Antiques man introduces one of the country's go-to interior designers

In her company, laughter is never far away; yet her focus and creativity are as professional as they come. 

If you have previously read my column, you might remember I’ve had a few health issues and Kate is someone who takes time to check I’m OK and sends a little message, which says more about her than I could ever write.

She launched Kate Guinness Design in 2016 and she's had a meteoric rise to become one of the country's go-to interior designers.

“My team and I work internationally on residential and commercial projects, specialising in creating interiors with an authentic sense of accumulation through combining antiques, fabrics, colour and art that have the appearance of being gradually developed over time," she said. 

I love that - an authentic sense of accumulation - she's good with words too. But what drew her to interior design?

She said: “I turned to interior design via a career in set and costume design for theatre and opera, which I loved but came to realise that I wanted to create real spaces for real people, which would last and grow over the years.”

I get it, she's a real theatrical, passion and pedigree!

She said: “I am inspired by great designers such as Chester Jones, the late Robert Kime, Jaime Parlade, India Mahdavi. I’ve also been lucky enough to have been brought up surrounded by beautiful interiors and my childhood in Ireland was spent surrounded by the colour and style of Irish Georgian country houses.”

This might all sound like a fairytale but Kate’s ability to create her own identity is hugely apparent. 
 
She’s sourced from me in the past, but who are her other go-to dealers?

“I love sourcing vintage items from all over the place, Adam Bray Antiques always has really beautiful and interesting pieces as does Dorian Caffot de Fawes," she said. 
 
And this is where I want you to listen. Kate is funky, intelligent and creative in her designs and she sometimes incorporates... Antiques!

She said: “We love to use antiques and antique textiles for their unique qualities that often tell a story, and work well alongside modern design elements. In terms of key pieces, it often depends on what our clients already have - whether it’s a striking piece of art or furniture that we combine within a scheme - though if I got to choose a key piece it would probably be an antique mirror."
 
Kate has a beautiful home in the Wiltshire countryside and her building manager is an old friend from way back.

She said: “We converted and rebuilt an old stable block in Wiltshire that had half fallen down. We rebuilt half of it from scratch, converting the other half and joining the two.
Consequently, we were lucky enough to choose exactly what we wanted, reflecting my design dynamic.”

Kate’s website is kateguinness.co.uk

Andrew Blackall is an English antique dealer with more than 30 years of experience selling period furniture and quirky collector's items to clients across the globe. He has written and produced award-winning film and television productions. He was born in St John’s Wood, London and he grew up in and around London. He currently lives in Avebury, Wiltshire. His love of antiques stems from an early fascination with history and from visiting country homes throughout old England and the British Isles. Many of Andrew’s clients are well known on both sides of the pond, patronising his ability to source antiquities with provenance and appeal. His stock has appeared in a number of films and TV shows. Andrew has two styles of business: one selling high-end decorative antiques at The Blanchard Collective, the other selling affordable collectables at The Malthouse Collective.

His website is chairmanantiques.co.uk/

Instagram is: chairman_antiques