The House Of Hoppen

- Elizabeth Kerr

"I was the first to create this look. It’s been copied a million times now… I think it’s an adjective,” says British interior designer Kelly Hoppen of her hallmark style while lounging on one of her own sofas, signature golden ringlets in full force. That may sound arrogant to some, but Hoppen has earned the right to the phrase ‘Hoppen-esque’ over the course of a 40-year career designing some of the most spectacular home interiors in the world. Not that she’s one to rest on her laurels. “We change it. I have young designers in the studio who bring a different aspect to the look, so the core philosophy is still there… I constantly look for challenges, and we have a diverse cross-section of people working for the company that bring different elements to the brand.”

Hoppen’s story is, by now, familiar to design buffs and industry professionals alike. Having little time for school as a teen, South Africa-born Hoppen stumbled into her career at 16, when a friend of her stepfather needed a kitchen redesigned. It was a very deliberate bit of stumbling, however. “I just knew,” she recalls of her decision to pursue design. “I hated school, I was really bullied.” But it wasn’t easy. Dyslexia provided a bit of a challenge, but it didn’t prevent her from completing her first big project, the home of a racing-car driver. By the time she was 17, Hoppen was fortunate enough to have her own London loft and a studio in Lots Road, Chelsea, which functioned as her first portfolio. “I was lucky. A lot of young designers don’t have that today. And I had a fantastic mentor in my mum.”