Welcome to the latest edition of Laskasas' Not-So-Secret Diary, where we bring you inspiring stories of the interior design industry's brightest stars. This month, we are thrilled to feature Carly Madhvani, the director & founder of NW3 Interiors.
With over two decades of experience in the industry, Carly's approach to design is centered around understanding her clients' unique needs and aspirations, allowing her to create bespoke spaces that are both beautiful and functional.
As the founder of NW3 Interiors, Carly leads a team of talented designers who are passionate about delivering exceptional results for their clients. From concept development to project management, NW3 Interiors offers a full-service interior design experience that is tailored to meet the unique needs of each client.
In this blog article, we will delve into Carly's journey in the industry, explore her design philosophy, and showcase some of her stunning projects. Whether you're an aspiring designer or simply looking for inspiration for your next project, Carly's story is sure to captivate and inspire you. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this month's feature on Carly Madhvani and NW3 Interiors.
"A COMMON MISTAKE THAT PEOPLE MAKE WHEN DECORATING THEIR HOMES IS THAT THEY JUST PAINT EVERYTHING WHITE, AND I JUST FEEL IT'S A MISSED OPPORTUNITY."
Carly Madhvani
Source: NW3 Interiors | Carly Madhvani
What inspired you to pursue a career in interior design, and how did you get started in the field?
I was inspired to pursue a career in interior design from a few different sources. The first was that my father was a builder and I grew up going to site regularly at weekends, and then I did an art degree at University. Following that, I worked for a major furniture dealership in London and I became interested and passionate about the brands in which we were an authorized dealer for, specifically Knoll.
This company was the largest furniture dealer of Knoll in Europe. I appreciated their history, the iconic design and the organic shapes of the connections, so this inspired me to start my own interior design company where I became a dealer for Knoll and from there organically developed from offering our clients services for furniture, rugs, lighting, window dressings to growing and becoming an interior designer that's capable of large renovation work also.
What are some of the current trends in interior design that you find particularly exciting or innovative?
This new form of kitchen island is a game changer in terms of design and maximising space. The organic shape helps with flow in a mainly compact and linear room - which helps soften the aesthetic as kitchen units are so strong and structured : Curved kitchens.
Source: Espresso Design | Tangram new kitchen by Garcia Cumini for CESAR
We are often asked to add new lights to a room, however the installation can disrupt the existing electrics and be expensive and time consuming to put right (ie. chasing walls to add circuits and the cabling). However we have come across this remote control switch which enables new lights to be added and wirelessly connected - thus allowing for no additional electrical works to be done. Genius! Our clients love it!
"IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO START WITH A PRACTICAL SOLUTION AND THEN TO BEAUTIFY THEM."
Can you share some tips on how to create a cohesive and visually appealing colour scheme for a room or space?
How I create a cohesive and visually appealing colour scheme for a room, or a space is: I use a rule of a third plain, a third pattern and a third texture. I find this tends to have a good balance for visually aesthetically pleasing spaces. In terms of colour tones it does depend on how colour makes the client feel.
I tend to work with clients that work hard and wish to return home to have a calm environment, so my colour blend tends to be tonally neutral with accent colours that maybe trending or timeless depending on the clients needs and I use natural materials.
Source: NW3 Interiors | NW3 Interiors' project.
How do you balance form and function in your design projects, and what is your approach to creating spaces that are both beautiful and practical?
Homes are very linear, strong and straight, and I balance form and function by introducing curves and more organic shapes into each space. I feel like it softens on the eye and that it's really important to start with a practical solution and then to beautify them. This is how I tend to order that.
I do feel that it's really important to address any practical needs for my clients, so I come up with solutions along the lines: if they've got children, where they're going to do their homework, how to include areas to enhance their lifestyle at the weekend and I then make them beautiful with softening shapes, materials and fabrics, which are both soft and nice to touch, but I do start with the practical first.
What role does lighting play in interior design, and how can different types of lighting be used to enhance a space?
Lighting plays a huge part of interior design and how I plan that is specifically to consider lighting at eye height and at hip height, which ensures that there are always options and a combination of floor lamps and table lamps.
I tend to put those into a 5 hemp plug with a dimmable switch, so that clients can have a nice glow in the evening and something to attract the eye in terms of lamp shades and lamp bases. These maybe work with silk for a luxurious touch or a metal or a leather base along with a shade, which would be a fabric or an organic fabric that always looks nice and soft. Obviously it's important to have ceiling lights.
I try to shy away from direct spotlights and deal with more of a down light. Ceiling lights always have a pendant which is on dimmable and wall lights are appropriate depending on what the type of room is, but in general I would say that I go overboard in lighting when affordable and always put them on dimmable, everywhere.
Also consider the circuits and talk to the electrician about that and then encourage there to be options depending on the activity or the experience. So, if the activity is to clean I thought about that, and if the activity is to relax with friends in the evening it needs to be more of a glow atmosphere for lighting. I also consider how many watts are in the bulb and the kelvin temperature with other LED lighting and I add that into consideration as well to illuminate styling objects around the room, depending on obviously which the room is.
"I WORK WITH CLIENTS THAT UNDERSTAND THEIR PERSONAL STYLE AND PREFERENCES."
Source: NW3 Interiors | NW3 Interiors' project.
How do you work with clients to understand their personal style and preferences, and incorporate them into your design plans?
I work with clients that understand their personal style and preferences. I have a long consultation asking lots of questions about how they like to live, what makes them feel good, how they can feel relaxed, maybe in the office they want to feel more stimulated, what colours and material do that, what are their favourite hotels.
I then show a variety of image styles and then it's a lot of listening, taking notes, taking into account their replies and answers and asking if there are any kind of artefacts or things that mean a lot to them and that they want to include in the design. We then look at the budget and how we can create a design which has both taking onboard how they would really enjoy living in their home and then I take the stress out of the overwhelming options that were presented to them by narrowing down what we can create in a visual to incorporate they design within the architecture of their home in a style which is going to enhance their lives
"I THINK WHITE AND CONTEMPORARY WITH MINIMAL STYLE CAN WORK, BUT THAT'S NOT MOST PEOPLE'S STYLES."
Can you describe a project that presented a unique or particularly challenging design problem, and how you approached it?
Creating solutions for everyday interior issues: Long lengths of storage can look flat and bland. Although mirrors and varying materials can help to break up the vast expanse of wall, an alternative is to be creative and brave by incorporating a form of art.
In this example I hand-drew a tree and instructed our joiner to laser cut (the technique is called marquetry) implementing a variety of wood types - which were cohesive with the scheme - which gave this hallway interest to the eye and became a feature.
Source: NW3 Interiors | NW3 Interiors' project.
What are some common mistakes that people make when designing or decorating their homes, and how can they be avoided?
A common mistake that people make when decorating their homes is that they just paint everything white, and I just feel it's a missed opportunity. They pay for the decorator to paint the skirtings and the coving and the ceiling and all of the walls in white and then it takes them some time to settle into the home. When they've done that, it's then more difficult to get the decorator to return.
They end up living in this stark white space which in some contemporary homes might be okay, but mainly painting their walls from the beginning in a warmer, softer, neutral colour, I would have said would have been a better spend of their money and something which doesn't feel so stark and bare. I think white and contemporary with minimal style can work, but that's not most people's styles.
So, therefore, I feel as though when the decorator goes in to a new space, they should really be painting with a neutral colour as a base from the outset. It would save time, money and effort from the beginning.
