Meet Our Next in Design Winners: Half A Hall

'When I see an old house, I just want to wrap my arms around it and give it the love it needs'

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Left: Interior designer Hannah Ellis sits in a woven armchair.Right: A view through a striped doorway into a grand living room with herringbone floors, velvet sofas, and an ornate ceiling.
(Image credit: Half a Hall)

'I live on the west side of an old property dating back to the 1600s, split down the middle,' says our Next in Design winner, Hannah Ellis, explaining the provenance of her studio's name, Half a Hall. 'It's a fascinating place, partly former servants' quarters and partly the gentry rooms, and I've been giving it back its soul.'

Restored cornicing, updated alcoves in eye-catching stripes, a butter-yellow kitchen, and a mix of antique and modern furniture are a perfect calling card for the projects Hannah likes to take on. 'It's my mission in life to save old properties,' she says. 'When I see an old house, I just want to wrap my arms around it and give it the love it needs.'

A dining area with a red shiplap wall featuring "Espresso Martini" and "Old Fashioned" art, a linen-covered table, bentwood chairs, and a checkered marble floor.

Hannah Ellis, founder of Half a Hall, likes to mix antique and modern furniture to create soulful interiors

(Image credit: Half a Hall)

For clients, this means delving into the deeds, pulling out stories of the people who lived there years – if not centuries – before, and creating color palettes based on the histories of a home. 'People find it easy to connect to this way of storytelling, then to create their own story in the space through design,' Hannah says.

Based between Wrexham and Chester, but working throughout the UK, Half a Hall is only half of Hannah's working life – there is also The Art Shop, where she uses her knack for sourcing to spotlight emerging artists, selling originals and museum-quality prints. 'There is so much I want to do with Half a Hall,' Hannah says. 'And being part of Next in Design gives me the confidence to do it.'

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Pip Rich
Pip Rich

Pip Rich is an interiors journalist and editor with 20 years' experience, having written for all of the UK's biggest titles. Most recently, he was the Global Editor in Chief of our sister brand, Livingetc, where he now continues in a consulting role as Executive Editor. Before that, he was acting editor of Homes & Gardens, and has held staff positions at Sunday Times Style, ELLE Decoration, Red and Grazia. He has written three books – his most recent, A New Leaf, looked at the homes of architects who had decorated with house plants. Over his career, he has interviewed pretty much every interior designer working today, soaking up their knowledge and wisdom so as to become an expert himself.