In a revealing interview on Top Drawer On Demand on Monday (September 28), design icon Kelly Hoppen MBE highlighted that homes today are more important than they have ever been. “People will always want something that they haven’t got, with the times we are living in compounding that,” she stated.
Kelly revealed that music plays a big part in her working life. “I design to music, so every design has a sound in my head,” she told design journalist and consultant Harry McKinley. “If I have the right music and the right sounds I can design forever!”
She believes that young designers have to find their own rhythm. “I would love them to switch off all their devices and do what I did when I started out 43 years ago which is to get their inspiration from music, from food, from laughter, from walking, from Autumn, from summer, from all the things that we tend to switch off from because we are constantly on the computer.”
Asked for her opinion regarding Ikea bringing Scandinavian design to millions of people, Kelly was full of praise. “I think Ikea is brilliant,” she stated, “as well as Zara Home and H & M and the other home brands that you can find on the high street. More people need to do that because it’s helping to close the gap. Everyone can have a beautiful home, not just the rich and famous, and should. If you can find something you love for under £10 that’s fantastic.”
As for the next tranche of trends, Kelly revealed that she doesn’t believe in them. “People make them up, they become an overnight hit but don’t last,” she pointed out. “It’s a bit like fashion. Certainly now, and in the past 15 years, it’s about eclectic designs and people mixing old and new, vintage with modern. If it works for you then do it. That’s your trend.”
Commenting on the impact that the pandemic is going to have on design she emphasised that there is always a silver lining. “In terrible times people create great music for example, so I think great design will come out of all of this, with young designers jumping out to show what’s real. Plus, technology will surpass anything we could have imagined. This time will become very important.”
She added: “With less travel, I think people will look inward and accept where we are, the new normal. What was normal before will never happen again. So going forward, if we are locked down for a week we will just have to get on with it. Collaborations will be important and design communities will be important. People have to support people. There has to be positives and we have to change with the times and hopefully come out the other end.”
