Salvesen Graham is taking English style to new places

4 Aug 2025 · 1 h 8 min

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Business of Home Podcast Episode Notes

Episode Title

Salvesen Graham is Taking English Style to New Places

Hosts and Guests

  • Host: Dennis Scully
  • Guests: Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, co-founders of British design studio Salvesen Graham.

Overview In this episode, Scully interviews Salvesen and Graham about their journey in the interior design industry, their partnership, and their unique approach to English interiors. They discuss the evolution of their firm since its inception in 2013, their expansion into the U.S. market, and the characteristics of their design style.

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Key Themes and Discussions

  1. Background and Formation of Salvesen Graham
  2. University Connection: Nicole and Mary met in university but pursued different paths before founding their firm in 2013.
  3. Early Careers:
  4. Mary worked for Cindy Levison.
  5. Nicole worked for iconic English decorator Nina Campbell.
  6. Initial Vision: Their early ambitions included building a successful business with a solid team and completing notable projects.
  1. Design Aesthetic
  2. English Interiors: Known for creating spaces that are layered with pattern, quiet color, and nostalgia.
  3. Evolution of Style: Acknowledgment of English interiors evolving and how they incorporate contemporary influences while maintaining classic elements.
  4. House Style: They embrace being known for a distinct house style, which clients recognize as their signature.
  1. Differences Between American and British Clients
  2. Client Expectations: American clients often have a clearer understanding of the design process and are more willing to discuss the financial aspect of projects.
  3. Educational Role: British clients may require more education about the design process, making it essential for designers to communicate effectively.
  1. The Evolution of the Interior Design Industry
  2. Changing Practices: Reflections on how the industry has changed over the years, from reliance on traditional methods (like fax machines) to the current digital landscape.
  3. Business Acumen: The importance of combining creativity with strong business practices, which they believe should not be mutually exclusive.
  1. Challenges of Running a Design Firm
  2. Time Management: The struggle to balance creative time and the demands of client communication in a fast-paced environment.
  3. Learning from Experience: Emphasis on gaining experience through working for established designers before launching their own firm.
  4. Response to Client Needs: The need for designers to be responsive while also preserving time for creativity.
  1. Product Line Expansion
  2. Diversification: Salvesen Graham has launched a product line that includes fabrics and wallpapers, which they view as a significant growth opportunity.
  3. Understanding the Market: They are expanding their product availability in the U.S. through multi-line showrooms, adapting to different regional markets.
  1. Future Aspirations
  2. Book Launch: Discussion about their recently published book, which reflects their journey and the evolution of their design philosophy.
  3. Consulting for Future Growth: They have engaged a consultant to help solidify their business plan for the future, indicating a focus on sustainable growth and strategic planning.

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Key Takeaways

  • The importance of building a brand that resonates with clients while staying true to personal design philosophies.
  • Acknowledging the need for business acumen in the creative industry to ensure the longevity and success of a design firm.
  • The value of collaboration and learning from others in the field to grow as designers and business owners.
  • The evolving nature of client expectations and the design industry itself, particularly through the lens of American and British markets.
  • The significance of taking time for creativity amid the demands of running a business.

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Conclusion This episode of the Business of Home Podcast sheds light on the journey of Salvesen Graham, their design philosophy, and the nuances of running a successful interior design firm. Listeners gain insights into the importance of combining creativity with strong business strategies, the challenges of client management, and the ongoing evolution within the interior design industry.

Links

  • [Salvesen Graham Website](https://www.salvesengraham.com/)
  • [Dennis Scully Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/dennisscully/)
  • [Business of Home Website](https://businessofhome.com/)

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Transcript

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0:03This is Business of Home. I'm your host, Dennis Scully. Every week I'll be speaking with leaders and innovators from all corners of the home industry. My guests this week are Nicole Salveson and Mary Graham of British design studio, Salveson Graham. The two first met at university and then went in different directions. Mary worked for Sidney Levison and Nicole for iconic English decorator, Nina Campbell. Then in 2013, they came together to launch their own firm. Since then, Salveson Graham has become known for creating English interiors with a fresh, approachable feel. Spaces full of layered pattern, quiet color, and a touch of nostalgia.

0:51The two have also launched a product line, including a fast-growing fabric business, which is set to expand here in the U.S. I spoke with Nicole and Mary about the differences between American and British clients, why they don't mind being known for a house style, and why they entered their partnership slowly and deliberately, and why that's helped it stand the test of time.

1:21This podcast is sponsored by Lalloy, maker of rugs, pillows, and wall art for the thoughtfully layered home. If you miss them at Vegas Market, Lolloy's newest summer introductions keep design at the forefront, pieces that are beautiful in your home and ethically crafted. The new collections are handmade in India and Goodweave certified, which ensures they come from an ethical and transparent supply chain. See those collections and more at lolloyrugs.com. That's L-O-L-O-I rugs dot com. Follow them on Instagram and TikTok at Lalloy Rugs to see the rugs from even more angles. This podcast is sponsored by Blue Dot, Minnesota's premier modern design brand.

2:10If you're a pro, you're going to want to know about Blue Dot's newly updated trade program. Members receive 20 % off every order every day. You get a dedicated trade concierge, aka a real human being, who can assist you with product info, samples, ordering, and fulfillment. You'll also get early access to new designs and special finishes reserved just for the trade. There's even more, so head over to bluedot.com to learn all about it. That's bluedot.com. And now, on with the show. One of the things I'm wondering about and we'll talk about who you both worked for in the past, but in coming together and starting your firm back in 2013, I wonder how clear a vision you might have had when you first got going.

3:09I looked at an original business plan in the loosest of terms the other day that we'd written and it said something like, you know, if we reach 10 years, we want to have two or three senior designers with other team members working below them blah blah blah blah and I thought gosh had we known you know that's that's pretty accurate um we're probably slightly bigger now than than the 30 whatever year olds we were had predicted um but yeah I think we were always ambitious I would say not in a sort of aggressive way but we knew if we were going to do this we're both hard workers and if we do things we do it properly and so I think we knew right from the beginning that we wanted to make this a really proper successful business and we've touched upon before this idea that creativity and business acumen are not mutually exclusive and I think in our industry sometimes being business like is a bit frowned upon because then people think well you're probably not that creative if you're interested in the business side but we wanted to set out to prove that you can do both.

