Kit Kemp

The Style Files: Conversations with Creatives

Over the years Kit Kemp MBE has been forging an internationally-acclaimed reputation, not only for her unique hotel interiors as Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels but also as a successful textiles, fragrance and homewares designer, author and a highly-respected champion of British art, craft and sculpture. With a collection of ten couture hotels in London and New York, Kit is celebrated for her individual and original approach to the way she transforms and arranges buildings, with a colourful and detailed storytelling in her design. She has won many awards for her designs including House & Garden’s Hotel Designer of the Year, The Crown Estate’s Urban Business Award, CN Traveller’s Best Hotel in the World for Design and Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year. Kit has collaborated with leading global design brands such as Wedgwood, Wilton Carpets, Andrew Martin, Anthropologie, Christopher Farr, Chelsea Textiles, C P Hart, Porta Romana and Fine Cell Work, creating collections including tableware, fragrance, furniture, fabrics and wallpaper. In 2012, Kit published her first book, A Living Space which follows an inspiring personal voyage through the many spaces she has designed. This was followed by a second book, Every Room Tells A Story and her third and latest book, Design Thread. Kit Kemp has been invited as Guest Editor for Homes & Gardens and Hospitality Design USA. In 2017 Shop Kit Kemp was launched. An online store complete with a range of products ready to buy for the home created by Kit Kemp and her design team. Spring 2019 saw Kit Kemp launch an exclusive collaboration with New York department store, Bergdorf Goodman. The Loft on the seventh floor was transformed into The World of Kit Kemp where her collections of furniture, fabrics, fragrance and home accessories were brought together for the first time. In 2019, Kit Kemp launched a blog called Kit Kemp’s Design Thread. This new website showcases her world of colour and design including collaborations, films and an insight into her work and day-to-day experiences in her Design Studio Kit Kemp is a Trustee of Fine Cell Work and the Heritage of London Trust.