SEASON'S SENSES

The Danish philosophy of Hygge, pronounced ‘hoo-guh’, has been gaining popularity here in the UK for the last couple of years. I see the word everywhere online and in the shops. The term loosely means ‘coziness’ however this is not meant in an external or material way. It is not as simple as a few knitted blankets. Hygge is more of a psychological sense of coziness, a feeling of warmth - a calm, good feeling in the soul. The feeling you get when you read a book in front of a fire with a hot chocolate, or share a night in with a bottle of wine between friends. When I first read about Hygge I connected with it immediately as I have a very similar philosophy when it comes to design. Our homes are sanctuaries, our safe places where we can be our most relaxed and comfortable selves. They are necessary retreats from the outside world and this is never more true than in the winter when our natural instincts encourage us to hibernate. 

The process of designing a space that allows for this ‘cozy’ environment goes beyond aesthetic. It involves all the senses. By considering the experience of a room on multiple levels it is possible to create an atmosphere conducive to deep relaxation and calm.

TEXTURE & NATURE

Texture and natural materials are key. During the winter we tend to spend more time indoors and less time outside. Therefore it is really important to bring nature indoors in any way we can.  The warmth of wooden furniture, both visually and to the touch, is noticeably different to that of glass or metal. Collect some pine cones to decorate with and of course, for those celebrating - put up the Christmas tree! (I love to get a Norway spruce as it not only looks beautiful but also smells stunning). 

Combining thick-knit and fine-knit natural fiber blankets in different neutral tones is an easy way to introduce texture to a room. Fleece rugs are also a great way to incorporate a different natural texture into a space.

Photo via The Fabulous Fleece Company

Photo source unknown

Photo via Nkuku.com

LIGHT

The days are shorter and our hours of daylight are often dimmed by thick layers of grey cloud. It can feel oppressive and gloomy. I combat this by trying to find whatever natural light that I can. When the sun is hard to find, I turn to fire. The warm glow from a candle or an open fire has an innate comforting quality. Hurricane lanterns are a great way to house candles of different shapes and sizes in a safe way if you don’t have a working fireplace or wood burner. Candleholders and lanterns with cutouts are also a very effective way to introduce texture through shadow. I remember seeing some wall lanterns similar to the candleholders below for the first time when I visited Morocco a few years ago. During the day I had no idea what they were, they seemed like a pretty plain wall decoration. But at night, when they were lit, it was like magic. The patterns of light created by something so simple were stunning.

Photo via Zenza

SMELL

Smell is so important when it comes to the experience of a room, especially over the winter period. The smells of an open fire, freshly cut pine and gingerbread baking in the oven evoke feelings of warmth and comfort (and hunger!). If you’re not a fan of hoovering up the needles of a Norway spruce, or if you don’t celebrate Christmas, an easy way to introduce the fresh smell of the outdoors is to add sprigs of pine or cedar to a winter garland or flower arrangement. I also suggest investing in a good quality scented candle or reed diffuser with notes of wood and spice. 

Photo via Shibang Designs

My main piece of advice when designing a home for winter is to avoid anything artificial, anything that doesn’t feel, smell or look real. Focus on atmosphere, nature and warmth and you can’t go too far wrong!

SAAL TURNS 30

Park Street, Saal’s first Christmas window

This year Saal Design reached a major milestone - 30 years in business! The time has indeed flown by. Looking back over the years it’s amazing to see how far we have come.

I set up Saal Design when I was 26 years old. I had a small shop on Park Street and I primarily sold home accessories and curtains, while also offering a design service. Not long after setting up, two huge things happened. I gave birth to my first child, Jassa, and then, after a swift maternity leave, the UK was hit by a recession. It was one of the hardest couple of years of my life but somehow the business made it through - just in time for baby number two.

I’d learnt a lot during the recession and decided to redirect Saal away from accessories and more towards my real passion - design. I had my second child, Romy, and began to slowly develop myself as an interior design consultant. Often, when I couldn’t sort out childcare, the little ones would come into the shop with me. I have many memories of trying to talk to customers and suppliers over the phone while trying to pacify a screaming baby. Or thinking I had a moment’s peace to make a call after having herded them securely into their play pen…only to hear a giant smash moments later…Romy had escaped and decided to throw a gold leaf Indian terracotta vase out of the shop door onto the pavement. I guess that was one way of getting attention from passersby on the high street!

I superglued that vase back together and still have it in my garden…I also still have the guilty child…who now helps out occasionally in the studio and has promised never to throw anything out of the front door again. 

As the business grew and evolved I decided it was time to move from Park Street into a bigger studio. This was when I moved to Saal’s current location - 3 Warwick Place - eighteen years ago. Since then, we have survived yet another recession and the business has transformed into a project led interior design studio.

The last couple of years in particular have offered the most growth as Saal Design has welcomed a few new members to it’s team…

OLIVIA BROCKLEHURST

Liv joined Saal as an intern in 2016 after graduating with a degree in Management and Marketing. Her skills in project management and organisation have made her an invaluable member of the team. She is excited to develop her career within the world of residential interiors.

Outside of work Liv loves to paint, tend to her veggie patch and explore the countryside with the dogs!

SUZIE HOUNSELL

Suzie is the most recent addition to our team, after having done a weeks work experience with Sarah in 2010. With a degree in Graphics, she has always been interested in interior design and loves playing with texture and splashes of colour. When not at Saal, Suzie loves to dance! She has danced since she was 3 years old and has done everything from ballet and tap to jazz and contemporary.

We’re very excited to have her join us!

MARLOWE 

Marlowe joined us two and a half years ago and settled in right away.

He is the studio’s nap-time manager, however he also has training in security and office counselling - offering hugs and love on stressful days. 

When not at Saal, Marlowe loves to go running in the fields, rolling in mud and watching films in front of the fire.

As a team, we would like to thank everyone who has been a part of Saal Design’s journey.

I have found interior design to be an incredibly personal business, built from relationships and trust. I believe I have been very lucky over the last 30 years. I’ve worked with many great clients and talented craftspeople - many of whom I now consider to be friends. Some of you I met all those years ago on Park Street and some of you I have only met recently, but to all of you I say thank you. Thank you for the support, and most of all, thank you for bearing with us while we’ve figured it all out!