Laura trained as an interior designer at Chelsea College of Arts and specialises in creating traditional interiors. She reveals how she approaches projects and what home means to her.
How would you describe your interior style?
My interiors have a traditional sensibility but are always in the context of the contemporary period. They tend to be elegant yet joyful and uplifting. I always use colour and pattern and love the challenge of weaving them into my projects. No two projects are the same and I love the challenge of understanding my client’s taste and working with them to produce beautiful interiors.
How do you use antiques in your projects?
I love to use antiques to inject character and wit into my projects. Antiques add charm and uniqueness to rooms. They are an essential layer that makes a room personal and gives a room integrity. Antique pieces needn’t be expensive - I recently found some beautiful antique lampshades in unusual shapes in a charity shop which I can’t wait to use.
What do you love most about sourcing antiques?
I love ‘the rummage’. Some of my most treasured pieces have been found through digging through a dusty antique shop on holiday or sifting through a wet stall at an antiques fair. I love taking something which might otherwise be collecting dust or discarded and breathing new life into it. I have a particular penchant for antique chairs which I often recover to update and give them a new lease of life.
What does home mean to you?
Home means everything. It’s a haven, an escape, and brings me endless joy and comfort. It’s important for home to be a place where our friends and family want to be yet a place of sanctuary for my family. I love to change things up to stop rooms in the house from feeling stagnant. This can mean a new picture hung, a shelf rearranged, or a fresh vase of flowers.
Photography by Chris Snook and Paul Massey