The award-winning architectural interior design and development practice known for its high-end, luxury residences has turned its unique talents to transforming a hostel for the homeless. Oliver Burns have used the skills of their team to redesign and refurbish the living areas of New Belvedere House, a hostel run by charity Veterans Aid, one of the UK’s leading charities helping armed forces veterans in crisis. Last year it dealt with 3,400 calls for help, and provided 21,300 nights of accommodation, helping those in need to get back on their feet. This hostel, therefore, has the important responsibility to provide a warm, welcoming environment that gives residents a sense of place. Funded, designed and implemented entirely by interiors practice Oliver Burns, its newly redesigned communal areas aim to support and instill pride in its residents using colour psychology and subtle injections of luxury.
“Veterans Aid has an unparalleled success rate in breaking the cycle of crisis through its ‘hand up not hand out’ approach,” says Joe Burns, Managing Director of the Oliver Burns interior design practice.
“It took just one visit to know this project could make an enormous difference. The message it sends is that they are worth it.”
According to Burns, the design concept envisioned a calming, peaceful space, that was still grown up and masculine.