‘It takes years to build a reputation, a second to destroy it’

Rubina Singh speaks to London-based entrepreneur and

award-winning interior designer Katharine Pooley who

recently opened her signature boutique in Doha

An economic recession is a tough battle for any business and when one survives a double recession and still continues to move on to bigger and better projects, it certainly makes one sit up and take notice. Could survival in tough times be mere destiny? That and more, says Katharine Pooley, who recently launched her first collection of artefacts from around the world in Doha.

A vision of beauty, elegance and glamour, it’s hard to imagine Katharine in anything less than solitaires and satin but behind that dainty dreamlike figure is a sharp mind. And even sharper business acumen and artistic talent.

Her aesthetic sense has earned her a position as one of the most sought-after interior designers in London and commissions for landmark commercial and residential projects around the world.

Katharine won the accolade for the best interior designer in 2012 by the Society of British Interior Design, and only last month she was ranked as one of The Times’ Top 30 Interior Designers. From commercial interiors to residential projects, Katharine guides clients through an engaging and thought-provoking process so that each project is a sophisticated expression of the client’s taste as well as a functional space that suits their lifestyle perfectly.

With Doha’s emerging position as a global hub, the demand for European-style home décor has flourished, and as a result created the ideal opening for the well-established brand not only in Doha but also with future visions to expand in the rest of the Gulf.

The boutique’s classy ambience, with its collection of rare and exquisite objects from distant corners of the world is set to create an excitement with design trends in the local region.

With the upcoming boom in the construction industry, there will be a plethora of interest in interiors as well, a little acknowledged aspect of the changes coming our way.  Not surprising then that the person who played a crucial role in the creation of iconic projects such as Qatari Diar, is also the keen entrepreneur who saw a niche for Katharine Pooley’s international designs.

Qatari entrepreneur and Chairman of Octagon International Nasser al-Ansari’s contribution to major development projects in the country has been nothing short of phenomenal. Having spent a lifetime leading government and public projects, such as the new Hamad International Airport, The Qatar-Bahrain Causeway, the new port, Barwa Real Estate, Al Khaliji Bank to name only a few, the natural entrepreneur in him was quick to see the opportunity in the field of interior decor.

So what started as a personal home project developed into a business partnership between Octagon International and Katherine Pooley. The first showroom in Doha opened recently at Salaam Store. Excerpts ...

You are one of the most sought after British interior designers, whose flagship store has been firmly established in London’s Walton Street since 2004. The Doha store is the brand’s first international outlet. What made this materialise?

I had recently decorated the VIP suites at Heathrow Airport and Nasser happened to come through and liked the designs so much that he invited us to design his home. Four months later, he asked us to open this boutique in Qatar.

Your dream project?

Nasser’s home.

What makes it so special for you as a designer?

Nasser gave me free reign to design to his and his wife’s taste. I was allowed to be creative. Consequently, the men’s majlis I think has turned out to be a piece of heaven! His wife wanted something with a Moroccan theme and we have created a Moroccan room for the ladies majlis. When the client is able to trust you and give you complete freedom to be creative, it’s very satisfying experience from the designing aspect.

A large section of your clients are very high end and are probably accustomed to always having things their own way. If your suggested decor does not conform to the client’s vision of what they would like, does that ever become a problem?

Never!  First of all, every client wants their own way, which is why they are paying for this service.

Secondly, we listen very carefully to their briefing and description of what their vision for their home is. Thereafter, we do CGI’s, renderings, drawings etc. The client gets to see the picture before we procure it. I’ve only ever had my clients cry out of happiness rather than screaming ‘yikes’.

How does that feel?

Fantastic! It’s very gratifying to see a happy client.

A home is very personal form of self expression and one which most people, particularly in the Arab World, take great pride in. How do you get into the client’s head, so to speak, to understand what they want?

I used to be a head-hunter and that experience has enabled me to be good at asking questions and getting to know people very quickly and I think that aspect has been very crucial in this aspect.

Dream project that you have yet to achieve?

I’d love to do a plane! 747 was always my dream.

Why a plane?

