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Sophie Robinson
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08 Jan 19

Happy New Year 2019!

Interior designer and colour expert Sophie Robinson holds workshops and onlne courses on how to become your own interior designer

So here we are, at the start of a new calendar year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to rest and recover over the Christmas holiday season and come back with some newfound vigour. Although here in the UK, that it not often the story. My own narrative is I work my socks off before Christmas and then there is no point having a beautiful home in the woods if you then don’t invite everyone round. So the past two weeks has been a wonderful revolving door of guests. The house has come alive and it’s been magical.

But am I well rested and full of gusto for the year ahead? Am I heck! I’m easing myself back into work this week as my son doesn’t return to school until Wednesday and well, we are halfway to the weekend by then! But I’ve got some every exciting stuff in the pipeline. Indeed my diary for the next three months is already fit to bursting! So I thought to kick off the blog this year I’d have a catch up with you, let you know what’s coming and better still, check in and ask you if I am delivering everything you need to feed inspired to have a fabulous, colourful and creative home.

Website relaunch

So one of the first things I will be rolling out this year is my new website redesign. This current website is only 2 years old but so much has happened and my business has morphed in that time that it felt right to switch things up so that when you land on my site you are clear about what I do, and what I can offer you. So the delicious new design is in the bag and its now with the web builder to make it all happen. Squeals! Essentially it’s going to be the one stop shop to find out what workshops and events I have coming up, (more on that later), you can click on the latest podcast episode, watch my videos and of course read my blog posts that cover everything you need to know about interior design. I will be posting twice a week, so make sure you regularly check in. I’ll keep my regular posts, like the monthly Colour crush and Designer spotlight but have loads more posts about my own home renovation too which I hope will build up to be a really useful catalogue and my own little black book.

The Great Indoors Podcast
the great indoors podcast is presented by interior design ecxperts sophie robinson and kate watson smyth mad about the house

Sophie Robinson and Kate Watson-Smyth  are back for series 2 of The Great Indoors podcast, supported by Dfs. Photographed by Alun Callender. Palace sofa in blush by Dfs.

Series 2 of The Great Indoors podcast is underway and the first episode of the second series will go live this Thursday 10th, so make sure you tune in, and please do continue to leave us a review- we read each and every one! This series will see Kate and I discussing decorating trends. I declare that Chintz is back, while Kate argues why she thinks white paint should be banned. We will also continue our room planning series with kids’ rooms; home offices and open plan spaces all on the bill. We are also going back on the road and are coming to Dublin, to record our fourth episode in front of a live audience- so you Irelanders’, we are coming for you! Make sure you subscribe to my mailing list for the latest dates and VIP tickets. And as ever please do continue to message me with your thoughts on the show, ideas for content and design crimes.

Online interior design courses
interior designer sophie robinson hosts online interior design courses to empower you to be your own interior designer

2019 will see me launch my first online interior design course to empower you to become your own interior designer

The BIG project I’m currently working on is my online interior design courses and I’m really hoping to have the first one ready to upload by early spring. This will be a course that you can download and do in your own time, with a series of videos, downloadable pdf’s and exercises to help you feel powerful about designing your own home with verve. I’m so super duper excited bout it as I know so many of you will find it totally game changing. My first course is all going to be about the process. How you get from a blank room to a finished colour scheme and all the things you need to do along the way to make sure it all works out better than you’d hope. It’ll help you from making big design mistakes, wasting money and indeed help you to make bolder and authentic design choices. So if you have a big project in the offing, or you just love fixing up your home but you want to do it with more verve then this is the course for you!

interior designer sophie robinsons hosts inspirational interior design worksops, to help people colour scvheme and renovate their home with ease

Workshops

I’ve also upgraded my popular Colour workshop and continue to strive to find mouth watering venues and work with amazing chefs and floral designers to make my events the most inspiring and creative that they can be. The first Colour workshop this year will be hosted in my hometown on Brighton on the 13th June, and tickets are already selling fast. I’ve found a wonderful city central venue with views out to the sea and so I urge you to make a holiday of it and come and soak up the wonderful vibes of this inspirational city. You can grab your space here. It’s an invaluable day, perfect for anyone who wants to know more about how to use colour in the designs and find their own authentic colour palette.

My colour workshops will continue to be a highlight of 2019

Brand collaborations

I’ve also got some very exciting brand collaborations in the pipeline with a couple of big high street retailers that I absolutely love! Working with brands that I believe in is a big part of my business. And again its opportunity for me to share my love of colour and help to empower people to achieve homes that are more interesting and more individual and reach more people. We have some incredible brands here in the UK and I get a massive kick working with them on their campaigns, hosting events, co designing product and producing content that’s useful to you. Again, watch this space! The diary is also filling up with talks and exclusive events, so again do sign up to my mailing list as for the more boutique events will only have a few tickets released and I’d love to make sure you get first dibs. (The ‘sign up’ box is on the left hand column of this website).

My first product line was launched in 2018 with The Secret Linen Store. Expect more colour loving products to hit the shops this year.

