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Meet our new Top 100 interior designers and architects for 2024
House & Garden was launched more than three quarters of a century ago and, since its inception, the magazine has been more than simply a resource for those looking for design inspiration. To look back through the archives is to see how House & Garden has always sought to champion the best of interiors and garden talent that this country has to offer. Countless designers got their big break in the pages of this magazine, which in many ways can be seen as a record of the contemporary tastes of the nation. This was formalised in 1998, when the first list of 100 leading interior designers was published in the magazine – and when an equivalent round-up of garden designers was introduced in 2019. There are 17 interior design and architecture studios making their debut in the 2024 iteration of the Top 100. There are also eight new names included in the Top 50 Garden Designers for the first time. We highlight all of this in the June issue, along with Rising Stars – 25 names to watch in the years to come. In the coming weeks we shall reveal the winners of the House & Garden Awards 2024, including Interior Designer of the Year, Garden Designer of the Year and Project of the Year.
The Pantheon of Greats
Welcome to House & Garden’s version of a hall of fame, a 2024 addendum to our annual Top 100 Interior Designers and Architects and Top 50 Garden Designers. They are the designers in whose footsteps so many have followed, who combine experience with creativity, and who continue to inspire us all: the most influential names in interior and garden design.
Below you will find the Top 100 for 2024: it's a much anticipated and hotly debated annual list of whom we consider to be the best interior designers and architects working on private projects in the UK today. They have different styles and take varying approaches, and their projects reflect the wide spectrum that we feature in the magazine and on the website. But what they have in common is that they are brilliant at what they do, creating interiors, houses and flats with flair, and showing sensitivity to their surroundings and the inhabitants. Assembling this list is one of the hardest tasks in the year for the House & Garden team, but the result is an exciting celebration of UK-based talent.
The Top 100 is published in our June issue, out now. You can download House & Garden on your iPhone, iPad or Android device now or subscribe today to get your issue for just £1.
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1/100Adam Architecture
Arguably the leading practice in the UK for Neoclassicism and tactful updates of listed country houses, Adam Architecture uses ‘a progressive approach, taking the lessons of the past into the future’. It is currently converting an 18th-century Oxfordshire house into a boutique hotel.
Owen Gale2/100Adam Bray
Adam’s distinctive style is both urbane and witty. His elegant interiors are informed by his parallel life as an antique dealer, with stock that is an amalgam of items of serious provenance and unusual finds. Another string to his bow is product design, and he has most recently partnered with Soane on a fabric collection.
Martin Morrell3/100Aldridge & Supple
Saffron Aldridge and Scarlett Supple formed their studio in 2020, having met when Scarlett was working as an interior designer for Soho House. Their warm, understated rooms have a focus on carefully chosen antiques and bespoke pieces, natural materials and luxurious fabrics. The duo has also produced their own range of fabrics inspired by antique fragments they acquired in Japan. A welcome addition to this list – and a studio to keep an eye on.
4/100Alex Dauley
She came to our attention in 2020, the year she and Sophie Ashby founded the diversity charity United in Design. Since then, Alex has helped to galvanise the industry into action in myriad ways and co-presented The Great Home Transformation on Channel 4. Keep an eye out for one of Alex’s projects in House & Garden later this year: the south London house of a fashion stylist. Another current project is the groovy reimagining of a Notting Hill villa.
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5/100Anna Haines
This boutique studio works on only a handful of projects at a time, so Anna can ensure she is closely involved with every part of the design process. Her schemes are appealing and practical, while remaining sympathetic to a building’s history and architecture.
6/100Architecture for London
Founder Ben Ridley set up his practice, which now includes 15 architects and designers, in 2009. It is particularly experienced in working with – and adding to – London’s period terraced housing in original, imaginative ways.
7/100Beata Heuman
It has been a big year for Swedish-born, London-based designer Beata Heuman, who opened an appointment-only showroom on Hammersmith Road, W6, in late 2023. Here, clients can immerse themselves in the designer’s world over the three beautifully decorated floors of a Georgian house. The queen of harmonious contrast, she likes to create eye-catching schemes with a distinctive use of colour and playful, imaginative details. House & Garden’s Designer of the Year in 2018, Beata has gained a huge following with clients and admirers all over the world.
