Beata Heuman Shares Her Inspiration & Favourite Design Details
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“The best interior design combines form and function with personality,” says interior designer Beata Heuman, who describes her mischievous, family-friendly aesthetic as ‘Scandinavian attention to detail mixed with character and originality’.
In an industry sometimes accused of being staid, Heuman has provided a welcome breath of fresh air. The London-based, Swedish-born interior designer trained for nine years under Nicky Haslam before setting up her own studio in 2013. Since then, her rise has been inexorable, with her original and vibrant work swiftly singling her out and earning her a dedicated following on social media. In 2018, she was awarded House and Garden’s inaugural Interior Designer of the Year Award and now features on all the major lists of the world’s most talented interior designers, including Architectural Digest’s hallowed AD 100.
As for her aesthetic, there are some signature hallmarks to be found in any Heuman scheme. She says her creativity and bold ideas are a result of a childhood spent on her parents’ remote farm in the south of Sweden, where isolation encouraged her imagination. A stint in Florence then nourished her theatrical side, despite her continued desire to maintain clean lines and simplicity in the materials she uses. It is this balance of unconventional flourishes – but all of which are rooted in classical design – that separates her from the crowd. Her spaces inspire and energise – no wonder the book is called Every Room Should Sing.
Some of Beata’s favourite trends for SS21…
“I want all of the spaces I design to be fun – they should be a reflection of the people that live in it – so it doesn’t all have to be refined and in good taste. I also like interiors to have a sense of movement… that feeling when you can’t take it all in at once. Curves are any easy way to add some dynamism. Using a curve when you might expect a straight line can be stimulating in itself, but it usually encourages a more open mind when one enters the room.”
“A room that ‘sings’ is best described as a space that lifts your soul. It’s all about how the different elements are combined; don’t get me wrong, it’s possible to combine colours, shapes and textures in a way that creates harmony – so the room feels calm – but you still want keep it interesting at the same time.
Sometimes, people lack confidence when it comes to expressing themselves in their own homes. They might feel fairly free to experiment with fashion, and even with art, but when it comes to interiors, many people prefer to do what they see as ‘the right thing’. I wanted my book to explain how interiors can express individual taste and help readers do that for themselves. Looking at art is a wonderful way to learn about colour, too. I frequently look at the combinations in Matisse, and in the Swedish post-Impressionist artist Nils Dardel."
“My daughter’s room, which I chose for the cover of the book, is particularly special to me. I talk a lot about tapping into a kind of childlike curiosity, and for me, this room represents that. Children’s rooms live in their memory forever, and the space can also encourage them to be creative and imaginative, so they’re worth investing in. It gives me so much pleasure to lie there with them in the evening and look at the murals, which were inspired by the bar of the Carlyle Hotel in New York."
Beata Heuman: Every Room Should Sing is available to purchase now. Visit Waterstones.com
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