Creative Director Rachel Usher founded her design practice in 2012 and is a multi-award winning Interior Designer, recognized within her field and holds full SBID (Society of British and International Interior Design)  accreditation.  The success of the studio so far is undeniably related to Rachel’s strong design perspective and creative direction, where her approach to design goes far deeper than aesthetics, unravelling the intangible emotional  benefits of a space, and how a space should improve the way in which you live within it, is her primary pursuit. 

Rachel and the wider studio team take the important time needed to truly understand all clients, their personalities and individual lifestyles, viewing this time as an integral element within the interior design journey. Getting to know clients is a key focus for the RU studio, we believe that the success of any interior design is how the space transforms the clients’ relationship and interaction with their built environment, a profound understanding that the spaces we occupy have a direct impact upon our emotional wellbeing. 

Rachel is also the founder of The Business of Interiors and hosts a podcast “If These Walls Could Talk” that is designed for the design professional, lifting the lid on what it means to be in The Business of Interiors.

1. Could you tell us how your journey into interior design started?

You know, it was never really that intentional to begin with, I was design-curious shall we say! I had always been a home-maker, and a creative at heart, and during a former career I started a  course in Interior Design which was only for self-fulfillment, and not a career intention at that  time. I then came to a crossroads in my previous occupation, and took a career break, it was  during this time I was invited into a few smaller projects from people that I knew. One project  led to another and I am the typical dog with a bone personality type, if I do something, there is  no middle ground, I can’t help but go all in. And that was the start of how I came to be where I  am today.

2. Do you think there has been a defining moment in your career?

Seeing my name above premises for the first time……at the time I launched my early design business I also called it by own name, and I remember working with a great brand designer who crafted for me this beautiful brand and typography. My first big leap was when I opened a showroom with an interior design service within it. I remember standing across the street looking at my name blazoned across this gorgeous building and truthfully, I was embarrassed…..like who did I  think I was! I knew at that point there was no turning back.

3. What do you think is the key to a successful interior design? And in your business in general?

No matter who you are, your home is your sanctuary, it is the place where we feel most connected and safe. Once you recognize that our feelings towards our homes are so deeply intertwined with our emotional connectivity, it becomes easier to approach a design through the lens of how a space should make you feel. Interior design is not about a collection of things…..interior design should be less about the ‘stuff’ – the sum of its parts, and much more about the mood, atmosphere, and ambiance. The theatre which we create is much more powerful than all of the things  that go into it. 

To be successful in business, in general, you have to be really organized and recognize that this endeavor has to be viable, it is easy to get lost in the niceties, after all, much of the work we do is  a privilege and many of us are in the design industry because we love it, however at its core, the income from it must put food on your families table and provide security and fulfillment for your  team.

We look at the conundrum, and we ask the question…what is it that isn’t working so well, and it is likely to be many things? Then we explore the space and how people need to interact with it, more than merely inhabiting it. This process usually takes us down a journey of perspectives, what does a space look like when you are sat in a chair over here, what can you see, what time of day will it  be, what will the homeowners be doing there, and how will this space make their lives so much better. Generally, we start to seed the idea of the project from here, and usually, there is something we want to be a hero, whether it be materiality, texture, art, or sculpture, for example. 

5. How would you define your signature style? Do you have “a mantra” that encapsulates your taste in design?

It’s all in the details, and I am not sure I have a signature style. Clients really inspire me, as do buildings, I am endlessly fascinated by people and how they behave, also architecture and the environmental setting all of which tell their own story, these elements when taken together become an avatar of features that influences my design direction, so I tend to take my aesthetic cues from the context of who I am designing for and where I am designing.

6.  Could you tell us about one of the favorite projects that you worked on?

I love any project where the client allows me to be creative, I like to know that a client is not fixed in their own ideas and will be receptive to the design journey. I guess I am always moving forward, and I enjoy the work that I do, and each project allows me to explore. We have recently completed a project in Boston Sopa, which was a gorgeous family home filled with unexpected details, mid-century modern touches with some really cool art, and I love it; I can’t wait for it to be released.

7. What would be your advice to beginner interior designers?

You are handling your client’s biggest investment, this is high-risk work and if you don’t have your systems and procedures in place you will find yourself fighting fires which will take all of  the joy out of the wonderful work that you create. Pause, get the process worked out, mitigate your risk, and apply as much detail to your business systems as you would your designs. This is not missionary work, your clients deserve you to have this sorted out and you also need to sleep  at night!

8. What are your 3 favorite pieces from the Philia Collection?

9. What was the best advice you have received in your path?

Tell the truth and tell it fast 

10. What was one of the hardest learned lessons in your journey?

Burnout will happen if you don’t look after yourself. Being in the luxury service industry can easily lead to neglecting your own needs as it is easy to keep serving our clients, always seeking to exceed their expectations and having a perfectionist mindset, eventually the long hours, constantly being connected to the digital space, and an equally busy mind and in-box will catch up with you. Take time out, we’re not saving lives here, you owe it to your future self.

11. Are there any books/podcasts you would like to recommend to our readers?

Yes – my own! I talk about the business side of Interior Design in my ‘If These Walls Could Talk‘  by The Business of Interiors which is my business coaching, podcasting and community venture. 

Also I highly recommend Rick Campos ‘The Design Biz Survival Guide‘, and Lunne Nigara ‘A  Well Designed Business’.

12. Finally, what are your upcoming projects? Anything you’d like to share or add to the interview?

We have two beautiful apartments in Kensington, London. One is for an overseas family and is in a beautiful listed building, and the other connects two Kensington homes into one. Both of these are going to be fantastic.

Thank you so much Rachel!

Photos by © Two Bears Studio