WN Interiors
In conversation with founder and interior designer Sarah Woadden.
Can you give us an introduction to WN Interiors?
Of course, we are an interior design studio+store. After many years of working out of a hidden studio we decided to evolve the business into a homeware store and take a high street location. I really wanted to reach a wider range of people and offer good design advice and support from a simple hours consultation, through to larger projects. We now do both and I love it!
The store is evolving so nicely from its daytime shop role into evening community events which is lovely, including preloved clothing nights, pop up art and food events, and soon to come: talks and evenings to share time with others and meet new friends.
How would you define the aesthetic of your studio’s work?
We are very inspired by nature and the seasons which has a big influence on how we design, and what we choose to place in the store. The feeling you get when you are surrounded by honest, natural materials and fabrics really makes you feel good, and we bring this to every project and home we visit. We also strongly feel that every design and object needs to do its job or function well, and that careful design and considered objects mean you can live with your choices for longer and love them more. This approach delivers on every level: visually, practically and environmentally.
What led to your decision to base your studio and store in Ashley Cross?
We had worked out of a studio only a few hundred yards from where we are now for many years, and often walked across the green for lunch or to visit the charity shops.
One day I happened to see some sale signs in the window of the store and I called in on the off chance that they were moving on, and they were!
It was my dream space, an interesting old shop with a bright, light studio at the back, and the courtyard space to the side was beyond what I had ever thought we might get! The feel of working in Ashley Cross is lovely, the green itself is a wonderful space and I am always grateful to walk through it when I walk to work.
What would you like to see more of in our homes?
Mess! I think a well designed home should look as good when it's in full busy mode as it does on the occasion when you finally get it all tidy.
We can often get too preoccupied with creating an Instagram ready home. We need to remember that our homes are the backdrop for us to live our lives, and so they need to make us feel safe, secure, rested and inspired. It is so much easier to relax around comfortable things, and of course making sure you have the space and storage for all you need absolutely helps. I would encourage everyone to really think about what they really want and need from their home. It might just mean that the room you have hidden away with the dining table you never use should become a yoga studio, or the box room full of old stuff could become the art studio you always meant to have. We should do what we want with our homes, not what anyone tells us we are supposed to do. It's worth us all taking a little time to think about that and when you do, some cool stuff can happen!
Website → wninteriors.co.uk
Instagram → @wn_interiors
