A Life in Design

Veere’s design process is a well-oiled machine and has remained the same for many years. It can be broken down into three key stages, and in this lesson, he takes you through each one with advice on how to approach them.

There are key moments within the design process that are essential to get right; Veere emphasises exactly which parts are worth spending time and energy to perfect.

Veere has had many notable influences in his design career, but the work of architect John Soane is of particular importance. He dedicates this lesson to the values and principles found in Soane’s designs that he has implemented in his own work.

Serene and orderly, but never minimalist; characterful and captivating, but never maximalist; discover the non-negotiables in Veere’s work that contribute to his signature style.

The library at Gazebo is the heart of the home and is very much a working room. Veere muses on an increasing preference amongst his clients for an additional space to their living room, such as a library or a den, that can be a relaxing sanctuary.

Veere has had a lifelong fascination with beauty, and it’s something he has been drawn to and in the pursuit of all his life. He considers what this means as an interior designer and how it impacts his work.

For this section of the course, you will be touring The Temple, situated in a little village called Stoke-by-Nayland in Suffolk. While it had been a mystery for many years, we know now that it was very likely to have been built in the mid-18th century by Robert Taylor.

The main room at The Temple is what the entire building is all about. Veere discusses how its typically Palladian architecture informed all of his decorating decisions.

One of the hardest elements to get right is a furniture plan, but Veere explains that once this is set, colour and decoration can evolve over time.

Veere shares the tricks he has learnt over the years to give decorating schemes an elevated feeling. These might be small details, but they make a big difference.

A small but perfectly formed space, find out how Veere approached its decoration in relation to the main room of the house.

Beneath the main room are a series of smaller rooms with much more of a cottage feel. Previously derelict, these rooms were renovated to be habitable in the 1960s by David Hicks.

Veere talks through the features of the guest bedrooms and how he has furnished and decorated them to be a place of restorative solace for his guests.

The front porch acts as the supporting structure to the room upstairs, as well as being where Veere welcomes guests into The Temple.

From the age of 20, Morocco has pretty much been a constant presence in Veere’s life. He talks about his first experience of visiting and the transformative impact it had.

Veere finally realised his lifelong dream in 2011 when he purchased his own property in Morocco. It was a big undertaking, but with the perfect location and breathtaking views, he knew it was going to be spectacular.

Once the blueprint of the house had been established, it was time to start working on how it would look. Veere talks through how he began to plan each room and work out which of his ideas would best fit in each space.

The main house and guest house at Gazebo are connected by a walkway that Veere has turned into a colonnade by lining it with columns, reminiscent of classical architecture.

The drawing room, or living room as it’s also known, is located in the new part of the old house. Veere reflects on how the design was heavily influenced by architect John Soane and the aesthetic of the Regency era.

The sun room is the main entrance to Gazebo, and is also called The Treillage room, thanks to the beautiful treillage detailing that lines the walls.

Different in style to most of his design work, Veere explains his thinking behind creating this space and how he furnished the room with pieces of sentimental value and provenance.

Set off the hallway, the dining room is a space that Veere wanted to work flexibly and comfortably accommodate a host of events, from intimate dinners to bigger parties for special occasions.

Part of the original house and located directly above the dining room, Veere’s bedroom is filled with beautifully personal pieces that hold a wealth of stories.

Veere talks through where he sourced his bathroom pieces from, and how important it is to treat it as you would any other room in the home.

The lower ground floor of Gazebo houses a massage room and a beautiful hammam. Beyond these is a flower room where flowers from the garden are conditioned and arranged into vases.

Veere welcomes you to ‘the tented room’, where he has lined the room in swathes of fabric to create a hugely effective tent effect, which has a really enticing feel.

Hugely inspired by Nancy Lancaster’s belief that a good house needs to be supported by a great garden, Veere discusses how this became a guiding principle when creating the gardens in Gazebo.

As well as being beautiful, it was important to Veere that it also be a place that people could relax in and enjoy. He explains how he created outdoor ‘rooms’ with different types of seating.

If you’re just starting out in the interior design industry, it can be hard to find your voice and purpose. Veere offers his advice to young designers, based on his decades of experience.

Veere emphasises the vital importance of a good relationship between designer and client, and suggests ways of fostering this from the outset.

Creating second homes for people is approached by Veere in a slightly different way; he discusses how the way people live in their holiday homes impacts his designs.

Veere muses on the role of emotion and the subconscious in his work as an interior designer, and how important it is to tap into when designing for clients.

Discover Veere’s approach to creativity and how he navigates the tension that can arise between conflicting ideas.

From a young age, Veere has been in the pursuit of beauty - specifically in relation to the design of houses and the lives lived within. He discusses how this has fuelled his self-education in design throughout his life.

Veere reflects on the huge changes in technology and culture he has witnessed across the four decades he has been working as an interior designer, and provides words of wisdom for people entering the industry now.

Veere offers some final moments of inspiration as the course comes to a close.