Future gen design: Rachel Khoo, Interior Designer, HLW

A RIBA Bronze President’s Medal winner, HLW‘s Rachel Khoo is a talented designer delivering projects across the UK and Europe, including work for global clients in Helsinki, Berlin, Warsaw and Dublin. Beyond work, she is an active volunteer, contributing to philanthropy efforts, raising funds, and supporting various charitable causes, with a dedication to making a positive impact inside and outside of commercial interiors. Part of the Mix 30 under 30 Class of 2024, here Khoo offers up insights on lessons learnt, career-defining projects and advice for her younger self, as part of our regular series highlighting upcoming talent from the world of commercial interiors.

What do younger designers bring to the table?

Young designers are bold and brave when it comes to their creativity – perhaps less likely to settle into “how things are normally done”! Go big, go bold, don’t be afraid to fail, if it means you can progress the design direction fast as a result. Young designers have also grown up in a different world to their counterparts, and that mix of experiences can be helpful in the design world. Creative culture and new ways of living and relating are ever-changing, and I think effective design for the present and future requires having your finger on the pulse.

What are the greatest challenges young designers face?

Given the focus on technology in our training today, creating concepts that connect to craft and rich materiality should be encouraged. I think it’s important for us to supplement our knowledge through experiences, curiosity and hands-on learning, so our designs don’t lose out.

Similarly, in our generally oversaturated, image-heavy digital world, I think there’s a real challenge for all designers to create uncontrived work, not being tempted by what’s trending. Again, I think the solution is about being brave with new ideas and to continue taking inspiration from the world around.

What does creativity mean to you?

Creativity to me is like being given a boat and allowed to go sailing in it. Some days, you’ll do a big loop in the water and find yourself back where you started. Others, you’ll end up drifting far off course, not getting to where you need to be, but nonetheless on a very interesting journey. Either way, I’m very grateful for the privilege to get to sail and to live my life that way.

What is your radical idea for the future of design?

I think augmented reality will completely change the face of interior design and the way we experience the built and natural world. I see a future where design elements are considered both for the ‘augmented experience user’ and the ‘non-digital user’.

Lots of signage, for example, could exist in the augmented experience instead of the material one, leaving a cleaner and quieter experience for the non-digital user. Especially for the neurodiverse, augmented reality could help tone back spaces as they experience them. I like the idea that this could be empowering, giving people more individual agency over their environments.

What makes you most worried, and what makes you most hopeful, about the future of design?

AI is certainly going to change everything, and no one fully knows how. I think that the industry’s uncertainty is a cause for concern and a reason to hope all in one! Will we be wiped out as ‘creatives’ and reduced to curative work at best? Will there be less creatives who make it in general? Perhaps!

On the flip side, there is hope for a fresh desire for, and resurgence of, considered design brushed by a uniquely human touch. I think there’s hope we will we be able to harness these tools to complete the more menial tasks and leave room for creativity. It’s something designers always wish we had more time for.

Tell us about a project you worked on that has most shaped your work.

Working on Dechert LLP at Cannon Street has been an experience that has changed the way I approach projects. I was very involved in the project from start to finish, especially the design-side of the construction phase within the wider project team. Seeing how things come together on site and being part of that process has made me realise just how important the technical design consideration is to the finished product. As they say, there’s nothing like on-site experience! It was a fantastic team, and I’m so pleased with the finished result.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt?

Everything is about teamwork and communication. You will always move at the pace of your team and client.  There are always going to be decisions that supersede any seemingly idyllic design concepts. It’s par for the course that you have to be versatile and able to adapt and evolve – together.

Who are you inspired by/what are the inspiring projects that have shaped your approach to design?

My relative, Chris Bagot (Softroom) was a significant influence when I was exploring interior design as a career path. Chris has an incredibly astute eye for detail and design. A project of his I still think about is Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport. Nearly 20 years on, the design feels effortlessly cool, classic and elite. I like that it carries a flair of being unashamedly itself – not about trends but about attitude!

What do you love about the industry, and what do you hate?

I love that we get to see the newest in FF&E design; it makes me very excited! The opportunity to get to be among the first to use these pieces in our design is great, and I love that it’s a platform to showcase another designer’s hard work.

A pet peeve would be having a short turnaround time for projects. Sometimes, there’s not as much ‘brewing’ time for ideas as I would ideally like. I think it’s helped me learn to get stuck in from the get-go though, and that going with your gut is essential.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell myself to have more fun and enjoy ’playing’ in the creative process. At the start of my career I would get caught up trying to perfect a work in progress, instead of embracing experimentation and gathering feedback until there was an artistic direction I was confident in. Trying and failing is vital to good design iteration. I also think I’d tell myself to let it go if there is no creative progress for a bit. One day there might be a great moment of inspiration, but none the next, and that’s completely normal.