The moniker “the go-to person for unique materials” is no exaggeration for Fameed Khalique, whose interiors company has has seen him progress from leather specialist to expert sourcer and designer of luxury finishes.
Now in its seventh year, the business is branching out into retail for the first time with a range of cushions constructed from all sorts of extraordinary materials.
“We’ve got leather hand-loomed with silk, hand-embroidered leather, origami plissé leather – these are not just your run of the mill cushion,” says Khalique.
“We work with these really interesting materials, so it was a logical step to put them on a retail project.”
Describing interiors as the new fashion, Khalique uses the same suppliers as the fashion houses to source things like the hand embroidery he uses across the range.
He sees more and more people using similar techniques to dress a room as they might use to dress themselves.
“Years ago people used to wear head-to-toe the same designer but now you might wear a Chanel jacket with Zara jeans,” he says. “It’s the same things in interior design.
“People are experimenting more. Sometimes people worry about expense but, just like you’ve got Zara on the high street giving you something fashionable for not much money, you can do the same thing with interiors.
“For me it’s about quality. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s about how you curate things, whether the pieces are from IKEA or from Harrods.”
The company’s broad client base reflects this ethos.
“Because we do hotels and grand projects, you’d imagine our aesthetic is super-luxury but we do all sorts of projects,” explains Khalique.
“Someone who has a small apartment could come to us for a wallpaper for one wall, which wouldn’t be terribly expensive but would add an injection of glamour to the space.”
While Khalique may be very clear on the above point, it is also clear that there is nothing remotely generic about the unique finishes he stocks, which are available for walls, floors, ceilings and furniture.
“We’ve got everything from hand embroideries and Chinese lacquer rooms to laser-cut marble and carpets made of silk and metal ribbon; we’ve done wooden veneers woven with leather and suede, which can be used for wall panelling or doors; we do this copper mesh, which is copper wire woven with horsehair, it’s super glamorous; we do 100 % recycled aluminium floors; we’ve got floors that are marble, steel and wood.”
This diverse range may not share a visual identity but they do all share an interest in heritage, uniqueness, quality and texture.
“Whether the look is glamorous or pared down those are the important things,” says Khalique.
Read more:
Interiors: An Aladdin’s cave in Hampstead, bursting with home gems
Buy an exceptional flat with furniture to match at Hampstead’s Isokon building
Haute couture papers by Maida Vale duo add luxe to north London interiors
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