Everything starts with a story, and Andrea Leiper's story begins with the tale of a creative, sensitive, introverted child who found joy in the simplest of things. Given a cardboard box, she was in her element, crafting beautiful (well, she thought they were) rooms for her dolls, making furniture, wallpaper, and window treatments from offcuts her Auntie gave her from the local Mill where she worked. If she wasn't making, she was drawing her own interiors, each with many mysterious levels.

Andrea remains a creative dreamer, but now, with over 20 years as an interior designer, she has had the privilege of putting her passions into practice. She is deeply passionate about the homes we live in and how our environments shape us as individuals, just as we shape our environments. For her, interiors have always been about how a space feels before how it looks. She believes our homes should feel nurturing, like a huge comforting hug, places where we can re-energise and then go back into the world sharing our positive energies.

Andrea is a mother to a 29-year-old son and a 15-year-old adopted son who came to her as a foster child at 2 1/2 years old. His arrival was a significant learning curve, teaching her how crucial a nurturing environment is for health and wellbeing. It was a grounding part of her family's journey. She is also a stepmother (a term she’s not fond of; any better suggestions are welcome!) to two grown-up sons, having been with them since they were 12 and 10 years old, making hers a rather male-dominated household!

Andrea has never been a trend follower, whether in school or as an adult. She always goes with her gut instincts—if it feels right, then it is right. Surrounding herself with things she connects with and loves has always been natural for her. She believes wholeheartedly that the place you spend a lot of time in affects how you feel, which in turn affects how you react to everyday life.

Her travels, both near and far, and her love for nature have always inspired her. She’s been fortunate to take lovely road trips in her motorhome (previously a Volkswagen bay camper until nighttime bathroom trips became too challenging!). She collects beautiful handmade textiles, fabrics, and artifacts from around the world. Her style is eclectic by nature, and her home reflects this—a global eclectic mix full of memories and stories from her life’s journey, family, friends, travels, nature, art, textiles, patterns, textures, colors, and books.

Andrea believes in having beautiful and functional items in the home that bring joy. She also believes that wellbeing and health are key to creating a great-feeling interior, not just a great-looking one. she likes to pull her inspirations from nature, keeping things considered to our individual needs. Eco-friendliness and sustainability are vital to her. She is a prolific upcycler of preloved items and supports buying local artisanal handmade goods and supporting local businesses.

Her passion for interiors, textiles, colour, and pattern naturally led her to surface pattern design. After working with fabrics and wallpapers for many years, it was inevitable. She gets completely lost and absorbed in designing beautiful patterns, always with sustainability and natural materials, colour, and textures in mind.

Her other loves include yoga, walking, art, history, reading, gardening, and dogs, especially her dog Rosie, who loves to be her personal assistant. Rosie enjoys their daily wellbeing walks, chatting about all things creative, collecting seasonal nature treasures, and running free while Andrea collects and photographs the beauty they are lucky to have on their doorstep through the seasons.

Andrea believes in supporting other female-led businesses and collaborating whenever possible, building a strong community with fulfilling and mindful relationships. She looks forward to sharing all she has learned on her creative journey, whether through interior consultancy, one-on-one coaching, self-paced courses, community courses, her surface pattern journey or her netwalking events for creative and wellbeing women in business. Her work is always led by environments, health, wellbeing, and a growth mindset.

Andrea looks forward to meeting and continuing to build a beautiful, like-minded community.

See you in the Facebook community.

Andrea Leiper

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