Our interiors writer, Ellie Granville, shares her passion for interior design – and what inspired it
How I fell in love with interior design is rather simple. I fell in love with what interior design represented to me. Freedom.
You’re probably thinking what heck is she talking about? Freedom? That makes no sense.
Well, let me explain from the beginning.
My parents told me art wasn’t something I could do for a living. They suggested I pick something else, explaining there wasn’t a stable career in it.
And truth be told I know I wasn’t going to become some famous abstract artist with millions of pounds to my name, but I thought I want to do something creative, so I took a leap of faith and rolled with it. That was the first of many.
After spending a year in college, I started looking into universities but, I’m not going to lie, I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. So, I did what any normal person would do. I went scouting on the internet for different courses university offered. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement on your part. But through THAT process, I ended up at an open day up in Cardiff, which was one of the best days ever! I initially went in for a course called ADT, but I didn’t last five minutes in the opening talk so, you have your answer on how that went. Fun times…
But that is when everything changed, on a whim!
After a lengthy discussion on what interior design was, I knew this was it. And I realised what I wanted to do. I fell in love with what interior design is. It is a chance to create an experience. I was able to choose, to have that freedom to dive into the areas I wanted to focus more on. I have a love of architecture, always will, and design. To say I was thrilled… I knew that I could choose the field I wanted to work in.
And from there everything flourished. That split second decision led me to where I am today. A third-year Interior design student, who loves what she does. Who creates a place for experience. It is the reason I do what I do. But throughout all this I was able to find my other passions, like fighting climate change, sustainability, and equality through design.
The styles.
Being able to showcase who you are, who your client is all through colours, textures, and intricate design.
Some of my favourite styles include industrial, biophilic, art deco, roman and more. There isn’t a style I completely dislike. I just prefer to incorporate different styles in to fit together. But that’s my way, not yours. Being an interior designer isn’t just about how do I make this look pretty… It is about how do I get someone to feel something, anything when they walk into this space. And enjoy what you do. If you don’t enjoy it, you shouldn’t be doing it.
From this, I have become a junior interior journalist, as you ARE reading this article. I have already completed public projects proposals and branched out to help my local community.
Focusing on my own skillset to showcase my ideas and what I want to create. One of the best lessons I ever learned is that it is important to have input and listen to suggestions, but your voice is what matters most at this time. Your ideas, your thoughts and your voice are what is going to get you to be where you want to be. And do things your own way, that’s the whole point of individuality.
If everyone was the same, the world would be a boring place.
Signing off
Ellie