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Having just attended the Connect 2026 Art Fair at Somerset House, London, when she once again looked to champion young British makers, interior designer Jane Adams, who operates Angus-based AUTHOR Interiors, has spoken of how she is finally seeing a welcome shift towards buying less, with more consideration, when it comes to dressing a home.

Specialising in showcasing only British designed and made interior furnishings, with craftsmanship and sustainability to the fore, Jane runs an online shop through the Author Interiors website, and additionally, works through her own design studio with private clients on residential and commercial projects of all sizes. She has her own range of quality pieces too, branded under the exclusive AUTHOR’s Own label. Very often, these items are the result of collaborations with artisan makers, at various stages of their careers, to design and create something truly unique.

For Jane, who left the precision and detail of dentistry behind to follow her passion for interior design, teaching herself the necessary skills to run a successful interior design business and serve private clients at the very top level, buying with consideration is key.

“For many years, in this country, the market has been flooded with cheap and mass produced home decor items, which, along with having no story behind them, are designed to be entirely disposable, most often ending up in landfill. Indeed, consumers are encouraged to discard them almost as often as the changing seasons,” said Jane, whose next talent spotting and collaboration trip will be at London Craft Week in May.

“British craftsmanship, which in my opinion, is the very best in the world, particularly carrying weight in the US market, was struggling to be seen and heard, with less and less outlets for talented young British designers coming through the system,” she continued.

“Consumers had forgotten about the pleasure in buying a piece with a story behind it, or, of owning something truly unique, perhaps created especially for them. But most crucially, age old skills in making and producing, often in very small batches, were being lost forever.”

Setting out to change the narrative, AUTHOR Interiors showcases the very best, luxury British design, with products made by skilled artisans, designers and master craftspeople the length and breadth of the UK.

As her collection developed, Jane began grouping and naming beautiful items together, based on colour, mood and style themes, making it as easy as possible for her customers to find what they wanted.

Current examples are the Ophelia collection, items designed to create a soothing and tranquil haven, with a gentle calming palette of cool greys and white, whilst the Livingstone collection, based on oak, leather and steel, offers classically styled items based around a terracotta and dark chocolate colour scheme. Bronte is a feminine and self assured collection which does not shy away from colour or pattern, exuding a warmth and sophistication in all its choices.

“My time doing private commissions whilst still doing dentistry part time showed me that many people feel they don’t have the confidence, or the sheer will, to search through hundreds of pages of objects, looking for THE ONE,” she said.

“Depending on what their overall tastes are, the style of the home they already have, and whether or not they are wanting to go bolder in their choices, these themed collections will make it easier for them.”

Furthermore, AUTHOR has an extensive British Makers section covering a plethora of traditional trades, from textile artists, lampshade makers, and leatherworkers, to wallpaper designers, weavers, sculptors, metalsmiths, ceramic artists, and even a cashmere bedding maker. Clients can simply click on the headings, and discover an array of carefully soured items, with the opportunity, with some makers, to commission a unique piece.

Produced with the finest materials, AUTHOR Interior’s curated collections offer beautiful lighting, furniture, wall art, candles, glassware and other interior accessories. They are pieces made to last, with enduring quality design and future heirloom status for customers who care about quality and sustainability.

“It has taken a good few years of banging the drum on sustainable and ethical design, but I believe that the situation has improved and we are most definitely moving in the right direction, away from instant gratification,” said Jane, who credits living as a child in a series of properties subject to constant redevelopment as a trigger to her obsession with interiors.

“I would look at a corner of a room nearing completion and visualise how it could be “layered”, with all the little details coming together to create the perfect look,” said Jane. “In many ways, my eye as a dentist, looking to create the perfect smile, was now focusing on creating the perfect living space.”

Jane admits though, that even as a dentistry student, she was obsessed with interiors, and objets d’art, and even had a wall of hats in her dormitory!

Now, years later, and having built up an excellent reputation in interior design, particularly championing the slow furniture movement, Jane is extremely pleased that “the message of slow, sustainable and ethical design is coming through. Speaking about sustainability of providence is now being normalised. It's been quite a journey we've been on with AUTHOR, and we remain massively grateful to all our makers and customers. We’ll always be here to help them. It's a joy to listen to our makers, such as bronze worker Alice Andrea Ewing and furniture maker Max McCance, and share the interesting stories behind their creations.”

Going on to say that she “constantly welcomes new makers to our fold, as we need that flow of fresh talent coming through,” Jane outlined how AUTHOR seeks to help young designers.

“We continually interact with design students by attending their degree shows,” said Jane. “The major craft shows are another way of identifying talent, and encouraging them to work and collaborate with us.”

Every season, AUTHOR brings on two new young designers on a not-for-profit basis, with a showcase of their products on the website.

For emerging designers, there is the Designer Selects @New Designers London, a fantastic summer show allowing a stage for new graduates and early stage designers.

Jane finished by saying that as President Trump’s tariffs continue to cause problems for other UK businesses looking to export to the US, she still had the future aim of AUTHOR Interiors securing even more custom from American clients.

“We are fortunate, at the moment, as we are at an early stage with our US sales. The customers we have across the pond, absolutely love British made, the heritage and stories behind it. They appreciate beautiful workmanship and are willing to pay appropriately for it. We hope that will continue regardless,” she said.

www.authorinteriors.com

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