28th September 2023 | IN EXPERT INSIGHT | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedIn Lydia Robinson, Creative Director at Design Storey has given her insights into the industry. What’s the background of Design Storey? I’m a qualified architect and between my first two architectural degrees spent a period working in London where I worked on the conversion of a Grade I listed Wren church tower into a private home. This was a pivotal project and inspired a love of historic buildings. After completing my architectural education I moved to Vancouver, Canada. It was just supposed to be a working holiday but myself and my partner ended up staying there 7 years! I worked at a medium sized practice which had a large variety of projects from airports to homes but with a focus on interiors. On returning to the UK I had a short spell working at the Bristol office of a large commercial architectural practice, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, where I was involved in some high profile London projects including the fitout of the new google headquarters in St Pancras and the reception area of the White Collar Factory in Old Street. I was also the project lead for the interiors of the new ward for the Teenage Cancer Trust in the Bristol Haemotology centre. However, my passion for historic buildings still burnt strong, and setting up my own architectural practice, Design Storey, with my partner Lawrence enabled me to get back to smaller-scale domestic work and historic buildings. Our first project was the Miner’s Cottages, our own project and home, where we reinstated several “lost” historic features. Despite not being listed, our sensitive approach was recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the project was the recipient of two awards, including the special award for Building Conservation. This enabled the launch of Design Storey Arts and Crafts House - Design Storey Cotswolds Retreat - Design Storey Why did you want to work in the interior design profession? I’m a qualified architect and worked for several years in Vancouver, Canada in an architectural practice which also specialised in interior design. One of the directors was an interior designer and even the architectural projects also had a strong interiors focus. When I returned to the UK and started Design Storey, I always felt it was important to ensure the interiors worked with the architectural design and I try to ensure that the two work seamlessly together. For example, our first project as a practice was the extension and refurbishment of a c18th miners cottage. It was probably more of an interiors project than an architectural one and being the recipient of two RIBA awards, gave me the confidence to promote that we can also work on interiors. Cotswolds Coach House - Design Storey Which elements of your profession do you enjoy the most? Meeting a wide variety of clients in their homes and getting to know them personally. We have worked with a diverse range of clients from ones in media and sport, through to those that are at the top of their profession. We feel privileged that they entrust us with the design of their homes and be part of their team. I also enjoy the fact that due to the range of building types and projects that we work on, from houses to gyms, contemporary to historic buildings, every day presents a new challenge and opportunity for learning. We really enjoy working with the suppliers to understand how we can get the most out of their products and push the boundaries, for example, working out how to backlight the polycarbonate walls at the most recent LUXE fitness site. We had to make mock-ups and work closely with the lighting designer to demonstrate to the client that the design would work and provide the desired effect. Luxe ll - Design Storey What has been your most memorable career highlight from the past year? Going to the client’s birthday party in the barn at the cotswolds retreat and seeing the bar used by a professional barman as well as the owners looking so relaxed and enjoying the space. It was a long and complex project as the design and construction work was done in lockdown so it felt such a relief to come out of the pandemic and be able to socialise again of course the project getting short listed for an SBID award was the icing on the cake! Arts and Crafts House - Design Storey What are your favourite types of projects to work on and why? I have been fortunate to work on quite a large variety of interiors projects from an airport, to a university bookstore as well as private houses in my career. Since we founded design storey the focus has been private residential and it is always humbling to be chosen to work on someone’s own inseparable space as each one is unique and personal to the individual. It is always lovely to be invited back to a house you have worked on for dinner or drinks and see people using the space or just visit a family that have settled into the building and the owner and home become fused together. As a counterpoint to the houses we have also worked on a number of gyms – these are rewarding as the projects are accessible to a greater number of people not just a single individual. The concept for the interiors also has to be strong and appeal to a variety of people so it is a good design challenge. Cotswolds Retreat - Design Storey What are the most challenging aspects of working in interior design? I think one of the biggest challenges is helping clients to narrow their focus and prioritise their requirements. There are so many options out there from cover plates to kitchens that it can be quite overwhelming for clients, and there is so much visual stimulus online and the media that people can easily lose focus. Interior designers are providing a service and part of that service is talking through the brief with the client and finding out what makes them tick, you can then create a space that is bespoke to their requirements. Cotswolds Party Barn - Design Storey What do you wish you knew before working in the field? The fact that you can expect a fresh challenge everyday and every client and project is unique so be prepared to be challenged on a daily basis. Having a good design portfolio from your studies does not necessarily translate to being a good designer in practice; emotional intelligence and empathy can take you a long way and ultimately win you work or sell your ideas to the client. The world is not fair and don’t take things personally; when clients or planners don’t feel you have got the best design be prepared to work through it and justify your design better or recognise that the concept isn’t right. Its cliche but getting knocked back does make you stronger and if you are not prepared for that then working in subjective design-led profession might not be the right environment. I wish I had also understood the difference between being good at running a business vs being a good designer; my design education didn’t prepare me for understanding balance sheets, HR, marketing and selling your services which are all important part of being a design professional. 29BS - Design Storey If you could give one tip to aspiring designers, what would it be? Projects can take quite a while to come to fruition, sometimes several years. When a project finishes, take time to revisit it and celebrate the successes and learn from your failures. Returning to a finished project multiple times after completion can provide valuable insights as to whether the design performed as you were hoping and you can learn valuable lessons from the aspects that didn’t. Cotswolds Party Barn - Design Storey Luxe ll - Design Storey How do you see the interior design industry evolving in the year ahead? AI is going to become more prevalent as well as an increasing need to be sustainable in terms of the way we design buildings, the material choices we are making and the long term vision for the building. I’m a big believer in “repairing, reusing and recycling” and working with the fabric of a building. I think the consumerism we have seen in recent years is going to slow down and people are going to make more considered choices and not treat interiors as disposable. A lot can be done with recovering furniture, refinishing flooring, refreshing rather than throwing away into landfill. What does being an SBID Accredited Interior Designer mean to you? To be accepted by a prestigious organisation is always an honour and a validation of the work you have done to date. As I trained as an architect, being registered as an interior designer enables us as a practice to champion the interiors elements of a project and demonstrates to clients that we have expertise and capability in that field. Lydia Robinson, Creative Director at Design Storey About Design Storey Design Storey are an award winning architectural and interiors practice known for high-end homes, heritage and lifestyle projects. They design beautiful homes by repurposing old buildings, or creating new ones, to enhance their client’s everyday lives. Based in elegant Oxford, their designs are inspired by experiences working in both London and Vancouver, as well as the beautiful surroundings of the Cotswolds. They are selective about the projects they work on, offering a high level of personal service, so the directors remain directly involved in projects, to ensure that each design is individually tailored to the client and its context. Visit Profile If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more. If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.