All Things Interiors

So far 2013 has brought a lot of interior assignments in and around London. Shooting for product manufacturers and interior designers, I’ve set foot in some incredible properties, and here are just a few of the images featuring:

Walk in Wardrobes

Wallpaper

Taxidermy

Inspiring workspaces

Pens, pens and more pens

Kitchen units

And mosaic tiled bathrooms

Newly Refurbished Designer Home – January 2013

A new year, and straight back to work, photographing the newly refurbished home of architect and interior designer Juliano Cordano.

The whole of this south London property had been redesigned, along with some of the furniture in the bedrooms and living room, including this white chest which had been built as an extension of the central seating area.

When photographing interiors, it’s quite simple to give the rooms a completely different feel by creating a night time scene. Here, the client wanted to see the ambience created by the interior lighting.

Overlooking the main living room was the top floor mezzanine kitchen and another seating/television area. This included a bar and the largest collection of plants I’ve ever photographed in one property. Apparently it takes an hour each week to water them!

It was a great shoot with no extra styling needed, and as you can see, a fantastically designed property.

Bespoke Furniture – December 2012

A 3 day commission to photograph a series of bespoke furniture units for Barbara Genda Furnishings all across London from Shoreditch to Wimbledon. As with all product interior shoots the idea is to not just get the product on it’s own, it’s good to get lifestyle shots,as interior magazines/press are more likely to run a story.

I especially like this shot. It’s quite simple, and lacks detail on the left of frame, but the eye is taken to the kitchen and view of the city. Even though it’s a silhouette, you can tell it’s London from the shape of the shard.

I’m shooting more and more walk in wardrobes featuring a central island seat. This example, in a house in Putney, had an enormous wardrobe and double sided seat, with top drawers for general accessories.

DECOREX 2012

Art in progress on Fromental's Decorex stand, September 2012.

Now in it’s 10th year, the London Design Festival has built a reputation for being the most innovative design festival in the world. Lasting for 10 days, it includes events, installations, talks and a number of large scale exhibitions, including 100% Design, Designjunction, Super Brands, Tent and Decorex.

Installation designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Celebrating it’s 35th Anniversary, Decorex includes over 250 exhibitors showing contemporary, traditional, bespoke furntiure, lighting, fabrics and wall coverings. This year fashion legend Dame Vivienne Westwood created dresses out of wallpaper after she was asked to decorate the entrance hall to the exhibition.

Entrance doors from the film Prometheus at Decorex 2012

Andrew Martin, furnishing and fabrics, created what was probably the most talked about stand at the show, built around the set of Ridley Scott’s film Prometheus. The company had helped design the set of the film during pre-production, and wanted to bring something different to the show.

Part of the set from the film Prometheus

Part of the Prometheus film set at Decorex 2012

This year, Fromental, manufacturers of handmade wallpapers and fabrics, not only had a main stand, but also created a workshop, and provided wallpapers for the cafe, entrance hall, and dining areas. There was a lot to photograph, including workshops, wallpaper, furniture, artwork, and demonstrations by Master Wang, their head artist, who’d been flown over from China especially for the exhibition.

Artwork on Fromental's stand at Decorex 2012

Fromental's Stand at Decorex 2012.

Fromental stand at Decorex 2012

The dining area at Decorex 2012 featuring wallpaper designed by Fromental

Coffee Bar at Decorex 2012

Julian Chichester, also had a stand at Decorex 2012, which meant a request for a few shots of their latest range of contemporary English furniture.

Julian Chichester stand at Decorex 2012

Furniture on the Julilan Chichester stand at Decorex 2012

Peonies painted by Master Wang

All in all it was a busy couple of days, especially as I’d just flown in from France on another assignment. Just wish I’d had time to go to Super Brands and Tent, maybe next year…

WOODHOUSE – May 2012

On Wednesday, designer Menswear retailer Woodhouse opened their brand new 1,800 sq ft, 2 storey shop in Nottinghill, West London. The company, which was established in 1975, carries many leading brands including, Armani Jeans, CP Company, Hackett, Hugo Boss Black, Lacoste and Levi’s.

Woodlhouse’s manager got in contact as they required images of the interior of the shop and the opening party, for local press and promotional purposes. It was a perfect job, as these are the 2 main areas of my photography.

