Founder, Taylor Howes
Karen Howes, a warm, intelligent, witty and personable designer and entrepreneur, is the driving force behind the success of London-based interior design practice Taylor Howes, that was founded in 1993. Passionate about interior design from an early age, Karen Howes’ real love affair with interiors began when, at just 18 years old, she rented a room in a tiny house in King’s Cross owned by Martin Waller, worldwide furniture retailer and founder of Andrew Martin. This was a real treasure trove, full of unusual artefacts which shaped her eye for design and love of interiors.
By the age of 21, Howes had launched her first interior design business and was steadily climbing the property ladder. Howes met her future business partner Gail Taylor when they started working on an important show apartment for a leading house-builder, which in turn led to fifty more commissions of this kind. This fruitful collaboration led to the birth of Taylor Howes, which was launched from an office located in the London home of fashion guru, Isabella Blow and the newly graduated Philip Treacy.
In 2011, Karen took sole charge of the company when Gail moved to the offices of their joint venture, th2designs, to drive the business forward with the team. Supported by an excellent, passionate and committed team comprising of over 30 members, four of which are right hand senior directors, Karen has expanded and cemented the reputation of Taylor Howes as one of the world’s leading interior design practices.
The DNA of this company is very much Howes’ own vision: a positive, approachable and refreshing energy that not only produces great work creatively, ensures clients enjoy the whole experience and also prides itself on being approachable and down-to-earth. It is no surprise that Taylor Howes has an impressive track record of returning clients.