Hackney might seem a long way from New Zealand, but it’s where interior designers Jess Murphy and Josie de Guzman, founders of our Next in Design 2025 winners, Studio Jey, first connected – despite both having grown up in Wellington. ‘We were aware of each other as kids, but we were in very different circles,’ Josie says.
In London, however, they found themselves working in complementary areas of interiors – Jess in set design, and Josie trained in architecture. By 2022, with a growing list of projects and a shared design perspective, they decided to formally establish their studio.
Their style is contemporary, with a sense of warmth in every room they create. ‘I love getting into the sensory experience of how a space is used,’ Josie says. Studio Jey’s spaces are refined yet comfortable.
‘We like to pull things back,’ Jess explains. Architectural context guides every decision, whether it’s a Victorian townhouse in London or a rustic Tudor home currently underway for two photographers with an exceptional art collection.
Their commercial work is concept-driven – a recent fashion retail store in London Fields draws on pagan myth and ritual – while the studio also dreams of designing a spa one day. Whatever the brief, their ethos remains the same: to create spaces that feel elemental, contextual, and shaped by the life that will unfold within them.
3 Key Design Lessons with Studio Jey
1. Consider the Context of Your Space
Begin with a close reading of the property’s context, its era, its architectural style, and its surroundings. Lean into its inherent character to provide a natural framework for design decisions.
2 Use Earthy, Elemental Colors and Materials
Using earthy, natural colors and materials gives interiors a calming, lived-in quality. We often recommend painting walls, ceilings, and woodwork in the same tone, using a chalky, ultra-matte finish. This gives interiors a sense of calm, cohesion, and quiet.
3. Combine Pieces from Different Periods
Blending elements from different periods – from lighting to furniture to collected objects – creates a more lived-in, personal feel. What we do is so contextually based that every project demands something different. It’s about a feeling – what you experience when walking into a space.
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