I grew up in the 90s, and my introduction to interior design was via the 48 hour makeover show ‘Changing Rooms’.

Changing Rooms inspired me (aged 11) to redecorate my own bedroom twice; but also framed interior design in my eyes as something creative, expressive, accessible - but ultimately frivolous.

Although I continued to renovate my own homes, it wasn’t until I was in my early 30s that I revisited interiors as a profession via a Netflix profile of Ilse Crawford; an interior designer known for creating interiors that prioritize human experience, comfort, and wellbeing.

Suddenly I saw: as well as being creative, interior design has huge power to influence how we live and feel.

A couple of years ago we extended our house. We'd had a fire, the kitchen was full of damp, and what started as necessary repair work became something bigger — knocked down walls, new space, an open plan living environment we're genuinely grateful for. But I hadn't anticipated the sheer volume of materials involved – and the waste. The amount of stuff the builders put straight into the skip without a second thought. Watching that unfold — standing in my own home, watching potentially usable, often non-biogradable, sometimes toxic materials disappear into landfill — made me start to see the built environment differently. Not as a finished ‘after photo’ but as an accumulation of material decisions. I realised that most of us, myself included, make those decisions without nearly enough information.