Paul Massey8/100Ben Pentreath
This multidisciplinary studio is known for creating elegant yet playful interiors, houses and even towns, informed by an encyclopaedic knowledge of authentic, traditional detail. A farmhouse in Gloucestershire, designed with a strong sense of sustainability, and the redecoration of a Jacobean castle are just two of its existing projects.
Boz Gagovski9/100Benedict Foley
‘I start by finding the story of a project,’ explains Benedict, who won a 2023 House & Gar-den Rising Star award. ‘That means who the client is and who they want to be while in the space, and discovering the building’s story.’ His individual take blends the classic with the outlandish. He is a rare talent.
10/100Berdoulat
Based in Bath, Patrick and Neri Williams specialise in the dec-oration and the restoration of period buildings and have an appreciation for a way of life with simplicity at its core. ‘We like to consider the building as our client, too, and respond to its character, its mood, its style and its spirit,’ explains Patrick.
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11/100Brandon Schubert
‘I love “soulful” as a descriptor of our work,’ says this former lawyer. A house in Munich, his first overseas, has kept him and his team busy lately, while, back in London, renovations are underway on the building set to become his studio – a big step for this small business.
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Mark Cocksedge12/100Bryan O'Sullivan
With studios in London, New York and also his native Ireland, Bryan creates glamorous and modern interiors informed by ‘an elegant, eclectic European point of view’. Hotels and yachts receive the same treatment.
Sophia SPRING13/100Buchanan Studio
The multidisciplinary design studio, led by Charlotte and Angus Buchanan, is as adept at renovating a Venetian palazzo as creating branding and event design. With a background in production design, the couple brings a sense of theatre and fantasy, tempered by a delicate palette and a smidge of chintz.
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14/100Campbell-Rey
Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey pride themselves on their ability to create surprising dialogues between periods, styles and objects. ‘Our work is imbued with a playful, irreverent spirit and a desire to make magic,’ says Duncan. Their love of historical architecture has seen them commissioned to restore a compound of properties on the Greek island of Patmos.
15/100Carden Cunietti
Co-founders Audrey Carden and Eleanora Cunietti have been creating cool, modern interiors since 1996. Right now, the studio is focused on a Cotswold manor house, and finishing a project in Jersey and a newbuild in St Moritz.
16/100Carlos Garcia
Based in London and Norfolk, Carlos Garcia works primarily in the UK, having set up his practice 15 years ago. He has built a reputation for creating beautifully crafted interiors that look as if they have always been there. A lifelong interest in antique fabrics has resulted in his Compass collection.
17/100Caroline Riddell
This well-established designer’s speciality is her client-centred approach. Never bound by just one style of decorating, Caroline guides her clients through the design process, helping them to recognise their tastes. She is an expert in creating comfortable family homes, which are ‘elegant but not too precious'.
Peter Landers18/100Chris Dyson Architects
Although inextricably linked with the 18th-century houses of Spitalfields – where Chris has lived and worked since 1990 – his practice masterfully combines old and new in a unique way, whether in town or country. This year’s major project is Portrack House in Scotland.
19/100Clare Gaskin
Travel, architecture and art are key sources of inspiration for Clare. Clients threaten to buy second homes just to be able to work with her again, such is her skill at marrying style with functionality throughout. This year will see the installation of Project Shakespeare, a new-build apartment in Shoreditch.
Simon Upton20/100Craig Hamilton Architects
With offices in Hampshire and Llandrindod Wells, in Wales, this established practice has a reputation for traditional and classical architecture. Current projects include houses in the Cotswolds, Staffordshire and Scotland, and two in Texas – one Neoclassical, one a new ranch.
21/100Daniel Slowik
After a lifetime at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, where he ran the antiques department and later took on decorating projects, Daniel went on to establish his own interior design practice in 2021. While tradition plays a large role in his work, he also likes to incorporate pleasingly anachronistic elements.
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22/100David Bentheim
A veteran of this list, David Bentheim brings to his projects an appreciation of art, theatre and textiles, as well as a long-time romance with Italian design. ‘I am a modernist and an internationalist, but I enjoy escaping every so often into a more decorative world,’ he says. David has an encyclopaedic knowledge of 20th-century design history and an eclectic eye, and he is known for his brave use of colour and pattern.
Astrid Templier23/100De Rosee Sa
Set up by couple Max de Rosée and Claire Sa, this London- and Lisbon-based architectural and design studio is focused on a holistic approach: every element is thoughtfully integrated. Projects range from an eco newbuild in a wild meadow along the Thames to the restoration of a Portuguese villa.
