Charlotte Save on Timeless Interiors, Real Life Design and the Art of Getting It Right

Charlotte Save

I think clients come with, residential clients really, they come with a really romantic view of how they live in this place and how they want to live, especially when it's a new property.

that they've just bought or building. They have this romantic go on, get to live like this. I always entertain for 20 and therefore I always need X amount of dining chairs around the table. But actually, what does life look like on a really dull Tuesday morning in January?

Imke Du Toit

Hello and welcome to FCI London podcast where we sit down with some of London's most influential luxury designers to explore the ideas and craftsmanship behind their exceptional interiors. My name is Imke Du Toit and I am your host today and I'm delighted to be joined by Charlotte Save, founder of Charlotte Save Interiors, a London based interior and architecture design studio delivering high end residential and boutique commercial projects across the UK and internationally. In Charlotte's works beautifully combined Scandinavian restraint with warmth and layered textures. With a strong focus on architectural clarity, proportion, and spatial flow, she creates interiors that feel calm, considered, and deeply connected to the context, balancing clean lines with tactile finishes and subtle detailing. Charlotte, welcome. It's an absolute pleasure to have you here with us today.

Charlotte Save

Delighted to be here. Thank you for having me.

Imke Du Toit

pleasure. So Charlotte, we are just going to jump straight in. Let's talk a little bit about design philosophy and identity. Your work strikes a balance between Scandinavian restraint and warmth. In a market that loves bold statements, how do you defend subtlety as a confident design decision rather than just playing it safe?

Charlotte Save

Yes, it's less about neutrality and absence of colour and it's more about composition and intention. I think there's definitely a place for neutrals but colour can be neutral as well. Sometimes what I do is choose kind of simplicity and kind of operating and driving back a beautifully muted olive or a terracotta in the right property can actually feel quite grounding. So really it's about understanding what the architecture of the property is, the light and the location as well. What will work for us here in London might not work in other places. It's really about letting the property speak and dialing that back.

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely, allow the property to sort of speak for itself and work within subtleties as well and bring that to those designs. So many designers taught timeless interiors, but in your experience, what discipline does timeless design demand and what does it force you to avoid?

Charlotte Save

I think it's about restraint and also really about long-term thinking. It really requires you to prioritise layout, proportion, comfort. It's less about what's trending and really about understanding how the home is going to stand the test of time for that family, for the family to grow. So it's less about traditional versus modern. It's all about creating a backdrop for your clients. So we can easily repaint a wall, et cetera, but actually a really well-made sofa or a really well-considered joinery or the right choice in flooring will look equally fresh in 10 years time.

Imke Du Toit

And I love what you said about, you know, with the long-term thinking and also with the clients itself as well. I mean, what is timeless to them versus what's timeless to you as a designer and then how that all works and how you bring that all together. So, no, absolutely agree with that. I mean, when dealing with architecturally strong properties as you do, I mean, do you ever feel that the building itself calls more of the shots than the client's vision?

Charlotte Save

I think often a client has chosen a property because they are aligned with the properties character. So I rarely see someone come to me and they've bought an incredibly contemporary home and then they want a really traditional English country house. Of course things can happen, but it's really those kind of conversations that happen already early on when we see the property. That said, the architecture of the property sets certain parameters, especially when we're dealing with older homes, ceiling heights or original features, or if it's listed homes, we are into particular restrictions. A client may have had kind of early thought process for a property when it's a new property or if they're redoing their home, I want to take these walls down, et cetera. But actually with window placements or a listed building or just kind of general piping, et cetera, behind the walls, we just can't make that vision happen. So that's probably more when the client's vision might need to be adjusted. But I think I like to see it as a collaboration between what the client had envisioned and what actually the building is. And the architecture really sets the framework. But the client is what brings the lifestyle and the personality to the building. And my role really as a designer is really to make sure that those two are in conversation with each other rather than in conflict with each other.

