After having received an extensive demand from Lodha UK residents, who all had an intense desire for expert design knowledge from a team they could trust — Studio Lodha was launched in 2018, with the purpose of designing private spaces and residences in London’s finest residential address, No.1 Grosvenor Square. Over the past five years, the team has since become invaluable to their global clientele, dressing over 30 apartments across Lodha UK’s two iconic London projects with an extensive network of suppliers, bespoke furniture makers and skilled artisans.
With all that said, the Tharwa Edition team is incredibly proud to share our first interview on the website with no other than Blandine de Navacelle. Not only is this inspiring individual the Creative Director at Lodha UK, but the Founder of Studio Lodha itself. Drawing on her innate understanding of how Lodha UK live, work and socialise, Blandine works closely alongside buyers on the architectural creation, design and completion of their forever homes.
The Studio Lodha aesthetic is defined by strong use of rich colours, graceful forms and classic architectural detailing. Now, Studio Lodha is launching exclusively to GCC buyers in London, with several large-scale projects just in time for the summer of 2023.
[Anna Chipala]: What is something people may not know about you?
[Blandine De Navacelle]: I am a very intuitive and passionate person. If I suddenly feel I should change something, for example, in my house, even if it’s quite a big change… I will get it done! And if it can’t be done quickly, I will just do it myself.
[AC]: Where do your passions lie?
[BDN]: I absolutely love anything linked to a beautiful lifestyle in general; I love going to art exhibitions, I love to cook and entertain friends at home, I love gardening or simply spending time with my kids. I am a very active person and I like things to change often and to happen quickly. As a result, I am often a driver of change!
[AC]: When did you decide interior design was something you wanted to pursue?
[BDN]: I have always wanted to be an interior designer! When I was little I had a beautiful doll house which I used to decorate, rather than playing with the dolls. I did marketing studies and worked for LVMH for seven years. It worked really well for me as I really enjoyed developing strategies for beautiful houses and amazing products.When I was offered the opportunity to join Lodha, I immediately saw the chance to get closer to the world of interior design and it is a great achievement to see that a few years later, we have launched an independent studio and already have some clients in Paris, London and the Middle East.
[AC]: The key to great design in my mind is linked to:
[BDN]: Great communication with the client but without taking too much of their time as I don’t want the design process to become a painful and too time consuming exercise for the customer. The key is to understand how the client lives, spends time with their family and how they entertain and travel. A great design is not only beautiful, but functional and should enhance the customer’s way of life. My inspiration comes from the discussions I have with clients. I’ll then translate these meetings into a brief, and use my knowledge of colours, trends and proportions to elevate and enhance the client’s needs.
[AC]: Over the past five years, yourself and your team have become invaluable to your global clientele, with Lodha UK’s portfolio spanning across 30 apartments as well as two iconic London Projects. Now, you have set your sights on offering your services to GCC buyers in London. How did you come to this decision?
[BDN]: Following an overwhelming demand from Lodha UK buyers and residents from the GCC market, Studio Lodha decided to launch as a public practice, available exclusively to GCC homeowners and buyers across Europe. This transformation enables Studio Lodha to exclusively cater to homeowners and buyers from the GCC region seeking properties across Europe.The quality of the projects we have delivered to date speaks for itself; we know and understand the level of quality and execution expected by GCC customers, and they trust us to manage all aspects of the design process. This is invaluable to families who travel a lot or spend time abroad; they are reassured that they are leaving their homes with a safe and expert pair of hands who will deliver beyond their expectations. We’re really excited to work with more customers from the GCC region, and with a lot of clients flying over for the summer in London, we expect the next few months to be very busy!
[AC]: As of today, Lodha UK is one of London’s most active prime residential property developers with £1.9bn of properties under development or completed – with projects including No.1 Grosvenor Square, Lincoln Square and Holland Park Gate and more than £1bn in sales. Looking back at everything you have achieved, could you have ever imagined you would achieve such milestones?
[BDN]: This is a company’s huge achievement and the result of many people’s work for quite a few years. This is a very impressive company with an amazing vision and highly talented people. I think this is still only the beginning of a long success story.
[AC]: It goes without saying that both Studio Lodha and Lodha UK have achieved incredible breakthroughs; however, is there anything you might want to add to what you’re doing?
[BDN]: Yes, I think there are still many opportunities to go even further in the quality of lifestyle we are able to offer our clients or to simply develop the business in other countries. We are for example actively looking to invest in Paris!
Images Supplied
