Meet House & Garden's Rising Stars–the design talents to watch for 2024
Now in its third year, House & Garden's annual list of 25 Rising Stars has become a permanent fixture in our June issue. Much like the Top 100 Interior Designers and Architects, and the Top 50 Garden Designers - two lists with whom this one rubs shoulders - the Rising Stars list celebrates exceptional talent. These are the names of people who are making waves in the design industry - whether by working in new and exciting ways or by perfecting the existing ones. So without further ado, allow us to introduce the Rising Stars class of 2024. We suggest you keep an eye on these people, we certainly will.
Owen Gale1/25Chloe McDonald
Antiques
Liverpool-born Chloe runs her antiques business with the same eye that she once turned to fashion buying: ‘I play around with style,’ she says. ‘I watch trends, but don’t follow them too much.’ After working for fashion houses such as Vivienne Westwood, Chloe switched careers in lockdown. What started as an online shop is now also a by-appointment showroom in south east London, stocked with a mix of furniture, art and decorative objects.
2/25Pendhapa Architects
Architecture and Furniture Design
Pendhapa was founded in 2019 by Ignatio Tenggara, from Indonesia, and Antonin Hautefort, from France (above from left), who met while studying architecture in London. Since joining forces, they have completed highend projects in London, Bali and Greece. The design arm of the business, Atelier Pendhapa, produces furniture in natural materials. The duo has also collaborated with Hermès on a fabric range.
Cathy Kasterine3/25Alfie Nickerson
Biodynamic Flower Farming
After six years of working for the Yorkshire-based Blue Dot Gardens, Alfie returned, in 2019, to his Norfolk family home – and its three acres of land – to pursue a career in biodynamic farming. Through Burnt Fen Flowers, he sells almost 100 varieties of ‘perfectly imperfect’ flowers by the bunch or through a subscription service. He is already a favourite of Petersham Nurseries’ florist Julia Campbell-Gillies and, with a fashion collaboration potentially on the horizon, this feels like just the beginning for this
talented young plantsman.
William Carr4/25William Carr
Antiques
You could say antiques are in his blood. After working for his father Michael in the transportation of fine art and antiques, William set up his own Durham-based business, Chairfinder, in 2021. He deals predominantly (but not exclusively) in 18th- and 19th-century chairs and he has developed a network of clients, including Ben Pentreath. A recent collaboration with designer Cosimo De Vita marks his first foray into contemporary design.
Mohamed Said5/25Triqis
Product Design
This studio was founded in 2020 by Erwan Le Bozec and Kwaku Boateng (from left), who met studying industrial product design at De Montfort University. Keen to create a UK presence in global industrial design, they caught House & Garden’s attention when their ‘Lorraine’ lamp and ‘T-02’ table were launched at London Design Fair in 2023 – pieces that added a fresh, clean aesthetic to the mix.
Owen Gale6/25Stella Weatherall
Interior Design
Stella spent her first few years after graduating from the Inchbald School of Design working for Flora Soames and then on the design team with Kit Kemp at Firmdale Hotels. These experiences inform her abundant use of pattern, bright colours and contemporary art. ‘I want my spaces to live, breathe and evolve, and to not be too precious or serious,’ she says. This is certainly the attitude with which she approaches her projects in London and Scotland, as well as her work designing and making lampshades.
Rachel Allen7/25Rachel Allen
Interior Design
As previous experience goes, it does not get much better than interior designer Rachel Allen’s. Before starting her own practice in 2020, she worked in the showrooms of the late decorating great Robert Kime, and antiques shop Jamb, had a stint as an in-house stylist for Christie’s, and freelanced as a designer for Rita Konig. Now running her own studio, Rachel’s projects – currently including houses in Maine and Highgate – distil the various lessons she learned. Textiles are layered and rich, antiques are carefully chosen, and colours are always warm.
