The biggest decor trends of the 21st century all seem to have started in the hospitality industry. Metro tiles, parquet, beige and “greige” were first seen in deluxe hotels and restaurants. The guests who frequented these establishments copied the look in their homes, which were then featured in interiors magazines and very soon these styles became popular with those who do not necessarily dine in Michelin-starred eateries. The next trend tipped for democratisation is leather on walls and doors. For the moment, cost seems to be the only obstacle.
Quo Vadis, a 1920s Italian dining room in Soho which was refurbished two years ago, has leather padded doors which lead to the upstairs members club, while the private members ’ club Soho House in Berlin has leather-lined lifts. This use of the material is ending its traditional association with the fusty smoking lounges in gentlemen’s clubs. Not only can it transform spaces into warm, cosy rooms, it also works well with new technology — television or cinema screens mounted on a leather-lined wall have become a popular design feature in media rooms, for example. “Leather is extremely tough,” Jeff Charlton, the commercial director at Alma, the leather interiors specialist, says. “It has longevity as long as you treat it properly. We have created pieces for most rooms including gyms, garages and dressing rooms,” Charlton adds. “It has great sound-proofing qualities, so it works well in media rooms.”
“The use of leather in boutique hotels has made more homeowners aware of the visual appeal of it — and the common misconception that leather is cold has been dispelled as more people experience it,” says Andrew Dunning of APD Interiors. Ned Ingham, the head of design at Bill Amberg Studio, a leather specialist, agrees: “People make assumptions about leather based on car interiors. That is far removed from real leather because it has to be sprayed and dyed in a certain way. When they see the difference they are can’t quite comprehend they are from the same skin.”
According to Ingham, leather interiors have never really gone out of fashion. “It has long been popular with the Middle Eastern, Asian and Russian markets. It used to be a niche thing, but now everyone is getting a taste for it.” Interior designer Mhairi Coyle says: “Leather is definitely trendy at the moment, but it has enduring appeal. Leather — the depth of colours, the smell and the luxe of it, will always be synonymous with strong, decadent interiors.”
The only drawback, as we said, is the price. A single square metre of leather costs £650 from Bill Amberg Studio. If you cannot afford to spend that much, you can cheat with wallpaper. The wallpaper company Wallpaper from the 70s has a pearl-coloured quilted leather design for £23.84 per roll.
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Alma
The Alma showroom is in an unassuming townhouse in Mayfair. If you look closely at the front door it offers a clue to what lies behind the 18th-century façade. It is clad in lizard-print black leather and the porch area has a patterned floor made from pieces of colourful leather.
From tiles around the bath to the bed with an oyster shell-style headboard and the hangers in the wardrobe, practically every surface is covered in leather and other hides. There are even more flamboyant flourishes, such as the grey chagrin (stingray skin) covered staircase and the pony-skin (also known as hair-on-hound) wall coverings. “The house is all about showing what we can create,” Jeff Charlton, says. “We use different techniques to create patterns on the leather, such as razor-blade cutting, digital printing, laser and water-jet cutting.”
Founded in 1938, Alma started life supplying leather to the fashion industry. Today it creates leather accessories, handbags and, more recently, interiors and furniture at its workshop in East London. Alma recently worked on the marketing suite for One Hyde Park, the deluxe apartment block in Knightsbridge developed by Candy & Candy, then went on to finish three penthouses and eight apartments with leather on the floors and walls. One recent project involved moulding stitched leather to internal beams in a property on Grafton Street in Mayfair, west London. They also designed the world’s first leather-clad building, the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, which is made from 7,500 leather panels.
The Alma showroom, which took three and half years to create, is a work of art in itself. “We work with a lot of architects and interior designers and when they come here they are always amazed when they realise what can be achieved,” Charlton says. “If you are artistic, there is no limit to what you can do.”