Introducing C&TH’s ‘Titans Of Design’

This year, alongside its list of the 50 Finest Interior Designers in Britain and Ireland, C&TH has picked ten of the most legendary studios from our shores. Our ‘Titans of Design’ are the most iconic British interior designers and studios, revered by their contemporaries and inspiring their peers with every single project they take on.

A Guide To The Most Iconic British Design Studios Working Today

Gosling Ltd. A double-height library in a private residence in Greenwich, Connecticut. Photography by Ray Main

Gosling Ltd.

Since founding his eponymous studio in 2005, Tim Gosling has become a leading voice in championing traditional techniques within contemporary design. His studio specialises in bespoke furniture and architectural interiors that celebrate heritage while embracing modern function. Whether it’s tattooing on vellum, combining straw marquetry with penning and ivory inlay or carbon fibre with teak, Gosling takes great pride in creating exquisitie finishes, which are sought-after by his a-list client list. Signature projects include the painstaking restoration of a 50-room château in Normandy – and the transformation of spaces at The Goring hotel, alongside London townhouses and apartments and a 15th-century Venetian palazzo. tgosling.com | @goslingdesignltd

Sims Hilditch. A boot room in a Warwickshire Home by Sims Hilditch. Photography by Renee Kemps

Sims Hilditch

Since launching her eponymous design studio from the kitchen table in 2009, Emma Sims-Hilditch’s reputation for interiors with an elegantly English aesthetic has continued on an upward trajectory. The main headquarters are located in a beautifully renovated former pub, The White Hart, in Gloucestershire, plus there is a second studio in Belgravia. Deeply inspired by the British countryside, the 40-strong studio team is a go-to for reimagining historic buildings for contemporary living, ensuring they remain timeless in the 21st century. The Sims Hilditch portfolio includes listed London townhouses, a Cotswolds party barn, country manors, rectories and estates, plus a three-bedroom apartment in The OWO and a villa in Portofino. simshilditch.com | @simshillditch

Studio Ashby. Belgravia ‘jewel box’ apartment. Photography by Kensington Leverne

Studio Ashby

Sophie Ashby was just 25 when she founded her studio, based in the Grade I former Blewcoat School building near St James’s Park. Now in its 11th year, Studio Ashby is known for crafting warm, inviting spaces that blend authenticity and an eclectic sense of style. Ashby has a passion for antiques, contemporary art, modernist furniture and often uses global influences in her schemes for projects including sprawling estates, listed Georgian houses, cosmopolitan boltholes, exclusive spas and fashion house headquarters. In July 2020, Ashby co-founded charitable initiative United in Design alongside interior designer Alex Dauley in response to the design industry’s lack of diversity. The charity places underrepresented graduates into work experience and placements. studioashby.com | @studioashby

Louise Bradley. Grade I-listed Home, Regent’s Park. Photography by Ray Main

Louise Bradley

Louise Bradley’s work epitomises quiet luxury. A self-confessed perfectionist, she often turns to her own collections of fabric, furniture and accessories to decorate projects her studio is working on around the globe. Clients love her passion for design and meticulous approach, which often means that when she revisits a project after a few years, the clients have rarely moved an object or piece of furniture. Where Bradley decrees it should sit, it stays. Her design and architecture studio in Knightsbridge comprises her flagship showroom where visiting clients can immerse themselves in the Louise Bradley aesthetic alongside her furniture, fabric collections and decorative accessories. louisebradley.co.uk | @louisebradleyinteriors

Martin Hulbert. Dower House. Photography by Dean Hearne.

