Paul Langston on Designing Luxury Spaces That Actually Work

Imke Du Toit

Welcome to the podcast where we sit down with some of London's most influential voices in interior design. am your host, Emke de Toi, and today I'm joined by Paul Langston, founder of Paul Langston Interiors, a London and Essex based design studio renowned for creating bespoke luxury residential and commercial interiors that blend architectural clarity with bold material statements and rich emotional storytelling.

With roots in the music and events world, Paul has a rare talent for crafting interiors that don't just look exquisite, but feel alive, capturing rhythm, atmosphere, and light in every space. As an accredited member of the British Institute of Interior Design and a multi-award winning designer, with accolades including the GP and J. Baker Award for Best Fabric Design, Living Etc.'s Creative Contemporary Design Award and recognition as a finalist, at the SBID International Design Awards in 2024, Paul continues to redefine what it means to be a luxury interior designer here in London. Paul, welcome. It is absolutely lovely to have you here today.

Paul Langston

It's great to be here. Thank you for asking me to join you.

Imke Du Toit

It's an absolute pleasure and we look forward to our discussion today. So Paul, before we get into the finer details of your beautiful projects, I'd love to begin with something that really captures your design philosophy, getting to know the designer behind the studio a little bit. You said before that a great space has rhythm. When you begin a new home or a commercial project, what is the first rhythm you look for?

Paul Langston

Yeah.

Sure.

Well, think it's, it's really, rhythm is sort of all encompassing really. It's, it's talking about the visual flow that guides the eye through the space. So if you're, if you put together a scheme that's carefully considered, the results should give a rhythm really, which is a sense of continuity, repetition and harmony that makes the room feel cohesive and intentional. So it's like, it's kind of like the, you know, like the, beast or the tempo of the interior.

It's what makes the space feel balanced and alive and connected. that's, yeah, there's various ingredients that pull that together. You're looking at, you know, talking about repetition, that sort of recurring elements in the scheme. So, you know, colors, shapes, lines and textures to give a sense of unity, you know, to pull it all together. For example, in our Epping project at the moment, just as a very simple example, we're using a lot of black.

metal detailing. The client likes this sort of light industrial look, more contemporary clean lined but sort of very light industrial look. So that's following through cabinetry door handles, light fittings, furniture framing, that kind of stuff. But you're also balancing it with other ingredients like contrast in the space. know, alternating between opposites in a sort of kind of an undulating rhythm if you like. So between light and dark, smooth.

rough, curved and angular. So that sort of adds a kind of visual energy of its own really and stops the scheme feeling too bland or monotonous because you've got that rolling rhythm between the contrasts. Or transitional visual design as well is another sort of ingredient there in terms of the flow and the rhythm. So your eye is being led from one thing to the next within an interior so it might be

in architecture or the staircase and then that runs through to the lines in the flooring. It's often a subconscious feeling if you're walking through an interior to experience that, but it does affect how we perceive the space and if you can integrate that at the design process. People kind of, they don't notice it, but they do notice it if you know what I mean, subconsciously. The same with things, know, radiation is another way of rhythmically.

Imke Du Toit

Mm.

Paul Langston

start designing an interior. focusing on certain aspects like for example in an entrance hall you might have a beautiful cluster chandelier and that's everything's radiating from that point you know when you come into the room that is the main focus and then the rhythm is the radiation away and out from that that that piece of lighting through to the rest of the room and everything that's complementing it.

and ensuring that the finishes and materials are connecting with that and sort of continuing that rhythm, but that is the focus of radiation.

Imke Du Toit

that covers my entire question with that. think it's absolutely beautifully said as well. It really is emotional storytelling and it does become a song in its own way with its own light and lows and crescendos, as you say as well, with her coming in and walking in and seeing a chandelier with the radiation is where the rhythm is and how it brings that entire space together, which is absolutely stunning and a great way to look at it.

Paul Langston

I was just going to say, think, you know, as a designer, if you, when you're designing a space and something feels like it stops that rhythm, then you know that there's more work to be done. If there's any, anything that jars, jars or, or, or interrupts that flow, then that's, that's when you need some correction. And it's almost becomes mathematical in a way, more scientific, I think, depends how you look at it, but yeah.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, as is I think with any art or artistry, and especially looking from your music background as well, how that all fuses together and building these moments. Every designer has their own.

Paul Langston

Yeah, that's true. There is a relationship

there for sure between the two.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, absolutely. And finding that synergy of what works. It's creating a piece of music just in a different form. Every designer has their guiding principles, but also a few personal taboos. What are five things you'd never do as a designer and why?

Paul Langston

Absolutely.

Ahem.

Hmm, I would say I Would say the most important thing is to not design for yourself and it's you know, it can be tempting to do that You know, I've got loads of great ideas for this project We're just gonna throw it the project and everyone will love it and it'll be fantastic. You can never really do that. You have to You know, you've got to leave your ego at the door You know if it doesn't reflect the clients lifestyle values needs then the result is probably going to be quite hollow

And you know, every decision that you're making in the interior has got to really serve the needs and the values of the people that are using that space, not so that it fits in with the designer's portfolio. But it's not to say that, you know, I don't have ideas to bring to the table that the client might not have thought about, but it's very important to focus on what they want. And, know, in the early stages of the project, that is something that I drive really hard to do, is to explore with the client.

what it is that they really appreciate and what they like and what they're trying to achieve in their interior so that we can create their vision. But I'm quite collaborative like that. know every designer's got their angle and another designer will go in and say, this is how we're gonna do it. I think you need these colors, these finishes, these materials, these furniture suppliers, and that's the route that we're gonna go down.

