Katharine Pooley is globally renowned for the magnificence and uniqueness of her interior and product design projects, as well as for the dedication with which she embraces all aspects of life. A fearless adventurer, winner of numerous awards, and author of a book, Pooley counted Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, as one of her first and most distinguished clients.
Founded over nineteen years ago, Katharine Pooley’s architecture and interior design studio, based in London, specializes in luxury and is a favorite among the very wealthy. Her projects are all about opulence, sometimes more understated than others, without ever losing focus on craftsmanship, high-quality design, and materials, which can range from the most extraordinary fabrics to sharkskin-lined pieces. Recently named British Designer of the Decade, Katharine’s design vision is boundless and unrestricted by gender.
Her portfolio includes interior, product, and design projects that are considered some of the most extraordinary ever conceived. Her luxury lifestyle brand covers everything from residential, commercial, and hospitality interior design to collections of furniture, lighting, home decor accessories, and art objects. A team of nearly fifty interior designers and architects, combined with Katharine’s personal approach, ensures that every detail of every project and product is meticulously studied and impeccably finished. Projects range in scale and style, from traditional country estates to contemporary homes, hotels, luxury spas, modern beach villas, historic palaces, traditional castles, mountain chalets, private jets, and yachts. The list of international projects is endless.
Currently, Katharine and her team are working on the magnificent Château de la Croix des Gardes overlooking the Bay of Cannes, designing a superyacht, a rural English estate, as well as several properties and ventures in London, including a beach house in Sardinia, a contemporary apartment overlooking Central Park in New York, two beach houses in the Bahamas and Saint-Tropez, an innovative development in Monaco, and a series of landmark destinations in Dubai.
Art and Travel
Katharine is a passionate advocate of British art and craftsmanship. An indefatigable traveler, she has visited more than 150 countries and along the way, climbed some of the world’s highest mountains; led a dog sledding team to the North Pole; and crossed the Sahara Desert on horseback, among other adventures. A determined and tenacious businesswoman, an original and adventurous interior designer, she is the face of contemporary British design, whose global aesthetic is centered around the finest historical craftsmanship and a vibrant, entrepreneurial spirit.
Born in Hertfordshire, educated in Oxfordshire and France, and raised in Bahrain, followed by a sixteen-year stay in Asia, Katharine’s global sensibility was evident early on. Coming from a family of intuitive and personal adventurers and aviation enthusiasts, Katharine’s passion for exploration has been a lifelong inspiration.
Inspired by travel, the natural world, architecture, fashion, literature, and art, for Katharine, Mother Nature remains her greatest inspiration: “The beauty and diversity of the environment around us are a constant comfort and inspiration. My aesthetic is a juxtaposition of so many evolving passions and loves…, but my appreciation for the natural world is the seed of every design; its beauty is infinite and extraordinary.”
For Katharine, it’s all about personalization, from designing specific pieces that reflect the character and interests of her clients to the tiniest detail of a piece. “I don’t have a signature style because my work is all about the client, not me. Customization is something we are seeing more and more of, and I imagine it will continue,” she said in an interview with Luxury London. For example, she recently created a thematic installation in a hotel in China (complete with a private racetrack), for which she commissioned a coffee table sculpted from a crashed race car.
Inspiration, travel, philanthropy, and her connection with humanity are the driving forces behind her work. “Spending time in nature, alongside animals and wildlife in general, is one of my greatest pleasures in life, so preserving it and promoting sustainability is part of my focus, always at the forefront of my mind.”
Philanthropy, books, and awards
Katharine is an ambassador for The Childhood Trust through the Decorating Children’s Lives program—launched as a result of an idea from interior designer Jemma Paugh of JC Decor Ltd., who was aware of the conditions many children in London live in, suffering from extreme deprivation, in dirty, unsanitary environments, often without the most basic needs such as clean bedding, cups, plates, and simple furniture. Katharine is also a board member of The British Forces Foundation, Kings College Hospital, and a trusted ambassador of the Al-Johara Group. Her involvement is far from superficial. Pooley dedicates the same commitment and determination to her charitable activities as she does to her design projects.
Katharine was also honored by the famous French luxury publisher Assouline, who invited her to create her first book, Journey By Design (2017). She has won numerous prestigious awards in the interior design sector, including the award for Best Interior Design Project over £10 million, the Grand British Brand award in 2022, Asia’s Most Influential Designer of the Year (2019), World’s Best Interior Designer (2016), and the GBB Community Award (2021), among others. She has also been featured in Lux Deco’s Top 100 Interior Designers and the exclusive Top 100 British Interior Designers list by Homes & Gardens magazine.
When asked about her favorite aspect of her work, the designer replied, “I love all aspects of this job, for many reasons. Since we do projects all over the world, it means I have to travel a lot, which I love. In terms of the project stages, the beginning is always exciting because it establishes a new relationship with the client and gives me the chance to introduce them to some incredible finishes and details they’ve never seen before.” At the end of the project—and some can take years to complete—”it is an honor to reveal the final result.” It is always “a very emotional moment!”
