Spotlight On:

Design & Beyond

In our latest Crafter in the Spotlight interview, we got the opportunity to speak to Interior Designer and Stylist Paul Harrison. He runs Design & Beyond; a blog which shares ideas for “interiors with an industrial edge.”

Originally from Chester, Paul has now lived in London for just over two years and has gained lots of experience and knowledge when it comes to the interiors industry. At the moment, he styles in his spare time for friends but is “looking to take this as the next step” in his career.

Design & Beyond is the perfect place to go if you are looking for inspiration for your home. We asked why he decided to set up the blog and Paul told us; “I actually started in about 5 years ago when I was at University, as part of the course we had to blog about our work. It’s had a few changes since, and now I’m happy with how it’s turned out. I decided to use it as a way for me to express my work, my inspiration and to help others be inspired.”

When it comes to the type of things that Paul looks out for, he is really interested in rustic and industrial interiors and products. We asked why this particular style stands out to him and he said; “I’ve always liked imperfect, retro and industrial objects and styles for many years and it’s got stronger the more I’ve learned about the industry.”

“I’m massively attracted to industrial design because I love honest and open design and raw materials. To me it will always be a winner and something I will always be inspired by. Oh, and the feeling that one day I’ll live in an exposed brick, industrial type home!”

As a blog owner, it’s important to find new and exciting things to write about and in Paul’s eyes, interior design inspiration can be found everywhere. “I live in East London so inspiration is literally around every corner. I constantly visit Shoreditch, charity shops and markets and I love small businesses that do a lot of homemade items and homewares. I also love to visit the big shops such as West Elm and Liberty to see what’s going on in the design world.”

Paul works full time in a phone shop, which means that when he feels crafty, “it’s usually on a Sunday after having a lovely breakfast” at his favourite local café. In the past, he has made lots of décor for his own home, including a concrete and copper lamp. “The lamp took me a day to make and I seriously enjoyed doing it, so being crafty is something I always try to do when I can, especially when I can get friends involved too!”

As well as interior design, Paul is also interested in rendering and concept architecture. He told us that; “At University, rendering and concept architecture were a small part of the course. Most of our modules were software based, so everything was a concept. It was down to coming up with a unique idea, designing and rendering it to show the skills I had learnt.”

When he isn’t working and managing Design & Beyond, Paul “loves photography and has a small addiction to buying plants.” But if we learnt anything from our interview, it’s that being creative is his true passion. “Being crafty is my hobby, I could be found spending hours on Photoshop doing Graphic Design or I could be deep on my iPhone creating surreal photography and collages.

Our final question of the Crafter in the Spotlight interview was what we can expect to see on Design & Beyond in the future. “I hope one day I will have an online store selling unique and beautiful items for the home. Oh, and more concrete lamps!”

“There are so many beautiful blogs and interiors websites out there and I want to be a part of that community. In terms of Blogging, I need to start focusing on content and gain a good number of followers to help push me further!”

We would like to thank Paul for taking part in our Crafter in the Spotlight. If you are new to the world of interior design, love industrial design or would like to collaborate with Design & Beyond, feel free to get in touch with Paul directly!