On a job like this the client always wants the exterior window display shot. This always causes problems in London, especially if the property is north facing and opposite a white Georgian building. It involves quiet a bit of work, but the careful use of a circular polariser, black drape, and a few frames mixed together eliminates reflections in the glass.

CARNABY ESTATE – April 2012

Every so often I’m commissioned to photograph an area of London for a corporate property portfolio. Not only does the client need building shots, they also require lifestyle shots to give prospective shop and business owners an idea of the local area.

I shot the Carnaby street estate over a couple of days, during that blip of warm weather before the rain washed out the rest of the summer. The better weather draws people out, they look happier and there are less scarves, hats and gloves, which results in better shots, and keeps the client happier.

Carnaby Street is busy almost 24 hours a day. So its a case of dropping down the tripod, taking a few frames, and merging the images together taking people out of the scene and revealing the street. It takes a bit of work, but the images would look too busy otherwise, and there’s no way of blocking off the street.

Hong Kong Interior Shoot – March 2012

A stop over in Hong Kong and 2 days shooting for Fromental. 3 locations altogether, including Sir David Tang’s ‘China Club’.

The Library inside the China Club, Hong Kong.

China Club's Library, Hong Kong, March 2012.

Pop Pop Flower Wallpaper, Dining Room, China Club, Hong Kong

Wardrobe decorated in Chinoiserie wallpaper, Hong Kong.

The bedroom in one of the locations was completely decorated in Chinoiserie wallpaper, including each panel of this walled wardrobe.

Jet lag, and basic lack of sleep, was kicking in as we travelled to the final location on the South Coast of Hong Kong Island. 2 rooms in the property had been decorated in wallpaper, a green Chinoiserie in the bedroom, and a red Singerie design in the entrance hall.

Hi Quality Sunbury Quarry

8 weeks away in Australia and New Zealand wasn’t just a long holiday. Along with photographing festivals, bands, book signings, and most of Melbourne, 2 days were spent at Hi Quality’s Sunbury Quarry.

Located just North of Melbourne, the quarry produces a wide range of products from it’s deposits of Blue metal (Basalt), sand and clay materials. With strong sunllight, and a contrasting blue sky, the colours of the strata really stood out and made some incredible shots. I gained access to the whole site, and even managed to get wide angle shots from the top of the crushers.

One of the highlights of the shoot was photographing the old family homestead, which had been left untouched for nearly 40 years. The family who originally owned the land had run into financial difficulties in the 70’s, forcing them to sell up to a quarry firm and move on.

London Skyline, January 2012.

LondonSkyline

The New Year brought with it an opportunity to photograph from the top of the 46 storey Heron Tower in the City of London. Completed in 2011, the tower stands 230 metres tall making it the tallest building in the City of London, and the third tallest in London as a whole. Weather wise, the day couldn’t have been more perfect, clear skies with a few clouds, and an incredible winter sunset.

London Skyline at Dusk

Thames and St Pauls View, photographed from the Heron Tower

This dusk part of the shoot was shot from the 38th floor which will become the home of Sushisamba in the summer of this year. The shots had to be taken through glass, so luckily the space was still a building site, and there weren’t too many lights to create reflections in the glass. It was an incredible experience to be up there, and at times I had to stop and just stare in amazement at this living breathing Metropolis.

These images will be used in promotional material by the tower’s management company, Cushman and Wakefield, and are also available through the Press Association.

Weaves, Paling and Trellis – December 2011

Livingroom decorated with Fromental's 'Paling' Wallpaper.

A West London Studio decorated in Fromental's Striped wallpaper

This shoot was squeezed in just before the Christmas break and involved photographing five rooms covered in new wallpaper designs by Fromental, the handmade wallpaper and fabric manufacturers.

An Entrance Hall decorated in Fromental's 'Weave' Wallpaper

The property was sitting on the banks of the river Thames, which you can just about see in the shot above. It had recently been renovated and with the addition of Fromental’s wallpaper, looked incredible.

Trellis Wallpaper by Fromental

Pearl Colourway of Fromental's 'Trellis' Wallpaper.

I especially liked the ‘Trellis’ wallpaper in this shot above. Only one small wall was decorated, but it compliments the room, filling the space between the modern kitchen units and outdoor space.

All images were shot with natural light mixed with the ambient lighting of the property. Different exposures were made and blended together in Photoshop. These photos will be used to help promote the new Weaves, Paling and Trellis wallpaper designs in magazines and online.