For us Interior Design goes further than just creating beautiful interiors that are great to look at. We believe that luxury and practicality are not mutually exclusive. There are many factors that define great design. For us it comes down to a number of correlating elements; a scheme that integrates comfort, elegance and bespoke features always resulting in award worthy designs.

Q&A with Gloria Sanchez Puerta

Seb: Hello Gloria – Very nice to have you with us today. To start with, please tell us a bit more about yourself, your background.  

Gloria: Happy passionate and creative designer backed by 14 years of experience in the interior sector. I am originally from the beautiful and scenic Andalucia in Southern Spain, trained and qualified as an Interior Designer at the world-renowned KLC. Since then I have been been realising my life long ambition of creating unique and beautiful homes. A true city girl that loves living and working in London, but nevertheless I miss the warmer and less wet weather. My perfect bedroom view would look onto the sea. I dream of having a holiday home in the French Riviera and think the world would be a better place without the standard developer downlight grids laid out like an airport runway. 

S: How do you describe yourself as an Interior Designer, your style? 

G: Tailored Living Interiors is a boutique studio working in interior design and interior architectural projects for some of the world’s finest homes. Our luxurious interiors are fully tailored to the needs and requirements of a very selected clientele. Whilst we have the in-house ability to work on any given style, most of our client choose us for that very luxurious style, underpinned by a strong level of attention to detail with clean lines and sophisticated colours and textures. The majority of the designs we have created to date can be defined as classic contemporary. 

S: How do you define Interior Design?

G: For us the definition of interior Design goes further than just creating beautiful interiors that are great to look at. We believe that luxury and practicality are not mutually exclusive. There are many factors that define great design. For us it comes down to a number of correlating elements; a scheme that integrates comfort, elegance and bespoke features always results in award worthy designs. We also believe that the space where people situate themselves will affect their emotional state of mind in both a negative and positive manner. Our aim in every project is to create a space that will conduct to a positive environment and will improve people lives. 

S: Do you think the lockdown will change how ID is approached? Do you see new trends as a result?

G: Right now there is no single place more important than our homes. Things are getting a little easier but until very recently, we had to work, teach our children, exercise, feed, entertain ourselves and then feel relaxed enough to fall asleep at night – all within the confinement of our walls! Only to do the same again the next day. This experience has made many people rethink their personal space requirements. We have noticed changes with the evolving methods of meeting our daily needs solely within the home. We have discovered that many people out there are re-considering how they use their space and how to make the existing space work better for themselves. We have had enquiries from people that had areas in their home that no longer serve or offer the functionality that they need. In another enquiry we saw a client that had unused garden space that they wanted to convert into an extension. Someone also called us to set up a smart corner for their work video calls. 

S: What inspires you in life?

G: Great interiors and architecture are a continuous source of inspiration. When it comes to our interiors, we draw inspiration from nature, fashion, our client’s existing pieces of furniture or indeed their colour preferences. The client’s preferred style is often another source of inspiration that will determine the type of patterns and textures we select. Once we have a starting point, mood boards, instinct and colour principles help us shape the direction, and order our thoughts, making the rest come together naturally.

S: Which interior Designers/Architects or others have influenced you?

G: These days with social media we are spoilt for choice. When I first started there was a handful of designers. These days with Instagram and Pinterest the list has grown exponentially. At TL we love the work by the team at Laura Hammett Interiors. At an international level Kelly Wrestler’s designs are quite innovative and cutting edge.

S: How do you start a proposal for a client — What process do you follow?

G: The first thing we do upon being appointed for a new project is to understand our clients’ taste and preferences. Getting to know our client is imperative. We then become familiar with the space, its possibilities and limitations. From there, we start producing 3D sketches and models and then go on to creating lighting schemes that will help us enhance the space at night and create different mood settings. Once we know how the space is going to be utilised and have calculated the optimum furniture sizes, we commence the selection process, which is driven and informed by our client’s preference and budget. We then move on to selecting finishes and colours. In the studio we love playing with different materials and textures to add the right tone to a space. We like to create interiors that define who our clients are.

Once the design is complete we put the project up for tender amongst trusted building companies and different skill trades people who we know will craft our design pieces and window treatments to the required level of quality.

S: What was your biggest challenge in your career and what advice would you give to a young Interior Designer?

G: Starting out is always the hardest part for sure. Once you start creating your own projects and having your own clients, recommendations and word of mouth pave the way for your company to grow. This is exactly how we became the recognised studio we are today. My advice for all new interior designers is to ensure that clients are happy with the work you do. Thereafter, everything really falls into place.

S: If you were about to be reborn, what would you like to be — Still an Interior Designer?

G: Definitely, I really enjoy what I do

S: What is your motto?

G: Beautiful and functional designs enrich the quality of life.

If you want to find out more about Gloria, please visit www.tailored-living.co.uk or contact Gloria on +44 7973 118936