DKT Interior Design Studio

DKT Interior Design Studio A Rising London-Based Interior Design Studio delivering Laid Back Parisian Luxury Design

“Letting nature be the teacher, not just the mood board.”In my latest Substack I unpack the panel I sat on at the Karnde...
19/06/2026

“Letting nature be the teacher, not just the mood board.”

In my latest Substack I unpack the panel I sat on at the Karndean UK & Ireland showroom Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour - Luxury Interiors on Nature-led Design, hosted by .rich, Editor of Livingetc, alongside Manuela Hamilford and Brian Woulfe.
I am definitely finding my groove with Substack and really went into detail with this one. Taking you through the morning, the anecdotes, the takeaways, and what it all meant to me. Plus the science underneath all of it that I am obsessed with.
Full letter on Substack. Link in bio. Have a read, let me know your thoughts. Like, share, restack. It would mean the world to me.

Reflections from “Nature-led Design”Last week I was on a panel at the Design Centre talking about nature-led design and ...
18/06/2026

Reflections from “Nature-led Design”

Last week I was on a panel at the Design Centre talking about nature-led design and the conversation went exactly where I hoped it would. Beyond biophillic design and into the science of why nature actually works on us.

These are my five notes from that discussion. The ones worth taking into your next project, or your next room.
Because nature-led design isn’t a trend or an aesthetic. It’s a conversation with the nervous system. And once you understand that, every material decision looks different.

Swipe for the notes. I would love your thoughts too. Do these resonate with you?

A Dreamy Home for our Dreamy Clients Six weeks out. 🤞🏽The renders are great but they’re more than that to us. What they ...
17/06/2026

A Dreamy Home for our Dreamy Clients

Six weeks out. 🤞🏽

The renders are great but they’re more than that to us. What they don’t show is how long it took to understand this wonderful family, what their mornings actually look like, how they spend their evenings, where the dog will inevitably end up sleeping.

Designing Engelfield has never been about aesthetics alone. It’s been about building something that holds up. Literally, the kids, a dog, the family travelling the states, everyday life — but also emotionally. This is their forever home. The one they’re stepping into as the next version of themselves, and we wanted every material, every finish, every piece of furniture to feel like it already knew that.

Right now we’re in the final stretch. Ordering the last pieces, pulling together the styling, making sure every room earns its place. The family room where they’ll actually curl up. The island they’ll gather around every morning that leads to patio for where they will roast marshmallows on wintery nights. The dining table big enough for Friendsgiving and the mudroom that will do the most.

That’s the part of this job that doesn’t make it into the brief. Getting to know a family well enough to design the backdrop of their life. We don’t take that lightly.

So grateful to our clients for letting us in. 🙏🏽🥰

# designingforwellbeing

I finally started my own Substack. 🙌🏽It has been a goal of mine this year but I didn’t announce it because I didn’t feel...
08/06/2026

I finally started my own Substack. 🙌🏽

It has been a goal of mine this year but I didn’t announce it because I didn’t feel ready. Nevertheless, it is now here and I need to get out of my own way.

My latest entry: How slow work shows up all at once.
You spend years doing the unseen thing. The drawings nobody asks for. The late nights. The supplier meetings. The hundred small decisions, most of them invisible by design.

And then a season arrives where several of those quiet years stand up and ask to be counted.

This is one of those seasons. turned a year older yesterday. Our Invisible House Reimagined was published in as an eight page spread in May. We were invited to the WOW!house preview. And tomorrow I sit on my first panel at the Design Centre with Manuela Hamilford and Brian Woulfe, which will be hosted by the wonderful .rich
I wrote about all of it, properly, in a letter this morning. About friendship. About science and instinct. About what it actually costs to build a studio quietly over years, and the difference between the visible moments and the work underneath them.

Link in bio if you would like to read.

Consider this your Memo | Not a trend report. Not a mood board. Design intelligence — the kind that doesn’t expire. Read...
21/05/2026

Consider this your Memo | Not a trend report. Not a mood board. Design intelligence — the kind that doesn’t expire. Read carefully.

1. Tiles: Tiles are a design decision, not a checkbox. Pattern, layout, mosaic, inlay — the floor is literally your canvas. You don’t have to go wild. You just have to go intentional. Plain white subway is a choice. It’s just a poor one.

2. Planters & Vessels: Stop buying basic pots. Start finding vessels. There’s a difference. Age, patina, tension, contrast — these are the things that make a room feel collected rather than decorated. If it looks like it could be in every showroom on the high street, put it back.

3. Stair Runners: Not my first choice. But if we’re doing it — we’re doing it properly. Sisal with a contrasting border if you want longevity and texture. A considered pattern — animal, ombre, native print, ikat — if you want personality. What we are not doing is beige loop pile from a catalogue. Its screaming mass production. The staircase is the spine of the house. Dress it accordingly.

4. Bed in front of window: London square footage is not a limitation. It’s a brief. The bed in front of the window works — layer blackout blinds behind sheers, add a console or side tables, dress with lamps. You’ll sleep exactly the same. The room will feel entirely different. Be brave.

