Happy Friday ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to another Sajimidab your host here Alvarunyev and today We're gonna be having with us another special guest all the way from London His name is Gregory Phillips and he's the founder and owner of Gregory Phillips architects It's a luxury high-end residential architecture and interior design company based in London with 25 years of experience They work with some of the most remarkable homes and projects and they've been recognized internationally their portfolio Have been touching every award such as the River War grand design award Best house in Europe from the International Design and Architecture Award and the list goes on So Gregory is gonna be sharing with us their unique holistic approach to high-end residential design and everything that makes it so special What's going on my friend? How are you Gregory? I'm really good. How are you?
Very good. Happy Friday. Yeah, I'm enjoying it. How about you?
Can't complain here in Miami sunny day and winking ahead so it's so wonderful But what about you? How are things in the puk? Yeah, well, thank you for inviting me and thank you for bringing me to Miami now So like this is close if I can get to being in Miami. There you go.
Talking to you I'm remembering walking down South Beach and getting a drink at the Delano and I love it there, right? It's great. Oh my god You guys like it's been optimistic this week because I'm actually booked in to get a vaccination next week So on that side of things it's kind of going well on the fact that I haven't seen my office all in one room for nearly a year That's it's like it's hard to be with Well, but I think that even though we're facing a really strange situation you'd be making the best out of it I was making a quick intro about yourself and how amazingly you've been in the luxury high-end architecture and interior design Business for over 25 years in London working with some of the most incredible projects and throughout this last year You've also been working on some of the most remarkable projects So tell us a little bit about Gregory Phillips architects how it was born and the things that you're currently working on Okay, so um well, I said it up. Yeah, it's a long time ago now and I realized I did I started off like many architects I did different things I did a bit of retail bit of I did some restaurants did some commercial spaces And I've always but I've always worked on houses and then about the year 2000 I got this house to do near high park in London and it was super luxury and I just thought this is great I can be that guy that the client goes to and I can I can curate and organize everything And then from then on we kind of I realized um I wanted to do the interiors as much as I can I mean I can work with local talent when I'm working in different locations around the world to make it happen for the client But I like to be involved so that the interior and the architecture fit together So in the UK we do everything but as I say around the world we kind of we work with local talent And also the landscape because it's like when you put bits of glass in the building you look outside You want it to look gorgeous.
So exactly a list of response and Kind of like the journey the journey was like we started working in London and we got a lot of Visitors from out of town a lot of people traveled saw most amazing work in hotels Um, and they wanted better than that in their houses So we started doing that in London and we started doing it outside London in country houses And then people started seeing that and saying these are so modern but so comfortable so pragmatic and luxurious This looks like it should be in Miami or Los Angeles Let's go let's go around world That's incredible and I love the way that you work and the price that you've been working in the last few years I mean the Berkshire too. I wanted to show case that here is beautiful now for some reason the function of sharing the The content the pictures in this Instagram life is not active today for some reason But I would like to encourage everybody that is watching or listening to please go and check Gregory's Instagram page Also the website that's where you're gonna see the portfolio because it's remarkable And I wanted to talk a little bit about what's so unique about that holistic approach and how you're turning the vision that the client has into reality Yeah, so the thing is I think so a lot of my clients they're entrepreneurs They've they've they've they've been successful and then they want to enjoy what they've got and They they don't really want an architect. They want a house. You know, they want they want someone who's thinking about all of their needs So that's sort of the beginning point is working out lifestyle.
It's all about lifestyle and it doesn't have to be You know, it works at different kind of like price points as you put it You know, it works at different levels. You just want to enjoy what you can so we that's the kind of that's the kind of Puzzle we sold for people is like how to make it the most wonderful house and enjoy the experience So when we can they have an amazing piece of land or they have, you know, great art We just go with the flow. We can really make that work And I love what you just said about the lifestyle I mean more people are turning into this concept of building the lifestyle that they want to have and that's why we've seen a lot of people moving into Single family homes keeping away the condos. They wanted that space.
They wanted to really be in places that fit the type of life that they want to have So how has it been for you and in this specific industry that you're in which is super high-end residential? How have you seen the transition of what it was two years ago versus now? You know, I think I think over longer than the last two years I think over the years people's expectations of what they can have have increased, you know, so People want to enjoy what they can have so, you know, I always say you your house is a sanctuary You should enjoy that but in trying enjoy every part of it every day You know try and enjoy your life and on the house as a vehicle for that So I think people's expectations have increased and and you know We always try and find that balance between things that you see people see around the world and they travel and in magazines A lot of people look a lot online Pinterest and Instagramming they get an idea of something and then making it fit for their lifestyle And they expect, you know, what their day-to-day needs, you know, so it's kind of it's kind of question of like really finding out what's important solving it Mm-hmm. No, that's beautiful And I hope that you will bring also that concept here to Miami because it's very interesting to see how different architects and interior designers From all over the world are now coming into some of the hot destinations such as Miami and they're bringing this flavor that makes it so unique So, I mean definitely it's a it's an idea.
