Designer Diaries: Rebecca Constable 🖼️

In her beautiful North London home, we caught up with the ever-so-charming interior designer Rebecca Constable.

Known for her thoughtful, yet playful, approach to interiors, Rebecca's currently giving her own home office a refresh — and yes, she specified a few Plank Hardware pieces along the way.

We discussed the joys (and challenges) of designing for city homes, lighting design that actually works in London, plus the importance of nailing "the building blocks" of a scheme — before getting caried away with decor.

 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into interior design?

 

I’m an interior designer living in North London, with my husband and three kids. I mainly work on residential interior projects, but I also have a business called Room by Room which provides off-the-shelf design schemes, aiming to make interior design more accessible. 

Before I had children, I worked in management consultancy and project management. I used to have an interiors blog and decided, after I had my children, that I wanted to pursue a career in interior design. I started by helping friends, then slowly started to find new clients by word of mouth — and its grown from there!

Creating a home that reflects who you are, and one that you can welcome people into, has always been something I have been passionate about.

 

 

How would you describe your signature style and design philosophy?

 

My aim is always to create spaces that make you feel warm, happy and relaxed. I love using color and pattern to create an interesting and layered space.

If I had to describe my style, it would probably be traditional English interiors with a modern twist.

The aim is always to make a space feel like it has evolved over time, with influences from lots of different places. Everyone's home should be unique to them.

 

 

You incorporated Plank Hardware into your office design — which pieces did you choose, and how did they elevate the space?

 

Not only should a space feel beautiful and inviting, but it should also work really well for your needs.

Before we began decorating the office, we decided to rewire so that we could create some different levels of lighting and make sure we had sockets and switches in all the right places.

I chose the MAXWELL Toggle Light Switch and SYLVIE Double Plug Socket in Antique Brass, which has such a lovely rich finish to it — it really complements the slightly midcentury feel we have gone for in here. I love that the plug sockets have USB a and C ports, so you can plug-in anything, which is important in an office where we have so many different gadgets to charge.

For the light switch by our sofa bed (this room also doubles up as a guest room), I chose the KEPLER Paintable Toggle Switch, so that it blends in with the wall, but is within arms reach of the bed. This switch controls our wall lights, the NOVI Wooden Wall Sconce, which have this gorgeous dark rich wood and make such a statement against our walls. I really wanted to make sure we had some mid-level lighting in here to add a cosy feel and it also means we don’t always have to have the overhead light on.

Having said that, I absolutely adore the MARIN Glass Pendant Light that we have in the centre of the room. It looks so beautiful whether it is off or on, and gives a really lovely soft warm glow across the whole room. 

For me, it was so important to get the foundations of lighting and electrics right, so that we had a room that worked beautifully and so that we had a gorgeous base which could evolve and develop over time. 

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A post shared by Rebecca Constable | Educational Interior Content (@rebeccaconstable.design)

 

Working from home has become a big part of modern life — what design elements do you think make a home office both beautiful and functional?

 

Working from home is so important, in a way it just wasn’t before 2020.

A home office should feel like a place you can escape to, to be productive, creative and have space to think. You kind of want it to feel slightly separate from the rest of your home (in order to create that work/life boundary), but also very much part of it. It’s a hard balance to strike.

Lighting is key to creating a space you actually want to spend time in, especially in the UK during the winter months, when there is so little light. Overhead lighting, wall sconce lights and lamps all work well together to create a beautifully lit space where you can control and adjust the lighting.

Having plug sockets in all the right places is so important. It’s also a good idea to think about how the space might evolve over time and where you might need plug sockets in the future. If in doubt, put them in!

Simple things like updating a pull or a cabinet knob on a piece of furniture can update and change the feel of a piece. And finally, it's always nice to have somewhere soft to sit and relax when you need to change it up from sitting at a desk hour after hour.

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A post shared by Rebecca Constable | Educational Interior Content (@rebeccaconstable.design)

 

As a designer, where do you usually find your inspiration — are you a Pinterest magpie, a vintage market browser, or more of a wander-the-city observer?

 

I love reading magazines and looking inside real people's homes. I often find that I spot small, interesting design details when I am looking at something in print — compared to when I’m on my phone scrolling.

Having said that, I love Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration. I have so many folders on these apps, and on my phone, all with amazing images I have seen and want to come back to.

My family has also had a huge influence on my taste and what inspires me. My mother's home, my grandparent’s home and my aunt’s home are all big sources of inspiration for me. 

 

 

You have a beautiful North London home. But London homes often come with their quirks — what’s your go-to approach for turning tricky spaces into assets?

 

I often think your limitations become your best design details.

I love designing bespoke cabinetry to make the most out of a space. You can be really creative and really specific about creating a piece of furniture that will look beautiful, but also work really hard in that space.

In our bathroom/laundry room, I designed some pull-out drying racks that are one of my favourite design features. If we’d have had space for a massive laundry room, I don’t think I would have come up with a solution as neat as that.

 

 

Getting lighting right can make or break a room, especially in London homes where natural light can be scarce. How do you approach lighting design in your projects?

 

In every room, you want to have multiple sources of light. So you never want a room to just be lit by an overhead light.

You also want to have mid-level lighting, which could be wall lights or tablelamps, or floorlamps — something which is around eye level, rather than from above.

I always try to ensure that each area of a room is lit, and that there is good lighting by any seating so that, if you’re reading a book in the evening, you can actually see! So I would generally ensure there is a source of light in each corner of your room, as well as overhead lighting.

Finally, having your lights on separate circuits is key, so that you can control and adjust how many and which lights you have on at any one time. This enables you to change the mood and feel of a room.

 

 

If you weren’t an interior designer, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

 

Honestly, I have no idea!

I love working with people, and problem solving, so anything that would mean doing lots of that. I can get easily bored — which is not a good trait — so I need variety.

 

What’s a current interiors trend you’re loving right now, and one you’d happily wave goodbye to?

 

I’m loving seeing more of a middle ground between minimalism and maximalism emerging. Slightly minimal spaces that feel a bit warmer and less sterile than they have traditionally.

Conversely, I think lots of people have started to realise filling your home with loads of things can just feel chaotic, as supposed to interesting and layered. I could happily never see another feature wall in my life!

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And finally, when you’re not designing or refreshing spaces, where are we most likely to find you in London?

 

I’m either at home with the kids, cooking or hanging out in our living room watching a movie. When the weather is good, we love a long walk on Hampstead Heath, with plenty of snacks to fuel us.

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A post shared by Rebecca Constable | Educational Interior Content (@rebeccaconstable.design)

 

Big thanks to Rebecca for sharing her insights (and her soon-to-be stunning home office). Whether you’re wrestling with a tricky London floorplan, or just want to give your desk space a glow-up, her advice proves that good design is all about balance — beauty and function, style and personality, statement and subtlety ✨