While our design prowess usually steals the spotlight, there's a whole squad of unsung heroes working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our customers have a top-notch experience.
This International Women's Day, we're thrilled to shine a well-deserved spotlight on some of the incredible women who are the secret sauce behind the triumph of My Bespoke Room (MBR). Let's raise a toast to these remarkable ladies who make the magic happen!
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"A number of years ago, I had an idea.
I was a busy, working, and soon-to-be parent, and I was renovating my first home. I wanted to have some professional help to save me time and stress, but I was taken aback by how fragmented the industry was and how exorbitant the costs were.
As my brain often does, it went to thinking about how I could make it better (a background in product design engineering does that to you!) I then started talking to all my friends and co-workers about it.
My friend and co-founder Diana Greenhalgh joined me and we sat at our kitchen tables during maternity leave to formulate and build My Bespoke Room.
Laura sat at Diana’s dining table, building the first-ever website for My Bespoke Room.
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
Starting this business has been a challenging journey, but it's also been immensely rewarding. From brainstorming at the kitchen table to becoming the UK's No. 1 rated interior design service, with a 4.9-star rating on reviews.io - it is amazing to see just how far we’ve come.
Our ultimate goal was to take the stress and guesswork out of interior design while making it accessible and affordable for everyone. More than anything, we believe that everyone deserves to have a home they love - a space that reflects their personality, style, and brings them joy every time they walk through the door.
Hearing how much our clients love their newly designed homes and how finally, they have a space they can truly call their own, which makes it all worthwhile. We're excited to continue on this journey to help as many people as possible achieve their dream home."
If you want to see more about how our process works then click the button below!
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"I’m incredibly proud of our rockstar team and just how passionate they are about our mission. And I love the fact that my three girls get to see so many talented role models, who support and build each other up without any hesitation. Celebrating achievements (big and small) is part of our DNA.
We’re changing the industry and creating beautiful homes for our customers, and I love how passionate our team are about that mission. Also, how supportive they are of each other, and how much they care about the business and our customers. We never rest on our laurels and are always looking at ways to innovate and improve the business.
It has been a rollercoaster ride, with many obstacles along the way but I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved, together and as a team." - Laura, CEO of My Bespoke Room.
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"I met Laura at a baby class we both attended when our girls were little and made a great connection over all things interior... and our love of gin! I was in the middle of our self-build house project at the time! I was excited to join MBR as a start-up company with inspiring female co-founders and I loved the concept of offering a professional interior design service to people who may not have considered hiring an Interior Designer in the past.
The offer of flexible working (way ahead of the pandemic!) was very appealing with 2 primary school kids. I was also excited to come on board as Head Of Design and build and train an amazing team of professional Interior Designers and help develop the tech and design process to take some of the heavy lifting (admin) away from designers to let them do what they do best... design and communicate easily with their clients.
I've had the incredible privilege of witnessing our service, tech platform, and design community grow beyond our wildest dreams. We have brought together a network of exceptionally talented, professional Interior Designers who share a passion for their craft and are dedicated to delivering an amazing online interior design service."
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"I have never worked with a mostly female team before but I absolutely LOVE it. We have such a lovely, smart and super talented group of women who work for MBR that really inspire me and make me proud to be part of a female-founded and led company. I have the most amazing work colleagues and leaders who I am proud to call my friends.
I feel super proud of the team of freelance designers I have brought on board and the wonderful, supportive designer community we are all now part of. Every month I look forward to announcing our 'Designer of the Month'. Celebrating our designer successes is a simple yet powerful concept; we spotlight outstanding room designs and highlight the wonderful 5-star reviews from our delighted clients who are thrilled with the service they have received.
In a profession where creative expression and client satisfaction are paramount, acknowledging these victories not only boosts our designers' confidence but also showcases their incredible work to the rest of the team. We firmly believe in the power of recognition and support. It fosters a culture where every designer feels supported, valued and part of something bigger; our MBR family!
I am beyond proud to be a part of this community and can't wait to see where the next few years take us!" - Lucy, Head of Design.
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
Jess’s career started out in a very different way. She used to work in Marketing for Twentieth Century Fox. However, Jess decided to take a break from Fox to focus on spending time with her young daughter. However, just as she was beginning to think about getting back to work when she started school she came across My Bespoke Room and loved the concept.
