Sewing the seeds of baby’s dreams
Ingrid Loud is an interior decorator who specialises in child and baby decor. She tells Margaret Harris that being a mother helps her to understand the needs of her clients
What sets you apart as an interior decorator?
I’ve been decorating and designing clients’ homes for the past 18 years and saw a gap in the market for kids’ and babies’ decorative fabrics after having my first daughter 10 years ago.
I have always had a passion for fabrics, so I researched until I found Michael Miller Fabrics in New York. I am its sole South African distributor, so that sets my company, Scarlett Fine, apart from the rest of the fabric companies because we have our own exclusive prints.
We have also started supporting local mills and have a few “proudly South African” fabric ranges that complement our imported range.
Once the Michael Miller agreement was in place, I found premises in Kramerville — the decorating hub of Jozi — and developed practical, affordable and locally made furniture for children and babies, as well as linen and accessories using the beautiful fabrics I stock.
I have also affiliated with Hope for Women, a nongovernmental organisation that helps women to earn an income through providing skills.
What sets us apart is the personal service my showroom manager and I offer. We both have children, so we understand the needs of parents. Everything is made to order, so clients can get more involved in the choices, which allows them to create a room that doesn’t look like everyone else’s.
What do you do at work?
I spend a lot of time consulting with clients in the showroom or in their homes. I assist them in putting together schemes of fabrics using samples of our fabric designs and items that will work in their spaces. For clients who don’t know where to start and need an entire room done, I offer a full decorating consultation in their homes, where I can at least see the room, take measurements and “before” photos. I manage my marketing department with social media and website updates. I have meetings with my staff where we discuss product development and weekly schedules. We are based in Johannesburg, but often assist clients all over the country.
Why this career?
I studied interior design when I finished school and, once I graduated, went to work for Tessa Proudfoot and Karen Lotter. The knowledge they imparted was phenomenal and helped me to understand the true workings of a business and how decorating worked. At college you learn the essentials, but not the “how to”. So my years with them helped me to gain the experience and knowhow that have assisted me on my journey.
I then started a business of my own, and over the years it expanded and grew. I learnt the basics of the manufacturing process in window treatments and soft furnishing.
I am a keen sewer, which has stood me in good stead. I am now able to assist my team of seamstresses in product development by making up the samples myself, if need be. It helps to have that all-round knowledge of every angle of your industry.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A hairdresser. But, as I continued my education, I found my love of art and being creative. I learnt how to sew when I was five. That was followed by crocheting and knitting, which we did at school.
I excelled at art in school and loved creating something out of nothing. I also discovered my passion for fabrics when I was in my teens and was always making clothes, bags and bits and pieces. I even made my own curtains in my first flat.
I can honestly say my two beautiful daughters do. As a single mom, I need to provide for them. I know my staff rely on my company to feed their kids too.
But absolutely loving what I do each day inspires me to drive 20 minutes in the cease- less Johannesburg traffic to my showroom and feel excited about being creative.
What about your job keeps you awake at night?
Creativity is not something you can turn off when it’s time to sleep. Most of my best ideas have come to me in the silence of the night. I now keep a sketch pad next to my bed so I can make note of or draw new ideas. I am also constantly thinking of new ideas and new approaches to my business. As a family member once told me: “It’s sometimes vital to work on your business rather than in
your business.”
What would you do if you could not do this job?
I’d be a creative director of an interior decor magazine, or maybe a stylist.
What qualifications do you have and how do they help you to do your job?
I am a qualified interior designer, which has helped to lay the foundations of what I do. I think people take you more seriously when you’ve invested time and money in studying. I also learnt the basics of layout, how things work in a particular space and, if they aren’t working, how to change them and make them work. I am able to visualise the finished product.
What qualities do you need to do this job?
Motivation, ambition, patience, tenacity and energy. Also, using your skills to do the things you’re good at while leaving the things you’re not so good at to other people — like accounting. And a true, deep love for creating magical spaces and beautiful products. I leave a piece of myself in every room I decorate.