After 24 years in fashion, Sophie changed direction and built Côte de Folk from scratch, eventually earning recognition from House and Garden.
In this episode of Yours for the Making, Sophie Rowell joins Robin Johnson to discuss career reinvention, renovating period properties, working with architects and craftspeople, and designing homes around how people actually live. She also shares why renovation budgets need contingency, why she avoids photorealistic AI renders, and how trust creates space for original design.
Sophie also reveals the thinking behind Le Dot fabric, her playful fabric collection bringing colour, curves and personality into interiors.
Key Topics Covered
✦ Sophie Rowell's career change from fashion to interior design
✦ Building Côte de Folk from the first client to House and Garden recognition
✦ The three year transformation of The Red House
✦ Collaboration between designers, architects and craftspeople
✦ Why every renovation budget needs contingency
✦ Interior designers versus architects and where their roles differ
✦ Making existing spaces work harder instead of simply making them bigger
✦ Creating original interiors without copying Pinterest and magazines
✦ Why Sophie avoids photorealistic AI renders
✦ Building a small interior design studio around flexibility and collaboration
✦ Creating Le Dot fabric collection and bringing playfulness into interiors
Check out Sophie Rowell in Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/cotedefolk/
Check out Côte de Folk:
https://www.cotedefolk.com/
Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson, founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop, this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg
Key Moments:
00:00 Sophie Rowell's 24 year career in fashion
01:48 The life change that pushed Sophie towards interior design
04:13 Landing her first client three weeks before her deadline
05:45 The Red House project that transformed her career
12:39 Why collaboration drives Côte de Folk's design process
20:27 Why renovation projects need contingency
30:10 Architects versus interior designers
32:33 Why bigger homes do not always work better
38:21 How Sophie develops an interior around the people living there
40:58 Why trust creates better design
43:45 Why Sophie refuses photorealistic AI renders
55:09 Why Sophie abandoned her goal of building a larger team
57:04 Creating Le Dot fabric collection
1:00:42 Sophie's advice to her 18 year old self
