I first found out about GG&Grace when I fell in love with some of their signature designs. After asking around I finally met the man behind the company, Gauthier Guillaume. The Belgian interior designer set up his award-winning interior design consultancy firm in 2009, and quickly established it as one of the leading firms specialized in luxury hospitality developments and upscale commercial projects.
How and when was GG&Grace born?
Before establishing GG&Grace in 2009, I had been working for some of the world’s leading interior design companies in London and the Middle East. In London, where I was a part of Candy & Candy, I was involved with designing ultimate luxury projects such as private jets, yachts and palaces. It was an amazing experience to work on such high-end projects demanding nothing less than the best.
Nevertheless, my real passion resides in luxury hospitality and in 2007 I decided to move to the Middle East to join a leading hospitality interior design company, based in Cairo, Egypt.
By late 2009, witnessing the impressive developments and opportunities that the Middle Eastern region was offering, I decided to set up my own interior design consultancy firm, GG&Grace.
Why did you choose the Egyptian market as your starting point?
We set up our office in Cairo for different reasons; Cairo enjoys a strategic location between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Our clients are extremely demanding and it’s an advantage to be just a short flight away from their projects. We have recently been contacted for projects in Spain, the South of France, Cyprus, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. As most of our clients within the hospitality market are based in the UAE we have decided to open an office in Dubai as well. In addition, we have associate designers in Brussels, London and Nairobi.
Do you face any challenges, being based in Egypt?
It’s definitely challenging to work in Egypt, especially since the revolution. But Egypt is a beautiful country and Cairo is one of the most vibrant cities I’ve visited and lived in. The people are so friendly and we find a lot of talented designers and engineers to support the business.
Nevertheless, some of the challenges I face arise when it comes to choosing products, materials and finished, as well as finding proper contractors to implement our designs.
I also believe that a major challenge we face in Egypt today is the lack of dynamism and vision that people have due to the political and economic situation. I meet many people with great ideas but only a few are able to transform their ideas into success.
GG&Grace was able to complete an impressive amount of projects in the last two years because our main clients have that vision, they always stay optimistic and are very dynamic.
How would you describe–or define–your company?
GG&Grace is an award-winning interior design consultancy firm specialized in upscale and luxury hospitality developments and high-end commercial projects. We develop creative concepts, while adding refinement and “grace,” which is felt not seen in our work.
What sets GG&Grace apart from other interior-designing firms?
One of the underlying values shared by all employees at GG&Grace is the drive to deliver unique, refined and innovative interior design concepts. We are recognized by major international hotel operators, and some of the most progressive property developers for consistently pushing the boundaries of what is possible, in terms of design, functionality, quality, and delivery. Although we like to challenge norms to generate exciting designs, the end product always meets the clients’ briefing and the operators brand standards.
You’ve recently been awarded the “Best Hotel Interior Africa 2012-2013,” tell me more about that.
I am very proud that we have been successful within the prestigious “International Hotel Awards” competition. The hospitality industry is notoriously competitive. The levels of expertise and quality required to gain one of these highly prestigious awards are extremely high. Winning this award confirms that GG&Grace is rapidly becoming one of the leading hospitality interior design consultancy firms within the region.
Tell me about some of your latest projects.
We’ve recently designed several signature restaurants and clubs such as the iconic O-Bar at the Fairmont Nile City, the Bab el Nil Lounge, Zeitouna Lebanese Bistro, and the recently opened Scoops at the Nile Towers. All of these projects are in Cairo. Internationally, we recently took part in a competition for the renovation of the Radisson Blu, Nice, on the French Riviera. For the same operator, Carlson Rezidor, we are opening the Radisson Blu Hammamet in Tunisia next month; a huge renovation project we’ve been working on for more than two years.
Which project is closest to your heart, and why?
I am passionate and personally involved in all the projects we deliver. But Le Meridien Pyramids for Starwood Hotels & Resorts is probably the closest to my heart, and not only because we won a prestigious design award for that project, but for numerous other reasons as well. Our design was inspired by the glamorous world of luxury traveling back to the beginning of the 20th century. We designed the property with a cinematic point of view; the interiors are very dramatic and possess an air of mystery and excitement. I love things that last forever and from the early stages in conceptualizing the project we were very conscious of the timelessness of our interiors.
