International fashion designer Ben de Lisi counts Kate Winslet, Anjelica Huston, Emily Watson, Patsy Kensit and Jennifer Hudson among his clients. But now, fresh from rave reviews at London Fashion Week, the star of TV’s Project Catwalk has swopped designer dresses for designer addresses – launching a new and exclusive partnership with award-winning developers Avenir Properties. Through a new, luxury brand – Space by Ben de Lisi – he is playing a typically hands-on role in the design of a series of suburban projects across Yorkshire and the North of England. His first major project with Avenir Properties was 564 The Place – a stylish complex of 15 one and two-bedroomed apartments in the sought-after Alwoodley area of Leeds – which he has seen through from its infancy to successful sell-out.
1. How would you describe the style?
Understated, laid-back and – above all – chic.
2. What atmosphere were you trying to create?
I wanted to create a pure, effortless canvas onto which the owners and occupiers could project themselves and stamp their personality. In this regard, it mirrors the exact same approach I strive to adopt in designing my dresses for the women who wear them.
3. What inspired it?
The simple desire to create an interior that was all things to all people – a ‘broad brush’ approach that was aspirational, comforting, timelessly themed and utterly stylish. In short, something that would envelop you, giving you a sense of ownership and achievement. It had to not date, so the view changed as people changed. If you want a room to succeed, then you have to be able to add or subtract things as you move forward. The character of 564 The Place is such that a couple of 65-year-olds can imprint their personality on the property as easily and strikingly as a young couple can.
4. What are the significant aspects to this room?
The whitewashed, reeded, oak headboard - coupled with the carpeted well under the bed - are my favourite hallmarks of this room. You step out onto plush luxury!
5. What kind of person would live here?
A very lucky one! I was fortunate enough to have the freedom to create a style and atmosphere that was all things to all people, and not hemmed in to meeting the needs of a particular, narrow, demographic profile. The ultimate end-result was achieved by being able to capitalise upon this design freedom – with appeal to homebuyers young and old from across Leeds’ diverse community.
6. Do you think this is a perfect example of your style?
Yes. I would never design anything that I wouldn’t want to live in or wear myself. In everything that I design, I use myself as a benchmark. Everytime I am interviewed, the first question I am asked is always ‘Do you wear your own clothes.’ My answer is always the same: ‘No – because I design women’s clothes. But if I were a woman then yes - these are the clothes I would want to wear’. I’ve adopted the same approach to this project.
7. Were there any complicated aspects?
Surprisingly few, given that it was our first joint venture together. When working closely on a property project, you are aware of many creative legs – designers, architects, developers – and their own specific needs, such as the developers’ desire for space. It’s important that all these needs and pressures are taken into consideration by all the team working together.
8. What were the finishing touches?
We added a contemporary ‘grandeur’ to the apartments by maximising the heights of the rooms to make them look as large as possible. We used initiatives such as full-height doors and windows. It worked well.
9. Is there anything you would change?
The litmus test for any project is the reaction from the public. And the fact that the lion’s share of the apartments were sold immediately they came to market is the best endorsement you could ask for. 564 The Place has given everyone involved in the development a strong platform on which to build in the future. We are all determined to be always changing, always improving – raising the bar of property design and development wherever possible. To this end, I would probably seek to have a greater voice among the architects to help create an exterior that is more contemporary and less prescribed. That said, 564 The Place fits in well with the surrounding area – it neither screams out nor recedes – and harmonises effortlessly with the neighbourhood.