24/100Edward Bulmer
His experience of working with historic buildings, a strong commitment to environmental practices and deep knowledge of colour (expressed through his own paint collection) make Edward a very sound choice for clients who want to know they are doing right by a building.
Dean Hearne25/100Edward Hurst
One of a number of antique dealers who takes on interior design projects, Edward has an impressive interest in and knowledge of internal architecture, and awareness of the historical uses and aesthetics of a house. He also advises on and sources art, antiques and salvaged architectural fittings.
Jake Curtis26/100Elicyon
The hugely charismatic Charu Gandhi helms a team of more than 30 specialising in sleek, contemporary interiors for an international clientele. Elicyon produces pristine, thought-out spaces that are warmed up with interesting materials, textures and craft elements.
Alexander James27/100Fairfax Jones
Glitzy city dwellings and large country estates all figure in the portfolio of this new studio, born of Louise Jones’ former business and run with partner Caroline Fairfax. Look out for the launch of its new lighting collection, inspired by Palm Springs modernist architecture.
Owen Gale28/100Fleming Architects & Partners
Christian Fleming breathes his knowledge of listed buildings into new houses. Alongside the design of his own Cotswold house – a newbuild with parts that feel as if they date back to the 17th century – the practice has just completed work on a contemporary house and farm and a Grade II-listed manor house, both in the Cotswolds.
©simon upton29/100Flora Soames
Clients’ existing collections (or guiding them in the building of new ones) provide the starting point for many of Flora Soames’ designs. Her look is influenced by the layered, English country- house style, into which she then weaves her passion for fabrics – often featuring several from her own successful range.
Fred Howarth30/100Flower Michelin
The Passivhaus-certified firm, established by architects Alex Flower and Chantal Michelin, specialises in the art of retro-fit. It restores, renovates and extends properties to ensure flexibility and to adapt to the occupants over generations.
31/100Found Associates
Established by the architect Richard Found in 1997, this practice is known for consistently strong and characterful private residential work. It is particularly skilled at working with existing architecture; at the moment, that includes the remodelling of and modern extension to an 18th-century house in the Channel Islands.
Jake Curtis32/100Fran Hickman
‘The studio’s work is driven by the belief that good design shapes how people live and behave,’ says Fran Hickman. ‘The objective is not simply to make spaces feel special, but to also make people feel special within them.’ Whether private or commercial, no two of her projects ever look the same.
33/100Francis Sultana
A collector’s decorator, Francis devises beautiful spaces that incorporate contemporary art. His atelier produces annual collections of bespoke and limited-edition furniture as well as textiles, with some being used by the National Trust in its restoration work.
34/100Gras
Best known for its Scottish projects and a distinctive pared-back but earthy aesthetic, this multidisciplinary Edinburgh-based practice is now gaining in popularity south of the border and beyond. Current projects are as far afield as Hampshire, Cornwall and New York.
ASTRID TEMPLIER35/100Guy Goodfellow
For over 20 years, Guy Goodfellow has specialised in breathing new life into historical buildings. (He also has a very successful fabric line.) His style is characterised by a blend of discreet sophistication, elegance, comfort and English classicism. Guy has a wealth of knowledge about historical architectural details and colour, and his studio offers a full architectural and interior design service. He heads up a small team and, last year, welcomed Steven Rodel as creative director of the interior design and architecture side of the business.
Paul Massey36/100Hackett Holland
Jane Hackett and Johnny Holland’s multidisciplinary company is underpinned by a profound love and knowledge of architecture. While often associated with traditional work, it is just as comfortable designing in a modern idiom.
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37/100Halard Halard
The French designer Bastien Halard studied architecture and furniture design in Paris before moving to New York
and setting up his studio in 2010. Just before the pandemic, he relocated from Brooklyn to the Cotswolds. He says his quiet, beautiful rooms ‘emphasise the harmony between classical language and contemporary sensibilities’. Last year, he launched an outdoor fabric collection.
38/100Hayhurst & Co Architects
This London-based practice won the 2023 RIBA House of
the Year for its Green House project in Tottenham. Innovation, sensitivity and sustainability are central to its approach. On
the go is a new house and studio for an artist in south London, arranged around a central courtyard. The construction uses crushed bricks and cement from part of the demolished building in new terrazzo blocks, cleverly reincorporated into the walls.
