Meet the Founders.
The Vabel co-founders on the origins of their collaboration and their innovative vision of what new homes can be. We explore their fresh approach to how spaces are designed and built, and ultimately how they feel to live in.
“We originally met at university,” says Daniel Baliti, sitting alongside friend and Vabel co-founder Jeremy Spencer in their light-filled studio. Daniel – now Vabel’s Managing Director – read economics, while Creative Director Jeremy studied business and communications. “We remained friends after graduating,” explains Daniel, “and over the years, we were always interested in what the other was doing.” Daniel worked for his family’s construction business, creating bespoke projects, while Jeremy moved from an advertising career to become an interior architect at United Designers, creating hotels, bars and restaurants around the world.
Both admired each other’s work. “I was fascinated by what Jeremy was doing. The creative, intellectual perspective was so exciting,” Daniel says. Meanwhile, Jeremy wanted to get to the core of how things are built and made. “I didn’t want to just hand over a design and be done with it. I wanted to create something real, homes for real people.”
When Vabel began in 2009, developers were addressing the need for more homes, but not necessarily considering the design, function, or how people would live in the spaces. Typically, most new apartments are created by residential developers who outsource the design and construction processes – ideas can be lost in translation and details missed, while the living experience can be forgotten. It quickly became apparent to the pair that they could create a better way of doing things through collaboration, allowing them to prioritise design and quality both externally and internally. By founding Vabel, they created a solution: an innovative operational model bringing architecture, contractors, project and construction managers, all under one roof with a shared vision of creating and delivering beautiful buildings and homes.
For the first few years, the pair ran the company with just one other team member. “We were in a tiny office, and we had such true moments of discovery,” Daniel says. They would sit for hours watching the other work, inputting on each other’s ideas. “We really learned each other’s specialisms, and became completely in sync.” The business grew organically from there, as they took on larger projects and grew their team. From rooftop extensions and period conversions to new build developments, they have created over 300 homes across London. Regardless of scale or typology – whether in Brondesbury, Belsize Park, Marylebone, Mayfair or Fitzrovia – their thoughtful approach is the same.
Now, the team of around 40 – including in-house architects, interior designers, project managers and construction managers – all work under one roof, and cross-pollinate ideas as part of an integrated process. “It’s fundamental to what we do. We don’t design in isolation,” Daniel says. Everything that Vabel creates stems from their concept, and feeds into a shared vision. “We nurture that vision, and can ensure it’s implemented true to its origin.”
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