We Talk To Victoria Meale, Founder Of Victoria Meale Design
We’ve heard about and met many interior designers in the city that is London but this lady has us hooked and, after spending only a few hours with her at her chic London office, we quickly found ourselves in interior design heaven.
Meet Victoria Meale, the 34-year-old entrepreneur, interior design extraordinaire, and self-acclaimed green tea lover behind the self-named interior design company Victoria Meale Design.
Located in a little bright, airy studio in London’s Chelsea neighborhood, Victoria Meale has always been a visual person interested in design. “I have always been affected greatly by the surroundings I found myself in,” Victoria tells YCB. “I am a very visual person and therefore it seemed only natural for me to gravitate towards design and I’m almost obsessed with making spaces work perfectly.”
Not able to even think about starting her day without a cup of green tea in hand, Victoria Meale is building a business while keeping a new sustainable approach to interior design in mind with British & European influences. “I had become disillusioned with the waste involved in projects and the throw away of culture that we have created.” Victoria, who has recently joined forces with her sister, Alexa, to create the ultimate lifestyle brand, tells YCB, “I wanted to show that there was another way, and it could be just as beautiful, if not, more so”.
Considered to be a sustainable interior design practice that provides “a healthy, happy, and beautifully considered space”, Victoria Meale Design adheres to a particular criteria to which the company specifies every element of a project to. “I primarily source British manufactured products and concentrate on selecting 100% natural materials where possible…Toxicity is an issue with products on site and I make sure that I am there consulting at every stage of a project to ensure integrity is achieved,” explains Victoria.
A lover of travel the talented designer continuously finds inspiration from her exploration of new cities and cultures. “Nothing can beat hopping on the Eurostar to Paris for a coffee and people watching on Ile Saint-Louis, followed by an afternoon sourcing along the Rive Gauche” Victoria shares of her favorite traveling adventures. Having witnessed various cultures’ interior design first-hand, Victoria believes London’s interior design contains a specific and unique aesthetic; one that poses a greater challenge when compared to the rest of the world. “There are currently some commercial projects emerging in London, which would rival those of any city in the world,” Victoria elaborates to YCB.
As anyone would expect of an ambitious career woman with a successful business, Victoria Meale’s, who describes her approach to interior design as “thoughtful”, days are filled to the brim. Beginning her mornings with brainstorming sessions in her Chelsea studio, followed by client meetings and ending her day by doing drawings and schemes in the afternoon, this designer is definitely a woman on the go.
When it comes to the future of Victoria Meale Design, Victoria is open to an array of possibility and opportunity. “Who knows what the future holds, but I would love to continue to be involved in designing exciting sustainable projects and spaces in London and the rest of the UK…I have some exciting ideas and ventures up my sleeve”. Here at Your Coffee Break, we can’t wait to hear about what’s next on her agenda!
With current projects including an eco-build in Battersea and a sustainable project overlooking the sea in Devon, Victoria Meale has followed her passion and ended up turning her love for interior design into a highly impressive business! Her to-the-point advice to aspiring interior designers: “Dare to be different!’
Read ahead for more:
Coffee or tea?
“Both. Can’t even think about starting the day without a cup of green tea, I then pick up my soya cappuccino in my recyclable cup on the Kings Road en route to the studio!”
Take us through a typical day:
“After my morning yoga session swiftly followed by my first coffee of the day, I usually start the day with a brainstorming session in the studio with my sister, followed by actioning all my emails & correspondence. My client meetings are usually held before lunch which would be either at the studio, at a clients house or on site. Lunch is almost biblical at the Meale & Meale studio, everything stops & we pick up freshly made salads from The Kitchen on the lots road. We eat off our reclaimed work table which was once a beautiful old heavy door. After lunch I often go out sourcing or meet with suppliers, I eventually get sat down to doing some drawings & schemes in the afternoon before clearing my desk of paperwork & making any final client phone calls of the day. I end my work day with meetings with contractors for an update on work on site & to brief them for the next day – this is followed by a walk down to the river to blow the cobwebs!”
How many people do you have working for you?
“I share the studio with my sister Alexa Meale, a personal Buyer & Stylist, we run our own businesses single handedly ensuring the best personal service, & have recently joined together to create the ultimate lifestyle brand.”
Throughout your career thus far is there one interior design project that sticks out in your mind as your favorite?
“Yes, one of my earlier projects where i was employed by a client who was living in the US, i was given free reign to showcase my sustainability principles & aesthetic, the client moved straight from the States into the finished project having never seen it before & cried with joy -that makes me happy.”
When it comes to home decorating what are three general rules you always abide by?
“Natural. Healthy. Light.”
How did you go about turning your love for interior design into a personal business?
“I followed a passion, and the power of that should never be underestimated.”
Where do you hope to see Victoria Meale Design in the next five years?
“I would love to continue to be involved in designing exciting sustainable projects & spaces in London & the rest of the UK – I have some exciting ideas and ventures up my sleeve.”
What advice would you give to aspiring interior designers?
“Dare to be different!”
For more information, simply visit www.victoriamealedesign.com
