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At Home by Design Boutique interior design studio in Surrey Hills✨heritage specialist✨culture inspired✨colour mastery✨ A Godalming-based tailored interior design service.

I don't believe that good design is a matter of budget. If you're looking for inspiration and advice, a guiding hand to help you make the first step, you've come to the right place. If you're looking for fully-fledged project management I can help you with that too. I believe in a personal approach. At Home by Design is not a huge design house. It's a small, tailored service for people looking for interior design support and guidance. Just drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you

27/09/2026

So this is what I get up to when I’m not working.

World Triathlon Championships in Spain: What a race! Superb support on the course. Always proud to wear the GB kit.

25/09/2026

Project from the past:

The results when you mix the artefacts collected by an expat.

Here I am! I haven't shown my face for a while, so if you're new here, welcome!My name is Helen. While interior design i...
23/09/2026

Here I am! I haven't shown my face for a while, so if you're new here, welcome!

My name is Helen. While interior design is a passion, I also love history, maps, travel and triathlon.

I don't have a "house style", but I do have a signature approach. This involves investigating the history of a building, and the people who lived there, before embarking on a project.

Often this process helps us to understand the context and the story of a building, explaining why buildings were altered and architectural styles developed. In turn, this information helps me to create the next chapter involving the current owners.

If you'd like to find out more, drop me a line, or visit my website. What will the next story be?

21/09/2026

Interior design can sometimes be seen as a frivolous and environmentally-unfriendly sector, which doesn’t pay enough attention to sustainability.

But what if the answer to today’s obsession with fast interiors is something that began more than 150 years ago?

Before Instagram trends, instant makeovers and rooms designed to be “finished” in a weekend, William Morris was asking a rather different question:
What if we slowed down?

The Arts & Crafts movement wasn’t simply an aesthetic. It was a reaction against mass production, superficial decoration and a world that was becoming increasingly fast-paced.

Morris believed that the things we live with should be made with care, chosen with thought and designed to last.

Today, when we’re surrounded by endless inspiration and encouraged to constantly update our homes, the Arts & Crafts philosophy is a reminder that a beautiful interior isn’t about having the latest look.

It’s about creating a home where the architecture, materials, colours, furniture and objects all have a reason to be there.

Less trend. More thought. More meaning.

In my latest blog, I explore what we can learn from the Arts & Crafts movement, and why its ideas might just be the antidote to fast interiors.

Read “Arts & Crafts: The Antidote to Fast Interior Design Trends” via the link in my bio.

And perhaps next time you’re tempted to ask “What’s trending?”, ask instead: “Will I still love this in ten years?”

What if the answer to today’s obsession with fast interiors is something that began more than 150 years ago?Before Insta...
21/09/2026

What if the answer to today’s obsession with fast interiors is something that began more than 150 years ago?

Before Instagram trends, instant makeovers and rooms designed to be “finished” in a weekend, William Morris was asking a rather different question:

What if we slowed down?

The Arts & Crafts movement wasn’t simply an aesthetic. It was a reaction against mass production, superficial decoration and a world that was becoming increasingly fast-paced.

Morris believed that the things we live with should be made with care, chosen with thought and designed to last.

Today, when we’re surrounded by endless inspiration and encouraged to constantly update our homes, the Arts & Crafts philosophy feels surprisingly relevant.

It reminds us that a beautiful interior isn’t about having the latest look. It’s about creating a home where the architecture, materials, colours, furniture and objects all have a reason to be there.

Less trend. More thought. More meaning.

In my latest blog, I explore what we can learn from the Arts & Crafts movement, and why its ideas might just be the antidote to fast interiors.

Read “Arts & Crafts: The Antidote to Fast Interior Design Trends” via the link in my bio.

And perhaps next time you’re tempted to ask “What’s trending?”, ask instead: “Will I still love this in ten years?”

18/09/2026

A little sneak at a project, which had a little bit of everything.

Bespoke cabinetry, large new extension, full house renovation, beautiful wooden floors, exciting colours…and happy clients!

