Alidad signing copies of his book ‘The Timeless Home’ – photo credit Alessandro Durini di Monza –
Alidad is an award winning interior designer, world renowned for his opulent yet supremely comfortable interiors.
Alidad first decided to establish his interior design studio whilst working at Sotheby’s where he was the youngest departmental director for Islamic works of art and textiles. Whilst there, he realised that his interest lay more in styling the space than the actual objects within.
Alidad’s design style is inspired by an idyllic childhood spent in the ancient, rich and mysterious land of Persia. His deep appreciation for history means that he can completely immerse himself in any true design aesthetic from Baroque to Neo-Classicism, Chinoiserie to Art Deco.
A painstaking attention to detail coupled with a highly skilled artisanship is key to everything that Alidad designs and produces. This philosophy has resulted in many prestigious projects such as the architectural restoration of Buscot Park, part of the National Trust, as well as numerous homes for private individuals worldwide.
Alidad in the Saloon at Buscot Park having completed his sensitive restoration and redecoration of the space. He is pictured in front of the beautiful painting from The Briar Rose Series: the Rose Bower by Edward Coley Burne-Jones
The Dutch Room at Buscot Park restored by Alidad. The joy of this room is the fine English furniture and the paintings by masters such as Rembrandt and Rubens, all of which belonged to the house. Alidad re-positioned, restored and re-upholstered with subtlety and sensitivity.
Alidad in the Dutch Room at Buscot Park having completed his sensitive restoration and redecoration of the space. He is pictured in front of paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens which belong to the house.
He has been widely acclaimed for combining antique, vintage and modern designs resulting in extraordinarily richly textured and eclectically furnished rooms.
His inimitable eye allows him to create rooms from scratch which look as though they have come together over decades evoking the faded beauty of 17th and 18th century textiles and interiors.
Alidad’s portfolio of impressive projects led to collaborations with prestigious fabric houses Pierre Frey and Chelsea Textiles, as well as the launch of his own award-winning line of velvet furniture.
Alhambra Fabric designed by Alidad for Pierre Frey
The Granada Fabric designed by Alidad for Pierre Frey was inspired by the 13th to 15th Century Hispano-Mauresque Designs
Alidad’s Fabric Shayla designed for Chelsea Textiles, inspired by 16th century Ottoman Designs
Cyrus, designed by Alidad for his Bosphorous collection at Chelsea Textiles. This dynamic design was inspired by Persian tiles of the 16th century, simplified to create a truly modern look.
Alidad with the Editors in Chief of World of Interiors, Min Hogg, and House & Garden, Sue Crewe, having won all the awards at British Interior Design Exhibition in 1997Alidad in 2004 winning The World of Interiors Product Design of the Year Award at the Design and Decoration Awards for his Augustus Console Table with limestone top from his Velvet Furniture CollectionAlidad with his award winning Augustus Console table which is part of his Velvet Furniture Collection in 2004Alidad’s book the Timeless Home, published by Rizzoli in 2013Alidad’s home in the December 2017 issue of Veranda, beautifully dressed for Christmas.
March 2017 Country Life listing Alidad in the top 100 Interior Designers
March 2017 Country Life listing Alidad in the top 100 Interior Designers
January 2017 AD100 issue featuring Alidad as one of the 100 top Interior Designers
Elle Decor Cover A-List June 2016 issue listing Alidad on their A-List
Elle Decor A-List June 2016 listing Alidad on their A-List
June 2015 House & Garden Top 100 Designers
June 2015 House & Garden Top 100 Designers listing Alidad
Alidad in conversation with Sue Crewe, Ex Editor in Chief of House & Garden at the V&A
Alidad interviewed by the Financial Time FT Life
In 1985 Alidad founded Alidad Ltd, his eponymous design studio which was his primary focus for over twenty years.More recently Alidad launched Studio Alidad as well as his consultancy practice.
AD Italia – December 1996. Alidad surrounded by damask fabrics and an Italian velvet
September 2014 Alidad in his old studio at the Gasworks working on a drawing
All of these different facets of the business represents a very different service but each is underpinned with the same design integrity and attention to detail that is so synonymous with Alidad.
ALIDAD LTD
Alidad Ltd offers a completely bespoke interior design and decoration service, from new build to existing period homes to renovation and restoration projects. Alidad Ltd incorporates a strong architectural arm as well as an accomplished interior decoration team, and therefore can provide a complete service from inception to completion.
Despite its apparent formality, the Dutch Room at Buscot Park has a gentle and inviting charm. The joy of this room is the fine English furniture and the paintings by masters such as Rembrandt and Rubens, all of which belonged to the house. My job here was to reposition, restore and re-upholster with subtlety and sensitivity.
One of my favourite sitting rooms in Paris embodies all that I love about colour, texture and scale. This shows my key vision of beauty, warmth, character and comfort in one glance – in effect what I call a sixth sense for design. It is so important for someone to think about life’s activities and therefore the daily use of a space so that there is a place for a cup of tea and light by which to read. The space and everything in it is tempting you to sit and relax as your eye is seeing and almost feeling a rich kind of comfort.
Hand-painted portraits depicting various fictitious Ottoman Sultans are set into verre eglomise panels on the wall between the cornice and dado and run around the perimeter of the room to create this intimate wraparound effect. A candle bracket has been fixed to each verre eglomise panel and candlelit gentlemen are the main source of light in the space with hidden help from fiber optics.
The idea behind this London breakfast room was to create a tempting atmosphere at all times of the day, not only for breakfast but for lunch and dinner as well, during both formal and informal occasions.
It is the play of simplicity and scale that makes this London entrance hall so successful. I worked with the Architect to create this new glazed door and defined the space with wider-than-normal, aged floorboards that are laid very carefully to look authentic in this nineteenth-century building. The giant lantern is an excellent shape and size for the space because it too is grand. The client and I chose to use a subtle cream-and-ivory hand-printed damask design wallpaper that runs from the ground floor to the upper floors of the house.
What I most enjoy about the challenge of carving out interiors from what are effectively uninspiring concrete boxes is that I can reconfigure spaces so they not only work but have that Alidad element of surprise. In this cloakroom I wanted to intrigue the eye with every view from every angle, from both within and without, which is why I fashioned the space into this octagonal shape. Every surface is dressed with varying combinations of marble, glass and verre eglomise trimmed with brass to create a series of rooms that you would never expect to see next to a dining room.
STUDIO ALIDAD
Studio Alidad is for those looking to complete a project on a shorter timescale and to a smaller budget. Its aesthetic, though sharing the same design philosophies as Alidad Ltd, is typically more contemporary, fresher and less bespoke than Alidad Ltd.
Sitting room in the Cornwall farmhouse, large custom made upholstered ottoman with glass top and wooden legs and upholstered sitting area with decorative cushions.
Cornwall farmhouse Cloakroom vanity unit with a marble top and a beveled Venetian style mirror. Japanese apple blossom inspired wallpaper was used.
French joinery bathroom vanity unit with marble top.
Cornwall farmhouse master bedroom, painted wooden plantation style shutters, upholstered armchair and sofa with decorative cushions, all in Alidad’s fabric designed for Chelsea Textiles, Bospherous collection.
CONSULTANCY
Alidad has recently started working on a consultancy basis, a service where clients can request advice, by the day. Whether a person needs a steer on a colour scheme, advice on how to maximize the space available in a room or how to translate architects plans into a livable environment. For more details, please enquire at consultancy@alidad.com
