Paul Bonnici is a concept designer for heritage interiors - spaces, furniture, fixtures and fittings. He works with listed and everyday buildings and is led by the relationships we have with the spaces we inhabit and the sense of place that can come from a multi sensory interpretation of tangible and intangible heritage. Paul is a heritage professional with over 14 years of interior design and heritage interpretation learning and practice, based in the UK and Malta.

The studio creates places where the past contributes a greater meaning, interest, comfort and attachment to contemporary occupancy. These are experienced through the layout and use of spaces, their orientation, our movement through them, the choice of furniture, fixtures, fittings and other objects, access to natural light, the textures and finishes of materials, the use of colours. Each, and more, have the ability to provide a voice for a building's past.

Paul conducts research, heritage and measured surveys; analysis, conceptualisation and development. This includes visualisation services such as sketching, 3D modelling and imagery, and scale drawings. He has designed for Medieval, Georgian, Victorian and 1960s properties including a mortuary chapel, an inn, a convent school, a dairy farmhouse, a chair makers factory and a gamekeeper cottage. He is also a maker, reclaimer and restorer.

Paul has a bachelor's degree in heritage interior design and a master's degree in heritage interpretation, and has hands-on experience working with period properties. In addition to his design work, Paul recently chaired The Brooking, an aspiring museum in the UK with a vast collection of architectural detail, latterly directing a grant-funded project transforming the charity organisation from crisis towards a secure and a sustainable future. The Brooking has provided a unique appreciation of the design, making and use of over 500 years of windows, doors, staircases and other details.

CONTACT

In the first instance, please drop an email to studio@paulbonnici.com with a brief introduction to your needs and your contact details. Paul will then be in touch to discuss in more detail. Paul has studios in Berkshire, UK and Rabat, Malta.

APPROACH

Buildings and spaces

The walls around us retain memories of the activities they contained and the people who performed them. These memories turn spaces into places that invite and shape new experiences. By considering the uniqueness and character of our spaces, avoiding the 'gentrification', homogenisation or over-cleansing of them, by embracing their existing and different qualities, a sense of place can be experienced that is deep rooted, respectful of environment and not defined by passing trends or soulless expression.

Furniture, fixtures and fittings

The things we fill our spaces with provide function, comfort and balance. Be they furniture, fixtures, fittings or practical tools, each bears the energy of human design, making and use. Existing objects have survived time, demonstrating sustainable qualities. Through thoughtful restoration, preservation or conservation, objects can complement and boast individuality.

Where objects and spaces have been reused and adapted, their heritage can inform the design and making of new objects to create additional and rooted experiences.