Kelly Hoppen

Kelly Elaine Hoppen (born 28 July 1959) is a South African-born British interior designer, author, and proprietor of Kelly Hoppen Interiors.

Kelly Hoppen was born on 28 July 1959 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Her mother Stephanie Hoppen (née Shub) is of Estonian-Jewish ancestry and her father Seymour Hoppen who was a member of the Weinstock family from Dublin, is of Irish-Jewish ancestry.

When Hoppen was two, her family relocated to London.

Hoppen briefly returned to South Africa when her father died.

During her return to South Africa, she played in a rock band and was arrested and imprisoned for violating apartheid laws by mixing with black musicians.

Hoppen began her career at 16 when she quit school and took on her first project designing a family friend's kitchen.

Her next big project came in the way of designing the racing driver Damien Hunt’s house which led her to work with other race drivers and actors.

She has since then designed for a number of celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham; and Martin Shaw, who was one of her early clients.

She has designed the homes, yachts and jets of private clients, as well as commercial projects in several countries, including hotels, restaurants, offices and aircraft.

Some of Hoppen's most recent projects include a collaboration with Disney to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 90th anniversary, the Celebrity Edge cruise ship for Celebrity Cruises, an ultra luxury residential tower block in Taiwan, One Park Taipei, and LUX* Grand Gaube hotel, the second hotel she has designed for LUX* in Mauritius.

Hoppen is the author of thirteen design books to date.

In 1996, Hoppen was awarded the Andrew Martin Interior Design Award by Andrew Martin International.

She received much critical acclaim and recognition following the publication of her first book, East Meets West, which was published in 1997.

She has subsequently won a number of other awards including European Woman Of Achievement in 2007, ELLE Decoration Award and Grazia Designer of the Year.

Hoppen was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to interior design.

Hoppen is an Ambassador for the Prince's Trust, the Government's GREAT campaign and now works with UK Trade & Investment and other parts the government, as an adviser and mentor to small businesses.

She is also an Ambassador for rainforest charity Cool Earth, alongside Patron Dame Vivienne Westwood, as well as breast cancer charity Future Dreams.

She has also worked with Made by Dyslexia and The Diana Award.

In 2011, Hoppen presented her own show on Channel 5 called Superior Interiors with Kelly Hoppen.

In 2012, Vogue listed her among their list of 100 Inspirational Women and, in 2017, Evening Standard included her in their list of London's most influential people.

Kelly also appears on QVC UK, showcasing her exclusive QVC K by Kelly Hoppen range of jewellery and homewares.

In 2021, it was announced that Hoppen will be designing the initial 10 homes aboard the unique superyacht Njord, a 948 ft cruise ship built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.

The superyacht is built to house as many as 117 individual residences on board with potentially hundreds of full-time residents.

In 2021, Hoppen was included in Architectural Digest China’s AD 100 list, which recognized her as among the top 100 most influential architects and designers working in China.

She has also been named among the top 100 designers in the 2022 LuxDeco 100.

From 2013 to 2015, she was a "Dragon" on BBC Two's Dragons' Den.

In November 2013, Hoppen published Kelly Hoppen Design Masterclass – How to Achieve the Home of your Dreams.

Hoppen is known for her signature neutral palette and trademark Perfect Neutrals, and is often referred to as the 'Queen of Taupe'.

She has said of her design philosophy, "My philosophy has always remained the same. It's about creating calm balanced environments based on Eastern cultures, i.e. order and creation of harmony. How people feel in a space is as important as the way it looks; one can't be without the other to succeed."

Hoppen was a dragon on BBC Two's Dragons' Den from 2013 to 2015.

In December 2013, Hoppen was awarded the Natwest Everywoman Ambassador award for inspiring young women to excel.

In January 2014, she launched her first e-commerce store with a self-designed interiors accessories range.

The same year the Daily Telegraph ranked her as the second most influential female interior designer in Britain.

On 29 October 2015, Hoppen was listed by UK-based company Richtopia at number 35 in the list of 100 Most Influential British Entrepreneurs.

In 2016, Kelly had a cameo appearance in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Hoppen appeared as a guest judge on the final episode of the third series of BBC Two's The Great Interior Design Challenge.

In 2017, she replaced Sophie Robinson as a judge alongside Daniel Hopwood for series four.

Hoppen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to the GREAT campaign.

Hoppen is dyslexic.