Albion Nord Q&A

DESIGN ANTHOLOGY UK: For your latest collection, how did you translate one-off discoveries into designs that feel both familiar and contemporary – were there lots of tweaks along the way to make them work for today?

Ottalie Stride: So much of the starting point came from objects we’d fallen in love with while sourcing for projects or for Our Shop – pieces that felt perfectly resolved in proportion and materiality, but that we could never find again. We were never interested in reproducing them literally; it was more about capturing their essence. Often that would be a particular silhouette, the weight of a handle in the hand, or the way a lamp cast light into a room.

Antique pieces often have wonderful irregularities or proportions that don’t necessarily translate directly to modern living, so it became a process of refining and simplifying without losing the soul of the original reference. The hardware collection is a good example. We spent a huge amount of time looking at scale, depth, tactility and finish to ensure the pieces felt timeless and quietly architectural rather than overly decorative.

DA: Has it been enjoyable working with the craftspeople who have brought this collection to life? Do you have a new-found admiration for certain skills now?

OS: Completely. One of the most rewarding parts has been spending time with the makers and understanding the level of skill, patience and precision involved in what they do. There’s such an honesty to working with people who have dedicated their lives to a particular craft. It’s also given us an even greater appreciation for restraint and simplicity, because often the simplest-looking pieces are the hardest to make well.

DA: People will expect quality and craftsmanship from your collection, but did you also think about keeping prices accessible? Was it hard to tread that line?

OS: It was very important to us that the collection felt approachable and lived with, rather than overly precious. There’s always a balance to strike when you’re making things properly in the UK and working with skilled craftspeople, but we worked hard to ensure the collection felt considered in its pricing. We wanted people to recognise the integrity and longevity of the pieces while still feeling that they were attainable.

DA: There’s lots of lighting in this collection – was that an area where you particularly felt there were gaps in the market, or is it simply something you’re passionate about?

OS: Lighting has always been incredibly important to us because it shapes atmosphere more than almost anything else in a room. We often found ourselves sourcing antique lamps for projects because they had a softness and character that many contemporary pieces lacked.

A lot of the lighting in the collection grew out of wanting pieces that felt timeless and understated, but still had warmth and personality. We were particularly interested in how materials interact – alabaster, aged brass, porcelain – and how a lamp feels both lit and unlit within a space.

DA: The collection is described as “made not to shout, but to settle into a space.” Does that idea of quietness and longevity also apply equally well to your interiors?

OS: For us, the most enduring spaces are often the quietest ones – rooms that reveal themselves slowly and feel grounded in materiality, comfort and atmosphere.

When we talk about pieces “settling into a space”, we mean objects that feel as though they belong there naturally rather than demanding attention. There’s a confidence in restraint and longevity. We always want our interiors to feel collected, personal and capable of evolving over time.

DA: Can you explain more about Albion Nord’s work at The Whiteley? The heritage of the building seems to make it a great fit for your practice.

OS: What’s so special about The Whiteley is the scale and grandeur of the original building combined with its place within the history of Bayswater and West London. There is a richness and optimism to the architecture that we wanted to honour rather than compete with.

Our approach was to create interiors that felt elegant and enduring, while acknowledging the building’s history as a place of theatre, movement and social exchange. We looked carefully at proportion, detailing and texture so that the spaces felt rooted in the architecture, but were still entirely liveable and relevant.

DA: You recently moved to a new studio in a Georgian townhouse. What’s it like – and did you want it to be a complete expression of what the practice stands for rather than simply a workplace?

OS: We wanted Albion Nord House to be more than a workplace. Designing our own home gave us the rare chance to become our own client and create a space that supports the practical needs of a growing team while still feeling deeply personal.

The house has been designed as both a working studio and a lived-in space. Practical rooms such as the design library sit alongside more relaxed spaces for conversation, while the dining room doubles as a boardroom and the first-floor office functions as a gallery.

What I love most is that the house is constantly evolving. Objects move around, new finds arrive and rooms subtly change over time. That feels very true to the way we design interiors: not as fixed schemes, but as spaces that are layered, collected and continually evolving. Ultimately, we wanted visitors to understand our approach simply by being there.

DA: What else do you have happening this year?

OS: We’ve just done WOW!house, which has been a major moment for us and has given us the opportunity to really celebrate craftsmanship and collaboration in a new light. We’re also continuing to grow the collection and develop new pieces.

We’ve recently completed the interiors for a bespoke four-bedroom duplex apartment at Bishops Avenue Gardens, a new residential development by Valouran on The Bishops Avenue. We were responsible for both the base-build specification and the interiors, which gave us the opportunity to think about the architecture and interiors as one. Drawing on the Arts and Crafts heritage of Hampstead Garden Suburb, we combined natural materials, thoughtful detailing and a softer, more restrained palette to create a home that feels contemporary yet deeply connected to its surroundings.

Those are always the projects we enjoy most – where history, architecture and contemporary living come together in a considered and meaningful way.