THE JOURNAL
is merely the end of a story: the resolved room, the cohesive home, the moment when everything looks effortless. What is less visible are the decisions that came
I
before: the spatial problems solved, the compromises made, the contractors briefed, the budget adjusted, the solution rethought. Good design hides the work, and this work often requires a high degree of skill and experience. A person with a good eye might be able to say
that a picture is hanging too low, or that a rug could be bigger. But that is not the same as reimagining the flow of a house, or devising a piece of joinery that transforms how a room is used. That is the difference between taste and professional expertise. Mary Graham, one half of Salvesen Graham
(the practice designing the Primary Bedroom for WOW!house 2026), is frank about what she feels when she sees untrained “interior designers” presenting their services online. “Frustration. I would say, is the key word.” The irritation is not snobbery; it is about the gap between the visible and invisible parts of the job. “So much of what we do is
’ve spent more than 25 years visiting beautiful homes and shooting them for the pages of magazines. One of the many things I’ve learned is that what the photographer and I usually see
what goes on behind the scenes in terms of running a project: business management, logistics… all of those less glamorous things which an ‘interiors influencer’ probably won’t talk about.” For Graham, the distinction is not about
someoneʼs taste; it is the scale of responsibility involved. “There are loads of stylish people who could create a really lovely room,” she says. “But that’s not the same as being entrusted with millions of pounds worth of someone else’s money, years of their life and an investment in a property.” That is why professional standards matter. Liz
Bell, president of the BIID, defines a professional interior designer as someone with “great design skills, appropriate education and experience, and clear, ethical business practices”. BIID Registered Interior Designers, she adds, “have undertaken an assessment to ensure the highest levels of professionalism are maintained in the industry,” and they must undertake regular training and adhere to the BIID code of conduct. For clients, that offers reassurance that they are not simply buying taste, but process, accountability and competence. The Design Centre regularly hosts talks with the BIID about professional development. Training matters, too. Alan Hughes of Inchbald School of Design, which celebrated its 65th
anniversary with a graduate exhibition at the Design Centre, makes the point
that a trained
designer learns to step back and interrogate the brief. “They will question everything and be able to detach from ‘style’-driven decisions and resist trend-based requests,” he says. More importantly, they will have questioned their own instincts “to make sure they are interpreting the wishes of the client, supplying what they truly need, not just what they want.” That act of interpretation begins long before a
fabric is chosen. A professional designer does not simply ask what colours or furniture a client likes. They uncover how people actually live and what makes them tick. Salvesen Graham takes clients to the Design Centre for a day, “which is brilliant for exposing them to a myriad of different brands,” says Graham. This is not just shopping. It is a way of observing instinctive reactions to materials, finishes and makers before final decisions are made. Gathering inspiration is one thing. But design
is the process of turning references, instincts and practical needs into something coherent, buildable and properly resolved. For Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors (who recently launched a new bed collection with Oficina Inglesa Furniture in its Design Centre East showroom), this
ABOVE: A lesson in refined London luxury by Linda Boronkay at The Whiteley: hiring an experienced designer, she says, is a way to mediate mistakes OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A bedroom scheme by Henriette von Stockhausen, who recently launched a capsule collection of beds, coronets and chairs for Oficina Inglesa Furniture; the BIIDʼs Interior of the Year 2025, a Highland castle by Kate Bingham, who collaborated with Watts 1874 on the project; The Vawdrey Houseʼs BIID-award-winning project, an eco retrofit to a 1980s executive home; another BIID winner, a restaurant project by Studio 502 in Split, Croatia, recognised for its ability to balance heritage and modernity
-51-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
