after two decades of offering a suite of creative services to the press, media, brands and home-loving individuals, it’s fair to say i know my subject

Interiors Author Joanna Thornhill at home on sofa with laptop v2.jpg

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Over the years, I’ve styled and written interiors features for many of the UK’s leading interiors magazines, produced and directed photoshoots for dozens of lifestyle brands, set dressed and styled event spaces and TV sets, and created branded content and copy for both on and offline.

Alongside ad-hoc projects, I love getting stuck into chunkier challenges, where I can bring my perfectionistic planning skills and discerning eye for both the macro and micro detail into play.

My experiences working as Acting Assistant Homes & Crafts Editor for Woman’s Weekly magazine, and as an ongoing Contributing Emerging Trends Editor for leading worldwide trend forecasting authority WGSN, have all helped refine my editing and project management skills. This practice proved invaluable throughout the process of creating my six interiors books, all of which involved mammoth amounts of planning and logistics to bring them to fruition.

The intersection

These experiences have led me to work more broadly over the years, allowing me to hone my skills in creative direction, production, researching, editing, public speaking, consultancy and media relations. I relish the opportunity to tackle multiple aspects of any project, helping to steer ideas from initial concept all the way to fruition.

Now, alongside my styling and writing work, I am increasingly called on to collaborate with brands in an expert or ambassadorial capacity, alongside hosting workshops and talks. I am currently creating a short suite of workshops for West Dean London (formerly the KLC School of Design), which I will be teaching from late 2025 onwards.

I have also developed my own creative consultancy services, to help both commercial and residential clients plan their photoshoots (or home decorating schemes) in an affordable, accessible way.

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My ethos

Interiors and design has been a life-long passion for me - and increasingly my growing fascination with the ‘why’ behind it all has led me to explore the world of neuro-aesthetics (essentially, the effect different design aspects, such as colour, texture, shape and light, can have on our overall wellbeing).

This now informs my approach to everything I do, ensuring my design schemes and advice are based around supporting a desired emotional response, whether that’s creating a look that invigorates, cocoons or calms (and explaining how to achieve it).

The pandemic hammered home for many of us how important living in a supportive space is for our broader happiness, yet doing so in a conscious, sustainable way is not only morally responsible, but also a key part of the picture (research has shown that surrounding ourselves with natural materials can help calm a frazzled nervous system and even clean the air we breathe). Wherever possible, I favour working with retailers, designer/makers, brands and clients whose work is respectful of the planet and its finite resources.

I love communicating all these ideas to readers or listeners through the words and visuals I create and compile, and pride myself on offering as many practical and actionable tips as possible which explain what works and why, empowering everyone to get creative and design a home (or create a commercial campaign) that will both look and feel good.