Inside Studio Lauren Olivia: The Art of Soulful Interiors
Interior designer, stylist and artistic director Lauren Olivia has spent over a decade immersed in the world of interiors, a journey that began with an instinctive love for thoughtful spaces. Last year marked a bold new chapter: the launch of her own studio, Studio Lauren Olivia, built on a mission to bring refined, soulful design to life through a holistic and deeply personal approach.
Known for creating spaces that feel calm yet layered, Lauren’s work blends lived-in charm with a timeless aesthetic. Her design projects and styling work have been featured by Rip & Tan by Jenni Kayne, Enki, Remodelista, Rue Magazine, and Sheerluxe, to name a few.
In this interview, we chat about Lauren's journey to launching her studio, what makes a space feel special and her advice for transforming your home through simple, soulful styling.
You’re a Cotswolds-based interior designer, stylist and artistic director. How did your journey in design begin?
I’ve always been drawn to beautiful, thoughtful spaces. Even from a young age, I found myself rearranging my bedroom far more often than I probably should have, just to make it feel and look right. That love never really left. I went on to work in the interior industry over a decade ago and working closely with clients, trades, and being exposed to different brands and materials has really shaped the designer I am today. What began as a genuine curiosity, slowly grew into a career that now feels incredibly natural to me.
“In a world filled with so many beautiful interiors and meticulously designed homes, what will really make your space feel special is you — the energy you create and the stories woven through your personal pieces," says Lauren.
You have a talent for creating spaces that feel effortless yet layered. Where do you begin when styling or designing a space?
Thank you! This honestly comes super organically, and I’m really driven by the vibes from the clients brief, the property and the overall energy. For people who struggle with vision setting, something that I find really helps me is to picture the style you want to create, start on Pinterest and put together an initial board to broadly show your vision. From there, you can then break this down to create smaller concept boards for the room or space you’re working on, pull in materials or products you love and just see how it all feels together. I always try to make sure I’m mixing new and old pieces, using natural materials where I can, but other than that just follow your instincts and what you’re naturally drawn to!
You founded Studio Lauren Olivia to bring a distinctly refined, soulful approach to interiors. What’s been the most rewarding aspect of running your own studio?
Studio Lauren Olivia came about organically after years of taking on private clients alongside my employed work as a kitchen designer. At the start of 2024 I finally took the plunge, went fully freelance and created the studio. The most rewarding part has been the freedom. The freedom of my time, and the freedom for our projects; to really create from start to finish, working in a holistic and wholehearted approach.
Your work has such a calm, considered elegance. How would you describe your design philosophy?
I’ve always been drawn to spaces that feel lived-in yet refined, with a mix of natural materials, old vintage treasures, and new pieces that together create a harmonious, unique, and timeless home. To me, what truly makes a home feel beautiful is the feeling it creates when you’re in the space: how the light moves throughout, how the textures feel on your skin as you use them, and the objects you bring into your home with the stories behind where and how they were sourced. In a world filled with so many beautiful interiors and meticulously designed homes, what will really make your space feel special is you — the energy you create and the stories woven through your personal pieces.
When it comes to design and styling, how do you think about colour, texture and bringing depth into a space while keeping it cohesive?
This can be a really tricky thing to manage. I always feel it’s good to go with materials and pieces you love and are genuinely drawn too. However, if you do this everywhere you may end up with mix of items that don’t go together, clash and don’t create the aesthetic you’re trying to achieve.
For design, this is where putting a board together really helps. Pull all the items into one place, see how they sit next to each other and if anything does or doesn’t feel right. You can then adjust the board from there making tweaks to the items or materials that don’t feel right. As for styling, I really think it’s more trial and error and having enough pieces available with you until you find the right fit! Sometimes I get the styling perfect straight away and have a clear vision and feeling of what that area needs to look like, but if I’m honest there are definitely other areas that take a little longer to get right, and that’s all part of the process!
What materials, textures or palettes you are most drawn to right now?
I’m always drawn to natural materials. I’m marble obsessed! I’m still blown away every time I see the real-life beauty of it in person at the stone yards. The colours, the movement, the feeling it creates and the fact that each piece is truly unique. I also love travertine and beautiful wood, both new and reclaimed . And I’m currently having a wallpaper moment, in the right space it adds beautiful texture and feeling.
We share a similar philosophy when it comes to creating beauty across interiors, travel and lifestyle. How do these worlds intersect for you, and how does one inform the other?
Absolutely! I’m not sure if it’s the same for you, but I’m truly just drawn to beauty in all its forms…whether that’s a thoughtfully designed interior, natural scenery like how the sun dances off the ocean and creates the prettiest sparkle, or the beauty in a slow day, spent doing things you love with people you love. It’s been super important to me this year to slow down and appreciate all these beautiful things around us and how lucky I am to experience them all.
How has travel influenced the way you see and create spaces, or the ideas you bring into your work?
Travel constantly influences my work. Not only for the obvious reasons—the beauty you see and experience through different landscapes, architecture, and cultures—but also for the reset it brings to everyday life. Time to slow down, be present, and return feeling revived and inspired.
For someone looking to refresh their home without starting over, what are a few simple styling changes that can make the biggest difference?
Paint can have a massive impact on the feeling of a space, either brightening and freshening it up with lighter, whiter colours, adding warmth by choosing warm beiges, butter yellow or chocolate browns and even adding stronger colour to areas that need a little extra lift, like a guest bedroom, W/C or onto pieces of furniture. If you aren’t able to make any decorative changes, you can change the feeling of a space with styling alone! Clear the room you’d like to style of all smaller items, decorative objects and clutter, and then slowly add objects you feel will work until you like how it looks and feels. Use coffee table books, layered lighting and decorative items (both new and old) to create the curated feel you like.
