I was the senior interior designer at this small privately owned interior design studio, with retail showrooms based in Teddington, South West London and on the west coast of Barbados.In this role, I designed and project managed various residential projects. These ranged from updating the decor of single rooms to more comprehensive interior design and furnishing projects. During my time there, I also helped manage the showroom, plan merchandising & seasonal window displays. In addition, I sourced specialist makers to produce various pieces designed by Jenny Blanc Interiors, initially for the Barbados market, and initiated the first UK production of these pieces.Finally, I continued to attend various trade shows in London and Paris to source new collections, brands and products. These would be used to specify in projects and to sell in both the UK and Barbados showrooms, as well as online in the Jenny Blanc shopfront on the Trouva Marketplace.

I founded my online interiors boutique Pomegranate Living, offering gorgeous home accessories from designers sourced in the UK and internationally for their particular and unique design aesthetic and artisanal skills.A wonderful and original assortment of handmade home accessories, coupled with the highest level of customer service made Pomegranate Living the go-to destination for those looking for something special for their home.Running this business has given me the tools and skills required to run and grow a business online, added to the traditional retail experience I gained in my previous job in Dubai.

In 1997, I moved to Dubai to take up the role of interior designer with Dubai's first luxury contemporary furniture showroom. Aati is owned by the Al Tayer Group, one of the most respected and well established luxury retail groups in Dubai.I worked on the design & project management of many residential projects, large and small, working closely with clients on the design, detailing, space planning, furniture layout, fabric, furniture, paint, wallpaper and soft furnishing selection, window treatments and styling for their home.This included the creation of mood & sample boards as well as overseeing the CAD technicians and perspective artists to provide comprehensive sets of floor plans, visuals and detailed drawings for the clients to approve and the contractors to follow.The work was challenging and extremely varied with such an international clientele and it was hugely rewarding and satisfying as well.As the company grew and evolved, so did the portfolio of brands carried and the nature of my work started to naturally flow towards the buying part of the business. I began to work more closely with the brands, creating and merchandising dedicated shop-in-shop areas within Aati to represent each one.By 2010, the Home division had grown to include two multi-brand Aati showrooms, a stand-alone Ligne Roset shop, the Home department of Harvey Nichols Dubai and finally the 54,000 sq. ft Bloomingdale’s Home Store in Dubai Mall. Both department stores were operated by the Al Tayer Group.My role grew to include buying for all the Home stores. Brands launched over the years included Ligne Roset, Minotti, Ralph Lauren Home, Fendi Casa, Barbara Barry, Baxter, Donghia, De Sede, Hulsta, William Yeoward, Kelly Hoppen, Nada Debs, Versace Home, Armani Casa, Mitchell gold & Bob Williams and several more.I gained enormous, valuable experience in Dubai and am thrilled and grateful to have had the opportunity to work on so many fantastic and challenging projects.

Belinda J Interiors was a small privately owned interior design practice in Wimbledon Village. Working there was my first real interior design job after finishing at the Inchbald School of Design and it was an extremely interesting, fun and rewarding job.We were the exclusive interior design firm working with luxury developers Octagon on the interior design and decoration of their show homes, as well as the specification of finishes and colour schemes for houses and apartments in each of their developments.In addition to this, we also worked with many private clients on the design and decoration of their homes, mainly in the Surrey and Greater London areas. These were often large properties requiring us to work closely, at length and collaboratively with our clients.