Wharf Life's Property Supplement, Dec 13, 2023-Jan 10, 2024

Dec 13, 2023-Jan 10, 2024 wharf-life.com

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how Rebirth is ready to help homeowners update their interiors Pages 16-19

Poplar Harca and THCH set to merge Page 19

reborn imagine your home

Property in Canary Wharf, Docklands, east London buy - rent - invest - interiors - commercial

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Years since Paul Cuschieri and Malcolm Abela Sciberras founded Rebirth in Malta

how Rebirth delivers comprehensive interior design services to help clients invest effectively in their living spaces

by Jon Massey

E

xcitement bounces between Paul Cuschieri and Malcolm Abela Sciberras as they talk about their approach to the projects they work on. Having known each other for more than a decade, the pair joined forces in 2019 to create Rebirth, an interior design studio that brings together multiple disciplines to offer clients a comprehensive range of services.

Working in their native Malta, the pair have now expanded operations to London, recently establishing an office to cater for clients across the capital.

A full service operation, Rebirth combines architectural, aesthetic and practical disciplines to offer homeowners as wide a range of options as possible. Specialising in refurbishments – hence the company’s name – the pair offer everything from conceptual

design to detailed drawing and renders, decor and furniture selection and project management.

“Malcolm’s background is in design and mine is in architecture and we’ve joined our vision and expertise together to offer a holistic, well-balanced approach to projects,” said Paul. “But it’s more than that, we are now providing what we call experiential design.

“We want to create something that goes beyond just being beautiful – spaces that express emotion, that have a certain character, and immediately feel like home.

“We don’t have a specific style. That’s because our work is focused on each client and their requirements are different.

“Rebirth offers a boutique experience. We need to make sure our spaces speak their language, so that when they have guests they can see and feel that it’s our client’s space they are in.

“As designers, we grow thanks

Interior design firm Rebirth has recently expanded its operation to London, offering a wide range of services to clients

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Property + Interiors

Rebirth founders Paul Cuschieri, left, and Malcolm Abela Sciberras have expanded their business to work with clients in London

the thrill of

We want to create something that goes beyond beautiful – spaces that express emotion and immediately feel like home Paul Cuschieri, Rebirth

to these projects, because we are subject to so many influences from the people we work for and our research, which helps us creatively. We consider our designs as pieces of living art.”

Everything for Rebirth starts with a budget and a brief. The first is key to identify the boundaries of a scheme, while the second is where the creativity begins.

“When we’re discussing the brief, that’s when our imaginations start to run wild,” said Malcolm. “We’re always listening to the client, of course, but having a new project is something that’s very exciting for us and the team.”

Paul added: “We start by asking our clients how much they want to invest. It would be useless for us to invent all kinds of designs without knowing what they can afford.

“We need to base our concept on their budget, so that’s quite an important question. Something we then do – although it takes a bit more effort on our side – is to draw up a skeletal breakdown of the costs.

“Whatever the budget, we create a wish-list to identify what in our proposal we consider to be a priority.

“We presume that we will have this amount for decoration, this money for services, this for furniture, this for kitchen appliances and so on. That gives a starting point. This is flexible, of course, because the client will have certain priorities – communication is key.”

Having completed a diverse portfolio of projects in the firm’s native Malta, Rebirth has expanded to the UK thanks to a recent project.

“We were fortunate enough that one of our Maltese clients has a property in London,” said Paul.

“As soon as we’d finished refurbishing it, we felt that we were on the right track. We’ve always loved London, the culture and the cosmopolitan feel of the place.

“I love its history and that’s something we know about, because we work on listed properties in Malta.

“For those reasons we decided London would be an interesting place to take our services – so continued on Page 18

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Years since Balluta Buildings in Malta’s St Julian’s was finished. Rebirth was commissioned to refurbish an apartment at the listed landmark

Interiors from an apartment at Balluta Buildings, as refurbished and styled by Rebirth The property was built in 1928 in the Art Deco period

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Property + Interiors

from Page17

In London, we’d we’ve established an office in the city.” love to refurbish a That affinity for working with historic, listed and protected Victorian house properties is perhaps typified by with a garden – a Rebirth’s response to a brief for a client with a property at Balluta property with a Buildings in St Julian’s. lovely character Built in 1928 and designed by architect Giuseppe Psaila, it is Malcolm Abela Sciberras, Rebirth scheduled as a Grade I monument on the Mediterranean island. thing that sells,” said Paul. “It “It was built in the Art Deco mustn’t look dated, it should period and was, at the time, one be functioning well, organised, of the largest and most luxurious clean and designed with the right properties in Europe,” said Paul. colours.

“The brief was to get the apart“The kitchen is the heart of ment back to its former glory, so everything and if visitors feel we had to do our research on the comfortable and welcome there, style and decor. then that’s a real selling point.

“The reason people come to us “Then you have the living areas, is that we make sure our schemes the principal bedroom and the are layered, that the new interiors main bathroom. we create for a project like this If there’s a guest bathroom, feel like they’ve been there from that’s a place to be a bit more the start.” adventurous and to go for a bold The approach goes far beyond statement. aesthetics too, with Rebirth able to “At Rebirth we can tackle any call on the engineering expertise one of these areas of Paul’s father’s individually for a firm to present client or refurbish a clients with a full whole property. suite of options.

