INTERIOR DESIGN

My name is Louisa White-Thomson, and I am the co-founder and Interior Designer at The Lost Corner.  At The Lost Corner, I focus on two main areas – the creative side and working with our interior design clients.

I am self-trained and draw on four decades of experience in a variety of different fields.  I was lucky enough to have been bought up in a creative household and attended schools that were very supportive of the arts and general creativity. The house I grew up up in is now regularly used for photo shoots for the likes of Vogue.  Interestingly, very little has changed in the house over the years and helps to confirm one of my key principles, that classic style can be timeless. This was followed by 4 years at University in Malibu where I spent almost all of my time in the Theatre, constructing and painting theatrical scenery and making prop and costumes. This helped me understand the importance of being able to combine practicality and creativity. Not only did the sets have to look beautiful and inspiring, they also had to be practical and work!  It also taught me the importance of having a team that can deliver on detailed plans. I am lucky on this front and have a team that I enjoy working with, ranging from – bespoke lampshade makers, blacksmiths, upholsterers, curtain makers, cabinet makers, plasterers, painters, builders and glass blowers. They all help me deliver on our clients plans in a creative and practical way.  I also trained at the Royal School of Needlework.  I enjoyed this as it helped me to think further about this historical craft and the skill of combining design, embroidery and colours.  Goldwork is particularly complicated and whenever I see the Trooping of the Colour and all of the goldwork embroidery on the various uniforms, I admire and acknowledge the hours of work that has been put in!

To this I would add that I am qualified Transpersonal Psychotherapist.  This was a five-year degree and was then followed by one on one walk-in counselling for the homeless at a caravan in St James’ and the Kingston Women’s Centre. In the past, I have been reticent to mention this whilst writing about my interior design practice.  I have come to realise that my training as a psychotherapist has taught me that unnecessary time and expense can be saved by carefully thinking through the aims of interior design; and that asking the right questions is vital in discerning exactly what the client is aiming to achieve.  Without doubt it focuses your mind to the task at hand.

Interior design can be a wonderfully creative process and above all, the experience should be fun, exciting and rewarding. It is my job as an interior designer to guide and support the client in creating their own unique interior design and to facilitate their own creativity and ideas.  I like to begin with what is in place already, as more often than not, the client’s own unique keepsakes and choices contain all the elements required to make a beautiful design. Sometimes ‘less is more’ and my work can be as much about small changes and re-organisation as elaborate creative commissions.

I am often asked what my Interior Design style is.  This is a surprisingly difficult question to summarise in one or two sentences, as there are so many events and experiences that have influenced my creative side. I was brought up in England and the English countryside, so I love florals and references to nature, such as flowers, feathers, insects and bringing the outside, indoors. However, I also spent a good deal of my childhood travelling to Spain, Portugal and France and developed a love for all of their interior design traditions and particularly their unusual colour combinations, which are bolder than the more traditional muted colours used in English design. I grew up watching movies such as ‘To Catch a Thief’ and ‘High Society’ and love beautiful scenery and clothing designs. California has some beautifully designed houses and a Hollywood tradition of stunning interior design. I am drawn to the theatricality of such designs and my time in California has influenced my approach.  I am also a believer that the best interior design is beautiful, authentic and stands the test of time.

Whichever approach we take, we want the result to be the same – that it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience, and that we helped our clients achieve their design vision in a creative and thoughtful way, including as much clarity on costing as possible.