Daytrip Studio is a studio specialising in architecture and interior design, based in London, UK, co-founded by designers Iwan Halstead and Emily Potter.

Through in-depth research into existing architecture and contemporary design, the designers create thoughtful and identifiable Spaces, while through careful selection and use of materials, attention to detail and a deep understanding of style, the clients design their own, unique and exclusive Spaces. 

In this session, co-founder Iwan Halstead shares the design philosophy of Daytrip, a firm that works on a wide range of projects, primarily private residential and commercial. In private projects, they customize the space to suit each owner's lifestyle and personal preferences, while in commercial projects, they need to understand the brand's tone and what they are trying to achieve through the furnishings, and Iwan explained the final space they achieve by analyzing the 'old vs. the new' in a specific project, and the depth of architectural design concepts embedded in it. Iwan explains the final spatial effect they achieved and the depth of architectural design that was embedded in it. They believe that design is about creating more possibilities for everyday life, and by absorbing and utilizing a large number of different elements, they are able to create unique spaces.

Q & A

Yinjispace：Is the concept of Contrast something that runs through every project or does it change accordingly based on some specific projects?

Daytrip: When we start the conceptual phase of the research, we always start with some very broad references, such as a variety of images and artworks or anything less common, and then put them together to find the logic. If it's a residential project, we'll start with the environment, the site, the location, and see what kind of outline we can come up with. Anything can come out of this process, it can be a Japanese house, an Italian house or even something that feels out of reach, something that is very hip, old, or has a particular sense of contrast can be very effective. We try to see how we can get a more coordinated effect with different elements juxtaposed on either side. Sometimes we'll finish a project in the natural contrast of the process, mixing in new materials and adding something impactful and interesting to an otherwise calm space. So no matter what kind of space we're doing, we'll always include a contrasting component. Although we can't foresee the results, we still try step by step to find out what kind of contrast should be in it.

Yinjispace：Is AI now heavily used in the design industry in the UK?

Daytrip: I don't really see the benefits of AI. From a designer's point of view, I don't think AI can create the same work as humans. Real designers travel to different places to learn, to see things with their senses and to capture different emotions from actual experiences. For example, if I go to Italy, China or Thailand for a beach vacation, I can feel different things in those areas. I like to rethink areas after a trip, like how the spaces I've been in made me feel, what kind of materials they're made of, and how the light came through. These things don't usually give you direct creativity when you first start using the contrast method; it's when you give the space a different form through your own practice and compare it to what you remember from ten years ago that you realize that thinking about it gives you something different than someone else would. So it's not a matter of putting two things together to create something new, and that's what I think of as creativity: creativity is the creation of something new and different through one's own past experiences. We will refer to something old, something done in the past, but the point of innovation is to use one's own imagination to create differences, so as designers we are not the same as AI. We will also not be controlled by machines and AIs that do things without emotion.

Yinjispace：Could you please explain the main principles of color matching?

Daytrip: I was interested in color when I was in school because I always loved art and fashion. When I was growing up, I followed a lot of fashion designers and would appreciate how they put together entire outfits through different materials, color patterns, textures and fabrics. I remember watching a documentary about Ralph Simmons and how he used color subtly. He was a designer who was very good with materials. From him I learned to use less common, less popular colors and then mix them with popular colors that people like, like grey, beige, or white, to get interesting design effects. I've been using this idea of contrast that I've learned from the fashion industry, where they mix the special with the regular in a clever way. That's why I get excited every time I see a fashion design, because these designers have mastered contrast and contrast of substances and are not afraid to challenge the norm. These can also be applied to interior design, where we can learn from different artworks and forms. I also learn from the beauty of color in nature. When I travel to places I want to visit, like France, I notice the colors of the sea, the beaches, or the colors of nature; I see how people paint windows, doors, and furniture, and I feel that these colors form part of that world; and then I start to identify and sketch out stories in my mind about my surroundings, and what colors are associated with what elements. associated with what elements. We have to try to think about this in our daily lives and try to challenge our tastes.

Yinjispace：Could you please explain the way or process of drawing inspiration?

Daytrip: We generally start by thinking about the location of the project and what kind of building we want to remodel; getting a sense of what the building already looks like, regardless of the nature of the project and the context. That's how we know what we can use and what the existing skeleton of the building is. In London we mainly renovate old buildings, but there are often new building projects, such as timber-framed buildings, so we need to know what the building will look like roughly in the early stages of the building, which will determine the direction of the design. After that we have to look at the location, such as the location of the building, the surrounding architectural environment, and the spatial habits and purposes of the people in that location. These are two very important starting points. Finally, we will try to think about what spatial goals we want to achieve here, whether it is a residential, hotel, or commercial project, and what we need to do accordingly.

Residence, hospitality and commercial are three types of design that work in different ways, so the elements that are needed to do the project and how to open up the design are different. We try to think of an emotional feeling or an atmosphere and start pulling references from our memories, it could be a movie we saw, a place we went on vacation, a bar we went to three years ago, or something we saw in a gallery recently, and start collecting images that relate to what we want to achieve for the client or project. For example, if we are doing a commercial project to realize a brand, if it's a traditional brand, we will look for references from tradition; if it's an Italian brand, we will refer to old Italian craftsmanship, learn about the artisans, the artists and designers and their past works to see what's so great about them. Then we think about how to refresh, what direction to go, what the future of the brand will be, etc. based on this information and data, which is kind of a comparison between the old and the new. Finding different ways of thinking is also a challenge for the designers themselves, but also to introduce our clients through the project, everything has to be applicable to them and meet their requirements. So there's a lot to build and think about at the same time, basically drawing from memories and emotions.