News

Insights, culture and news from the NoChintz studio.

Lambert and Fils NYC Showroom Tour

Last week, NoChintz had been kindly invited by Richard at Relay to take part in a virtual tour of the Lambert and Fils NYC showroom. Hosted virtually by the wonderful Pierre-Antone and Darcy. We first understood the showrooms inception – how the opening of a showroom had been a longtime dream; wanting a physical space to represent the brand, to mark their 10th anniversary and offer a place to interact with guests and be part of a community but then only 24 hours of lease agreement – lockdown. Pierre over in Montreal still hadn’t been to the physical space yet due to the pandemic and that meant Darcy was in charge of the camera whilst the tour began.

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Digging, not dreaming – The creative design process by Joseph Haigh // Designer's Perspective

Often, when a project is wrapped up and delivered, it’s hard to remember the long process of research and exploration that went into its creation. The masses of notes and sketches, desktop folders of reference imagery and piles of material samples are all moved aside to make room for the next brief.

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Sleep & Eat Event 2020

This years Sleep & Eat event moved online, yet maintained an impressive line up of speakers to discuss all things hospitality. Creative Director Lucy tuned in and found inspiration in those which centred around the environment and our impact on it; a topic with increasing urgency and at the forefront of our minds.

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Conscious escapism told from the depths of the sofa by Steph Sutton // Designer's Perspective

In late spring 2020, residents of smog-choked cities in India could suddenly see the Himalayas. A headline i’ll always think back to for being an unexpected by-product of just two weeks into a global shutdown. For locals this sight has been absent for over 30 years, at last a positive that would have never had arisen if humanity had been forced to stop for a moment. Its made ‘Doomers’ ( a person with mindset that climate change is non reversible) re-evaluate their philosophy and see hope? With the addition of Attenborough on our screens in lockdown with ‘A life on our planet’ ways to combat climate change and be more mindful of the way we treat our environment is at the forefront of many peoples minds whilst we have been held captive on our sofas.

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Japanese ambient, Environmental & New Age Music and it’s impact on homes, transient spaces and communal areas by Bec Kirby // Designer's Perspective

In 2018 I took a trip to Japan, which evoked an awareness to sound that I had never noticed before. Every traffic light crossing, train station and shop door opening had a sound. They jingled, tweeted and harmoniously blended into the environment as if it was naturally part of the world. Transient spaces such as airports, train stations and bus stops no longer felt stressful nor isolating – something which really stood out to me.

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Graphics In Spaces by Joseph Haigh // Designer's Perspective

So much of what we do at NoChintz is about transforming spaces. Our Interior Designers work hard to create characterful environments through layouts and materials expressed in furniture, finishes, lighting (and a myriad of other careful details) all working in harmony to create a certain feeling or mood. As a Graphic Designer this presents an interesting challenge. How should graphics work in an environment already so elegantly defined? Should they be bold and brash or should they calmly compliment the interior choices?

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"a new type of meeting place" by Natasha Muirhead // Designer's Perspective

The current notion of ‘The Community Centre’ in Britain today conjures images of sparse and sterile spaces, transient and without personality. Church halls where pensioners or new mums congregate in circles on stackable plastic chairs, eating custard creams and talking about the weather. Innovation seems to be absent in these non-spaces, and design and communication are seemingly low on the list of priorities, creating inevitable disengagement with younger audiences. However, the rise of a new type of meeting place - ‘The Contemporary Community House’ exists elsewhere and could potentially breathe life into this outdated model- inspiring participation from all demographics and promoting a neighbourhood feel which unites and benefits all age groups.

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Black White Denim, 10 years on

We first worked with Black White Denim in 2010 as they opened the doors of their first store in Wilmson, Cheshire. Specialising in capsule wardrobes based on the simple observation that black, white and denim constitute the foundation colours of any stylish woman’s wardrobe. This year, they purchased a new premise and came back to us to help them to relocate and create a new interiors scheme which captures how far the brand has come.

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