NILOUFAR BAKHTIAR BAKHTIARI

FOUNDER NBB DESIGN

Born to an Iranian father and a Swiss mother, Niloufar embodies a fusion of different cultures. She has worked on projects in The United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Greece, USA and UAE. Brought up by her grandparents, whose galleried library represented the soul of the house, Niloufar was strongly influenced by her grandfather, a great lover of art and a talented watchmaker. During many travels together, he taught her to appreciate the very best and how to choose each object, both for its own intrinsic merits and for its relationship with other pieces, which is the quintessence of artistic direction

What are you currently working on? NBB is working on an architecture and interior design project in Lausanne Switzerland which should complete by Christmas 2020 . NBB is also working on an interior design project in central London. We are celebrating our 20 year anniversary so we are undergoing a full rebranding and a new website will be launched in the next few weeks. We are also very excited to be doing the Artistic Direction for a Private Swiss Bank.

How would you describe your work/design style/ethos? Our personal style is very eclectic yet always has spirituality and intellect as a starting point. A home is one of the highest forces of integration for thoughts, souvenirs and dreams of Man. At NBB we like mixing classic references but bring in some quirkiness. My leitmotiv is “ multum in parvo” (much in little).

How long have you worked in this sector? 21 years

What led you to this career path? From a very early age I was submersed in the architecture and design world and always knew that this would be the sector in which I would need to work in to fulfil my ambitions. I went on to design furnishings and fabrics and established my interior design studio, NBB Design in 1999.

Please describe the project you are most proud of to date, with reasons why this was a success? The project we are the most proud to date is a penthouse in Belgravia. It was divided into way too many little rooms and thus was dark. We completely redesigned the layout and secured a huge roof terrace . It was a young couple and the challenge was to integrate both their styles. The idea was also that this penthouse could evolve from a young couple who socialize a lot to a family home. The end result was stunning and very bright. We witnessed this young couple grow into a family and the space adapt very well.

Please describe a highlight of your career to date and how achieving this made you feel.. Having started my career over 20 years ago a highlight is when clients keep coming back. Either when they move or for a holiday home or a chalet in the mountains. This really makes me feel like I’ve done a good job and it is great as we get closer with the client, having gained their trust we can go further and they become more daring in their design choices. What inspires you? Literature, art , travels, colours and textures.

What motivates you? What motivates me the most is the kick I get when I see a vision come to life.

Where in the world do you like to retreat to? A small Island in Greece.

Where and how do you find support? The best support is our team at NBB as well as the wonderful craftsmen and women we work with.

Where do you find comfort? Physical comfort I find in my own home and moral comfort mainly comes from literature and music for me.

Has the recent global pandemic changed the way in which you work? Of course we got used to zoom meetings and I had to train my eye and my mind to make decisions without touching some items but luckily as I have been doing this for a long time, it is not a huge hurdle.

How will it change the global design sector? I feel that clients will more and more realise the importance of comfort and quality in their home. Being confined in our homes showed us what a safe haven they should be. Therefore I think people will spend more to have more luxury at home.

What are your thoughts on the future of design? Design is like Fashion or History it usually negates the last trend but reveres the ones before.

Please tell us your aims for the next twelve months and beyond. To develop our Artistic Direction and Curating branch.

What would be your key piece of advice for emerging designers right now? I would say stick to your ethos but adapt to the clients world. A good designer should let their style show but through the lens of the clients style.