Martin Hulbert Design

Martin Hulbert is the award-winning designer of The Grove Hotel, Coworth Park for the Dorchester Collection, the Treehouse suites at Chewton Glen and many other notable hospitality venues. Jay Grierson has worked alongside Hulbert since 2005 and in 2010 they created Martin Hulbert Design. Between them they maintain a flexible approach and often build strong relationships with clients that sees them working on numerous projects for the same family. They believe every part of a project should be coherent and work together, which often means involvement not only in interiors, but also architecture, garden landscaping and planting and even staff uniforms. martinhulbertdesign.com | @mhd_martinhulbertdesign

Katharine Pooley. A study in a private residence in Notting Hill. Photography by James McDonald

Katharine Pooley

Katharine Pooley is celebrated for her exceptionally luxurious designs. Her Chelsea-based design studio, set up over 20 years ago, comprises 49 interior designers and architects but it is Pooley’s personal approach that ensures every detail and bespoke product is finished impeccably. She champions British craftsmanship, her projects marked by lavish layering and intricate details, ranging in scale and style, and spanning projects including a château in Cannes, traditional country residences, Scottish castles, beach villas and yachts. Katharine has been an ambassador for The Child’s Trust since 2019, which transforms the bedrooms of children living in poverty using fabric offcuts and unwanted stock from suppliers. katharinepooley.com | @katharinepooleyltd

Nina Campbell. Bowling alley in private home in Maine.

Nina Campbell

Celebrated as the ‘doyenne of design,’ Nina Campbell boasts an impressive global portfolio. Her journey into design began at 19 years old, when she honed her eye working with John Fowler at Colefax and Fowler. By her twenties she had launched her own studio and landed a project to design a castle in Scotland and Annabel’s private members’ club in its early years after – emboldened by the bravery of youth – she told owner Mark Birley that two vitrines either side of the bar were ‘awfully ugly’. He responded by saying, ‘If you’re so clever, why don’t you do them yourself’. Numerous private members’ spaces, homes for royalty, private houses and villas have followed. Campbell was awarded an OBE last year for her ‘services to the British Interior Design Industry and to Philanthropy’. ninacampbell.com | @ninacampbellltd

Wimbledon project by Emma Burns of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Photography by Gavin Kingcome

Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler

Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler’s reputation for interiors that exude sophisticated elegance was established in the 1930s when the design firm was launched by Lady Colefax, who was then joined by John Fowler in 1938. Colefax’s pioneering approach – effortlessly mixing old with new, humble with precious – became synonymous with English country house interiors and is today interpreted by six designers and an architectural interior designer. Commissions range from some of Britain’s most notable stately homes to city apartments, American ranches, European ski chalets and tropical beach havens. The uber-discreet client list includes royalty and many notable names. sibylcolefax.com |@sibylcolefax

Taylor Howes. Bryanston apartment. Photography by James McDonald

Taylor Howes Designs

With a legacy spanning over three decades, Taylor Howes is renowned for creating soulful, elegant interiors that combine classical principles with contemporary flair. Founded in 1993 by Karen Howes, later joined by Jane Landino, and headquartered in Knightsbridge, the practice has built an impressive portfolio of high-profile projects, including a penthouse in Marylebone, a country house in Connecticut and villas in the South of France and Middle East. Taylor Howes is particularly known for its confident use of colour and refined, understated glamour, each project reflecting a deep understanding of the client’s lifestyle and aspirations. The in-house design team offers a full-service approach, combining architectural knowledge with an artistic sensibility to ensure each home is both beautiful and deeply personal. taylorhowes.co.uk | @taylorhowesdesigns

MBDS. Martin’s home.

MBDS

London-based Swedish designer Martin Brudnizski, creative director of MBDS, is renowned for pushing boundaries, creating interiors filled with charisma, beguiling a host of admirers including hospitality powerhouses like Soho House, The Birley Group and Rosewood hotels and resorts. ‘The most important thing when you approach design is to be brave,’ he notes. Lampshades piped with ruffles, flower- strewn upholstery, flashes of mirrored glass and joyful colour all find their way into the MBDS portfolio. The studio’s impressive body of work includes La Fantaisie hotel in Paris, the Vesper Bar at The Dorchester and the maximalist revamp of Annabel’s nightclub in 2018. Based in London and New York, the studio employs over 100 interior designers, architects, lighting designers and art consultants. mbds.com |@m_b_d_s