Interior Design Practice

Winner: SHH

SHH is a 23-year-old architecture practice and interiors consultancy, whose work was once described by the Architect of the Year Awards as ranging from 'ultra-fun to super-chic'. It takes our third premier award this year. The 50-strong, London-based company is a specialist in a wide range of commercial interiors, from offices and airport lounges to health and wellness centres, but particularly in branded hospitality environments. The company is also known for its high-end residential architecture and interiors. SHH's restaurant portfolio is notable for its breadth, from Michelin-starred restaurant Umu in Kyoto to 2004's radical reworking of the flagship for the ultimate mass-market operator McDonald's on Oxford Street, London, which won six global design awards and led to a five-year, pan-European roll-out. SHH's work has been highly visible in London in recent years, from the much-lauded revamp of the Barbican Lounge and Foodhall in 2011 to the remodelling of London Zoo's Terrace Restaurant in 2013 and, this month, the launch of the new Pennethorne bar/café at Somerset House for long-term client Levy Restaurants. Stand-out workplace interiors include The Clubhouse: a premium Mayfair business club and office, and International Property Awards winner Manchester Square, named by The Cool Hunter trends website as 'one of world's top 20 offices'. SHH's approach is always tailored to the brief, the target customer and operational realities, but most of all to the site itself, often taking design inspiration from the host building's history and fabric. The company's ethos is to create spaces that are elegant, comfortable, functional and fun for all who use them.

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