CovetED Exclusive Interview with Peter Staunton

During a visit to Covet London, CovetED Magazine had the opportunity to meet the person behind Peter Staunton Interior Design. One decade after working as an interior designer, Peter Staunton is already known by its own style, in which is possible to feel the rock n’ roll vibe since the first look! Very casual and always with a smile, the British interior designer told us more about his work career, his inspirations and the lifestyle that he sells to his clients.

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CE: How long have you been working as an interior designer?

Peter Staunton: Ten years. I came into this career because it was a family business. Ten years ago I moved back home from London and I’ve been doing it for full time, for ten years.

CE: And how did you embrace this family business?

PS: With a completely open mind, always wanting to learn. I’m pretty sure that I will never know it all, and that I can find endless design inspiration in the unlikeliest places and people. I also always try to keep pushing creative boundaries and not stand still, as people say; you are always as good as your last design.

CE: What do you look for when you create a space?

Peter Staunton: I always try to create something different, something with an edge. I think that are a lot of interior designers out there and lots of them look very similar, there are a lot of interior designers and they create all similar designs, at the end, you don’t know who did what. When I design a space, I try to create something that is different, that has an edge, a soul, a little of rock and roll, something iconic and I always try to bring some fearless to it, rather than design something that you know that would work. So, the point of my projects is to create something that people can look and know “yeah, it’s him”.

CE: Do you consider you have a signature, something that defines your projects?

PS: Yes, it’s basically to have a slight edge on rock and roll. It’s kind of different. Because we work with so many different clients and they all have different styles, I have to be flexible to work with all of them and I always try to bring something into their interiors, that is part of me. And for me that is the rock and roll: I use a lot of black, different metals and refine materials, and then I missed them with lovely velvet and sleek blacks with the golds and I think that is the right mix that gives such little bit of edge and a little bit of rock and rock.

CE: What do you think that is essential in a home?

PS: A soul! And that’s what I look for when I work with clients. It’s to find the balance between what they want and what I believe, my style. We have to respect them because it’s their home but also try to explain to them that they came to me for a reason and I want to give them a little of what I think that will work. The trick is the balance between these two. We want that people walk around the house freely and it’s not like a showroom because it’s very easy to do that. So I always try to create interiors where people feel comfortable and relaxed with friends and family, one space where people walk in and really feel welcome.

CE: Do you think the rock and roll vibe is what makes your clients choose you?

PS: I hope so! I think that part of what I do is try to live it, and I don’t mean walk around on drugs and drinking and all that. That was a long time ago! (Laughs) But I mean in terms of what I wear and how I look, what I do. It’s my way of saying that it’s my lifestyle; this is what I believe in. So I believe if people come to me it’s because they want a little bit of that look, of that edge, whatever it is. I like to think that it is part of all package, and that is what I believe, how I live, and how I look.

CE: Do you prefer to design residential or hospitality projects?

PS: Residential, because it’s much nicer to work with people that are looking for my services because it’s their home and they love it. If you work in a lot of commercial and hospitality projects, you deal with boards and directors, they don’t really care, and it’s purely about the money. It’s purely about getting the profit margins and stuff like that, and I am not interested in that. I want to work with clients, I want to work with them because they want to transform their home, because they want to live there with their family and friends, and I think that is much nicer. I would like to do some commercial works like some bars or hotel entrances, but on the boutique side, where it gets more personal. The work on people residential and homes is so much more personal.

CE: As an Interior Designer, what would be your dream project?

Peter Staunton: When clients say to me “do whatever you want”! (Laughs) One project that the clients came to me and say “I want your style, this is my house, just do what you think it will be right”.

CE: I must say that I was expecting you to answer that it is designing Keith Richards’ home.

PS: (Laughs) That would be nice! But there are a lot of people, you know, people like Lenny Kravitz who has his own design company, and the thing is to see that work as a compromise with the client, where you chop and change the things a little, because the client allows that and you will try to direct for what you think will work and if something doesn’t work, you will tell them. You could be honest with them, but the dream is to have the budget and someone says “do what would be your ideal house”.

CE: Still about your inspirations. Do you have any favourite interior designers?

PS: Lenny Kravitz, because he crosses over music, rock and roll and design. He has his own design company and his designs of houses and flats are amazing, moreover, he also collaborates as a furniture designer and with a lot of design projects. Peter Marino, the architect is someone who lives his own, and he really does: “this is who I am; you come to me for this all package”. I really like Kelly Wearstler, I love the fact that she has her own signature and all Californian vibes. Those few designers have their own look and their own lifestyle. Like I’ve said there are a lot of interior designers in London, for example, but I just think that some of them are all the same. You can put all their works in one apartment and, in the end, you couldn’t tell the difference between them

CE: What do you think about the major interior design trends for this year?

PS: I think it’s the within design and the mixing of metals, golds, and silvers. The goal is to provide spaces in which people can go back in the seventies, eighties, it was all about gold, and then it was all about silver, in fact, people used to think that everything had to be gold or silver. So, if two handles are gold, everything else has to be gold. And I think people realize now that they can mix the metals and achieve a great finish and there are no restrictions, so you can constantly evolve over time. So, if you are thinking about changing your home in the next five or ten years, maybe you should consider to use mixed metal furnishes, which will give you more flexibility and freedom and that’s what I think is great. I think people are realizing that this combination creates a very interesting space by giving its soul.

CE: And, to finish, tell us what do you like most about your work!

Peter Staunton: I really love the fact that I have the opportunity to truly transform the feeling, soul, and character of a space, in a positive way, and it influences the way people live. What surrounds us can hugely influence the way we feel and how we interact with those around us, and I really want to create this perfect atmosphere in which people feel comfortable and welcome.

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