But I tend to be a bit more collaborative. So long as the client has got some ideas that we can grab hold of, then we kind of work through it together. And we're both adding elements, adding and maybe getting rid of certain elements, but we're going through the journey together and we're experimenting with different ideas as a team, really. So I'm not telling them what they should have or shouldn't have. I'm much happier with the client.

who brings ideas to the table straight away, rather than having a client who doesn't know what they want, because that's very difficult to navigate if you haven't got anything to pin your concept of or a direction to go down. There's so much choice out there. But yeah, that's my number one, I think, is to make sure that I design for the client and not for myself. Another one.

is never to assume or leave anything to chance. And I suppose that sounds obvious, when you're in the throes of putting a scheme together, it's easy to go, yeah, that's clear enough, or they know what I mean. If producing a design that has to be interpreted not only by the client, but by the builder or the electrician or the cabinet maker, it's over-specified almost rather than.

don't give them enough information because if anything's open to misinterpretation, you're at risk of not delivering what you've told the client you're gonna deliver. And I'm very visual in that respect. So, if I'm put together a concept for furniture or for lighting or whatever it might be, I really try and then put together as much as I can to describe that and just show it with a.

style reference but also with a technical drawing but also with a rendered model. Let's get materials and finishes in there and don't leave anything to chance and make sure that there's no assumptions left for anyone to misinterpret what it is that we're trying to achieve. So that's an important one.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, no, that

sounds like that's very much needed within, especially within your industry and working with with clients and making sure to understand what you know, what it what it is. And like you said, not leave anything open to chance because things do happen and obviously needing to be adaptable. So I think I do agree.

Paul Langston

You have to, you

have to really think a few steps ahead and go, you know, okay, so we're going to put this here and that's fine. And that all makes sense, but you have to force yourself to ask more questions and go, well, you know, if I was the builder, would it be totally clear to me that the wall paneling is, going to have this finished detail on the top? Have I given them enough profile information? You know, where's the, where's the link to the colors? Have I made it easy for them? You know, you don't want to, you know,

I want to try and think about how they're interpreting the information as well and don't just follow your own formats and processes for delivery, sharing and communicating. You have to think about how the people you're working with are going to absorb that information or find it and understand how they work because that's going to be the best chance of them getting the picture and getting the design themselves. That's really important, I think.

Imke Du Toit

which is why think again collaboration is so key when it comes to that as well and open communication with everyone everyone knows is on the same page as well definitely.

Paul Langston

Definitely.

Another one is, I would say, function. know, things can look beautiful, but if they don't work, they're not really delivering. You know, look fantastic in the photo shoot. You know, the client loves them on the first day when they step in there. But then if they're not really fit for purpose and, you know, there's, you know, a style over substance, then that can, you know, be a disaster, of course, in the longer term. So...

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes.

Paul Langston

you know, like a stunning kitchen that's awkward to cook in or a living room that can't comfortably seat the whole family when they're having a big party. And that's a failure of design. So form must follow function and getting that balance right. at the same time, doesn't mean it's a balance, isn't it? Because you want something to be practical, usable, workable. know, maybe it's a family where they've got young kids or they've got pets and it needs to be more hard wearing materials. But

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely.

Paul Langston

still they still need to look beautiful and you know feel feel feel good so it's trading one off against the other it's making sure that both are both were to never ignore function I think is really really important at the you know don't go for something that looks beautiful at the expense of it perhaps not working not quite fitting the practical brief

Imke Du Toit

I think that's a very

good one.

Paul Langston

How many have we done? How many? I've got another one, trends, trends. know, trends is, you know, in fact, the clients as well, the clients will say, wow, you know, let's, let's color drench the entire house. It's going to be fantastic. And you think, well, yeah, you know, we'll look great today. You really will covering everything in the same paint color on the ceilings and, and, and curtains, skirtings and walls and everything. But

Imke Du Toit

I think we did three..

Paul Langston

You know, I have to sort of say, well, how will you feel about this in two years time? Will you feel happy about this decision? Because it's quite a major undertaking if you wanted to change that. you know, it's of adopting, considering and bringing on some of the trends that are going on. But then discussing it with the client and going, you know, how do you feel about this in the long term? You know, you're doing a whole house makeover now.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

do you still want a pink kitchen or whatever it might be in a few years? And sometimes it might be, usually it's a case of, not always actually, but sometimes it's a case of adopting some of the bolder trends in the accents. So, you know, it might be soft furnishings or art or maybe decorative light fittings and stuff like that, rather than the sort of core materials of the property.

Imke Du Toit

Cheers.

Paul Langston

So that way you can switch them in and out more successfully over time. But if you're going to go bold everywhere, you've got to be sure that you, or you know, if you want to go in a certain specific direction all over, you've got to be sure that you're happy to endure that or live with that in the longer term. Yeah, so never rely solely on trends. It's usually a balance of the two, I would say, you know, all things considered.

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely.

of another period of time, of course.

Paul Langston

or at least informing the client and if they still want to go for it, then that's great. But just making them aware that what they're, or just checking that what they want now is something that they're going to want tomorrow and all the day after. Yeah, exactly. And I should have put this one much closer to the top actually, but lighting is even in the smallest room or the tiniest little project.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, of course, all five years down the line. Yeah.

Mmm.

Paul Langston

lighting should never be ignored. think it is absolutely key to showing off everything else that you've done in that space to making the furniture look its best, creating an environment that's adaptable for different types of events. If it's a leisure space, lighting is employed very differently in the middle of the day for a lunch than it would be

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

for an evening meal, for example. you know, lighting is really crucial in terms of layering and considering how to illuminate that room, depending on how you're using it, what time of day you're using it, and to show off all the lovely things that you put into it. All the art, furniture, the finishes, the materials, highlighting textures or fabrics. So lighting is something that we spend a lot of time on in my practice and...

