Sustainability seems to be a huge challenge. But it doesn’t need to be. It turns out, I’ve been implementing quite a few of the best principles ever since I have been a designer! Namely: reusing a lot of what my clients own, buying antiques, commissioning from wonderful craftspeople, sourcing ‘natural’ products made out of wood, linen, and wool as well as buying and working locally - usually zooming around on my bicycle! All of these common-sense habits belong to best practice in the ‘circular economy’. More recently I have become interested in bamboo, hemp and cork as natural alternatives to wood, which can grow faster and hemp in particular can be grown in the UK and requires little water or pesticides has excellent insulation and wicking properties as well as being slow to burn.

But yes, the situation has become more urgent, and the interior design industry coupled with the construction industry is most definitely guilty of excess use of our precious raw materials. I am not exactly pro-growth or anti-growth but about living well, respectful of our environment and those around us. The design world is a reflection of the stunning world we live in and provides great enjoyment as well as employment worldwide.

Since 2021 have done an enormous amount of research into how we can conduct ourselves more responsibly and I will keep on doing so. I have created a long and in-depth list of suppliers with links to helpful resources. I will endeavour to share this soon, and when I do, please feel free to contact me to edit or add to this information. For now, just get in touch if you would like to read and make use of it in my studio, which is now a fully-fledged “ECO-LIBRARY”.

I have been an active steering group member of Interior Design Declares since 2022, which is affiliated with Architecture Declares. I can highly recommend the IDD website and instagram feed for further information, resources and guidelines, as we actively promote sustainable practice within the industry. In 2023 I took part in a panel at Decorex for IDD and London Build on behalf of Edge London. In 2024 I took part in the IDD panel at The Surface Design Show, I will be part of the advisory clinic at our IDD stand at Future Build am currently organising the IDD 3rd birthday social at the Building Centre, Store Street.

With the above in mind, my approach is:

• take Time (think longterm)

• go Deep (insulate, be informed)

• and Enjoy (it feels good to design well)

I recently researched carpets and have written up my findings in an article for Firstplanit. Please have a read, as I believe carpet matters.