Remote Control: Sandy Mitchell on launching design & build projects in the new era
As lockdown begins to ease and the property market re-opens so that buyers can finally move house, Sandy Mitchell of Redbook shares some discoveries made while running the consultancy business and advising clients remotely...
Sandy has been advising clients on their property projects since he founded the RedBook Agency five years ago. He enjoys helping the firm’s clients above anything—clients tell us this is obvious—and he is proud to have launched more than 50 wonderful projects with them in London and the country. He is just as enthused by the inspiring talent of the creative practices that RedBook represents. The idea for RedBook dates from 2003 when Sandy and his wife bought a derelict Grade II-listed 13th-century manor house in West Berkshire and began to restore it as their family home. ‘The project felt exciting but confusing at the start, and I longed for a real expert to advise us on the ideal architects, interior designers and garden designers,’ says Sandy. ‘I realised there must be so many people in London and the country facing the same challenges. The solution suddenly seemed obvious: RedBook.’ Sandy read law at Oxford and qualified as a barrister. He then pursued an exciting career in the media, editing on magazines including Country Life and The Sunday Telegraph and presenting TV series.At the same time, he worked with leading interior designers to transform a series of homes in London for his own use. He and his wife, and their three daughters, divided their time between their homes in London and the country. ‘Someone once said to me that RedBook is in the ”happiness business”. I think it is a perfect description. We meet clients when their projects are bursting with potential, and we make absolutely sure they enjoy their project to the absolute full by advising them on the ideal creative partners. Having the right chemistry is the magic ingredient.’