MY STYLE STORY
Luxury interior designer Kelly Hoppen favours a sanctuary of balance and calm, nds Sophie Hannam
Interior designer Kelly Hoppen shares her most treasured possessions, her interiors wishlist and her passion for collecting photographs
The rst piece of furniture that I bought was a pine chest of drawers from Twentieth Century Classics on London’s Wandsworth Bridge Road.
The newest thing in my home is another photograph by German photographer Karl Blossfeldt to add to my collection.
My interiors wishlist changes every single day. But today, the Pop commode by American designer Kelly Wearstler is at the top. It’s a white chest of drawers with black handles and I just adore it.
The oldest thing in my home is a Khmer stone sculpture from Cambodia, as I am an admirer of Eastern philosophy. It’s more than 2,000 years old and, although it’s really small, the spirit around the statue makes it feel much bigger.
My favourite room in my home is my dressing room. I’ve always dreamt of having one, and I’ve been planning how it might look since !rst becoming a designer 40 years ago! Now that I !nally have a dressing room of
my own, it’s somewhere I can really escape and indulge myself. My most treasured possession is a photograph of my father. He passed away unexpectedly when I was only 16 and I was heartbroken. It’s the only picture that I have of him, so it’s incredibly special.
My home in one word? Luxury, or simply home. To me, it’s the most important place on Earth.
I’m an avid collector of photography. I !nd photos fascinating and I’ve collected them my entire life. I have quite an eclectic mix in my home, from interesting pieces that have captured my eye, to personal photos that mean a lot to me. My brother actually owns a photography gallery and I always fall in love with something whenever I go there!
My interiors at home are inspired by everything. I’m hugely in"uenced by my travels – I love to experience di#erent cultures and take in the native architecture around me. I also !nd music incredibly inspiring. The most important thing is that a home has a sense of balance and calm.
On a free day you’ll nd me spending time with my family, which always makes me happy. My daughter lives in the countryside with her husband and my amazing grandson, so if I can get away there for a day with my partner John, then I do. If I have a spare a$ernoon, I love to visit a gallery to switch o# and get lost in an exhibition, or to go shopping and immerse myself in retail. At the moment I’m reading The Edge
by Michael Heppell. I’ve read Michael’s previous book Flip It, which really helped me to see things from a di#erent perspective. The Edge takes this to a new level and explores how, once you’ve reached a certain echelon of success, you can sometimes think ‘OK, what now?’. It’s helping me to set new benchmarks and is inspiring me to always be one step ahead.