4:12You know and when we started we'd both been working for 10 years before we started Salvis and Graham and we had been working for you know some greats in the industry who we were slightly in awe of as well so that didn't necessarily feel achievable or attainable than that actually so it was just about setting out our goals to be working on really great projects and to have a nice team supporting that. It was never necessarily hugely more ambitious than that. And I think that if we're honest, we probably always did want to do a book and we wanted to create a product line, but we never really voiced that because it was always, we would have to get to those stages to then for those things to develop.

4:50And when we started the business, the industry generally was going through a period of change. You know, when we started, everyone was using fax machines. I mean, I think some of my early jobs, I didn't have a computer. Taking checks to the bank, clients paying their checks. that you would cast? So, you know, it was different. And I think that like Mary says, this idea of very business-like interior design practices wasn't quite so established as it is today. I think we look around and all our peers are completely fantastic and have such a high level of professionalism within their businesses, as do all those greats that have been around for a very long time.

5:28But there was still an element in the industry of people going to a client's house and laying out fabrics on a table and that was how you created the interior and CAD was still relatively new certainly more on the interiors fit outside of the business less so obviously architecturally and it was being used in quite basic ways at that time certainly the sort of firms that we are working for that were much more creatively driven. The interior design business in the UK is much more in its infancy than it is in the States you know as a the concept of it being a profession is a relatively new thing.

6:05There's definitely still a way to go. And I think, I mean, that's why we love American clients, because they do understand the business and the service element of the industry. And they are happy to go out and buy new product or tell their friends about you. And we find the understanding that I think an American client brings to a project really refreshing for us, because so often for a UK client, it is the first time they worked with the designer. It's a relatively new experience. Maybe they haven't got friends who have worked with designers. So you're sort of educating them on the process as well as decorating the house.

6:42Whereas with most of our American clients, they have a level of understanding already, which can just make things easier at the beginning. When you are starting a firm, and because there are so many different ways of doing this, and there are lots of people that start one man bands from, you know, without going to design school or just doing design school. They don't work for anyone else. They don't gain all that experience. And there's definitely a huge place for that in the industry. But I think also when you're setting yourself up to do the sort of projects that we do, you have to set yourself up in a different way because the level of service that you're providing for that client is very different and very high level and detailed.

7:19You know, you're doing a lot of back-end work behind the scenes for them because this sort of level and size and scope of project requires that so I think that's the other thing that we have seen change a bit in the industry or it's certainly the side of the industry that we're working on and you have to differentiate yourself from those you know when you go to a dinner party and someone says oh my wife she's done our house and I keep telling her she'll become an interior designer it's nothing wrong with that but equally it's And there's absolutely a place for that, but it's not the sort of work that we do and that most of the people, all of the people that you're talking do.

7:58So I think that's what we found when we were setting it up. There was also quite an explosion into the industry of that sort of interior decorator. And we needed to make sure that we were setting ourselves apart from that and how to do that. And I think, as Mary said as well, the client's sensibility has changed. they are much more willing to talk about the financial side of it now. So you have to have really strong conviction that you know what you're talking about as well. So I think that's been really important is to, you know, to be able to show them that you have a very clear grasp on that.

8:33Because, you know, there was always those rumors back in the day and the industry had been marred by people buying Picassos for their clients and putting markups on it. And, you know, all those stories that you hear in the early days. So I think that was the other thing that, you know, you had to be more transparent. But you're also now, you know, usually part of a team with landscape gardeners, contractors, architects, professional people around the table. And you've got to be as professional as them and as clear about how you are going to run the project or charge all those elements as well.

9:06I think there's still, I like to think there's still a special relationship with the interior designer and the client. I think we're a little bit more privy to their sort of personal life. That's what a lot of architects tell me. Well, do they? Yes, a lot of architects will say, no, no, the interior designer will get a hold of my client's ear and they will make the decision. Oh, I see. Yeah. They agree with us. Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. They think the interior designer holds the sway. Exactly. But we extract all the useful information. So, you know, it's important. I think the important thing with that, and absolutely, you know, we hugely value and love the collaborations that we have with everyone else in the team.

9:49And we have come up against it over the years where an architect comes onto a project and thinks that as a decorator, you're not going to want to or be able to collaborate. And you're not necessarily going to share all those things that you're being told. Obviously, some of them you'll hold up because you're being told them personally for a reason. But, you know, it's to inform the project and to, you know, make sure that everyone is getting or the client is getting the best out of everyone on the team. I wonder, we've talked before about when you first started your firm and this notion of wanting to really dive in and you had big plans and energy and wanted to get yourselves on the map.

10:29And in a way, come out from under the shadow of big people that you had worked for. I wonder how one sets about doing that. How do you get yourself known? How do you get the word out there? What did you find worked for you or helped in that effort? Yes, because you're absolutely right. The first thing that you're aiming for is really to get those projects, to be able to work with those amazing people that you're going to be able to collaborate with. So you want to be able to get there as quickly as possible. And projects take a really long time. So it's also very hard at the beginning of this industry to get your work out there because actually a project might take a minimum 18 months, mostly three years or plus.

11:14So actually that is a real challenge. And I think one of the things that actually as a partnership we gave ourselves confidence with early on is we would go to events, we'd go to the parties at Chelsea Harbour and we'd challenge ourselves to make sure we'd go and talk to someone in the in the press or we'd have a bit of a hit list and we're like we can't we can't leave this party until we can't stand here talking to each other we've got to go and we've got to meet some people we've got to make an impression and actually one of the you know quite strategic things we did I think when we started we realized exactly what you're saying that actually projects take a long they might not necessarily get published.

11:54You know, how are you going to get your name out there? And even when you were more established, the fact that projects take such a long time and then magazines quite often sit on imagery for six months as well. It can be years between, you know, features and publications. So we started to dip our toe into product after about five years, I think, of the business. Collaboration. Collaboration, yeah. Because we realized that if we could design a product that then went into the product pages of a magazine, that was another way of getting your name out there keeping yourself visible whilst you're waiting for the next project to be finished and that I think was a really good decision.

12:33Yes especially because actually you know you want them to know who you are and what you're doing and that starts to highlight to them that you're working hard as well so I think that's all the industry wants to know is that you're willing to put the hard graft in to it so we did a furniture collaboration with David Seifried, who's based in Chelsea Harbour. And it was just a very small collection, but it just gave us something to be able to talk to them about and to bring up. And at the same time, obviously, we were working and we were doing a lot of projects. And so then we were building up a bit of a body of work.

