Having grown up on the beautiful island of Cyprus, founder and creative director of Design Stories, Murude Katipoglu, is inspired by raw beauty and colour from surrounding landscapes. Steeped in legend, myth and beauty, it is not hard to see why. Cyprus is abundant with traditional architecture. It has a natural environment flowing with Mediterranean flora and fauna and a peaceful, welcoming vibe for locals and visitors alike.
After moving to London for university, Murude graduated from Kingston with a degree in interior design. She then spent seven years working on high-profile projects and, in 2017, upon deciding that it was time to set up on her own, Design Stories was born.
Murude draws on her heritage when evoking the feeling of home and this deep appreciation for natural materials is a common thread between every project. As she says, “Nature, people, spaces and materials are all elements that excite and inspire me. Sometimes we get to work on a historic building with plenty of history; sometimes we’re inspired by an antique we’ve sourced, or it can be our clients and their stories who we draw our inspiration from.”
Here at Lorfords, we love her style and ethos, so we wanted to share with you the woman behind her story, behind her Design Stories, in fact!
The best books I’ve read in the past year are The 5 am club and The Everyday Hero Manifesto , both by Robin Sharma. They are brilliant guides to balancing life and staying focused on what is important to me as a person.
My favourite Lorfords Antiques piece I have sourced for a client was a stunning 19th Century French Copper and Tin Bateau Freestanding Bath. It was for a cottage we designed a couple of years ago. It had so much patina and character.
I recently placed the Lorfords Contemporary Elmstead Sofa – I love it. We placed two of them into our large residential project in Hampshire more recently for our client's living room. She absolutely loved them.
The last thing I bought and loved was handmade pink velvet shoes from Florence! They make me happy every time I wear them.
The place that means a lot to me is Cyprus. I grew up there, my family are all still there and I love the sunshine!
The podcast I’m listening to is The Diary of A CEO by Steven Bartlett, On Purpose by Jay Shetty & How to Fail by Elizabeth Day.
In my fridge, you’ll always find Greek Yogurt!
Some of my best ideas have come while I’m in bed trying to sleep and also when I travel alone.
One thing I couldn’t do without is coffee.
The decision I made that changed everything for me was deciding to stay on in London after finishing my degree rather than move back to Cyprus.
An indulgence I would never forgo is luxury hotel stays! I love a good hotel, and I am passionate about hotel design and hospitality. A good hotel stay can change your life for good!
The last piece of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a shirt from With Nothing Underneath. I like the simplicity and effortless look of their shirts.
My favourite room in my house is my bedroom. It’s calm and cosy and looks onto the river Thames.
The best advice I’ve ever received is don’t listen to criticism from someone you wouldn’t seek advice from.
I do not compromise on comfort. Comfort must be prioritised in the places we spend most of our lives, where we work and in our homes. Our studio space is a good example of that, we had to do a long refurb but it’s been worth it.
I often compromise on my personal time….
My signature object to include in a project is a Diptyque Black Baies candle. It has become the recognised studio scent.
---
Imagery by Helen Cathcart
---
To find out more about Design Stories and Murude Katipoglu, please visit the Design Stories website.
To read more L-Shaped interviews, including those with other interior designers, please click here.