Interior Designer · W8, SW7, W14
Interior design in Kensington
Katherine Varnava Interiors is a luxury interior designer for homes and commercial spaces in Kensington. A BIID Registered Interior Designer® studio based in Mayfair, London, it offers full interior design, technical design and bespoke joinery, FF&E procurement and a single design-and-build service, with Katherine personally involved in every project.
Homes in Kensington
Kensington is densely built and largely Victorian, with an older village core around St Mary Abbots and a series of estates, each with its own character. Most of it lies within conservation areas, and the borough has a very high number of listed buildings, so interiors here often start with understanding what is protected.
Homes range from stuccoed terraces of the 1840s to 1860s on the Pitt estate and semi-detached villas on the Phillimore estate to red brick houses around Campden Hill, small back-street cottages, mews, architect-designed artists' studios and late Victorian and Edwardian mansion blocks. Around Kensington Square and Edwardes Square the houses are earlier. Many large houses are divided into flats, so projects split between whole-house refurbishments and apartment fit-outs within mansion blocks. Typical work includes restoring period joinery and plasterwork, reorganising kitchens and bathrooms within a narrow plan, and lighting schemes that respect original ceilings.
How the studio works
Every project, from a single room to a whole house or a commercial space, follows the same five-stage, RIBA-aligned journey: Define, Develop, Resolve, Deliver and Complete. The studio works alongside your architect and contractor, or delivers a single design-and-build service from concept to completion.
- Full interior design, from a single room to a whole house
- Interior architecture and spatial planning
- Technical design and bespoke joinery
- Lighting design
- FF&E design, procurement and installation
- Commercial interiors
- Design and build, or alongside your architect and contractor
The studio takes on projects across W8, SW7, W14, including streets such as Kensington Square, Phillimore Gardens, Campden Hill Road, Holland Street and Campden Grove.
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Before you start in Kensington
The consents and local rules that most often shape an interior project here, each linked to its official source. The studio checks them for your property at the start, so they are planned into the design and the programme.
The Royal Borough says it has over 3,800 listed buildings and that all of a listed building is protected, including the inside. Removing internal walls, making new openings, removing floorboards, re-plastering, and adding suspended ceilings or recessed lighting are given as examples of work needing listed building consent.Source: rbkc.gov.uk
Thirty-eight conservation areas cover nearly three quarters of the borough, and stricter controls apply in them. Some properties have had permitted development rights removed by Article 4 Directions, and the council advises checking this before starting work; its planning map shows whether a property is in a conservation area.Source: rbkc.gov.uk
The appraisal (adopted 3 February 2017) divides the area into ten character areas and treats traditional sash windows as central to its character, identifying uPVC replacements as harmful. Traditional painted timber is the recognised material for doors and shopfronts.Source: planningconsult.rbkc.gov.uk
In Kensington and Chelsea noisy building work is permitted 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday only, and at no time on Saturdays, Sundays or bank holidays. Demolition and concrete breaking are further limited to 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5.30pm on weekdays.Source: rbkc.gov.uk
Suspensions are booked with the council's Parking Suspensions team on 020 7361 4385. Resident bays need at least 10 full working days' notice and pay-by-phone bays at least two full working days.Source: rbkc.gov.uk
Questions
Interior design in Kensington
Do I need consent to add recessed downlights in a listed Kensington house?
Yes, in most cases. The Royal Borough lists adding recessed lighting and suspended ceilings among works needing listed building consent, because both cut into or conceal historic ceilings. We often use alternatives such as picture lights, joinery-integrated lighting, lamps and discreet uplighting, and where downlights are justified we prepare the drawings and justification needed for consent.Source: rbkc.gov.uk
Can I replace my sash windows as part of a refurbishment?
It depends on the building, but the Kensington Conservation Area Appraisal treats traditional sash windows as central to the area's character and identifies uPVC replacements as harmful. Repair or like-for-like timber replacement is the usual approach. For listed houses consent is needed, and some properties are also covered by Article 4 Directions, so we confirm the position before specifying window treatments and shutters.Source: planningconsult.rbkc.gov.uk
How do I know if my home is in a conservation area?
The Royal Borough has 38 conservation areas covering nearly three quarters of the borough, so it is likely. The council's conservation areas page links to a planning map search that shows whether a property is included, and advises checking for Article 4 Directions before starting work. We check this, and any listing, at the outset of every project.Source: rbkc.gov.uk
Do you take on single rooms as well as whole houses in Kensington?
Yes. Projects range from a single room, which can also be designed remotely through the Virtual Studio, to whole-house refurbishments, new builds and commercial spaces. Every project follows the same five-stage, RIBA-aligned process: Define, Develop, Resolve, Deliver and Complete.
Can you manage the build as well as the design?
Yes. The studio can work alongside your architect and contractor, providing contractor coordination and design oversight on site, or deliver a single design-and-build service that takes the project from concept to completion.
Will Katherine be involved personally?
Yes. Katherine Varnava, a BIID Registered Interior Designer®, leads every project herself. The studio takes on a deliberately limited number of projects each year so that she stays involved in every detail, from concept to completion.
Updated 17 October 2026
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