Interior designer

Kathryn was the co-presenter of Cracking Antiques for BBC2 - a programme which fused her love of design and vintage. Her new show Get the Look is on Home weeknights at 8pm from 23rd January

Kathryn is one of the most distinctive designers working on television today and runs a successful interior design company with offices in Brighton and the South of France.

Her flamboyant style is instantly recognisable, as are her one off pieces of glamorous furniture created by her company ‘Scarlet Puppy Designs’.

It all started when Kathryn, aged 7, announced to her parents that she wanted to paint her room black and drape red velvet all over the place.  Flash forward a few years and, after gaining an honours degree in Theatre Design and working as a successful scenic artist and tromp l’oiel specialist, she started to work her unique magic in other people’s houses.

Her theatrical background is still her main inspiration.

“My designs are full of colour and vitality,” she says, “but most importantly they must reflect the personality of the home owner. After all, they have to live there, not me!  My job is to give people the confidence to trust in their own taste and encourage them to express their own individuality through their homes. The Age of Beige is over, it’s all about being unique and loving the place you live.”

Kathryn’s television career kicked off when the long and painful renovation of her house was featured in Channel 4’s Grand Designs. She has since designed much speedier rooms for BBC1, UKTV Style and ITV’s Sixty Minute Makeover and is currently co-presenting Cracking Antiques for the BBC.

As well as creating beautiful rooms and appearing on television, Kathryn designs sets for the National Youth Theatre, writes extensively for a number of publications and spends an inordinate amount of time chasing after two small children.

The Cracking Antiques book is now in the shops.