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 Interior designers, it seems, fall into two categories. First, there are those with a trademark style so strong that clients flock to have a similar look recreated in their own homes. Then there are others so discreet and adaptable that no such thing as a signature stamp would ever grace a client’s living room. Within minutes of meeting Helen Green, it’s clear she falls into the latter category. Subtly dressed all in black, and immaculately groomed, she is articulate and inspiring. "I will never insist on a particular style," she confirms. Yet press her further, and terms like "glamour", "modern-classic" and "sleek" give a clue as to where her true design inclinations lie. It is just two years since Green launched her design company, but despite its relative infancy, business is booming. She began with a brand new team in 2002, and now has a staff of nine in her Chelsea design studios. "We hit the ground running," she says. Yet Green isn’t new to the design business. She studied interior design at The Inchbald School of Design, and in the mid-Nineties she was responsible for setting up an interior design company for Northacre, the property developers, focusing on luxury show apartments. Increasingly, she found that clients were asking her to work on their private homes. So Helen Green Design was born; aimed exclusively at residential work. "Designing private homes is more rewarding," says Green. "You have a personality to focus on, someone to get excited with, someone whose life you have enhanced by the end!" It’s no surprise that Green remarks on this. She is a self-confessed "people person" and clearly enjoys the designer-client relationship. "The chemistry must feel right," she adds. Her typical clients are anything from mature wealthy couples to younger urban professionals in search of chic, city gloss. Over the last two years, the mix has led to a broad range of projects, what Green describes as "gorgeous work". She has been involved with a country house, stripping it of old-fashioned swags and tails, and providing a sleek interior, including modern curtain poles, American damasks, and an elegant mix of neutral fabrics. Likewise, in an impressive Holland Park apartment she encouraged the client to abandon her existing furniture. "She was brave enough to pick sleek new furniture and she’s thrilled with the results." It is the maturity and high incomes of many of Green’s clients
that has, in part, shaped her design philosophy. Her clients, she
points out, are investing substantial sums of money in a life-enhancing
refurbishment, therefore the core design must be timeless. "We
avoid cutting-edge furniture which will date quickly, and aim for
a look that will be fresh in a decade," she says. To that
end, the emphasis is on luxurious textures; from surfaces like Macassar
ebony and sparkling glass to crunchy silks, linens and wool. More
than ever, Green says, clients ask for comfort and cosiness, rather
than a As the company has grown rapidly, one wonders if all new clients
get to have a piece of Green? The answer, very definitely, is yes.
Green is sensitive to how new the business is, and has huge creative
input in every project. She also firmly believes in teamwork, and
has carefully trained up her new designers according to her own
philosophy. Referring to them rather charmingly as "my girls",
she admits to instilling in every one of them a strong work ethic,
and good organisation. "I’m also a shocking disciplinarian!"
she says. It’s no surprise, therefore, to see the shelves
of her Chelsea design studios lined with row upon row of neat sample
books, or to hear that her slick client presentations are something
of an event. |
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 "My ideal client is open to new ideas, and will already have gone through a thought process of their own," she explains. She is a particular fan of Americans, who are more familiar with the process of designing a home. "They are focused and demanding – but they get fabulous results," she says. By contrast, she thinks we still tend to think of interior design as an indulgence, not a necessity. "It is simply a question of the quality of life people choose to lead," says Green. "Clients never have any regrets, only disappointment that they didn't find us earlier." And does she think her designs look particularly English? She pauses. "When a client wakes up, I want them to know what country they're in," she says. So, for the recently completed Coral Reef Club hotel in Barbados, she commissioned locally-made furniture to go with the pretty antiques. Perhaps it is such sensitivities which make Green so successful at what she does. Before going into design, she spent a decade working in property, PR and marketing, and she is clearly very good at interpreting trends and adapting them to her client base. She also has her eyes firmly fixed on what's coming up next. "People want an eclectic mix of furniture now. They are after carefully-chosen antiques, rather than everything brand new from a state of the art furniture store," she comments. She looks around her own Knightsbridge home, a chic mix of modern sofas and art, and comments that she's also ready to move on. Green and her husband have just purchased an elegant central London house, with a first floor drawing room, and – in common with her clients – is planning a look with staying power. There are many plans still under wraps for Helen Green Design. But first, she insists, she wants to consolidate her powerful design team. "We don't want to run before we can walk," she says. Looking at her well-orchestrated success thus far, there seems very little chance of that. |
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