A sneaky peak behind the scenes! Get the inside track on Interior Designers – from signature moves and pet peeves, to their biggest regret and ambitions for the future. This edition of the Insider Scoop features Joanne Jeyes.
Joanne is the founder of Joanne Jeyes Interiors, she is passionate about inclusive design and won a Leading Trailblazer in Inclusive & Accessible Design at the UK Enterprise Awards last year.
Joanne Jeyes of Joanne Jeyes Interiors Photography @annethomasphotography
Quick Fire Five
1. Favourite paint colour?
This is like choosing your favourite child… I think Little Green’s Book Room Green is the one I show clients the most as it’s the softest, ‘hug’ of a green and it works well with other greens as well as other colour combinations. But I also have my eye on Coat’s Below Deck as it’s such a great blue. I am obviously going to be using their new JoJo’s Green in my house somewhere soon too!
2. Must have interiors accessory?
Frames – be they antique or modern, for photos or artwork. Popping even a sample of wallpaper, or a snapshot of your dog in a decent frame can add something to a room. I’ve also hung frames with nothing inside!
3. Signature interiors move?
Well firstly, I guess it’s questioning if a space works for varying needs – be they physical, emotional or mental. But also, I always ask clients to reconsider buying new. I encourage reusing or repurposing what you have already or looking at second hand/vintage.
4. Go to interiors brand?
I’m a sucker for an antique store (see above!) I love to use wallpaper in a scheme and always point clients in the direction of independent designers I’ve discovered rather than big brands. I champion small and local where possible. If I’m looking for something to ‘add’ or am styling a final design, I’ll head straight to Homesense. You’ll always find something that works and at a great price. Oh, and…I am often found stroking Portugese sideboards at trade shows (they just do them so well!)
5. Interiors pet peeve?
When accessibility has clearly been ‘added on’ – so a grab rail screwed to a wall randomly. Aside from that, assuming all woodwork must be painted white. Grrrrr. It’s so boring and unnecessary. And assuming that all whites are the same!
Breakfast room designed by Joanne Jeyes Interiors | Photography @annethomasphotography
Four Insider Insights
1. Give us the scoop on your first interior design job
As with most designers, I’m sure, it was for a friend. She wanted to update her bedroom, and I did everything – from finding and ordering her a new bed, visiting wardrobe companies with her, creating a mood board and a sample board, had the blinds made, armchair covered and found accessories. I even went round to let the decorator in whilst she was on holiday. I honestly can’t remember how much I charged, but it was less than £500. And I made nothing from procurement. I was very green!
2. Biggest regret or mistake?
I was working on a sitting room and a day room for a retired couple. They went to Australia for six weeks and left me and the decorator in charge of the transformation.
The rooms looked lovely when they came home, all except an awful, TV cabinet that the decorator made from an old piece of furniture. The client had given me a budget, and we’d run out of money. The decorator insisted they would be happy, but I wish I’d taken the risk of spending a little more and finding something else as it just looked awful – trailing wires behind it, painted terribly and it didn’t fit against the wall properly. I wonder if they ever changed it?
3. Biggest achievement or learning to date?
I think being recognised as a designer who’s genuinely pushing for inclusive design. Not just because it’s “a nice thing to do.” (I won a Leading Trailblazer in Inclusive and Accessible Design at the UK Enterprise Awards last year.)
The more I learn, the more I realise how much we all take for granted. It still amazes me every day how something as simple as visiting a friend’s house can be really tough for so many people, whether that’s because of steps, narrow doorways, awkward layouts, or just a space that hasn’t been designed with different needs in mind at all.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever stop talking about it until every home has at least one accessible entrance as standard. It shouldn’t be a ‘special request’, it should just be normal.
Project-wise, a good few years ago I designed a life skills training kitchen for a centre for young adults with additional needs in Chelmsford. It was funded by a grant, so the budget was really limited, and it was my very first accessible project.
Not only did it need to be fully accessible, but it also had to stand up to some rigorous day-to-day use. Seeing it being used now honestly fills me with joy, because we achieved so much with what we had. And yes, I’d absolutely do a few things differently if I were doing it again now, but that’s part of the learning and it’s shaped how I work today.
I’m also proud of a small sensory space I created for a specialist gym in Colchester. It wasn’t a huge project in size, but it had a big impact. And the best part is they’ve now asked me to design a second space for them, and this one’s much bigger, around 110 square metres. It feels like such a brilliant next step, and I know it’s going to be an amazing space for the local community.
4. What’s next for your business?
Growing in a way that feels sustainable, and lets me spend more time doing what I’m actually good at, which is designing homes that are accessible, inclusive, and genuinely lovely to live in.
I’ve recently brought in a bit of support around me too, which feels like a big step. I’ve got a virtual assistant helping me stay on top of the admin side of things (because honestly, it’s not my strongest area), a part-time interiors student supporting with drawings, and an accessibility advisor with lived experience of disability. That part is really important to me, because I’m very aware that as an able-bodied designer, I’ll never experience the world in quite the same way as many of my clients do. So having someone I trust who can bring that real-life perspective keeps me grounded and helps me design in a way that’s genuinely thoughtful.
Alongside my client work, I also want to do a lot more to spread the word about dementia-friendly design. A hugely personal and important area of design for me. So many families are dealing with it quietly, and they don’t always realise how much of a difference small changes at home can make to everyday calm, confidence, and safety. I’m exploring another avenue for this too… watch this space.
Longer term, I’d love to work with a care home or supported living setting, not just to design a space that looks nice, but to create somewhere that feels safe, comfortable, and dignified for the people living there, and supports the people caring for them as well.
Accessible Kitchen for The Base, designed by Joanne Jeyes Interiors | Photography @annethomasphotography
Thanks for reading the Insider Scoop on Joanne Jeyes of Joanne Jeyes Interiors. And thank you Jo for your time in taking part. You can find Joanne on Instagram or LinkedIn or her website.
If you enjoyed this read you’ll love more Interior Designer ‘behind the scenes’ insights – read about Emily Brogden, Alex Dauley, Alix Stoney and Chloe Bullock
If you’re an interior designer and would like to take part – I’m always looking for contributors. Please email me at [email protected] Thanks, Lisa x
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