Designing Spaces: Cathy Phillips & Co
The team at Cathy Phillips & Co believe that each space must be made your own, the home is never just a house, it must be moulded and created around you so that you get the most out of your space, so that you make it your own. I had the chance to chat to Cathy Phillips, the ‘miracle worker’ herself, to get an understanding of what it takes and what it’s like to be an interior designer.
Surprisingly enough, interior design was not Phillip’s first choice of career, after a few years in advertising she found herself involved in some property development, something she immensely enjoyed and so began her journey to her currently successful career. It all started through “a one-day workshop at The Interior Design School in London gave [which gave her] a real taste for it, so [she] did some research, took a deep breath and enrolled in a full time Diploma course there.” Which according to Phillip became the “best decision I ever made.”
When asked about her favourite style of space, her answers were simple and to the point a reflection on both herself and the way she and her team work. ” I’m drawn to classicism” she says, “And modernism. The work of Eileen Gray and Andrée Putman, for residential and hotel design.” It is easy to see in her inspirations from Gray and Putman as the clean lines, modern spaces and classic designs are incorporated into several of her client’s briefs.
Throughout the years Phillips has drawn inspirations from many places and people, but has found that more often than not she has found herself returning to “nature – the views out of the window of a house brought inside, or the colours of a faraway place if the client is drawn to that culture”. As well as cheekily pointing out that travel magazines are one of her go to places for some inspiration, and have been since early days. Although she has moved on from college, branding herself and her company with various clients throughout London and the UK she admits that much of the work she does today is very much similar to what she did when still studying and perfecting her craft.
Despite having “a strong sense of [her] own style” Phillips points out that as a designer, her clients come first and so has developed “being adaptable and stretching [her]self to produce work that dances to the client’s rhythm” Qualities, which she points out are key in the career choice, while having your own style can be useful in ensuring you are remembered and known within the industry, the key to success is making sure that clients always receive what they want and so flexibility is necessary. “We spend time with them, talking about their lifestyle, their likes and dislikes; we observe the clothes they wear, their current environment, the pictures on their walls. We combine this with an instinctive “feel” what they are all about, and from this put together a mood board of images that sum up that feel. Once the client has seen, and approved, the mood board, we have a basis from which to design.”
“Interior Design training” she points out, “helps you to hone your own tastes whilst gaining an appreciation of working to a client’s brief. This develops more as you work on projects, because of course clients who are drawn to your work are buying in to your “look””. Efficiency, beauty and good lighting are her must haves within a space, a view the team here at SPACES agrees with completely, and factors she incorporates into all of her clients designs. Factors that make a space work, and as she points out, “you soon feel it if you are in a space that doesn’t work.”
When asked her favourite space in London? Phillips struggled to give us just one, praising the V&A, “the entrance hall, the marble staircases, the Glass gallery, the courtyard” as well as the Laban Centre in Deptford, “it proves how great design can influence mood and creativity as well being beautiful and efficacious.”
“Anywhere else?” She jokes,” I truly can’t choose one. It would be unfair.”
Based in North Kensington, Cathy Phillips & Co are just a stones throw away and have done beautiful work all through out London. Check out the team, their portfolio and any other information you may need on their website.
Photo via: http://www.cathyphillips.co.uk/
By Layla Hamdi Pacha