An Interview With: Hatton & Harding Studio - Warwick

Your shop has a wonderful sense of warmth and character. What do you hope people feel when they first walk through the door?

Ultimately at our core is client experience, the visuals, obviously but also the music playing, the fragrant candle burning, a good quality coffee if they’re visiting for an appointment. The whole customer journey is a commitment woven into the fabric of our ethos. We don't want our clients to see ’stuff’ or ‘things’ piled high, we want them to see a curated style, thoughtful and full of detail.

You sit somewhere between retail and interior design. How do you think that shapes the way you approach spaces and products?

Thankfully we think we’re seeing a huge shift from insta perfect show homes to homes full of soul. Things are moving away from perfection and towards spaces that feel personal, layered and grounded, creating spaces that restore us. We’ve always wanted to offer an element of design to everyone, not just as an elite service, so its important that we’re able to offer our products and services to a broad range of budgets, without compromising on quality. 

Much of what you do centres around fabrics, upholstery and soft furnishings. What draws you to these elements in particular?

We love natural and tactile materials. Woodgrain, hand crafted finishes, textured fabrics. Nothing glossy, nothing overworked. When we create beautiful, layered spaces we all naturally feel comforted, home feels calm, the beauty regulates us. It’s a real privilege to work with clients to achieve this. 

When helping customers choose pieces for their home, how do you balance personal taste with creating something timeless?

We think people genuinely come to us because they feel that they are struggling themselves to create the look they want and they like the style that we create either in store or on our socials. So with that in mind we also start, whether it’s just sourcing some accessories or creating a whole room scheme with treating it as if the clients space is our own home. The fact that they have come to us means they already trust us and so we have to be honest. As Karl Lagerfield said ’Trendy is the last stage before tacky’, we’ll always be timeless.

Made-to-order pieces, like sofas, carry a different level of consideration. What do you encourage clients to think about before committing?

With AI everywhere, we are finding clients are craving design that feels human. Pieces with texture, individuality and the marks of a human hand feel more aspirational than ever. We are very fortunate to be able to take clients who are having bespoke upholstery made to visit our furniture makers who are third generation craftsmen. What they don’t know about bespoke upholstery isn’t worth knowing and they add to the client journey enabling to really personalise each individual piece. It maybe means buying less but investing in better. British, handmade pieces with provenance and longevity, less disposable, less trend led. More connection with how something was made and who made it. 

Do you find that people are becoming more confident in how they use fabrics and upholstery within their homes?

No, we think they are becoming increasingly terrified. Social media is flooded with inspiration and it’s an absolute overload for the majority of people. Too much choice is as bad, if not worse than not enough. Now people often need to be restrained not to throw everything at a project. 

In your experience, what are the small details that elevate a room — the things people might not immediately notice, but feel?

We think every room should have an aged or antique piece and something black. The big thing that people overlook though, particularly when doing a huge renovation or self build, is window treatments. Bespoke curtains and blinds frame a room and soften the sound but are rarely treated as a priority and budgeted for accordingly. 

How do you ensure a space feels personal and lived-in, rather than styled or overly considered?

More texture, more layering, more accessories. We always tell people to be patient. Homes take time to evolve, you shouldn’t just go out and but ’stuff’. Your style needs authentic personality. If someone comes in to see us for a particular product but we genuinely don’t think its right for their space, we’ll be honest and tell them…then source the perfect piece for them…with that little patience!