Interior Design

So, you want to get into Interior Design?

An interview with Interior Architect and Experience Designer Phoebe Lewis

Phoebe Lewis has over 10 years experience in creative direction, interior and experiential design. With a background in architecture and interiors, she applies this knowledge to create bespoke, high-end experiences for brands.

With a keen sense of international trends – she has worked in London, Europe, Australia and Hong Kong – she works from concept and pitch through to final creative production, bringing the brand story to life for a broad spectrum of clients.

She provides styling, sourcing and visual branding as well as technical production for small and large-scale projects. Each project – whether its a pop-up, a restaurant interior or an unforgettable night out – is approached with a fresh design aesthetic and imagination.

I got the opportunity to interview Phoebe, asking her questions on matters that many aspiring interior designers were curious to know. I would like to thank Phoebe for giving up her time to answer these questions and I would also like to thank anyone who asked a question themselves. I hope you find this interview beneficial. 

You can find out more about Phoebe on her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoebe_lewis/?hl=en

How did you work your way up to where you are now?

I started out by emailing and calling up to get internships or shadowing people that I admired and liked. If they didn’t have space I’d follow up the following month and slowly, by persevering, I gained experience that way. Often small amounts of paid work would follow or I would support the interning with side jobs like waitressing, reception work and assisting. 

How did you seek out opportunities when you first entered the industry?

I read magazines and looked at blogs and websites. Back then there was no instagram or much social media interaction from companies so I’d often find myself on the contact page of a website with only a generic email to go on. So then I’d do some background digging on people in the HR or creative departments and try to work out their direct email addresses! Most emails would probably have ended up in junk mail but a couple got through and allowed me to have direct conversations with people.

When I left uni, I tried applying to trainee programmes for ad agencies but it never seemed to work out for me. I found emailing or calling people directly to organise a quick coffee (working around their busy time schedule)so that I could present my portfolio a much more successful approach

Has anyone inspired your work? 

Early on the art deco movement in Miami was very influential: my godmother lived there and had trained as an architect and she showed me a lot of stuff. I was enamoured by the fluid lines and the gorgeoususe of colour on the buildings. Then as I got older and read more I became fascinated with the Bauhaus school and artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Rachel Whiteread.

When and how did you know you wanted to be an interior designer? 

I’d say Im more of an interior architect as my interest is heavily weighted in materials and the form and structure of a space. I studied architecture but moved into experiential events alongside interiors as I liked the speed and short timeframe of the projects, plus it seemed to require more intuitive thinking. As time has gone on I’m slowing down and enjoying the architectural side of things more: taking the time to think through a design fully is challenging and rewarding. 

What is a common misconception about interior designers? 

That they just select fabric and paint colours and that it’s just a decorative profession. There’s a huge amount of time, energy and thought that goes into sourcing finishes, fixtures, fittings from various suppliers or drawing up the cabinetry detailing that elevates a project and makes it unique.

What do you enjoy most about your career? 

The sourcing of materials or finding new furniture designers and artisan builders. I love the problem solving element of interior design so thinking up clever solutions and seeing them come to life is really rewarding.

What's the most challenging aspect of being an interior designer? 

Persuading and communicating with clients about the realities of budgets and timeframes, I think it’s great to have big ideas and push people to think differently, but if they’re not going to be realistic and achievable within the budget then you can get a very annoyed and frustrated client. I’d also say it’s hard to get people to understand the value of paying for an idea; it’s easy to get someone to pay to fix a leaking pipe but justifying the time it takes to fully design, source and draw up an interior and the associated cost can be tricky to explain if a client is new to the process. 

What qualities do you think a person needs to become an interior designer? 

Patience and the ability to listen is key – you’re often translating a clients’ desires into a working and beautiful design. Often clients say they want something but in reality they don’t always know. 

Were there are other career path you considered or have you always wanted to be an interior designer? 

I’ve definitely flitted between various careers over the years, initially studying architecture before the financial crash happened and architects were hit badly. Also having lived abroad and being freelance it’s nice to flex your creative muscle in different industries and try new things out. 

Is there something you know now that you wish you knew before you started your career? 

Try not to let your confidence be knocked by rejections or unanswered emails, keep persevering or thinking of new ways of getting in touch or a new route to getting to your goal. 

What advice would you give to those who are aspiring to be interior designers?

Don’t be scared to take risks and trial things out on a small scale at home or in abandoned spaces, with friends or on your own. There is a lot of merit in taking the plunge and trying something out to show people your ideas and full potential. An idea that’s been brought to life physically vs something modelled up or on paper is powerful and shows commitment.

Thank you for reading!