ON OUR RADAR
These are the names that are defining how to decorate now
FEATURE ARABELLA YOUENS
STUDIO WESTMAAS
While she only spent one year with designer Rose Uniacke before setting up her own studio in 2016, designer Kay Westmaas was influenced by Rose’s understated and elegant schemes that combine soft hues, natural materials and antiques. To this, Kay adds a dash of Caribbean influence, thanks to her Barbadian heritage. Kay advocates simple, uncomplicated interiors that outlive trends. Having studied interior architecture at the University of Brighton, Kay worked in London on restaurant design and then moved to Barbados to gain experience in hospitality before returning to the UK. ‘The studio’s style draws on a palette inspired by time spent in Barbados and England alongside tactile fabrics and natural materials,’ she says. Studio Westmaas created this serene bathroom and dressing room for clients in Holland Park. studiowestmaas.com
ANDREA BENEDETTINI
Having grown up in Tuscany, Andrea won a scholarship to the English National Ballet School and came to London aged 18. After training, however, Andrea decided to study architecture in London. It was an internship with American studio Jed Johnson Associates that led to a passion for interiors and, back in the UK, Andrea worked for Harrods, Cocovara and Laura Hammett before setting up on his own in 2019. He is showing at WOW!house, Design Centre Chelsea Harbour this year and describes his approach as ‘a balanced combination of contemporary and traditional elements where form follows function and where understated elegance conjures a sense of tranquillity’. This dining nook has his classic, neutral palette with accent soft colours. andreabenedettini.com
STUDIO KAYA
Studio Kaya’s work is hard to pinpoint. One scheme might feature a media unit inspired by Japanese shoji screens, another has an antique bamboo dressing table, while a bathroom might be a mix of micro concrete with contrasting materials. All point to a skill for combining pieces to create individual yet harmonious wholes. Born in Turkey, Deniz Bayern moved to London in 2009 to study an art foundation course at Central Saint Martins, then a BA in product and industrial design, then a one-year diploma at KLC. She then had a brief ‘but extremely valuable’ stint at Studio Reed, then worked with Soho House and Fran Hickman. In 2019, Deniz opened her studio. This office by Studio Kaya centres on an antique bureau from Kernow Furniture. studiokaya.co.uk
POLLY ASHMAN DESIGN
Polly is a one-woman band. ‘I work with incredible people but when it comes to my projects it’s me on the emails and at the end of the phone,’ she says. Polly learned about property through doing up houses and working as an interior de
