If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that England was a frequent destination for us prior to 2020. I was lucky enough to travel to London for work a few times, and we would always make a stop over on our way to other European cities. This is the first trip back we’ve made since our 2020 trip got cancelled the week LA went on lockdown, and it was, quite possibly, my favorite. You’ll soon see why. Estelle Manor is a new, luxury hotel and country club in Oxfordshire, and it made our stay truly special. Read on for what you need to know ahead of your stay! 

Estelle Manor is located in Oxfordshire, a 90-minute drive from Heathrow. We flew on the one non-stop flight they have from Raleigh to London, arriving at 6:30am. It took 1.5 seconds to breeze through customs and our bags were already waiting when we arrived at baggage claim. We hopped in our rental car, taking a few minutes to adjust again to the wrong side of the car and wrong side of the road, and we were on property by 9:30am!

When we entered the private gates of Estelle Manor, I became Mary Lennox, living out my childhood fantasy from “The Secret Garden.” The manor house is grand with high walled gardens and bikes to explore the property. There are 108 hotel rooms, four restaurants, a workspace, a gym and an extraordinary 3000 sq meters Roman-inspired bath house and spa opening next year. 

Design legends Roman and Williams somehow managed to make the spaces feel Old World, yet contemporary, and taking in every single mind blowing detail became one of our favorite part of the experience. The vision is that of owner Sharan Pasricha, the founder of Ennismore (Hoxton hotels and others) with artistic direction of Sharan’s wife, investor Eiesha Bharti Pasricha. I seriously bow down. What they have created is astounding. 

Throw open the doors, kind sir, your footman will escort you to your room. This is Estelle Manor, and it’s my next Stylish Stay. 

What I Loved: The attention to detail at every turn was unsurpassed. From the design to the bar to the service to the food to the rooms to the gardens—you would be hard pressed to find a flaw. It’s not often I want to return to a hotel over and over, but we’ve already talked about going back next year. We also got an incredible deal with stay two nights get one night free AND breakfast was included. 

Something to Know: The hotel is also a private club, and one night we were told there was a DJ in the lounge. While I can’t say for certain since we weren’t staying in the main house, I would imagine the noise could be hard to control. We were so happy we were in the cozy and quiet Walled Garden bedroom, which is separate from the main house.

Suite Dreams: We loved our room! It had a separate sitting area, which was perfect for my husband, who always wakes at the crack of dawn. It also had the most incredible amenities, such as George Northwood shampoo and conditioner and even a curling iron, that I tried to buy once we got back to the states, and they don’t ship outside the UK (boo hoo!). When you opened up the mini bar, it was anything but mini. It was so thoughtfully stashed with eye masks and craft cocktail mix and so many fun things—no detail was overlooked! I also loved the Commune products in the bathroom—which will make a fabulous client holiday gift this year! Don’t tell!

Stylish Sips: We often joke that it’s hard to mess up a Negroni, but it takes a very good bartender to make it something special. We were so blown away by the cocktails here, that we called over the Drinks Specialist (that’s what they prefer to be called) to talk about their secret sauce. Don’t miss dinner in the Glass House, which was the best meal we had our entire trip. 

Cool Factor: A self-proclaimed “new school club with old school values,” they have succeeded in their mission to feel unstuffy. A membership gets you access to the members only areas, events, supper clubs and workshops, The Clubhouse workspace, 20% off a stay. If I lived in London, this would be a no brainer! 

Hero Shot:  From the end of the pool looking back at the house. Spectacular! 

The sitting area in our room had warm and cozy vibes when we made a fire one night and watched the rest of the Beckham documentary. 

The post Estelle Manor, A Luxury Hotel in Oxfordshire appeared first on The Sought After.

What Every Interior Designer Should Know about PR

Since 2020, the home industry has soared. More people than ever are looking to interior designers to help make their homes better. My company does PR for interior designers, so we talk to design editors on a daily basis—securing full home tours in national and regional magazines all over the country, as well as expert opinion pieces for major design websites.

And I have exciting news for you—getting quoted in magazine articles like these can absolutely be you! I have helped interior designers get more visibility for almost two decades. It can be very time consuming to DIY your own PR while also managing design projects and a staff. It can also be tricky to pitch yourself to the media—trust me I get it! I pitch clients all day, but when it comes to my own PR, I’d much rather hand it over to someone else. Even though I do this for a living, it still gets pushed to the bottom of my to-do list. All this to say, you’re not alone.

