This month, Tollgard celebrates twenty years of passion, creativity, and incredible design. As we reflect on this milestone, our overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude for the clients, collaborators, and team members who have been part of our journey, as we celebrate the makers, moments, and designs that have shaped us.

 

‘‘As partners in life and work, Monique and I know that it’s important to celebrate the milestones. To stop and smell the roses along the way. Otherwise, we’re in danger of rushing from project to project, from year to year, from decade to decade without appreciating the incredible journey along the way.’ Staffan Tollgård

 

In February 2005, Staffan Tollgård took the first step of a journey that now celebrates twenty years of design. From the attic of his and Monique’s Brook Green home, Staffan and Grace (their miniature Schnauzer), became the proud founding members of Staffan Tollgard Design Group, a fledgling architectural interior design studio.

 

2005, Our first project, Kensington.

 

His first project caught the eye of Sue Crewe, the editor of House and Gardens, and an important profile was the first step to inclusion in the celebrated House & Garden Leading 100 Designers list.

 

2008, House & Garden, Designer Profile

 

2009, H&G’s 100 Leading Designers. We went on to feature in the next two lists – only published every three years. 

 

In 2013 we committed to a bricks and mortar flagship showroom when our community was convinced that the future of retail was online. We took a deep breath and dived in.  We wanted to showcase the pieces that we believed in: to have space to curate the best and the bold of contemporary and modern design. Our showroom opened in Grosvenor Waterside, and design services became one pillar of our offering; showrooms the other.

 

2013, Flagship showroom opens in Grosvenor Waterside, Belgravia.

 

2015, we receive recognition in the Andrew Martin awards, Vol 16. We go on feature a few more times in these prestigious volumes. 

 

Some incredible projects followed for the Studio: in the UK, Portugal, Denmark and Jordan. Our base in London and our understanding of how geography and culture shapes our clients lives has led to an international group of clients who have trusted us with their homes and work places.

 

2017, Fano project, Denmark 

 

2018, Staffan & Monique photographed outside Amman Villa.

 

In 2019 we jumped at the opportunity to launch a Tollgard pop-up at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. Our home in the Harbour is now a permanent one, and we love being part of its invested and passionate design community.

 

2019, Chelsea Harbour Showroom.

 

Product design has always been one of Staffan’s passions, and whenever a question of living allowed for a unique answer in a project he would pursue it. When Filippo Castellani joined Tollgard, a new path was officially forged into product design, allowing us to tell the story of the piece rather than the story of the space. Ekero for Porada and Chanterelle for Giorgetti have recently received international acclaim at the Livingetc Style Awards and we are incredibly proud of the growing families of products for these acclaimed brands.

 

2021, Tollgard & Castellani win Living etc award for Chanterelle Coffee Table for Giorgetti and Ekero for Porada.

 

Another milestone to celebrate is the Contracts division, started by Max Pilbeam in 2018. His expertise allowed us to reach another sector of the design community. Working together with Contracts, the Studio’s focus on residential work in London broadened to include this resi-mercial outlook, with multiple residential and commercial projects in the UK as well as internationally. One of our favourite collaborations with architectural practice BDG, includes Dojo, which has been recognised with awards for Best Office in 2021 and 2022.

 

2021 & 2022,  collaboration with BDG, Dojo is recognised with awards for best office.

 

In 2024 Monique and Staffan were asked by the Inchbald School of Design to be part of their new advertising campaign.  “Thinking back to our education at the school, more than twenty years ago”, comments Staffan, “we are so honoured to be part of their story as well, and to open up the incredible world of design to more students.”

The world of design has not always been plain-sailing, but the best journeys never are. We have a little story from film (our past life) that we often remind ourselves of when the going is tough. It’s from Parenthood, and a very wise grandmother remarks that while some people like the merry-go-round, she always preferred the thrill of the rollercoaster.

 

“You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn’t like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.”

 

2024, Photoshoot for Inchbald campaign.

 

Tollgard is now an award-winning, creative and collaborative interior and product design studio, and a respected curator of international contemporary design. With over three hundred and fifty projects under our belt, some truly inspirational clients, a new logo and a brand-new website, we are proudly entering and celebrating our twentieth year as a business, full of energy and enthusiasm for the next decade of design.

 

2025, The Tollgard team celebrate turning twenty.

 

Stay tuned for more exciting updates to come throughout the year, to celebrate Tollgard’s twentieth year…

Here’s to the next twenty years of making design matter.