From city to country, Kate Guinness puts the client at the heart of every project and leads with an approachable style.
Kate Guinness founded her eponymous interior design company in 2016 and now successfully operates out of two studios: one in West London and the other in rural Wiltshire. Kate leads a small but experienced team with an approachable style, working predominantly on residential projects.
There’s a wonderful warmth and joyfulness that threads it’s way through the Kate Guinness design studio. With experience working on both architecturally and historically important buildings, as well as smaller properties, Kate and her team remain consistent in their approach to design regardless of the project size. By combining antiques, fabrics, colour and art, the studio creates projects anchored by timeless details that feel lived in rather than styled.
Here, Kate discusses how she transitioned from Set and Costume Design to Interiors, her biggest project to date (a very personal one), and discovering new talent via the United in Design apprenticeship scheme.
What is your earliest memory of design having an impact on you?
I’ve been lucky enough to have been brought up surrounded by beautiful interiors and my childhood in Ireland was spent surrounded by the colour and style of Irish Georgian country houses. My mother, an erstwhile art dealer, has a fantastic eye and has always created homes layered with beautiful antiques, artwork, and African textiles.
Where did you study design and what did you specialise in?
I came to Interior Design via a career in Set and Costume Design for Theatre and Opera. My first job in Interior Design was at JR Design, where I worked for four years. Having only done a short course at the KLC I learnt a huge amount while working there, both in terms of the practicalities of working as a designer as well as how to mix colours. I then briefly worked at Howe London, and with Adam Bray – a brilliant colourist with a distinct and unique eye – before starting my own studio.
What kind of designer did you aspire to be and who are your inspirations?
I don’t think I had a clear aspiration as to the kind of designer I wanted to be when starting out. However, I have come to realise that with residential design in particular it is essential to get on well with your clients and to be able to understand their lifestyle and help create the most beautiful yet practical home for the individuals involved. A few of my constant inspirations are Chester Jones, Robert Kime, Jaime Parlade, and Adam Bray.
What was your first professional design commission?
I somehow got my first two design commissions in the same week. One was a family home in Notting Hill, and the other was a lovely house near Oval, which we worked on gradually, room by room, with timeless, layered results that I am very pleased with.
What has been your biggest design commission to date?
We’ve been lucky enough to work on a number of large homes, and a lovely café in Hammersmith. But the biggest commission in terms of the scope of works has to be my own home, which we built from scratch a few years ago. I was pushed well outside my comfort zone designing all the exterior elements of the property, as well as having to make endless decisions for the interiors – something I find far easier to do for others!
How would you describe Kate Guinness Design as a studio and a community of designers?
We are a small, approachable and experienced team based between West London and Wiltshire. The client is at the heart of every project, which means we take a collaborative approach, respecting the architectural integrity of the building we are working on. We like to make bold decisions that emphasise rather than overwhelm historical detail, whilst also addressing our clients’ needs allowing their taste to shine through.
We work predominantly on residential projects, which tends to mean the client is the homeowner, so we find the most important thing in creating a home is to take into account the patterns and priorities of our clients’ day to day lives – the way they use the house and the way they see themselves. It’s important the interiors feel like home and appear to have grown organically.
What are the key characteristics you look for when bringing new talent into your studio?
Aside from the obvious requirements in terms of computer and design skills, it is incredibly important for me that our small team gets on well with one another and collaborates well. I’m finding more and more that personality fit is as important as skill and taste.
Over the past three years we have had apprentices through the United in Design apprenticeship scheme, which we have enjoyed supporting and we have benefited from fresh ideas being brought in to the company. One former apprentice is now a permanent member of our team.
Where is the majority of your work based? And how has travel helped to shape and influence your ideas on design?
Having established the company in London, to date our projects have often been London based. However, since opening a second studio in Wiltshire, we are taking on more country projects in surrounding counties. That being said we are happy to work further afield, having previously worked on a project in Madrid and more recently completed a project in San Francisco.
I’m always inspired by how colour is used and perceived so differently from culture to culture, and love travelling and absorbing new ideas.
What do you think should be a key focus for designers moving forward in 2024 and beyond?
Sustainability is obviously something that we must all focus on. We try to advise and guide clients to make more sustainable choices, buying vintage and antiques where possible, re-using (often re-upholstering/painting) existing furniture rather than buying new, etc.
If you hadn’t become an interior designer what would you be doing?
Prior to becoming an Interior Designer I was a Set Designer for Theatre and Opera, which I would quite likely still be doing in some form. Alternatively, I have always had an interest in working in therapy, particularly art therapy.
www.kateguinness.co.uk | IG: @kateguinnessdesign
Photography by James McDonald
