INTERIORS REPORTmeasure with high-end materials. They
look for unique pieces and we try to
satisfy their needs. To do this, we need
to combine the highest craftsmanship
with the most updated technology.”
Although family businesses are an
Italian specialty, the generation game is
something found in northern Europe,
too. Davidson, the London design
company established in 1986 by husband
and wife Richard and Deirdre Davidson,
gives us an insight into the positive
impact the integration of the next
generation of family members can have.
Davidson started out with an
aesthetic that reflected Richard’s
previous career as an antiques dealer.The look was based on traditional
Regency style and morphed gradually
into incorporating inspiration from other
historic periods. By the mid-90s the
furniture Davidson was producing
showed influences of art deco and 1950s
through to 1970s design.
However, today, while still using the
finest British craftsmanship to create
its pieces, the look is firmly one of
contemporary elegance, incorporating
gold leaf, lacquer and polished nickel
finishes. This transition has coincided
with the arrival at the company of the
founders’ two daughters, both of whom
were encouraged to work outside the
business to gain valuable experience
before joining the family firm.
Alexandra Davidson, now Davidson’s
MD, worked for Halpern Associates, the
well known PR company, dealing with
leading fashion and interiors brands. Her
sister Claudia joined after interning at
concierge service Quintessentially and
the publishers of Vogue, Vanity Fair and
The World of Interiors, Condé Nast.
She is now Davidson’s head of PR and
marketing and, along with Alexandra,
a board member.
“I grew up in Petworth, West Sussex,
where both my parents had antique
shops,” says Alexandra. She is clear
about how they can design new furniture
ranges while maintaining the “Davidson
style”: it hinges on finding finishes that
are innovative, while creating pieces that
are true to the quality and aesthetic of
Davidson’s past record.
Perhaps, then, if we think keeping
things in the family is potentially a
danger to the healthy evolution of design
businesses, we are misreading the
situation? By inviting outsiders into the
family circle to supply some new blood
to the proceedings and by empowering
successive generations to bring their
fresh, youthful perspectives to bear on
the work, these firms can successfully
ensure the change and innovation
required to stay relevant, while also
perpetuating tradition and quality. BFurniture company Davidson manages
to find innovative and unusual finishes
for pieces that stay true to
the company’s traditional aestheticAbove: Richard Davidson
encouraged his daughters
Alexandra and Claudia to get
experience outside the business72
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