A Day In The Life | Maddux Creative – Interior Design

Maddux Creative is a visionary interior design company that specialises in form, texture and colour quite literally transforming spaces in an alchemy of design. Currently listed in the ‘House & Garden Top 100 Interiors and Product Design House’, the team at Maddux are obsessed with art, architecture, fashion, travel, history and craft which hugely influences their work.

To find out more about the pair behind the creative genius we caught up with director Jo leGleud…

What is your background and why did you both decide to set up Maddux Creative?

Scott and I met during the 1990’s – I had trained in textile design and was working as an embroiderer in the fashion industry in London, and Scott, who had trained as an architect in Tennessee, had relocated to London. We shared a passion for many aesthetic forms of creative expression: fashion, architecture, design, dance and also music, and began working together on interior design projects in the mid naughties. In 2011, we co-founded Maddux Creative.

I’m sure there’s no such thing, but can you describe the closest thing to a ‘typical day’ for you?

My ideal day, is to get business completed early when my brain is at its freshest, so any contractual, financial or planning is tackled first. Checking in with the team and discussing where they may need support or guidance. Then I can wear my creative hat. I focus on bespoke pieces within our projects – be that liaising with makers for specially commissioned pieces or contributing to the whole in terms of colours, textures, sourcing wallpapers and fabrics. I like to throw in a wild card, an offbeat colour or an usual fabric or trim, to add a moment of ‘breath’ from the greater focus or scheme. I spend time painting and sketching and experimenting with materials, something I’m keen to increasingly work on.

How does the design process work with a new client?

There is always a period of ‘getting to know’, in terms of both the project and specifically the brief. Our philosophy has always been to innovate, pushing ours and our clients boundaries, but equally we pay careful attention to how the client functions, where their enthusiasms lie, and what they will always reject, no matter how often we try to challenge them. We produce a mood book, and some initial floor plan sketches to communicate our ideas and the many and various avenues we could follow. Each subsequent client meeting refines these into a clear design path for the project.

What would be your dream project/ client?

We’ve often wondered what amazing things we could achieve working with Roisin Murphy, we are both big fans of her and her music. She’s a visionary. Brave and beautiful. Maybe she has a house in Ibiza, that would be perfect.

Your projects are a glorious blend of sophisticated and playful, do you have any design advice for someone looking to transform a space in their home?

Thank you! I would say to look at ‘the bones’ of the building, and look for what you love about the space and enhance that as your first priority. That may be ‘adding’ or it may be ‘taking away’ to allow the beauty to breathe. Enjoy the colours, patterns and textures you love and allow the story of your life to come through – a tablecloth found on your travels or a special family heirloom passed down through the generations.

Your designs are inspired by a whole host of things ranging from art to history, fashion and architecture etc but what would you say inspires you both the most?

 I’d say, the main inspiration has to be the client and the space we are working on. Scott and I are passionate about the arts, fashion, travel, craft and architecture, and these are very much all tools in our kit, but we only bring out what we need for the job at hand.

What does the rest of 2020 have in store for you? Do you have any exciting plans for 2021? 

Throughout lockdown our current projects have been super busy (we can’t wait to be ready to share pictures) but we also took the opportunity to take stock of where we are and what we’ve achieved, looking into areas we would like to focus on going forwards.  It has been a very positive time for us. There are some new things on the horizon which we’re looking forward to talking about later this year.

Images: Maddux Creative