ESTABLISHING ANNA FRANCESCA INTERIORS
Sitting proudly outside my first real design project - my mum and dad’s home!
MY CAREER JOURNEY
I started my career in Public Relations after doing a Fashion Promotion & Communication degree at Southampton Solent University. I have always loved Fashion and imagined myself as a Fashion Designer when I was younger, until I did Textiles at A-Level. That was when I and everyone around me quickly realised that wasn’t for me! However, I love styling clothes, the psychology of fashion, and the theory of colour and I think there’s a huge interconnection between Fashion and Interior Design.
I didn’t properly realise how passionate I was about Interior Design until I was about 21. However, I did know how particular I was about ensuring my home environment was welcoming, tidy and aesthetically pleasing. I used to host my friends round our family home for years! I’d run the hoover round the entire house, buy new candles, flowers, and encourage my mum and dad that we had to buy new accessories and finishes to style the house with - I used to pride myself on welcoming others into a beautiful home that also made them feel amazing when they came.
After University and a few PR Internships, I worked for a PR agency that worked with well-known Fashion, Lifestyle and Beauty brands, and ran some of the most luxurious events in London. I was surrounded by beautiful things every day and here, I kick-started my career in Communications. I stayed there for just over 2 years.
During my time in PR, I thought about what I truly wanted, what my future looked like, and if I’m being honest, it’s always been in using my creativity and imagination to make something beautiful and meaningful. Wherever I am, if my environment is beautiful and makes me feel good, I am happier and my quality of life is far better. I’m a Taurus at the end of the day!
GIVING CREDIBILITY TO MY PASSION
I realised that I wanted my long-standing passion for Interior Design to have some legs. I was on Furlough in my first job at this point, in the middle of a pandemic, and I needed to challenge myself, I needed a new sense of purpose. I wanted actual knowledge and skills of Interior Design, and I needed it, if this was ever going to be a career. I wanted to be able to talk about and help others with Interior Design, beyond just providing my own opinion. I had lived in a few different apartments and obviously enjoyed styling my family home, so through compliments from others, I knew I had potential, which gave me a little bit of confidence to begin with.
In 2020, I began looking at online courses where I could have the freedom and flexibility alongside my full-time career to learn an entirely different skill, and I came across the Interior Design Institute. My course consisted of 12 modules spread across 18 months, plus an Advanced Module in SketchUp.
STUDYING AT THE INTERIOR DESIGN INSTITUTE
The course took me through The History of Interior Design, Design Styles, Colour Theory, 2D and 3D space planning, Design Discovery, Setting up a Business and Working with Clients. To say I loved the course would be an understatement. I spent all evenings in the week and any weekend I had free on it. I immediately found a new sense of purpose and realisation that if I had to do this day in, day out, I’d be very happy, there would be no such thing as just a 9-5 anymore. I completed the course with 100%. The course really reassured me that I not only had a strong interest for this industry, but that I had a natural flair and knew what I was talking about. It was time to put my passion into action and build my portfolio.
Towards the end of the COVID pandemic and a few months on Furlough, I moved on to work in Brand & Communications in-house for a Technology company - yep, not quite Fashion or Interior Design, but I hadn’t completely blown out the candle on this. At this time, I lived in a few different flats and houses and spent hours and LOT of my savings on mood boarding and selecting new furniture and finishes to decorate my new living spaces.
A FEW THINGS LIVING IN RENTED ACCOMMODATION TAUGHT ME
How to design on a very small budget
Designing small spaces
Designing for the short-term: where you can’t paint or make structural changes, you decorate in other ways - artwork, plants, textures, accessories such as decorative cushions
WHAT I ENJOY
Having friends and family over to enjoy my living space with me is one of my favourite things to do. I sit right in the middle of extrovert and introvert, so I love to entertain and socialise, but I equally love the comfort of my own home and company.
I’m also a keen traveller and still have many places I want to explore. Summer is my favourite season because I’m a sun worshipper and I have always dreamed of designing escapes that make you feel just as amazing as you do when you’re in the comfort of your own home. So if you have a project afar, I’d love to work with you!
MY FIRST PROJECT
In 2021, my mum and dad moved their entire life to Strete in Devon, after having lived in Berkshire for 30 years where they raised me and my older brother. It was the best move they made, personally and for my Interior Design! After they bought their house down there, they asked me to be their Interior Designer and Project Manager. I got straight on with designing their home exactly as I would any real paying client. This was my chance to finally get my hands on a real-life project. I have loved it! You can read more about the project here under ‘Forever Home’.
As well as my parents home, I have experience working on different projects of varying sizes, budget and scope, across the UK.
MY HOPES FOR THE FUTURE
I am now bringing my ideas for Anna Francesca Interiors to life and I am so excited to work with more clients, designing beautiful spaces that people truly love. I’m delighted to launch this website as my showcase.
My dream is to have a thriving Interior Design business, along with an Interiors & Lifestyle brand, but for now, my priority is getting my business off the ground, building new relationships, and gaining more hands-on experience.
If you’d like to work with me, please contact me below.
WHERE WILL YOU FIND ME WHEN I’M NOT DESIGNING?
Hard to say really, because running a business keeps you busy enough… I’m currently living in Devon, so maybe swimming in the sea, enjoying a trip out with the family, playing with my niece, going for dinner with friends, mooching around Interior Design shops, or at the gym!
