Luxury Property Industry Leaders - In Conversation with… Nick Bell, Smallbone (Lux Group Holdings)
Meet Nick Bell, Sales & Design Director of
Smallbone (Lux Group Holdings)
An interview with Priya Rawal, Founder and CEO of The Luxury Property Forum
Hi Nick, great to spend time with you today and we are so pleased to have Smallbone as a member of The LPF. To start, please can you tell us a little more about Smallbone?
Smallbone is the world’s leading luxury kitchen and bespoke cabinetry maker; designing and handcrafting iconic furniture in England for prestigious addresses around the world. We have been designing custom-made schemes and skilfully executed cabinetry for any conceivable space within the modern home for more than 40-years.
And what inspired you to join Smallbone?
I have always had a love for architecture, interior design and a keen interest in timber so I am the luckiest person being able to work across these industries on a daily basis.
Joining Smallbone back in 1996 as a Technical Designer (as it had always been on my radar as a renowned brand leader), I then moved through the design ranks and now proud to be Sales & Design Director for Lux Group Holdings, As an international company we also look after other esteemed brands including Mark Wilkinson and McCarron.
Today, we design for any conceivable space within the luxury home, so our work is as fresh and exciting as it always has been.
What sets Smallbone apart from others in the luxury property sector and what makes Smallbone industry leader?
Smallbone has been handcrafting furniture in our Wiltshire workshop for more than four decades. We revolutionised kitchen design and took a previously overlooked and purely functional space and transformed it into the heart of the modern home.
Earlier this year, we opened our new flagship showroom in Knightsbridge – when a myriad of brands were battening down the hatches and moving online, we invested in a 15,000sqft space to demonstrate the quality of the product we create. This immersive space truly offers an interactive experience. Showcasing an innovative retail concept and our ‘whole home’ furniture offering including partner brands such as Samsung with the world’s largest 8K screen ‘The Wall’, Louis XIII, Riviere Rugs and our sister brand The Arx – the most contemporary Art experience.
Of course Smallbone’s world-renowned reputation helps. For example, this year we have launched our exclusive partnership with The OWO Residences by Raffles in Whitehall – designing and handcrafting entirely bespoke kitchen and utility rooms for all 85 residences at the landmark development.
Thank you so much Nick. So what does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up at around 5.30am and go running with my Hungarian Vizslas dogs. The train ride into Marylebone is my opportunity to set the days objectives and goals for the day as when I arrive at the office it is continually busy. We are all trying to do our bit for London, and I admire the cycle hire scheme to ease congestion and high levels of pollution, so I ride a Boris Bike daily and enjoy cycling through Hyde Park en route to our new offices opposite Harrods. I start the day with an executive meeting with our COO followed by meetings with senior sales designers to discuss priorities and the design elements of their ongoing client projects.
Regular catch ups with our Marketing and Creative team are a must and important in my role to maintain the right brand message and campaign imagery.
We have all been through so much since the start of the pandemic, but what are the particular challenges you have faced in your business so far?
The pandemic presented huge challenges for all businesses, as it was completely new territory for everyone, and we are still very much living with its ongoing consequences.
It highlighted the importance of not being complacent. At Smallbone we didn’t just weather the storm, we excelled. During the first lockdowns, we focused on making the purchasing process as easy and accessible as possible for our clients. We were one of the first to introduce virtual consultations and have invested heavily in ensuring that our digital experience is the best in the industry. We utilised 3D modelling, interactive mood-boards and the highest standard of CAD drawings and CGIs to ensure that during their virtual consultations, our clients’ experience was as good as it would have been at a face-to-face meeting.
What advice do you have for anyone who has hopes to become an industry leader in the luxury property industry?
To succeed you must have a firm understanding of the entire process within this industry as it is very complex.
There are so many facets, and you need to have excelled already in sales, design and production as the furniture business is detail specific and specialised.
That is great advice. So, in an ideal world, what does the future hold for you and Smallbone?
Continuing to grow our international order book and creating the ‘whole house’ in terms of unique rooms as well as the kitchen. Really exciting as the sky is the limit with creating the best-in-class designs on a global scale.
We are also currently finalising the plans for a penthouse-style apartment in our Smallbone showroom, including integrated open-plan living concepts. This will showcase all our current and new collections including contemporary kitchen design, dressing room, media room and bespoke storage solutions.
All alongside beautifully curated art installations by The Arx.
And finally Nick, what does luxury mean to you.
Although I feel the ‘luxury’ word is overused today alongside bespoke. I have always thought of luxury as something that you aspire to and is super premium in terms of quality and aesthetic.
get in touch
Smallbone’s Luxury Pavilion in London’s Knightsbridge is now open for private appointments.
To find out more about Smallbone or to request a virtual personal consultation with one of our designers, call the UK on +44 (0) 20 7589 5998 or the US on +1 212 288 3494. Alternatively, please email us at enquiries@smallbone.co.uk