renovations.

For Jonathan Tuckey Design, this contextual underpinning of projects not only creates something beautiful and functional, it offers a sustainable solution to safeguarding heritage sites.

London-based workshop Woodsmith build and install beautiful bespoke kitchens and fitted furniture using sustainably sourced materials and high quality fixtures and fittings. Established by Duncan Crockford, the company are committed to the responsible use and management of wood resources, and support the World Land Trust by planting a tree for every completed project.

Woodsmith designs are pleasingly functional, responsive to the spaces they occupy and the usage needs of the client. Each is totally bespoke, making the best use of space whilst never compromising on good design.

A considered collection of materials is employed to realise the Woodsmith standard. For example, the Gospel Oak project (designed and lived in by Neave Brown) combined birch plywood with bespoke beechwood handles and frames, as well as reeded glass for the drinks cabinet, a concrete-look Caesarstone quartz worktop, and Fenix NTM laminate for the lower cupboard doors. (Images one to three below)

@_woodsmith_workshop

Sisters Sarah and Caroline founded London-based Interior Design Studio & Unique Homeware Shop, SASCAL STUDIO, in early 2020. The duo take a fresh approach to interiors, creating unique spaces that are highly personalised to their clients’ requirements. Each project is filled with one-of-a-kind pieces – be them vintage finds, bespoke builds or fine art – thanks to the pair’s long-standing relationships with trusted suppliers from across Europe.

Sarah and Caroline trained at KLC Design School in Chelsea Harbour before both working for high-end design firms, where they gleaned plenty of perspective on running residential projects in their entirety. Since founding SASCAL STUDIO, they have carved out their own distinctive aesthetic; relaxed and layered interiors that reflect the individuality of the owners.