Judith Kit Kemp (born 1950), is a British interior designer, and founder of Firmdale Hotels, a chain of ten hotels in London and New York. She is married to Tim Kemp. They were jointly awarded an MBE in 2012.

Career

Kemp commenced working for an auctioneer, and then for Polish architect Leszek Nowicki. She met her husband Tim Kemp through the architectural practice in the 1980s, and together they started the concept of boutique hotels. Kemp's first establishment was Dorset Square Hotel in 1985. Firmdale has 10 properties, with eight hotels in London including Ham Yard Hotel, the Soho Hotel, Covent Garden Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel, Haymarket Hotel, Number Sixteen Hotel and Knightsbridge Hotel, and two in New York, The Whitby Hotel and Crosby Street Hotel. Kit Kemp and her husband Tim Kemp have converted properties such as warehouses and car parks into hotels. In 2007, they were awarded the

Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priv ...

's Urban Business Award for the regeneration of Haymarket Hotel. They have received press coverage for the Soho Hotel and Ham Yard Hotel in London, as well as Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel in New York. She has won awards for her work including '' House & Garden's'' Hotel Designer of the Year, Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year and Conde Nast Traveller’s ''Best Hotel in the World'' for Design. Kemp has collaborated with brands including

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It was rapid ...

, Wilton Carpets, Andrew Martin International,

Anthropologie Anthropologie is an American clothing retailer with approximately 200 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the UK that offers an assortment of clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decoration, beauty products, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of ...

, Christopher Farr, Chelsea Textiles, C P Hart, Porta Romana and Fine Cell Work.

Publications

In 2012, Kemp published her first book, ''A Living Space''. This was followed by ''Every Room Tells A Story'' which was published in 2015. Her third book, ''Design Thread'', was published in February 2019. Kemp has been a guest editor for ''

Homes & Gardens ''Homes & Gardens'' is a British monthly interior design and garden design magazine published by Future plc Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that sp ...

'' (UK) and Hospitality Design (US). She is a trustee of Fine Cell Work and the Heritage of London Trust.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemp, Kit British interior designers Living people British hoteliers Members of the Order of the British Empire British furniture designers British company founders 1950 births