We can’t believe it’s May already! To celebrate the first quarter, we thought we’d share some fab content from shoots that have taken place at our locations since January.

Whether it’s from a weekend discovering a new neighbourhood, or a morning coffee before a shoot, our coffee escapades have led us to uncover some hidden gems, and we’re here to share them with you!

Welcome back to the 1st Option Locations blog. Today we’re showing you all our costumes from our Halloween fancy dress day, held in our London office. Get ready to be spooked and dazzled, as we’ve got a great mix of scary and stylish costumes in a variety of efforts! Stay tuned as we also reveal who won the Best Dressed prize.

This blog post introduces our readers to the social media platform TikTok. In the piece, 1st Option discusses how we have used TikTok and softwares like CapCut to raise brand awareness and really, to have some fun! This blog post is meant to be both fun and informative, giving basic tips on how to utilise the platform as a business, while telling everyone what we’ve been up to.

Welcome back to our blog as we delve into Part 2 of photographers we love! This next batch of interiors, lifestyle and still life specialists are coming in with even more inspiration for your personal projects and creative mind.

Following our piece on interior stylists, we must acknowledge the people who skilfully capture the curated beauty – the photographers. Whether you’re passionate about interior design or simply have a craving for some good photographic work, we highly encourage you to check out each artist’s portfolio for that inspiration you’re secretly craving.

Summer is finally upon us! So we thought what better a time to shine some light on some of our current favourite designers and stylists, encouraging you to go and check out their unique portfolios to get that fresh inspiration for your personal spaces, or simply for the ol’ memory bank!

We recently had an evening of painting with the team at the 1st Option HQ and the results were hilarious!

Following on from our incredible house tour of Spratts Factory, with the fabulous owner Elisabeth Ciarrocchi, looking at the design elements within her fantastic renovation of a disused dog biscuit factory; we sat down with her for a short interview to pick her brains about her favourite features, what it’s like to live in a factory building and why her home is the perfect shoot location.

Following on from our incredible house tour of Roma, with the fabulous owner Marta Vilella-Vila, looking at the the features that make her home unique, her favourite elements and the challenges she faced throughout the renovation process; we sat down with her for a short interview to pick her brains about her favourite features, areas and why her home is the perfect shoot location.

Following on from our incredible house tour of Honeycomb, with the owner and director Mark Dolan, looking at the the features that make his home unique, his favourite elements and the challenges he faced throughout the renovation process; we sat down with him for a short interview to pick his brains about his favourite features, areas and why his home is the perfect shoot location

The past two years have undoubtedly seen home decor Instagram accounts boom like never before. Lockdown had the world evaluating every inch of their homes; and where do you find inspiration in the 21st century? Instagram! Home decor accounts on Instagram are having their moment and for good reason – there are tens of thousands of accounts showcasing every style imaginable, all under the setting of someone’s real home. Not only do these accounts show how they style certain pieces, but many of them give you tips and tricks, ranging from how to style on a budget, to how to style in limited space and so much more. So check out our top 9 accounts to follow this year.

Following on from our incredible video tour of Nash, with the owner and outstanding interior designer Stephen Nash, looking at the the features that make his style unique, his favourite elements and the challenges he faced throughout the renovation process; we sat down with him for a short interview to pick his brains about his favourite features, areas and places on earth.

In the first episode of our new video series, ‘My Home My Haven’, the wonderful Stephen, who is an incredible interior designer and owns our fabulous location Nash, takes you on a tour of the house, highlighting the features that make his style unique, his favourite elements and the challenges faced throughout the renovation process. If you are interested in design, this is a must watch, with a wealth of insightful, interesting and truly fascinating tips, tricks and stories!

In this second part of our interview with Ed Reeve of Blackwood House, we sat down to talk about his design style, how it influenced his one-of-a-kind home and the work that went into building such a unique property. Read on for some fascinating insights into the iconic property.

We recently sat down with Ed Reeve, the owner of the Iconic Blackwood House, situated in North London. In an incredibly insightful interview, we spoke to Ed about his job as an architectural photographer, his design style, how he built his incredible home and what it’s like to be a shoot location owner. Read on to get the full scoop from part 1 of the interview.

