The best residential interiors are unique expressions of their owners’ lives and loves – and achieving that requires interior designers to get up close and personal, says Charlotte Abrahams
ABOVE: A London townhouse by Joanna Plant, a designer who believes that listening is one of the principal skills required when setting off on a design journey with a new project. This scheme – which includes a Samuel & Sons bullion fringe used on the slipper chair – feels immediately lived-in, with a sense of ease and comfort