Owen Gale8/25Adam Maryniak
Curation and furniture design
Four years ago, the London-based furniture maker from Krakow in Poland started @chair_of_virtue, an Instagram account that showcases unusual and sculptural chairs made from wood, metal, clay, glass, plastic and more. After building up a large cult following (more than 50,000 and counting), he staged an IRL exhibition of chair prototypes by 12 emerging designers during last year’s London Design Festival. The show was one of the highlights of the week and cemented Adam’s reputation as a curator and a creative to keep an eye on.
Atrid Templier9/25Victoria Preston
Interior Design
Timeless, elegant and layered characterises interiors designed by Victoria. Her style has been shaped by five years working for Emily Todhunter of Todhunter Earle, followed by a stint with Alidad. The former taught her ‘the importance of function’ and the latter ‘granular attention to detail’. Since opening her own studio in 2019, she has finished two west London projects and is now working on chambers in Lincoln’s Inn, WC2.
Alexander James10/25Henry Bickerton
Interior Design
‘I champion the English country house aesthetic and I like to combine distinctive antiques with strong colours,’ explains Henry, who was design director at Jamb before going out on his own in 2020. ‘I want to create beautiful homes that work for the people who live in them and believe the process should be fun.’ Current projects include a house in Cheshire, an old rectory near Andover and a townhouse in Chelsea, where Classical influences and slow design create spaces that look as if they have evolved over time.
Joshua Monaghan11/25Alice B Davies
Interior Design
The designer cut her teeth primarily in high-end residential and commercial property. Though this is a far cry from the work she has completed through her studio, which she opened in 2019, it has infused her projects with a sense of subtle glamour. Her interiors are characterised by a low-key sophistication and layers of materials against a calm and neutral backdrop. They currently include a Georgian villa and a pied-à-terre, both in London.
Kat Weatherill12/25Zavier Kwek
Garden Design
When Zavier moved to London from Singapore in 2011, he worked for a bank. Inspired by the abundance of greenery in the UK, eventually he left his job and enrolled on a garden design course at Inchbald. Since graduating, he has established his style: geometric forms softened by brightly coloured perennials. His garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in 2022 demonstrated his ability to create inspiring spaces with wildlife-friendly planting. He has since completed gardens in London and Cambridgeshire.
Stella Fitzgerald13/25Kim Jordan
Furniture Design
After a career as a strategist in the automotive industry, Kim retrained as a cabinet maker at the École Boulle in Paris. He then spent a year working for a furniture design studio in the historically creative 18th arrondissement, before opening his own London studio in 2020. Kim is a specialist in straw marquetry. ‘I love the additional dimension, colour and reflection that straw brings to furniture,’ he says. He designs bespoke furniture, accessories and artwork for private clients and interior designers, and is represented by Future Icons.
Little Kin Photography14/25Camellia Taylor
Garden Design
On graduating from the London College of Garden Design in 2020, Camellia immediately set up shop and, within a year, she had scooped her first prize: the Professionals Choice Award for her first show garden at The Belvoir Castle Flower & Garden Show. Her show garden at Chelsea in 2023, which she designed for the autism charity Aspens, earned her a silver gilt medal in the All About Plants category. Five years spent working in mental health informs her planting. ‘I use nature’s colours to create feelings of calm and relaxation or excitement and energy,’ she explains.
Christian Cassiel15/25Giles Tettey Nartey
Furniture Design
An appreciation of his Ghanaian heritage is at the heart of Giles’s practice. Working in wood, metal and textiles, he explores how ‘inanimate objects can be activated by performance and use’. He has had a bench shown at the V&A, which doubles as a board for the West African strategy game oware. A qualified architect, he is working on residential projects in Africa.
Rory Rae16/25George Jessel
Interior Design
Before going solo in 2021, George honed his eye working for the architects Foster + Partners and the interior designer Hollie Bowden. The projects he takes on through his own studio are varied, from a perfectly pared-back flat in South Kensington to a colourful yet calming house in Shepherd’s Bush. Alongside his interiors projects – which currently include a Swiss chalet and a house in East Hampton in the US – George designs sets for fashion brands, shoots and ad campaigns.
