{"id":8923,"date":"2021-07-19T11:04:21","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T11:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brabbucontract.com\/inspirations-and-ideas\/?p=8923"},"modified":"2021-07-19T11:04:21","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T11:04:21","slug":"fran-hickman-high-end-abstract-contract-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brabbucontract.com\/inspirations-and-ideas\/interior-design\/fran-hickman-high-end-abstract-contract-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"Fran Hickman – High-End Abstract Contract Designs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fran Hickman<\/em>\u2019s interior and architectural design studio was\u00a0founded in 2014. It is driven by a profound belief in the capacity of good design to shape how people behave. The studio\u2019s work is underpinned by a clear understanding of the critical role that built environments play in daily life.\u00a0Across the breadth of possible interior and architectural design commissions \u2013 from high-end commercial and office space through food and beverage to private homes \u2013 what ties all Fran\u2019s work together is the relationship between people and space. In this article, we will talk about the high-end abstract contract designs from Fran Hickman<\/strong><\/em><\/span>!<\/p>\n

See Also:\u00a0The Gettys Group, Delivering World-Class Hotel Designs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Fran Hickman<\/h1>\n

With a base in London and an office in NYC, the studio is engaged in projects across three continents, while its lead-agency expertise is supported by an international network of partner agencies. Operating at a global level obliges the studio to offset its carbon consumption completely and consider the long term impacts of its creative choices. Fran Hickman<\/em> reduces, reuses and recycles all its materials in-house and is continuously updating its knowledge in relation to sustainability and the built environment. At the heart of all good design lies great story-telling. In collaboration with the studio, clients are encouraged to play a central role in authoring their own design.\u00a0Starting with abstract concepts \u2013 grounded in the client\u2019s history and objectives \u2013 client and studio uncover a specific design story.\u00a0The studio\u2019s task is then to transform the abstract into the material not with decoration, but through design.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

Fran Hickman<\/h2>\n

Tailoring the way a client lives or works to the specifics of their history,\u00a0locale\u00a0and architecture, Fran Hickman<\/em> creates singular designs from the language of existing environments.\u00a0These are then made manifest with a charm, grace and\u00a0savoir-faire<\/em>\u00a0simultaneously deliberate, considered and consciously related. Precision, harmony and poise are the order of the day \u2013 proportion, scale, light\u00a0\u2013 all deployed with the simple objective of making the built environment better; thus enhancing mood, behaviour and even relationships. In collaboration with the studio, clients discover how to make life and work more productive, more playful, calmer, happier, even healthier. Everything \u2013 from shape to material to finish\u00a0\u2013 is chosen for a reason and all of it comes back to the story.<\/p>\n

\nFran Hickman\u00a0\u2013 <\/em>Vinyl Factory, Soho<\/strong>\n<\/h3>\n

In a former NCP car park, just off Carnaby Street, in the heart of Soho, Fran Hickman\u00a0<\/em>was asked by the Vinyl Factory to design and construct three loft apartments. This substantial remodelling (8,500 sq ft) required a design to\u00a0anticipate the needs of future residents.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

Sympathetically modernised spaces, suitable for work, reflection and play, now retain their original architectural features. Meanwhile, the building\u2019s fabric is echoed in\u00a0an idiosyncratic mix of furnishings found anywhere and everywhere \u2013 from flea markets to high-end suppliers of modern, classic design.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Fran Hickman\u00a0\u2013 PaintBox, New York<\/em><\/h3>\n

On the corner of Madison and East 69th Street is a minimalist nail studio developing a sharp line in colour combination. This is Paintbox\u2019s new uptown atelier, cutely juxtaposing unexpected shades of colour in a manner both experimental and restrained. Drawing from Josef Albers\u2019 indispensable volume Interaction of Colour, the studio was determined to convey the drama and tension of colour combining in a complimentary palette of materials and uncommon colours.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

Any single colour only ever presents itself in relation to its neighbours. So the focus for the studio became what happens in between. Playing with the chosen materials, and the colours they contain, the intention was to lift the spirits, stimulate the senses and instil serenity. From the pale bespoke acrylic shelving through the deep upholstery of the clients\u2019 chairs, the colour purple runs throughout the store. Gentler pinks are found in the textured plaster walls, perforated sheer\u00a0window\u00a0curtain and coloured concrete basins.<\/p><\/figure>\n

<\/figure>\n
\"Fran<\/a><\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n
A bench upholstered in purple wool sits next to a sofa in yellow boucle alongside a brushed steel reception desk, a silver-back-painted glass desk top and iridescent bar stools, bringing together colours commonly revered as holy, even sacred, with hues more often thought of as cheerful, creative and feminine. Green brings a promise of energy and growth, but also calm, whilst Calacatta vision marble, faux \u2018baby ostrich\u2019 leather and ceramic wall tiles in olive likewise prove restful. A glazed pure white lava stone workstation creates a pristine backdrop from which all this colour can be absorbed, while the grey upholstery of the artists\u2019 chairs represents both wisdom and serenity. Grey is the common denominator \u2013 present to some degree in all of these tones \u2013 tying together this symphony of shades within the one space.<\/figure>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

