Studio Raymond founder Carina Raymond on career changes, family homes and the North London townhouse that embodies her design philosophy.
The path to interior design isn’t always a straight one.
For Carina Raymond, founder of Studio Raymond, it began in an entirely different world. Before launching her London-based design studio, Raymond spent six years working in banking. Yet despite building a successful career, she found herself drawn back to the creative ambitions she had held from a young age.
“I had always wanted to be an architect,” she explains. “I was actually meant to study architecture at university, but got cold feet at the last minute and decided to do something more general.”
Eventually, the pull proved too strong to ignore. After leaving banking, Raymond enrolled at KLC School of Design before spending seven years at leading interior design practice Taylor Howes. In 2020, she launched Studio Raymond, a decision she describes as feeling instinctively right.
“It was really daunting,” she says. “But it just felt like this is what I was meant to do.”
Today, her work is recognised for its warmth, thoughtful use of colour and ability to balance beauty with everyday practicality. More importantly, it reflects a design philosophy centred around feeling rather than perfection.
We caught up with Carina to discuss her journey into interiors and the North London townhouse project that perfectly captures her approach.
The Journey
How has your design approach evolved over time?
“When I was starting out, I probably felt that everything had to be perfect. Now I think there is beauty in the imperfect.
I also feel it’s about creating a feeling. I want people to feel a certain way when they walk into a room. I’m very sensitive to my surroundings, so I want my designs to make people smile. Life’s too short to take it too seriously.”
What do you believe is the foundation of a successful project?
“The first thing is getting a really good brief from the client, and that takes time.
You have to sit down with them and really understand how they live, how they want the house to work and what they’re hoping to achieve. Sometimes that develops over several conversations.
The more you understand your clients, the better you’re able to tailor the design for them.”
For Raymond, successful interiors begin long before fabrics, furniture and finishes enter the conversation.
“It’s really important to nail the layout,” she says. “Once you’ve decided the layout, the design direction and the palette, then everything else flows much more naturally.”
A North London Transformation
One project that illustrates this approach particularly well is Studio Raymond’s recent North London townhouse renovation. Home to a family of five, the property had already undergone extensive work before Raymond became involved, including a large rear extension and loft conversion.
Despite its generous proportions, the house wasn’t functioning as its owners had hoped.
What was the brief when you first stepped into the house?
“My clients had actually lived there for about a year and a half before calling me, which I think was really helpful because they’d had time to understand how the house worked.
The house lacked personality. It was very open plan and quite cavernous. There weren’t really any intimate spaces for the family. If they were entertaining, there wasn’t somewhere for the children to play separately. Everything felt very connected.
One of the main parts of the brief was creating zones and more intimate areas that the family could enjoy together, but also use when entertaining.”
Before any decorative decisions were made, Raymond and her team explored multiple layout options, testing different ways the home could better support family life.
“I think we looked at five or six different layouts before we landed on the final solution.”
The arches have become a defining feature of the project. How did that idea emerge?
“The room that became the main reception room wasn’t really being used before. It sat slightly elevated from the dining room and kitchen but without a direct connection.
One of the first things we thought about was how to link those spaces together.
That’s where the idea for the arches came from. We created three arches with steps leading down into the dining room. We imagined the clients entertaining friends, having drinks in the reception room before moving down into the dining room for dinner.
It created a flow through the house that felt natural.”
As with many of Raymond’s design decisions, the arches also serve a practical purpose.
“Below the arches, at dining room level, there’s actually storage built in. It’s a great place to keep serving platters, tablecloths and everything you need when entertaining.”
The living room has been described as a ‘sunny embrace’. How did that scheme come together?
“Once we’d established the architecture of the room, we started looking at colour and materials.
We introduced panelling to echo the shape of the arches and then began exploring fabrics and furniture. My client really loved a beautiful floral fabric from GP & J Baker, which we used on the bench seating, and that became one of the starting points for the scheme.
We then looked at paint colours and tested several options, ranging from darker neutrals and mushroom tones through to terracottas. The cinnamon colour was the one that really stood out.”
Rather than limiting the colour to the walls, Raymond chose to colour drench the room, taking the warm hue across the walls, ceiling, joinery and arches.
“It’s not a huge room, so I felt it could really take the colour. It helped create a cocooning atmosphere. That’s why I described it as a sunny embrace. It feels like a hug.”
Family homes are often expected to prioritise practicality. How do you balance that with aesthetics?
“I really believe that form and function can live together comfortably.
You can absolutely design a home that works for the realities of family life whilst still being beautiful.
A lot of that comes down to thoughtful layouts, bespoke joinery and choosing the right materials. Storage is incredibly important for family homes, for example, a well-designed joinery can be both practical and beautiful.
There are also so many durable fabrics and materials available now. Outdoor fabrics work brilliantly in family rooms and kitchens because they’re easy to clean, while still looking beautiful.”
Final Thoughts
Finally, what advice would you give someone wanting to introduce more colour, texture or pattern into their home?
“Don’t be scared.
There are no rules set in stone and if there are any rules, they’re there to be broken.
Start small if you’re nervous. It could be a bench, a stool or a piece of artwork. Experiment and have fun with it.
If you love a fabric or a pattern when you see it, chances are you’ll love it in your home too.”
