In the most recent installment of HD’s Meet the Minds series, London-based interior designer Hannah Lohan discusses how her unconventional professional path led her exactly where she needed to be, and describes what makes up her true dream project.
Where did you grow up? Did it influence your career path?
My parents divorced when I was a baby. I lived with my mother and brother in Chichester [West Sussex], but we spent a lot of time with our father in London, too. Dad would show us all the sights and throw a lot of fun parties. With mum it was much more grounded and outdoorsy—I spent a lot of time sailing and at the beach. I still crave that mix of country and city in order to be inspired and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my studio has ended up being a fit for country house hotel projects that we can inject a bit of city style into.
What are some of your first memories of design?
From a young age, my dad would take us out to amazing restaurants. I remember finding it all very exciting and glamorous. We used to go to such a mix of places: a very cool pizza restaurant in Covent Garden called Grunts, where you could eat off a Pac-Man table; the Hard Rock Café; a hidden family-run Italian place; and the Savoy or Mosimann’s for special birthdays. I was probably far too young for it all, but I remember just taking in the surroundings and all the lovely design details. I definitely learned to appreciate the theater of going out, and I realized the relationship between design and creating an emotionally stimulating atmosphere early on.
The Dunstane Houses is a boutique hotel comprising 35 guestrooms across two Victorian townhouses
Give us a bit of your background: college, first jobs, early lessons learned.
I went to Northbrook College in Worthing for two years before getting a degree in fashion promotion and illustration at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. My great friend Gemma and I made a mini pilot for a new fashion TV show, which we exhibited at London Graduate Fashion Week on the South Bank. A television executive from Anglia TV spotted our work and asked us to be runners on a new fashion program they were producing. The job was hard work, and when it ended, I moved to London and started working at the BBC on another fashion show called Looking Good, before realizing I wanted to work on the interior design shows that were being produced in the same building. I would smile at the producer of Home Front in the lift and bought her a cup of coffee once, and that’s how I eventually landed a job on that show. I was a researcher and worked closely with the designers as it was my job to organize the shoots, but what I really wanted to be doing was the interior design.
I spent about 10 years in TV and worked my way up to producing and directing, but my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. My brother, James, was also living in London at the time. He had an events company and I began working with him between TV gigs. We worked closely together when he opened a bar called the White House in Clapham. I helped him with the design and the launch. When James went on to start the boutique travel company Mr & Mrs Smith with his now-wife Tamara, I took over the events company and started to produce very big, theatrical events for a mixture of clients.
By this point, I was living in Queen’s Park in North London and had an office next to the Interior Design School. I used to walk past and look in. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to be in there. I decided to do a part-time course and loved it so much that I took a year out to study interior design. I continued running events afterwards, alongside some small styling jobs. Through James, I was lucky to get some good introductions to hoteliers and my portfolio grew steadily. My career path has scarcely been conventional, but I can clearly see the impact of all my experiences in the work I do today.
When did you launch Hannah Lohan Interiors? What led you to create your firm?
After having spent years running the events company, I didn’t think I could have gone back to working for anyone else. My father ran a PR company for years and James has always had his own business too, so I think it’s just in our blood. I officially set up my interior design business in 2015 and haven’t looked back. I always had that niggling feeling that I should have been doing this, and I was right—I absolutely love designing for the hospitality sector.
The Hook restaurant located at the Fish Hotel, located on Cotswold’s Farncombe Estate
What sets your firm apart?
Our focus is on about storytelling with design, and thinking of creative, fun details that enrich the space. We like to help clients with every touch point, from the crockery to the staff uniforms and, whatever the brief, we always think about the extras that might enhance the experience. For me, it’s about theater and fun. We make sure we consider the entire guest journey to ensure their experience is as rich and memorable as possible throughout their stay.
How would you describe your firm’s aesthetic?
Every project we do is different, depending on the brief and the story we’re trying to tell. That said, we do love to mix vintage pieces into our designs, as this helps develop a narrative and add depth and character to a scheme. We’ve built up so many great vintage suppliers over the years that we decided to start a little shop in the Old Cinema in Chiswick, West London, where we sell some of the pieces we’ve found on our travels.
Our work on the Dunstane Houses hotel in Edinburgh, for example, is very opulent, celebrating the lavish Victorian architecture and the owners’ glamorous personal style. We opted for lots of bold wallpapers, copper bath tubs, and Persian rugs. We have a completely different style at Hook restaurant, which is punctuated by a Scandinavian-influenced hygge-inspired look with natural, calming tones, cozy patterns, and a stunning 360-degree central fireplace. We’re currently working on a very exciting project in a village called Woolsery in North Devon. Our clients, Bebo founders Michael and Xochi Birch, have bought several properties, including the manor house, numerous holiday cottages, the neighboring farm, as well as the Farmers Arms pub, which is now open.
Which architect or designer do you admire most?
I really admire Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, the founders of Roman and Williams. Their background is in film. They’ve designed incredible sets together for movies, including Practical Magic and Zoolander, and went on to create beautiful hotels like the Viceroy and Ace Hotel in New York. I’m obsessed with their shop RW Guild and planning to visit as soon as we can travel again. I might go and do a pilgrimage to all their hotels as well. (Do I sound like a stalker?)
Lohan also designed the luxurious treehouse-inspired Tree Perches at the Fish Hotel
What is your dream project?
The Woolsery project is actually our dream one! We don’t get to see Michael and Xochi much as they’re based in San Francisco, but their good friend and managing director Emily Harmon is our main contact and she’s brilliant. She’s so creative and into design, and also knows what Michael and Xochi like as she’s been through several builds with them in the States, including their own home in Pacific Heights and their hotel and members’ bar, the Battery, which were both designed by the incredible Ken Fulk. They love very dramatic, bold design so it’s a dream for us as they’re so open to creative ideas.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
I would love to meet Ken Fulk and chat about his work and inspiration. He designed Swan restaurant in Miami for Pharrell Williams so that would be a good place to meet. All the food looks amazing, but I’d definitely be trying the cocktail menu first. It would have to be the Miami’s Vice: vodka, amaretto, grapefruit and lemon—delicious!
