Over the coming months, we will be probing these creatives to try and understand what makes them tick, where they find their inspiration, how they envisage the future of design, and everything in between. Each instalment will come with a sneak peek summary on the Decorex website, which will be swiftly followed by the full article on The English Home website. 

Join us on a journey of discovery where we get fully acquainted with some of the industry’s most fascinating characters. Tell us what you think: share the hashtag #TheEnglishHomeXDecorex to comment on what you’ve read. 

To kick-start our Design Series, we caught up with British fabric and wallpaper designer, Charlotte Gaisford. As a valued patron of Decorex, for many years Charlotte has wowed audiences with her refreshingly patterned designs that put a modern twist on traditional stylings.  

Finish the Sentence

We posed these unfinished sentences to Charlotte Gaisford and this is how she responded… 

If I wasn’t an interior designer, I would be a…backing singer  

I feel my most confident when I’m…singing along with Abba songs in my car  

My most memorable year at Decorex was…2019  

Something that fills me with immense joy is…floating on a lilo in a Corfu villa swimming pool  

One of my earliest memories involved…making a pretty necklace from my Grandmother’s button box  

Read the full Design Series interview with Charlotte Gaisford on The English Home website >> here.

The Interview: A Sneak Peek 

We were extremely eager to sit down with Charlotte – so to speak – and get her to open up about her career so far. As it happens, she received a somewhat regular tutelage – albeit strict at times. However, she credits the strong work ethic that she has today on this method of teaching, particularly acknowledging a Sister Loretto – with ‘stout shoes’ and an ‘old and wise’ nature – from her childhood school. 

Nowadays, Gaisford draws upon things that she knows to inspire her work – whether they be memories, favourite places or beloved pets. In fact, her latest collection - Good Girls - has been named after her adorable Dachshunds, reflecting their fun spirits. "The Good Girls is all about my dogs, they are such a large part of my life it was inevitable they would be featured in my creations." Gaisford loves to use vibrant colours in her work and makes a point of harnessing joyful hues to create impactful designs that last the test of time. 

Thinking back on her first year at Decorex, Gaisford recalled: “I showed my first collection ‘Hermitage’ at Decorex the following September after I graduated. I had been to New Designers in Islington just before I graduated, the college had had a stand in the dark on the balcony and nobody saw us, it was very disappointing. Decorex was the opposite, it was a great experience and set me on the path I am still walking today, the lights switched on for me.”  

Read the full Design Series interview with Charlotte Gaisford on The English Home website >> here.

Charlotte Gaisford’s wonderous collections will be showcased at Decorex Virtual 2020, click here to register your interest for the event this November.  

If you liked this article, we think you might also enjoy:  

• Design That Tells A Story 
• Must-Follow Instagram Design Accounts 
• Decorex’s Top 5 Transitional Décor Round-Up 

Keep track of the #TheEnglishHomeXDecorex on social for updates and news around the Design Series.