“If we are doing “That means we single rooms, then can combine things we will always like underfloor make sure our heating, air condidesign fits with the tioning, central existing home. heating, lighting “We also have and fire protection to make sure with what we do,” our designs are said Paul. sustainable and “We always try Inspired: Malcolm that the spaces we to come up with Abela Sciberras create look after us challenges that we psychologically.” might face during a project, so we The overriding theme that runs can tackle them at the design stage through the firm’s expansion is rather than during the implemenone of anticipation. tation and risk having delays. As “We get so inspired when we’re my father is an electrical engineer discussing everything with our I’ve always been around construcclients – especially when we’re tion sites, but decided I wanted to working on a different style of follow a more artistic path where project and creating a nice concept I was designing and building for them,” said Malcolm. something.

“In London, we’d love to do a “That’s how I got into archiVictorian house with a garden – a tecture and I’ve often worked property with a lovely character. on boutique-type projects with “It would be a challenge, but an interest in design, so it’s only we’d like that and we are able to natural that I’ve followed this offer landscaping too.” path into interiors.”

Paul added: “We are, of course, The reasons for considering an a whole team. It’s not just two of interior refurbishment are many. us. But with every project we have There are practical considerations, grown and each new one is part of when properties require updating Rebirth’s creative development.” purely to remain functional.

For more info on Rebirth and the Then there are aesthetic and range of services that the studio offers wellbeing concerns, where a go to rebirth-design.com or email change is needed to please the studio@rebirth-design.com resident and ensure they are comfortable in their environment.

A refurbishment is also an Scan this investment, potentially adding code to find out significant value to a property if more about approached correctly.

Rebirth “Number one on the list is an open-plan kitchen – that’s the

Poplar Harca chief executive, Steve Stride, will continue to lead the organisation as it merges with Tower Hamlets Community Housing

when two east London associations become one

by Jon Massey

E

ast London housing associations Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH) and Poplar Harca have decided to proceed with plans to merge the organisations. The move, which is expected to complete in spring next year, will see some 13,000 homes in Poplar, Bow, Bethnal Green and Shadwell brought under the management of a single organisation.

Some 1,098 residents of the two associations took part in a survey on the proposals with 74% in Poplar Harca Homes and 62% in THCH properties responding positively to the idea.

“We’ll continue to talk with residents to understand their priorities and concerns and deliver on what they tell us,” said Steve Stride, chief executive for Poplar Harca. “Having gone through a rigorous process to understand each other’s organisations, we’re sure the

merger will unlock opportunities for us to do more for more Tower Hamlets residents.”

THCH chief executive Anita Khan added: “Over the last few months, we’ve focused on confirming Poplar Harca as the best fit for THCH. Our Board recognises the benefits and financial security that this partnership offers in achieving our shared goals.

“Both organisations have worked to ensure that a merger will not only improve services for residents, but also enable more investment into homes and community initiatives.”

Under the plan THCH homes will be transferred to Poplar Harca, which will lead post merger.

Go to poplarharca.co.uk Scan this code to find out more about Poplar Harca and its forthcoming merger with THCH

THCH chief executive Anita Khan will take the role of deputy CEO when the merger is completed, bringing the management of 13,000 homes under a single organisation

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delivering to Docklands

15,000 copies every issue

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Elizabeth Line

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Titles published by Candace including Sex And The City, Lipstick Jungle and, most recently, Is There Still Sex In The City?

Top tickets to Candace’s show include the opportunity for a meet-and-greet with the author

Feminism is about education, the ability to earn your own money, to make your own life and to be able to say no Candace Bushnell, Author

from Page 14 think Bridget Jones is pretty much from the same time I was writing Sex And The City. I remember when I came to England – I guess it was 1996 or maybe 1997 – I was flying back to the States and my publisher gave me Helen’s book to read on the plane from London to New York. I thought it was just terrific. It really captured what life was like at that moment for women – the stresses and the pressures – how we’re all trying to be perfect, to be better and to control our weight, our drinking and our love lives. But really, we have no control.”

Candace began performing her one-woman-show in 2021, in her 60s, and has played dates at dozens of venues with a run of 13 in the UK for this tour. But where does she see herself in the next five or 10 years?

“I might do another show,” she said. “But you know, at my age, who knows? Who knows if I’ll still be here? I’m 65 and, when you get to be my age, you see that people age in very different ways, so I don’t know.

“I have friends who are 70, who work and they have really vibrant lives. But there are other people who are 70 and it’s like they’re 80 – so you just don’t know. Unfortunately, my mother got cancer and died by the time she was 70. So you can make the 10-year-plan but the reality is that you really don’t know what’s going to happen and that’s why it’s so important for young women to take action now.

“It’s like: ‘Make the money, get that money’. That’s the most important thing, I’m telling you.”

Candace’s Bushnell’s True Tales Of Sex, Success And Sex And The City is set to be performed at The London Palladium at 7.30pm on February 7. Tickets range from £38 to £113, which includes a meetand-greet with the woman herself.

Go to candacebushnelltour.co.uk for more information

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