Design is about creating spaces to make memories'

And architect and designer Joseph Dirand's newest project is where you'll be able to make the most glamorous of memories this month, as he tells our editor Pip Rich

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PIP RICH Congratulations on The Chancery Rosewood hotel I adore it. It’s very you. Are you pleased with how the decor turned out?

JOSEPH DIRAND Thank you, and absolutely! It was interesting to convert an old building, from what used to be a huge demonstration of power as the U.S. Embassy in London, into something softer, calmer, more in context with the city and buildings and people around it. The architecture has such a presence – it was designed by the legendary Eero Saarinen in the 1960s – but I wanted to make sure it was welcoming and open.

PR ‘Welcoming’ is one of the key words people use to describe what they want their home to be now – every trend we report on currently feeds into that overall aim. What are the factors here that you think make the hotel so welcoming?

JD I used a lot of wood, a lot of intimate colours like green and beige, shades and textures that help to cocoon you and draw you into your surroundings. We were particularly drawn to walnut, which is such a warm wood, and although it’s darker in tone if there is a lot of light then it doesn’t feel heavy in any way. Instead, it sings.