"I’ve been the Head Of Customer Success at My Bespoke Room for so long now that I’m practically a part of the furniture! During that time it's been my absolute privilege to support our lovely clients who are struggling to get the best out of their homes, and I love connecting people with the right designer to help them fall in love with the places they live!"
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"I've been very lucky to work around women for most of my life and that is in part due to an unfortunate incident early on in my working life before any career really began. I certainly gravitate to female-focused environments, initially for security and now I'm older and have been through the mill because I want to be part of that protection and support for others. Helping set and maintain boundaries is for me one of the most important things I can do to strengthen women.
The solidarity you can find in female-weighted teams is invaluable sometimes. We understand the challenges that each of us faces on a professional and personal level, whether it's everyday sexism or a phone call from the school, and support each other through that. Work doesn't have to be a fight to get ahead, we get further by lifting each other over hurdles, and everyone benefits.
The team are a really fun and driven group. We laugh a lot and have a great time together, but when the chips are down we band together and won't take no for an answer. Within weeks we knew that we wouldn't just survive the pandemic, we would thrive in it and that's because of a fabulous group of bloody-minded women!” - Jess, Head of customer success.
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
Olivia is one of the most bubbly and enthusiastic of our designers! She is so passionate about design that she practically started her career at age 10 when she realised that by using different-sized posters she could create a gallery wall!
“I was finishing my Interior Design qualifications when I was approached by My Bespoke Room, as my friend was already working with them. With a background in private residential properties, I was thrilled to join such a professional, supportive, and inspiring team. Being a mum of 4 and having complete work flexibility, was vital to my lifestyle when the kids were younger and more so as they are older.
Fast forward three and a half years, after completing hundreds of designs (and becoming MBR's most-reviewed designer 2 years in a row!) I joined the head office team as an in-house interior designer. Working alongside a talented group of professionals who share the same passion for design is truly rewarding. Although the best part of my job is the opportunity to transform people's homes into stunning, functional spaces."
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"As a designer, establishing trust and rapport with my clients is crucial to achieving the desired outcome. I understand that our homes are an extension of our personalities, and therefore, I take the time to get to know my clients to incorporate their unique style into the design. My ultimate priority is to ensure that my clients enjoy the design process, are amazed by the final outcome, and most importantly, fall in love with their homes all over again.
I am so grateful to have met, worked with and built fabulous relationships with so many of my clients and look forward to building many more!" - Olivia, Interior Designer.
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
Victoria works hard to onboard and nurtures excellent relationships with our outstanding suppliers. She was, like many of our team members, inspired and excited by the prospect of My Bespoke Room and has now been with us for over 6 years. Victoria worked with our cofounders Laura and Diana at L'Oreal and serendipitously Laura and Victoria both relocated to the south coast and bumped into each other at a café with their toddlers.
"It was such an exciting company I wanted to be part of it!
I've had the incredible privilege of developing relationships with our suppliers and delivering exceptional quality and value to our customers. When we started, customers were not so confident about shopping online for furniture, but this has changed significantly - and we’ve been at the forefront of that.
We work with a unique collection of brands to ensure we can cover all budgets, categories and design styles. I particularly love supporting smaller and less well-known suppliers that otherwise our customers may not have discovered. This ensures we have the right mix of well-known household brands and more unique gems."
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"I love the genuine passion behind the scenes here at My Bespoke Room. From the customer success team to the designers and shopping support - everyone has the end goal in mind of transforming people's homes, into a beautiful personal oasis- it’s lovely to be part of their journey
I’m really proud to work for a female-led company, especially as we are primarily a tech company and what goes on behind the beautiful room designs and allows designers and customers access to over 1 million amazing products is an incredible platform that has been created.” - Victoria, Head of Trade.
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"Sometimes I have to pinch myself to think of the amazing journey that brought me to My Bespoke Room.
When I relocated from Italy to the UK, little did I know that nearly 30 years on I would still be living in England and with a completely different career from the one I started off with. Although retraining from a financial background to interior design (while still working and with my baby daughter to look after!) was very challenging, the outcome was immensely rewarding.
