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Aug-Sep15
HOME&PROPERTY
H
i l a r y De n b y - J o n e s i s
explaining the secret behind
the success of Ham Yard
Hotel – currently London’s
hottest hangout, and the brainchild of
British hotelier and interior designer-
of-the-moment, Kit Kemp. “There’s a
visual richness to her eclectic and
confident design that’s very exciting;
you notice something new each time
you visit,” says Hilary. “There’s almost
too much to look at, and that’s why you
go back again and again. She keeps
the interest high!”
Ham Yard Hotel is indeed a feast
for the senses, and the vibrant stripes,
flamboyant patterns and quirky objects
shouldn’t logically work together, but
somehow the overall effect is delightfully
uplifting and – importantly for a hotel
– agreeably cocooning. “Designers
with an aesthetic eye have moved on
from the neutral colour palette, and the
completely symmetrical placement of
objects and furniture,” explains Hilary.
“Now it’s all about creating a visual
panorama that has a variety of different
elements and layers. It’s important
to create depth and movement on a
horizontal plane, so the eye cannot
perceive everything at the same time.
It should be encouraged to move
upwards and downwards, forwards and
backwards, so there’s a sense of arrival,
and ultimately, excitement!”
This is someone who clearly knows
what she’s talking about – while Hilary
has a degree in architecture that, she
says, taught her about space and
proportion and the grouping of objects,
her charming home in Stanley is also
testament to a creative spirit and a
real talent in sourcing, upcycling and
commissioning beautiful objects.
When her husband Roger signed a
contract five years ago to move from
London to Hong Kong, Hilary found
and scoped her Southside apartment,
and furnished it almost entirely from a
mixture of antique and junk shops in the
UK, tying everything together with an
inspired modern palette of sea blues,
bright oranges and muted saffron. “The
wooden furniture is all from UK-based
antique dealers, as the apartment gave
me a very strong mid-century modern
lead,” she says.