Interview: Main Interiors

Talking design with interior design guru Jasmine Main.

Why should people appoint an interior designer instead of managing their own project? When you hire an interior designer you don’t just hire that person, you hire their training, experience & knowledge within the industry. They’ll be able to professionally advise you, not only on your finish, but be able to recommend contractors that you can trust. Hiring a designer can help you to avoid costly mistakes that will not only help you save money but can increase the value of your home. When selling your home, interior design & staging is essential for listing & marketing. It can help boost buyer appeal & set your home above the competition. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. What type of projects get you most excited? We get most excited by the install day of any project! Finally after months of preparation, from numerous site visits, mood boards, designs, procurement of items, blood sweat and tears we get to see every element come together in real life. The sense of achievement and our clients’ happiness when they get to see what we’ve produced for them is priceless. Who or what have been your major influences and role models? Our influencers have been diverse, anything from Interior designers Nicky Haslam to Terence Conran to Abigail Ahearn. I have a major love of art & artists from Tretchenikoff, John James Audubon & JH Lynch. I believe art is a great inspiration & will often be a good basis for a great design. I also studied the History of Interior design alongside my course & found it fascinating how our historic interiors still influence the way in which we design today. I can often be found on site spouting pointless facts such as the origin of Chinoiserie or Trompe L’oeil. Who takes the lead in developing a style for a client’s property. It very much needs to be a joint effort. As a designer you can walk into a property & immediately see which features need to be highlighted & the best use of the space, however it may not meet your clients lifestyle & requirements in the way in which they wish to use the space. Therefore when we receive a design request from a client, we send out a comprehensive but fun questionnaire which covers all aspects of the design project from questions such as the obvious, what’s your favourite colour to what are your hobbies or what do you like to do to relax, depending on the room in the house we may be designing or weather it’s a whole home design. What sets us apart from other designers is that instead of getting just one designer you get a whole team of experienced designers. We also have a homewares shop so our clients love to pop in & have a browse here. Is there a project that you are most proud of? There are many, many projects that we are proud of. We love the fact that we’re asked to design many of Bristol’s iconic buildings from the landmark St Agnes Church conversion Hansom Hall to the Chocolate Factory in Greenbank to the conversion of The 3 Crowns pub in St.George. Our Clients like to use us for our experience of working with these types of building & architecture. We are very sympathetic to original features & will maintain them wherever possible, along with understanding our clients needs and budget, especially if the conversion requires multiple usage. Thank you. 12