Manchester Interiors - a look inside a stylish Castlefield apartment

Andrew Gibson doesn’t have to work hard to sell lighting and furniture from his business, Brand. One look at the iconic designs in his Manchester apartment and they fly out the door quicker than you can say Philippe Starck.

It’s easy to see why. His contemporary apartment, in one of the former Manchester Ship Canal buildings in Castlefield, serves as an unintended but striking showroom. Not only does it have the enviable location with views across the city skyline – a view Andrew constantly takes advantage of by throwing parties on his huge balcony – but it also pays homage to some of the world’s leading names in design.

You won’t find a room that doesn’t have a classic in it. Verner Panton, Philippe Starck are there along with stand-out designs from companies like Established & Sons. Andrew also has pieces he commissioned through his family’s business, Tyson Lighting, including a small body-shaped lamp that constantly changes colour.

He said: ‘I love finding pieces that make a statement and they really stand out. I get to travel to design shows and you see items that really break the mould and I love having them in my house.

‘But there are also the classics, like Verner Panton, that have really stood the test of time. He is definitely one of my favourite designers.’

It has taken the 33-year-old a while to renovate his two bedroom apartment. He moved in at the end of 2007 but finished the transformation only a few months ago. While there was nothing wrong with the structure of the property, Andrew, who has helped furnish and light the homes of celebrities and sporting stars across the country, wanted to totally revamp the interior.

He has changed everything from the floor up. Lighting, as you might expect, plays an important part and a suspended Verpan Onion light, designed by Panton, is the showcase item in the lounge along with a striking hollow Zero In coffee table from Established & Sons, which Andrew has filled with champagne corks. In the same room, a colourful painting of the letter ‘g’, painted by friend Garry Foy, takes pride of place.

In the luxurious bathroom, sourced from Porcelanosa, Andrew has added his own touches including a strip of low-level floor lighting, normally used on the outside of buildings, which traces around the edge of the room.
The bedroom still has the contemporary look of the rest of the apartment, but with a slightly more traditional feel created by the huge French design bed.

There is also a secret staircase, which leads from the main bedroom back down to the apartment entrance. This is filled with pictures, posters and memorabilia including football shirts from his favourite team as well as his idol, David Beckham.

Andrew, who worked in the financial industry before joining the family business, had help from partner and interior designer, Alexandra Thompson. He has also travelled the world scouting out leading design houses and shows.

But he also has a friend, James Hoole, to thank for living in such a wonderful home. It was he who persuaded Andrew to ditch his plans to buy a rural retreat in favour of the city centre life.

Andrew said: ‘I remember him sitting me down and telling me I was still too young to be settling down in the country. He gave me one of his flats in Castlefield to live in for free for a month.

‘That was it, I knew I had to live here. I missed out on one apartment that came up for sale. When this one came up I knew I just had to go for it. I will probably have a lovely rural home one day but this is fantastic at the moment. It has been a drawn-out process but rather than rush it, I wanted to take my time and end up with a house I was really pleased with. I absolutely love it now.’

The print version of this article appeared in the December 2011 issue of Cheshire Life 

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