Anouska Lancaster: The Visionary Interior Designer Redefining Colour, Character and Comfort
When the phrase “bold interiors” is mentioned, few names resonate more powerfully in the UK design world than Anouska Lancaster. As the founder of Noushka Design, Lancaster has carved out a reputation for interiors that are exuberant, deeply personal and utterly modern. But beyond her signature style lies a rich career, a philosophy grounded in personality and a passion for accessible beauty in every home.
Origins and Foundation of a Unique Voice
Anouska Lancaster didn’t begin her journey in interiors in the mainstream; her early interests were eclectic and rooted in curiosity. Over time, she refined her vision into a distinctive voice that embraces vibrant palettes, layering and unexpected contrasts. Rather than sanitised minimalism, she gravitates towards character, seeing homes not as showcases but as reflections of their inhabitants.
In 2007, she founded Noushka Design, a studio dedicated to making bold interiors feel attainable and anchored in the lives of real people. The word “Noushka”, playful and evocative, hints at the spirit behind the firm: a creative approach that defies rigid rules and champions colour, comfort and charm.
Her belief is simple yet profound: every home deserves personality, and that personality should come from the people who live there, not from fleeting trends or cold perfection.
Style and Philosophy: Colour, Contrast and Comfort
Some designers are celebrated for restraint. Anouska Lancaster is celebrated for the opposite: exuberance, layered richness and joyful complexity. Yet her work never feels overdone or chaotic because she follows intentional principles built into a deeper philosophy.
The Emotional Power of Colour
Most of us are taught that neutral is safe. Lancaster’s work challenges that. She believes colours speak—evoking moods and memories. When deployed wisely, dramatic hues can be both energising and calming.
She often juxtaposes saturated colours—deep teals, muted corals and verdant greens—against crisp whites or soft neutrals. The contrast creates tension and harmony at once. Through these juxtapositions, she gives individual rooms a story and a pulse.
Pattern, Texture and Layering
To Lancaster, a room devoid of texture is static. Her interiors are rich with woven fabrics, tactile wallpapers, layered rugs, patterned ceramics and sculptural lighting. She often uses bold wallpapers or fabrics as anchors, then layers in softer elements to balance the space.
She sees layering as a way to add warmth and dimension—because life itself is layered. Objects collected over time, family heirlooms, curated art—these aren’t afterthoughts in her spaces but integral threads in a design narrative.
Comfort Without Compromise
Despite the boldness, comfort is never sacrificed. Furniture is inviting and usable. Rooms feel lived in. She avoids “staged perfection” in favour of warmth, making spaces that welcome rather than intimidate.
Her interiors are also deeply personal. She encourages clients to bring in pieces they love, whether quirky or sentimental, and works around them.
Signature Projects: Penally House and Beyond
No discussion of Lancaster’s career is complete without Penally House, her flagship project and something of a manifesto in brick and paint. But her portfolio spans a variety of residential and commercial commissions, each imbued with her sense of colour, contrast and character.
Penally House: A Masterclass in Reinvention
Penally House is a Georgian manor in Cornwall that Lancaster undertook as both a professional and personal laboratory. Over years, she has transformed it room by room, showing what wild imagination combined with disciplined design can yield.
What stands out is the architectural respect. Despite her love for colour, she retained original mouldings, fireplaces and proportions—ensuring the design never overwhelmed the building but dialogued with it. Each room is bold yet the transitions, the flow and the sense of unity tie the house together. She is unafraid to shift direction mid-house if a space demands it. This flexibility leads to a dynamic and lived-in home, not a showhouse stuck in one style.
Penally House has become a touchstone in contemporary UK interior design, frequently cited in design media and visited by design enthusiasts.
Residential Commissions
Beyond her own projects, Lancaster’s residential work is broad and inventive. Whether a flat in London or a country cottage, her approach remains the same: understand the homeowner, lean into colour and build rich environments. She is equally comfortable with heritage properties or new builds, treating each as a blank page shaped by personality.
