6 | TW11– March 2013

Jenny Blanc

JENNY BLANC INTERIORS HAVE been gracing High Street for 16 years, behind their eye catching

window displays is the studio that recently won an award at the prestigious International Property Awards held in London in December.

Sue Thomas Richardson, Design Director at Jenny Blanc tells us about the winning project and heading up the design team. ‘I’ve been working with Jenny since the beginning, I first started out by doing decorative art on furniture for the studio. It’s a lovely environment to work in, everything we do is managed out of the studio here. It’s a close knit team who are very dedicated and I’m constantly inspired by their creativity. Jenny has an overview of everything, she’s really hands on, their isn’t an inch of the work that she hasn’t cast her expert eye over.’

‘Our success is based on commitment to delivering a completely professional service. We know how to listen to our clients and translate their dreams into a workable reality. Often clients will come to us with an idea of the direction they’d like to go in, we help them to explore the options. A great deal of our job involves an intuition for psychology, to really understand what our clients want from the space means you need to understand their personality. Helping people to achieve a home they love and that really reflects their identity is very rewarding.’

‘Trends are constantly coming and going in this industry. We have to keep up with the latest materials and fabrics. We could be designing for a family home or bachelor pad, there is a constant deluge of suppliers offering their latest products. I’ve developed an instinct for knowing what will

and won’t fit. It’s an advantage of my personality to constantly be looking at my surroundings, it’s impossible to switch off but it’s where my inspiration comes from.’

Sue is originally from Barbados, where Jenny Blanc Interiors has a showroom run by Jenny’s daughter Emma. ‘The connection with the Caribbean came from my links with the island. There are a lot of British people who have homes there and we’ve come to know the market very well, we’ve won various awards for projects out there. Both Jenny and I spend a lot of time in the Caribbean, especially at this time of year, when it’s incredibly busy.’

Snug at the Herefordshire Lodge

Sue and Jenny receive the award

8 | TW11– March 2013

Jenny Blanc

Receiving the World’s Best Interior Design Private Residence Award for their work on a Grade II listed Herefordshire Lodge was the culmination of a year’s work on the demanding project. Sue says ‘We knew it was special from the moment we saw the brief. It involved completely refurbishing the property and working with the clients to source every aspect of the interior from finding period building materials, master craftsmen to cushion fabrics, and literally everything in between. We are very proud of outcome, having taken the plans and completely transformed the space into a beautiful family home.’

‘The whole team at Jenny Blanc were involved in turning this huge project into the winner it became. We were aiming for a comfortable, lived in feeling that married well with the architecture of the lodge. The building itself needed a massive amount of work as it had been sorely neglected

Guest Room at the Herefordshire Lodge

Dining Room at the Herefordshire Lodge

prior to its purchase. The high profile clients, who are in their forties, were a pleasure to work with. They were overjoyed with the outcome, saying “The process was enjoyable and collaborative as Jenny, Sue and Abbie tuned into our sensibilities so precisely, it felt as though they were our own.”

Our congratulations go to Jenny, Sue and the team for their world class achievement created from their studio here in Teddington.

Entrance Hall at the Herefordshire Lodge