5 MINUTES WITH… Sophie Coryton, founder of online interiors emporium The Room Service
Travel and interiors enthusiast Sophie is the founder of The Room Service, an online emporium that makes it easier to get your hands on beautiful artisan pieces showcased in design-led hotels and restaurants
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…
I was a creatively frustrated naval barrister who loved to travel. On my journeys I’d often find myself picking up an object and looking on the underside to find out where it was from so I could get one for myself. Then I had two little girls and needed to find a career that would allow me to balance my home and work life.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SET UP THE ROOM SERVICE?
It was a ‘light-bulb’ moment when I was on holiday in Majorca, before the birth of my first daughter. My husband and I were staying in a lovely little bolthole with beautiful blown-glass lamps in the rooms. I asked the concierge where they were from and he rolled his eyes – apparently, guests enquired about them on a daily basis. It planted the seed of an idea that would eventually become the website. A few years – and another baby – later, in despair I read an article about the launch of the Soho Home homeware collection; I thought someone had beaten me to it. But actually, it reaffirmed to me that people are really interested in hotel design – in fact they’re becoming shop windows for beautiful products. It gave me the kick-start I needed.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We provide a virtual marketplace (meaning we don’t hold stock) for talented makers, giving them a presence in an interior design process in which they often go unrecognised. Each piece on the website has a narrative, made up of the maker, the item itself and where it was originally seen – usually in a hotel or restaurant. It’s a unique way to capture a memory, particularly if you’ve been somewhere special, and bring the essence of it into your own home.
IS THERE A PIECE THAT HAS A SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE? There isn’t one particular item, but I work with Susy Paisley, a conservation biologist who’s turned her work into striking textile designs. She’s one of the first makers I approached and was launching her brand, Newton Paisley, around the time I was setting up The Room Service, so we’ve been in it together from the start.
HAVE YOU FILLED YOUR OWN HOME WITH COLLECTIBLES? My husband’s in the military, so we live in military housing in Portsmouth, which means we’re restricted with the changes we can make. I’ve moved a lot over the past two decades – almost once every three years! What I’ve learned is that a house is just a shell, it’s the things you carry with you from place to place that make it a home.
ARE YOU PLANNING TO EXPAND THE ROOM SERVICE?
I want it to grow but maintain the curated feel the brand currently has. I’d love to represent more makers and hotels internationally to broaden the offering. After all, the entire concept started with me thinking ‘how on earth would I fit this in my suitcase’.