Imke Du Toit

Yes, absolutely. It's finding that harmony, that balance between the two. Because as you said as well, certain architectural structures isn't going to necessarily work for some designs and some of the clients' visions. But like you said as well, it's your job to make sure that it can marry with each other and find that harmonious level and platform to make sure everything syncs together. I'm sure you must have gone through a moment where something's really very contrasting, I'm sure.

Charlotte Save

Yeah, it's about being respectful for the setting as well. And finding something that's completely personal works with the building, but equally works with personality for the client. The challenge maybe more comes when we're building a property from scratch, the client has a vision, you know, they want a very traditional piece, I want this, I want that. It is a conversation that's happened quite early already.

Imke Du Toit

So home owners today are armed with opinions. Pinterest boards and a decent understanding of design. Has this made the process more collaborative or has it really complicated matters slightly?

Charlotte Save

I would definitely say both. I do see it actually quite as a positive, which I think today clients arrive and they're much more visually literate in that way. They then perhaps they were before they've saved images. They've really thought about how they want to and often what they like and also what they don't like. I think it's, we talk a lot about what they like, but actually it's equally important to really understand what they don't like. And that is a really strong starting point. And we have actually a kind of a shared visual language quite quickly, which then can make the process feel more collaborative already from day one, because especially when we work with residential, it is about a collaborative process because at the end of the day, the client is the one that's going to live in the home. I think when it maybe becomes more complicated is when images can really be taken out of context. And a room might look really beautiful but then back to what we were saying earlier about the building's architecture and light. Every home is unique and so we're not here to copycat and we can't physically copy. And that image, what makes that image look so good is often a very specific set of parameters. The architecture, the light, the proportions specific to that building, that room and that client's house and how they live. But my role again really is about translation. I'm not here to copy somebody else's work, but I want to understand what it is about maybe that image that the client has brought to me that speaks to them. So is it the palette? Is it the mood? You know, what is it exactly? And if once we get into the nitty gritty of that and understand that a little bit better, actually we can create something that's going to evoke the feeling that they got from that same Pinterest but in their own setting. So yes it's collaborative but it still requires a little bit of guidance.

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely. No, of course. I love what you said earlier as well. I mean, it's probably becoming a little bit more collaborative than it possibly has. And, you know, a couple of years ago before everything came out, it made it a little bit easier, as you said, for clients to figure out what they like. And as you said, very importantly, what they don't like as well. You know, so I think then that avoids possibly clashes between designer and client from the get go, you know, automatically, because what you might see in the space and what they see in the space from the beginning might be very, very different. So I think it is quite nice that it does become that collaborative partnership between designer and client, is great. I mean, at what stage do you find yourself gently nudging a client away from their preferences? Because I'm sure that must happen at times. I mean, how do you do that without offending their aesthetic sensibilities? Because that's quite a difficult one sometimes, you know.

Charlotte Save

Yes, the word nudging is, I see it more as guiding and it's not necessarily about moving somebody away from their preference. I think clients come with, residential clients really, they come with a really romantic view of how they live in this place and how they want to live, especially when it's a new property that they've just bought or building. They have this romantic go on, get to live like this. I always entertain for 20 and therefore I always need X amount of dining chairs around the table. But actually, what does life look like on a really dull Tuesday morning in January? And it's raining and you're inside. It's really about understanding the client and getting underneath their skin. And really I spent a lot of time understanding the clients habits. And this goes also when I work with commercial clients as well. We do a lot of work to understand the reality because an employee will say, oh, well, I'm in every week, three days a week. But actually when we do these surveys, do the workshops, the reality is quite different. Again, both ways it's about getting under the skin and therefore we can tease out the reality and therefore it's about guiding. So it's less about dismissing their preferences and about understanding them. What is it about that preference that they're drawn to? Is it the drama, the warmth or the simplicity, whatever that is? And we can try to honour the feeling that they're trying to get out of it, in the execution. So it's not about the nudging is less about saying no and pushing you in a certain direction. And it's more about let's find a collaborative way to achieve that where we can translate it into a reality that can easily work so they don't feel like they've compromised on anything. You come into commercial spaces, and that's where there's so many similarities between commercial and residential as well. We don't renovate spaces in order to do them every other year. And interior design and creating interior spaces is a huge investment. And so really they need to be able to stand the test of time and whether that is in a commercial space that's used actually quite hard wearing versus a residential space where you really need it to grow with you and you need to make sure that you feel that the choice that you've made today is still going to stand the test of time. And in 10 years time, you're still going to feel like that wood floor is the best choice that you made.

