KIT KEMP MBE
FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR - FIRMDALE HOTELS & KIT KEMP DESIGN STUDIO
Over the years Interior Designer Kit Kemp MBE has been forging an internationally-acclaimed reputation, not only for her unique hotel interiors as Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studio, but also as a successful textiles, fragrance and homewares designer, author and a highly-respected champion of British art, craft and sculpture.
The Kit Kemp Design Studio is celebrated for its individual and original approach to hotel and residential design, with colourful and detailed storytelling which celebrates craft and captures the imagination.
Kit and Tim Kemp, co-founders of Firmdale Hotels, are the indisputable pioneers of luxury hotel design and service. They are innovative in their field, continually reshaping the hospitality industry and reinventing the hotel experience.
Kit Kemp is the creative force behind Firmdale Hotels. First opening Dorset Square Hotel in 1985, Firmdale has 10 properties, with eight hotels in London including Ham Yard Hotel, The Soho Hotel, Covent Garden Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel, Haymarket Hotel, Number Sixteen Hotel, Dorset Square Hotel and Knightsbridge Hotel, and two in New York, The Whitby Hotel and Crosby Street Hotel.
Kit and Tim are known for breathing new life into dilapidated areas, transforming overlooked properties such as warehouses and car parks into world-renowned successful, luxury hotels. They have broken new ground with new-builds as well, from concept to completion namely at The Soho Hotel and Ham Yard Hotel in London, as well as Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel in New York. Kit has won many awards for her designs including House & Garden’s Hotel Designer of the Year, Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year, The Crown Estate’s Urban Business Award and CN Traveller’s Best Hotel in the World for Design.
Kit has collaborated with leading global design brands such as Wedgwood, Wilton Carpets, Andrew Martin, Anthropologie, Christopher Farr, Chelsea Textiles, Fine Cell Work, Porta Romana and Annie Selke, creating collections including tableware, fragrance, furniture, fabrics, wallpaper and lighting.
In 2012, Kit published her first book, A Living Space which follows an inspiring personal voyage through the many spaces she has designed. This was followed by a second book, Every Room Tells A Story and a third book, Design Thread. Kit’s latest book, Design Secrets, will be published in May 2021.
In 2017 Shop Kit Kemp was launched. This is an online store complete with a range of products ready to buy for the home created by the Kit Kemp Design Studio. Spring 2019 saw Kit launch an exclusive collaboration with New York department store Bergdorf Goodman. The Loft on the seventh floor was transformed into The World of Kit Kemp with her collections of furniture, fabrics, fragrance and home accessories being brought together for the first time. In November 2020, Kit Kemp at Bergdorf Goodman opened as a permanent retail space. The shop is a jewel box full of treasures and will be updated seasonally with one of a kind pieces including hand painted, embellished and quirky furniture and accessories to make a home characterful and unique.
Kit launched her new website Kit Kemp’s Design Thread (www.kitkemp.com) in 2019. Showcasing her world of colour and design, the blog explores Kit’s collaborations whilst giving an insight into her work and day-to-day experiences in her design studio.
Kit Kemp is a Trustee of Fine Cell Work and the Heritage of London Trust.