Dermot O'Brien17/25Hamzah-Adam Desai
Garden Design
Lancashire-born Hamzah-Adam is making a name for himself as a designer who rejects the idea that a garden should have a lawn (though some will be relieved to hear he will work with one). His first show garden after graduating from Capel Manor College was at Hampton in 2022. ‘I wanted to demonstrate that, even if you have a tiny, paved space, you can put down gravel and create islands of planting to make something beautiful and sustainable,’ he explains. He has since recreated his Turfed Out garden for clients across the country.
Henry Harte and Jake Kuhn18/25Burniture
Furniture Design
This collective aims to take on fast furniture – the homeware equivalent of landfill-destined fast fashion. Set up in 2022 by Georgia Gibson, it now includes graphic designers, carpenters and photographers. The team takes discarded furniture and materials, and repurposes them into distinctive new pieces in its Acton studio. Its first exhibition, in 2022, sold out in just two days and a showcase of pieces at New Designers 2023 earned it the Decorex International Sustainability Award. ‘We are working to change the concept of upcycling,’ says Georgia.
Jacob Tillison19/25Natalie Tillison
Product Design and Antiques
This Yorkshire-based creative set up the design/antiques hybrid Folie Chambre in 2021. Her first contemporary piece was a brightly coloured, lacquered bobbin mirror, which quickly sold out. She has subsequently introduced furniture, trays, tables, tote bags and more to her product line. The antiques side of the business is equally playful. Natalie is also in the final year of studying interior design at KLC and is currently working on interior design projects in London, Paris and Yorkshire.
Photography by Inigo20/25Georgie Stogdon
Interior Design
Three years spent working as the assistant to Rose Uniacke instilled in this young designer an appreciation for antiques and deeply serene interiors. In 2020, she opened her own studio, through which she also sells an eclectic mixture of pieces, including 17th-century brassware and 20th-century lighting. The following year, Georgie completed her first interiors project – a flat in New York’s West Village – quickly followed by a large family home in Spitalfields, layered with rich colours and carefully chosen antiques.
@zamaniegostidio21/25Paul Bailie
Needlework
Working in needlepoint embroidery, specifically Bargello or Florentine stitch, is a relatively new addition to Paul’s long and varied career. He is a ceramics graduate who sold and exhibited his pieces. He worked for the National Trust for many years and also managed Quintin Castle in County Down. A move to Worcestershire in 2020 coincided with him taking up needlework, initially as a form of escapism. He has taken commissions from decorators at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler and antique dealer Brownrigg sells some of his off-the-shelf pieces.
Carey Garden Design22/25Joe & Laura Carey
Garden Design
Husband and wife duo Joe and Laura set up their garden design studio in 2020, having worked in teaching and screen printing respectively. Their projects are mainly in London and East Anglia, where they are based. In 2023, they won Best in Show at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for their Talitha Arts garden, which combined textural planting with an array of crafts.
23/25Katherine Holland
Garden Design
‘I like my gardens to feel loose – I want to create serenity,’ says Katherine. She previously dabbled in corporate jobs in the City, but, in 2020, took a place at the London College of Garden Design. Since going out on her own in 2021, she has won a silver awards at the RHS Hampton Court and a silver gilt award at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. For this year’s Chelsea, she is creating a sanctuary garden for the charity Sue Ryder.
Georgina Viney24/25Lauren Neave
Interior Design
‘I have always loved interiors and been fascinated by houses,’ says Lauren, who left a career in finance to retrain as an interior designer at KLC in 2015. She opened her own studio in 2019 and says she has never looked back. Her projects showcase her pared-back but deeply comfortable style, which, though quiet, is far from boring and allows a considered combination of modern and antique pieces to sing.
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Tara Juno Rowse25/25Sophia Ayrton-Grime
Interior Design
After graduating from KLC School of Design, Sophia worked at textiles house Altfield and interior design studio Percy Bass, before setting up Studio Raff in 2021. She has established herself as a designer with a bold use of pattern and colour.Recent projects include flats in Pimlico and Battersea, and boutiques for shoe designer Penelope Chilvers. She also runs Atelier Raff, which sells homewares, including a collaboration with Carolina Irving & Daughters.
