Introducing Marie Kalsi Interior Design

Marie Kalsi Interior Design is a London based studio that was established in 2015 offering a comprehensive design service. Led by interior designer Marie, they create affordable, beautiful interiors with a strong focus on reducing their client’s carbon footprint.

Marie developed her expertise for designing interiors during her previous career as a design consultant for an exclusive chain of health clubs and spas.

During this time, she learned how to create elegant and modern spaces whilst maintaining strict time and budget constraints. Her skills were later formalised through taking a Diploma at an Interior Design Academy in London, where her passion for sustainable design began.

Marie’s creative flair, and long held passion for interiors, has seen her successfully refurbish many properties for her clients across London. She combines a natural eye for style, with a tenacity for creative sourcing, to achieve maximum impact for minimum cost.

Here we chat with Marie Kalsi about her journey so far..

Can you tell us how you got into the interior design industry?

In my previous career I designed the internal look and feel for health clubs plus I renovated a lot of my own properties so I have always loved seeing the potential of the room/home and then converting it to a high standard whilst keeping a close eye on the expenditure as I strongly feel house renovations don’t have to cost the earth.

I then formalised my experience by completing a diploma in Interior Design in London and officially started my own business in 2015 which has only grown from strength to strength and is now an award winning design studio and I am happy to announce we have won another award for the business element of our studio – to be announced in September.

Sustainability in design is an increasingly important topic discussed in the industry. What are your views on sustainability in design now and in future?

I think in our industry it is felt that it is too expensive to convert a house sustainability. However, I believe it is worth doing as much as you can than not doing anything at all. Sustainable products have become cheaper over time and are more attractive to use, but there is still work to be done on this in the design industry. Obviously, if we are designing a new build we can make the whole renovation sustainable but the majority of our work is to update existing homes – so updating heating systems, new windows and better insulation will all add the project being more sustainable.

How do you encourage clients to think more consciously about sustainability when renovating their home?

At the design stage we advise the most sustainable way to create their renovation. We try to upcycle wherever possible e.g. furniture, bathrooms or kitchens. As standard we only use sustainable paints and suppliers who align with our ethos and we ensure our rubbish from the project is recycled and disposed of as sustainably as possible.

What is your favourite project so far?

All our projects! I have been really proud of so far, but the projects where I get to knock down walls and completely change the ‘flow’ of a home, for the better!, these are my favourite projects as this is why a client hires a designer as they cannot visualise the potential of space and this is the part of the job that excites me the most. So the Nunhead project (featured below) would be my favourite to date for this reason. The home was completely transformed.

Best tip you received as a designer?

Patience – as a designer our work is dealing with clients and spending their hard earned savings so you have go at their pace so they understand all the steps and that they feel we have answered every possible question so when the project is complete they know they have made the right decisions for the right price and that they have no regrets.