29.8.24
East London Experts: Easthaus meets interior designer and Walthamstow local, Rachael Gowdridge
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Born and bred North Londoner Rachael Gowdridge is an interior designer with extensive experience in the high-end luxury interiors market. In 2018 Rachael made the move East and is now proud to call Walthamstow her home. In 2021 she set up her own design studio merging her wealth of high-end interiors knowledge with her creative and friendly manner to provide a bespoke service for her own private clients. We had the pleasure of marketing Rachael’s beautiful home for sale and so took the opportunity to have a with chat about her design business as well life in East London.
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I’m a born and bred North Londoner
So it was a bit of a change for me to venture East! I made the move in 2018 and was drawn to Walthamstow for its community feel and its proximity to green spaces like Epping Forest and Walthamstow Wetlands. Although a little further out than more central East London locations like Hackney, for me it offers better value and it's a really easy commute to get into town. It also has a really youthful and vibrant scene at the weekends.
I spent almost a decade working primarily on high-end hospitality projects
Working for a long time at Martin Brudnizki Design Studio on hotels and restaurants, before moving to Ennismore International where I worked on the expansion of The Hoxton Hotels throughout Europe and The Gleneagles Hotel and Townhouse in Scotland.
At the beginning of 2022, I set up my own studio
I started off with a full renovation of a large house in St John’s Wood, followed by another in Clerkenwell. Alongside that, I wanted to keep that connection to hospitality, and have been lucky enough to work on some really interesting projects alongside the residential, including a private members club in Mayfair, and a boutique hotel offering in Oxford. The studio ethos is to craft holistic relationships to interiors in a creative, friendly and approachable manner for my clients.
At the heart of the studio’s aesthetic lies honest, quiet luxury, combining simplicity and refinement, texture and softness, and colour and personality.
We have a wealth of experience in designing bespoke furniture and lighting, and our projects combine these one-of-a-kind pieces with antique finds and artisanal creations, crafting interiors that will stand the test of time, transcend trends and curating collections that feel authentic and can be passed down from generation to generation.
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Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow
We recently completed a full renovation of a Georgian townhouse in Clerkenwell
One of our favourite parts of the process was working closely with the client to expand her art collection. I have real passion for art having studied Contemporary Art Practice at university, so we were able to curate a storied collection, combining original paintings from up-and-coming artists, edition lithographs from established names and antique originals sourced from galleries and online auction houses. Our interiors are all about the layering of materials, eras, textures and accessories, so each piece was sourced specifically with its placement in the room in mind, bringing together colours, forms and textures that resonated with the wider interior design as a whole.
I love working closely with British artisans and craftsmen on projects
There are lots of creative hubs popping up locally in Walthamstow; Turning Earth offer a home for ceramicists, along with makers and creators like Wildercreative and A White Workshop. Blackhorse Lane, has a number of small creative businesses like Blackhorse Lane Atelier who manufacture denim, Fallen & Felled timber merchants and even the Local Honey Man who produces 100% natural honey products from local hives.
A sunny weekend in East London would be spent…
With trip to the farmers market in Lloyd Park (the twinned market to Victoria Park) for a bite to eat at the Argentinian Steak stall, their chimichurri source is unrivalled! I’d then stroll down to the Walthamstow Wetlands which have great walking paths, wildlife and views across East London. From there, I’d grab a drink at one of the Blackhorse Road breweries before making my way back up to Walthamstow Village for dinner at Eat 17 (they have a small terrace in the back which is open in the summer months), and finally a nightcap at Bargo, who make the meanest spicy margaritas in the village.
East London’s best kept secret…
The Walthamstow Trades Hall – it hosts great events (Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada are just two of the names who have recently done surprise gigs here), it has excellent drinks prices, pool tables and darts boards, you can even bring a Yard Sale Pizza in from across the road. It’s truly one of the most authentic nights out in London.
My East London guilty pleasure is…
Friday nights at The Nags Head in Walthamstow Village, when the landlady Flossie cracks out the vinyls and gets behind the DJ booth.
To find out more about Rachael you can visit her website here and you can also see a showcase of her work on her Instagram here
Posted on
29/8/24
