Designer Profile: Fettle

Fettle is an interior architecture and design firm specialising in hospitality founded by Tom Parker and Andy Goodwin.

With studios in London and Los Angeles, Fettle provides a full spectrum of services to create beautiful, functional spaces which portray their history, their location and their ethos.

Interior design projects include 1 Warwick, Cicchetti, Isola by San Carlo, Mortimer House Roof Bar and Chucs in London, San Carlo in Liverpool, The Elder and The Jib Door in Bath, The Georgian Hotel, Olivetta and The Draycott in Los Angeles and The Hoxton Hotels in Rome and Portland.

What is your style aesthetic?

'We are fortunate to get to work on a wide variety of projects and as such our style tends to vary,' says Andy. 'What is suitable for a hotel in Munich such as Locke for example, will be very different to what is aesthetically in keeping with a mountain resort in Utah and as such we apply a different approach visually to each project.

'In order to maintain a similar level of quality across our projects, our processes remain consistent, however depending on the client, the history of the brand, the site and the location this process can lead to very varied outcomes aesthetically.

'There are, however, particular traits that remain consistent across all of our projects. Typically many of them are playful, layered and colorful.

'A large percentage of the work we do is within historic buildings both in the US and Europe and in those instances we try to look backwards as well as forwards for references to link the scheme with the building and location in which it is situated, while at the same time creating spaces that have a contemporary take design wise.'

How did it all begin?

'We co-founded Fettle in 2015 after meeting and working together at two previous design studios in London,' continues Andy. 'We were always close friends and lived locally to one another so we spent a huge amount of time together both inside and outside of work.

'We have a great friendship as well as a working relationship which has proved essential over the years. We have very similar tastes and many of the same skill sets however we always lean on each other and ask each other’s advice when working through projects.

'We are jointly responsible for the full spectrum of services we offer, overseeing all aspects of the design process. I take the lead on UK and European projects whilst Tom leads work in the US.'

What kind of work do you take on?

'We are lucky enough to have worked on some fantastic projects with amazing clients and have been part of some of the best hospitality design projects in the UK, US and beyond,' says Andy.

'Most recently we teamed up with Maslow’s, the design-led hospitality group behind Mortimer House, to create 1 Warwick in London’s Soho (above).

'We thoughtfully renovated the 1910 Neo-Baroque building set over eight floors, to design the members-only, year round rooftop bar, members lounges, a studio and gym, private and shared workspaces, meeting and event spaces as well as Nessa restaurant and bar which is open to the public.'

'We have also just unveiled the design for an all-day dining restaurant, San Carlo (above) in the heart of Liverpool which offers a spectacularly opulent and contemporary take on traditional Italian dining with the interiors inspired by Grand Milanese villas and gardens.  We have additionally just unveiled the interiors for San Carlo Alderley Edge – the terrace is particularly beautiful!' continues Andy.

'In Los Angeles, we recently worked with BLVD Hospitality to redesign Santa Monica’s iconic and art deco hotel The Georgian (above and below). Dramatic in appearance but with a cozy, intimate feel, we lovingly restored this landmark property to its former glory,' says Tom. 'We have also completed four projects with husband and wife team, Matt and Marissa Hermer – most notably of which is Olivetta.'

Any specialisms?

'We have been working on a few projects recently which use a lot of creative recycling and re-use of materials within high-end hospitality environments,' says Tom. 'One example of this is a restaurant we are working on at the Thompson Hotel in Palm Springs, California, which has a backlit bar top made from recycled plastic.

'Local plant varieties have been set within the plastic so that when the bar top is illuminated it highlights all of the little succulents and flowers. This crossover between high-end custom design and completely recycled materials is really interesting to us.'

Any side projects?

'We design bespoke furniture and lighting pieces within our projects and have often thought about working alongside a trusted manufacturer to produce a range of furniture and lighting, however this isn’t something that we are actively pursuing at present,' says Andy.

Who or what inspires you?

'When we first started the studio we were inspired by many of the well known studios such as Avroko and Roman and Williams and particularly our old boss Martin Brudnizki.

'We have always also kept a list of smaller, less well-known studios which we follow such as Studio Modijefski or Post Company, both of whom nowadays are very well known, as these felt more relatable to where we were at as a business.

'As well as drawing on other companies, I personally find some of the buildings we have the pleasure of working on very inspiring. The Georgian Hotel is an example of this as it was built in 1933 and has an incredibly rich history linked to the offshore gambling ships and the early days of Santa Monica.'

Dream clients?

'We are currently working on a feasibility study for a project with Auberge resorts who we have been a fan of for a long time and who own some really inventive, creative and beautifully put together projects,' says Tom.

'I am also looking to find a client who wants to build a space in West L.A which is inspired by the pub The Garrison from Peaky Blinders. True pubs are limited in LA and a concept like this with the welcoming, local, cheeky vibe of a British pub but done in a theatrical, tongue in cheek manner would do really well. It would also be nice to have a good pub to go to!'

'We love working on restaurant projects in and around London as the pace and the ability to work hand in hand with the client team and the contractors is something that is always incredibly fun for both ourselves and our team,' continues Andy.

'Personally, I have always loved the idea of working on a relatively small boutique hotel located in the heart of the British countryside ideally in either Yorkshire or Derbyshire to allow us to work on something close to where I grew up.'

What's next?

'We are about to complete a vast outdoor dining garden in West Hollywood which will be a sister restaurant to Olivetta, as well as a destination restaurant at the newbuild Thompson Hotel in the heart of Palm Springs,' says Tom. 'Alongside this we are working on a series of projects with Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah which was founded by Robert Redford in 1969, as well as an extensive series of works with The Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.'

Andy continues: 'Here in the UK we are working on several restaurant projects including Cicchetti in Piccadilly which we are looking forward to opening next year. We are also working on hotels in Paris, London and Dublin. They will be beautiful spaces and we are really looking forward to seeing how they progress on-site next year.'

You can find out more at Fettle or follow Fettle on Instagram.