13:05But the other challenge that you come against right at the beginning is that people will come to you because they want an interior designer. And when you don't have your work out there, they are not necessarily choosing you because of what you do. So you do have to be quite careful about, even though you just want to work and do everything that you're offered, you have to be quite careful about making sure that you are still working on the right projects to be pushing you in the right direction so that then you can have some photography. Which is hard at the start. I mean, I think candidly, we said yes to everything.

13:38Yeah, as one does, as one has to do. Totally. And I think, I don't know, what do you think, Nicole, maybe the seven year sort of mark was when I think we really felt a shift in our confidence to say no to projects or to spot the red flags of projects that we weren't going to be a right fit for. Projects or clients, Mary? Yes, well, that's what I was going to say. I think that it was earlier on that we started to really feel the change, probably more like the five-year mark or four or five years where we felt, wow, we're really now able to, we're being asked to do what we love and that is so fantastic.

14:14You know, we're not a huge practice. We have eight designers in our team and then Mary and I. And then, so it's certainly a sort of middle size, mid-size practice. it's you know always changing growing a little bit and there's a few plans in that but you know I think essentially it is about so you're not paying hugely over the odds but it means that we should as a practice be taking on a certain level of project because those are the ones that we're going to be most useful to the client on so you know yes there's there's that so we pushed ourselves out there we we did the collaborations and and then after a while it started ticking over a lot more.

14:54And, you know, the first project that was photographed for House and Garden was a project we had such a brilliant time doing. We absolutely loved the client. It was great. But it was all gray, which is something that we are not known for. So it didn't represent... No, it did not represent Salves and Graham. And when it came to sort of the interview for the article, the journalist who actually was David Nichols, who we then did the book with. Right. Oh, fantastic. And we've known him since the very early days. Yeah, full circle. Yeah, I love that. And he said, right, you know, how are we going to swing this?

15:26You know, because it was so different to what we'd become known for and what we've been really sort of peddling and pushing out there to sort of, you know, to build our brand. And I think that's also what's so important. You can't, I think there's a lot of shame in this industry to say that you have a house style. I don't know why, because actually at that house, the style, you know, we definitely have work on so many different projects for so many different clients. And I like to think, or we like to think that our projects look quite different, but there's absolutely a thread running through those.

15:58And people will come to us and say, I could just tell that was Salvis and Graham. It just had your sort of hallmark on it. And actually we went to a project, we did a project in Mayfair, again, with absolutely gorgeous clients. and they very kindly invited my family and I over for Christmas drinks. And when we got there, my daughter said to me, she sort of whispered, she said, Mummy, I can tell you did this. It feels like you. And I think that's that sort of thing that runs through. It's quite gentle, I think. And I hope that's what she saw in it. I'll quiz her a bit more when she's old enough to...

16:32We did laugh when we were approached to do the book, very much the idea. She said, oh, you know, you guys are so known for colour and pattern. And as we started putting the imagery together for the book, we were thinking, uh-oh, you know, I don't think this is the brightly colored, multicolored book that they're expecting. Because it was almost, it was interesting to us as we looked at all our images together to think, actually, yes, we're not as colorful as people think. It's much more sort of nuanced than that. Very classic, but still colorful. Well, and one of the things, and I'm curious about how this is perceived in the UK, one of the things, sadly, that happened during various periods in America when real estate would be booming and people would be flipping houses and people began to neutralize the appearance of their homes with the idea that they weren't going to have it very long.

17:30and I need to be conscious of the fact that we're going to sell this house in a couple of years. And so it can't be too personal or too colorful. Which is so depressing. Exactly. Which is so demoralizing. And what do you mean this is your home? Yeah. But people really did. And that's where all of this beiginess and a lot of the neutrality crept in. And then suddenly stayed. Exactly. And then never left. And then people began to think, oh, wait, I'm not going to sell this home. I am going to be here for a long time. And the funny thing is, I mean, what happened here is interest rates rose up and suddenly people realized.

18:10People couldn't move. Right. Well, my gosh, this is our forever home after all. So you're stuck in your beige house. Exactly. Yeah. Yes. I think we're quite lucky in that the people who come to us, obviously, if they're making the investment in interior design, one would assume it's because they want to stay in the house for a while. so they don't tend to be looking at it as an investment and that makes it so much more enjoyable for us and and when you hear someone pipes up and says well hang on let's just think about the future and should we do this in a neutral way or whatever we just say look even if it's only five years you're going to be here and the likelihood is is more like 10 plus you're living here this is part of your life you'll wake up every day and go into this kitchen or look at this room and your children will spend so much time in their bedrooms this is to enhance your life and a house can do that it sounds over the top but actually good design can radically enhance the way people live so we will always push for actually just a design full of personality whether that means bright colors or muted colors lots of pattern or texture but that it really you've got to be looking at the importance of that in your home rather than just something conservative that will be non-offensive when you come to sell it we find this funny and interesting I find it with lots of my friends as well that people might dress in the most colorful way and they might with real confidence as well about their style confidence and they dress you know pattern color you know different shapes and scales in their outfits and their accessories and then when it comes to their interiors they completely lose confidence in it and that's so much of what we need to educate our clients with it's like just have confidence with this you know keep we'll keep going we'd never you know we don't like to push them too far out of their comfort zone but where would the value in us be if we're not pushing them to a level that's beyond what they would be able to do themselves or they would be able to choose themselves so you know a lot of our clients will come to us sort of saying oh you know i love this but can we pair it back and and you know we normally get them at least to that level if not further because i think that's what's so important and actually i think they do then realize a bit like you know my daughter pointed actually is quite calm you know some of the interiors that we do that that might look multi-colored on on a screen actually because you have that visual balance which is so important to arrive at I think this style of interiors whereas you know those very modern slick apartments was what appealed to the the younger client um historically I think a lot of younger people still want that that real emotional connection now with their homes I think a lot of what's happening in the world is creating that.

20:47So those who potentially have the access to spend more on their homes are turning to a different sort of aesthetic now than they were before. We've really noticed such a different change in that over the years. With huge relief. Yes, exactly. Why do all these high net worth clients only want interiors that are like hotels? And now suddenly it's changed. And that's just what I was going to say. For so long, and I remember the W hotels were a huge sensation in the States. And that was a period, and everybody, oh my, yes, I absolutely want my home to look just like this. And you thought, really? You want your home to look like this hotel that says absolutely nothing about you?

