WORDS: AMY BRADFORD PICTURES: GENEVIEVE LUTKIN
AUGUST 2019 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 31TRENDSUp-and-coming interior designer
Hollie Bowden says her style sits
somewhere between maximalist
Jacques Grange and minimalist
Axel Vervoordt – a contrast, to
say the least. ‘I like to mix things
up,’ she says. ‘The juxtaposition
of bare walls and big open spaces
with theatrical statement pieces,
complex textures and antiques is something I love. As
is Vervoordt’s Japanese-inspired wabi-sabi aesthetic;
I use a lot of pieces that have an organic, aged character.’
Her style is evident when you look at the serene villa
(top right) she designed in Ibiza, and her subdued yet
glamorous palette of stormy hues and marble at the
headquarters of sake brand Heavensake (left).
Bowden established her Shoreditch studio in 2013
(now with a team of six) and has already amassed an
impressive list of projects in locations from London
to the Hollywood Hills. Most are residential, but there
are retail spaces in the mix, including a showroom for
luxury leather goods brand Tanner Krolle. For her, it
is key that every project tells a story. ‘My job is to build
a world and direct a vision that suits my clients,’ she
explains. ‘I believe your home informs your mood, so
it’s important that you get the tone right.’Opposite A moody palette of monochrome marble and
deep teal at the headquarters of sake brand Heavensake
in London’s Chelsea This page, from top A redesigned
country estate in Ibiza. The marble bathroom and calm
living space in a private home in South Kensington, LondonAs for where her diverse style comes from, it seems
Bowden has her mum to thank. ‘When I was growing
up, our house was always evolving,’ she recalls. ‘Mum
would get bursts of inspiration and be compelled to
revamp the place. I once woke up to find my bedroom
had been transformed around me.’ After taking an art
foundation course, Bowden trained at the KLC School
of Design in Chelsea and then worked for Oxfordshire-
based designer Harriet Holgate, who introduced her
to a quirky, classically English decorating style.
Her biggest solo project to date is Es Cubells, a 1980s
Modernist villa in Ibiza. The property is filled with
warm neutrals and bespoke furnishings, including
a moulded plaster bath designed to enhance the
property’s ocean views. Bowden regularly produces
such pieces; the Tanner Krolle store has a set of
horsehair-covered cabinets and iron shelving.
Her next project is an abode on the picturesque
Isle of Bute, though Bowden dreams of designing
a boutique hotel. ‘I would bring my love of creating
homes to it,’ she muses, ‘but it would also give me
scope to be more adventurous’ (holliebowden.com).‘MY JOB IS TO BUILD A
WORLD FOR MY CLIENTS.
YOUR HOME INFORMS YOUR
MOOD, SO IT’S IMPORTANT
TO GET THE TONE RIGHT’