A Chat With Creative Sera Hersham-Loftus: London-Based Interior Designer

Sera Hersham Loftus working

We were created by the Creator to create.  And the creative industry is just as valuable as the banking, print, construction, law, or manufacturing industries.

There are over 230,000 interior designers in Britain, and over 65,000 of those are freelancers- according to the British Design Council. It can be a challenge to design an inside space, and that’s where Interior Designers come in.  They make interior spaces beautiful, safe, decorative and functional with color, lighting, and unique items.  

Sera Hersham- Loftus is a London based Interior Designer. She lives her passion and decorates homes and spaces that are wildly romantic, infused with a spirit of artistic reverie. As a creator of spaces, Sera works with other creatives- the finest craftsmen, painters, gilders, and builders in London and Paris.

Her family heritage is of Yemenite Jewry, from a desert tribe where they wandered in the desert. And that heritage is evident in her work- from her ancestors building fires, building tents, and taking shawls and cushions with them wherever they went to today, with Sera taking interior finds with her wherever she goes to create unique spaces.

Her passion for interior design started when Sera was still a child. She would change around her bedroom to create different feels. Then a few years later she moved to Israel, and there she designed sets and costumes for the Israel Ballet. From there she returned to London and worked for Sadler’s Wells Theater. Sera designed the set for La bohème, an Italian opera, as well as other sets for operas, plays and ballets. From there her career snowballed to designing friend’s homes, and because of word of mouth her work has kept her busy.

Some of Sera's Work

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Seele Magazine: There are many interior designers in the world, what makes your styling different?

Sera Hersham-Loftus: I'm a romantic. And my interiors reflect this. I don't conform to any sort of interior design rules. My work is my passion and an art form rather than a day job.  

SM: Describe your interior designer style.

SH-L: It's bohemian and full of character.   Old world rustic charm.  One would feel as if you have stepped into a magical, mysterious world from another age. Influences of different eras, but carefully infused with a sense of artist reverie.  

SM: How did you know interior design was your calling?

SH-L: As a child I was always changing my room around when I came back from school to see how it felt to sleep this way or that way. How the lighting was affected when I draped my mothers coloured fringed scarves over the shades.  What it felt like to burn incense and candles and close the curtains during the day.  These were my experiments unbeknown to me that would teach me the art of how to create the strong ambiences and atmospheres that I now create.

SM: Who or what inspires you?

SH-L: I am inspired by old French, Spanish and Italian films- their interiors and their gardens.  

At the moment my style is to design indoor gardens for people.  So I am always walking around beautiful gardens to inspire me.  

I find the vintage in most cultures is an inspiration.  

I also get inspired by vintage clothing.  I have a large collection and don't wear anything but vintage.  That is a true inspiration.  I can design an entire room. For example, I have designed a room around a piece of peach 1930s satin from a vintage night gown.

SM: What does your faith and family ancestry as a Yemenite Jew mean to you?

SH-L: Being a Jewess is my inner strength and guiding light.  
I have a very strong sense of family and morals and principles.  I love the community and the sense of belonging. I go to synagogue most weeks and it can be a very emotional time or indeed a very light fun experience.   But it's always laced with richness and warmth.  

SM: What advice do you have for aspiring young interior designers, who want to work for themselves but are fearful to start a business?

SH-L: My advice would be if you REALLY feel this is your calling and you have a strong taste for how you like to live in an interior then its definitely for you.  I would work for established designers and learn the trade and along the way connect with artisans and craftspeople and build up a team that you will have when you branch off on your own. Always develop your OWN style that is unique to you!