Meet Interior Designer Octavia Dickinson
If you haven’t yet discovered Octavia’s beautiful Instagram feed or website you are in for a treat. Her London flat was recently featured in House and Gardens and it is a treasure trove of artwork, furniture and fabrics: rooms where you would live and never get bored. I couldn’t resist interviewing Octavia, so read on to discover more about her and her design process.
Miriam x
Meet Interior Designer Octavia Dickinson
what was your path into interior design?
Octavia’s early career began in the art world; after graduating from the Courtauld Institute of Art, she joined a leading international gallery, working in both contemporary and traditional painting and sculpture and with whom she moved to New York. After three years in America, she came home, and to the BBC, to make art documentaries. Wanting to pursue a more practically creative aspect of the industry, Octavia turned her experience in the arts to a career in interiors. She trained with the much-lauded Cindy Leveson, working with her on projects that included the transformation of the Goodwood Estate’s House Lodge from a hunt kennels to a very comfortable, fully-staffed house that anyone can rent. Once put to work, she felt instantly everything fell into place “I could use my natural organisational skills, while being truly creative. I have never looked back”. She subsequently joined Flora Soames, working on both residential and large commercial assignments before setting up on her own.
how did you set up on her own?
We are a small team at the moment, made up of myself and my husband Harry. We take on both residential and commercial projects, though always trying to stick to the design mantra– to create spaces that are comfortable “not only to the body but to the eye” ~ John Fowler
We think that it is important for homes to reflect their owners, and that the process of decorating should be a fun and collaborative one. We take a fully immersive approach to all jobs, designing aspects of interior and exterior spaces, planning furniture, lighting and fabric schemes, and working with many artisans and craftsmen to design original and bespoke pieces.
What do you love about what you do?
Every day is different with new problems to solve and new ways to be creative. I love that the people I work with from clients, to architects, to builders, to curtain and furniture makers, all have the desire to create beautiful things and realise the potential to do so. I used to think that interior design was a luxury but I now realise that to live in beautiful surroundings that make you happy is incredibly inspiring and fulfilling and I am so lucky to be able to help people create these joyful spaces.
what’s a typical day look like for you in lockdown?
Every day and every week is totally different, which is one of the things I really enjoy about my work. I could be taking the sleeper up to Scotland for a site visit, driving to Tetbury and Petworth to browse all the antique shops, or sitting at my desk doing the dreaded paperwork. While in lockdown site visits have become zoom meetings, visiting antique shops is done online but paperwork is sadly still the same!
work/ life balance?
It is more of a lifestyle than a work/life balance. I very often find myself working for friends and I have many friends in different creative fields who work with me including my husband. But that said, I am good at switching off when I am with my son.
I am also an amateur potter and I take a class each Wednesday evening. I spend this time sculpting vegetables and fruit which I then present to my family and friends for their birthdays. I find pottery incredibly therapeutic.
reading, Watching, Listening to?
I have at last found the time to read some of the many interiors books I have collected over the years. I am currently reading John Fowler: Prince of Decorators by Martin A. Wood. I didn’t know that he started off as a decorative painter, though there was a clue in all the famous painted furniture and wall effects in his work. I have just finished watching Normal People and I am now onto Little Fires Everywhere.
favourite family meal, or signature dish?
Both my husband Harry and I, love to experiment and try new recipes. I don’t yet have a signature meal but my favourite thing to cook is lots of different Ottolenghi style dishes. Our family favourite is a boiled egg and soldiers on a Sunday night.
Plans for 2020?
We have many incredibly exciting projects which we are working on, including a house on the west coast of Scotland, an architecturally beautiful London town house, and a country pub in Shropshire. We are also starting on the long process of designing our first fabric and wallpaper collection which we cannot wait to launch.