DE S IGN CENTRE ONES TO WATCH
The Design Centre champions emerging talent and celebrates up-and-coming creatives. Elizabeth Metcalfe talks to eight designers worth following, all of whom have an inventive approach and some exciting upcoming projects
UNS HOBBS
After years working in marketing and helping friends with their homes, Uns Hobbs founded her south-east London studio in 2022 and was nominated for Homes & Gardens’ Next in Design initiative in 2025. A team of three, the studio is known for its layered, colourful and pattern-filled schemes.
What inspires you? History, old buildings and film sets. I love studying architectural details on old buildings and finding ways to use them in my joinery designs. I have a sketchpad full of details.
What’s the thread that runs through every scheme, regardless of aesthetic? I always bring colour and warmth into my designs, no matter how colour-cautious a client may be. I also feel that every space deserves something super special, whether that is a standout piece or a detail.
What projects are you working on at the moment? A Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in Windsor and a townhouse in De Beauvoir. We have also recently completed an apartment in Canada Water.
Is there any business advice you wish you’d known when you started out? I would tell myself to start earlier and not worry too much about what other people would think. I studied interior architecture at the University of Brighton but then left the field and didn’t return until four years ago.
What’s your latest discovery at the Design Centre? Boura & White, who are part of the Design Emporium Collective. It was great to see a few of their lovely pieces in the flesh.
JOSHUA HALE
A creative polymath, this Oxfordshire-based fashion graduate turned interior designer spent three years freelancing for Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s Emma Burns before setting up his eponymous studio in 2023. His aesthetic is rooted in classical values, which results in interiors that are full of atmosphere.
What inspires you? Travel is a huge inspiration for me. I mentally file away as many snapshots as possible, knowing that these ideas will resurface when the right opportunity appears.
Describe your style in three words. Classic, “country house”, considered.
What do your projects always include? Pattern. For me, itʼs a key element that can bring so much happiness to a scheme. While itʼs fine to be restrained with plains, thereʼs something intrinsically human about living with pattern – we always have.
What are the details that matter to you in your work? Iʼm particularly focused on the design and proper construction of bespoke curtains. They must always be like liquid columns, breaking at the floor. Another detail is hanging art; it’s so important never to hang it too high.
What’s your latest discovery at the Design Centre? I love Jaipur Rugs. Their rugs are truly beautiful, but what’s even more impressive is their commitment to empowering over 40,000 artisans, mainly women, through skilled employment opportunities.
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