My favorite, so far, is definitely O-Bar! Could you tell me more about it?
It’s one of my favorites too! Although when designing hotel interiors we love to develop timeless designs that last forever, for a VIP Club like the O-Bar, we needed to create an utmost trendy concept with a unique identity. The design of O-Bar is based on the story of a crazy scientist that tagged the whole bar with mathematical formulas in search for the right algorithm for the perfect bar. This reflects in an abstract way the mindset of the people coming to O-Bar and the alchemy created by the interaction of all elements such as high-energy music, hip and trendy people, love and passion, cocktails, smoke and love again!
Was it easy to “sell” the concept for O-Bar?
It’s not a secret that most of the hotels in Egypt have been extremely affected by the revolution; some have even been physically attacked. You can imagine how challenging it was to sell our concept, that would involve a street artist, active on Tahrir square during the revolution, to paint and attack the walls and ceilings of the luxury hotel bar with crazy fluorescent graffiti. But to be honest I received full support of the owning company to create something unique from the very beginning. They immediately fell in love with the idea and understood that from this almost chaotic and not-100-percent-controlled-concept an iconic design would be born, which would create a buzz in town.
Could you briefly take me through your creative process?
Our design process divides each project into four separate stages, each stage offering its own creative benefits. In the concept design stage, we outline the key objectives and develop a unique and innovative design direction and concept story. We present inspiration imagery, preliminary
layouts, fabrics and materials selections, sketches and computer generated images. In the second design development stage, we further develop and refine the concept with more detailed sketches, computer models, joinery and furniture imagery and finalized plan layouts. Then comes the detailed design stage, where our carefully selected team will coordinate the design across all disciplines and produce construction documents. Our primary objective is the delivery of the project and that’s why the last stage is the most important one, namely the construction supervision stage. We always supervise the quality of the work and we ensure that each contractor and supplier is delivering the highest quality possible.
What inspires you?
Every day I discover new innovative materials and cutting-edge technologies that are so impressive. What I love the most is to contrast those innovations with the use of references from past art movements. For example considering the uniqueness of the hotel location of the Radisson Nice, we couldn’t ignore the origin beyond the Promenade des Anglais and the link with the Belle Epoque. The Royal Suite designed for the Fairmont Nile City, probably one of the largest luxury suites in the region, has many Art Deco references such as special marble cuts, tailored furniture and lighting features. The design of Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel is inspired by the Art Nouveau and the glamorous world of luxury.
When it comes to designing, which elements do you focus on? Which are the most important to you?
The most important is to tailor a unique concept for each project. It’s not only about creating beautiful interiors. We have to define a specific concept story that will lead our decisions when it comes to developing the layout, choosing the color palette and/or selecting materials. Only a strong concept can invite people to live, feel and understand an interior and make it a memorable experience for the guest.
Do you ever need to compromise functionality for aesthetics or vice versa? How can you reach a balance?
Functionality comes first. There should not be any balance. I always tell the client that the most important thing is that it works properly, and then you make it aesthetically interesting. That’s why the briefing from the owner or the operator is crucial for the success of a project.
As for interior designers…do you admire, or look up to, anyone specific?
I love Victor Horta, I admire the serenity of Tadao Ando, the Business approach of Philippe Starck, the Iconic figure of Carl Lagerfeld and the conceptual thinking of Marcel Wanders.
What’s in store for 2013?
We are extremely excited about 2013! We’re in contact with many international hotel operators and developers to develop hospitality projects in the Middle East and Africa. We can’t wait to complete the Radisson Blu Hotel Hammamet next month: It’s a huge project with 260 rooms, 60 villas, five restaurants and a beautiful spa. In Cairo, for those who love peace and serenity, we’re designing a gorgeous luxury boutique hotel only accessible by boat. We are progressing into the retail market as well. We have just been appointed to design a brand new showroom for Bentley and a luxury lounge for Jaguar and Land Rover. Additionally, for the 3D-movie-lovers, we’re designing a new IMAX Cinema. This year we will again compete within the International Property Awards and we hope that some of our concepts will be as successful as the Bab el Nil or Le Meridien Pyramids last year.
For more, check out their website www.ggandgrace.com
