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Members of the Bedales community gathered at Nix Studio in London for an intimate evening with interior designer Nicola Harding and artist, writer and designer Matthew Rice.
At its heart, the conversation focused on a simple idea, that a home should be shaped by how we actually live and want to feel, rather than how it looks. Nicola spoke about her instinct-led approach to interiors, beginning with feeling over aesthetics, while Matthew described drawing as a way of imagining and shaping the world—often “drawing houses into existence.”
Both focussed on the importance of designing from the inside out, on really understanding daily routines and habits, and letting the look follow.
They also touched on the trap of designing for show, instead championing homes that are built around everyday life, layered with comfort, memory and meaning.
The conversation moved naturally into the business realities of creative work.
Nicola and Matthew spoke about the need to stay responsive and adaptable, listening closely to what people want. As Matthew alluded to many talented makers in the past struggling simply because they didn’t recognise how demand was shifting. Nicola shared how her own business has evolved in response to the modern environment by paying attention and adapting to what people need, offering more flexible interior consultancy and growing her homewares line.
The Q&A was lively and full of thoughtful questions (as you’d expect from a Bedales crowd), ranging from practical design challenges to bigger questions about the future of the creative industries.
Bedales Director of Development Tanya Darlow enthused after the event saying, "A very Bedales gathering! OBs and parents together, curious, thoughtful and engaged. It was a pleasure to reconnect across generations, share ideas and spend time in such good company."
By the end of the evening, one idea kept surfacing: that both homes and the businesses behind them work best when they’re grounded in real life—shaped by how people live, and flexible enough to evolve with them.
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