From Fashion Editor to Interior Designer: Sophie Rowell on Reinvention, Renovation and Côte de Folk

After 24 years in fashion, Sophie changed direction and built Côte de Folk from scratch, eventually earning recognition from House and Garden.

In this episode of Yours for the Making, Sophie Rowell joins Robin Johnson to discuss career reinvention, renovating period properties, working with architects and craftspeople, and designing homes around how people actually live. She also shares why renovation budgets need contingency, why she avoids photorealistic AI renders, and how trust creates space for original design.

Sophie also reveals the thinking behind Le Dot fabric, her playful fabric collection bringing colour, curves and personality into interiors.

Key Topics Covered

✦ Sophie Rowell's career change from fashion to interior design

✦ Building Côte de Folk from the first client to House and Garden recognition

✦ The three year transformation of The Red House

✦ Collaboration between designers, architects and craftspeople

✦ Why every renovation budget needs contingency

✦ Interior designers versus architects and where their roles differ

✦ Making existing spaces work harder instead of simply making them bigger

✦ Creating original interiors without copying Pinterest and magazines