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

It's usually one of the things that I put near the top. And surprisingly, a number of clients who are kind of putting it at the end, I guess it's just a logical thing that that's the final thing, almost with art and accessories, but actually it should be, I think, one of the very first things that's considered. And of course, if you're doing a renovation or refurbishment, you need to think about those things, that element early because of, you know, wiring and the technology and increasingly.

increasingly we don't want lighting that's on display. We want lighting that's clever, intelligent, layered, but that actually when it's not on, you don't see it unless it's a structural statement piece like a chandelier or decorative lamp. But more and more clients are asking us to hide lumiers, hide treatments so that really they're only visible when you're using them.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Okay.

Paul Langston

So lighting is a really important one. So would say never neglect lighting even in the smallest design, smallest scheme.

Imke Du Toit

I actually also really agree with that one as well. I find lighting determines your mood as well. And obviously adds to that storytelling and every space with a different sort of lighting gives a different atmosphere and a different mood, tells a different look, goes within the different aesthetic as well within those spaces. So I would absolutely agree with that.

Paul Langston

Yeah.

Imke Du Toit

as well. obviously we see that within your work as well, that lighting is a very, very big factor you take into consideration with working within your projects and within your designs. Many people still see interior design as purely aesthetic, but you often speak about context and story, taking now from thinking about all these things that we need to take into consideration. How do you ensure a space still feels human?

in the age of perfection and Pinterest boards.

Paul Langston

Yeah, that's an interesting question, isn't it? know, particularly at the moment with, you know, AI, everything's AI generated or, you know, lot of creative conceptual ideas, AI generated, you know, and perfection is a seductive or can be a seductive concept, but you, you know, potentially you can end up with a result that feels a bit cold and soulless. So I think.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

you know, our job is to create something that feels real, authentic, that can be lived in, not just looked at, if you know what I mean. point having a show home if you, you know, you want to actually be able to use it and enjoy it and relax in it and, and live in it. And so I tried to take an empathetic approach to design something that's authentic. And if you are tuned into the needs of the client, then

then it helps me understand how to design the space in a more human way, I suppose. You know, how are they using the space? What are they reaching for first thing in the morning? What do they need to do to relax and switch off? Where's their favorite little cubby hole for a sanctuary at the end of the day? And that's going back to rhythms really. These are rhythms of daily life when you're

living in a place and we have to translate those rhythms into a physical environment that supports the homeowner's experience. I think, you know, imperfections are, they show heart and soul, you know, like the warmth of

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

But

beautiful in some way as well. mean, it brings out also the different uniqueness of every person as well. brings out that human side of the space that you are creating as well.

Paul Langston

Definitely, you don't have to have everything, doesn't have to be symmetrical. Asymmetry is a beautiful thing. Handmade, crafted, craftsman's ships, a big thing right now, isn't it? Handmade products, natural materials, handmade tile and aged timber, weathered flooring just gives that sort of authenticity, I think, and realness. Even if it's a very contemporary interior, it doesn't have to feel cold and soulless. So,

Imke Du Toit

Yes, sure.

Paul Langston

yeah.

Imke Du Toit

I think you absolutely said it right that it is about understanding and connecting with the clients as well to get that human aspect and that human collaboration going as well. And I feel that that's also within different partnerships you build into creating with your teams as well to creating those spaces. I feel collaboration is something I believe to be a key driving factor for any business or artist, designer.

and finding the right partnership is really is essential. And so let's talk a little bit about your collaboration with FCI London, where design truly meets partnerships. FCI London curates over 700 luxury furniture brands under one roof. How do you navigate the breadth of choice while staying true to your design? Because that's a lot.

Paul Langston

Absolutely.

Paul Langston

My god, yeah. mean, know, FCI has got a phenomenal range of products and you know, it's a massive offering out there. And you know, it's so much, sometimes it can be overwhelming, not only for the client, but for me too. I'm like, my goodness. But yeah, I think there's a couple of things really, you know, one for me, it's about listening to the client to have a super clear picture of what they want and that they're looking to achieve. And if I've done my job,

hopefully I'll begin the FF &E process with a very well defined concept. And this means often you've already significantly zoomed in on a detailed spec, taking everything into consideration, which kind of funnels the options. you know, for example, going back to the chandelier concept, you know, once the client and I have agreed their likes or dislikes and exactly what their style and what they're looking for really sort of rinsed that.

information hub and tried to get under the skin of the client to understand them, I'm going to go away and say what I want to put in the entrance hall is a contemporary cluster chandelier, a six-meter drop cluster chandelier, and I'm going to sort of go down the road of a mixture of ribbed glass and bronze finishes with a £30,000 budget. And then already you've got quite a well-defined specification there, and that helps you funnel

or shortlist and streamline the suppliers and the furniture brands that you're going for, I think. So having a well-defined concept does help to refine that straight away. But aside from that, there's suppliers and brands out there that I value and trust. And naturally, of course, you will navigate towards them when and specifying. And of course, the client's got favorite brands as well.

Where they and you know what they've already got in their home. So that helps to sort of You know drill down it does help having So, know with FCI it does help having so much under one roof it's such a massive showroom that it creates more of a not a one-stop shop does not sound very elegant or sophisticated, you know what I mean? You

One company who are representing so many amazing brands that there's a single destination for

and later on for the client to source maybe sometimes, for the Hillwood Growth Project, almost everything came from FCI because love that sort of contemporary, elegant, luxe Italian look and you know.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

that really really suited that project in particular.

