Celeb interior designer Kelly Hoppen talks finding her forever man, being a stepmum and how to plan a home makeover
KELLY Hoppen is quite a woman – she’s been an interior designer for five decades, since first starting out in the business at the age of 16.
But nothing makes her face light up more than when she talks about her seven-year-old grandson Rudy, the son of her daughter, food writer Natasha Corrett.
She tells us that she’s itching to teach him how to blow bubbles with gum – though she isn’t allowed to yet – and admits: “I’m very close to him, he is just the best thing.”
This may be why she’s designed one vase in her new collection with Marks & Spencer to have a slight dinosaur look to it – but more on that later…
We meet at the launch of Marks & Spencer X Kelly Hoppen to talk all things interiors with the woman who has designed homes for countless A-listers, including the Beckhams and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as high-end hotels, restaurants and yachts.
She has even bagged herself a CBE along the way.
At 65, Kelly looks incredible – swearing to Gold Collagen, aloe vera, Symprove probiotics and lemon water – and remains as passionate as ever about transforming homes.
But again, her face lights up most when talking about the other man in her life, long-term partner and retired businessman John Gardiner.
We heard a rumour that it took her just three weeks of dating to start the makeover on John’s bachelor pad…
“No, it wasn’t quite that quick!” she laughs.
“But when we knew that we were going to be together forever, he asked what I thought of the house, and I said I think we need to do a few bits and pieces on it.
“It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t finished. And he was amazing, he just let me do it… I just approached it over breakfast and it went down well.”
Kelly has also recently spoken about how being a stepmum to Sienna and Savannah Miller is one of her greatest achievements, but she confesses to Fabulous that it is something she had to work really hard at.
“Being a stepmother is really hard. We [Kelly and former husband US banker Ed Miller] worked at it, both of us. And they’re still my step-children – I speak to them all the time and we’re very close.
“When you’re bringing two families together, you have to be very careful, but we loved being step-parents – it was a joy.”
It’s no surprise that she agrees being a working mum is also difficult, but the interior designer believes it has become harder, too.
“As women, we are really good at balancing, but it’s very, very hard. When I had children, it was different – there wasn’t social media. I think the pressures today and the WhatsApp groups and all of that have made it harder.
“I see it with friends of mine who have younger kids and there’s a lot of pressure. So I think women manage brilliantly, but can you have it all? I don’t think you can.”
Kelly now tries to put boundaries on her work time and believes employers should take into consideration that people “may have to give up something at certain times of the day to be with their kids.”
“Boundaries are really important – my personal phone is never off, in case one of the kids needs me. But I now try to switch off my work phone at certain times,” says the designer.
But back to the reason we’re here – her new homeware collection with British high-street giant Marks & Spencer.
“It feels surreal because it’s been a secret that I’ve kept for over a year and I’m not very good at keeping secrets – I’m a real Leo,” Kelly beams, before showing us around.
Here are her top three picks from the collection…
1. THE VASE
“This vase I call the ‘dinosaur vase’, probably because of my grandson. Design is all about being bold and doing things that you wouldn’t normally do, so a lot of my Marks & Spencer pieces are big, like this. All the ceramics are matte, too.”
2. THE BEDDING
“If people want to invest in one thing, it should bedding, because it’s where we spend most of our life. It’s where we fall asleep, it’s where we wake up. It creates the mood for the day and the mood for falling asleep. It’s also the biggest piece of furniture in your bedroom and the easiest thing to make a room look different.”
3. THE THROW
“These are so, so soft, and so versatile. You can put them on your bed, your sofa or around you in the garden, now the weather is turning cooler. I love layering textures, but remember textures are not always soft. It’s about layering hard finishes as well.”
Or pick your own fave and shop the full Kelly Hoppen X Marks & Spencer collection, which starts from just a fiver, here.
KELLY HOPPEN'S 5 TOP TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR HOME MAKEOVER
The celebrity interior designer tells Fabulous' Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley the five things to think about before changing up any room in your house. And you might not even have to spend any cash to make a big difference...
1. Have a plan
“There are so many mistakes that people make and it’s not their fault. It’s very different from buying fashion because you can return fashion – when you’re purchasing for your home, you need to measure and you need to plan, rather than buying ad hoc.”
2. Start small
“People panic and start painting walls and changing floors but you can change the look of a room with a rug. You can change the look of a room just by changing your curtains.”
3. Move stuff
“Things don’t move enough in people’s home. The first thing that people should do is to move everything – move every accessory off every surface and move all the cushions off.”
4. Shop your home
“When you look around your house, find the things that you love. Then, add something new to them or move them to different rooms. This will bring out a whole new look and feel to every piece.”
5. Quiz yourself
“When we take on a private client, we send them a 60 page or so questionnaire because you’re becoming very, very close to people. Questions can be as simple as ‘What side of the bed do you sleep on?’ and ‘Do you brush your teeth on the left side or the right side of the basin?’ They are very intimate things but they help us understand how people use their space. Make sure you understand exactly what you want your space to give you.”