We first discovered emerging designer Olivia Aspinall at this year’s London Design Festival. Her work centres around the creation of beautifully detailed, bespoke surface designs for use in interiors or furnishings.

Olivia graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2014 and established her design studio the following year. Her work focuses on the synthesis of colour, pattern and texture, with each of her designs being meticulously considered from concept to production.

Her 2016 collection features two designs in a variety of colourways. The first, Chip, is a take on a traditional terrazzo using refined colour palettes to create a fresh and contemporary finish, whilst the second, Stick, is more playful and energetic.

Fresh from completing projects for Selfridges, Studio Ashby and 2 Lovely Gays, and from launching her first standardised range of designs alongside her bespoke practice, we caught up with Olivia to hear more about where her love of interior design stems from.

What first inspired your interest in design?
Ever since I can remember I have always loved building and making things. I don’t think there was ever a eureka moment that I could pinpoint as being where my interest in design began, but I grew up with both my parents being able to build or fix everything. I think being surrounded by that from a young age is probably what started it all.

When you’re creating your designs for interior spaces, how much influence do you draw from the architecture of the building?
A lot of the work I do is bespoke, meaning I’m often working with interior designs, architects or homeowners to create something very specific based on the space it’ll be used in.

Most often it’s the colour palette we decide on – which is one of the most vital parts of my two-dimensional, abstract designs – that takes the biggest influence from the architecture or the furniture that is currently in the space, or soon will be.

One of my favourite parts of the whole process with seeing how my work will sit within the existing space when everything is finally completed and bought together.

Tell us about the house you grew up in.
My parents still live in the house that I grew up in. It’s a three bedroom detached house that was built in the 1960s in Nottingham. My parents did a lot of work on it when I was young – they added an extension and modernised the downstairs to make it all open plan. They also added in wood burning fires which I loved.

The garden looks directly onto a piece of farmland, too, giving the garden a really great, open feeling. It’s a lovely house to be in.

If we could arrange a house swap for you, is there a house or apartment block in the UK that you’d go for?
The Barbican Estate, please!

When you’re buying a house, what’s the one thing you wouldn’t compromise on?
I’m still yet to buy my first property, but being a designer it’s definitely something I’ve thought about a lot! I think for me the deal breakers would be big windows and really great light.

Is there a British architect or designer whose work you’re particularly excited by at the moment?
I love the work of Faye Toogood – I think the beauty of her work is that it’s always so varied, but has an unrelenting focus on materials.

Who are you following on Instagram?
I seem to follow a lot of ceramicists, two of my favourites being @grouppartner and @helen_levi.

I also use Instagram a lot to discover amazing new design studios in my local area, recent finds being @campbell_cole and @freckledfennell.