Imke Du Toit

Right, right. I know you've partnered with FCI several times. I know within certain projects. What makes that collaboration work so well and is there anything you would fine tune?

Paul Langston

Well, I mean, honestly, it's difficult to think of anything that I really like to change apart from maybe have the Park Royal showroom over here, because I'm actually based in Lauson, so I'm quite a long way away from London. exactly.

Imke Du Toit

Okay, right.

Paul Langston

So it's a bit of mission for me to get over there, but that's just distance, that's just the way it is. quite a lot for other projects. But apart from that, mean, it's been great.

I'd love to put something in here, but I can't really think of anything. Honestly, at the moment, they'd say my only challenge is the distance of the showroom for me getting there, but that's my challenge really. But I've always been so happy with the service and the, as I say, nothing's too much trouble than you guys have, or FEI, have always delivered for me. I can't really think of any way that they could improve really.

Imke Du Toit

of

Yes.

Paul Langston

apart from building me my own showroom in East London.

Imke Du Toit

Maybe that's a conversation to need a TV head, you never know. Yeah. I know you saw several bespoke luxury pieces through FCI as well. Was there one that really, truly stood out and brought a project together beautifully? If you had to think about one item, one piece of bespoke luxury furniture from them.

Paul Langston

You know, definitely, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, there's actually several, but I can drill down into one or two for sure. mean, the chandelier in our Hutton Mount project, which was a Serap chandelier, who are a European brand Polish, I think they're a Polish

Imke Du Toit

Okay.

Paul Langston

company, represented by FCI in the UK. So.

I mean, that was the sort of showstopper in that particular project. It was 250 grams in weight. was including the cabling, six meter drop, six meter drop. Yeah. With 70 milliers built into it. And a ton of clear glass and gold decorative fixtures and fittings. It was awesome. It actually came in two parts. It was too big to come in one part. the, my,

Imke Du Toit

wow, large. Sure.

Amazing.

Paul Langston

cabinet makers actually put it together and hung it. But that was, you know, that was, you come in the entrance hall and it's just there. It's such a beautiful, beautiful design. you know, FCI helped us put that together and make, you know, the bespoke elements, the ingredients of the, the mixtures of the colors and finishes there had to be carefully coordinated to make sure that they suited the room. But I mean, it was immense, this thing. And we actually had to, it's a new build house, very beautifully.

Imke Du Toit

must have been.

Paul Langston

built new property. But because of the weight of the chandelier, we then had to get in a structural engineer and design between us, design and build a new steel cantilever kind of beam into the ceiling that came off the original beam to actually hang the lights off of and then obviously make good and cover it up. And so it was hidden in the ceiling, but it was all...

Imke Du Toit

Sorry.

Wow.

Yes, of course. And they're exceptionally

heavy as well, from what I understand, especially those massive chandeliers as well, but they are absolutely so exquisite, so exquisite, but can you imagine?

Paul Langston

Yeah,

gorgeous. Yeah, 250 kilograms. As I say, was like a pretty, pretty weighty. So obviously you needed the full sort of scaffold frame to get it up in a couple of days to do it, but it was so worth the effort. it, mean, it's a spectacular result and the are very happy and you know, it's just an absolute nightmare to clean.

Imke Du Toit

That's a lot.

Imke Du Toit

Any answer?

Paul Langston

Yeah, a really long feather duster, you know, over the the balcony or

I'm not quite sure how they do actually, but there is a very good company who I put them in touch with who specialize in, you know, chandelier cleaning in that area. But I think they come in with their own frame and, know, they just do it that way. I know, I know, right.

Imke Du Toit

Okay.

I would imagine it would be a little bit difficult, I think, for the average person. Unless

you are, you know, you're comfortable with scaffolding. Okay, but let's...

Paul Langston

I exactly. Yeah. Or maybe,

you know, maybe in the end you'll just be picked up by a drone, you know, and you can just sort of fly around it. It's probably not far off. It's probably not far off. But the other thing, if I could just mention. Yeah, exactly.

Imke Du Toit

Exactly with your feather duster and there you go. Possibly not, we never know. Life is always changing so you

Paul Langston

the other elements actually in that same project that was a huge, had a huge impact actually. In fact, it's called Impact. It's called the Impact Coffee Table from Reflex, another Italian brand. And that was in the formal living space. Beautiful space, know, sort of warm, luxe, neutrals. have these gorgeous Meridiani sofas.

Imke Du Toit

Okay.

Paul Langston

We re-clad the chimney breast in Taj Mahal marble, gorgeous. My cabinet makers produced this lovely low cabinetry, timber cabinetry. We had some fabulous Tom Faulkner lighting. The client's own part of their Andy Warhol collection was sort of shown off in that room as well, which really set it off. Beautiful punches of color all around the walls.

Imke Du Toit

wow.

Paul Langston

but it felt like the room just needed a little something else. And the coffee table that we found was stunning. So it's a black, ultra-gloss, low square coffee table with a of a crack of gold running down the center of it. So it's like the table's been split in two with this sort of very vivid sort of orangey gold running through the middle of it. And it just completely finished the room. And of course it's right in the middle of the room as well. again, you've got that radiation.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes.

Paul Langston

rhythm going on there. But that was, yeah, that was another piece that we were, I was delighted to have found that and the client just immediately fell in love with it.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

It must be wonderful as well if you just, if you feel something's missing and you find that final just piece of the puzzle, really, because that's exactly what that is. Like I only imagine also with having that gold stripped down the middle as well, just that color radiating and then feeding off the Andy Warhol, know, bold colors and aesthetic must have been exceptionally pleasing when you found the piece that brought it all together.

