Extensive travel has given Katharine Pooley a knack for creating timeless, multifaceted spaces that feel personal. Her sought-after style is the subject of a new book, "Journey by Design"
Katharine Pooley has a keen sense of adventure. She has just touched down after a trip by train across Canada; previous trips have seen her climb some of the world’s highest mountains, cross the Sahara on horseback, and take a dog sled to the North Pole. The British interior designer has visited some 150 countries, and she even lived in Hong Kong for a time.
The many places she has been and the sights she has seen have, naturally, trickled into her design aesthetic, coming through in the rich variety of materials she uses and in the refined eclecticism of the pieces she creates and sources for her projects and her boutique.
Pooley’s work has attracted a similarly eclectic high-end set of clients. She has worked on everything from barns in Oxfordshire and castles in Scotland to mansions in Kuwait and Doha, not to mention a new hotel in Shaoxing, China, and a private jet lounge.
Her latest venture to come to fruition is a tome for luxury book publisher Assouline. Titled Journey by Design, it provides insights into Pooley’s worldwide wanderings and the influence they have had on 19 of her most diverse projects. In conversation with Asia Tatler, London-based Pooley shares some of the challenges and excitement she faced in working on the book, and much more.