Well, it’s incredibly hard space, I fly a lot, I think I understand the travel convenience and space aspect of it and I’d love to put my talents to it.

Give us a quick peek into your background …

As you see me today is quite glamorous and not who I truly am. I am an intrepid explorer and am my happiest in a tent! I’m passionate about mountaineering. I have climbed the highest mountain in The Antarctic, been to the North Pole, climbed Kilimanjaro five times and ridden across the Sahara desert on a horse back. I’m also a qualified helicopter pilot.

I was born in the Middle East. When I first started off in my career, I went to work with Reuters in Bahrain. I wanted to be like Kate Adie, Britain’s leading female war reporter who I idolised. After Reuters, I went to work for Morgan & Stanley Bank. I was based in Hong Kong for 14 years, Vietnam for a year, Singapore for three. After living in the Middle East and Asia for a long time, I moved to London, decided to follow my passion and open a boutique. I have been doing this for 10 years now. I love it!

I used to travel a lot and bring all these beautiful accessories home. My first client was Mohamed al-Fayed, who owned Harrods before it was bought by Qatar. I designed his daughter’s London home. At the time I had two people working for me, now I have 30.

Secret to your success ...

Someone once pointed out that part of my success came from the fact that I had a banking background. Doing someone’s home, has to have financial implications to it. You have to stick to budgets. If it’s a property development, it’s got to have an investment value to it. I think having that banking background makes me understand design from the financial angle. In addition, it also makes me incredibly organised.

Being an interior designing business is not just about creating beauty. It’s about PR, marketing, accounting, staff selection and management and I have all that from my work at Morgan Stanley which I think today helps me keep my feet firmly on the ground.

How much individual attention are you able to give to each client?

I see every client, all the time. Every single client is assigned a team. I manage each of those teams. Not even a single design goes out without my overseeing it. And I will have it no other way. It takes years to build a reputation, a second to destroy it.

Was it hard to keep the business afloat in such times of economic downturn?

Yes, of course, any recession is hard for business but we provide a very different service to the client and hence we have been able to make our own niche in the market.

Particularly, during recession, people are looking at cutting corners. Non-essentials such as decorative items would fall into that category quite easily ...

Even in a recession people get married, we provide a wedding list service. People give gifts during Christmas, Eid, celebration of any kind, we provide those as well. We are much in demand for corporate gifts as well. People still need to renovate their homes, property developers still continue working ... so there are many avenues. Our style of salesmanship is also very welcoming and never hard sell and pushy and I think that also adds to the equation. The client never feels pressured to make a purchase just because they explored our offerings and viewed our collection which we are confident will appeal to a diverse range of tastes.

How much involvement does the client have?

It varies. Nasser was very involved. Some would just like me to give them the keys when it’s ready for them to move in.

What has been the greatest challenge so far ...

Climbing the highest mountain in the Antarctic and my two kids!

What is still a challenge?

I want to go to the South Pole.

I want to open eight different shops around the Middle East by the end of 2014.

Your mantra?

Life just gives you time and space, it is up-to you how you fill it.

SUNDAY CONVERSATION

I, me, myself

My most memorable experience …

Climbing the highest mountain in Antarctica

Person who influenced me most

Nelson Mandela

Best thing that ever happened to me

Meeting my husband

My greatest weakness

Chocolate

My strongest personality trait …

 I never give up until the job is done

My weakest personality trait …

Can’t sit still

Most dearest possession/ treasure …

My Jack Russell

My favourite celebrity ...

Audrey Hepburn ... timeless!

I love ...

The Chrysler building in New York for its seamless architecture

I dislike ...

Bad service

I idolise …

My father

I can’t live without …

Space and time

I can’t live with …

Snakes

Coffee or tea?

Tea

Snow or sun?

Sun

Gadget I couldn’t do without ...

I’m not a gadget person but my mini iPad

Biggest turn on ...

Aston Martin DB5

Biggest turn off

Incompetence

Makes my life worth living ...

My family

I don’t believe in ...

‘Saying no’... anything in life is possible

Three things to do before I die …

Fly in a Lynx helicopter

Go to the South Pole

Would love a baby girl