Imke Du Toit

No, definitely. Absolutely. Was there any kind of experience you've had maybe where it was quite difficult to nudge a client who really decided that they were really stuck in what they wanted? I mean, I'm just curious. You know, do you find that often?

Charlotte Save

Yeah, you definitely have. I've had clients who are absolutely adamant this is their way and they know this is how I behave and I know I can see myself and then you revisit the client a little bit later and you're like, I already see that that's not how you're behaving. Yeah, is that how you feel actually? Yeah, no, you're right. Maybe we don't quite use it. I mean, you're always going to have that challenge and it's like with anything as well. It's also about picking your battles. It's at the end of the day, the client, it's their home. You can only guide them so far, but at the end of the day, if they're absolutely adamant about a decision, it's their home.

Imke Du Toit

Sure. It is their home, you can only guide so far. Yes, and that's obviously it comes back to that relationship with the client, client designer relationship as well. It's always a little bit fickle sometimes at moments. Let's look a little bit at market conditions and trade and tariffs. With the rising material costs, trade restrictions and longer lead times, how has this shifted your approach to specification and early design decisions?

Charlotte Save

Early decisions are definitely more important than they've ever been. We absolutely need to work even more upfront than we perhaps have ever have. We always need to work upfront, but I would say much more awareness here. When we have a long project, we obviously do that from the beginning, but overall, we just need to make sure that we've built it in and we've ordered it in time and then it works. It's about understanding the interdependencies of the decisions that are being made so that we are placing them at the right time and still leave space for things to get delayed. That's the reality. In a world of yes, global tariffs, we live in a post-Brexit world as well where even getting things into here in the UK and getting things out of the UK into Europe as well is equally challenging. And so just that awareness of what that additional lead time adds to it. And especially when you work with small suppliers as well, that's even more important. You know, large suppliers, they're driving pre-approved trucks across borders and with smaller suppliers, we're chasing things down in customs. It adds lead time and complexity, it also adds time and complexity for us and admin work for us as designers. We really have to be experts in global shipping as well. It's also changed how I present options. I definitely prepare a primary choice. We understand the lead times et cetera, but we have a really well considered backup alternative always. If availability shifts, we're not redesigning an entire scheme. Actually, we have an option that's going to work really well. And it is an option that the client really liked. We might have already shown the option to the client and said here's definitely option A, let's go with this. Let's try to get this on the timings, et cetera. This might be difficult depending on when it's coming in. And that kind of transparency and forward thinking I think is often really well received.

Imke Du Toit

Well, that's great. I think you're absolutely right. Transparency is key in communication, especially within this industry, for sure. Do clients truly understand the intricacies of global trade and tariffs? Or is that a conversation most would rather avoid? I mean, as we're talking about transparency and communication with clients, what do you think?

