Mary Graham & Nicole Salvesen
Meet the interior design duo behind Salvesen Graham and our latest collaboration, Mary Graham and Nicole Salvesen. Fellow lovers of print and florals, we sit down to discuss how they began their journey in the world of interior design.
How did you both meet?
We met at Durham University so were friends for many years before serving up the business together.
How was Salvesen Graham born?
We had both already been working in the industry for around 8 years when we decided to set up Salvesen Graham together, It wasn’t specifically part of the business plan but we were very grateful for the partnership when we ended up having 4 babies between us in as many years!
What is your nighttime routine and what are you most looking forward to from the Yolke x Salvesen Graham capsule collection?
Nicole - "I try not to go to bed too late as I like to exercise early in the morning. But my ideal routine is getting into bed early enough to have the time to have a bit of a pamper, lots of hand and face creams, and delicious scented pillow spray, before settling down to read a few chapels of my book and popping an eye mask on as I find I sleep so much better when I wear one!
Mary - "I am terrible at a nighttime routine - I stay up late working and then feel tired all the time so my resolution is to get a better routine! I do love using a night oil on my face and my whole family are hot water bottle users so maybe I’m not as bad as I think… I’m obviously looking forward to the hottie, and also the robe and pyjamas as I love taking my dog out first thing in the morning before I’ve got changed for the day."
What has been your most exciting project to date or most fun to work on?
We spent a few years working on a wonderful Grade 1 country house in Cornwall with the loveliest of clients. It’s not often that all the ingredients for a fabulous project come together at the same time but this was one of those moments - and when it happens you have to make the most of it! In our line of work, there is very little that beats the thrill of knowing you have had a part to play in the history of a house that has stood for hundreds of years, and will hopefully stand for hundreds more. It is incredibly satisfying. For us, the perfect project is when both the house and client are charming and easy to work with and that was the case here.
You have just celebrated your 10 year anniversary of Salvesen Graham, what are you most looking forward to in the next 10?
We are so proud of everything we have achieved in the past 10 years and the scope of our projects continues to grow which keeps us and our team on our toes. We also have some brilliant products planned with The Collection and have recently returned from a trip to the US which is always inspiring. It also feels important to take a moment to reflect on it all. We have some very exciting things in the pipeline for 2024/25 but, because of the slow nature of working on big projects you’ll just have to keep your eyes peeled!
Where does your print inspiration come from?
We find ourselves most inspired by fashion textile designs from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Historically colour was so much bolder, and we love the original colour tones you find from that period.
Your offices are in London, but you have clients across the world - where has been the most exotic destination for Salvesen Graham?
We worked on a project in Mumbai before Covid which was a fun adventure. We were just saying the other day that it would be nice to have a property on a tropical island on our project list to balance a mountain home we’ve recently completed for a client.
Follow Mary & Nicole on Instagram to stay up to date with Salvesen Graham
@salvesengraham | www.salvesengraham.com