39/100Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay
Henri’s signature style brings a wallop of energy to period buildings. Her more-is-more use of colour and pattern is counterweighted by attention to detail and clean-lined, mid-century pieces. ‘It is all about a careful edit, looking for ideas everywhere and not dismissing things out of hand,’ she says.
Paul Massey40/100Henry Prideaux Interior Design
Repeat clients are the norm for this company, which is equally in demand in city and country. It has just completed a farm-house in the Home Counties, which combines pattern- and colour-rich rooms with more serene areas. Layering fabrics and textures is a trademark.
©simonupton41/100Hubert Zandberg
‘We consider aesthetics as a function – it feeds the soul,’ explains South African-born Hubert Zandberg, who heads up a team of 14 designers and architects. There is a definite maximalist sensibility here, underpinned by considered interior architecture.
Lucas Allen42/100Hugh Leslie
A Tuscan villa, a large newbuild in Buckinghamshire and a barn conversion in Connecticut are all currently on the books of this well-established interior architect and his small team. Hugh has an intellectual and considered approach, which can be seen in his thoughtfully curated, well crafted projects.
43/100Isabella Worsley
One of last year’s Rising Stars, this Guy Goodfellow and Kit Kemp Design Studio alumna has some significant ongoing projects, from the conversion of a pair of longhouses in the Brecon Beacons to a property on the Côte d’Azur. And she launched a range of fabrics and wallpapers last year.
Ståle Eriksen44/100James Gorst Architects
The depth and breadth of the work produced by this studio, which was set up in 1981, is impressive. It takes on plenty of restorations and its new-builds are the stuff of dreams. ‘Workmanship and craft are timeless and, when deployed judiciously, can result in work that overcomes the transient tyranny of the modish and fashionable,' explains James.
45/100Janine Stone & Co
This ultra-luxe firm counts architects, construction and project managers, planners, artists, heritage consultants and interior designers as part of its multi-talented group. Working internationally, it has offices in London, Cheshire and New York – all catering to a high-flying clientele.
Owen Gale46/100Joanna Plant
Joanna Plant’s experienced studio is on a mission to deliver ‘beauty and comfort’ to all her clients. It has recently finished a newbuild farmhouse in the Cotswolds, and an extensive renovation of a Chelsea Arts and Crafts house is underway.
Simon Brown47/100Joanna Wood
No project is too ambitious for Joanna and her team, who are creating a private gallery in Parliament Square, SW1, in a substantial house they worked on 12 years ago. Joanna and her designer daughter Hattie will soon be transforming a Canadian lake house together.
48/100John McCall
‘Traditional by nature but not afraid to add touches of drama and theatre’, John’s studio does not take on a large number of projects. Among its recent commissions are a New York apartment and a mews house near Sloane Square, SW1.
Andrew Montgomery49/100J James Mackie
It comes as no surprise that James Mackie, former head of Impressionists and Modern Art at Sotheby’s, approaches interiors ‘not unlike a painter making a picture’. A strong choice for those wishing to incorporate an art collection, James says that his aesthetic is informed by his lifelong love of the English country house.
James McDonald50/100Kate Guinness
Clients go to Kate Guinness to get her ‘lived-in rather than styled’ look. She is brilliant at sourcing fabric, antiques and art to achieve what she has described as ‘an authentic sense of accumulation’. This was the case on a recent over-haul of a Kensington house.
Simon Brown51/100Kit Kemp Design Studio
Inextricably linked with the chic interiors of the Firmdale Hotels group, which Kit Kemp co-founded, her studio also takes on residential projects. These include a newbuild villa in the South of France and a property north of New York.
52/100Leveson Design
‘Comfort is my number one priority,’ says Cindy Leveson. ‘Every sofa should be begging for someone to lie on it – including the dogs.’ This says a great deal about this well-established decorator, who has worked extensively on the Goodwood estate and on many private houses. Last year, she launched a supremely cool collection of rugs with Shame Studios, which are based on the beautiful watercolour paintings she still produces for her clients.
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SAM GRADY53/100Liddicoat & Goldhill
Husband-and-wife architects David Liddicoat and Sophie Goldhill have created award-winning houses since setting up a practice in 2010. Their focus now is ‘developing a new aesthetic using raw and recycled materials, allowing great patina, warmth and durability’.
Milo Brown54/100Lonika Chande
Expect vibrant interiors that delight with pattern and colour from this bitesize studio, which one suspects is a hit with young families. The team always uses a pleasing mix of new, vintage and antique pieces, and is just as adept at working with existing art collections as it is helping clients build one from scratch.
