30 facts you (probably) didn’t know about RedBook

Setting the scene 

• The idea for RedBook dates from 2003, when our founder Sandy Mitchell (former deputy editor of Country Life magazine and editor on the Telegraph) bought a derelict Grade II-listed 13th-century manor house and was amazed to find there was no access to expert, comprehensive advice on how to launch and manage the restoration.

• Since 2003, we’ve completed 300 projects worldwide.

• We are “the firm with the unrivalled contacts book”, according to the Financial Times.

 

“…we are the firm with the unrivalled contacts book.”

The Team 

• Tom Adams is our CEO. His role is shaping this next chapter of the business. We’ve dubbed it RedBook 2.0. In the (nearly) three years since Tom came on board, RedBook has broadened its reach to take on overseas and commercial projects, with more exciting developments to come.

• As a result of Tom’s vision, today RedBook is an end-to-end design and delivery agency rather than an introductory firm.

• One of our greatest strengths is the stature and experience of our Advisory Board. They are the talent gatekeepers and include luminaries such as Liz Elliot (House and Garden Editor-at-large), Sir Roy Strong (former director of the V&A), Dr Simon Thurley (former CEO of English Heritage), sustainability expert Pooran Desai and rewilding pioneer Sir Charles Burrell.

• Lord Andrew Hay—former head of Global Residential at Knight Frank—is our chairman.

• All members of our project teams boast extensive experience in architectural and interior-design projects at the highest level.

• Sandy remains intimately involved in RedBook and is at the front of our client relationships.  

• Sandy launched RedBook from a dovecote at his country house, and the RedBook office recently moved to new premises on Cavendish Square, London.

“…today RedBook is an end-to-end design and delivery agency rather than an introductory firm.”

The Process 

• Our white-glove service takes projects from the initial client consultation, through project-team selection and fee analysis through to project delivery and aftercare support. And we are the only company which offers this service.

• There are 50 carefully mapped steps we take internally on each project.

• Each client goes through RedBook’s unique taste-exploration exercise using our bespoke tool, designed in house, which enables clients to define where they stand on the design spectrum—it always produces surprising results.

• When building a dream project team, we not only align the most suitable designers to our clients but we also know who which designers will work best together with other team members on a project. With Zahra (Head of Partners) and Phil (Head of Projects) both being experienced architects, with in-depth experience of interiors projects too, we understand our Partners and their capacity and know the questions to ask.

• We take the headache and hassle out of projects and are highly efficient. One international client recently said it took him six months to achieve what RedBook achieved for him in 6 weeks.

• Each of our contractor Partners undergoes a rigorous verification process, overseen by our Advisory Board member Aidan Mortimer, before joining our roster.

• We have recently introduced a Partner Feedback Form, which captures all our insights and recommendations from the beauty parade. We share this feedback individually with Partners who have taken part.

• When fee proposals come in from designers, we carry out a comprehensive analysis, benchmarking the figures against current market rates and ensuring our clients understand the detail of the proposals. This is one of our biggest value-add areas for clients.

The Projects 

• We advise on construction projects with a value of £2m and above, or refurbishment projects that start from £500,000.

• Our largest project on site has a construction budget of over £100m.

• We are dedicated to delivering exceptional service in international projects, particularly in the Middle East, and are looking to expand further in the GCC.

The Cost 

• Our clients pay a one-off fee of £3,800 +VAT—nothing more—for our service.

• Our Partners pay us declared and transparent commissions.

• All our Partners are invited to join our list, and there is no membership fee to become a part of RedBook. 

• Our advisory board members review each Partner annually, and we refresh our roster of talent every year.

The Index 

• In January 2024, we’ll be introducing our industry-leading RedBook Index giving clients and Partners access to up-to-date build costs for prime properties in London and the country.

• As a contributing Partner, you will have access to valuable insights and access to up-to-date built costs.

The Planet

• Since 2022, all our clients’ projects have been carbon neutral—we cover the cost of offsetting in-house. We’ve created a sophisticated tool to calculate the carbon output of a project and offset this through tree planting.

• We are on a mission to become certified under the Positive Luxury standard and a Green Space influencer.