What if the beautiful old country house you fell in love with wasn’t quite what it seemed?At first glance, Old Birtley l...
16/09/2026

What if the beautiful old country house you fell in love with wasn’t quite what it seemed?

At first glance, Old Birtley looks like the quintessential Surrey country house. It has ancient timber framing, acres of woodland, eight bedrooms and centuries of history.

But this is why investigating your home's history is important: there's often a different story at play.

This wasn’t originally a grand house for a wealthy family. It was home to working people, families who farmed, served and raised children in difficult circumstances.

And then the research uncovered Maggie, a little girl brought to Birtley after her mother died, who later became a housemaid. And, remarkably, a connection to the Titanic.

It just shows that the beams, bricks and fireplaces become more than architectural details. They become clues to the lives of the people who lived there.

I’ve always believed that the most fascinating stories about historic houses aren’t necessarily found in the grandest rooms. They’re often hidden in census records, servants’ quarters and seemingly insignificant names.

Read the full story of "Old Birtley, the house that hid its history" on the blog.

And if you’re wondering what stories might be hiding behind the walls of your own home, perhaps it’s time to start looking. Get in touch!

Book launches have been a bit like buses. I've been to three in less than a week!Loving the beautiful detail in David Co...
14/09/2026

Book launches have been a bit like buses. I've been to three in less than a week!

Loving the beautiful detail in David Cole's new book on Arts & Crafts houses. I'm blessed to live in an area surrounded by Lutyen and Voysey creations, but it's fantastic to learn about the more far-reaching influences.

Thank you to .trust and for organising such an interesting talk.

A country pub. A murdered sailor. And a connection to Charles Dickens…Tucked away in the Surrey hamlet of Moushill, the ...
11/09/2026

A country pub. A murdered sailor. And a connection to Charles Dickens…

Tucked away in the Surrey hamlet of Moushill, the White Lion looked like a rather charming old timber-framed inn.

But behind those timbers lies a much darker story.

In 1786, a sailor stopped at the pub for a drink. Three local men joined him on his journey towards Hindhead, and then for more drinks at the Red Lion in Thursley… and later robbed and murdered him, throwing his body into the Devil’s Punch Bowl. A gravestone to the "unknown sailor" can be seen near Gibbet Hill where his assailants were publicly hung.

More than 50 years later, the crime is thought to have inspired Charles Dickens when he wrote Nicholas Nickleby.

But that’s only part of the story.

The White Lion was also a coaching inn, a family home, the workplace of generations of landlords, and, for centuries, the social heart of Moushill.

It finally closed its doors in 2015. Today, its story survives in the building, the archives and the memories of the people who lived around it.

What secrets might your local pub or period house be hiding?

Read the full blog story of The White Lion via the link in bio. 🏡📖

A country pub. A murdered sailor. And a connection to Charles Dickens…Tucked away in the Surrey hamlet of Moushill, the ...
11/09/2026

A country pub. A murdered sailor. And a connection to Charles Dickens…

Tucked away in the Surrey hamlet of Moushill, the White Lion looked like a rather charming old timber-framed inn.

But behind those timbers lies a much darker story.

In 1786, a sailor stopped at the pub for a drink. Three local men joined him on his journey towards Hindhead, and then for more drinks at the Red Lion in Thursley… and later robbed and murdered him, throwing his body into the Devil’s Punch Bowl. A gravestone to the "unknown sailor" can be seen near Gibbet Hill where his assailants were publicly hung.

More than 50 years later, the crime is thought to have inspired Charles Dickens when he wrote Nicholas Nickleby.

But that’s only part of the story.

The White Lion was also a coaching inn, a family home, the workplace of generations of landlords, and, for centuries, the social heart of Moushill.

It finally closed its doors in 2015. Today, its story survives in the building, the archives and the memories of the people who lived around it.

What secrets might your local pub or period house be hiding?

Read the full blog story of The White Lion via the link in bio. 🏡📖

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