Sally Dernie Limited

Sally has designed the interiors for three houses owned by us: one a Georgian townhouse in Brighton, another an Edwardian six bedroom home in South London and an Eighteenth Century house in Deal, Kent. In all our dealings with Sally she has been a pleasure to work with and although she has a strong sense of what she feels will work best Sally has always listened and understood what we wanted from the rooms (kitchens, various sitting rooms, a garden room and a library) going beyond our expectations in her designs. Sally's use of colours, paints, wallpapers, curtains, furniture and her beloved cushions have given all the rooms a sophisticated look without compromising comfort. Sally is able to blend the old and new and antique and modern to create harmonious and stylish interiors that have been complimented by people coming into our homes time and time again.

Our 16th century farmhouse was beautiful, with inglenook fireplaces and oak beams, but it was an unhappy, unsociable space. Austere and unwelcoming. We needed therapy and then along came Sally. Sally Dernie impressed from the outset. Calm, constructive and solution focussed, she handled everything from my muddled thinking, the husband's OCD, the dogs' exuberance, the builders and their inevitable "hiccups" to the financial discussions with a quiet authority. Her creative ideas were at times truly astonishing and transformative. In fact, I would struggle to decide whether her greatest asset is her creativeness or her project management skills. Even now I walk round and notice the little touches, the surprises, the attention to tiny detail that she has left us with. I love my house now. It has all its old charm, but it is much more playful and welcoming. It calls to me when I'm away and smiles at me when I come through the door.

Sally has been our interior designer for 3 very different projects: a small house in central London, a house in the Caribbean and a farm house in Wiltshire. Each project required extensive renovation work and Sally was involved in every stage of each project. In London the house was completely gutted and new electrical plans were done and the small house feels homely, welcoming, spacious whilst being sympathetic to the style and age of the house and to our own personal requirements. Sally did a great job with the lighting - especially in the two bathrooms which are in the vaults of the house with curved ceilings. She picked a lovely neutral colour scheme throughout the house but always had subtle accent colours and lovely choices of fabrics for curtains and cushions. The Caribbean house was an even bigger project and more challenging dealing with builders abroad. The house needed to be completely redeveloped. Sally acted as the UK base for all the works. The final result was a very impressive home. The colour schemes were brighter reflecting a Caribbean influence with a European style. It was very tastefully done and over the last couple of years has proved to be resilient in the harsh climate and with guests occasionally renting the property. Sally is easy to work with, friendly, resourceful and always listened to us and our own views and requirements. She has always fulfilled our brief in a professional manner and is clear about what we should expect from her and has always worked within deadlines. She has kept in touch with us throughout all projects so we were always aware of new developments or potential problems along the way. We would have no hesitation in recommending her to anybody or to use her services again in another project.

I've been aware of Sally Dernie's projects pretty much since she started designing, which is now well over 10 years, and it's been great to see her progression and development over that period. It is clear to see that each project is carefully thought through, with designs being individually tailored to suit clients and briefs, rather than a house style being imposed repeatedly. Sally has a great flair for colour and texture, with great attention paid to finishes and furnishing, but all is underpinned by a complete understanding of space and practicality. Another of her strengths is her superb detailing of built-in joinery, which, as with all her work, is realised by her reliable team of craftsmen and manufacturers. Having worked in the industry myself, I have always been impressed by Sally's professionalism and wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to potential clients.

Working with Sally during the renovation of my Grade II listed thatched cottage has been a fantastic experience. Sally was sympathetic with the challenges associated with a 450 year old property and guided me through every idea and decision to ensure the final result was truly distinctive in style whilst in keeping with the property and suiting my taste. Sally completely understood my requirements, however, her creativity and design style meant she introduced me to concepts much more beautiful than I could ever imagine. I was very anxious about taking on the project so finding Sally to manage it was ideal. Her consultative approach throughout the whole process made it as seamless and easy for me as it possibly could be. I love the final result and can’t recommend Sally Dernie Interiors highly enough – thank you so much Sally!