Hollie Bowden: a designer to watch

Hollie Bowden is an interior designer who is not afraid to take risks with her distinctive style. Since setting up her own studio in 2013, her career has been on an upward trajectory. With high-profile clients like FKA Twigs and projects across the globe from LA to the Isle of Bute, what is it about this petite woman in her 30s and her designs that seem to be attracting so much attention?

Well, as she puts it: “I’ve proposed some really bonkers stuff before and it has just paid off!”

We’re sitting in a noisy, spacious Shoreditch cafe, and Hollie is gesticulating enthusiastically about her upcoming project – a vintage shop opening soon in Portobello Road – and the origins of her artistic talents. “My parents were constantly redecorating the house – this beautiful place in Gloucestershire – and I was surrounded by antiques, so I think it was always in me.”

It wasn’t until she bought her first house at the age of 19 and began redecorating it, attending flea markets and pulling schemes together, that she realised she had a passion for it. “I just thought I should do something with this ability, because it is really special.”

With past experience of working in a florist, a charity shop and building sets, Hollie sees herself as more of an artist than an interior designer. After graduating from KLC School of Design in 2005, she soon started working with corporate design company Candy and Candy. Realising the corporate world wasn’t for her, it wasn’t long before she got her first solo job in Ibiza designing a 13,000ft seven bedroom villa.

She says: “It was an incredible opportunity for me. I wanted to work for myself, but I often thought, I’m not a business woman, can I do this? Will this be really hard for me? A lot of people told me ‘oh, just design for your friends’ homes’, but for your first project, you have to do a big fat job.

“Then, I got this huge eco project in Blackheath. It’s a lovely place, you feel like you’re in the wild but you’re still in London. It ended up being a five year job, and I’m still doing bits for them now.”

While the designer is considering moving towards commercial design where “you can be much braver, more conceptual and do so much more mad stuff”, ultimately, it is something much more personal which pulls her towards particular enterprises. “I just need to see magic in each project and if I can’t, then…” she pauses, “I need to wake up in the morning and think it’s going to be amazing.” She grins.

“I’ve never had any doubt, I’ve always been sure that this is my calling. There’s been a constant flow of more and more exciting projects. Around once a week, someone writes to me about a job now.”

Her designs combine the old and the new, complementing traditional rooms with a surprise twist. She’s even used marble surfboards and display cabinets made out of horsehair and glass to break out of the mould of conventional decoration. “I’m always keen to create a balance, so it’s not boring and never feels too obvious.”

open image in gallery

“It sounds really stupid but I’ve always said I’m a maximal minimalist," she laughs, “I love my space, it makes me feel calm. I love the idea of just one sculpture in the middle of the floor. l enjoy the theatrical.”

These outlandish ideas always originate from her client. When I ask which historical figure would she like to design for she says – after many considered ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ over who she would choose, she settled on: “The poet Edward James. He was friends with some of my favourite artists and even appears in a Magritte painting – I would love to hang an original Dali painting in a project and design a room around it.”

Developing a strong working relationship is essential for Hollie. “Every single project I’ve done, I’ve become really close with my clients.” She’s thoughtful for a moment. “I find it hard not to...it’s personal. I only take on jobs if there’s clear chemistry, if the client loves my work. I develop a deep friendship. There’s a human depth to it.”

Her designs are well travelled, influenced from all over the world, as she shops primarily in Belgium and Paris, looking at Milan Design World for antiques. A single item can inspire the theme of an entire project. "It’s a hard way to design because it’s slightly unpredictable but it always pays off for me.”

And where does she want to go from here? There’s an additional glimmer of excitement in her eye when she says: “I want to do a furniture collection, more commercial spaces. I would love to design a boutique hotel, that would be the dream. And I feel like that’s just coming.”