30 April 2021|Latest Posts, Meet the Successful Founder
Juliette Thomas founded the award-winning and internationally renowned luxury interior design and furniture brand, Juliettes Interiors in 2005. We talk to her about how she founded the ultra-glamorous and exuberantly high-end company and how she is applying her knowledge and skills to design not only for visual appeal, but with health and wellbeing in mind as well.
My obsession with interior design started when I was a child. Rather than playing outside, I’d spend ages creating furniture for my dolls’ houses. I’d make tables and chairs out of everyday household items such as shoe boxes, and I’d spend time painting cotton wall balls to use as scatter cushions! This led to a lifelong love of interior design.
Unsure on how to make it in interiors, I started my career in the only way I knew how, in the IT world – where I came from, no one knew interior design existed. In 2005 however, my life changed, which allowed me to follow my true passion. So I handed in my notice and set up Juliettes Interiors as an online shop. My offering was mid-range furniture. However, I soon realised in the difficult economic climate, that in order to survive I needed to move into the luxury sector.
Once the website sales started picking up, I knew that Juliettes Interiors needed a high street presence, so I set out looking for the perfect spot and chose the Kings Road in Chelsea. It seemed fitting that such a high-end business needed to offer clients the full service from interior design through to spatial planning, and the design hub of London was the perfect base.
Our customers are HNW and UHNW individuals from all corners of the globe. They’re looking for a creative approach, exclusive designs and an efficient and seamless service from sketches through to final installation. They want something that no one else has, and our expertise is in sourcing it. Whether they’ve spotted an item in a magazine, or have the beginnings of an idea in their head, our job is to interpret these ideas and take them through to designs that inspire and exceed their expectations.
It was important to me, given my path into interior design, to offer a design school for those looking to get into the industry, or wanting to design their own homes, so we recently set up Juliettes Design School to share our knowledge and skills with passionate individuals. With both showroom and online courses on offer, it’s been great following our students’ projects so far.
More recently, we’ve been designing with wellbeing at the forefront of our projects. With more of us spending time at home, it’s essential that our living spaces are offering much more than just a roof over our heads. They need to enhance our lives and become a space that we feel calm, safe and relaxed in.
Light is such an important factor when designing for health and wellness as the amount of light in a room has a profound affect on our mental wellbeing, especially during dark and dreary winter days. We’ve been adding lots of large statement mirrors to our projects lately, choosing to position them opposite windows and in any rooms where the light isn’t natural, such as hallways, to help bounce brightness around which is so key in lifting spirits. We’ve also been adding light using lamps and candles to create a cosy, homely feel to living spaces. The gentle flickering flames not only make homes smell beautiful, they create a calming atmosphere, perfect for helping our clients feel relaxed.
Warm neutral shades are set to be big in 2021 due to their ability to help us reset and create a peaceful ambience in our homes. We’re currently planning several projects for some high-end clients where neutrals are key. Some of our clients want calming neutrals and some want energy within the interior, so we use neutrals as a base and then inject a little vigour with pops of green or pink hues, which are inspiring and will help our customers feel energised when at home.
We’ve also been busy designing home office areas, making sure to create clear distinctions between work and living spaces so that our clients can switch off from work at the end of the day. We’ve loved being creative with this, finding nooks under stairs, or even using the landing by adding a gorgeous console table to help zone working spaces. We’ve been incorporating decorative screen dividers, rugs and even houseplants to help define the different living areas, with pops of colour used to energise and motivate. It’s really important to have this definition, as it’s unhealthy for your state of mind if you feel surrounded by your work.
There’s no denying the benefits the great outdoors has on our wellbeing. It might not be the weather for it at the moment, but as soon as spring comes we’ll be getting our outdoor furniture out, planting some bright flowers and enjoying a little bit of vitamin D. It’s important not to overlook your outdoor space, after all, it is an extension of your home and should be enjoyed as much as possible. During the dark winter months I suggest adding some greenery into your home, to help provide a bit of the outdoors inside.
From bespoke furniture pieces made to our clients’ exact wishes and using our skills and knowledge to design for wellbeing, to our newly launched interior design school, we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved in the luxury homeware market and I couldn’t have done it without the fabulous team around me.
Website & Socials
https://www.juliettesinteriors.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/juliettesinteriors/
