Ever since we entered the social media world, we've been blown
away by the creative talents of the interior designers and bloggers
we've met in these spaces. So we thought we would start showcasing
some of these talents on the Sofas & Stuff blog by doing a few
interviews to see what tips and tricks they've got to share with
the readers of our blog. So without further ado…
First up, is the lovely Zoe Brewer who is Creative Director and
owner of My Interior
Stylist Ltd. Her work covers a huge variety of projects
in all aspects of styling from interiors to editorial to
events. Zoe also writes for interiors magazines, blogs and
currently sits on the Expert Panel for Q & As at Beautiful
Kitchens magazine. Zoe lives in Kensal Rise with her husband, two
children and one dog.
How long have you been working as an interior
stylist for? What gave you the bug?
I've been working as a stylist for 5 years & and set up my
own company, My Interior Stylist Ltd, about 3 years ago, which is
now really busy! I've had the bug for "making things look
pretty" (OH description of my job) since I was a little girl.
I used to hand paint wallpaper and knit throws for my sister's
dolls house. Before styling, I worked in TV production and
had my own production company, so I've always been involved in
creative work. I much prefer the hands-on creativity to the
organising of it though!
Describe a typical day in the life of Zoe
Brewer
I'm not sure that a typical day exists in my life! And I'm
glad that's the case. Variety is definitely the spice of life
for me. I work on all sorts of styling projects from interior
design, redesign and show homes to editorial shoots and events,
plus home staging and consultations. However what many people
don't see, is that the styling part is just the last icing on the
cake. Most of the job involves producing design schemes, mood
boards, budgets, schedules and research documents, plus negotiating
with clients and trades, as well as normal business stuff like VAT
returns and book keeping. Luckily for me, this side of the
business is something I was already well practiced in when I
started, so it's easy for me. I think many creatives who want
to start a new business get daunted by the paperwork side of things
and I'm always happy to help friends out with this part.
I've also got 2 other projects on the go but I can't talk about
them at the moment!
What's the best project you've worked on so
far?
I've just completed a styling job for a photo shoot at Lower
Mill Estate, glamorous holiday homes on the lakes in
Gloucestershire. The glass fronted houses make for really
impressive photos. I'm also the official Interior Designer
there.
In terms of my most enjoyable project, that would have to be the
wedding I styled recently. It was a small budget, which tests your
creativity and I like that. Luckily the bride had very
similar taste to me, so it was such fun. We had metres and metres
of white and pink fabrics, tulles and ribbons and tea lights a
plenty - my idea of heaven!
What would you say your personal style is
when it comes to interiors?
Hmm - eclectic probably. The problem is with this job is
that you are constantly being bombarded with new products and
finishes, and so I'm forever wanting to change everything!
What really excites me in terms of interiors is colour - bright and
unusual colour combinations. Mostly involving pink.
Who or what inspires you the most?
I was extremely inspired by my recent visits to India - the
colours are amazing. Also my kids inspire me - they come up
with some crazy ideas!
I'm about to finally renovate my website and am considering
starting a blog. I'm totally inspired by Holly Becker who has
made her love of blogging and interiors into a career (twitter name
@decor8).
Which are your favourite interior design blogs
of the moment?
See above! Holly's blog is http://decor8blog.com/ . My
other favourite blog is Will's http://brightbazaar.blogspot.com/
He shares my love of colour and finds beautiful and inspirational
photos that aren't just a copy & paste of every other blog out
there. Then for a view stateside, my favourite is http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
. Finally, not a blog but an online interiors magazine,
Heart Home http://hearthomemag.co.uk/
the first of it's kind in this country, launched last month.
If I made a mood board of everything I love, it would basically be
as per this magazine.
What advice would you give to any
aspiring interior designers out there?
Practice, practice, practice. Get as much hands on
experience as possible - offer to re-design your mum's bedroom,
your brothers bachelor pad and your granny's living room.
Whatever qualifications you have, you can't beat practical
experience. It also helps to have organisational skills to
OCD level!
Finally, what are the three items you couldn't live without?
Items so not including my family right? My camera, my bed and
flower clips for my hair.
A big thanks to Zoe for taking the time to catch up with us and
for giving us a bit of insight into what it means to be an interior
designer - you can see more of her work over on her website and Flickr
and also catch up with her on Twitter @interiorstylist.
All photos courtesy of My Interior Stylist
Ltd.