That’s All,
Dhil
X

What lies Beneath | Everything that is captured for socials is only the tip of the iceberg. The hundreds of decisions, t...
15/05/2026

What lies Beneath | Everything that is captured for socials is only the tip of the iceberg.

The hundreds of decisions, the sleepless nights finalising drawings, the skills it takes to bring a vision into reality or to help a client understand why some Pinterest dreams cost double or triple what they expect to spend, countless phone calls with contractors, site meetings, changing a kitchen layout, replacing products sourced months in advance because they are now out of stock. It takes patience, dedication and a true passion to do what we do.

Not everything is painful but there’s tremendous bravery that goes into showing up everyday with a solution focused mindset despite a mountain of responsibility and deadlines. Our role is to be calm to our clients chaos, their compass and their dream maker, but that the reality is that we have so much on in the background, it really comes down to ensuring we are good first and foremost. Clear communication, financial planning before the build even begins and scheduling is a critical part of that process and wellbeing in long run.

Just because Pinterest and AI make vision boarding exciting and just because DIYers on shows like Interior Design Masters or YouTube are MacGyvering their way on pennies. It does not mean the same for your £100k FF&E budget for 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, media room, entrance and open plan kitchen diner - and you want marble architraves with limewash walls.

I love that we attract clients who have impeccable taste. And I have learned that it also means that no matter what the financial bracket there always needs to be a long hard conversation about the investment it requires to make their dreams come true.

We are a creative powerhouse, small but mighty because we have refined our attention to detail. We are not afraid to tackle complex projects or hearing “no that is impossible” - everything is possible with the right investment, the right team and the right attitude.

Swipe for the Before | This is the same kitchen. Same footprint. Same structure. No extension. Just a complete reimagini...
05/05/2026

Swipe for the Before | This is the same kitchen.

Same footprint. Same structure. No extension. Just a complete reimagining of how it feels to exist inside it.

The original was architectural minimalism: white surfaces, clean lines, fluted panelling. But it felt like standing inside a document or a sci-fi set. White reflecting off white. Nowhere for the eye to rest.

Here’s what we changed, and why it matters:

Material contrast | Stainless steel that shifts with the light. Taj Mahal quartzite countertops and backsplash for organic veining that gives the eye something alive to follow.

Light temperature | One shift from cool to warm kelvin and the entire emotional register changed. Cool light keeps cortisol elevated. Warm light signals safety. Same fixture. Different instruction to the nervous system.

Sensory texture | Handmade Shearling barstools. Bauwerk limewash colour-matched to Forcrete microcement, so the space envelops rather than exposes.

Warmth through function | Dead side units became backlit wine storage. Depth, glow, and purpose where there was once nothing.

The original kitchen was designed to be unique. This one is designed to be lived in, to lower the shoulders of someone who’s been carrying too much all day.

This is what I mean when I say we design the “Off”.

Not luxury for luxury’s sake. But material psychology, light science, and sensory calibration in service of the human body inside the space.

It starts with one question: what is this space doing to the person inside it?

The Invisible House Reimagined.
Design:
Construction:
Decorator:
Microcement:
Metal Work: .furniture
Applicator: .interiorwraps
Plumbing:


Material Bank on Bank Holiday | Sampling is a pretty important part of the interior design process. Every project on my ...
04/05/2026

Material Bank on Bank Holiday |

Sampling is a pretty important part of the interior design process.

Every project on my desk, whether it’s a private residence, a developer scheme, or a commercial space, all goes through the same material process. Because getting it right on paper and getting it right in person are two completely different things.

This is what my desk looks like when I’m testing a palette. Stone against timber. Linen against brass. Cool against warm. Every combination gets held, turned, placed next to its neighbour and asked: do you belong together? Does this feel like one story or three?

The sampling process actually reveals how materials talk to each other. A marble can read cold next to warmer oak and warmer next to a polished concrete. The material doesn’t change, but the conversation around it does. If you’re not sampling in context, you’re guessing.

Whether the balance holds. Every palette needs tension between warm and cool textures. Because if its too warm the space feels heavy, and too cool makes it feel clinical.

The balance is what makes a room feel considered and that balance only becomes clear when you’re holding the physical samples together, in the light conditions of the actual space.

Whether the material language is cohesive. In a hotel, the lobby, the corridors, the suites, the restaurant… they all need to feel like chapters of the same book. Not identical, but unmistakably connected. That coherence starts here, on a desk covered in swatches and offcuts, long before anything gets specified.

I apply this process whether the budget is £50k or £500k. Because cohesion isn’t a luxury finish. It’s a design standard.

I find this part of the design process quite satisfying, because when we model spaces and play around with the material mix, it’s only half the story. Although quite compelling it really matters when seeing those materials together. It’s exciting and really helps our clients trust our instinct and expertise. How do samples board make you feel? Is this mandatory for you too?

02/05/2026

IYKYK - Pause for the Horror 😱

It all gets fixed in the end but sometimes like WTF x FML x FRFR

01/01/2026

Nice to see you 2026! 🥰🙌🏽❤️✨🥂

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