{"id":616978,"date":"2026-10-01T02:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T02:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/616978\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T02:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T02:30:12","slug":"meet-rising-design-star-flora-slater-bringing-color-pattern-and-personality-to-every-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/616978\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Rising Design Star Flora Slater, Bringing Color, Pattern and Personality to Every Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The work of Flora Slater, one of the new design stars of the future selected by the judges of our Next In Design<\/a> initiative \u2013 and founder of Studio Flora<\/a> \u2013 is recognizably aligned with the Homes & Gardens aesthetic. There is an artful layering of pattern<\/a>, a confident use of color and enough panache to make sure that this rich mix of ingredients never clashes.<\/p>\n

\u2018I really do appreciate minimalism, but I just can\u2019t do it,\u2019 Flora says. \u2018I can\u2019t stop being obsessed with burgundy and deep green; they\u2019re shades that make me smile. I just want all the spaces I create to be cozy and uplifting, and that\u2019s such an easy thing to do with pattern.\u2019 Well, it is in her hands, anyway.<\/p>\n

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Having worked as a concierge for high-end clients, finding them whatever service their hearts desired, Flora learned the art of people management and procurement, but it didn\u2019t feel creative enough. She took those skills to KLC, where she learned the essential principles of design<\/a>, and then got stuck into junior positions at Nina Campbell<\/a>, \u2018who my style aligns with as we both love a mix of old and new,\u2019 Flora says, and then at Spinocchia Freund<\/a>. The latter was particularly career-enhancing \u2013 she was given the studio\u2019s WOW!house room to deliver, \u2018and it taught me the art of just getting things done,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

\u2018Her breadth of experience is so prevalent in her work, and that\u2019s what makes her stand out. She displays so much flair \u2013 it\u2019s not easy to decorate how she does it \u2013 yet she makes it seem like a breeze,\u2019 says Homes & Gardens editor Jo Bailey, part of this year\u2019s board who selected the winners.<\/p>\n

Now completing her own residential projects, Flora\u2019s trademark is character, charm and a really good stripe. \u2018A home should make you feel safe, comfortable, relaxed and happy,\u2019 Flora says. \u2018I want to make people their own personal cocoon, where it\u2019s all pure calm and bliss.\u2019<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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\"dining\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Noah Russell Photography\/Design by Studio Flora)<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: Was interiors always going to be your career?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I\u2019ve always been super creative, and in fact, at school I was way more creative than academic, which I put down to being dyslexic. I was at my happiest in the art room, and after school I went to Parsons School of Design in New York to study fashion design. But it was lonely over there, so after just one year I came back, did a PR and marketing course, and then, after a bit of freelancing, began working for a high-end concierge company. I\u2019d be sourcing stuff for people\u2019s high-end homes, and I just thought, \u2018This is it, this is what I want to do.\u2019<\/p>\n

Design expertise in your inbox \u2013 from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: And how did you move into interiors?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I applied for the interior design course at KLC, which was a great starting point and taught me how to use CAD and SketchUp. After that, I got a placement at Nina Campbell, where I learned so much. She is always around, she likes to put samples together physically, not relying so much on digital. It was wonderful to see client meetings happen in the office, where I learned what clients expect. In some ways, my style aligns with Nina\u2019s \u2013 we both love old meets new. I love an old-school house with an old fireplace, but then the decor has a modern twist.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: What\u2019s your approach to a project when you get one?<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I always build a scheme around what the client already has. Chances are there will be a piece of art they already own that they love and want to feature in the refresh, so I\u2019ll look at the colors in it and build around that. If they really are starting from scratch, I will go deep into their inspirations and go from there.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: What is it you love so much about pattern and layering?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I really appreciate minimalism<\/a> and the Rose Uniackes of this world \u2013 and trust me, I do agree that less is more, but I just can\u2019t help myself! I am drawn to deep colors and patterns; I can\u2019t stop being obsessed with burgundy and deep green. They make me smile.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: How do you mix patterns so they don\u2019t clash?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: Because there is always so much pattern and color going on in my schemes, I have to ensure there are also elements of calm. So I tend to choose some minimal, plain furniture alongside the printed bits. Even I know that there can be too much pattern!<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: In that case, how do you know when a room is done?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: That\u2019s a good question! When it\u2019s my own house, it\u2019s never done \u2013 my style is constantly evolving. I find sourcing stuff to be so fun. But with a client, I think when there are layers but there is also still air and calm between each pattern\u2026 that\u2019s when it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: Go-to brand?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I love Beata Heuman<\/a> \u2013 I love all her fabrics and wallpapers, particularly her Marbleized wallpaper<\/a>, which I like to use in downstairs loos. And I love a bit of Colefax and Fowler<\/a>. I have a bold sofa in my living room<\/a> in a Colefax fabric that I am obsessed with.<\/p>\n

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\"living\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tony McTernan\/Design by Studio Flora)<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: What words would you use to describe your interiors style?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: Thoughtful, thrifty and design-led. A lot of my clients are not super high-net-worth; they\u2019re doing their first home and putting their hard-earned money into something they care about. So I really want everything to be perfect for them and as personal as possible. I get to know them, their passions, what they like to do, where they go and what influences them positively, and build that into their homes.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: What are you currently obsessed with?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I love high gloss. I\u2019m trying to push for it in a few clients\u2019 homes at the moment. It\u2019s so cool when you walk into a powder room<\/a> and it\u2019s burgundy lacquer. I am also lacquering a vintage bar cabinet I found in a wonderful Chinese red. It\u2019s going to look amazing.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: Last thing you bought for your own home?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: I bought a footstool from Petit Tresor<\/a> \u2013 they source the cutest antiques and are so reasonably priced. It\u2019s going to go in my bedroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Homes & Gardens: How should a home make you feel?<\/p>\n

Flora Slater: Home is where the heart is. A home should make you feel safe, comfortable, relaxed and happy.<\/p>\n

From discovering her passion through sourcing beautiful objects to creating richly layered interiors that are particularly personal to each client, Flora Slater\u2019s approach is guided by creativity, curiosity and individuality.<\/p>\n

Inspired by color, pattern and the stories her clients bring to a project, she believes the best homes balance bold prints with moments of calm. It\u2019s why her homes end up feeling like cocoons, and why her style spoke so strongly to our judges.<\/p>\n

Our weekly In The Loop newsletter is for any design professional who wants to know about the latest product launches, industry news, events, job opportunities and profiles of inspiring creatives. Sign up here to be part of our circle.<\/a><\/p>\n

Next in Design is Homes & Gardens\u2019 platform spotlighting emerging studios shaping the future of decoration. Winning designers are championed across editorial, events and industry networks, celebrating fresh perspectives and distinctive voices. The initiative is guided by an industry board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The work of Flora Slater, one of the new design stars of the future selected by the judges…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-616978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}