Sara Slade Interior Design

27/08/2026

Help support us with your votes! ✨
We’re absolutely over the moon to be shortlisted in four categories in Design et Al’s International Design & Architecture Awards! Having our work recognised by such a highly regarded international awards programme really does mean the world to our small team.

If you’d like to support us, we’d be so grateful if you could place your votes for the four categories here. Every single public vote means such a lot to us. Thank you! ###x

https://thedesignawards.co.uk/design-architecture-entrants-2026/

27/08/2026

Why do we keep returning to British makers?

It isn’t simply about where something is made. It’s about the people behind it.

Over the years, we’ve built relationships with a small number of exceptional craftspeople whose passion for what they do shines through in every piece they create. Whether it’s bespoke joinery, beautifully upholstered furniture, handcrafted lighting or natural stone, the attention to detail and pride in their work is something we’re incredibly proud to bring into our clients’ homes.

Working with British makers also means shorter lead times, fewer transport miles and a lower environmental impact than shipping products halfway around the world. If something needs adjusting or remaking, we can often resolve it quickly, giving our clients greater confidence and a much smoother experience.

Just as importantly, many of these businesses invest in apprenticeships, supporting local communities and passing traditional skills on to the next generation. They’re helping to preserve crafts that could otherwise disappear.

For us, great design isn’t just about creating a beautiful home. It’s about making thoughtful decisions that stand the test of time, supporting businesses that genuinely care about their craft and specifying pieces that will be loved for decades rather than replaced after a few years.

That’s why we continue to champion British makers whenever we can.

26/08/2026

Every project starts long before the first lamp is switched on.

This grid is a small window into that process from the earliest details, like a lighting junction or switch plate marked out in the planning stage, through to the finished room glowing exactly as we imagined it.

Design isn’t static. Our vision for a space shifts and sharpens as a project unfolds a fabric swatch changes a colour story, a client’s daily life reshapes a layout. What stays constant is the trust our clients place in us to hold that vision steady until it’s ready to be revealed.

“Sara Slade is an international interior designer who goes above and beyond to ensure everything is done to the highest possible standard, creating award-winning residential and commercial projects with a team who are an absolute joy to work with.”

That trust and that standard is why we do this. Not for the reveal photos alone, but for the quiet, unglamorous decisions, right down to where a switch sits on a wall, that make a home feel considered from start to finish.

25/08/2026

One of the questions I’m often asked is, when should an interior designer become involved?

My honest answer is, at the same time as the architect.

We love working alongside architects from the beginning. It gives us the chance to bring all the details together and make sure the spaces flow beautifully, the walls are in the right places, and every socket, switch and fitting is planned around how our clients will actually use their home.

At this stage, making a change is usually quite simple. Once the walls are built and plastered, it can mean opening everything up again, adding cost and causing disruption that could easily have been avoided.

It’s all about working collaboratively and getting those decisions right early, so when our clients move in, everything feels considered and their home works beautifully for the way they want to live.

23/08/2026

Two projects. Four shortlists. A very good week for the studio.

Village Residence has been recognised in the Living Space category at the Design et Al International Design & Architecture Awards 2026.

What strikes me about this one is that it was never the biggest room in the house - just the one every other room was designed to lead back to. Seeing it recognised on its own is proof the intention behind it came through.

None of it happens without the clients who gave us the time to get this space right, and the team and trades whose work sits behind every finish. This one belongs to them as much as it does to us.

None of it happens without the clients who trusted us with their homes, the team who never let a detail slide, and the makers and trades whose work sits behind every finish shown. This one belongs to them as much as it does to us.

🤍

22/08/2026

The same house, shortlisted three times, but for three completely different reasons.

Our Cambridge Country Home has made the shortlist at the Design et Al International Design & Architecture Awards 2026 for Luxury Residence, Interior Design Scheme, and Residential Market Value between £1 million and £2.5 million.

What makes this so interesting is that each category looks at the same home from a different perspective.

How was the space designed to make everyday life easier?

How well does the whole scheme work together?

And how balanced does the home feel when you’re actually in it?

Because great design isn’t just about how a room looks. It’s about how it flows, how it functions, and how it makes you feel.

To have this project recognised across all three categories feels incredibly special.

21/08/2026

18/08/2026

As this country home evolved over the course of the project, so did the colour palette.

From the outset, we wanted to create a scheme that felt as though it had always belonged to the house. Rather than following trends, we developed a palette of warm ochres, moss greens and soft earthy tones that sit comfortably within the architecture and surrounding landscape.

Moving upstairs, the landing continues the ochre from the ground floor, allowing the home to flow naturally from one space to the next. The principal bedrooms introduce classic stripes, deep green upholstery and layers of texture, while the ensuite carries the same design language through with striped wall tiles, warm brass finishes and carefully considered detailing.

Every decision was made with longevity in mind. We wanted this home to feel settled, timeless and authentic, celebrating the craftsmanship used throughout and creating interiors that won’t date in years to come.

For me, that’s what great interior design should do. It should feel completely at home within the building, tell its story and leave the owners with a home they’ll love just as much in twenty years as they do today.

01/08/2026

The way I used to design my work.

Before renders, before digital mood boards - every design started as a drawing. By hand. A single line on paper, long before it ever became a room.

It’s a small thing, but it says something bigger. Every piece of work we deliver is truly bespoke, considered from the very first stroke - not just a process, but a philosophy we still hold to.

Because everything we do stems from the people who do it. That’s the human side of Sara Slade Interior Design intrinsic to who we are, not an afterthought to what we design.