55/100Lucy Cunningham
While Lucy’s look is layered, it is the relaxed feeling that she can create that is particularly appealing. She has ongoing projects in Wiltshire and West Sussex. While her heart seems to be in the country, she happily takes on city projects too.
56/100Maddux Creative
Powerhouse design duo Scott Maddux and Jo leGleud ‘push boundaries while maintaining a sense of timelessness’. They are currently in the process of blending a medieval barn, a former Victorian pub and a charming Georgian house to make a harmonious home for a young family in Cambridge.
57/100MBDS
Founder Martin Brudnizki has a team of over 100, in London and New York offices. ‘Sublime comfort’ is his aim, and clients are drawn to his ability to make their wildest interiors fantasies come true. Houses in London’s Mayfair, New York’s SoHo and Florida are well underway.
58/100Martin Hulbert Design
After working for Mary Fox Linton for a decade, Martin Hulbert struck out on his own in 2010, but his style still echoes her mantra that every room should have a feeling of lightness. He has long worked alongside co-director Jay Grierson, with designer Emma Webster recently joining them at the top table. As well as creating a wide variety of homes from London to Moscow, the studio is responsible for some of the UK’s most lovely hotel interiors.
59/100Max Rollitt
His diverse skills as a furniture maker, antique dealer and interior designer combine to make Hampshire-based Max hugely sought after in the UK, the United States and beyond. He has been devising interiors since 2006 and, while his style is on the classical side, he has a great eye for unusual finds, which he deftly includes in his projects. Max’s deep respect for the period of a house is thoughtfully reflected in his work.
60/100McLean Quinlan
This family-run architectural firm includes Fiona McLean, her daughter Kate Quinlan and Kate’s partner Alastair Bowden. Their modern country houses, in particular, capture a real sense of place in the way they relate to their surroundings, and reference the vernacular.
61/100Vanessa Macdonald for Melissa Wyndham
Vanessa has three large country houses on her books, with some of the biggest names in classical architecture today. She worked with the late Melissa Wyndham for years, but is now a designer of note in her own right.
Ollie Tomlinson62/100Morrisstudio
Before launching his studio in 2018, Tom Morris was a successful writer and design critic with a couple of books to his name.
As such, he comes to this work from a different perspective than many on this list and is now an in-demand designer on the rise, with a 17th-century farmhouse in Sussex and a London house for a pop star underway at the moment. How would he describe his own style? ‘Eclectic, warm and jolly, but always rooted in craft.’
63/100Natalia Miyar Atelier
You can rely on Natalia and her designers and architects for an interesting exploration of materials and textures. In general, the end result is modern and tailored, with art and carefully curated objects adding decorative flourishes.
Owen Gale64/100Níall McLaughlin Architects
This multi-award-winning practice has a strong track record – notably for original contemporary country houses characterised by a contextual approach. The most recent, Saltmarsh House, appeared in April 2024 House & Garden.
Tag Worldwide65/100Nicola Harding & Co
A genius with colour – using it to ‘unlock the potential of a room and transform its mood’ – Nicola is also brilliant at making imposing architecture feel friendly and easy to live with. Last year she launched NiX by Nicola Harding – her own collection of furniture, lighting and accessories.
Michael Sinclair66/100Nina Litchfield Studios
For Nina, it is the layers that are added to an interior which ‘bring joy to the everyday lives of clients’. There is certainly a joyful feel to her schemes. As well as completing a Notting Hill project, she has ambitions to launch furniture, wallpaper and fabric designs this year.
67/100Octavia Dickinson
Historical references, art and tradition all influence Octavia’s always thoughtful interiors, showing a deep understanding of antiques, colour and pattern. Her own collections of fabrics and furnishings reflect her chic, country-house style and are ever growing. Octavia is the sole designer of this bite-size studio, which is currently working on a 1970s house in North Wales and a newbuild in the West Country.
Kat Green68/100Olivia Outred
Chic, glamorous and comfort-able are three words that sum up Olivia Outred’s refreshing interiors. Her small studio of four is working on a variety of projects, including the renova-tion of a house in east London, and a Cornish newbuild with traditional interiors. A furniture collection is also in the offing, due to launch later this year.