Paul Langston

Definitely.

Imke Du Toit

And I think that makes it so much more special when you're working on projects when you find something that wasn't planned beforehand, but just managed to pull everything together. speaking about that as well, let's have a little bit of a look at one of your projects as well. I'm going to share a few pictures of the project.

Paul Langston

Totally.

Yeah.

you

Imke Du Toit

I'm jumping the gun here. You're right.

Paul Langston

Right?

Imke Du Toit

This project shows a clear sense of flow and precision. What was the central idea or mood you wanted this space to convey?

Paul Langston

Well, for this particular project, the client wanted, the brief was clean-lined, elegant, contemporary, luxury. So the base palette was warm, rich, neutral finishes and materials, including a lot of textured fabrics, rich timbers, luxurious leathers, which you can see there on the armchair and metallic accents. You've got that lovely Meridiani table there with the gold band around it as well. So.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

You know, but they also wanted to avoid anything bland. They didn't want a hotel-like scheme. So they have got a sense of adventure and they like engaging art pieces, standout architectural design of furniture and accessories. So that's where things like in that image, the movie lamps above the kitchen island come in, you know, these beautiful sort of very sort of standout, powerful pendants.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

the Meridiani table and then actually on the wall behind that you can't see in this image, there's some lovely cabinetry and some obj dart. that was kind of the vibe really. Yeah.

Imke Du Toit

absolutely stunning and that light in this corner on the right side is also such an interesting piece as well and it just brings something different to this room in my own, from my side. And then a little bit about this.

Paul Langston

Yeah.

Yeah, that's a fabulous lamp, isn't it?

It's almost like a plant. I love the way it's got the sort of multi-directional heads on that. Yeah, that's cool. This one, is, there's a mezzanine level, which is just above the area that we were just looking at actually.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

on that light.

So.

Paul Langston

and the clients were wondering what do we do with this? know, what do we do with it? It's kind of an open space with, you know, the light and sound is traveling up from the floor below. You've got double height windows out onto the rear garden. So it's a lovely place to kind of sit and just enjoy the space. So how about a, you know, a reading library area?

Imke Du Toit

is.

Thanks

Paul Langston

and there's a lot of symmetry in this space. You come up the main staircase and then right in front of you, you have this open aperture and you're facing the garden. And then as you come in, you've got these two corners on both sides. So we thought, well, let's continue with the symmetry here and produce something really lovely. we, myself and my cabinet makers designed this sort of asymmetrical formatted

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

So you've got the symmetry, but then you've got the irregularities within the shelving to break it up in a lovely dark wood there. All internally lit, you've got all the lighting, every shelf is illuminated, fully illuminated and dimmed. just for beautiful objects, for art pieces, for literature, and then...

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

these stunning pair of chairs from, there's actually, yeah, thank you. We actually did these on both sides. So this is just one side here. These are from Misura MA. So we've got this lovely upholstery here, this sort of warm, topi upholstery. And then on the other side, we've got a chair with a footstool in like a rich blue velvet.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, they're gorgeous.

Okay.

Paul Langston

So, you know, you've got that carry through that narrative, but they've got their own individual personality. So, and actually at Christmas time, at this time of year, nearly this time of year, clients then put their Christmas tree right in the middle of that space. So you can see it all the way through really the house from the landing through to the garden. So it's a really nice place to be just to hang out and relax. I'm very happy with that.

Imke Du Toit

Okay.

Yes.

Yes.

Imke Du Toit

It looks exceptionally inviting as well. I must say it's a wonderful use of space. A lot of people don't think about those little nooks and crannies and how to redefine it and create a separate space on its own. So I think this is absolutely stunning and that bookshelf is just incredible because everything is different and eclectic and it all just mixes well.

and very, very, very pleasing to the eye. And I can see that with the light that comes in from that side as well, it's a great place to sit and to read, for sure.

Paul Langston

It's awesome and it's big enough that you could have all of this going on, but actually in the middle of the space, there's absolutely nothing, just that view, you know, out of onto the garden. So it still feels calm, spacious, welcoming, very relaxing, you know, kind of spread out if you like, but everything's got its own space without feeling hemmed in by anything else.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Incredible.

Paul Langston

Thank you.

The planning is so important anyway, you know, you've to get everything, all the detail done before you even lift a hammer. It's got to be I think, you know, from that point of view, anything that involves the integrity of the building. So we had to really make certain that everything was going to be very richly thought out because the guys were not there to look at the property or walk around it with us. you know, the opportunities to meet up face to face.

So actually in this instance, nothing got missed and all the avenues were explored very, very early on. They always, for example, they always said, you know, we really want a dining room to be fabulous. You know, we want this wine wall to go in. Clients have got an extensive wine collection. So we had to, you know, that was one of the key things that they wanted. The chandelier to fill that void of the...

Imke Du Toit

Is this the room you are talking about?

Paul Langston

filter void in that's right yeah that's right yeah so

that's my wine wall there designed again it's collaborative so it's you know how many bottles of wine have you got do you how do you want them stored do you want what kind of look do we want so it's like a mixture they wanted to have a very contemporary looks you've got these lovely metal interiors for the for the actual wine wine cooling element the fridge is in the middle with the frameless glass doors

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

Then you've got this lovely rich walnut display units left and right with the glass shelves and all their beautiful glassware and obj-dar in there. So it works very well. And actually that's a mixture of two things here. The Cavalry is all brand new, but actually the clients bought their own furniture. I found some chairs to compliment the table, but the table and the...