Home renovation

Then finally there will be loads more content about my own home renovation. We did a massive push before Christmas to get it to a point where we could sit back and relax. But I’ve got loads to share with you and will as always show you the latest over on Instagram Stories and then back it up on the blog so you have an evergreen resource of all my favourite suppliers and advice on how you can implement the same design ethos in your own projects.

Upcoming TV shows

I will be popping up on the goggle box too. I’ve more DIYSOS projects for BBC ONE booked in, which I absolutley love and will share how you too can be involved too. You guys are always so up for donating product or coming on the shoot to help me style the house ready for the big reveal, it’s a wonderful coming together of great spirit and charity. And there is a very exciting new interior design  show coming to BBC2 later in the year called Project Interiors that I’m thrilled to participate in as a guest judge. Headed up by presenter Fearne Cotton and judge Michelle Ogundehin it’s kind of The Great Interior Design Challenge meets the Apprentice. More on that closer to the time, but needless to say I had loads of fun filming it last summer and I know you are going to love it!

So there we go, it’s looking like it’s going to be a colour soaked 2019, and I want to thank you all so much for regularly checking in, being part of the conversation on social media, supporting the podcasts and attending my events and workshops. I had no idea when I started this blog just two years ago what a wonderful community of like minded people we would create together. But please do continue to reach out and share your own home reveals your design dilemmas and colour inspiration. Together we can ban the beige in 2019!

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The Great Indoors Podcast S2 Episode 1 show notes Merry Christmas- 2018 it’s a wrap!

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Catch Sophie In All Her Colourful Glory On Instagram

