The heavens were absolutely smiling on 21-year-old student Beata Heuman in 2004 when — disillusioned by the interior design course she was studying in London — she landed a job interview with one of the lions of British design, Nicky Haslam. Beata admitted she didn’t even know who he was, but Nicky, always a rebel, wasn’t snubbed and took a chance on the Swedish expat.
Over the next nine years, mentored by both Nicky and his number two, Canadian designer Colette van den Thillart, Beata developed her own theatrical style (think bold colors, layered patterns and timeless furniture). In a step she called a natural progression, she launched her eponymous firm in 2013, taking on projects such as Chelsea restaurant farm Girl, London townhouses, a Nantucket clapboard house and a new-build in Hamburg. The firm was included on Architectural Digest’s prestigious top 100 in 2020 and 2021.
To additionally her commitment to craftsmanship, Beata had been selling artisanal items on a small scale considering that 2015, and unveiled her e-commerce site, Shoppa.beataheuman.com, in 2019. Offerings include sumptuous velvet pillows, marbled wallpaper, lighting, and brass coasters and hand-forged hardware produced by small, independent Swedish, British or Italian makers.
2021 marked another major milestone in Beata’s career: the launch of her first book, Every room must Sing. The book showcases 10 of her projects, including her own 1870 townhouse in London’s Hammersmith neighborhood, where Beata folds in bespoke items like a brass-trellised, confectionary-inspired glass ceiling in the kitchen — an ornate backdrop for her Dodo Egg pendant. In our March 2022 issue, we asked Beata about her journey from a fresh-faced junior designer’s assistant to running her own 11-person firm, and how she brings a fantastical element to eclectic British decorating.
Keep scrolling to see what she had to say!
Source: courtesy of ©Beata Heuman: Every room must Sing, Rizzoli new York, 2021
Beata added the wall, sliding door and bookshelves in her living room.
House & Home: What did you take away from your experience with Nicky and Colette?
Beata Heuman: I like taking risks and doing the unexpected. I’ve always been drawn to that way of creating, and Nicky does that in spades. He’s irreverent; he likes doing the thing you expect him not to do, and he’s not precious about what materials you can use. Nicky knows about convention but doesn’t take much note of it. You always hope clients will think a project looks amazing, but I admit there’s a real thrill that comes from wondering whether it will be understood and well received.
Photographer: Simon Brown
Source: courtesy of ©Beata Heuman: Every room must Sing, Rizzoli new York, 2021
Designer: Beata Heuman
The mural in the bedroom of Beata’s daughters, Gurli and Alma, depicts rabbits sipping martinis.
H&H: how do you use those lessons when designing?
BH: They taught me how to execute tough tasks but also how to have fun. I was having martinis with Nicky and Colette at the Carlyle hotel in new York when I fell in love with the Ludwig Bemelmans mural in the bar. When I was pregnant with my daughter Gurli, I used it as inspiration to create a magical room for her with a mural that included great local details like the top of Hammersmith Bridge. I love that contrast of the childish motif and the rabbits who are drinking, smoking and being a bit naughty.
Photographer: Simon Brown
Source: courtesy of ©Beata Heuman: Every room must Sing, Rizzoli new York, 2021
Designer: Beata Heuman
In Beata’s kitchen, her Dodo Egg pendants draw the eye up to a glass ceiling inspired by patisserie ceilings in Stockholm. Blue cabinets hide the fridge.
H&H: how would you describe your style in one sentence?
BH: Imaginative, considered and fresh.
Photographer: Simon Brown
Source: courtesy of ©Beata Heuman: Every room must Sing, Rizzoli new York, 2021
Designer: Beata HeumanLos paneles de pastos marinos en este salón están adornados con una frontera decorativa. El taburete de Luckdragon de Beata se basa en las heces de la rótula utilizadas en la antigua Roma.
H & H: ¿Tienes algún movimiento de firma?
BH: Me gustan los pies de la pata y dando trozos de muebles casi una personalidad. Por lo general, hicimos muebles a medida; Obtienes muchas líneas rectas en tiendas promedio, así que me gusta introducir líneas y curvas onduladas. Todos nuestros proyectos están llenos de piezas a medida o una sola vez. No me gusta repetirme, intento evolucionar.
Fotógrafo: Simon Brown
Fuente: Cortesía de © Beata Heuman: Cada habitación debe cantar, Rizzoli New York, 2021
Diseñador: beata heuman
Un piso de roble blanqueado, mármol natural y techo rústico, la teatralidad del techo inclinado del baño y el colgante de coral-motivo.
H & H: ¿Dónde cree los artículos?
BH: Me encanta ir a los mercados antiguos y sentirme inspirado en los sitios como 1Stdibs, que tiene fantásticas fotos. Si no vamos a ir a la ruta a medida, gravitas hacia la vendimia para obtener algo completamente especial y con un precio razonable. Idealmente, su hogar debe parecer que ha sido decorado en una o dos generaciones.
Fotógrafo: Simon Brown
Fuente: Cortesía de © Beata Heuman: Cada habitación debe cantar, Rizzoli New York, 2021
Diseñador: beata heuman
¡Descubre los hallazgos favoritos de Beata a continuación!
Fotógrafo: Chris Gloag
El colgante del huevo Dodo de Beata está coronado con frondas de palma de latón pintadas.
Fuente: shoppa.beataheuman.com
“Toda mi ropa de cama es mille notti. Me gusta el blanco sin adornos, y el algodón mejora con la edad “, dice ella.
Fuente: mille-notti.com
“Llevo por Balm de labios Terry en Bloom Berry. Es como un brillo pero bastante densamente pigmentado “.
Fuente: byterry.com
“Mi restaurante favorito es el río Café en Londres”.
Fuente: The River Café
Estas bandejas se realizan en Suecia del abedul de origen sostenible. “Me encantan los patrones de mármol y los usan mucho”, dice ella.
Fuente: /shoppa.beataheuman.com
“Llevo un perfume Eau d’Italie creado para el 50 aniversario de Le Sirenuse, el popular hotel en Positano en la costa de Amalfi”.
Fuente: La Sirenuse