Regardless of where you are in your PR journey, the below tips are things you need to know about getting press for your design business  (I cannot stress #3 more!).

7 PR Tips Every Interior Designer Should Follow

1. HAVE A POINT OF VIEW: Many interior designers don’t want to put themselves in a certain box. They feel they can cater to any style. I’m here to tell you that if you want to stand out in your field, you need to have a strong point-of-view. That means you have to start saying no to clients who aren’t ideal.

As a small business owner, I understand how scary it can be to turn away business. But once I got really clear on my ideal client, saying no actually helped me grow my business. It did for my client Lisa too. In one year, she took her business from 850K to 2.25 million all from getting smart with her finances and learning to say no. This also became a big part of her story when we were pitching her for podcasts and panels. Think about the lessons you have learned from owning a design business and how that can translate to helping others in your industry.

2. RELATIONSHIPS MATTER:  More than in any other industry, interior design editors love having a direct relationship with you. You may think this negates having a publicist, but in fact, it actually helps a publicist do their job better. Follow editors on social media and interact! It’s your chance to get their attention.

3. PHOTOS ARE THE HOLY GRAIL: You should have your interior design project styled and professionally photographed. Even if you have no plans to get press, you should have professional images on your website—it’s your number one selling tool to get more business. In terms of getting press, it’s also one of the few things you can control. Something that has changed this year is that most magazines are trending towards wanting photos that look more lived in. They don’t want it to look like the decorator just left the room. This home is a perfect example of that. It looks like someone lives there (and what a story it tells!), but also looks great in photographs.

Even if the magazine plans to reshoot the project, your photos matter most. These days, most magazines don’t have the budget to reshoot your project, so the photos you submit are the photos that will run. A big mistake I see designers make is not having enough images to make a full story in a magazine. I always recommend getting 25-30 diverse photos of your projects, so hire your photographers accordingly.

Make sure that you have negotiated usage with your photographer and they aren’t going to charge you more to use them in a magazine.

Click here for the #1 mistakes I see when it comes to interior photography.

4. EDUCATE YOURSELF: You will be most successful getting press if you understand which magazines feature your type of work. This means that you need to devote a few minutes each week to reading digital and print publications. Make it part of your job.

When an interior designer comes to me for help getting their work published, the first question I ask is, “What is your dream publication for this project?” While it’s my job to tell you what I think and make suggestions, I always love it when you have done your homework and know aesthetically what might be realistic.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA IS IMPORTANT: Perhaps more than for any other client, social media is crucial for showcasing your work as an interior designer. Especially on Instagram, an already visual platform, you have the opportunity to promote your work, attract new clients, and attract the attention of editors and tastemakers who matter. Approach your Instagram with the same effort you would approach a new project. Some designers who do this very well include: @sarahshermansamuel, @coreydamenjenkins @amberinteriors, @emilyhenderson

6. CONSIDER A CELEBRITY PARTNERSHIP: Some design projects speak for themselves, but most of the time publications care about the story behind the homeowner. They care even more if it is a celebrity’s home. Why? Because readers love to see where celebrities live. If you are just starting out in the industry, I highly recommend that you consider doing a small project on a trade basis. That means that you provide your service for free in exchange for using their name in the media.

Having just one celebrity can make the difference of a publication saying yes, and will also add to your credibility as you build a name for yourself. Here is a recent project that I placed for celebrity chef Ludo Lefevbre in AD.

7. INVEST IN AN INTERIOR DESIGN PUBLICIST: Even if you are well established, pitching and managing the media is something you should take off your plate. Your time is a hot commodity! Spend it designing and managing clients. Pitching the media can require a lot of time and and an insane amount of follow up. When should you hire a publicist?

When you have a completed project that you think is worthy of a magazine. If you are an established designer, it’s always most ideal to have ongoing PR that can help keep your name in the media. But, if you aren’t ready for that, you can hire me on a project basis.

[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://www.thestoriedgroup.com” text=”WORK WITH ME” ]

PS. LuAnn Nigara and I talk about all of this and so much more on her podcast A Well-Designed Business Episode #712. 

SaveSave

SaveSave

The post PR for Interior Designers in 2024 appeared first on The Sought After.