Collaborations and Public Projects
While her main focus remains residential interiors, she has also been involved in curated collaborations, speaking engagements and showcasing her designs via media formats. She brings her design philosophy into more public spheres—fostering appreciation for interiors that are more daring yet accessible.
What Sets Lancaster Apart
There are many interior designers today but few with the consistency, voice and public reach of Anouska Lancaster. What gives her work its edge?
Courageous Yet Sensitive Approach
Many designers will shy away from intensity for fear of alienating clients. Lancaster’s projects are bold, but never brash—always rooted in an emotional intelligence that reads both the building and the person behind it.
Personality as a Foundation
Her work is not style-led; it is personality-led. She stresses that design shouldn’t be prescriptive. She doesn’t force her aesthetic on clients; instead, she teases out what they love, even if unspoken, and helps them trust in colour and contrast. Homes should feel like the people in them, not just like showrooms.
Adaptation and Flexibility
Projects rarely run flawlessly. Lancaster has demonstrated flexibility: pivoting direction, rethinking materials and letting rooms evolve organically rather than forcing them into a predetermined mould.
Educator, Advocate and Storyteller
Through media, interviews, writing and social platforms, Lancaster tells the story of her work. She invites the public inside—not just for glamour shots, but to share process, successes and even failures. That transparency builds trust, admiration and influence.
Key Takeaways: Lessons for Any Home Enthusiast
Even if you won’t rewire your living room in deep teal tomorrow, there are valuable lessons from Anouska Lancaster’s approach.
Dare to Use Colour
If neutrals feel safe but uninspiring, take one small step: choose one saturated tone for a room. Use it on a feature wall, a sofa or a piece of art. Let that spark confidence to play more widely.
Prioritise Layering
Pattern, texture and scale are the building blocks of depth in design. A well-layered room feels rich and lived in. Don’t feel you must match everything; instead, aim for harmony via thoughtful contrast.
Collect and Curate
Design is not just what you buy new. Integrate meaningful objects: travel souvenirs, inherited pieces, family mementos. Lancaster often builds design around existing treasures, weaving them into new schemes.
Design Adaptively
Don’t lock yourself into a rigid plan. As you bring fabrics, furniture or art into a space, the feel might shift. Be willing to move things, reimagine layouts and let the room guide you.
Homes, Not Showrooms
No matter how polished the final image is, Lancaster’s greatest aim is liveability. If a space is unusable, intimidating or precious, it fails its purpose. Always ask: would I want to curl up here, read or host a guest?
Challenges and Critiques
No designer works without critique—and Lancaster’s boldness naturally invites both admiration and occasional scepticism.
Some may argue that bold or maximalist interiors risk “too much” or feel overpowering in small spaces. Lancaster counters this with balance—introducing negative space, simplifying contrasts where needed. Price is often a barrier; such layers and custom details may carry cost. Lancaster’s ethic is about accessible boldness—ways to insert vibrancy without wholesale rebuilds. Trends change, but Lancaster’s strength is less trend-chasing and more rooted in personal expression, making her work more enduring.
Where the Legacy Could Lead
Anouska Lancaster is ideally positioned not just as a designer but as a voice for expressive, joyful interiors. As design continues to evolve beyond bland minimalism, her philosophy may increasingly influence younger designers and homeowners seeking creative freedom.
Future trajectories might include more published work—books or exhibition pieces illustrating her process. Wider retail collaborations such as fabric or wallpaper collections could reflect her colour sensibilities. Educational platforms, guides, workshops or online courses could democratise design confidence. Global projects may also translate her bold yet humane aesthetic into new cultural contexts.
Conclusion
Anouska Lancaster isn’t simply a designer of colourful homes. She is a creative strategist, a translator of personalities into material form and a beacon for those who believe that interiors should carry life, soul and narrative. In a world of muted minimalism, she reminds us that boldness, when rooted in insight and adaptability, can yield rooms that don’t just look beautiful—they feel like you.
