Katharine Pooley

Katharine Pooley is a British interior designer, businesswoman and philanthropist known for her luxurious and bespoke design projects around the world.

Pooley has become a leading figure in the world of interior design, earning recognition for her unique style and commitment to creating spaces that reflect the individuality of her clients.

She owns a high-end homewares boutique and runs an interior design and architecture studio with 50 staff in Chelsea, London.

Pooley has designed private homes, castles, villas, hotels, chalets and yachts worldwide and is one of "Britain's most respected designers of today."

Pooley was raised in various locations across the world including Scotland and Bahrain.

Her upbringing encouraged an appetite for adventure, with both of her parents trained pilots.

They would often take their children on flights all over the globe in a tiny Cessna aircraft.

These experiences have had a heavy influence on her work today and her continuing love for travel.

She has travelled to over 196 countries and summited many of the world's highest mountains.

Her other adventures include driving a team of dogs on a sled to the North Pole, canoeing down the Amazon, crossing the Sahara on horseback, walking across Tasmania and climbing Kilimanjaro five times.

Renowned for her unwavering commitment to quality, Pooley is a passionate supporter of British craftsmanship.

Through her work and initiatives, she actively promotes and celebrates the rich heritage of skilled artisans in the United Kingdom, contributing to the preservation and continued success of traditional craftsmanship in the region.

She has won numerous awards including British Designer of the Decade, House and Garden's 'Design for Positive Change' award, Asia's Most Influential Designer and Great British Brand's Community Award.

Pooley was born and raised in Herefordshire with her five siblings.

She was educated first in England at St Mary's School and then studied at the INSA University in Lyon.

Her father, Robert Pooley MBE LVO, founded Pooleys Flight Equipment on leaving the RAF in 1957, and in 2005 founded Pooley Sword the leading Cutlers of swords, dirks and lances to the British Armed Forces.

He bought Forter Castle in Perthshire around 1990, which the family still owns.

Her mother Yvonne Trueman MBE moved to Bahrain where Katharine spent most of her childhood.

Her mother was the Arabian Section Governor of the International Women's Flying Organisation for ten years.

Having lived in Asia for 16 years, working for Morgan Stanley, among others, she relocated back to London in 2004.

Not long after she opened her luxury Home Accessories boutique at 160 Walton Street in Chelsea.

Pooley opened a luxury home accessories store in 2004 on Walton Street in Chelsea, London, a design studio the following year, and a showroom in Doha in 2012.

She has said she was inspired to start a luxury home accessories boutique featuring art and unusual objects found on her travels in Asia.

This soon evolved into a flourishing design studio which employs designers hailing from over 20 nations.

KPL has been at the forefront of the design industry as one of Britain's most sought-after studios with elite clients from all over the world including European and Middle Eastern royal families as well as big names from both the business and celebrity worlds.

Her design philosophy is characterised by a blend of traditional elegance and contemporary sophistication.

Although motivated by travel, architecture, fashion, literature and art, she has attributed Mother Nature as her greatest inspiration, citing the beauty and diversity of our environment as a constant solace with her appreciation for the natural world is the seed of every design and as a result, sustainability has become a central pillar of the studio's design process.

Pooley is renowned for her meticulous attention to detail, exquisite craftsmanship, and ability to create spaces that seamlessly marry form and function.

Large-scale residential projects in her books include a five-star hotel with a private racing track in Shaoxing, China; beach houses in South Africa, Dubai, country estates and castles in the UK; palaces in Kuwait and Qatar; and city dwellings in Singapore, Washington and London, as well as the Château de la Croix des Gardes - the largest remaining estate on the Cote D'Azur in France.

Her more recent works completed include an Alpine Ski Chalet and 'The Gainsborough,' a Grade-II heritage-listed apartment in the historic 9 Millbank development.

She is also responsible for the redesign of the Royal Suite in Terminal 5 at London Heathrow and the VVIP Private Jet Lounge for XJet at London Stansted.

Pooley is involved in several charities including Lady Garden, which raises awareness and funding for women's health, and United in Design, which promotes diversity in the design industry.

She met her husband, Daniel a professional tennis player and property developer in 2006.

They have two sons and live in the English Countryside in a Georgian-era Coach House with their three dogs, cat, guinea pig, 11 ducks, 5 chickens and countless bees.

Since 2006 Pooley has sat on the Board of Trustees for Kings College Hospital, one of London's largest and busiest teaching hospitals.

In 2013 she opened a showroom in Doha Qatar.

She has also worked with The Childhood Trust since 2017 and is the pro bono partner of the Trust's housing support programme Decorate a Child's Life.

In 2021, Pooley became a trustee of the British Forces Foundation.

The Foundation works to boost and maintain the morale of the men and women of the Armed Forces.

She is also an ambassador for Al-Johara – a women's charity specialising in education, philanthropy, wealth creation and wellbeing in the Arabian Gulf and around the world.