By
Billie Josephs
Perhaps your home is in urgent need of a new look. Or maybe you are a hard-pressed property developer, looking for someone to add sparkle to a show home. Whatever the case, interior designer New i.d. believes it can cater for your needs. The company, run by brothers Daniel and Jonathan Caplan, is building an enviable reputation as one of the most successful and dynamic interior design firms in the country.
“Whether your property requires a complete makeover with new decoration and furniture or you need simply a lick of paint in a single room, our team of craftsmen and designers will be at your service,” says Daniel Caplan.
Reflecting on his company’s mission statement that “great interior design should be accessible to all”, he adds: “We have a proven track record of successfully managing projects of all sizes, from single room design to complete refurbishment.”
New i.d, which is headquartered in a vast warehouse in Colindale, north-west London, has a team of innovative and skilled designers and has expanded rapidly over the past three years despite the recession. It employs 20 full-time staff, including a creative department and numerous subcontractors, including top-quality decorators and floor layers.
Two years ago it took over the business of Philip Berg Flooring, a well-known carpet and wood-flooring specialist in north-west London and Hertfordshire, giving the company the ability to transform a property from the floorboards to the ceiling.
The group’s activities mainly concentrate on designing and furnishing buy-to-let investment properties for corporate and private investors and the design and furnishing of show houses in new housing projects. Among its clients are leading property developers and landlords St George plc, Berkeley Homes, Great Portland Estates and Shanly Homes.
Last year it decorated and furnished more than 400 properties throughout the UK and is now venturing into Europe. Clients include property owners from the Middle East and America who have invested in British properties and require top-notch decor.
While meeting the demands of its corporate and property owning clients, New i.d also offers a personalised service to individual householders who want their homes to benefit from a bespoke and individual design.
“We can provide everything, from a total and dramatic transformation of a home to the provision of such items as cutlery and crockery,” says Mr Caplan, as he shows me around his warehouse.
While designs are individually tailored to the clients’ requirements, New i.d. recognises that, particularly for individual clients, interior design has an image problem of its own. It is sometimes thought of as only for the very wealthy, which is why many people in these cash-strapped times think more than twice before hiring the services of a design guru.
New i.d, however, is seeking to turn this idea on its head and to show that its services are affordable. It has undertaken a number of private projects where, it maintains, savings far outweigh any fees incurred.
The company is ready to undertake private projects of all sizes, from a full refurbishment, including new kitchen, bathroom and flooring, to the decoration of just one room, including painting and soft furnishing.
“The introductory consultation with our designer is always free, so it costs nothing to dip your toe in the water,” Mr Caplan points out.
The company is launching some new furnishing packages that will be competitively priced to meet current economic conditions. If a client decides to go ahead, New i.d. also provides a consultant interior designer to work individually with the householder through every stage of the project.
The designer will listen to the client’s thoughts and ideas, says the company, and then offer advice on how best to achieve the right results. It will also be on hand to provide drawings, layouts and proposals for decoration, flooring, lighting and. furniture.
“Whether it be the furnishing of a home in north-west London or a beautiful riverside apartment overlooking the Thames, New i.d provides a comprehensive range of design, furnishing and flooring services that meet the demands of customers and provide a hassle-free and cost-effective solution,” says Mr Caplan.
To get more from Life, click here to sign up for our free Life newsletter.