Design is a dialogue: working with architects as an interior designer
By Leo Wood2025-05-09T05:00:00
After co-designing her own home with her architect husband, Leo Wood made the leap from theatre producer to interior designer. Here, she shares what she’s learned about working with architects and the value of effective collaboration across disciplines
Just over a decade ago, my architect husband stumbled upon a derelict warehouse in Whitechapel, which he thought we should buy and renovate into a family home. At that time, I was working as a theatre producer with a small baby, but whilst spending hours on a building site, I found myself falling in love with the idea of transforming spaces. So, I switched careers and started trying my hand as an interior designer.
I have no formal training in interiors, but over the last ten years, I’ve learned on the job, working on projects for clients and co-designing and building two homes for our family. Being married to and collaborating with an architect has given me a good understanding of how architects think and problem-solve. I’ve seen first-hand what an architect prioritises when transforming a space, and it’s been interesting to realise how different the approach and skill set of an architect is to my own as an interior designer.
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