Savannah Design Studio dazzles hoteliers!

Inspirational Property Styling and bespoke customization of soft furnishings, driven by the creative talent at Savannah Design Studio, has excelled this company and positioned them as one of the fast-paced movers in the increasingly demanding world of Interiors, writes Humphrey ODHIAMBO.

TOP-NOTCH HOTELS going for nothing less than groundbreaking design, has reasons to beckon Savannah Design Studio – a powerhouse of talents. Transformation in the hotelier industry is fast calling for customization. Quality that speaks volumes as well as on-the-dot delivery has distinguished Savannah Design Studio as a leading interiors solutions provider targeting a clear niche of the market.

From humble beginnings three years ago, the firm opened a fascinating chapter in the Hotel Industry that was then yearning a wide range of unique and quality driven soft furnishings. With an organization focused on understanding, capturing and delivering a Client’s aspirations, an aggressive growth plan, methodical Project Management and an enormous amount of passion, Savannah Design Studio made it’s mark.

The road to victory wouldn’t have started any better were it not for the confidence and opportunity granted by the leadership of Tribe Hotel for Savannah Design Studio to design soft furnishings for their brand new elite property in Gigiri. Savannah Design Studio’s Chief Designer, Sandeep Thethy, a Kenyan returning from the UK, who’d quickly realized a gap in high quality, locally designed and manufactured, affordable soft furnishings did not hesitate to take the challenge head-on.

Valuable springboard

More often referred to as Sandy, the Managing Director of the design studio recalls that Tribe Hotel was a valuable springboard. “ The entire Project was driven by such an experienced, talented and creative team that expected nothing less than an elite design, rightly so for their position in the market. Our freedom in creativity for the soft-furnishings had to come from a refreshed thinker – a client really pushing standard design boundaries in a hotel room,” Sandy notes. She attributes the success of the project along with a range of subsequent engagements to her highly talented team ably steered by Christine Nduku that assists in the Management of their team of 35 highly experienced Tailors and Master Beaders.

“I am delighted to work with an inspired team that had harnessed a new thinking in this segment of the industry that cherishes quality interiors,” says Christine. It’s that appreciation that has enabled us to flexibly work within tight timelines in order measure to any calendar of Design Trends to our craftsmanship that guarantees quality says Christine.

Enviable customization

Although Savannah originally focused on designing and producing soft furnishings, it soon after the successful in-time delivery of enviable bespoke bed furnishings to the Tribe Hotel developed quickly to provide full interior design solutions.

The opportunity to create stunning productions, has over the last two years endeared a number of the Hotelier Industry players to Savannah’s fold of clients. They range from seven star Global Brands such as the Intercontinental Group of Hotels, the multi award winning Leopard Beach Resort and Spa, the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi that has featured in the New York Times, the Sarova Group, Sierra Bars and Restaurants to exclusive High End Luxury Eco Lodges across East Africa.

By answering to a clear niche in the market, the design studio draws on a myriad of cultural influences across Africa. It delivers amongst it’s cutting edge modern collections, eco–chic contemporary interior design solutions and offers soft furnishings combining stunning African hand painted beads and accessories with luxurious, high quality, durable fabric sourced from within the continent.

Co-works seamlessly

Sandy, whose inspiration in interiors and friendly approach to provide a comprehensive service enables her to with ease partner and seamlessly co-work with different Interior designers in either residential and hotel projects.

Essentially, Savannah ensures that International Standards of Project Management are sustained so as to guarantee the much-needed customer retention rate. “Currently 100 percent of our customers provide repeat projects,” Sandy affirmed attributing the success to her team’s quest of cherishing quality and upholding the tenets in interior design.

The effort to achieve wow designs that turn heads squarely calls for Sandy’s time. Today, there is no interiors oriented project that is too large or too small. Either of them receives the optimum attention. “Contemporary Design is about function as well as form and each project is viewed as a collaboration between Designer and Client to ensure that the environment created delivers ergonomics, practicality as well as beauty”, noting that it’s the drive to translating a Client’s vision, that makes the firm’s service stand-out.

Co-opetition not competition

Sandy, passionate about transformation in Kenya’s interiors market, stresses that the sector players need each other now more than ever before.

“Unity is strength of purpose,” she quips adding that the much needed professional bespoke interior services to a range of growing clientele worldwide requires a collaboration that will contribute into turning Kenya’s economy around. Emphatic that this would be tenable through co-opetition and not competition, Sandy points out that investing into a strong interiors body would catalyse an equal gain for equal gain for all players as some of the existing bottle-necks in the industry can effectively be addressed. ‘There is a cataclysmic level of design talent in this Country and in respect to quality, variety and ingenuity, Kenya can present itself very respectfully in terms of Interior Design talent on the Continent, something that we certainly don’t promote enough across Africa and beyond .’

She in this regard wishes to link with the like-minded to actualize the already conceptualized Interiors Association of Kenya. “There’s more for interior sector players to benefit from this association,” says Sandy reckoning that it will increase the opportunities for larger manufacturers and smaller, more customized industry players.

Following the experience of working nationally and internationally, Savannah Design Studio is taking their Product abroad to the USA and Europe. This has been a long and challenging process, but the effort worth it with the results of seeing a Kenyan made product competing at an International level.

The deliberate effort, manifested in the company’s value seeks to harness and develop the superior craftsmanship of local artists and community groups across Kenya. It as well intends to preserve and promote the country’s unique creative ability through individual projects while educating clients on the Kenyan cultural diversity through carefully sourced local fabric, finishes and accessories.