Air Miles with Andy Goodwin

Andy Goodwin is co-founder of Fettle, a boutique interior architecture and design firm with studios in London and Los Angeles.

What attracted you to a profession in interior design?

I was always surrounded by drawings and constructions. My father was a technology teacher at secondary school and renovated a couple of houses while we were growing up. I suppose that influenced me later on in life. It was always on the cards for me.

You teamed up with Tom Parker around ten years ago to form Fettle – what’s the idea behind the name? 

It’s an old English word, which means hand-finishing. We didn’t want our name associated with the studio, we wanted it to feel more collaborative and include the wider team. We also wanted something a bit more unusual.

How do you approach projects with studios in LA and London? 

It’s changed over the years. Initially, there was a lot of collaboration. For The Hoxton hotel in Portland, for instance, early-stage design works were done with the UK team and then delivered on site by Tom and the US team.

As the studios and complexity of the projects have grown, it’s now more regionally-based. We’ve always seen trends transition from LA to London and vice-versa, and we have combined brainstorming at early stages of the project.

How important are local surroundings when designing a property?

It depends on the project. We have an in-depth dialogue with the client team and develop a narrative for the project, which is often about the building and local vernacular.

What’s your favourite type of venue to design?

The variety of projects adds interest and everyone in the team loves to have that mix. Hotels are amazing as you can create an immersive world and follow the concept through the whole space from the arrival to the F&B, corridors, reception and rooms.

Can you explain the design concept of members club 1 Warwick? 

This was a really complex project, and took a long time to come to fruition. It was a difficult one and nearly broke us at points. We started it in December 2019 and it opened in 2023.

It’s so multifunctional and all based around the Maslow’s group, whose name comes from Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – creating one building to fulfil all functions and requirements of the user. We referenced the Neo-Baroque style of the building and paired it with the frivolity and fun of Soho.

It’s a second home for its members, so we made it more residential in terms of styling and colour palettes. It’s not as bold, because guests are going to be spending longer periods in it. You can be more experiential in a hotel room, as people are staying for short periods of time, and even more so in a restaurant.

Where 1 Warwick needed to have that dual functionality of work and socialising, we used bespoke pieces to have the seat at the right height, for example, and also to allow members to dine and work at the same table.

And The Georgian in Santa Monica?

As an interior designer you don’t get many gifts like The Georgian. The brief was to reinvigorate and reimagine the hotel. We wanted to draw on the history of the hotel. It was constructed in 1933 in an Art Deco style but had West Coast and Latin influences.

There’s so much disposable interior design and fashion. When you’re talking about sustainability, our approach is to add quality and hope it stands the test of time.

How can frequent travellers make a hotel room feel homely? 

I always unpack my suitcase as soon as I get in a room. I don’t feel settled until everything’s put away. I had a trip to Bahrain recently, and rearranged the room to make it work for me better.

What are some of your favourite interiors (other than your own projects)?

I’m quite classic, I love The Wolseley in London. In New York, I love La Mercerie and Free Hand.

At Fettle, we also have a monthly enforced mandatory day of fun. In May we went to Sir John Soane’s Museum – you can spend hours in each room.

Which project are you most proud of?

One of my favourites is always going to be Cicchetti in Knightsbridge. Every single millimetre of that project is exactly how it was on the drawing board.

What has been your most rewarding travel experience?

Last year, we went as a family to LA to catch up with Tom. We went to some amazing restaurants, travelled up the coast via Santa Barbara and Carmel, and spent a long weekend in Palm Springs. It’s a trip we’ve been planning for a long time. We also squeezed in Disneyland and Universal Studios for the kids.

And most challenging?

I travelled every week for an eight-week period at the start of the year, and on the last trip I think I’d completely lost my mind. On the way back from Amsterdam I left my suitcase on the train. It had work sketches and all my nicest clothes for work meetings.

We also tried to over-plan a trip to Sri Lanka in the past and I didn’t appreciate the scale of the country and the infrastructure. We spent nine hours in a cab visiting different locations, because the trains were booked during the holiday season.

What’s your dream destination?

In mid-April I went to Buenos Aires for a friend’s wedding. Two of my friends stayed on and went walking in Patagonia. I had so much FOMO of that experience, especially receiving photos of unbelievable mountains and steak restaurants when I landed in Heathrow after an 18-hour flight.

What’s your inflight entertainment (IFE) pick?

I like to sleep as long as possible or watch films.

What’s your indispensable travel gadget?

Noise-cancelling headphones. I will never travel without them.

What’s next for Fettle?

Lots! We’ve got Cicchetti in Piccadilly, hotel projects with The July in London and Dublin, and the Locke in Paris. In the US we have a project with the Tao Group in Las Vegas, French restaurant Lalou in West Hollywood, plus many more.