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

table and the chandelier I think are from Hudson, New York. the clients had already chosen those and decided that they, you know, they were going to go in there. So it was working around their existing design direction and, you know, furniture that they already had, which is as well. But yeah, that was an absolute, yeah, it's a real delight working on that project.

Imke Du Toit

one.

And let's talk a little bit now about the shaping of the world and as we understand interior design today with trends or working with clients and other future, you know, future designs.

The definition of luxury keeps evolving. What does luxury mean to you today? Is it comfort? Is it craftsmanship? Or is it something a little bit more emotional? What does luxury mean to you?

Paul Langston

Well, think it's, mean, today is definitely a different interpretation. I mean, I think it's evolved beyond the old idea of expensive finishes and grand gestures. It's now much more about experiences, emotion, authenticity, more about how space makes you feel rather than maybe how much it costs or how expensive it feels. You know, I think a lot of people like the idea of

an understated scheme now rather than something being opulent. So restraint, restraint in the reflection of materials that age beautifully and in craftsmanship that you can feel, but you don't necessarily need to shout about.

tactility and craftsmanship again. It's a growing appreciation for how things are made. think people are looking at the emotion of the materials and the substance of the property itself, of the room itself. Natural materials are widely used, of course. You've got that honest, earthy flavor and vibe. It doesn't mean it has to be a rustic scheme. It's just about getting down into

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

the integrity of the materials and the finishes really and that's what people are looking for.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

And sort of

that true essence that you're trying to, you know, if you're trying to look into fight and what obviously luxury means different things to so many different people as well. So it's really, think, as you were saying, getting down to, you know, the nitty gritty parts of what that is. And definitely I can see it coming through in craftsmanship as you were saying as well. Anything handmade, what has gone in there, what the uniqueness is within that.

Paul Langston

Yeah.

Imke Du Toit

Speaking a little bit about trends, are there any trends or client behaviors that you believe are quite stifling creativity but no one in the industry really wants to admit it?

Paul Langston

Well, at the moment with social media and whatnot, is this sort of cult of visual perfection.

isn't there, we're all looking at absorbing stuff and it's like, my God, algorithms through those mediums are rather than sort of broadening and expanding what we are each individually looking at, actually.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Absolutely.

I'm good.

Paul Langston

kind of reducing them in a way. Algorithms are saying, you like this, we'll show you more of this. And it's kind of driving a more funneled sort of approach to presenting ideas, which is a bit of a shame really. And every room begins to look like a variation of a trending image. And maybe it's tempting them for designers to sort of design based on that and the photograph, not the experience.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

And you've got a room that becomes a stage that's kind of flawless, but solace. that's, that's a shame really. I, know, and it's, it's almost like, a contrast, isn't it? Or a juxtaposition because AI is delivering some wildly crazy and fantastic designs at the same time, in terms of conceptual designs, but I'm not sure how much that's translating across to real interiors, you know? so.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes, it does,

Yeah, I'm

fine.

Paul Langston

You know, algorithm, algorithm, can't say the word. The way that the algorithms are kind of driving us down very specific routes individually, it's a worrying, I think, you where, you know, we should be expanding and exploring, actually creating environments rather than just going down a single route and a single path.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, it's a jersey, it's just a t-shirt.

Yes.

Close.

Yes.

Otherwise everyone just gets directed, like you said, into that funnel streamlined, one narrow visioned situation. it, yes, it streamlines things, but as you said, the creativity, the need for exploring gets lost, gets a little bit lost within that. On the other hand, yes.

Paul Langston

Definitely. Yeah, it's kind of all being done for us. It's

kind of all being done for us, isn't it? And then you, your decision making is being made for you based on that algorithm. Whereas you need to, we all need to break out of that actually, break out of our own algorithmic comfort zone, I think.

Imke Du Toit

actually I really like that algorithmic comfort zone. think that is so beautiful. You did, you did. On the other hand though, what new mindset or movements gives you hope for the future of luxury space design?

Paul Langston

I should have done that to him.

Well, you know, going back to what we were talking about before in terms of this sort of view towards honest interiors and architecture actually, you know, in terms of sustainability, craftsmanship, individuality, that is still coming through, which I'm loving actually, you know, and that could be any kind of interior.

Imke Du Toit

that that's fantastic.

Paul Langston

And it's, know, clients are not looking for the replicas of aspirational lifestyles or less so, you know, they want homes that reflect their personal narrative. And that means, you know, it might mean bespoke joinery, hand-finished materials, natural imperfections, you know, and that, that makes those interiors more, more human, I think. and I like that. I like that direction, you know, and that sort of reinforced with the sort of, you know, angles of biophilic design, of course.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

which is very popular at the moment, although it scares me to see people using sort of faux biofilia. I think it should be real plants or whatever, more of an authentic approach rather than a synthetic one. Rather than the replacement of nature, we should be sort of integrating it more, I think. Also technology, technology used to be very much on show.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

and

Yes.

So.

Paul Langston

in interiors and now it's incredibly important but it's more hidden, it's much more subtle, know, it's hidden, seamless, intuitive and that will only continue I think and that's great because we don't always want to look at massive great big speakers or see the lumiere's of lights or you know look at media equipment you know we're much cleverer now at you know having

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

Hidden speakers, example, know, lighting, which is only visible when the Lumiere is turned on. Clever storage solutions where all the media equipment is very nicely tidied away. yeah, technology's got much better at being there in interior, but actually not being noticed. And that's something that's gonna...

