In conversation with Hannah Drakeford

“I adore bold colours. Being surrounded by them in my living environment makes me feel empowered, energised and above all, happy.”

 - Hannah Drakeford 

Hannah Drakeford.

Hannah Drakeford is a London-based interior designer known for her bold and colourful interiors. She transitioned from a 21-year retail design career to interior design, and has gained popularity on social media where she now shares creative upcycling tutorials and encourages individuality in home decor. She brings a strong sense of personal style and a wealth of craft, also featuring as a contestant on series five of BBC One's "Interior Design Masters". 

How did your journey into interior design begin and what motivated you to pursue it professionally? 

I founded Hannah Drakeford Design in 2020 after a 21-year career in visual merchandising retail design came to an end, just before the first lockdown. I had long dreamed of becoming a professional interior designer and starting my own business, but living in London, financially it always felt like too much of a risk. Turns out being made redundant and finally having a small pot of savings to fall back on gave me the push I needed to finally take the plunge. It's been an incredibly hard journey, but it was the best decision I ever made!

Growing up, did you have a strong creative influence in your environment that shaped your career path? 

I really don’t come from a creative background. There isn’t anyone else in my family with any kind of artistic flair or passion for design, but I always loved drawing and painting. My Mum saw I was good at it and encouraged me to pursue it through my education. When I was a teenager though I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t have much determination to build a career in the creative sector (now I think maybe the right opportunities just weren’t presented to me), I just continued to draw and paint because I was good at it and then I just fell into a career in retail. I started out as a visual merchandiser in a small store in Leicester and gradually worked my way up the ladder into senior management, designing store windows and interior concepts for some of the most well-known brands on our high street, across the UK and globally. It was the amazingly creative and driven individuals I worked with over the years who forged my passion for design and shaped my path to interior design.

Your design style is known for its boldness and colour. What are some of the core themes or ideas that inspire you when creating spaces? 

I adore bold colours. Being surrounded by them in my living environment makes me feel empowered, energised and above all, happy. They’ve become such an integral part of my brand and how I personally present myself (I always joke that I dress exactly how I design) and they’ve given me the ability to stand out from the crowd and be noticed, which has been hugely beneficial for me as I’ve grown my business over the past four years.

My design style can’t be described in a simple sentence and doesn’t really fit into any one box. I combine playful elements of the Memphis Milano design movement of the 1980s with the geometric sensibilities of mid-century design, the Bauhaus movement and other artists of this time, such as Auguste Herbin. I’m a huge 20th century history nerd and I’m obsessed with post-war architecture, so the forms and textures of brutalist buildings feed into my design style too.

In your event collaboration with Get Living and SHAPESLewisham, which brought together 100 local makers and creators to bring The Filigree penthouse to life, you designed a bold room using upcycled furniture and everyday household items. Can you tell us how this project came together and what inspired your approach to creating such a unique, sustainable space? 

The collaboration between SHAPESLewisham and Get Living’s newest neighbourhood, The Filigree, was a particularly exciting project that brought together such a diverse group of local makers and creators. The collective effort to transform The Filigree sky home into a space that mirrors the vibrant community in which it is located, inspired a new level of creativity. 

Alongside my interior design, I’ve made a name for myself on social media upcycling furniture. I turn mundane, everyday pieces into wildly colourful creations that have never been seen before, so with the emphasis of this project being heavily on sustainability, I felt it would be the perfect opportunity to design a room featuring only secondhand and upcycled pieces. I built everything out on the roof terrace which became my workshop for two of the hottest weeks of the year - it was so much fun!

Hannah Drakeford design for collaboration between SHAPESLewisham and Get Living’s newest neighbourhood, The Filigree,

Being part of SHAPESLewisham, a collective of local artists and makers, must have its perks. What has being a member of this community meant for your work and growth as a designer? 

I joined SHAPESLewisham back in the pandemic when I was still trying to get my business off the ground and it felt wonderful to know I was part of a huge community of local creatives at a time when we all felt so isolated. Since then, and especially during The Filigree sky home project with Get Living, it’s given me the opportunity to connect with a really wide range of local artists, designers and makers, which will hopefully lead to many future collaborations and work opportunities. I work for clients all over the world, but it’s always the local projects that feel the most special to me.

Looking back at your career, what moment has been the most rewarding for you, whether it was a project, a personal achievement, or a client’s reaction? 

There have honestly been so many, but I’d have to say appearing on the BBC’s ‘Interior Design Masters’ with Alan Carr has been the highlight of my career so far. Filming that show was such a special experience for all of us and it’s led to so many unique experiences and opportunities since it aired in 2024. It’s been a wild year!

What’s one key lesson you’ve learned through your career that you wish you could tell your younger self or aspiring designers? 

I think it would have to be to stay true to yourself, embrace all the quirks and weird things that make you unique and use them to build your brand. People will tell you you’ll have to dilute your style to fit into mainstream society’s perception of taste in order to get more clients, and while there may be some truth in that, developing a unique and recognisable brand will ultimately lead to the right kind of clients finding you with projects you can be truly excited about.

Are there any exciting upcoming projects or collaborations you’re working on that you can share with us? 

I‘m part of an amazing collective called First-Hand Design. We recently completed our first project, which saw us transform an unused space in Wandsworth into a pop-up pub, the Craft & Draft. But this is more than just a simple pub - since opening, it’s become a hub for the local community with a vast array of events and workshops being held there by local organisations. We used the design and build process as a skill-building workshop for Wandsworth residents, as well as design students and recent graduates looking to gain hands-on experience and have a completed real world project to add to their portfolios.

This year we’re planning to take this further and use our expertise to transform other underutilised buildings across London and the UK into spaces that benefit local communities and businesses, as well as provide training opportunities for anyone looking to gain design and build experience. I’m so excited to see what opportunities come our way!

If you had the chance to work on your dream project, what would it look like and where would it take place? 

I’ve always loved the idea of working on the design and renovation of a gorgeous mid-century home. Maybe in LA or Palm Springs? I’d also love the opportunity to design a boutique hotel. Something really conceptual, cool and colourful!

Hannah Drakeford Design.

The [Quick] #FLODown: 

Best life advice?

Start that business! It’ll be a million times harder than you expect, but also a million times more rewarding.

Last song you listened to?

Drop Me A Line by Midnight Magic.

Last book you read?

When Can We Go Back To America? By Susan H Kamei.

Can't live without…?

Red wine and Vinted.

What should the art world be more of and less of?

More diversity, way more gallery spaces and less pretentiousness.

Website:  hd-design.co.uk

Instagram:  @hannah_drakeford_design 

Tik Tok: @hannah_drakeford_design

LinkedIn: hannahdrakeford

The Filigree by Get Living offers quality homes to rent in the heart of Lewisham. To see Hannah and SHAPESLewisham’s design in action, book a viewing here.