“We know each other’s handwriting…”
…Says well know interior designer, Sarah Stewart-Smith, of her team of craftsmen. Based in a gorgeous cottage in Herefordshire, built in 1876, Sarah divides her time between here and London, having relocated around twelve years ago with her two small daughters.
Formerly an assistant to Anna Wintour, and Interiors Editor at The Telegraph magazine, Sarah’s address book reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ in the world of fashion, arts and interiors – and she draws upon all her contacts to give her clients something very eclectic, something special that not many people would know where to source. Sarah loves to use re-fashioned old upholstered pieces, re-made furniture made from oak, metal, Perspex and ‘other delicious materials!”
This knowledge, combined with her talents and experience, is given to every project she undertakes. As she says “my clients take a leap of faith with me”. Not that that’s much of a risk, for her work is highly regarded and stems from personal recommendations where clients have already seen and admired what she does.
Sarah’s work is wide ranging in both scope and budget and she favours a simple base that can be layered and added to depending upon her clients’ possessions, brief and how they live. She takes a tailored approach and is very sensitive to colour. Sarah always gives her clients a joyful and comfortable home, but equally her houses work hard and she always gets the best out of them! Her question to herself is always “Does it work”?
Her clients enjoy their homes and often end up with what she sometimes describes as an ‘artful mess’, happily lived in.
And this may be her secret! Sarah sees ‘the vision’ giving authority and confidence to her clients and yet moving gently so as to allow them to visualise and collaborate with her.
Recent projects include the renovation of several country houses, and conversions of London houses and flats. Currently she is working on a large house in Palace Gardens Terrace, having just completed one a few doors down; a Georgian house in the city centre, a flat in Belsize Gardens, a coachhouse in Hereford, which is adjacent to the main house she completed five years ago.
Frequently featured in the print press and on social media platforms – and one of House & Garden’s chosen Top 100 interior designers – Sarah has also found time to write a number of books on Interior Designers.
Watch the film ‘At Home with SSS’ and learn more on her website at sarahstewartsmith.co.uk.
