Hospitality Design - September 2012 - 160

Wave
of
the
Future
2012
1. Cuckoo Club,
Blacksheep’s big break,
says Tim Mutton.
2. Bright blue chairs and
accents pop against an
oak wood ceiling lattice
and tables at Nando’s in
Ashford, UK.
2
1
Jo Sampson
Creative Director
Blacksheep
London
Growing up, being
a designer wasn’t
a profession that I
knew about. I was
creative and excelled
at technical drawing
and art and enjoyed
photography, but I
wasn’t aware of the
careers that were
out there. I wanted
to get into something
with set design and
window dressing; not
completely diff erent
to what I do today.
When I was seven
or eight years old, I
was given a Crayola
A3 plastic drawing
160
September 2012 hospitalitydesign.com
board that you could
create perspectives
in interior design
with. I was always
orderly and neat in
my work and I loved
creating the lines and
being methodic and
precise in what I was
creating.
First jobs: Conran
Design Group, which
is what really ignited
my passion for
hospitality design;
Imagination, which
is a huge global
network of creative
communication
agencies where
I learned about
branding and how
important it is to
understand the DNA
and ownership of
brands, and I saw how
graphics and interiors
worked together,
which is something
that I try and instill
in my design team;
and United Designers,
where I met my
business partner and
now husband Tim.
I am infl uenced by
pat erns and shapes.
I have a strong design
direction and am
at racted to the more
graphical elements
of things. I am very
at entive to detail and
drawn to things that
have a hidden element
behind them and are
not obvious.
A design inspiration
would be Christopher
Bailey at Burberry.
We started
Blacksheep in 2002
because we felt we
wanted and were
able to do things
diff erently. Initially
we were intending
on starting out in
the U.S., but then
September 11th
happened and with
all the upheaval in the
States, we stayed here.
We sold our properties
and used the capital
to create Blacksheep
from a small studio
in the East End of
London.
My fi rst reality check
was when I realized
I didn’t know how
to work out VAT! It
is one thing being
a designer, but it
is another thing
owning and running
a business. I am
constantly aware of
my responsibility for
the staff and try to
make sure that we
have a good working
environment.
The most challenging
project was the
fi rst Jamie Oliver
restaurant we
designed. He is such
a huge personality
and a major player in
the restaurant world.
We knew we had
been given a massive
opportunity, and if we
got it right it would
lead to more projects,
so the pressure was
on. As a result, we
have completed seven
restaurants with him
and have more in the
pipeline.
Currently, I am most
looking forward to
completing a tearoom
for Wedgwood.
My guilty pleasure is
Hendrick’s Gin and
Fentimans tonic with
a slice of cucumber.
Success is put ing
yourself one
hundred percent into
something—knowing
that you can’t possibly
do anymore.
I would want my
tombstone to read,
‘She never gave in, she
never gave up, and she
never took no for
an answer.’
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - September 2012
