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James Charles
James Charles, the interior designer, is a creative force destined for design greatness. With roots stemming from England and California, he currently splits his time between the vibrant cities of Los Angeles and Athens. Renowned for his work with celebrities in California such as Tina Turner, André Agassi, and Sean Connery, James has breathed new life into spaces at the Ritz Carlton, Nobu Matsuhisa, and many other iconic locations.
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Greek Riviera Retreat
During the renovation, only the outer shell and the supporting body were preserved, while a luxurious holiday home was created that focuses on the wellbeing and the basic characteristics of the Greek way of life. The design maximises the view to the Saronic Gulf.
In the world of design
Xenia
I held a keynote speech at the International Hospitality Exhibition in Athens. With its central theme of “Innovation and Tradition”, Hotel Megatrends by xenia 2019 was a great opportunity to talk about the future of interior design in the hospitality and wellness sector.
FIABCI
I was asked to participate to create a lead panel discussion amongst industry experts during the International Property Congress in Athens. It was a privilege to be invited and share the stage with Vassily Laffineur from Renzo Piano, Troy Helming from Arcbyt Inc and Tim Brangle from CCS Chicago.
VIPP New York
To celebrate their 70th anniversary, Danish product company Vipp, which produced the original steel-cylinder trash can with rubber foot pedal, has asked a ton of designers of all stripes to devise trash can designs for a charity auction done in conjunction with Design Within Reach. The unusual line-up contains the likes of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, James Charles, Yoko Ono, Yves Behar, and others.
Look! It’s James Charles on Times Square!
It’s always lovely to receive accolades for what one achieves; the recognition helps underpin the support for ones ideas or creation.
My Interior Design service ‘For All’ was conceived as a program that would provide good interior design solutions for the mass market. We had much success at then time, including being chosen to be displayed on the ‘Big Digital Screen’ in Time Square.
Award by I4Design Chicago
A publication created by the charismatic gentleman Mitch Obstfeld – his team oversee the success of a well published and respected magazine.
‘In Chicago’ is home of the world’s most successful architectural companies.
HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is the Royal Patron of Place2Be.
Place2Be supports over 100,000 children across the UK by providing emotional and mental health services in primary and secondary schools.
Working with specially trained counsellors, Place2Be supports kids, parents, teachers and school staff to spot the signs and address mental health issues early on, ensuring that children of today can become successful adults of tomorrow.
HRH Prince of Wales’ A to Z Charity London
HRH Prince of Wales through the Prince of Wales Trust and the charity A to Z support the efforts of women and children in Zimbabwe.
This event has been successfully supported by the the Oliver family and in particular Guy Oliver.
Working with the Stars
André Agassi Grand Slam Charity Event
However, his greatest achievement for me is his charity work. He focuses on creating schools for underprivileged children in poor neighbourhoods.
I had the pleasure of working with André and his charity for over a year and the children of the school in Las Vegas. Together we achieved some wonderful things that helped raise a record amount of money for the charity.
Meeting Tina Turner
It was a bit of a surprise when I found out that the Kensington apartment I was designing was actually Tina Turner’s and not her managers’ project. When we met, she was not only super friendly and understood why it’s important to know who you design for, we spent the afternoon chatting about design and life.
I have to add that she was lovely and generous in her conversation and a truly warm and genuine person. We met again thereafter and although this conversion was not one of my biggest designs in volume, it was certainly one of the most memorable.
No need for selfies
In the past 35 years of my design career I have had the pleasure of working for the rich, the famous and the powerful individuals from their respective fields. And to date it was my true pleasure to work with them!
I respect their privacy and in turn never take photos of their homes, planes, yachts, offices – and I’ve never asked for an autograph! Working and getting to know them was a privilege in itself. The fact that they would allow me to personify them through their interiors was gratifying enough.
Kathy Ireland
America’s sweetheart supermodel turned to design, some years ago… And with a very keen and talented eye she created a major US design company with revenues now reaching over 1.5b a year.
I was able to catch up with her at the Las Vegas Design Market and we had an opportunity to chat about our careers and design!
You can’t see, but I was standing on my tip toes for most of the time! Not only is she tall and beautiful but exceptionally well-tuned into what America seeks in the world of design.
Dining by Design
Dining by design is a wonderful Charity event founded by DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS).
In different cities around the US, well known designers would come together and design dining room sets that would be showcased to the buying public and culminate with a gala dinner utilising the various table designs.
On Television
Project Videos
KINARI & ETHOS Art Show | In aid of Place2Be
Primo Center Presents ‘Classico D’Italia’
Ritz Carlton | The Living Landmark
Designer at home
Design is a creative process that, when accomplished well, gives a visual and sensory joy to the end user.