In this episode of The Insider, Alexandra Langdon is joined by Henrietta Martindale, founder of The Styled Writing Company, a Suffolk-based calligraphy and design studio creating beautiful work for weddings, events and luxury brands including Fortnum & Mason, Cartier and Dunhill.

Hen began her career in London's fast-paced world of fashion PR before building a business around her lifelong love of lettering, creativity and thoughtful design. Together, Alexandra and Hen discuss how creativity develops over time, building confidence in your own style, and creating a business and home that reflect who you are.

The conversation explores creating memorable experiences through design, the importance of collaboration within creative industries, and the realities of moving a successful business from London to rural Suffolk. Hen also shares the story behind renovating her farmhouse, how the house has shaped her aesthetic, and why some of the best design decisions come from allowing a space to reveal itself over time.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Building The Styled Writing Company

• Creativity as a skill that grows with confidence

• Finding your own style within a traditional craft

• Creating meaningful experiences through design

• Building relationships and trust with clients

• Moving a creative business from London to Suffolk

• Collaboration, community and creative events

• Renovating a Suffolk farmhouse

• Designing a home that reflects your aesthetic

• Allowing a house to reveal itself over time

Whether you are building a creative business, renovating your home, or navigating your own design journey, this episode offers an honest and inspiring conversation about creativity, confidence and creating a life that feels authentically your own.

CONNECT WITH HENRIETTA:

Instagram: @thestyledwritingcompany

Website: thestyledwritingcompany.com

BUSINESSES & CREATIVES DISCUSSED:

@jakeskitchen

@sophieharveycurated

@minniparkerdesigns

@wildernessreserve

@butleypriory

@wbjwine

@kinship_creativedc

CONNECT WITH ALEXANDRA:

Instagram: @alexandralangdonltd

Website: alexandralangdon.co.uk

Email: theinsider@alexandralangdon.co.uk

Podcast Producer: @mtalbotcreative

Marie has over twenty years’ experience as a broadcast audio producer, working for the BBC, commercial radio, creative agencies, and private clients; her absolute obsession is podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Insider, Alexandra Langdon is joined by Camilla Fraser, an interior designer based in Cape Town whose work includes some of South Africa’s most beautiful hospitality projects, including Coot Club — named House & Garden Hotel of the Year 2024. La Cotte, and properties within the Perfect Hideaways collection, which she designs alongside Dominic Touwen.

Following on from the design journey explored in previous episodes, this conversation brings the process to life through the work of a designer who creates spaces people experience and remember. Together, Alexandra and Camilla discuss designing in response to landscape and architecture, balancing beauty with practicality, and creating interiors that feel both timeless and full of personality.

The episode also explores hospitality versus residential design, the role of colour and atmosphere within interiors, and how collaboration shapes the creative process. Camilla also shares how she works alongside Dominic Touwen, balancing family life with a creative career, and how experience has shaped the way she approaches design today.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Designing spaces people experience and remember

• Creating interiors that feel connected to their surroundings

• Hospitality design versus residential design

• Designing Coot Club and working with landscape

• Using colour, pattern, and texture with confidence

• Creating hotel spaces that feel timeless and individual

• Working collaboratively with Dominic Touwen

• Balancing work, creativity, and family life

• Reflections on creativity and the design journey

Whether you are renovating your home, designing a hospitality space, or interested in how interiors shape the way people feel, this episode offers an honest and thoughtful insight into creating spaces with warmth, character, and longevity.

CONNECT WITH CAMILLA:

Instagram: @camillafraser

Dominic Touwen: @dominictouwen

And view some of the projects discussed @coot.club @la_cotte_farm @perfecthideaways_locations

CONNECT WITH ALEXANDRA:

Instagram: @alexandralangdonltd

Website: alexandralangdon.co.uk

Email: theinsider@alexandralangdon.co.uk

Podcast Producer: @mtalbotcreative

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Insider, Alexandra Langdon is joined by Stacey Dyer from @end_of_the_row

Following on from the design journey explored in previous episodes, this conversation brings the process to life through Stacey’s experience of renovating and designing her Arts and Crafts home over the past three years. Working room by room, Stacey shares the importance of planning, how her approach has evolved, and what she has learned along the way — including developing an understanding of the materials needed to restore a timber-framed house. We also discuss how living in the house has shaped her decisions, what she focused on first in her renovation, and how she hopes documenting the process will encourage other women to approach their own homes with confidence.

From uncovering original features to balancing colour and pattern with the character of an older building, this episode explores the realities of designing a home gradually, and the value of taking time to understand both the space, how you want to live within it, and the materials needed to do this.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How renovating one home shaped the approach to the next

• The importance of understanding how you want to live in your space

• What it means to design a home room by room over time

• How working more slowly can influence design decisions

• Approaching colour and pattern within an older building

• The realities of working with period properties and unexpected challenges

• The balance between creativity and practicality

• Reaching key milestones, including completing the final rooms

• Reflections on the design journey and what Stacey has learned along the way

Whether you are renovating your home gradually or planning a larger project, this episode offers an honest and thoughtful insight into the design process as it unfolds in real life.

CONNECT WITH STACEY:

Instagram: @endoftherow

CONNECT WITH ALEXANDRA:

Instagram: @alexandralangdonltd

Website: alexandralangdon.co.uk

Email: theinsider@alexandralangdon.co.uk

Photo: @brentdarbyphotography

Stylist: @kinship_creativedc

Podcast Producer: @mtalbotcreative

Marie has over twenty years’ experience as a broadcast audio producer, working for the BBC, commercial radio, creative agencies, and private clients; her absolute obsession is podcasting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.