Design is a journey
Today I wanted to share a bit about the development of the Interior Design Nook and my design philosophy over the past year. It’s been just over a year since we moved to the Welsh Marches and interior design became my main career focus.
Developing an approach to design
When you train in an architecture school, you get taught to appreciate the great masters of the 20th century. 'Form follows function' and 'ornament is crime' were very much still the zeitgeist where I studied. Here’s a photo of a project to design a university halls of residence - as you can see it’s quite architectural! Despite leaving with a degree in interior design, I wasn't taught anything about colour or pattern. From my formal education, the take away has been the importance of spatial planning, getting the bones of a space right before adding the aesthetic elements, but without colour and pattern I feel the soul of the space is missing. Fortunately I've always been a bit of a painter so I have a good understanding of how to create and mix colours, regardless of my university education!
Growing my business
Moving to our chapel home between Hay-on-Wye and Hereford last year coincided with the growth of my interior design business, and consequently my personal design journey. I've explored my taste in depth this year, which has been a real journey of discovery. I have refound my love of antiques, understood just how much ornament and embellishment I do enjoy, and developed my personal colour palette.
I decorated my previous home with lots of mid-century furniture, brass accents, marble tiles, and cork floors. The walls were grey, millennial pink, dark green and charcoal blue. I loved it, I am proud of what I created, and it was very instagrammable. It was also very repeatable, and not wholly reflective of us as a family - it could have been anyone's tasteful home.
I think this is the main way my style has developed in the past year: I'm much more aware of when I'm being influenced by trends and I make a conscious effort to examine whether it's a keeper or a passing fancy. My focus at the moment is all about finding the individual, the passion, and the distinctive qualities of the occupier in their home.
This is not always easy to do with clients - it's a commitment to take that journey and detach yourself from the Insta-inspiration to create something unique to you. But it's an absolute joy to do this in my own home, and also to find that individuality in my son and my husband to create spaces that reflect all of us and suit all our needs (you can read more about personalised interiors here).
One area I've really enjoyed exploring is pattern, which I've done through learning about the origins of the patterns I like, learning about the designers, and exploring different mediums when designing patterns myself. I've gone from liking a really broad mix of patterns and never using any because they all clash, to refining what I want to use in my new home - a sense of craftsmanship and a reflection of the location. This is why you wont find any on-trend jungle botanicals in the chapel, even though I like them, but you will find a bit of William Morris.
mixing patterns
Design philosophy
The way a designer works and their approach to design is ever evolving. For me, there are stalwart principals which haven’t changed, and a few new ones I have developed since launching my business, which have both refined and reinvigorated my design work.
The stalwarts are to get the bones right first, respect the architecture and respond to the environment or ‘genius loci’. I don't mean you have to put Victorian furniture in a Victorian house, but don't fight with or destroy the original architectural language. Consider what the building is saying, and make sure everything you put in makes a positive contribution to the conversation.
My more recent design philosophies are to use colour psychology to create a personalised colour palette (don’t create a generic scheme based on generic colour rules), and to never be the oldest thing in the house! It's a quote from Patsy Stone in Ab Fab, but joking aside, a magazine-ready luxe interiors feels superficial to me. Antiques, vintage and second-hand pieces have meaning. The atmosphere of a room isn’t just about the way things look, and there's a quality that comes from things with a story behind them which creates character in an interior. Plus, it's more sustainable!
If you’d like to work with me, request my Welcome Pack to find out more about my services.