Imke Du Toit

and not so, yes, as you were saying, not so

noticed and consistently reminding you that it's there all the time, you being able to have it. And I think that's a great movement as well, using AI and using technology in sort of a different form in a different way. Some say though that AI will make the creative process faster. Others feel it could remove the soul from design.

Paul Langston

For sure.

Exactly.

Imke Du Toit

Where do you stand on that balance between efficiency and emotion? Because it's quite a conversation at the moment, I find, since AI and technology is such an integral part in our daily lives, and it's constantly growing. And it is an interesting conversation.

Paul Langston

Mm-hmm.

Isn't it?

Yeah, I mean, I think it's just, it is a bit of a balance, isn't it really? I think we've all got to embrace it because it's not going away. know, this is what's happening. So we've got to embrace it and we've got to use it in a way that complements us, you know, that works for us really. I do, you know, I do.

Imke Du Toit

with you.

Paul Langston

use AI quite a lot, particularly from a visual perspective already, and I find incredibly useful. But what I'm usually doing is interpreting or reinterpreting my own ideas. So, you you're in the conceptual stage of a project and I'll put drawings together based on ideas that I know the client is looking for. And then you'll bring AI in to perhaps look at it from a different perspective.

or add another viewpoint to it or visually or intelligently look at it from a different angle. So you're still starting off with your own ideas and with your clients ideas, but in the way that you would use any other tool, you are employing it to develop that concept and that can really, really help. And actually it elevates my proposition as a designer to the client.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes.

Paul Langston

because

I'm giving them more. And also it communicates the design better usually. So rather than, you know, a sketch or a style reference, an independent style reference to give an idea of what we're trying to create now, efficiently and quickly, we can actually, you know, I can put together a sketch up model and a black and white sketch up model and AI can come in and fully render it very, very quickly.

with some prompts from me in terms of the materials and finishes that to explore and, you know, turn it into a video, zoom in, take certain elements in and out, look at it from different angles and perspectives. You know, suddenly you've got a much clearer idea of what the final result have to manage managing clients expectations is everything they want to know that what you're now is what they're going to get at the end. That's the thing. Actually, that's the bottom line.

So I think carefully used, it's very, very useful, very valuable. And we've got to just get on with it and adopt it and use it to the best of our advantage that we can.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes.

Accept and embrace.

Absolutely. You've actually, I think, popped into a little bit into the next question with our conversation, you know, with the use of AI tools from conception of development and visualization. I do you prefer the tactile hands on process of sketching and refining ideas? I know, as you said, it really helps that aids having AI tools being able to assist with things a lot quicker and a lot more efficiently. As you said, there are great tools that are being used, but

Do you prefer the tactile hands-on process still?

Paul Langston

I've always been, personally, I've always been quite a technical interior designer. I you I love all aspects of it, but I'm, you know, I do love the technical side of things. I love the space plan, I love to design furniture, I love lighting design. So I do work a lot with computers in those areas, of course, you know, because there is more technical interpretation.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Paul Langston

And I've, I, you know, I love art and stuff like that, but my sketches are terrible. They're awful. You know, my physical interpretations are not nearly as good as the ones that I do digitally when I'm, when I'm using, you know, software like AutoCAD or, or SketchUp. And also I just find it's more convenient that you can produce, you know, 10 different versions of that very quickly.

Imke Du Toit

Yeah.

Yes.

Paul Langston

digitally or know technically whereas sketching is is I don't think is as Versatile as that and also I'm not sure that my hand my hands-on Designing in that way it communicates it as well to the client as it does When I'm doing it through, know a technical interface So yeah, I've yeah, I've never really done that when it comes to being on site I'm very hands-on on site, you know, I'd love to love to get messy with the paints

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely.

Right. Yes.

Paul Langston

with the finishes and the samples and that's great. So that you know that's brilliant but in terms of the actual designing I tend to favor the more sort of digital direction rather than the sketchy hands-on style.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Well,

looking from that as well, I with clients increasingly expecting instant renders before, you know, deep design conversations sometimes, do you think technology has made clients more informed or simply more impatient as you get a lot of different clients that would like to see an image, you know, way before even a conversation or they might just give a brief and they would like to see it because that's where the life that we've gone into now, as you said as well.

Paul Langston

Hmm.

Imke Du Toit

few options are given, you can see it of what it could look like with finishing. But it's an interesting idea. Does it make more clients more informed or simply more impatient?

Paul Langston

Yeah, it's kind of a little bit of both actually. Initially, think clients were a bit like, wow, my God, look at that. Isn't that amazing? Look what you can do. And then very quickly, all of us actually, it's just human beings, isn't it? You go, oh, okay, that's the norm now.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yeah

Paul Langston

And it's kind of, I'm now expecting this level, please, every time. So I had to think very carefully before introducing.

Imke Du Toit

Yeah.

Mm.

Paul Langston

the sort of AI, the more sort of rendered AI integrated deliverables to clients. Cause I thought once I do this, there's no going back. You know, this is, once you put this in front of them, you've got to know that you're going to be able to deliver it each time. So I did experiment for quite a while to make sure that what I was able to produce was good enough and accurate enough to actually now become part of your.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Thank

Yes.

Absolutely. Yes.

Paul Langston

your offering, suppose, you know, and I think they do now, they do expect it because you know, you can't go back, you know, it's definitely going to be much happier with a fully rendered image of your completed kitchen than you are with a black and white version with some, you know, color references stuck on. the difference between now and maybe a year or two ago is a year or two ago, you'd have to take it to a graphic designer.

Imke Du Toit

close.

