Design with personality: Inspiration with Carly Madhvani
people • designers
Since the summer of 1998, Carly’s journey in interior design has been dedicated to crafting beautiful homes in the most elegant of spaces. Alongside her team of interior design professionals, their focus remains centered on the client and their home. Their mission is to curate a warm, inviting ambiance that exudes excitement each time you walk through the door.
WEBSITE: nw3interiors.com INSTAGRAM: @nw3interiorsltd
Words: designeers
September 2023
designeers
How did you get into this business?
Carly madhvani
Interior design was the perfect avenue for me to turn my passion for art and design into a profession. After completing my degree in Art and Design, I worked in various roles for a design firm that was the largest Knoll dealer in Europe at the time. After picking up experience and connections over years, I founded my own practice and haven’t looked back.
designeers
How important are trends in your design? Who starts trends and how do they become ubiquitous?
Carly madhvani
I believe in timeless design that stays beautiful regardless of current trends - but I can’t deny I’m not influenced by trending tones and colour combinations. I think trends are started collectively by all people who pay attention to aesthetics. It’s the small positive reactions to something we like that build up into a big trend.
designeers
How do you see the new trend of coziness and comfort reflected in your design? What sort of materials and shapes are rising in popularity right now?
Carly madhvani
For me it’s good lighting that’s the key to creating a cozy space. Paying attention to the technical details of lights like their Kelvin temperature is important. ‘Glow or globe lighting’ is increasingly popular in both residential and commercial interiors.
Pragmatic design is also important to making a space welcoming and comfortable to live in.
I always focus on the exact activities clients like to do in their homes. If one room is identified as being for after-work relaxation and another mainly for entertaining guests, those rooms can be designed to perfectly suit the residents.
Providing plenty of easy-to-access storage is another easy way to make a space more welcoming and easy to live in.
designeers
What qualities do you think make a good home?
Carly madhvani
A great home shows personality with the style of its design, aiming to be unique and personal beyond broader trends. It should balance the practical and the beautiful to be a place designed around the people who live in it.
“A great home shows personality with the style of its design, aiming to be unique and personal beyond broader trends.”
carly madhvani
designeers
What famous interior designer or architect inspires you?
carly madhvani
Kelly Wearstler has always inspired me for her bold and brave personality, which complements the way her design uses curves and organic materials to slice through linear buildings.
designeers
What is the most difficult thing when working with clients?
carly madhvani
It’s important to balance encouraging clients to be brave with keeping to the design style they like and feel comfortable with. It’s essential to provide your expertise and experience of design without ignoring their personal preferences.
designeers
What advice you would give a student entering the interior design industry now?
Carly madhvani
Make sure to pay attention to the numbers side of design. This includes both the details of the specifications of fabrics and furniture pieces, but also the accounting necessary to run a business. To be a successful interior designer you need to be able to manage a business efficiently and be precise with large scale projects. Watch how your boss makes money and learn how to emulate that.
