Nicola’s first career was with a global communications group, working between London, Barcelona and Paris. A lover of languages and a constant observer of beautiful spaces, her permanent shift towards design began after renovating a one-of-a-kind listed building in Bloomsbury, London. Today she is based in Oxford.
Nicola draws inspiration from houses and design cultures around the world, believing firmly in Diana Vreeland's maxim that 'the eye has to travel'; by which she understands that a lived space never wants to be perceived in one glance, but rather to be constantly discovered as the eye and body travel through it.
She has learned that the most successful results come from establishing creative client partnerships that grow and evolve, often over many collaborations.
Interior Design
"Layered, warm and distinctive interiors that reflect the owner’s character aesthetically, and fit their lives practically."
"The brief for this Victorian house by the British seaside was to create an uplifting, holiday feel; to be characterful, colourful, and more playful than the client would want for her main residence. The house had to be versatile: cosy enough for one person spending time on their own, but equally able to comfortably expand its horizons to entertain many families at once.
I conceived and delivered spaces that are transporting on different levels. Pattern, colour, scale and unique objects, all come together to create a coherent and joyous whole, illuminated by the soft and shifting light from the sea outside. I worked with craftsmen I have long admired across Europe to create high-quality bespoke pieces including a dining table to seat twelve, flatweave rugs, a hand-painted linen wall-hanging, lampshades and coffee tables. I also commissioned cushions from leading Colombian design house Mola Sasa, which is now the basis of a new fabric line we are developing in partnership.
The client has a beautiful art collection that we drew on, and we restored and reinvented furniture and antiques that have been passed down through the family. Their connection to the beachside town goes back many generations and I wanted to ensure that the spaces we created would have a relationship with the past as well as the future, capturing the essence of the house and its longstanding relationship with the sea."
Fran Monks