69/100Paolo Moschino
Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen oversee high-end residential and commercial projects round the world, as well as three shops. Their USP is a supremely tailored and glamorous look, and clients love them for their ability to effortlessly pull off a Gstaad chalet or a Cornish cottage.
James McDonald70/100Peter Mikic
This London-based studio is known for its imaginative and glamorous style. Designs for Athos won Best Refit at the World Superyacht Awards in 2023. Next up is an expansive New York apartment over-looking Central Park, with an Art Deco-inspired interior.
Oivind Haug71/100Ptolemy Dean
A Renaissance man, Ptolemy is a talented architect and writer. His nine-strong practice works largely on listed properties and sites. Buildings on the Scottish estate of Aldourie Castle and a pool house in Wiltshire – both in collaboration with landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith – are among recent highlights.
Tag Worldwide72/100Rachel Chudley
rachelchudley.com Known for her use of colour and texture, Rachel Chudley is excellent at distilling what her clients want and turning that into something quirky and interesting. Recent projects include a fun family house in Ireland and an apartment for an art collector in Notting Hill.
Tom Fallon73/100Retrouvius Design
Maria Speake is a maverick who sensitively reuses materials and objects salvaged by Retrouvius – the reclamation company she set up with partner Adam Hills – to create beautifully crafted, inventive interiors. At the heart of her work is a belief that good materials and well-made things are precious, whether quarried stone or a piece of fine joinery.
Andrew Montgomery74/100Remy Renzullo
This young American – who now divides his time between the UK and the US – has an affinity for English country- house style. He has been busy working at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, and has now taken on houses in Chelsea and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Also in progress is a ‘career-defining’ project in one of London’s largest houses.
Tag Worldwide75/100Richard Parr Associates
While particularly known for its work at The Farmyard at The Newt in Somerset, this architectural practice takes on a range of private houses. The scale and complexity of its recent projects suggest an impressive level of ambition.
76/100Rita Konig
This accomplished designer is in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Getting to know ‘how my clients like to live’ is at the heart of her work: ‘I think good houses invite you in and that the stuff in them is as important as the colour scheme.’ Fresh from restoring an 18th-century house in Chelsea, Rita has a book and a wallpaper and fabric range for Schumacher out this year.
©simon upton77/100Robert Kime
Since Robert Kime’s death in 2022, his legacy has continued under Orlando Atty and Claire Jackson. They create environments that reflect the interests of the client, inspired by their travels and collections. Recent projects include a Normandy farmhouse and Wiltshire manor.
78/100Rose Uniacke
Rose’s masterful interiors do a lot with very little. Filling rooms with just a few exquisite things – and balancing texture, scale and proportion effortlessly –she creates schemes of rare refinement. Last year saw the launch of a new book and an expansion of her fabric range.
Simon Brown79/100Salvesen Graham
Founded by Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham in 2013, this 15-strong design studio works on projects spanning the globe. It is synonymous with a smart interpretation of the English country-house look. Its own collection is expanding constantly and collaborations with Jennifer Manners, Yolke and Sanderson continue.
80/100Samantha Todhunter
This small studio is known for interiors that balance casually welcoming style with measured elegance. Samantha has recently turned a Wimbledon newbuild into a sophisticated family house and is reworking a San Francisco penthouse.
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81/100Sarah Vanrenen
‘People come to us because they want to use colour and make a real home with depth,’ Sarah says. She does this with aplomb, whether it is in a big Chelsea house or a Cotswold cottage. The designer also has a growing collection of fabric, wallpaper and furniture.
82/100Seth Stein Architects
‘A balance between simplicity, elegance and technical resolu-tion’ informs the work of Seth’s firm. Commissions come from around the globe – from a villa with sustainable principles in Lagos to a remote Melbourne estate. He also has a lighting range with Rose Uniacke.
83/100Shalini Misra
Shalini’s studio has ongoing projects in 11 countries round the world, from the UK to the US, Turkey to India. The look is inarguably modern – often with dramatic and intriguing craft elements. Working with contemporary art is also a real strength of this practice.
84/100Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler
Since the 1930s, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler has been known for design excellence. Current decorators – some of the very best in the business – include Philip Hooper, Emma Burns, Wendy Nicholls, Roger Jones and Lucy Hammond Giles.
Adam Carter85/100Sims Hilditch
Authenticity and longevity are at the heart of the philosophy here. Founded by Emma Sims-Hilditch over 20 years ago, its interiors always look beautiful while respecting the heritage of the building. The complete renovation of a Cotswold manor house and party barn has been occupying the team, alongside the distinctively Danish interior of a west London mews house that needed warming up.
