British Design by Hoteliers; Tim and Kit Kemp

Tim and Kit Kemp, a British couple, started a group of boutique hotels in London and have brought quirky, whimsical and cultural design to each hotel based on the location and a mini theme. Tim Kemp manages and runs the hotel logistics while his wife, Kit, heads up the interior design. Cute, quaint, historically British and cozy are descriptive terms which could sum up these mostly London based hotels. Their restaurants, lobby ambience, rooms, tea time, garden space, honor bar and movie theaters are classic and have individualized decor and themes. They have most of their hotel properties in areas of London such as ; Covent Gardens, Soho, Charlotte Street, Hamyard, Haymarket and Knightsbridge. They have a few premises which are townhouses and apartments. They have Rossferry at the Sandy Lane Hotel, a touch of Barbados and England at the Caribbean beach resort. The concept has also moved across the pond to NYC with The Whitby Hotel in Midtown West and The Crosby Hotel in Soho. The Crosby Hotel has British design accents, South African tapestries, historical flags, a modern triptych  of Queen Elizabeth, Bolero cat sculpture and Jaume Plensa’s alphabet head sculpture: Le Nomade. The Whitby Hotel has colorful woven rugs and tapestries, some from Africa, artwork, flags, sporting gear, modern sculpture and a one of a kind clock with a figure inside which shows moving hands. Above the bar, are woven British baskets and breakfast, lunch, dinner and teatime are served in the dining area. Each Sunday, one can see a movie in the theater and have dinner or a snack. Kit Kemp and her daughters spend time searching for thematic looks whether it be a cricket item, a unique piece or a bowling alley which reflects their style. The hotels go under the company name; the Firmdale Hotel Group. The Kemps sell a line of bath products and candles called RikRak, the packaging and certain items are painted in striped colors. A new video series by Kit: “Every Room Tells A Story” which brings the hotel to life and gives a personal background tours. Kit Kemp has written home decor style books, creates lifestyle and hotel videos, collaborates with Wedgwood china for teacups, designs toys and has other partnerships. For more information look at; http://www.firmdalehotels.com.