5 Minutes With… An Award-Winning Interior Designer

Dee Gibson is the founder of London-based interior design consultancy Velvet Orange. Initially with a successful career in accounting, eventually Dee found it impossible to ignore her passion for creativity and retrained at the Interior Design School in her 30s. First joining forces with a business partner in Passion Interiors, she now works solo, running Velvet Orange in London and Kalukanda House in Sri Lanka.

Interior design is a career many women dream of. What first inspired you to change careers?

I had always been a frustrated architect and loved interior decor. I was always touching and feeling things I found beautiful. I’d spent hours as a child drawing and was really good at art, but sadly wasn’t allowed to follow through with it. My dad was ambitious for me and pushed me into a different career path and I ended up in accounting. When my company went down with the Enron collapse I got made redundant and on a whim did a one-week taster course at the Interior Design School and that was all it took – it was like switching a light on after living in the dark.

How did you know you were doing the right thing?

That week totally changed my life. I felt so energised I couldn’t sleep. I was 30, had a mortgage and was used to earning a relatively big salary, so it was a bit of a leap. But I didn’t take much convincing to do an interior design diploma in the end. Luckily I had a bit of money from the redundancy to get me started. After graduating, with a fellow student we set up Passion Interiors and soon found ourselves in hot demand.

What aspects of your upbringing fed into your passion for home design?

I’d spent my very early years with my grandfather in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A civil engineer, he used to take me everywhere. He was involved in big building projects – railway stations, big houses – and that’s where my passion for buildings comes from. A love of beautiful materials comes from my love of dressing up in gorgeous Sri Lankan costumes as a child. To this day I love glittery things and vivid colours. Now my clients pick me for my love of colour because I do make bold choices.

Which part of a new contract is the most exciting?

I love it when I’m working with someone who is really keen to be bold. They don’t come to me with a magazine and say ‘Can you do that please” – they want something different. And the scale and the scope are exciting. I love doing something from top to bottom in its entirety and making everything seamlessly work from the front door through to the top of the house.

What’s been your biggest design challenge?

I recently did a job for a French-Russian couple who were moving from their flat in Borough to a huge house in Dulwich. Pokey and dark, it looked like it had been squatted and they had very specific demands. They wanted a wine cellar to store 900 bottles of wine, plus a loft extension, master en-suite, a walk-in wardrobe, an ensuite bathroom with two showers – so from a design perspective it was really challenging! I had to be really creative with the design and sourcing to accommodate both wine cellar (with spiral staircase) and loft extension within the budget.  But it was also exciting working with a couple who were making such a big transition. I used that project as my presentation to the British Institute of Interior Design and they’ve asked me to come back and present it to future applicants and to be a mentor, which is so exciting.

Where do you find design inspiration?

Everywhere. In fashion shop windows I’ll see a piece of clothing draped on a model and it will be textures and colours or a sliver of detail that will catch my eye, and I’ll use it on a sofa or a curtain. I’m also inspired by beautiful bars and restaurants, even informal ones, where someone’s done something really funky. But I also take inspiration from my clients. Once I discover things about people, I incorporate relevant details into the design. The French-Russian couple love travelling so I put a huge map with magnetic wallpaper on wall in the dining room extension so the family can mark off where you’ve been on holiday using magnet-backed polaroids – diving, on the beach etc. So they already have their signature, even though I designed it. It’s a real collaboration.

Do you have a signature ‘look’ for the interiors you design, or are you given creative freedom?

I always use colour and texture. I’m generally given creative freedom by clients, although they’ll always say “I don’t like orange” “No green” or “I have to have this table,” but they will generally allow me to run with it, and that’s when it works best. All my interiors are about creating an experience. I want people to feel they’re very much in their own space even though I’ve designed it.

What has been your career high point?

Building Kalukanda House, http://kalukandahouse.com, my villa in Sri Lanka, by the sea. When we bought the land there was a derelict colonial style house, backed by an amazing cliff wall with stunning foliage as if you have just walked into an oasis. The house had to come down but we reused doors, shutters, roof tiles and fret work and rebuilt the house using my interior design skills to make it both luxurious and authentic. It’s full of gorgeous local antique pieces and materials, and all bathed in shimmering light so it’s an oasis of calm, a little paradise. It’s 100% in my own style and I sourced everything possible from Sri Lanka. We’re now running it as a fully staffed boutique hotel.

What advice would you give to any budding interior designer?

It’s really worth doing a taster course to understand all the different elements. Think about which bits of interior design you’re interested in. My course focused on interior architecture, which is not everyone’s thing. Other courses focus on interior decorating. There’s a grey area about what the term covers, so we’re all just called interior designers, but it’s important to work out which aspect is for you. And  if you’re not willing to get your hands dirty, be very clear about what you’re offering. Interior design is a wonderfully creative outlet that gets you to see the world in a completely different light and soon becomes a way of life.

What is the biggest challenge of running your own interior design business?

It’s incredibly rewarding but takes a lot of energy. The job comes with responsibility and you give a lot emotionally. When you’re dealing with people’s houses and money it’s a big trust issue so you have to make sure you’re always there for your clients, to hold their hands and reassure them so they know that the idea you’ve sold them is all going to come together as they expect it to.

What’s next for you in your career?

2019 will be about focusing on larger client projects, like big extensions and top to bottom refurbishments for clients who want something different. Some people think its a very glamorous job but it’s not all cushions and curtains – there’s so much more to it! My other big project will be building Kalukanda Experiences, with my local Sri Lankan team organising outings and curated experiences so guests get to see the real ‘off the beaten track’ Sri Lanka, away from the package tour trail.