Philip Durrant86/100Studio Ashby
Clients go to Sophie Ashby’s studio for her bold and soulful interiors, in which art plays a vital role. Her monograph was published in February and a second fabric collection with Yarn Collective is in the offing. Meanwhile she and her team of 15 have projects underway in London, New York, Hong Kong and Vancouver Island.
87/100Studio Peake
Sarah Peake devises elegant yet lively interiors that use unexpected colours or details for ‘an element of mischief ’. Current work includes a four-storey newbuild by the sea in Stockholm and the restoration of a Georgian farmhouse near North Berwick in Scotland.
Lucas Allen88/100Suzy Hoodless
‘I think of design as being akin to alchemy,’ says Suzy. ‘It is the process of creating something magical.’ And she has certainly conjured up some special spaces over the years. Her distinctly contemporary studio comprises 15 designers and architects who work on international projects.
Tag Worldwide89/100Studio Atkinson
To hear what is currently on the books at this eponymous company is to get an idea of the impressively diverse nature of Susie Atkinson and her team’s capabilities. There is a residential project in London’s Notting Hill, a ‘very old and important house’ in Dordrecht in the Netherlands, a listed captain’s cottage in the Hampshire market town of Lymington and the renovation of a hotel in Barbados. ‘I aim to create spaces that are inviting and timeless, and indulge all the senses,’ Susie explains.
90/100Taylor Howes
Set up in 1993 and now run by co-founder Karen Howes and design director Jane Landino, this studio creates incredibly detailed projects for high-end briefs. Many clients are long standing, and their children are now approaching Taylor Howes with commissions, too.
Dylan Thomas91/100Thomas Croft Architects
This is one of the top London practices for a sophisticated, refined approach. Thomas and his team of 10 architects are respected for their sensitive work and excellent detailing, with some major conservation projects featuring updates to historic listed buildings.
Simon Brown92/100Thurstan
Having held roles at Soho House and Martin Brudnizki, James Thurstan Waterworth launched his own business in 2018. A common thread that runs through his decoration is restraint – he understands the power of a few well-chosen antiques and beautiful linens.
Ray Main93/100Todhunter Earle
The work of Emily Todhunter, Kate Earle and their team offers a well-balanced meeting point between the classic and the contemporary. Projects range from the decoration of a Georgian country house to furnishing a Val d’Isère chalet.
94/100Tuckey Design Studio
Clients of this studio say they are drawn to its ‘fondness for materials, craftsmanship and proportion’ – and no doubt its very modern spirit. This year will see the completion of a low-energy, rammed-earth country house in Wiltshire.
95/100Turner Pocock
Founders Bunny Turner and Emma Pocock believe that ‘our surroundings can be a source of joy and have a powerfully restorative effect’, and aim to devise spaces that will make sure their clients ‘live better’. They excel at creating gently modern interiors, often with a focus on innovative joinery.
Dean Hearne96/100Veere Grenney Associates
Veere Grenney and his design director Natasha Greig are decorators of virtuosic range. Their work may be grounded in classic ideas of proportion, harmony and comfort, but also has the right amount of ‘wow’. Projects are worldwide, with several in the Middle East.
97/100VSP Interiors
Over the years, we have seen plenty of beautiful houses in the south west by this Dorset- based studio. But its founder Henriette von Stockhausen now has her sights set further afield, as international clients ask her to work on their homes. Most recently, she introduced old-world charm to a modern space in Montecito, California.
98/100Waldo Works
‘We make a conscious effort to reinvent ourselves as much as we can,’ explains Tom Bartlett, who set up this interior and architectural design practice in 2000. Along with partner Sasha von Meister and director Andrew Treverton, he devises bold, contemporary schemes.
99/100William Smalley
His recent monograph, Quiet Spaces, firmly set out William Smalley’s stall on the allure of low-key luxury design, and his architectural projects are certainly places of great restraint. Recent commissions include a reworking of and addition to an early-19th-century country house in Gloucestershire, and a newbuild in New Zealand.
Jason Ingram100/100Woldon Architects
This architecture practice with London, west Wiltshire and Cotswold bases has form in realising impressive projects. It can turn its hand to just about anything, from modern newbuilds to new houses that look old, and old houses in need of a new lease of life.