I know you you have Miami mind we talk about it But when it comes to the real state because obviously we see a lot of people moving from the UK down here to Miami And we're starting to see some shifting around. How do you have seen this in the next year or two? How do you see things coming along? Oh, I think there's gonna be a lot more I think you know the moment travel is is complicated and for You know, if you're in the UK right now, you shouldn't be leaving That's the kind of the set of rules that our government has given us.
So when that releases people will want the sunshine of Miami they want the fact behind me so hot and You know, it's kind of different experience 100% so I think there'll be more moving across the bottom as it were and You know, I think now I think people realize they can build really well in lots of different locations So the craftsmanship of something that would be in the central London that would be hard to do in the countryside of the UK is now easier But also that craftsmanship can travel around the world So we can bring the best of you know, what we can create anywhere around the world now So my arms are great spot. It's great spot. Yeah, no, it's definitely one of its kinds especially now with the demand that we're getting It's the opportunity to start looking into new projects. I need to work here So in that sense, I want to also ask you how are you using technology because I know we're doing an Instagram live or so Using social media very well.
I love your your feed by the way How have you used a leverage technology throughout this last year to continue getting the band for your projects? So I so so Instagram and social media is really I think is kind of key actually because it puts you out there So I curate my Instagram to be our project It's only our projects and I'm sort of telling people this is like my own magazine if you like these are projects It's not I haven't made it about me as a person It's the work, you know, so it's kind of maybe unusual and that lots of times people try and promote themselves I'm promoting the work. So I hope that in the end gives people an idea of what they're gonna get from from working with us Um, and of course, it's it's you know, it goes around the world those images, um And you know, we found ways to work around the world, you know, the kind of zoom and Right. All the communication online is just obviously completely escalated in this last year We were doing this prior, but now it's just become so normal.
So, you know, we started working on a project in northern, California I've never met the client in real life. You know, we've kind of watched that we zoom I mean, it's like of course I'd rather sit down the table and have a drink Of course I would it's right. I'd like to go to dinner with them But as we're working we can we can make it happen Absolutely. And you're right when it comes to how technology has leveraged the way that we communicate now with flop house I mean club house is a new boom when it comes to engaging and sharing knowledge and building connections So I believe that nowadays all those tools that are given us to us Needs to be used to the next because all the people are going to start jumping into it And now is the time to really be ahead of that core.
Yeah, I mean, I feel like people are realizing that so Back in the day you'd use the local architect because he had the local knowledge and whatever design he had That's what you had to have There might have been a half a dozen people the same mindset one's a bit better one's a bit cheaper You know, that's your pool now I feel like you can choose from like someone from me from London who's got a different perspective But you still work with the local talent to make sure it happens So because we don't need to get all the food. We don't need to do all the work. It's all about collaboration now So how do you stay so encouraged and motivated and positive throughout what we're facing especially in the UK? Because I mean we're like you want to hear Miami, but I know things are rather Yeah, it's like up until the vaccine period.
It's been rubbish. It's like this winter's been hard work, you know it's kind of bad news and It's like not optimistic. I don't know. So I think you know one of the things about being a designer and architect is you kind of live with uncertainty Anyway, so this is an extreme version, but you kind of like you never know when the client calls you up You never know if that's going to be a thing or not a thing, you know, you know, so we have to live with uncertainty anyway Curiously construction is carried on so we've been able to do our job the whole way through Um, and we're very fortunate the clients have sort of accepted the new way of working when we see them less and but more on zoom Um, so that's that's all been okay.
Uh, I guess the mindset thing is I've you know, I've been doing this for a long time And I still most days feels like okay. This is like a new challenge today. Like what is like it's nothing in too much time is clear cut I actually have to put it on the line all the time Yeah, no, I mean definitely I see that as a very important factor to having consideration We need to face reality and do it the best way possible I think you're doing a phenomenal job anyways with the project that you have going on and the vision that you have for the company So I'm not sure if you have any other takeaways or things that you would like to share with the audience Uh, so I think um, you know, there's new world of new ways of working and being able to pull talent from different places You know, if you want to if you want an extraordinary result if you want something unusual and if you want to push the barriers You have to do something that other people don't do So I think it makes sense, you know, because it's the way to get something special is have the mindset of I want something special Indeed. No, I love that.
That's a beautiful way of wrapping this up And I believe that everybody that was tuning in today have seen tremendous value of it Not just when it comes to the professional element but also on a personal level So I do appreciate your time Gregory. This has been great. Everybody that is listening or watching Please make sure to follow him. He does a tremendous work in the UK also internationally and he's a great person a friend as well So it's such a pleasure.
Well, thank you Gregory. I wish you a good weekend and looking forward to seeing you soon here in Miami All right. Thank you. Thank you And thanks again for everybody tuning in today.
We hope you enjoyed it. I remember embrace its beautiful success in life My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time