21:28Yeah. Totally impersonal. Yes. I mean, it is actually interesting thinking about that, the role I think that hotels and hospitality plays in interiors trends. Because then you think the reaction to that, I would say, was Kit Kemp's hotels. and then suddenly everyone was thinking oh I want colour in my home and I want a pattern on my headboard and all those things and you know we find often clients now are referencing those kind of places as their inspiration and and the people that were wanting the sort of faceless hotel now want a kind of English country house style which is music to our ears.

22:04We've done a you know a lot of work in over the years in the hospitality sector and it's certainly somewhere that we would like to do more work. Do more, yes. Definitely. And when you think about, you know, storytelling, both in our interiors and certainly that idea of telling a story when someone's going to a hotel or being involved in that experience, I think that really resonates with the way that we work and do our projects. So I think that they're really seeking that environment that leaves a sort of lasting impression on them. And I think that's what makes such a difference. We always, when we choose a hotel, want to go to somewhere that feels a little bit better than our home.

22:50Yeah, like home, but better. Yes. And so when you go to, you know, so then when you get to the point where you can invest in your home, that is what you're seeking. And I think that those commercial spaces that still feel really intimate and have character has just become increasingly important to people. So, yes, Dennis, promote that. Lots more hospitality. Yes.

23:15We're taking a quick break to talk about Blue Dot's new trade program. Designers receive exclusive finishes, early access to product launches, and a 20 % discount on every order. No minimums required. A dedicated trade concierge is there to help with quotes, samples, and getting things done right. It's smart, modern support for how you really work. Learn more at Blue Dot dot com. That's B-L-U-D-O-T dot com. And now, back to the show.

23:51Take me back because the two of you, if I recall, first met at university, right? Yes, yes. Both studying sort of slightly different things and going different directions. And it was years later that you got together. I mean, I do always love hearing, because I can never remember what Nicole started studying. And I love it when she tells people. Would you like me to say it, Mary? I do want you to say it, because I did English and history and with a side portion of architecture. So not surprising where I then ended up. But Nicole, share your path. I, Dennis, did Middle Eastern studies in Arabic.

24:35And then I did theology and sociology and anthropology. anthropology. So I had a sort of checkered experience at university with lots of different learning. And in your mind at the time, what were you imagining? What were you thinking? Where were you going with all of that? Perhaps what your parents were also asking you. No, I think I was always very, very creative. And that is what shines through with the way that we approach our interiors. So I think that we, you know, I certainly, I used to paint my room constantly. And we both grew up going to lots of historic houses. And so I think that actually, what I didn't know at the time really was that this industry really existed.

25:14I think I certainly didn't grow up in that environment. And then it was only after leaving university that I then started to really think about this as an option and interiors as a career I would like to move into. So tell me, you meet in school. Yeah. And I don't know how friendly you become in school, and then you leave. So it's not as if, oh, great, we'll go off and work together. Yeah, well, we used to hang out a lot, sort of chatting about the industry. And because of the university we went to, lots of our friends went off and became lawyers mainly, or went into finance. So they were all doing something quite different to us.

25:57Mainly making quite a lot of money. Exactly. I would say it was the key difference. They were becoming rich. They were becoming well-to-do. And Nicole and I were wondering why we weren't. Yes. We were biding our time for them all to become our clients. So we would sort of chat about the industry. And then, you know, life changed. You know, marriages happened. Babies started arriving. And I think that that is what sort of then changes your path a bit. So I think that's why we sort of, you know, decided to start thinking about what we wanted the future to hold. And I think a partnership is an interesting point as well.

26:37You know, should we do that? That took a while to decide. Less for me, I like to jump into things. Nicole had to really woo me. Oh, is that right? So Nicole had to sell you on the whole idea of, come on, we can go out on our own, we can do... Well, I think also she was working on her own at the time and I was still working somewhere that I really loved. And, you know, I'd been there a long time and it was definitely right for me to leave, to develop, you know, move on myself. But every time I thought about it, we landed another great job. And I was like, oh, I don't want to give this up. But and also I think, as Nicole said about partnerships, you know, by that point, we were really good friends.

27:14And I think you'd already had your first child who I was godmother to. So there's a lot at stake, you know, if this doesn't work, not only has a business failed, but potentially a friendship's been damaged as well. And children going hungry. I mean, there's a number of things, right? Exactly. Awful things. Yes, terrible. So we did, you know, really seriously think about what might happen if things did go south, you know. So eventually, you know, I did sign up. And here we are 13 years later. And not to touch back on this wooing point, but it is very, you know, it is very much like a marriage. You have to have constant check-ins with each other.

27:54Our lives have changed personally a lot since we started. You know, Mary's now based in Yorkshire. I'm still in London. I have three children. Mary has two. You know, but the absolute positive of all that is you have someone in your corner and someone supporting you. So I think that that is what's made this such a, you know, in our minds, such a great partnership. is there's been moments where one of us is anxious about something. And for some reason, and we've been very lucky with this, the other one isn't. And it's always been the case with us that when someone's stressing, someone else isn't.

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28:29And I think that's what's been so great. And it means that we can help solve those problems together. And then actually the times when we're both thinking everything's awful, then it's quite funny and you just laugh and go and have a glass of wine. Well, and I wonder, I mean, to that point, because of course, back 2013, I mean, it's 12 years, lots of ups and downs, right? And challenges along the way. And how lucky that you were friends, good friends to help get. And so often in couples, they talk about, well, obviously you recognize neither is always going to be at 100%. And so you hope that when one person is at 20%, the other person can quickly step up.

29:14We make 100. I'd like to say we make more than 100 together. So we're a combined 150 on a normal day. I like it. On a good day. I like it. I like it. But yeah, and actually so often at industry events or if we're speaking on panels or things like that, people come up to us afterwards and they say, I'm thinking about, you know, I do it on my own. And actually it's really lonely. I'm thinking about setting up with someone, you know, what would your advice be? How does that work? And I think it is really brilliant. but I think you have to be really clear at the outset of what your goals are, what your expectations are, so that both people are aligned, which is what we took time to do.

29:49Because if you find out sort of later that someone's got a different vision, I think that's when the cracks appear and things start falling apart. But definitely it can be a lonely experience when you're a single, you know, one-man band. And that's, I think, the one comment we hear so often from people is, it's really lonely and creatively I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off so we often recommend if people aren't looking to form a partnership to form a little gathering in their area whether it's whatsapp whether they're meeting for a coffee once a month or something like that because it is so comforting to talk to other people in the same industry and hear that other people are having problems with suppliers or issues with staff or tricky clients or whatever it might be to have that network of support, I think is really important.

