Designer Spotlight : Chloe

Chloe caught our attention last year after we found out she had been working in the luxury interiors industry, but also because she bought the team a box of mince pies the very first time we met her. If you don’t know much about us as a team, one thing you should know is that the way to our hearts is truly through our stomachs. Having joined Topology just a few months ago, Chloe has already wowed us with her many skills which includes, but are by no means limited to, dedication to ensuring clients are happy, taking on as much work as possible so the team as a whole succeeds and impressive 3D & elevation digital skills to help clients see the potential their spaces have.

So if you’re interested in learning more about her story, we’d encourage you to read on. A reminder that in this designer spotlight blog post series, each article will be packed full of useful tips, product recommendations and a little bit of a story behind the photos you see on social! If you missed it last week we shone the light on Amelie (play catch up here).

Photos by Theo McInnes

So Chloe, can you give us a brief intro into your background and why you wanted to do interiors?

Much like the rest of the team at Topology, I had quite a varied background before I found my creative feet in the interiors industry. I studied Literature at University, then went on to work in roles within media, PR and lastly sponsorship events. Looking back, these roles actually had many similarities to interior design, from coming up with creative solutions, to working with a build team to bring ideas to life.

I have always been creative and would spend countless hours painting, creating collages up my wall from magazine cuttings, and redesigning my bedroom (including, now don’t be jealous… a full-on Groovy Chick themed room, curtains ‘n all). Throughout school and college, I loved my textiles class more than anything and would stay there until the building shut playing away on the sewing machine. A passion for fabrics, colours and paints was always there, as well as an appreciation for interior design, but it wasn’t until a little later in life that I explored the possibility of it as a career.

“I have always been creative and would spend countless hours painting, creating collages up my wall from magazine cuttings, and redesigning my bedroom (including, now don’t be jealous… a full-on Groovy Chick themed room, curtains ‘n all)“

I had this sort of light bulb moment where I realised what I wanted to do and set about forming a plan to get there. I decided to head back to school and study at KLC School of Design, which was such a big decision, but the experience was amazing and the course was a great starting point to get a foot in the industry. When completed, I had a good knowledge of the design process and relevant design programmes, as well as a portfolio I was proud of ready for job hunting.

I always had my eye on Topology as I love the company’s ethos and how it challenges the norms in this industry. The team is so talented and each member brings their own unique skills from their varied backgrounds – I basically knew I had to get a job here! After gaining some experience within a high-end residential studio, the opportunity to work at Topology opened up and I am so proud to now be a part of the best team!

What I enjoy most about this job is the way our designs can impact how someone interacts with a space. With clever design, even a small budget project can transform the way a client uses their space for the better. I really do believe that the environments we inhabit directly affect our state of mind and it’s amazing to be able to use our skill sets to create something unique for a client.

What is your top interior advice?

I think it is so important to form a home around you or your family as individuals, so my advice would be: try not to follow trends. There’s a reason trends come and go!

There are many questions that are useful to ask yourself when trying to figure out what you want from your space… How do you want the room to make you feel? What will the space be used for? Do you prefer hard straight edges, or rounded calming shapes? Do you love fabrics with lots of pattern? What colours make you feel good?

If you’re stuck figuring out what your style is, or how to get the most out of your space, that’s where a designer can really help!

What’s your ‘go to’ paint colour?

This changes quite often! At the moment I’m leaning towards Spring like green shades such as Farrow & Ball’s Card Room Green and Lick’s Green 03.

What’s your favourite homware brand?

Oh this is tricky, so many to choose from! I find Soho Home has an incredible selection of really unique pieces and their use of colour and pattern is so inspiring. Another favourite is Glassette, an online site that launched last year that sells a variety of different homeware pieces and artwork from independent businesses.

Share with us your favourite design you’ve worked on?

Above is a modern, industrial design I created for a client’s kitchen. It was a challenging design as the room had a lot of difficult angles and the client wanted to make better use of the space, including the addition of a pantry.  I created a contemporary design with a mixture of textures, using a dark cabinet finish, a chimney brick feature and natural accessories that all work together.

I also really enjoyed working on the below living / dining room design. The clients had just moved into this rental in London and it just needed a touch of personality adding to it. The brief was ‘neutral, light and plenty of plants’ and I added a cosiness to the room using warmer tones and layering textures. 

Shop Chloe’s Top 3 Products

We hope you’ve enjoyed this post learning more about our designer Chloe. Tune in next week for the next installment, where we’ll be interviewing our founder Athina.