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New London Design Studio
Posted by: David Keech on 17th Apr 2009 in Keechdesign News



I'm writing this blog entry from 112 great Portland Street, which as from today is the new London home of Keechdesign. And very pleased we are to be here too. Design thrives on activity, change, coexistence; and there is plenty of that floating about here in the Fitzrovia air. I can honestly say it's good to be back; there is a certain symmetrical feeling to it too...

In 1991 I started my first proper job with my first proper design company, Foster + Partners, who were in those days based here in Great Portland Street. I clearly remember the thrill of being a professional designer in central London. That thrill is still very much alive - perhaps more intense, as to me London is even richer and more vibrant than it was back then.

We're also very happy to be sharing our studio space with Yamaha Design London. Until 2005, all of Yamaha's design team resided in their headquarters at Hamamatsu, Japan. It was in that year that they opened their first satellite design studio in Holborn, London. People often ask me why Yamaha have a design base in London - here's the answer in their own words:

Yamaha produces a wide range of products, from acoustic and digital musical instruments to sport equipment, and it is vital that Yamaha designers have a deep understanding of global design and culture.
Yamaha Design studio London was opened in Holborn in 2005 in order to deepen this understanding. Our presence in London is essential and allows us to tap into the unique mix of tradition, innovation and inspiration that attracts creators from all over the world.
We are pleased to announce a move to our new studio in Great Portland Street. From here we look forward to building exciting new relationships and networks.

So it's great to be here in London with the same degree of optimism and enthusiasm as one of the world's great design innovators. If I were to foolishly suggest that London is where it's at, I would get inundated with comments in praise of Manchester, Madrid and Melbourne, so I have to defer to Lonely Planet's excellent The Cities Book to extol the virtues of our capital:

DEFINING EXPERIENCE (London)

Sun-bathing in Hyde Park with champagne and strawberries, Coldplay on the iPod, then walking into Notting Hill for a pint outside the Cow to dissect last night's missed penalty before catching an art-house film at the Electric.

Pretty good, I think you'll agree, but I would be inclined to change the park, the snack, the manor and the pub, and of course stay in said pub like a normal person.

I'll end up with a couple of local pics of my new neighbourhood. It's always been my ambition to have a desk with a view of the Post Office Tower (or BT Tower as is now correct). I now have that view and feel blessed - it's a damn fine piece of architecture whichever angle you view it from (I mean that literally); hats off to Eric Bedford and G.R. Yeats, its chief architects from the Ministry Of Works.