I am delighted to feature Interior Designer Henry Prideaux this month. Henry is known for his eye for detail, love of colour and patterns and combining classic and contemporary interior styles.
After working for some of the industry’s most renowned design practices, Henry founded his own company in 2014. Creating authentic spaces that emphasise the original character of each property, he beautifully decorates each home with a tailored scheme using a blend of old and new pieces to bring each space to life.
If you would like to see some of Henry’s work in person, pop along to Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour to see the incredible Wow!house, where Henry's beautiful pink kitchen (in collaboration with Martin Moore) is one of the 18 full size rooms in the showhouse. Tickets available via www.dcch.co.uk until 6th July.
I hope you enjoy reading a little more about Henry's journey, he is definitely one of the names to watch.
Tell us your story and what inspired you to set up your company?
I started in interior design in my early 20’s working as an intern and then a junior for interior designer, Jonathan Hudson, who was decorating my parents’ house and needed an assistant. It was a great insight into the industry, and I spent two years shadowing him and learning the basics. Soon after, I was lucky enough to land a position at NH Design working for Nicky Haslam, where I spent five years working on some amazing projects and learning all sorts about creativity.
Taking on a new challenge, I then worked for the Interior Design Studio at Harrods (which incidentally is where I met my partner, Amy who interviewed me for my role) as part of the team designing the homes of Harrods’ customers who wanted a little more than simply choosing from the furniture and homewares available on the shop floor.
In 2014 I started working on my own projects wanting more ownership of the design aspect and to blend everything I had learnt from my experiences so far. Designing under my own name has always been my goal and it’s great to be doing it now with Amy also supporting the business in so many ways.
Image credit Tom Sullam
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I sometimes reflect that maintaining a new business that I started from scratch nearly 10 years ago shouldn’t be underestimated. Perhaps this is the biggest achievement, but it is made up of lots of small achievements and little wins along the way.
If you were re-starting your business again, what three things would you do first?
The things I would do are probably summed up by spending a little more money on a good bookkeeper, a decent sized office and employing an assistant sooner than I did.
Image credit Rooz Ahmadian
What are the most rewarding aspects of what you do?
The biggest rewards for me come when my work is recognised by former clients recommending my professional services to their friends, or influential publications wanting to showcase our work in their magazines and online platforms.
Image copyright James McDonald
Who would you love to collaborate with?
I’d love to create the interior for a high-end fashion house showroom as a fun way to express myself and open Henry Prideaux Interior Design up to a new audience.
Do you have any daily routines?
I walk our cocker spaniel, Rosie for 45 minutes to an hour after breakfast, and then it’s a 15-minute walk to the studio (near the river in Twickenham) with a coffee and often listening to a podcast. This daily ritual allows time to switch off and connect with nature which enables me to tackle the day ahead with a clear mind.
Image credit Tom Sullam
What have you learnt over the last three years?
That we are very lucky as we have continued working and earning which isn’t the case for everyone. It has also shown us we are able to adapt and work on client projects remotely and still create wonderful homes.
How do you unwind?
I have the odd guilty pleasure of some trashy TV. Not boxsets though. People often laugh when I admit we don’t subscribe to Netflix! I also love playing squash and regularly play for a couple of teams, which is great for exercise and as a way of taking my mind off anything else.
Image credit Tom Sullam
What are your wardrobe staples?
A good quality white shirt or T-Shirt, a fine knit sweater, chinos or smart jeans, and a fresh pair of Converse. I find this is not too formal but not overly casual either. If there is a more formal event, I have a rail of suits and jackets that I can pull out - who doesn’t enjoy getting spruced up for a party?!
Image copyright James McDonald
Do you collect anything?
I’m often told off for collecting too much clutter as we don’t really have the space to display it adequately, but I have invested in several white ceramic pieces recently as they look great for styling. I do have an extensive interiors magazine collection though which I am loathe to get rid of as they are such wonderful sources of inspiration.
Image credit Tom Sullam
Check out www.henryprideaux.com to keep in touch with all his latest news