WORDS: AMY GRIER PHOTOGRAPHY: DEAN BELCHER, REX FEATURES HAIR AND MAKE-UP: ALY HAZLEWOOD AT TERRI MANDUCA
12
WORK
LIF E
9 3
A ONE-DAY DIARY,
FROM MORNING LATTE
TO LIGHTS OUT
Jo Sampson,
interior
designer
Jo Sampson, 36, is an interior
designer. She lives in Dulwich, London
with her husband and business partner
Tim Mutton and their daughters, Evie,
3 and Gracie, 10 months
My husband Tim and I started our
interior design company, Blacksheep,
eight years ago. We always say I’m the
front end of the sheep and he’s the
back end – I’m the creative thinker,
while he manages the business side.
People sometimes question our ability
to work closely together, but when you
share the same goals it’s easy.
We specialise in hotels, nightclubs
and restaurants, so one of the perks of
the job is eating out as ‘research’. We
designed The Cuckoo Club and
Whisky Mist in London, and we’re
working on Jamie Oliver’s new
restaurant at the Westfield shopping
outlet in London. Jamie is exactly what
I expected he would be – down to
earth, totally genuine and really
passionate about what he does.
My mornings are not calm! Often,
Evie will jump into Gracie’s cot, then
6
FORMER BLUE PETER
PRESENTER JANET ELLIS: THE
STUFF JOB DREAMS ARE MADE OF
the screaming starts and I’ll be running
around before 7am. I usually just grab
some fruit for breakfast.
I’m a bit of a style chameleon,
depending on which client I’m working
with. For a corporate hotel chain like
Hilton I’ll wear a dress, but for clubs
I like to look more glamorous so it’s
bigger jewellery and a pencil skirt.
Tim and I use the commute to our
office in Farringdon to catch up and
once at work, I put on my lipstick in the
lift and I’m in full business mode.
Our team has grown from two to 19,
INTERIOR DESIGNER JO
SAMPSON IS CURRENTLY
CREATING THE LOOK FOR JAMIE
OLIVER’S NEW RESTAURANT
and it’s a fantastic atmosphere. I’m
rarely at my desk, we’re always round
the ‘kitchen table’, nailing down design
concepts or realising plans in 3D.
I worked at some big design
companies including Conran,
Imagination and United Designers
as an interior designer before starting
“People question how we
work together as husband
and wife but if you share
the same goals, it’s easy”
PLAN B: BLUE PETER PRESENTER
Blacksheep, but I’ve always had
a gut feeling for interiors. I know
immediately when I walk into a space
whether a client’s idea will work.
Interior design isn’t just: ‘What colour?’
So many people are involved, from
engineers to lighting experts. You have
to think: ‘Is it easy to serve?’ or ‘What
are customers’ dining habits now?’
One of the projects I’m most proud
of is The Cuckoo Club. We wanted to
create the feeling of a private party
– at Mick Jagger’s country retreat… We
came up with this rock/regal concept
that involved extending the doors to
four metres and hanging massive
drapes to add drama. Photographer
Mario Testino even used it in Vogue.
Lunch will be whatever someone
can grab me but sometimes we’ll
go out with clients. I love Polpo,
an Italian restaurant in Soho.
Often our clients don’t realise Tim
and I are married, because I use my
maiden name. It’s only when we speak
to each other in a way you wouldn’t
with a colleague that they clock it.
But we’ve done entire projects with
nobody guessing, only for someone to
ask Tim about his wife in front of me.
Another large part of my job is
being on top of trends. I get inspiration
from fashion, politics and literature.
I read a lot of newspapers and journals,
always looking for new concepts and
how the current economy is affecting
people’s dining or drinking habits. Right
now people aren’t spending money at
Michelin-starred places; it’s all about
value for money in stylish surroundings.
I found designing our house really
hard because I love so many things and
there’s a lot of pressure when that’s
what you do as job. We always pick up
stuff from travelling – art, maps,
memorabilia – my favourite
is a vintage globe in our living room.
We’ve got postcards from all of our
travels and there’s a huge cupboard
with a pull-down bed in the middle.
Whoever is picking up the children
will leave work at 4.45pm. Once I’ve
left, I just want to be with my girls.
Tim and I are both very healthy so
we’ll eat fish and salad for dinner.
At the moment I usually have Fridays
off because although business is
a priority, so are my girls.
Aged seven I had a burning desire to be a Blue Peter presenter. It wasn’t because I idolised the presenters
or wanted to be famous, I just thought the job looked so much fun! It was all about making things, and
being outside and doing ridiculous tasks, and that really appealed to me as a young, impressionable kid.
I’m quite an outdoors person, so when I saw the presenters abseiling down cliffs or flying fighter jets,
it opened my eyes to the amazing things that exist. I loved all the creative stuff and recipes too, my mum was
a teacher and there were always loads of jam jars and yoghurt pots lying around at home, so it was easy for me
to make the crafty things. My own children are a bit young at the moment, but I can’t wait to get them into it!
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