After setting up my own business, I completed over 50 residential renovations in the following 10 years. My work was recognized on a national level when I participated in Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses TV program on Channel 4. Additionally, I received the Design & Customer Service Awards on Houzz for two consecutive years, which was a great honour.
Sadly, due to family health reasons, I had to close my business. However, I really believe things always happen for a reason as this led me to My Bespoke Room and their fantastic remote working formula! I initially joined MBR as a freelance designer and for the following 4 years I completed hundreds of designs before recently joining the Head Office team as an in-house interior designer. "
"I’m proud beyond words to be part of this fantastic company and community of designers. Together we are breaking the stereotype that interior design is expensive and inaccessible and we are creating a revolution in the industry.
Although the entire service is remote, I love the way we establish such a close and collaborative relationship with each client which ensures the end-to-end process is truly enjoyable and the final result always reflects the individual personality and style of the client.
Not to mention that working and looking after our amazing and talented family of designers is simply inspiring and makes you grow as a professional and individual. Supporting and rewarding our designers is our top priority as we know this generates outstanding results.
This is where my journey has taken me so far but I know this is only the beginning for MBR!" - Milena, Interior Designer.
Want the expertise of a professional designer like Milena here? Then it's time to make your move!
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
Remy has a passion for all things interior and is one of our unsung heroes who, alongside the shopping support team, guides customers through our easy-to-use shopping service. She and the team are on hand to answer questions before, during and after a customer places an order.
Once a customer places the order with MBR, the shopping team secures the stock with the individual suppliers. Remy also speaks with suppliers daily to build strong relationships and ensure we are providing our customers with furniture from excellent quality suppliers that we would also love to have in our own home!
"Customers love that they have a dedicated shopper on hand to answer their questions and help to coordinate deliveries (rather than dealing with many different supplier customer service teams or bots themselves!)
We receive so many lovely reviews from our happy customers exclaiming that they love how the shopping support team pay attention to the small details - if you missed a cushion insert or part of your bathroom order, we will spot it! We love building relationships with customers and we still do a happy dance when a customer has enjoyed the service so much that they come back for more designs and shopping!
We are always evolving to make sure we give our customers the best service we possibly can. Every single person at MBR cares so much about the company and our customers!
4 and a half years later and I'm still just as blown away every time I see a room design come to life! The designs our amazing team produce are just incredible and I love that I get to play a part in making our customer's dream homes a reality!"
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
Alexa does a lot of the work behind the scenes to expand our brand's reach to many more people who want to beautify their home at a price they’ll love. Our customers will not have much contact with her but she will no doubt be the reason they discovered us.
"My marketing career began in the fast-paced, high-pressure world of PR. Being a closet nerd and an introvert, it was only a couple of years before I moved into the world of digital marketing and hid behind my spreadsheets!
The majority of my career has been working for start-ups, and I’ve absolutely loved playing a small part in a company’s early story. The buzz and camaraderie is like nothing I’ve felt in larger, more established companies I’ve worked for.
I had followed (stalked) My Bespoke Room for a year or so before I joined the team. I am borderline obsessed with interior design and was studying it in my spare time. It took a global pandemic for me to stop, take a breath and let myself combine my day job with this passion.
I wish I’d done it sooner - I have never been proud of what I do for a living until now!"
Image Credit: My Bespoke Room
"I joined slap bang in the middle of lockdown which should have been a challenging time to join a new company but the team couldn’t have been more welcoming. Even though I didn’t meet most of them face to face for over half a year, it never felt like it! (Apparently, I look shorter on Zoom?!)
I am incredibly proud to work for and alongside this team of inspirational women. The culture is so supportive - you just know that everyone has your back and we all go above and beyond to help each other. Female founders are a rare breed and Laura and Diana are a daily example of how ludicrous that is.
One of my favourite things is hearing from our customers and how something as simple as a room design has changed the way they live and feel. Interior Design is so much more than just a tin of paint and some pretty cushions!
I’m proud to work for the company that has opened interior design up to everyone, it’s no longer the case that only the wealthy 1% can have a beautiful home.” - Alexa, Head of Marketing.
We have such an unbelievably talented team, and we're so grateful for the work they do. There are so many people that we would love to mention, for example, our excellent Shopping Support team, our marketeers, the massive group of expert designers and many many more.
If you want to put your trust in our incredible team then click the link below to start your home transformation!