30:38And it is an industry where people are very supportive. We find that compared to some other creative industries, it's actually very collaborative, very supportive. People are generous with their information. And it's, you know, you have to ask, but people will sort of support and help. And that's really lovely. No, and I'm glad to hear that. And a lot of designers do talk to me about, again, I don't want to call them support groups, but friend groups and where they can. And it's interesting because partnerships are very challenging and some very, very famous partnerships haven't lasted, didn't work out for various reasons.

31:17And as you were alluding to, really have to be on the same page. And it turns out you've got to stay on the same page. Yes, which is the harder part. Yeah. No, I agree. I mean, and again, similar to marriage in a remarkable way in that, you know, have to grow and want the same things for your future. And as we were talking about earlier, the two of you had some visions. I love that you had a vision. Oh, well, of course we want a product line. And of course we want to do a book in the future. And I wonder, to the point about the book, what did you think the book represented? Or when you think about wanting to have that in the future, what's the significance of that?

31:58Well, I think it's interesting. First, So I was going to say that the book, doing the book, has also been a bit like therapy and marriage. And I think we weren't necessarily expecting that to come out of it. Tell me about that. So when we were approached to do the book initially, I think it was interesting to sort of, we wanted to feel that we were giving a fresh perspective in some way. And we really wanted to explore this idea of moving away from this historical view of English interiors as only being grand estates and Georgian piles. But we really wanted to explore that actually this style can be incorporated into any number of properties with the common thread being layering and pattern and antiques.

32:42So I think when we were thinking about how we were going to approach the book, that became very clear. And then this new English style, that is what we're trying to say. We're not trying to say that it's a completely new version of English interiors. It's an evolution. Completely redefined English style. Well, if you say so, Dennis. It turns out you can reinvent the wheel. Yes, exactly. But, you know, actually, if you think, you know, our thought when asked about what is English style, it is an evolution of interior styles and it's a collection of those things. So for us, this is part of that evolution and it's the next stage of it.

33:22So often, especially when we're doing really regarded homes, certainly in England, because we do obviously have quite strict planning regulations, what our clients are often doing is putting their generational stamp on something. And I think we really explored that when we were thinking about what we were trying to say here and that it's OK to put that stamp on it while respecting what else has happened and what else has come before. I remember reading a brilliant quote and I always kind of save them on the notes of my computer. I'm just looking at one now that was Nancy Lancaster saying tradition is not a matter of sticking to the past but living with it.

33:58And I think that exemplifies it so well that it doesn't mean you have to live in a museum or you have to be absolutely historically accurate, but you want to live with those things, make them liveable for the 21st century. You know, so often the houses we work on have got kitchens miles away from dining rooms and are just set up in an archaic way for how people live nowadays. So it's about keeping the spirit of a home, but making it relevant for today. Do you find that the book itself, the existence of the book, speaks to a milestone in your careers and how far you've come? And does it put some things in perspective for you?

34:45Yes, definitely. I think that being approached to do it in the first place was sort of surprising. It wasn't surprising. It did feel the right time, but equally it became a moment to sit down and really think, okay, do we actually have the body of work to do this? you know can we would would we feel very it feels very permanent so we want to make sure that we feel very proud of all the projects in there and actually we questioned that it went back and forth of quite a bit but actually when we sat down and got all the the photos out there we felt really proud and excited that we had this you know I mean the the publisher has it's it's there's a reprint happening and yes you know we've it's a hot title it's been listed as a title so we were We just got that news last week, so we were really thrilled.

35:31But as Nicole says, it was funny because when the idea first came up, I think we both felt like this, but I certainly felt suddenly very British and very female in that I was questioning, are we good enough? Is anyone going to want to look at these things? Should we shout about it? You know, this doesn't feel right. And the whole process was really cathartic and, as Nicole said, quite emotional looking back at what we'd achieved over the years. And I think one of the surprising things about the book and taking this time to reflect was that when your business is busy and going well, you just don't stop.

36:10You don't stop to pat yourselves or your team on the back. You're always on to the next project or on to the next magazine feature. You don't stop to think, do we need to update our business plan because you're being so reactive because you're so busy which is great obviously but the thing that was just brilliant about the book was it afforded us time to stop and take a step back and think and I think that was actually almost the greatest gift of the book aside from having this this product in our hands and I don't think we would have done that had we not been preparing the book so now it's you know it's a moment to think well well what's next So what does the updated business plan?

36:52Well, exactly. What's in there? Yes. I mean, to that point of not having, you know, endless hours in the day to achieve everything. And we haven't even, you know, talked about yet about our product line, which when we first started the product line, we thought, oh, this is just, you know, being inspired by Nina and especially who we sought advice about doing fabric collection. early on in our careers, the answer to which was not necessarily hugely positive. But we did it anyway. But we did it anyway. What exactly did Nina say? Because I know that she wants to be encouraging but also knows how challenging it is.

37:40I mean, if anything she taught us, I mean, A, she taught me to work hard and to be willing to get stuck in and do anything that was required to get a project over the line and done, but also to support others. And I think that is something she does do so beautifully. And, you know, I saw it when I was working for her and, you know, she sent the most lovely email of congratulations about the book recently, which was, you know, quite an emotional moment. So I think that actually when she did tell us that perhaps doing a fabric line was, you know, quite a huge undertaking, we perhaps should have listened.

38:19because we can now confirm what it is when we first started you know and you have an you know an odd design here and there it doesn't feel such a big part of the business but what it has become is another business and actually you realize that you know essentially you are running to you know not separate because they are very much still together and under our brand that's a great plan but it is a whole another business and so that's 150 % that Mary and I have thank goodness you've got 100 % Thanks goodness for that. But you realise product and service are two entirely different things. The way you make money from them is entirely different.

38:58The way you manage those businesses is entirely different. And there's only so much kind of headspace and hours in the day. So that's something that has been challenging. But we both relish a challenge. So it's been exciting. Exactly. And we thought long and hard about it. And bearing in mind there are already two of us, we have actually bought in a consultant to help us really think about how we're going to approach the next three to five years and to really solidify that business plan for the coming years because we have to be there for our clients and we have to stay doing that and the interiors is our absolute passion but this other side of our business the product has become also so gratifying and exciting that we want to make sure that we're giving that what it deserves as well.

