Tell Your Own Story
Storytelling is at the heart of everything I do, how I dress, how I design, how I think when I’m working with a craftsman or configuring a new space. The stories behind a fabric or an artist are what pique my curiosity to know more, to weave their meaning into the stories I try to create in a room.
Cut-out felt and fabric leaves on a denim background have been used to create a stunning headboard
It’s what makes a space intriguing beyond being just lovely to look at – it draws you in, captivates your imagination, makes you become a part of its narrative rather than standing on the outside, simply looking it.
Folk art is the theme here, with rugs used as throws and chairs with a winged rhino motif making a real statement
I want to share with you how a room can come to life in a way that is both warm and welcoming but also spiritually uplifting, intriguing and exciting. Designing interiors might not be brain surgery but its power is often underestimated. Being happy and content in our surroundings can make all the difference to how we feel about ourselves and others, and it adds immeasurably to our wellbeing.
Left: A cool, calm sitting room in the eaves of a house is given a burst of colour to draw you in, thanks to vibrant rugs and cushions. There’s even an illuminated ladder leading to a library nook up in the eaves Right: An array of printed fabrics and the flowers displayed on a burnt wood and slate coffee table show it’s all in the detail
I like to weave stories with colour and pattern, objects and art, to keep a visitor moving from one room to the next. Seemingly disparate elements in each room come collectively together as a whole, creating something more than the sum of its parts.
Left: In this hotel suite, a base of blue with touches of pink runs through from the lightfilled drawing room to the master bedroom. A combination of fabrics, including framed ones on the wall, keeps the eye travelling through to the vibrant material used on the headboard in the bedroom area Right: A wall of books is one of the best wallcoverings a room can have
Every Room Tells A Story, by Kit Kemp, with photography by Simon Brown, is published by Hardie Grant, priced £30.
Cut-out felt and fabric leaves on a denim background have been used to create a stunning headboardIt’s what makes a space intriguing beyond being just lovely to look at – it draws you in, captivates your imagination, makes you become a part of its narrative rather than standing on the outside, simply looking it.
Folk art is the theme here, with rugs used as throws and chairs with a winged rhino motif making a real statementI want to share with you how a room can come to life in a way that is both warm and welcoming but also spiritually uplifting, intriguing and exciting. Designing interiors might not be brain surgery but its power is often underestimated. Being happy and content in our surroundings can make all the difference to how we feel about ourselves and others, and it adds immeasurably to our wellbeing.
Left: A cool, calm sitting room in the eaves of a house is given a burst of colour to draw you in, thanks to vibrant rugs and cushions. There’s even an illuminated ladder leading to a library nook up in the eaves Right: An array of printed fabrics and the flowers displayed on a burnt wood and slate coffee table show it’s all in the detailI like to weave stories with colour and pattern, objects and art, to keep a visitor moving from one room to the next. Seemingly disparate elements in each room come collectively together as a whole, creating something more than the sum of its parts.
Left: In this hotel suite, a base of blue with touches of pink runs through from the lightfilled drawing room to the master bedroom. A combination of fabrics, including framed ones on the wall, keeps the eye travelling through to the vibrant material used on the headboard in the bedroom area Right: A wall of books is one of the best wallcoverings a room can haveEvery Room Tells A Story, by Kit Kemp, with photography by Simon Brown, is published by Hardie Grant, priced £30.