Charlotte Save

Clients don't necessarily need to know every detail and they don't want to know every detail. I think the conversation around tariffs, everyone's very aware of it today. I don't know that there's a reality of tariffs coming in. But perhaps I think it's more of an awareness about understanding how it directly impacts their project. Less about kind of explaining global trade and more about saying, okay, this item is on X lead time. We are subject to tariffs coming in. That's going to add this extra cost. This is overall what it's going to mean for budget and timings for this project. And having that kind of transparency upfront when we're making choices for things that need to come in is key. I think when we frame it in really practical terms, clients are really open to engaging with it. And again, you know, at that point, we can also say, no, this is not something that we're willing to choose. Let's find something else. We don't think that this item is worth bringing in for that cost or actually, yes, we're willing to wait for it. Let's do it. I mean, I did a large project in the US as tariffs were being introduced last year and so tariffs weren't something that we had originally incorporated into the project because those additional tariffs didn't exist when we kicked off the project and when we supplied the items and for a lot of the items even when we had placed our orders. But at this point you are, you know, you are perhaps in for some surprises. We get some chairs coming in and there's not a lot we can do about it. Being really transparent with the client, you know, this is what's actually happening. We got on a call pretty immediately with the client and said this is what's happening in the news. This is what we're understanding. It's potentially going to impact the project. But again, it's a change in fee. But in some cases, it definitely added cost. In some cases we looked at whether to buy fewer items but they're happy. It's really hard. I like to just make the client feel like I'm here and I'm working for them. When it's smaller pieces as well, you know, if I can put a few meters of fabric in my suitcase and avoid lots of complication, lots of admin, I've done that. And small wins really make the client feel that you're there and you're working for them. You're not taking these costs if we can avoid it. We can't avoid it on large items, but if we can on small, let's try to do that.

Imke Du Toit

Let's look a little bit at luxury furniture and sourcing. I mean, in luxury design, furniture can make or break a space. When sourcing luxury furniture in London, what are the markers of quality and longevity that go beyond simply brand names? I mean, if we look at that.

Charlotte Save

Yeah, it's more about construction rather than the label that's attached to it, is what I would say. It's the items, you know, it's the elements that we don't necessarily see up front. It's the frame, it's the joinery, it's how something is built. A really well-made sofa, for example, it feels solid, it feels comfortable. It's not just soft when you sit down, it's the seat, it's the cushion composition. All of that is what's going to also make sure it stands the test of time. And you know, materials are so important. What materials are going to finish and age gracefully as well are really important. I have to touch and feel absolutely everything. What leather is really going to feel like it's going to patina really well over the years as well. Again, it's that element of luxury. A leather armchair that's developed a really nice patina, has really high quality leather, that's going to look really beautiful in 10 years time and feel equally luxurious, rather than something that's going to crack and then it doesn't feel luxury. So again, that material is so important. It's not really about branding, it's about integrity. If a piece is really beautifully well made, it's going to evolve with the client as well. And you know, you can identify it in the space, but it is really about getting behind the scenes. And I also love speaking to suppliers and understanding what their processes are, going to factories, to where anything is made. When you're working with a carpenter, going to their joinery workshop, really seeing how things are made as well, really helps you to understand that this is a luxury piece that's being made and created and feels that the brand is speaking with integrity, but it also allows you to recommend the item with integrity to the client as well and justify that price point that they're paying for it.

Imke Du Toit

I mean, with global supply chains in flux, do you find that clients are more willing to wait for bespoke pieces or are they turning to readily available alternatives to save time?

Charlotte Save

I think it comes down to what we were talking about earlier about lead times and things as well. And yes, I would say most clients are willing to wait for the right piece. But only when the expectations are made clear from the very beginning. So, you know, if we're proposing something two weeks out from installation and something last minute's come up and all of a sudden that one's like 16 week lead times. Yeah, maybe less willing to wait. But if we are making decisions really early on and are aware of those kinds of items, then yes, clients are willing, you know, the lead times really don't necessarily matter so much to the clients. You know, if we're on a two-year build and something has a 16-week lead time, we've built it in to the timing. So they're not going to ever feel like they're waiting for it. It's back to that really making early decisions, having that overall awareness into dependencies. But it's also about balancing where it's right to have the bespoke pieces and where you don't need a bespoke piece. I think, again, this is where I really want to make sure that the client feels like I'm working for them. I always like to say, I classify things in A, B, and C, so in your most important rooms, in your living rooms and your bedrooms, that kind of space. Yes, of course, let's have beautiful bespoke pieces, but in your fourth guest bedroom, we may not need that. And so I think it's about proposing bespoke pieces in spaces that are important, the most important to the client. And so they're going to be willing to wait for it. Whereas if we're proposing a bespoke piece in the fourth guest bedroom, they're probably not going to want to wait. And again, having that kind of open conversation with the client in terms of importance is key.

