We celebrate the opulent interiors of David Collins

The architect and interior designer David Collins died last month and this blog entry celebrates one of his creations – the restaurant Bob Bob Ricard in London, which showcases Oriental themes.

David Collins was known for his opulent designs, often for restaurants and bars, but also in shops and private homes. He was the designer behind some of London’s most fashionable hangouts, including The Wolseley, J Sheekey and Claridges, and also transformed the interiors for the Cafe Rouge chain.

Born in Dublin, with an architect father, David apparently always had a good eye for colour and light. He was a fan of Mies van der Rohe and often quoted his famous maxim: “God is in the details”. He was influenced by Hollywood glamour and old school luxury and the spaces he designed are opulent, comfortable places to be. David sadly died on 17th July last month of skin cancer.

We wanted to celebrate David Collins’ work by sharing this feature on Soho restaurant Bob Bob Ricard. In this commission, David showcased Oriental design to create an opulent, super- luxe interior. We absolutely love the way it clashes eras, prints and colours yet retains a harmonious and elegant feel. We particularly like tip number 3: to create a focal point in every room.

Our Chinese antiques are perfect for this kind of high impact focal point – we especially love this brightly painted opera trunk from around 1890.

Our hand-painted silk wallpaper is also great for giving a room the wow-factor, as it’s entirely bespoke and so every creation is totally unique.

Enjoy reading the feature and if you feel inspired to try something similar, be sure to check some of the new pieces on our website or call us for expert advice.