“I design spaces that bring people happiness”

Phoebe Oldrey is a local designer who runs Smartstyle Interiors. Here she tells Eileen Leahy about her unique, holistic approach to helping clients create their dream home…

Why and when did you start your career as an interior designer?

Interior Design wasn’t my first calling, I originally trained and sporadically worked as an actor. I loved it but I suddenly reached a moment when I was tired of life being on hold while waiting for ‘my big break’. I’ve always loved interiors – I remember when I was contemplating what to do, I found a scrap book I’d created when I first moved out of home. It was full of home magazine pictures and doodles of interiors ideas. It was a light bulb moment and saw me enrolling in the KLC School of Design to study in 2001. And the rest, as they say, is history…

How easy was it eventually start building a client base?

I knew I didn’t want to set up my own business straight away after leaving KLC. I felt I had learnt the skill to design while at college but not the knowledge of turning those design ideas into reality – which is quite a complicated thing. I first interned for Mark Humphries, who was listed as one of House & Gardens’ top 100 designs and was also Ringo Starr’s designer. I then left there to work with a lovely designer called Sue Symons who really mentored me. I was with her for about two years and worked on a number of projects from design to completion.  During that time I saw how her business ran, met people in the industry and learnt how to deliver work as a designer on a building site. 

So how did you start out on your own as an interior designer?

When I went on maternity leave in 2005 with my first son, my husband and I ran the numbers of returning to work and cost of childcare, we realised I had nothing to lose by starting my own company. My first client came from a tiny ad in a local magazine. I will always be grateful to her for taking the chance on a brand-new business owner and asking me to design her home. Through my contacts courtesy of Sue Symons I was able to open trade accounts, have a little black book of crafts people and knowledge to set up the infrastructure of the business. But then came a relocation from London to Tunbridge Wells and it was like starting again. It was hard work but it really made me a better businessperson as I learnt so much. I got out and networked, leafleted door-to-door, advertised and blogged. 

Your company Smartstyle Interiors takes a very holistic approach to design. What’s involved?

Holistic can be a tricky word, as lots of people have images of me rushing into their home with Tibetan gongs and sage sticks, which isn’t quite right! The word ‘holistic’ means that everything is connected, so as well as creating a design that delivers on the functionality of a space and making it look amazing, I’m also looking to make sure a home supports my clients on many levels beyond this. This can cover areas like psychology, habit and health. It doesn’t radically differ from the ‘traditional’ way of working, it’s the added bonus of looking at how a space ‘feels’ to be in. 

Why is it so important to put your trademark ‘human happiness’ at the core of a project?

It’s about putting the client at the centre of everything and designing a home that brings them happiness. Not just in terms of what it looks like but with how it represents them and works for them. It’s a hard trademark to quantify, but the best compliment from clients that make me feel I’ve nailed it, is when they say they came back from holiday and love walking into their home, they say it feels joyful and like a big welcome. Their home makes them happy and that makes me happy…

Would you describe your working relationship with clients as collaborative? 

To deliver a home that is the perfect fit for someone, I must really understand them as much as possible. So it only works as a collaborative relationship. They need to open up and lead as to what matters to them and I need to lead as the designer. They have to trust me to so I tailor their home to fit them perfectly.

Where are the majority of your clients based?

My clients are scattered through Kent and East Sussex. I will normally say if it’s within a 45min drive, it’s in my catchment. Though I have done a Barristers Chamber in London and a home in Brighton. 

Are there any standout projects you have worked on – and if so, why were they so memorable?

The one that stands out, more for an emotional reason, was the home I did in Brighton. When the owner came to me, she had just come to the end of a couple of hard years, culminating with her mother passing away. During that time her home had taken a back seat and this was making her unhappy. When I started the job, I said I wanted to create a home that brought her joy. She also had amazing art throughout the house, which really inspired the colours I used. When we finished, she said how much this had meant to her, and that she loved her home so much. It brought her the joy we spoke about in the first meeting. For me it was seeing the results of taking an holistic approach making a difference to someone so deeply, and that was really powerful to me.

What are the key parts of your job that you enjoy the most?

I enjoy the variety of how my day can go. One day I can be 100% design which is quite meditative work and really focused and then the next I can be in a client meeting, or on a site or in showrooms surround by people, firing ideas around. 

Do you work with any local businesses and if so, can you tell us a bit about them?

It’s the various trades I work with that bring my work to life, and two which are local and everyone can get in and use is Arlo and Jacob, the new sofa company on the high street, and Jones Britain kitchens. Carl is the manager at Arlo and Jacob. He really knows his stuff and is passionate about the product he sells. I’ve also been working with Dan Strong, who owns Jones Britain. But he and his team don’t just do the kitchen, they do the whole room and work on delivering a seamless project. It makes mine and my client’s life so much easier. Dan is also an exceptional designer himself, so I love working with him.  

Are there any dream jobs you would like to work on one day?

I would love to work on some more commercial projects, especially a café or small hotel, it would be amazing to bring an holistic approach to those types of spaces. However, one area I feel drawn to is improving office spaces. It’s a sector that is really stuck in a rut with what is delivered and really needs to be addressed differently for better working environments. There is so much research into how better designed offices, improve health, productivity and staff retention. 

Tell us about any exciting plans you have in store for the rest of 2025…

At the start of the year I launched Smartstyle Interiors’ ‘tailored consultations’, which cover four different topics. I looking forward to reaching a bigger audience with these smaller packages that can offer lots of advice – no matter how big or small the project. 

For more information visit:

Website: www.smartstyleinteriors.com

Instagram: @phoebeoldrey