Paul Langston

you had to take a black and white model and they would build that render and it would take a lot longer to do to drop in those finishes and materials and to, you know, add the lighting and the mood to that, that picture. And that's just one angle. Then if you want to take the kitchen from a different angle or a zoom in, then that has to be done all over again. Whereas now it's completely different. Within two minutes, you've got that image. And then in another two minutes, you've got another angle, another two minutes, you've got a zoom in.

And this

that's just with the likes of chap GPT, nevermind more powerful engines like Mid-Journey, for example, which is an extremely powerful visual generator now and quite complex as well, but it can deliver some amazing stuff really. So yeah, it has been a bit of both, but I think now now there's becoming more of the norm that that is the expectation of delivery, I think.

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes, course.

can imagine that's quite a lot of pressure as well sometimes, especially if someone finds something. think it's what you mentioned earlier in our conversation as well, don't leave anything by chance as well and really understanding what the client wants, being open and honest about it. And as you said, because you can receive gorgeous rendered image from something. And if that is not something that can't be done in real time and to be expected and to be executed, can I understand it's quite bit of a challenge for designers at the moment to, as you said,

Paul Langston

Yeah.

Imke Du Toit

Level up to the expectations of the clients since everyone is so used to the norm of AI and, and what is out there and what's to offer. But it's going to be interesting to see how it's going to be in the next two years. As you said, it's only been the space of two years, how fast has actually changed. It's going to be interesting to see what happens and you know, we'll have to be adaptable.

Paul Langston

It is, no.

I think the more, I'm just trying to think of the right way to put this. If people that were considering using an interior designer with perhaps a smaller budget are now,

potentially going to not use an interior designer or that they'll at least look at just working with AI on their own, to give them an idea of a scheme or a look or, so, you know, AI on its own just cannot, cannot deliver what an interior designer delivers. But if you're on the threshold of whether or not your budget is going to be able to afford a designer, then it's a good option. So I think a lot of that kind of

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

I'll see you here.

Paul Langston

budget threshold client is going to now start looking more towards AI. But if you're doing a refurbishment or a full project, there's no question that you can't really replace the skills of an interior designer. You need that human touch. There's too much going on. Everything needs to be considered and pulled in together. It's not just the idea of...

Imke Du Toit

Yes.

Yes.

Paul Langston

dropping a few colors and materials into a visual of a room. yeah.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, of course.

Absolutely. No, I absolutely agree with that. And like you said as well, that's where we need to be so careful about not losing that human touch and that collaboration between open conversations as well as then bringing technology and AI into those conversations as well and finding that beautiful synergy and balance. And then it's going to really be quite an interesting way to see how this industry is going to move and transform once that balance is nicely found as well.

Paul Langston

Definitely.

Imke Du Toit

Have anything to say to a young designer who could be listening right now? What's one rule you'd tell them to break if they truly want to find their own voice?

Paul Langston

Well, think, yeah, again, there's a bit of a thread running through this conversation and I think going back

perfection or making everything match, you know, that kind of thing, is breaking those standard rules I think is quite important, particularly as a young designer, you know, when everything coordinates perfectly.

space is at risk of losing its soul, it could become more predictable, polite, maybe even forgettable, you know. And it's about allowing imperfection in, you know, pairing the refined with the raw, the vintage with the new, and designing something that's human rather than something that's staged. you know, avoiding a color by numbers approach and breaking some of those conventions is a good rule to break. So the...

Even as a designer that's been going quite a while, 15, 16 years, when you're putting something together, it's usually about, it's a process of discovery. You're exploring different routes, you're changing direction. You can be surprised by a certain material or treatment that you haven't thought of before. So rather than too closely following the...

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely.

Paul Langston

defined design principles, break those rules and actually deliberately

things that sort of go against the grain, I think is a really good way to design and try and find different ways of coming up with ideas rather than just following conventions.

Imke Du Toit

see you there.

Absolutely, I think that is an amazing piece of advice as well. Being open to exploring, test the boundaries. The end of the day, that is how we learn, that's how you find your own voice and your own set of sense of style and mark on the work that you put out there. And I think that is important for anyone, especially for the young generation now with everything else following sort of the same trends and wanting to be the same.

same as everyone else and I see it so often is that rather do explore, break a little bit of the norms and find something that makes you unique, makes you different and finding your own rhythm in a sense. As it goes within your design, I feel that it is that, as you were saying, once you start exploring, you find your own pace, find your own rhythm and...

Paul Langston

Yeah.

Imke Du Toit

It's going to be nice to see what the next generation of designers are going to bring forward as well. So with that, I would like to say thank you so much for today, Paul. I can't thank you enough for joining me and for giving us such a personal look into your journey. And it's been so wonderful chatting to you and finding out what inspires you and ticks and for sharing.

Paul Langston

Thank you.

Imke Du Toit

your project as well that we've got to see some absolutely stunning stunning stunning pieces. And so thank you so much for sharing that with us today. And thank you for bringing the unique perspective you bring to every project and we really look forward to see what you do coming up as well.

Paul Langston

Thank you.

We have got some

amazing projects coming up. We've signed a deal to do a very exciting industrial penthouse in Manchester. We've got a reception area of a contemporary project just behind Goode Street in central London that we've just agreed to. Loads more between this. We've got projects in Putney Bridge. We've got projects in Angel. Several rounds here in Essex and Loudon area. So it's going really well.

Imke Du Toit

wonderful.

Fantastic, we can't wait to see that. And to all our listeners and watchers out there, thank you for tuning in to the FCI London podcast. Keep following, keep designing, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more insights from London's most influential luxury interior designers. Goodbye.

Paul Langston

Thank you.

Goodbye.