In Focus: French Brooks Interiors

French-Brooks Interiors is an interior design studio based in South Kensington, London and Hampshire specialising in residential interiors, primarily for private clients but also for developers and architects. The studio was founded by our valued patient, Victoria Wormsley

“The final 25% of design makes 50% of the difference. Don’t be worn down by the number of decisions involved in a project. We help edit those options, so you are always involved without feeling overwhelmed.”

Victoria Wormsley

Tell us about yourself Victoria, and how you came to start French Brooks?

I trained in interior design out of a passion for it rather than planning a career, but it turned out to be useful when my husband and I ended up buying a house which had great ‘bones’ but was in a terrible state.  It had been used as bedsits so there were 14 doorbells by the front door, it had dry rot, no central heating and pigeons roosting in the roof.  It was a great learning curve as I worked on the interior design alongside property developers Chester Row, who project managed it as a private commission alongside their own developments.  Once it was complete, I started designing for them on their other projects and things took off from there.  In 2007 I set up their interior design arm, Chester Row Interiors, and our first project was a £30m development converting two townhouses in South Kensington into five lateral apartments.

Spending ten years working on high end developments in and around prime central London was a fantastic experience.  Quite exacting in terms of sticking to the budget and meeting deadlines, but so valuable in terms of training your ‘eye’, the best way to use space, which in London is always at a premium, the value of good lighting and how to furnish rooms for different effects. Plus working closely with a variety of architects and contractors so you understand how things are built and what leads to a top-quality finish.

I was starting to work increasingly for private clients and five years ago I bought Chester Row Interiors out and relaunched it as French-Brooks Interiors (my maiden name).  

What services does French Brooks provide?

We offer residential interior design consultancy and project management: we can provide a fully integrated service including spatial planning, lighting and bathroom design, furnishing and interior decoration, or just one or two elements, depending on the project.

What type of clients come to you and why?

We have clients from a wide range of backgrounds, such as entrepreneurs, people who’ve been successful in the City, lawyers, medics and businesspeople from all walks of life – including a very successful dentist!  They are also of quite a few nationalities, including Canadian, German, Australian, Belgian, Russian and Irish.  

Some clients are very hands-off and, having seen our work and agreed the brief, like us to plan and execute the project to the best of our ability, whilst others are more hands-on and we work together on the decision-making in a very collaborative way.  We help the client to visualise the options and to make edited choices, so that they still feel they are involved in the design of their home.  This way of working tends to be on large “forever” projects such as country houses, whilst the hands-off projects tend to be second homes or pied-a-terres where the client wants to relax and benefit from a turnkey service as they may be short of time.  

The thing our clients have in common is that they are generally smart and well-educated and like an intelligent approach to interior design which is creative and responsive, but still efficient and well-organised. It would be interesting to introduce them to one another as they would have lots in common – maybe we will have a sixth birthday party next year!

What drives/motivates you?

I am fascinated by the process of working to understand what would best suit a client, taking them on the design journey and then making that creative process a reality.  It is hugely satisfying to work with people on the plans and ideas they have for their homes, introducing concepts they may not have encountered or thought of, agreeing the designs and then working with our suppliers and contractors to produce it down to the last detail.

What is your approach to how you work?

My philosophy is simple: I see myself as working to create spaces which reflect the clients’ identities, suiting the designs to the architecture and to the individual.  I have a considered, collaborative approach – the opposite of cookie-cutter in fact – which aims to create elegant, comfortable interiors, balancing practicality with aesthetic appeal.  I am happy to work in a range of idioms from pared-back minimalism to more traditional eclectic interiors.

Are there any stand out trends that are set to last?

The point about trends is that they are by their nature ephemeral and unless you design an interior entirely in the style of a previous period, it is difficult to avoid them: design is by its nature rooted in the period in which it was created.  

However, trends in interiors move more slowly than in fashion for instance, as properties take much longer to complete and are a much bigger investment, so it can take fifteen years before a design looks dated.  However, it depends how far ahead of the curve you are when you create it, and the trick is to absorb and reflect the longer term trends, so your design looks fresh and appealing without being a slave to the latest gimmick.  

Longer term trends have been a move away from bland neutral minimalism and towards bolder, more colourful layered interiors which embrace comfort and a certain quirkiness, plus the kitchen remaining as the heart of most people’s homes and the most important room in the house.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to spend time in the countryside, long distance running with my dog.  I’m a passionate gardener and open my garden for charity.  I enjoy collecting art and antiques.  I also love off-piste skiing and would love to design an Alpine chalet!

For more information or to talk with Victoria, visit www.french-brooks.com