Summer 2024 | 27 Creating Places, Not Spaces It takes a true artistic eye to form a deep understanding of a building’s history, location, and inhabitants before weaving each of these threads into the interior design. Nicola Harding & Co is a master at its craft, an expert at creating spaces that tell a story. As the design firm is named in the 2024 Leaders in Luxury Awards, we speak with British designer and namesake, Nicola Harding. Nicola Harding & Co was founded in 2007 by British designer Nicola Harding, an interior expert focused on creating spaces, not places. London-based, this design firm opts to centre its focus on the inhabitants and history of a building, rather than the aesthetics. “Regardless of whether a project is commercial or residential, we believe that it is a privilege to be invited into our clients’ environments, which is why we take the job of listening, understanding, and looking after each client very seriously,” Nicola tells us. The firm believes that the process of a project is just as important as the finished result and intends to create a satisfying and enjoyable journey for its clients. This belief remains steadfast, regardless of the project’s size and the extent of the firm’s involvement. Nicola Harding & Co undertakes projects of all shapes and sizes, in all stages of the process. In addition to full concept-to-completion services, the firm also offers one-to-one consultancies that support the client on an hourly basis, helping with anything from dreaming up an entire project to simply renovating a single room. Speaking on the firm’s design approach, Nicola says, “All of our projects are distinguished by colour and by the unique collections of pieces we assemble for each client. Fundamentally, we believe both people and place should exist in harmony. For this reason, we research not only the provenance of the pieces we buy, but also the context within which the buildings we work on exist. This lends space a sense of having evolved organically over time and correlates with our commitment to sustainable design.” The interior design sector as a whole has seen a shift towards sustainability in recent years. Nicola comments that clients have become increasingly interested in the impact that their money and the time they invest in their project leaves on the environment. Sustainable projects are becoming exceedingly popular, with the desire to leave a lasting, positive legacy with each project initiated. This makes it crucial that Nicola Harding & Co can vouch for the integrity of each person and material involved in the project. “This is entirely aligned with our own values, which I believe is one of the key reasons our clients choose us. As a company, we are passionate about limiting the environmental impact of our projects and working towards and kinder and more sustainable way of living,” Nicola adds. The firm’s commitment to providing transparent services that are as sustainable as they are excellent is exactly how Nicola Harding & Co has succeeded in building a loyal client base. Testimonials from previous clients praise the firm for its enthusiasm and work ethic. “Nicola Harding combines creative flair and passion with intelligence and ruthless efficiency. It is a great pleasure to work with her and her team, who are enthusiastic and diligent in equal measure,” says entrepreneur Joel Cadbury. Film producer Nira Park comments, “You blew me away with your professionalism, enthusiasm, efficiency, and your immense style and grace. I always felt that we were working with the very best and thank you for making it all so much fun.” Finally, music producer Nick Gilpin writes, “In addition to the wonderful sense of style Nicola brought, the functionality of our home has also been greatly enhanced. There is an enormous sense of relaxed fun about her ideas which can so often be missing when design professionals are employed. I cannot emphasise enough how pleased we are with the finished project, and how much we enjoyed and continue to enjoy Nicola’s work.” It is this sense of commitment to realising the interior dreams of its clients that has allowed Nicola Harding & Co to be recognised as the Most Client-Focused Interior Design Consultancy 2024 – London. We look forward to witnessing the future of Nicola Harding & Co, as the firm continues to soar to great heights. Contact: Kirsty Whyte Company: Nicola Harding & Co Web Address: https://nicolaharding.com/
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