‘You can still have a beautiful home on a budget’

Officially, her business Mum Does Design has been up and running for only seven months, but the idea has been in the pipeline since 2012, when Lisa Riddoch became a mother. The name was chosen after her daughter described her job that way to a friend, Lisa now wants to “live and be the brand” as it develops and grows.

Focused on creating affordable interiors for family living, her designs are natural and very personal, as typified by the time she has taken over designing the space she and her family live in and work from in Paintworks on Bath Road, including makeovers of her own children’s rooms. The location gives her easy access to Temple Meads to attend trade shows and fairs, where she regularly meets like-minded people.

Lisa lives and works from her Paintworks studio space, which she has designed to be as flexible as possible for her family’s needs

“I wouldn’t say it was minimalist, but I can see where trends are going,” Lisa says when describing her clean style. The double-height space is painted in delicate neutrals, with elements of Scandinavian design in the Eames-inspired chairs, particle board table and tumbling greenery.

“Interior trends tend to follow fashion, which is one of my big influences having previously worked in fashion textiles,” Lisa says. “I keep up-to-date with the latest trends and products, however I am not one to follow the crowd, instead drawing inspiration from these trends to tailor each room to my own or my clients’ needs.

“I don’t want to replicate what you see in-store. I want my designs to be different, well thought through and I source quality, affordable pieces when I’m working one-to-one with my clients. The interiors I design are very personal and unique to them and their families’ needs.”

Lisa has constructed a mezzanine area in the double-height living space to give her more space and flexibility

Up on the industrial-style mezzanine level above her workshop, which was built by a friend using scaffolding and which creates an additional working area and space for Lisa’s collection of craft materials, fashionable colours and natural materials such as eucalyptus green and jute decorate the walls.

“The versatility of the mezzanine is that it can be used as additional office space, a spare room for guest or as the children get older as an extra living room where they can hang out with their friends,” Lisa says.

After working in interior textiles and textile design for high street fashion brands, as a full-time mum Lisa wanted to ensure that she was working on something for herself and so launched her own interior design business. She meets with clients in her studio to create online mood boards and concept boards, which clients can then interact with, involving them in the whole process.

More often than not, the items of furniture she chooses are from the high street. “Affordability is really important to me,” Lisa says. “I have young children in my house who use the sofa cushions as stepping stones, or ram into them in the baby walker, so I can’t justify spending a lot of money on furniture and soft furnishings. Not to mention, it needs to be child-proof. ‘Insta perfect’ interiors can seem totally unattainable, but you can still have a beautiful and well thought-out home.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlkW80WhwKM/?taken-by=mum_does_design

Inspired by her own mother who was “running workshops before they were fashionable”, Lisa now hosts workshops in her studio for all kinds of crafts. Her macramé classes, Knot and Unwind, which she hosts with friend Pete Burnham, are proving popular, and some of her pieces have been displayed in nearby Convoy Espresso.

There is a strong camaraderie amongst the small independent businesses working out of Paintworks, and Lisa has set up a networking group that helps each creative business advertise their trade. “Everyone here is so willing to help each other out. It’s great,” Lisa says. “I started a networking group and, for me, being in my first year, to listen to advice from other people has been really helpful. We are really just pooling all our resources and it’s great.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BggYQpVHAAz/?taken-by=mum_does_design

While hiring an interior designer can feel like an extravagance, Lisa is clear that it’s a money-saving measure in the long-term, as her experience, knowledge and skills can help families maximise what is out there as well as taking advantage of trade discounts. “It’s good to have a third pair of eyes when designing a room to ensure an overall quality,” Lisa says.

And as for balancing motherhood alongside starting up her own business, it’s clear she has taken all in her stride: “I started my business when my son was five months old so it was tricky but I soon learned how to make the most of my time when he napped during the day. My husband is very supportive too – I hand the kids over to him in the evenings.

“Having the studio at home allows me to dip in and out of work when I can. It really is a mindset and a commitment to keep the business moving forward, and now the children are at nursery and school I am getting more time back for my work. The realisation that I had the opportunity to both have my own business and have time for my family was mind-blowing!”

Find out more about Lisa’s design work at www.mumdoesdesign.com. Her one-to-one design service and e-design packages start from £75.

All photography by Edina Papp