David Collins studio keeps legacy of its founder alive with new projects
Famed London company finds a way to keep going after the death of its architect boss, with recent expansion in Asia to show for the effort
When the British interior designer and architect David Collins died after a short illness last year, many feared his eponymous studio - behind award-winning interiors of boutiques and homes, restaurants and bars, including the Wolseley and Claridge's Bar - would disband.
Collins was so synonymous with his company's glamorous design aesthetic that the personal tragedy could have easily become a business disaster.
Instead, the London-based studio, with managing director Iain Watson and creative director Simon Rawlings at the helm, has continued and, one year on, has expanded its presence in Asia with several high-profile projects.
Key to the studio's successful succession, says Rawlings, was Collins' cultivation of a creative team who shared his design perspective: he was known for a sophisticated blend of modern luxury and chic heritage with the bold use of colour, especially his signature blue.
"I am in my 17th year with the studio so it really is in my blood, while Iain had been with David since day one so the business runs like a well-oiled machine," he says. "Some organisations force designers to try to be good at everything but David knew he had to bring together experts at different things.