<\/h3>\n

Fran Hickman\u00a0\u2013 NASAB, Dubai<\/em><\/h3>\n

Intense heat; an incomplete building site; the desert fringes of Dubai. Le Corbusier\u2019s \u2018Tower of Shadows\u2019 at Chandigarh surfaces to mind.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/p><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Carving cool darkness out of the existing concrete structure, a bespoke copper reception desk expresses primitive raw purity, while moveable blocks of granite, stainless steel and oak proffer refreshments from the kitchen. The palette and materials are all elemental in nature, bringing a subtle, tactile sensuality to the interiors, akin to that heightened state of desert being.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Fran<\/a>Echoing the dunes\u2019 undulations and then the unfathomable distance travelled towards a horizon of endless colour, the requirements of a modern day library with communal tables, private work spaces and meeting rooms were met within a year by keeping our design intent simple but specified in great detail through a package of over a hundred and fifty drawings.<\/figure>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Fran Hickman\u00a0\u2013 Chess Club, Mayfair<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

The creation of a brand new Mayfair members\u2019 club \u2013 inspired by the surreal game play of Duane Michals and Man Ray \u2013 was always going to be demanding.\u00a0<\/span>Phase one of the project: to open up and re-imagine three floors of a six-storey townhouse unoccupied for last ten years. Handled\u00a0from start to finish\u00a0<\/span>by Fran Hickman\u00a0<\/em>in-house architect<\/span>s, t<\/span>he six-month construction process<\/span>\u00a0began with planning and building control. Fran Hickman\u00a0<\/em>designed and built the ground floor restaurant, the first floor bar and the lower ground cloakrooms and installed new industrial kitchens.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
In the public spaces, colours and compositions were\u00a0<\/span>influenced by the masterful combination of organic and geometric shape found in antique Japanese prints. Fran Hickman\u00a0<\/em>inspirations were wide-scattered \u2013 from Carlo Mollino\u2019s butterflies to Renzo Mongiardino\u2019s faux marquetry; from the artwork of Charles Baskerville through Jean\u00a0<\/span>Roy\u00e8re\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>metalwork and David\u00a0<\/span>Hicks\u2019<\/span>\u00a0pop colours to Yves St Laurent\u2019s personal furnishings. The objective: to create a unique space which feels rooted and workable yet celebratory and refined.<\/span>\"Fran<\/a>Awards: Winner of Best Leisure Interior\u00a0<\/span>UK,\u00a0<\/span>at\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>UK\u00a0Property Awards\u00a02017 |\u00a0<\/span>Shortlisted for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2018.<\/figure>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/h3>\n

Fran Hickman\u00a0\u2013 Moda Operandi, Belgravia<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Just off Hyde Park Corner, inside a\u00a0Grade II listed former stable block, Fran Hickman\u00a0<\/em>created the interiors and project managed the build for an exclusive, luxury fashion\u00a0salon.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
Personal, private spaces were\u00a0constructed from\u00a0ribbon-lined, made-to-measure dressing screens. Moda\u2019s palette of creams, cool greys and dusty peaches was allowed to build to a dramatic Art Deco pink in the dressing rooms. Bespoke lighting,\u00a0furniture and accessories were all tailored to fit the space.<\/figure>\n
\"Fran<\/a>This design is being developed for salons in Miami and Hong Kong.\n

Fran Hickman\u00a0\u2013 Townhouse, Notting Hill<\/em><\/h3>\n

Inside a Grade II listed Westbourne Grove terrace, this first floor bedroom suite demanded a complex series of shifts in function within an extremely limited amount of space. Adjacent to an opulent bedroom, the confines of studio living necessitated a great many things happen in the same place.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

In homage to Carlo Mollino, form and function evolved together. Inspired by the erotic photography taken in his Turinese apartment, Casa Mollino, as well as his fictional autobiography, Vita di Oberon, in which the twenty-eight-year-old Mollino, in the guise\u00a0of a young Turinese architect who died tragically young, describes architecture, among all the creative disciplines, as demanding the most intricate shifts in shape. Accordingly, the architect is forced not just to be \u2018a poet and a mathematician\u2019 but also \u2018a mechanic, an accountant, a lawyer, a slob, a gentleman, a swallower of bitter pills, an old lady\u2019s dancing partner and a snake charmer\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Fran<\/a><\/p>\n

The leopard skin and cane panelled doors, therefore,\u00a0hide as much as they reveal. The space is conceived of as a dressing or\u00a0\u2018changing\u2019\u00a0room, expressing the occupant\u2019s natural affinity for metamorphosis while serving multiple purposes simultaneously. Behind the cedar-lined wardrobe doors, closing one inside the other, are: a travertine bath, a campaign style \u2018water closet\u2019 and a breakfast bar in natural brass. This encasement of multiple functions within one structure makes possible sudden and radical changes of form, behaviour and state of being. Thus the space as a whole is set on a path of endless change, at one with the flux of existence.<\/p>\n