In our Essence of England series, we speak to values-aligned creatives, entrepreneurs and familiar faces from across the South West about their lives, work and what ‘Englishness’ means to them.
As the Managing Director of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler the oldest interior decorating firm in Great Britain, Emma Burns has worked on high-profile projects across the world, from Mustique to Moscow. Closer to home, her own London flat has been featured in House & Garden, where it was praised as “a masterclass in sophisticated small space style”. No wonder she has an international following of new and returning clients, as well as those who hope to learn from her approach from a distance.
After a childhood spent rearranging furniture and paintings, Emma cut her teeth with Sloane Street interiors firm Charles Hammond, then joined Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler in 1984. She ran the fabric showroom in London’s Brook Street and worked under the leadership of Roger Banks-Pye (for whom she credits a great deal of her own taste) before establishing her own interior design team.
Emma spoke with True Grace about incorporating the natural world into interiors, finding inspiration in far-flung places and why you should never follow the herd.