39:50Yeah. And I think from a business perspective as well, the service side of the industry in some degree is quite out of your hands in terms of a client might get divorced or decide to sell a house or with the economic situation, you know, it can be so tumultuous. And obviously selling product is also at the mercy of the economy. But to have a product line where you can scale it, where you can forecast much more accurately, we're really enjoying that as a sort of business model that you've got this one side of the business that is, you're working a lot harder for less profit on the service side.

40:28It's very gratifying. But on the product side, You can forecast sales, you can set ambitious targets. It's much more definable. And I think it's really nice having that balance of the two. And we just wanted to have that kind of stability across the business that we weren't relying on only one income stream and one source of revenue. So many people fall in love with the idea of doing a fabric line, right? And it's one of my favorite conversations with people because I love hearing what it means to them, what the white space that they saw out there in fabric land that they desperately needed to fill.

41:09But also, I mean, and again, so many people have described, Dennis, if nothing else, I needed a creative escape from the service side of taking care of all these clients and delivering all these projects. And I respect and admire that. Absolutely. I mean, when we first started the collection, and I think really now it is very much focused on fabric and wallpaper. That is the future of what we're doing. When we originally started the collection, we saw it more as a way. It was in COVID. It was also that time that this felt more appropriate for it, more as a way for an end user to access a little snippet of joy, you know, and a bit of Salvis and Graham in their own homes.

41:54And as it's now developed and evolved, it has grown up a bit. And while we still absolutely love those earlier fabrics, the collection has changed. And, you know, it's a bit more grounded on what we want and what we use. So I think, yes, you know, we are never arrogant enough ever in the way we approach everything to think that we are reinventing the wheel. but we did want to make sure that we were at least filling a void that we didn't have or something that we just felt was really beautiful and wanted to use and felt excited that we could do that I think as Nicole said when we when we started we were thinking what do we think the customer wants from us and tailoring our designs to them now we're very much doing what do we want to create with the assumption that those who like our style will therefore like what we like and actually that's feeling a lot more comfortable and a lot more authentic and I hope the recipe for success.

42:51Yes and that going back to an earlier part of the conversation is that fine line that you walk with the house style yeah because you want people to have enough of a recognition of what your style is to desire it particularly if you're developing a collection that oh here you go you can have some of Thomas and Graham and here's wallbapers and fabrics and if this look resonates with you here you are here and uh and and so I do think that is the value of and I hate using that term brand but brand building because I do think that's in a lot of ways whether we like it or not that's what we're all doing we're all building brands whether it's a personal brand or a business brand or both.

43:38And certainly today we're all expected to appear on social media regularly. And you've built a sizable following through, I'm certain, no small effort. And I don't know. And so often in the States, we're asking designers who tell us, oh, I'm getting so much of my business from Instagram, or I'm getting so many of the leads. is that certainly sounds like it's the case for you. It's a very important tool for us. Absolutely. We find, I'd say it's very rare that you get a client directly from Instagram that then converts into, you know, a sizable job. But what you do get is people who are already interested in you validating their decision via what they see on Instagram.

44:25And it's the same with being in top 100 lists on magazines. There are a few clients actually, and I would say more so international clients who literally go down those lists, pick three companies, interview them and choose one. But more often, it's people that have maybe been recommended to you by someone else. And then they use Instagram and the interiors magazines as a way to confirm their suspicions, you know, and to confirm that they want to go ahead with you. So they're so useful in that respect. And also, as we were saying earlier, magazines take a long time to publish projects. So you need to make that call.

45:00Do you want to hold back a project and give it to a magazine to publish? Or do you actually want to be in control of it and send it out to the world via social media where you're going to get much more immediate response? So I think there's a balance. Both are both are valuable to us and you need to be doing a bit of both. I think to reassure any publishers out there, the thrill you get from having your work in print press is still, you know, the absolute best. So I think that's what we all kind of covet and love. But in between those published pieces, you need to be doing all the other things as well.

45:38And in the States, we are wildly envious of your publications. Yeah, we're very lucky. British House and Gardens and World of Interiors and Homes and Gardens and Living, etc. I mean, all of the much glossier paper than we have in the States and the much thicker shelter magazines than we have in the States. No, it's a very challenging time in media. My wife worked for Architectural Digest during the heyday of Architectural Digest when that was a three or often 400-page magazine, and I would be quite concerned if she would lose her temper and hurl one in my direction. But I think you, and to the point, even going back to the fact that we run two businesses, one's a service, or two sides of our business, one's a service side and one's a product side.

46:29You also have to look at that in a different way and how you're promoting it. So I think that's also been a part of the journey of how we work.

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47:27Tell me more about that, Nicole, because tell me how you think about that. And I was curious how big a presence you yourselves want to have in that side of it, the product side of it. It's an ongoing discussion, isn't it? Absolutely. Yeah, and I think as part of this reassessing the size of the business, we can't have them both continue to grow in the way they are and then be allocating the same amount of time because there are only so many hours in the day. But I think also the other thing we've got a lot better at in terms of a partnership, we very much finish each other's sentences. There's very little that even if we don't completely agree on that, we haven't reached an understanding on.

48:11So I think that, you know, we've got a lot better as well at just getting on with something separately and making things work. And I think that's immediately given us more hours in the day. So I think those sorts of elements. But in terms of the other side of it is that it also doesn't just need to be us. We have now some wonderful people in the team who work very hard to ensure that the social media presence is still there and that each new product launch is having its moment in the sun and being seen. And I think that's really important. So, you know, we rely on them to come to us, to report to us.

48:51And the creative element of that absolutely will always come from Mary and I. we you know we think that is incredibly important and our client relationships always are you know with mary and i because that's that's uh very important that they still get that side from us so we've we've sort of ring fenced certain non-negotiables and then we've brought brilliant people on um to work with us to help us achieve what else needs to be done so that's that's become a new frontier, I think, for Salves and Graham in recent years. And also, you know, when you've got an eponymous firm, we obviously have some form of lifespan, who knows how long or short that is.

49:34And you've talked about this, I know, with other guests about legacy and things like that, you do have to think, you can't have a business that is entirely reliant on the two of us, because in one shape or form at some point the two of us won't be here so we're starting to think now I think about what does that look like does the product line need us as the face of it we know some textile designers who are also interior designers who are sort of not um physically attached to their product line at all or their persona as it were isn't isn't part of that um and I think that's quite an interesting discussion and i i definitely think we haven't landed on the final answer of how tied to us as people it is or not and it's it's affected some of the decisions we've made with how we run the the fabric collections how we sell it for example we've been working with multi-line showrooms um in the u.s um for example so in the uk it all goes through southst graham and we have um one roving um external um sales rep that that helps us which is quite a recent acquisition.

