DE S IGN CENTRE
to apply the same professional standards to interior design by training and developing the necessary skills. Katharine Pooley spent a number of years working in finance in Hong Kong and Singapore. “For both clients and suppliers, my background provides a degree of confidence,” she says. “Working in finance taught me some valuable transferable skills: hard work is everything, detail is everything, and precise organisation is what helps to bring your vision to reality, in the creative or financial spheres.” Veere Grenney’s background couldn’t be further from finance or law; he arrived in London from
New Zealand via India, Afghanistan and Morocco, fully immersed in the richness of the cultures he had experienced. It was while he was dealing from a stall at Portobello Market in the early 1980s that he met Mary Fox Linton. Today, he leads one of the most sought-after design studios offering clients a depth and breadth of experience that owes its magic to those formative years. “Travelling extensively, and living in Asia for so many years, helped me to see that an original
viewpoint is the most precious and rare thing,” says Katharine Pooley. “For designers, I believe it is imperative to travel, experience other cultures and immerse yourself in the natural world. Fundamentally, to be a successful designer you have to have something to say, an opinion, an original viewpoint. I always advise design students starting out to travel extensively if they can, immerse yourself in this beautiful world to ensure you have a range of inspirations to draw on in your work. My years in Asia were imperative for my creative development, even though I was working in a completely different field.”
ABOVE: The handsome dining room at Katharine Pooley’s Georgian coach house in Oxfordshire is a testament to her extensive travels, with its collections of blue and white china, Myanmar buddhas and an antique chandelier; the chairs are from Ralph Lauren Home, upholstered on the back with fabric sourced from Tissus d’Hélène. LEFT: A chinoiserie bureau in Katharine Pooley’s living room is one of her favourite spots to write
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