Other
Kit Kemp
Founder and Creative Director
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels in London and New York since 1985, Kit Kemp works in a branch of interior design where hospitality is built through colour, object, pattern, texture and arrival. The hotel room is treated as a composed environment rather than a neutral container: collected pieces, crafted surfaces and narrative detail carry the charge. Her practice moves between hospitality and residential design, with the same priority on interiors that feel layered, vivid and specific. Across these projects, the design language is direct: colour has weight, craft is visible, and detail is allowed to do more than decorate. In the Firmdale Hotels context, atmosphere is made through accumulation and placement rather than a single gesture. The work asks the eye to keep moving across surface, object and proportion, which is why discovery has become part of the method associated with Kemp’s interiors.
The Climb
The auction setting put her close to objects with patina, memory and value; the architectural practice gave her a working view of proportion, structure and function. Those two forms of training are legible in interiors that depend on how things sit together, not just how they appear in isolation. The later practice refined that base into hotel and residential work: founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels (since 1985) and founder of Kit Kemp Design Studio. The continuity is in the handling of layered rooms that remain clear, comfortable and individual, using craft and narrative detail without losing the requirements of use.
Today
Hotel and residential design remain the active fields of the practice, with Kit Kemp continuing as Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels and Founder of Kit Kemp Design Studio. The specialty is colourful, detailed storytelling that celebrates craft and captures the imagination. Instead of treating rooms as neutral backdrops, the work gives them tempo, voice and tactile presence. The overlap between hospitality and private interiors sets the technical problem: hotels need atmosphere, durability and welcome; homes need rhythm, comfort and personal specificity. Kemp’s work sits between those demands, using the theatrical capacity of a hotel while keeping the scale and warmth associated with private rooms. The result is design built for use, touch, collection and arrangement.
Signature
Signature properties practice include Ham Yard Hotel, Warren Street Hotel, Robina's Dinner Party, Mythical Creatures, and Sailor’s Farewell. The range points to a method that does not rely on one repeated interior formula. Atmosphere is built through colour, crafted surfaces and narrative cues, with each project given its own identity while remaining connected to the wider body of work associated with Kit Kemp.
In Their Words “Designing a space is an adventure, an opportunity to create something that satisfies all the senses and bring a building to life in a way that feels unique and deeply personal.” “I really wanted to showcase the studio’s versatility – from hotels and private residences to collaborations and commercial premises.”
Recognition
Recognition for this body of work spans service, regeneration and design: Kit Kemp's honors include Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to the hotel industry and charity (2012), Crown Estate Urban Business Award for the regeneration of Haymarket Hotel (2007), Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year Award, and Top 100 Designers and Architects. The range reflects a practice measured not only by visual authorship, but by the practical work of making hotels and interiors that people use, occupy and return to.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Kit
What is Kit Kemp's current role?
Kit Kemp is Founder and Creative Director.
Where did Kit Kemp work before?
Earlier in their career, Kit Kemp worked at an auctioneer and Leszek Nowicki's architectural practice.
What recognition has Kit Kemp received?
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to the hotel industry and charity (2012).