50:43And then we, in the US, as I said, we work with multi-line showrooms and we specifically chosen that route because it suits how our business is structured because we are based in the UK. And we currently work with James in Dallas and Houston and New York. We're with Temple. And we've recently also started working with Greco, who are in Madrid, actually. So that's the sort of European side of it. But, you know, definitely as part of this growth, we are looking to continue to work with more showrooms across the US because, and rather than, you know, we have given it a lot of thought, we could send people out and do it more direct to the designers.

51:27But actually, we feel like that support that you get from working with those showrooms is invaluable and we are delighted with a the sales and also with the relationships that we're building with the teams there so we were in New York recently with Temple and that was fabulous and actually it was so exciting when we were there a package from us arrived literally into the studio when we were there so we suddenly were like stop what you're doing we've got to film this this is for Instagram so you know film some samples being opened and it was just really great to see the enthusiasm from the team there and I think also a trap that people can fall into particularly UK textile houses is that America is so much bigger than the UK the the different regions have such different personalities a style that's going to work in LA is not necessarily going to work in Charleston so yes we can understand that on a on a fairly basic level but actually that's where we're finding the benefit of these showrooms is they really know their audience in the way that we know the UK audience.

52:33So because then, you know, we listened to your show enough, Dennis, or the Thursday show as well to know that multi-line showrooms is also a hot topic. Love the multi-line showroom conversation. And how fascinating to learn what a difference there is between Dallas and Houston. Yeah, yeah. Right? Oh, absolutely. It's the same state. And yet it's often a very different client. To us Brits, that's almost it's incomprehensible because it's so dissimilar over here. So yeah, we see a great, for us, we see a great value in that and the knowledge that they have. And yeah, we've got a pretty hefty expansion plan in motion for next year.

53:10So to look out for that. Rolling out into many other markets in the US. Yes. Well, we're already seeing really encouraging sales coming direct to us from those areas, but it just seems to make more sense rather than that to continue just coming to us to work with these showrooms who can facilitate it in a better way. So, you know, we want to monopolize on those sales we're already receiving and then work directly more with those areas. Yeah, it's a big focus for us for the next two years, I would say. Well, a great multi-line partner, and you've got some great partners already. I'm crazy about Temple and the James people are some of the best.

53:45And I have huge admiration and great multi-line partners. and as you say, who really understand the markets, who know the lines and can just nurture and grow your business in a way that you couldn't possibly be over here. No, exactly. Right? Exactly. You have to be realistic about these things. And I think that's another thing of growing up and growing in a business. You've got to start letting go of certain things and recognizing when there's someone with more expertise, you know. And has that been hard? Has it been hard to let go of that? Because it is often. We're naturally what you might call control freaks.

54:29You said it. If you were being rude. I think we like being, we started this business because we like running a business and we like being involved in all the different elements of it. So I think, and reflecting on our experience and our learning over the years, we've been so lucky to learn from both those. We worked in our early days, these really inspiring female founders. And then also some of those people we've collaborated with. We've done a trimmings collection with Sanderson. And I know Lisa was, I think, on this podcast at some point. And, you know, she has, working with the team there, They were so generous with their experience and their knowledge and their advice.

55:19And their vast archive and all of their history. So in that sense, it was just fabulous to work with them because of that archive and the history. But also just that, you know, they actually really wanted to impart that, you know, that knowledge on us for our own collection. So that was, you know, we want to feed off anything that anyone will give us. There's constant learning. Yeah. Which we love. Right. Right. And we've touched on the people that each of you worked for in the past, but let's spend a little bit of time with that because so often there's this notion that one can come out of design school and immediately start their own firm and surely you've learned all you need to and you can just jump right in.

56:02But the two of you went a very different route and both worked for, as you say, these powerful female founders. Mary, you worked for Cindy Levison, right? And Nicole, as we've suggested, worked for Nina Campbell. But tell me, Mary, I mean, tell me a little bit about Cindy Levison and what you learned there. And I know, you know, sort of great big projects. Yeah, amazing projects. that, you know, I think when you start out and you're young and you think, oh, this is what interior design is, you don't realize that not everyone is working on castles. You just think it's normal. And then you have a rude awakening when you start doing, you know, terraced houses in London that you've got a way to go.

56:49But I think one of the things I learned from her, she was a great mentor. And actually her mother, who was still alive when I worked with Cindy, was also an antique dealer and a decorator and still working, you know, in her 80s. Until the day she died, really, she was still working. So almost I was having two generations worth of mentorship and advice. I learned really everything I think I know about antiques from Cindy and developed a real passion for them thanks to her. When I started with her, I was the only person working with her. So really, she just shared with me everything that she knew.

57:25And it's an absolutely invaluable way to learn. And I actually went to KLC. I did design school as well. So I've done both and they each have their merits. But I think in this industry, you really can't learn without working on the job and seeing a project through from start to finish, which may well take three years. So if someone says, oh, I've done, you know, a couple of years in the business and set up on my own, you think, well, how many projects can you have actually seen from concept to completion if you've only done a couple of years? So I think, you know, investing that time working for someone else is the smart move in my book.

58:03And we also joke with people that if you're going to make a mistake, make it on someone else's, you know, dime rather than your own. Because, you know, it is a constant learning process. as things go wrong, I think that idea that you want to get some of those kind of mistakes or learning curves under your belt early on, you know, before you're the only person responsible for that. I think that's a really wise, wise move. But yeah, I think learning from someone experienced, and we were lucky that both of our previous employees were very traditionally schooled. So they were able to share with us some of those techniques, which rather fell out of fashion when we were starting out in the career in our careers and it was very much the beige era of the sort of 2000s um but we were lucky that we were working with people who had resisted beige and were still you know working with damask and bullions and wonderful trimmings and lacquer paint finishes and antiques and all these kind of things which really no one else was talking about you know in in terms of the magazines and things like that everyone was about paired back and beige and neutral.