Today I’m popping up at @happyplaceofficial free Today I’m popping up at @happyplaceofficial free online well-being festival hosted and masterminded by the awesome @fearnecotton . I’m thrilled to be part of this festival again this year and passionately believe that your wellbeing and happiness starts at home. . I’ll be in the ‘wellbeing garden’ today at happyplacefestival.com 3pm today with a guided meditation to help you create your own dream home. All the talks and works shops are free for you to enjoy! But meanwhile I thought I’d share this poem by a four year old poet, highlighted to me by @katetaylorldn and I feel sums up what our home’s mean to us. Titled ‘Coming Home’ Take off your jackets Hang them up Take our gloves off Take our shoes off Put them Where they are supposed to go. You take off your brave feeling Because there’s nothing To be scared of in the house: No dark caves no monsters no witches no bees no howling sounds You don’t need your brave Anymore wash your hands Eat lunch Go get cosy
On The Great Indoors podcast today (new episode! L On The Great Indoors podcast today (new episode! Last in the series!) @mad_about_the_house both head out to The Great Outdoors and talk about what we love about our back gardens. You can see Kate’s suitably stylish outside living room (swipe left) and my more rural affair! I actually just grab rugs and cushions from the house and lay them out under the willow tree, with the children’s swing as a handy side table! Rey impromptu but it works! What an incredible week to get outside whatever you’re garden situation. 🥵 And in this episode we also have a catch up about diversity in design as conversations turn into positive action. We interview the incredible design brain @matt_gibberd , the mastermind behind the cult estate agency @themodernhouse . And finally we chat all things trending #cottagecore #grandmacore and #nancore. And I almost get Kate on board by the end of the episode. Almost! Bar the smock dress. Tune in to find out more! Links to listen are in my profile @sophierobinsoninteriors as well as the show notes with pictures and links to support the show! Now...time to get back to that G&T!
Now that Toms Brighton development is drawing to a Now that Toms Brighton development is drawing to a close I will be able to pass the baton and start to get back to work. While I’ve loved being with Arthur during lock down the home schooling has been hard for both of us. He ‘breaks up’ for the holidays in two weeks but has a summer of being with his dad to look forward to while I look forward to getting back to my desk. So looking forward to sharing more interior inspiration with you here. Lovely illustration by @sjaxelby . Check out her feed for more beautiful colourful interior inspiration!
This week I’ve enjoyed stepping back from the gr This week I’ve enjoyed stepping back from the grid and handing over these squares to black-owned interiors accounts that I love, and to support #diversityindesign. Please do read my previous posts for context. Instagram has been a great platform for @somethingbluehome to share her obvious talent for design, where she has had the door to a career closed too many times due to racist attitutes. You can hear Angie’s full story on this weeks The Great Indoors podcast. But meanwhile can we all give some love to that yellow stair case! Hello, I’m Angie. I set up my interiors account to explore my love for bold, colourful and eclectic interiors. I’ve always known that there is an under-representation of Black and minority ethnic groups in the world of interiors, however, I naively thought that with the right attitude, commitment and passion — being a young black woman would not be a barrier to success in the industry. Sadly, my experience of racial discrimination left that dream unfulfilled. One particular experience etched in my memory was when I was asked to leave a shoot because the homeowners didn’t feel comfortable with having ‘me’ around. Presently, when the world seems more aware and awake to the perils of systemic racism, injustice and inequality, I have found myself sad, at times angry and hurt as to why it has taken this long. However, I feel encouraged by the actions of the many to fight for change. My hope is that — people will see the talents of BAME creatives first and not their skin colour when deciding whether to hire them or not. I hope that we can collectively work together to increase diversity in ALL industries.
Today on The Great Indoors podcast @mad_about_the_ Today on The Great Indoors podcast @mad_about_the_house and I bring you a special extended episode. Everyone has felt effected by the recent #blacklivesmatter movement and it’s sparked many much-needed conversations both online and around our kitchen tables. We decided to look at diversity within our interior design community by passing the mic to Black, Asian and minority ethnic interior designers, TV presenters, authors, commissioners, casting directors, bloggers and Instagrammers and asking them to share their experiences on what it is like in the world of interiors. It makes for sobering listening and there are conclusions we can draw in order to make much needed change. But the first thing we need to do is listen. We also have the absolute pleasure to talk to colour expert and trend forecaster @m_shillingford about how the power of colour can lift us up during these uncertain times and Kate and I tackle Kitchen revamp ideas to keep you all busy refreshing your homes during lock down. I’d like to thank our amazing sponsor @geberituk for their continued support and our super talented and oh so commited producer @katetaylorldn for whom without, this would all be just be waffle. Tune in on your podcast app and please let us have your thoughts on the show and keep these conversations for change going. All links to listen plus blog notes in my profile.
This week I’m stepping back from the grid and ha This week I’m stepping back from the grid and handing over these squares to black-owned interiors accounts that I love, and to support #diversityindesign. Please do read my previous posts for context. Eva from UK design house @evasonaike brings forth her heritage and love of colour to everything she designs. I’ve been a long time fan of her striking patterns…and you can tell why! I am Nigerian but was born and raised in Southern Germany. I came to London in the late 1990s to study journalism at London College of Fashion. After working in fashion and lifestyle journalism for many years, I saw a gap in the market for a premium brand that reflected the vibrance, elegance and commercial viability of African design within interior design. I followed my instinct and passion and founded Eva Sonaike, an interior brand that specialises in luxury African-inspired home-decor and textiles with bold colours. We have been running for over 10 years and I’ve been blessed with making my dream a reality. We are represented world-wide, work with amazing stockist here in the UK and abroad and have collaborated with leading interior design firms on commercial and residential projects around the globe. But at the same time, this 10-year journey has been extremely lonely at times. A loneliness that is quite difficult to describe. At trade shows and industry events, I am often one of the few Black female-owned design businesses present. This can make you feel uncomfortable and exposed and have a negative impact on your overall performance. There needs to be more inclusion and openness both in the UK and the international design industry. We all have to address the uncomfortable topic of prejudice in representation and recruitment, now more than ever. I really hope that this moment represents a change.
This week I’m stepping back from the grid and ha This week I’m stepping back from the grid and handing over these squares to black-owned interiors accounts that I love, to support #diversityindesign. Please do read my previous posts for context. Sharing your home on here is an intimate thing to do and it’s a chance to share our personal stories. First up a woman after my very own heart, pattern lover extraordinaire, Laura from @nofeaturewalls . I grew up in North London and as a teenager my dad took me to the William Morris gallery in Walthamstow. I was hooked on pattern and interiors from that point on. My grandmother was a part of the Windrush generation and like most immigrants of the time she decorated her home with her unique Caribbean style, which was heavy pattern, wild wallpaper, and ‘good’ furniture that was covered in plastic! No one had much money but making the house look good was a priority. People just did their own thing and were inspired by what Winnie down the road had done. Whilst I am renovating my own house in Oxfordshire, I try to incorporate these styles into my own decorating. I love to use traditional heritage brands in a new way and I am partial to a bit of wallpaper. Over the last few months I have encountered a real mix of people on this platform but at the ‘big account’ level there are very few BAME people. I would love to see more accounts leading the way and hopefully this translates into a more diversified offline interiors world too.
It’s been a week since I made a statement here a It’s been a week since I made a statement here about the shocking murder of George Floyd in America. I was initially baffled why people wanted to hear from me - a white interior designer in the UK. I was slow to connect the dots but I want to put that right now. I realise people weren’t asking for an opinion piece but for solidarity. They were asking me to see beyond my ‘I only post about interiors’ bubble and recognise that everyone needs to be part of the movement for change. Like many of you these events have consumed me and it’s been emotional, overwhelming and hopeful in equal measure. I recognise the anger from Black people on why this still hasn’t been tackled effectively, and I accept my own failings. People have been fighting for change FOR YEARS and this explains the roar. I assumed diversity was being dealt with by the big folk: broadcasting houses, magazine publishers, brands, advertising agencies. But after speaking to many people within the UK design community this past week I have been shocked and realise each and everyone one of us can and need to make a difference, no matter how insignificant it might feel. Collectively it will create a big impact.  One area I can address is my own back yard, the interior design community. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people want and need to be seen and acknowledged for their contribution. Young people need to see faces they relate to, to encourage them to follow a profession in interiors. Our industry can be elitist and impenetrable but social media has created a more inclusive space for all and these squares are a great place to start. This week I will be carrying on @mad_about_the_house initiative who handed over her grid to black people within our design community. And for those of you who messaged me to say you struggle to find accounts from people of colour I defy you. There are loads; so many that picking a selection for my grid this week was super hard! #diversityindesign
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