In conversation with Emmanuelle Sirven

It is undoubtedly through her travels that interior designer Emmanuelle Sirvenhas developed her curiosity. Her dual French and English culture gives rise to a kind of elegant fantasy in her creations. Whether in Notting Hill, Singapore or Tajikistan, her projects fuel her creativity.

Emmanuelle Sirven

Emmanuelle, can you introduce yourself?

I have been an interior designer for 27 years now, benefiting from a dual French and English culture through my family and two French and English degrees. I began my career by training on construction sites, which gave me a very solid foundation. Solving technical problems, understanding each trade, adapting our design to practical realities, interacting with everyone involved, from our clients to consultants, contractors and their teams on site. This made me realise how much this profession is about exchange, curiosity and enrichment, as well as creativity. I studied at Penninghen and then at the Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, which was one of the best courses at the time. These two schools nurtured my innate curiosity and also taught me precision and a sense of work and detail, which I believe are essential to doing a good job as an interior designer: every gesture counts. My career has been international: after spending sixteen years based in Paris, I have been working in London for eleven years on projects all over the world: Europe, Singapore, Tajikistan, the USA, Morocco, Egypt... Imagine what a source of inspiration this can be for my curiosity and creativity!

Your decorating mantra?

That’s a difficult question because it changes with every project and depending on life. I would say listen to people: clients with their lives, needs and desires; other designers and craftsmen based on their know-how and expertise; encounters and places travelled to.

What do you think of the concept of good taste?

Everyone has their own taste, and we must respect that. I have also learned this throughout my career. It is what makes us different and interesting. If we all had the same taste, life would be dull. So good taste depends on your research and curiosity at a given moment.

If you were a room in the house?

A cabinet of curiosities filled with books, objects and screens open to the world. Learn, discover, be amazed and surprised all the time.

The top 3 on your bucket list?

● Travelling alone, regardless of the destination: meeting people and experiencing cultures at my own pace and according to my own desires.

● Living in another country to understand who others are and discover new things to enrich oneself.

● Living on a tropical island, swayed by the waves and sunshine: suddenly, what truly matters becomes clear.

If you were an artist?

Le Corbusier and/or any sculptor exhibited in the garden of the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in France or in the garden of the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen..

Your dream project?

A project surrounded by nature, with a view. A project for and with people I appreciate.

Your current obsession?

Marble, again and again.

Your commitment to a better tomorrow?

Environmental responsibility: sourcing local products and not wasting anything – keeping items that are in good condition on construction sites and not breaking everything. This has always been a concern for me from the outset: why throw things away or replace them when they are still in good condition?

Emmanuelle’s world

“Details are not random; they are meticulously decided with precision and must become invisible in order to function, incorporating themselves into the space to complement and enrich it.”

Live, love, Londres

I love London for its open-mindedness, its freedom, its exuberance, and also its humanity and compassion. London is a collection of small villages, each with its own identity, and I particularly like Northcote Road and Battersea Power Station in Battersea, Holland Park around Clarendon Cross, and King's Road in Chelsea.

My favourite places: Iris Fashion and the antique dealers’ corner in Battersea, Indian Summer in Fulham, Designers Guild on King’s Road, Liberty again and again, the Portobello area outside tourist hours: there are lots of extraordinary shops there.

What I still miss about France is French avant-gardism and French elegance in design: irreplaceable and unique!

Which project are you most proud of?

All of them! It’s like children: each one brings its own joys and challenges that help you grow. But I’m particularly proud of the 400 m² house in Notting Hill, spread over five floors, which I designed entirely on my own, without any help. There were many setbacks, highly technical constraints and difficulties along the way, but the result is breathtaking and unique, and people are still applauding it five years after it was completed.

A funny anecdote about a construction site?

A plaster cornice installed upside down!

Colourist or minimalist?

I work with colour in a decisive yet restrained manner. I am absolutely not a minimalist because I love objects too much.

Details that matter

Yes, yes and yes! Everything is chosen to complement and match; everything is designed and crafted. No detail is left to chance; it is meticulously decided with precision and must become invisible in order to work. Lighting, sanitary ware and accessories are incorporated into the space to complement and enrich it.

Irreverence: elegant?

Elegant, now and forever! That’s what sets it apart and makes the design unique.

Around the world

I love travelling to meet people, get a feel for places, take in the different lights, colours and details, especially in cities. I love it when they amaze and surprise me. They pique my curiosity and spark my inspiration. Every time I return from a trip, I come home like a child, filled with wonder and my head full of ideas.