In episode 8 of Ask the Location Owner we were lucky enough to go round and have a chat with Ed Reeve of Blackwood House.

In the second of our new series of videos highlighting some of our favourite locations, we bring you the incredibly unique and eye-catching The Rock.

In the second installment of ‘In Conversation with’ we caught up with Louise Hardy and Nick Barr of Dacres. This time we chatted about their jobs as musicians and artists and whether they had any impact on the overall design of their South East London Home – Dacres.

In episode seven of our series ‘Ask the Location Owner’ we chat with Mairead over video call to learn all about her home ‘Bottega’.

In episode five of our series Ask the Agent, we got together over zoom to talk about trends, design and what it is like to be an agent!

In episode six of our series ‘Ask the Location Owner’ we chat with Nikki over video call to learn all about her home ‘Tierney’.

In episode five of our series ‘Ask the Location Owner’ we chat with Claudia over video call to learn all about her home ‘Burlotti’

The winter months can be a challenge with most of us working from home.
Here at 1st Option, we thought we’d share some of our top tips for overcoming the morning blues!

In episode four of our series ‘Ask the Location Owner’ we catch up with Amy over video call to learn all about her home.

Interior photography is a complicated subject that does, if done well, require a variety of skills. When trying to show off the relevant features that set apart your property from the next, like room size, period features and the amount of natural light it possesses, merely using a smartphone camera is probably not going to […]

Registering your property with a Location Agency can be an incredibly thrilling, exciting and rewarding process, mentally as well as financially. However, before you get into the rigmarole you should go in with your eyes open knowing exactly what to expect, which should help to make the whole process as seamless as possible. It’s also important to bear in mind that 1st Option have incredibly high standards when it comes to arranging shoots for clients, so before deciding whether or not to register check out our top tips to ensure you’ll be able to keep these standards with us.

Styled, lifestyle led studios or empty, blank canvas studios? Which style should you choose for your next shoot? While they both have their pros and cons, the key is to know what you’re looking to achieve in your final shots.

Whether your taste leans more towards minimalism with crisp colour tones and clean lines or a bold aesthetic utilising colour, patterns and texture, you’re sure to find a style that inspires you here. Sit back and take a look at 10 amazing interior stylists and creatives that you should already be following.

With the majority of the world currently bound between the four walls of their own home, it’s easy to pick apart features that you perhaps have had issues with for many years, however, haven’t had the time to scrupulously inspect. If you are struggling to find that needed inspiration, then worry no more, as we have collated some of the best home decor and interior design accounts Instagram has to offer.

In this week’s episode of Ask the Location Owner, Sophia caught up with Michaela from or property Seymour to talk about her amazing house and all the gorgeous features inside.

In episode three of our series Ask the Agent, Junior Account Executive Rosie answers questions about painting and decorating for a shoot.

In episode two of our series ‘Ask the Location Owner’ we catch up with Nicola and Greg from our location Wavertree.
*This video was filmed before the UK lockdown on the 23rd March*

In the first episode of Ask the Location Owner, Our Senior Account Manager Sophia has been to our location Chevron to talk about her property.

In our first youtube episode of the series Senior Account Manager Sophia answers the top questions we receive at 1st Option.

Continuing on our ‘In Conversation with..’ series is one of our amazing Location Owners Jane Cumberbatch of Palace Road. Jane is not only an Interior Stylist but has multiple books all about interior design, cooking and so much more.

Februarys shoot of the month is this month’s edition of British Vogue featuring Kate Moss and Stefano Pilati!

Check out our recent stylish shoot at London location 78 for Wormland…

Take a peek behind the scenes at Lordship Park with Keira Knightley shooting for Harper’s Bazaar

Giorgia Jones shooting at our fabulous location Mile End Road

Our lovely colourful shoot location Montagu hosted fashion brand Missguided this week

L’Oreal have just shot a fab new video at our shoot location Clapham Common

Find out more about how Ian got into the business and what inspires him

it can be slightly tricky getting anything done with a Pug on your desk…