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely, some places you don't see it every day or you're not interacting with it every day. No, absolutely. Let's have a look a little bit at technology and AI. I mean, we can't really get away from these conversations. I think they're going to keep coming as we go. I mean, AI can generate concepts in minutes now. I mean, but do you view it as a helpful tool for visual communication or is it a shortcut that risks stifling true design thinking?

Charlotte Save

I view it as a tool rather than a replacement of the design process. It can be incredibly useful for visual communication. It can be a quick way of helping clients understand a mood or a layout or the direction we're heading in. And so it can definitely help speed up the conversations that we're having with clients and also potentially the confidence that it gives in a certain look that we're going for. The thinking still has to come first. A successful interior isn't just about the image. It's everything that goes behind it. So it's about understanding the architecture, the light, proportions, the budget, like we've talked about so much today, how someone's going to live day to day in the property, all those things and understanding how all of those things interact. AI can't help us get into that. They can help generate visuals, but it can't do those judgments for us. So I see it as stifling creativity only when the human element is missing. It's definitely a tool, but we have to do the human thinking alongside it. It becomes stifling when the human thinking isn't done alongside it. It's when someone's feeding AI and thinking that it can do it for you. That's when it's a problem. But if we're doing all of that creative thinking and we're just using it as a tool, you know, it takes a lot of human thought to feed what's needed in order for a really correct, amazing AI image to be generated. So there's so much human creativity actually often behind an AI generated image. So it's a tool that we use hand in hand. It's a tool that's here to stay in the industry. We need to find ways to evolve with it.

Imke Du Toit

No, absolutely. I think that actually comes down to my second question. I think you sort of maybe answered it already. But I mean, what's the one thing AI generated interiors still don't quite get right about how people actually live in a space? I think you've already sort of touched on it already, you know, that there is that human touch that we can't get away from that AI cannot generate for the client. And I feel as well, as you mentioned, it's a picture can give you an idea of what the space could look like, but it's not going to be able to build that space, it's not going to, as you mentioned as well, that creativity prior to that, all the backward thinking, all the work that goes into it from the start, isn't there. So I mean, is there one thing that you think still it's not getting quite right?

Charlotte Save

Yeah, I mean, it's great for feeding certain elements into AI and I've only dabbled a little bit with image creation through AI. But I think, you know, there's also a huge amount of experts out there that actually create really beautiful images using other 3D rendering tools. And also there's a lot for hand sketching and hand rendering. So I think all of those kinds of quick elements, AI isn't fully doing that for us yet. There's still, as I said, there's still such a human element behind it. So I think we will evolve with it and we have to, technology is moving, we have to evolve. I was talking a lot about image creation, but actually there's so much that AI can do to help drive some of the admin time as well. That's also not something to forget. We're so focused on the images that AI can generate, but actually we can really see helpful tools perhaps more in the back office side of things that's going to allow us to be more present with the client and spend more time on that creative thinking.

Imke Du Toit

No, absolutely. Let's have a look a little bit at perspective on the industry. I mean looking at today's design industry, would you say it's becoming more thoughtful or is it simply reacting to trends and algorithms in an endless cycle? Because as you see there's so many things that's happening, everyone's got, you know, there's so much access to so much stuff at the moment as well. I think there's a lot more, you know, clients are able to access a lot more things as well. There's so many trends and algorithms constantly all the time and you know, how do you feel about the design industry today?

