Most interior designers begin in a whirl of creativity, energy and optimism. In an average working week, they will act as designer, specifier, accountant, project manager, client liaison, IT support, office dogsbody and tea-lady. There is no time to spare for marketing the business or finding new clients. Workflows are impossible to manage, and famine follows feast in a never-ending cycle that can be difficult to break. This is the curse of the small business. Yet some design businesses seem to quickly grow and effortlessly thrive acquiring prestige and financial success along the way. Their founders serene, glamorous and much admired. So, what is their secret? At what point did they make the jump to hyperspace? And how did they orchestrate it? In this episode, we are joined by two very special guests, successful designer Lindsey Rendall, British Institute of Interior Design President and founding partner of Rendall and Wright, and Rose Murray, founder and creative force behind These White Walls, to find out they did it. This episode was recorded at the Parkside Studio in Clerkenwell - thanks to Parkside for their support. We are a Wildwood production. ...
In this episode, recorded in front of a live audience at Decorex 2019, we ask: what makes a happy, healthy home? Back in 1971, an American researcher called Roger Ulrich began tracking the outcomes of patients recovering from routine surgery in a suburban hospital in Pennsylvania. Half of these patients had rooms that overlooked the trees of the adjacent park while the other half had rooms with a panoramic view of a brick wall. To his astonishment, Ulrich discovered that the group of patients looking at the trees, achieved faster recovery rates, spent less time in hospital and needed fewer painkillers than the ones left staring at the wall. Since then further studies have gone on to support these findings. Human beings have an innate connection to nature. If we believe this connection to be important, how should designers approach the design of interior spaces, both public and private, that will improve physical and mental health, and enhance the wellbeing and happiness of their clients? Cinzia Moretti of Moretti Interior Design and Phoebe Oldrey of Smartstyle Interiors, two passionate advocates of well-being, happiness and interior design, join us to offer their take on this increasingly important subject. ...
Jeff and Susie are joined by Jane Landino and Helena Lowry from Taylor Howes to discuss interior design for historic buildings. In the UK, we are blessed with a huge stock of incredible old buildings. In fact, around 30% of all our homes were constructed before the year 1910. Many of these properties are quite rightly protected by strict laws designed to preserve their historic features and, at the same time, maintain our lovely streetscapes. But wonderful as these buildings are, they were designed for the way people in previous generations lived and worked, which is a far cry from the way we live and work today. Plus, many of them are fragile and in need of repair. Is it possible to sensitively re-purpose these outmoded historic structures and make them relevant for modern use, and what is the role of the interior designer as protector and custodian of our national heritage? This episode is recorded at Taylor Howes in Knightsbridge. ...