59:13So we were lucky to be getting the other side of the story, as it were. Well, and Nicole, we mentioned about you working for Nina Campbell, who at one point was John Fowler's assistant in her early days. So I mean, right? She proves the point of learning from your employer. Yeah, absolutely. I think those days, you know, she'd often reference that, you know, those days of sort of walking around with a, you know, as a bag carrier for him. You know, certainly, you know, left to set her in good stead. And I think it's also about working for people who have really built up this incredibly, incredible body of work and variety of work.

59:54And Nina is known and certainly it's one of the things I respect her for, the reinvention and being able to, you know, reinvent herself while maintaining that ethos of who she is and the way that she's decorating um as i think so many of those greats did you know john feller and and um and civil you know and so many others you know that they have been able to reinvent themselves and create these interiors that are able to endure um while still having space to to move to an extent do change you know we all we all bandy about this world word timeless so much and it is one of the things we try to create is timeless interiors.

1:00:37But regardless of that, you know, there are sort of the more subtle shifts which happen over generations or periods of time. And when you do look back on someone with a long body of work, I think it is quite clear to see that even when you are creating timeless interiors, they still change and have a slightly different flavour to them over different decades. And I think, yeah, that's something that we are definitely trying to emulate as well, this idea that you have a sort of core set of values and stylistic beliefs, as it were, but you can still adapt and be flexible, whether that's to the period of time or to the type of house you're working in or the continent you're working on.

1:01:20You know, things within that sort of English interiors remit can still be flexible and can change. Well, and I wonder, and as we wrap up, starting your own business and really taking it all on yourselves is still very different. You think you've seen it from this perspective. You think you've absorbed a lot of knowledge, and surely you have. I wonder what ended up surprising you both about what taking on really running your own firm meant. What ended up being more challenging or you ended up spending, oh, I thought I was only going to need this much time to do this, but really I need this time.

1:02:03I mean, I wonder what was the biggest learning or surprise and all. I mean, I think you probably hit on it with the word time. you think about work all the time you know it is relentless and I think if you don't think about it all the time probably you shouldn't have your own business but equally I think having been thinking about it all the time for 12 years we'd quite like to think about it a little bit less so so that's why we're trying to to now get advice be more strategic and I think to make time for creativity. I think one of the things, again, I wouldn't say it surprised me, but I find a challenge increasingly is the demand for instant responses to things, instant communication.

1:02:48You know, we live in a world where people value immediacy of everything, whether it's binging on a TV series rather than watching it every Saturday night for, you know, two months, or it's your food arriving immediately, or it's an email being responded to immediately. Everyone wants an immediate response and that's quite hard to square away with the principle of good design which really requires considered thought and consequently time spent on it and I think finding that balance for a client between fighting to keep your creative time but also servicing the client and enabling their project to to keep on track and the and the program to run smoothly is a very sort of fine balancing act.

1:03:30But I think it's important to fight for your time to be creative because that's one of the things that a client is paying you for. And you're only going to be a better designer for them if you're given it. Yeah. But it is hard when you've got WhatsApps pinging at you all day long from clients and builders and everybody. Well, exactly. The form of communication seems to require the immediate response. I mean, we joked at the beginning of the conversation about fax machines. Well, now I'm thinking quite fondly of them. Having said, I was terrified by the dial tone. Let's bring them back. Wait a sec.

1:04:06Now I long for the dulcet tones of the fax machine. It's funny, actually, we, you know, something that was so part of our creative process in the early days of our careers was sitting around a table with books and looking through them and gaining inspiration from other projects or even books that weren't necessarily interiors books, just other things to create that first step on a project. And we've really brought it back to that in the office now and really trying to make the team sit down and we have a launch-off meeting for every project and let's just sort of get the juices flowing and think about...

1:04:49Because we also want... We go back to this point of there being an aesthetic or a thread running through the project. But actually, we have to be thinking, you know, right, who is this client? Who is this project? What is appropriate? What is the house? You know, what is it saying to us? And let's start pulling together some ideas. And then, you know, and then we can then come back with those ideas to where it will feel most comfortable. But I think you've got to look outside that box. And I think that disappeared for such a long time. It's quite alien to some of our younger... You've got to step away from the computer, you know.

1:05:22And as much as something like Pinterest is a really useful tool in many ways for work and Instagram, there's an algorithm. So they're feeding you. It's not creative because you're just being fed the same stuff. And it will only ever take you. Exactly. It will only ever take you to a place that you sort of want to go to anyway. So to get out from behind your desk, go to a design center, to Pimlico Road, to wherever, look at books, do those things. you're then confronted with things that you weren't already expecting to see and I think that's that's so important but again it goes back to this idea of immediacy and demand and speed it can be very hard to step away from your computer you know because that's where the work is happening and people are asking for things so you really have to consciously carve out that time to either look at a book or or take yourself out to you know showrooms and shops and galleries and museums and things like that and kind of reconnect with inspiration that isn't being fed to you.

1:06:21Well, I'm thrilled to get to speak with you both. And I'm so excited that you're coming to the US in an even bigger way in the year ahead. And I'm eager to hear what else you learn from this fabulous consultant that you've hired and what the new business plan is going to look like. But it sounds like lots of exciting things for both of you. So, and congratulations on the book. Thank you, Dennis. Yeah, and everything that's happening for you. Thank you. Yeah, I think it's been, you know, bearing in mind we've been reflecting on what a process it has been doing the book as part of sort of rounding out our stage of our career.

1:06:57And then, you know, now doing this podcast, it all feels like part of that as well. So thank you so much for having us. We've always been a huge fan of the show and we really don't have anything like this in the UK. So we're very grateful that you've let us Brits in on the act. So thank you.

1:07:41It helps others to discover the show. This show was produced by Fred Nikolaos and edited by Michael Castaneda. I'm Dennis Scully. Thanks again for listening, and I'll see you next week.

From the publisher

Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham first met at university, then went in different directions: Graham worked for Cindy Leveson and Salvesen for iconic English decorator Nina Campbell. Then in 2013, they came together to launch their own firm. Since then, Salvesen Graham has become known for creating English interiors with a fresh, approachable feel—spaces full of layered pattern, quiet color, and a touch of nostalgia. The two have also launched a product line, including a fast-growing fabric business which is set to expand here in the U.S. 

On this episode of the podcast they speak with host Dennis Scully about the differences between American and British clients, why they don’t mind being known for a house style, and why they entered their partnership slowly and deliberately—and how that’s helped it stand the test of time.

This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Blu Dot 

LINKS
Salvesen Graham
Dennis Scully
Business of Home 

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