Charlotte Save

That's very true. We are, I think we are also in such an image led world today. Everything is coming at us in so many different directions. I definitely think it is forcing us to be more thoughtful and to take that step back. It's not about digital detox or anything like that. It's about being more thoughtful where you are looking for inspiration as well. I mean, I am a huge fan of books and print editorial as well. And kind of, again, like we talked about materials, physically holding things and that forces you to be more thoughtful because it takes more time to look and you actually have to digest those images longer. When you're just scrolling on your phone or on whatever device you're using, you're digesting images so quickly. And actually you're not actually digesting them. So I definitely think by being in a more digital world, it is forcing us to be more thoughtful as well. And I also think we are much more aware of sustainability and longevity as well. Again, it's forcing us to be more thoughtful, to think more longer term, perhaps. And so again, like we were talking about an armchair and the longevity of an armchair, whatever that is, we are really thinking, okay, how can this stand the test of time? We're not going to do this twice. And I think again, that's really forcing us to be much more thoughtful to really understand how a space can evolve with its residential family over time. So this is actually going to function equally well now as in 10, 15, 20 years time. That craves a huge moment of thoughtfulness and just kind of taking a moment to pause. I think we've always done it, but things are moving so quickly. So taking that moment now and pausing and saying, and communicating it and articulating that that's the thoughtfulness that we have done to land the project.

Imke Du Toit

So, just, you know, looking at a little bit of our closing remarks, you know, with just wrapping up our conversation, which has been fantastic. I mean, London remains one of the world's luxury furniture hubs. I mean, when engaging with large scale destinations like, well, like FCI London as an example, I mean, what truly helps designers to stay inspired and avoid being overwhelmed by the, you know, sheer variety of choice. As we talked about all the variety of choice digitally. I mean, let's look at, you know, large scale destinations of luxury furniture hubs that you also avoid feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of choice.

Charlotte Save

I think preparation is key for me. It's easy to feel, if you're just walking in somewhere and you don't know what you're looking for, it is going to feel overwhelming because there is so much choice. Which, you know, it's amazing that today we have all this choice, but preparing, you know, what is it actually that I'm sourcing today? What is it that you're looking at? And actually not going in somewhere and trying to do a whole home in one go. So I think that's also the key is to say, okay, today, even though you think obviously about the home as a whole and you have that red thread that should carry through. But actually, once it comes down to sourcing and specifying each room, it's really about taking that room and, okay, what am I sourcing for today? What's my preparation? What's my list? And I think that's what helps you feel less overwhelmed when you go into large spaces. It's being prepared and knowing what you're looking for, but also letting yourself be drawn by inspiration by other things that you see. No matter how prepared you can go in and be like, yes, I found exactly the things that I was looking at on my list. But actually, oh my God, I'm so inspired by what I saw here. It's taken me in a slightly different direction. But in the back of my mind, I always have something else over here. You know, every time I'm going to kind of furniture showrooms or fabric showrooms or whatever it is, I have, I'm prepared, I have what I'm looking for. But equally, I always end up with something I wasn't looking for. You're not bothered by the space, and that's also because you're prepared and you're looking at things in a very focused way. Yeah, absolutely. It's about clarity. I think it's about clarity in that preparation. I think it's in everything that we do.

Imke Du Toit

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. But thank you so much, Charlotte, for sharing your insights and your thoughtful approach to creating your interiors. It's been absolutely wonderful hearing how you balance everything. And it's been a wonderful conversation. So thank you so much for joining us today. We really do appreciate it. And I'm sure all of our lovely listeners and viewers have really enjoyed this discussion and can take quite a few things away from it. So to all our listeners and viewers, thank you so much for joining us again on FCI London podcast. Keep following, keep designing and join us again as we continue our conversations with London's most influential luxury designers. And again, thank you so much, Charlotte. It's been an absolute pleasure.