STORIES TO INSPIRE ALL WOULD-BE ENTREPRENEURS
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| Sophie Patterson, a 32-year-old new mother and famous interior designer, opened the doors to her Surrey home for FEMAIL |
The pictures that will make every mother green with envy: Interior designer and first-time mum opens the doors to her VERY pristine Surrey mansion (complete with Hermes baby blankets)
- If you've got an interiors board on Pinterest, there is a good chance it contains the work of Sophie Paterson
- Sophie, a 32-year-old new mother, opened the doors to her Surrey home for FEMAIL
- Sophie has made a fortune transforming the homes of the rich and famous
- Sophie, a new mother, has an immaculate and pristine home complete with Hermes baby blankets
But is her own home as glossy as the houses that have earned her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media?
Sophie, a 32-year-old new mother, opened the doors to her Surrey mansion for FEMAIL - and it's as pristine and considered as you'd expect.
Despite recently welcoming her first child, there isn't a single abandoned toy or nappy in sight. Instead, Sophie has used her design credentials to create a tranquil and immaculate haven for her little girl, Ava, to grow up in.
From the open plan country-esque kitchen to her husband's old gentleman’s club-inspired study and a baby gym for Ava, Sophie proves she certainly has the midas touch when it comes to decorating homes.
Sophie Paterson, a 32-year-old new mother and famous interior designer, opened the doors to her Surrey home for FEMAIL - and it's as immaculate and considered as you'd expect
Sophie is the founder of Sophie Paterson Interiors - a brand she established in 2008 at the age of 23. Fast-forward a few years and her company has become one of the UK’s most successful interior design studios
Sophie, who has a plethora of celebrity clients, opened the door to her own Surrey mansion, which is complete with a rustic, country-inspired kitchen. The decor is a mix of soft neutrals, clean lines and natural textures
Sophie made the transition from a previous career in events management for a restaurant group after a developer liked the way she had decorated her home and asked her to help him with the interiors of his latest development project - a 4,000 square foot townhouse with a basement extension in South Kensington
One day Sophie may be designing a villa in Spain, or sourcing furnishings in Paris, the next she's dealing with finance and accounting and looking at spreadsheets. She wakes at 7am and has breakfast with her husband and has just welcomed baby girl Ava, left and right at home together
Sophie Paterson Interiors was established by Sophie in 2008, and is based in London and Surrey. She has garnered hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers who love her luxe home
Sophie worked on her first client's project free of charge, keen to see if her passion could translate into a job. It took off and now she runs a hugely successful business
Sophie designed a swanky study for her tech tycoon husband, Kevin. She says the room is based around the traditional cigars-and-whisky-type feel of an old gentleman’s club meets Ralph Lauren store
Sophie relocated to Surrey from South Kensington and worked painstakingly hard with her developer to create the perfect home for herself, husband, daughter and dog, Bo
Sophie's house has a very dramatic entrance hall with a sweeping staircase and huge artificial flower pots with coffee table tomes
Sophie's entrance hall is incredibly grand and features Chanel coffee table books, expensive artwork and perfectly arranged cushions
Sophie and Kevin recently welcomed their first daughter, Ava, and created this sanctuary for her complete with Hermes blankets and animal-inspired artwork
Sophie spent months creating a perfect sanctuary for her firstborn, which includes a baby gym, left, and cosy and tranquil reading corner, right
Sophie's lounge has a cosy fireplace, luxe sofas and and cushions with subtly contrasting contemporary prints. She also has fresh flowers in every room
Fashion fan Sophie also has her own dressing room and says she only has objects on show that she 'really likes'. Sophie finds it feels indulgent to sit at a table to do her makeup and created a feminine room
Speaking to FEMAIL about whether she thinks women like her can have it all, Sophie said: 'In my experience I feel like it's a constant balancing act; some weeks I feel like I have a great work/life balance and other weeks it definitely doesn't work as smoothly'
Sophie's bathroom has a spa like feel to it. She had a single slab of marble shipped from Italy and placed on the wall behind the luxurious tub
Sophie had this slab of marble shipped in from Europe to complete the luxurious look and feel of her master bathroom
Sophie also has a luxurious dressing room with dark interiors, which she thinks give a sense of drama. Sophie, her husband and her daughter will enjoy Sunday lunch in here
Sophie's guest bedrooms are equally as plush and feature mahogany wood, neutral cushions and plenty of expensive art
SOPHIE PATERSON'S STORY
If you've got a board filled with interior snaps on Pinterest, there is a good chance it contains the work of Sophie Paterson.
Sophie is the founder of Sophie Paterson Interiors - a brand she established in 2008 at the age of 23. Fast-forward a few years and her company has become one of the UK’s most successful interior design studios, with a plethora of celebrities enlisting Sophie to transform their homes.
'I always loved interiors from a young age but I didn't initially pursue this as a career and instead opted to study business and Spanish at Bath University,' Sophie told FEMAIL.
'I made the transition from my previous career in events management for a restaurant group after a developer, who my husband and I consulted about reconfiguring the layout of our then mews house in London, liked the way I had decorated our home and asked me to help him with the interiors of his latest development project - a 4,000 square foot townhouse with a basement extension in South Kensington.
'This was an amazing opportunity that, with my husband's encouragement, I seized with both hands. I worked on his project free of charge, keen to see if my passion could translate into a job and continued with my other job initially for six months.
'Then, when I could see it had potential to work, I quit my job and set up my company, initially just working with this developer- I was only 23 and had no real idea of what lay ahead or was required to set up a successful company but I think that was a blessing!'
One day Sophie may be designing a villa in Spain, or sourcing furnishings in Paris, the next she's dealing with finance and accounting and looking at spreadsheets. She wakes at 7am and has breakfast with her husband.
'It's the calmest part of the day and we both love it,' she said.
Sophie tries to work out with a trainer three times a week, which she hails a great way to manage stress.
Sophie also credits her husband for motivating her to stay on track, hailing him 'hugely encouraging and supportive'.
'My husband Kevin runs his own tech company and so is very understanding of the demands of running your own business and the long hours that can occasionally require.'
Sophie also feels blessed to work in an industry where there's gender equality, explaining: 'I'm aware that isn't the case for all industries. I believe the interior design industry has an equal amount of both female and male leaders and I employ exactly 50:50 men and women, all purely based on ability.
'I feel very lucky that I've never experienced discrimination based on my gender - it means I'm able to focus on doing the best possible job I can without worrying about how I am perceived.'
So does Sophie think women can have it all? 'In my experience I feel like it's a constant balancing act; some weeks I feel like I have a great work/life balance and other weeks it definitely doesn't work as smoothly.
'I don't think you can do it by yourself and I wouldn't like to pretend otherwise. I have a great team of designers to support me at work, a supportive and encouraging husband and a housekeeper at home. I don't think there's any shame in having help but I do know how fortunate I am to be in this position where it's possible.'
Sharing her golden piece of advice for women looking to follow in her footsteps, Sophie said: 'I always have several things in the pipeline when it comes to work - that way if one thing doesn't work out you don't waste time focusing on that but move onto the other things you have lined up.
'When you run your own business you can't take rejection personally and this approach really helps me look forward and not waste time worrying.'
(The Mail, Uk)
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