The Kensington Hotel, London was to be refurbished. More specifically, the bar area was to be revamped and we were more than happy to assist when this project came to us in August 2015.

Alexander Waterworth Interiors appointed us to design and make a bespoke shelving system to beautifully display, or rather to ‘show off’ their stunning spirit collection!

Having worked with AWI in the past, Susanna Kingston, a senior designer from their team contacted us to discuss the brief.

Not only was this shelving unit to look extremely elegant, it was also necessary to ensure it was strong enough, whilst incorporating LED lighting strips and toughened glass shelves.

Through the variety of projects we receive at AND, we adapt to the way our clients prefer to work and in this instant, the project was very specific from the outset and required much discussion with the interior designer. We really enjoy the interaction that projects like this demand and ultimately the result is all the more positive for it. The client really does get what they want because we have made it our business to really understand the details.

As part of the design and communication process, we took the initial hand drawings from Susanna and created 3D renders to show the exact design we were proposing. The renders allow everyone involved to fully visualise how the item will look, and fit into the space it’s destined for. This has proven to be a vital part of our design process as it removes much of the ‘guess work’!

The final piece was a solid brass free-standing shelving unit (secured at the feet) which was entirely brazed together.  The brazing increases its strength, as it needed to be one solid, single unit. We constructed this shelving unit from a combination of solid brass square tube and angle (almost ‘L’ shape in cross-section). The reason for using these two different forms was to maintain the integrity and strength of the unit, without compromising on space. Space was key, due to the need for toughened glass shelves which had to be securely positioned and the ability to affix and hide the LED lights and all their cables. The rivet detailing, being purely aesthetic, was added afterwards. Finally, the LED lighting strips were applied and the cabling was completely hidden from view.

The completed bespoke shelving unit was both big and heavy, weighing in the region of 120kg, but it was ‘just right’! Susanna and the rest of the team were very happy, as were we – we had completed what was literally a ‘tall order’, for ‘last orders’!

This unit was made entirely by hand, by our team of craftsmen. This was created through Andrew Nebbett Designs – Bespoke Service. If you have a similar project and would like to see how we could help, we’d be delighted to hear from you, so please get in touch.