Designer Profile: Beata Heuman
As she gets ready to launch a bold new venture, Beata Heuman shares her thinking on how a home should be a reflection of everything you are
We’ve all heard interior designers dismissed as professionals obsessed with design and decoration – and little else - but Beata Heuman is proof that they are often have a rather deep wisdom about the home and what it takes to live there happily.
Here, we look into the work of this interior design powerhouse.
Beata Heuman's design ethos
Beata Heuman's first book – Every Room Should Sing – has been an international hit since its publication in March 2021. Its title sums up her philosophy about how to use design and decoration to make the home a space that enhances and amplifies the life of its occupants.
Beata completed the book with publisher Rizzoli during lockdown, a demanding process that was made more challenging as all the work had to be done online.
Her experience during lockdown helped her deepen her understanding of the importance of the home on our emotional wellbeing. 'It’s really cemented how I already felt about home and how important it is to have a home that gives you not just comfort but also [a way to] feel inspired and energized.
'Your home needs to be a fold for your past, present, and future,' she explains. 'You want it to be inclusive, pragmatic, spontaneous, serious, humorous, and elegant all at the same time. It sounds complex, but really, it’s just about being honest about who we are.'
'Once you find your poise, you should notice a certain tension, almost like a reverberation. It doesn’t overwhelm but is noticeable enough to strike a chord: it sharpens our minds and opens our eyes a little. When you get this balance right, you will walk over your threshold – and your heart will be lifted.'
The Beata Heuman emporium
Beata’s fans, of which there are now many, will soon be able to experience this thrilling tension in person when she opens her new location in Hammersmith in west London later this year, something she envisages will be ‘the world of our brand’. Her team has been working on converting this building into a mix of studio, show home and emporium since summer 2021.
Beata Heuman's design history
As well as developing sought-after product lines – for sale on the Shoppa section of her website – the design team works on six or seven interior design projects at any one time, transforming houses as far afield as New York and Rotterdam over the last year.
Beata clearly has a vision for her business. And while this may seem like a carefully honed masterplan, in fact her career in interiors is more a mixture of happy accident and a passion for design.
Looking for something to do, and finding herself in the UK – Beata grew up in Sweden – she decided to enrol on an interior design course. Mentioning this course to someone who knew the renowned interior designer Nicky Haslam resulted in an introduction.
'This was so lucky,' admits Beata. 'I had no idea who he was at the time.'
She went on to spend nine years working with him before leaving to start her own company. 'It was a really good fit for me and really formed me as a designer,' she adds.
Design heroes
Despite being incredibly busy, Beata still has time to build on her knowledge of design.
'The more knowledge you have the better,' she insists. 'When you know how things can be, you can take risks.'
She credits mentors such as Colette van den Thillart for teaching her about design history and sharing all these important references.
'There’s so much to discover – Elsie de Wolfe, Nancy Lancaster, Billy Baldwin. I find biographies of designers really inspiring, such as the story of Josef Frank who founded Swedish textile company Svenskt Tenn, or reading about the Weiner Werkstätte.'
2022 looks set to be another landmark year for this design dynamo.
Sign up to the Homes & Gardens newsletter
Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.
Kate Burnett is a journalist and editor who has been writing about residential design and architecture for nearly 20 years. A former acting executive editor of Homes & Gardens and Livingetc, she has written for national newspapers and magazines including the Financial Times, Evening Standard and Sunday Times. A trained designer, she has also worked with leading architecture and design practices including dRMM and Keechdesign.
-
5 surprising storage essentials minimalists avoid – and what they use instead
You'll never find these items in a minimalist's home
By Chiana Dickson Published
-
How to grow lovage – for perennial harvests of a surprisingly sweet and celery-like crop
Discover why more gardeners should consider this low-maintenance and vigorous herb
By Drew Swainston Published
-
Designer Profile: Philip J. Consalvo
We speak to the NYC-based architect and designer about his career, past, present and future
By Lucy Searle Published
-
Designer Profile: Christine Lin
We speak to the San Francisco-based interior design principal about her work, inspirations and projects
By Lucy Searle Published
-
Designer Profile: Lindye Galloway
Lindye Galloway is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop, a full-service interior design firm and online shop based in Orange County, California
By Lola Houlton Published
-
Designer Profile: Amanda Gunawan
We look at the career and work, past, present and future, of interior designer LA-based Amanda Gunawan of OWIU Design & OWIU Goods
By Lola Houlton Published
-
Designer Profile: Robin Gannon
The Boston-based interior designer offers full service in a style driven by the client. But what drives her? We find out
By Lucy Searle Published
-
Designer Profile: Courtney Brannan
Principal at Champalimaud, the designer has worked on Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, the St. Regis Jakarta, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, California, and the Beverly Hills Hotel
By Lucy Searle Published
-
Designer Profile: Rayman Boozer
The Apartment 48 founder and interior designer talks to us about his career and the importance of collaboration in interior design
By Lucy Searle Published
-
Designer Profile: Susan Wintersteen
San Diego-based design build firm Savvy Interiors creates happy homes for children facing a medical crisis through Savvy Giving By Design
By Lola Houlton Published