Quick Fire with Designer Annika Reed
“My family home was always wallpapered, so I grew up thinking of it as completely normal.”
There’s a joy in designer Annika Reed’s work that feels both deeply personal and universally uplifting. Her wallpapers and fabrics aren’t just patterns – they’re stories, carved in wood and printed with the care of a true craftsperson. Annika’s journey into the world of design began long before her first wallpaper collection. Growing up surrounded by fabrics in her father’s upholstery workshop, she developed an instinctive love for texture, pattern and the role they play in shaping a home.
After years studying fine art printmaking – including time in Shanghai mastering traditional woodblock techniques – she found her way to wallpaper in a moment of personal significance: creating something playful yet timeless for her daughter’s nursery.
Since then, her designs have become a distinctive voice in British interiors – joyful, layered, a little bit mischievous – mermaids, circus marquees, moons and more . They speak to the belief that homes are theatre sets for our lives, and that the right backdrop can transform the everyday into something magical. In this conversation, Annika shares her creative journey, her philosophy on personal style, and why life is too short for beige walls.
Keep reading for our quick fire round of questions with Annika, whose goals is ‘for every space to reflect the joys of a life less ordinary’…
How did you first get into the world of design? Was there a pivotal moment or project that shaped your path?
“Growing up, my dad was an upholsterer, so I was always surrounded by fabrics and patterns – that definitely planted the seed early on. I studied fine art printmaking for both my BA and MA, and in 2006 I went to China where I was taught reduction woodblock at Shanghai University. So I’d been making woodblocks for a long time, but it was in 2018 when I was pregnant with my daughter that I made the transition to wallpaper. I wanted to decorate her nursery with something that was playful, not childish, and I designed Tiger Tiger. I left teaching in 2022 and started making wallpaper and fabric full time.”
Your wallpaper collection is full of character, colour and craft – what drew you to wallpaper as a medium for your designs?
“My family home was always wallpapered, so I grew up thinking of it as completely normal. I love the idea that your home is a theatre set and wallpaper is the backdrop. It sets the stage for your story in a way nothing else can – it’s the visual soundtrack to your daily life. With woodblock printing, I can create patterns that have real depth and character, patterns that change with the light and feel alive on the wall. Plus, wallpaper is permanent enough to matter but not so precious that you can’t actually live with it. There’s something about pattern that’s just inherently joyful – it transforms a space from functional to personal.”
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your creative career so far?
“Trust your instincts over trends. I design everything myself rather than using archive patterns because I believe your home should reflect who you are, and focusing on what I genuinely love brings the most joy. Oh – and that running a creative business means spending far more time on spreadsheets than sketchbooks!”
What’s the best piece of interior advice you’ve ever been given – and now find yourself sharing with others?
The best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them.” — David Hicks
“I think about this all the time. It’s not about having expensive things – it’s about surrounding yourself with pieces that tell your story. Old treasures from car boot sales mixed with new finds, family heirlooms next to children’s artwork, patterns that make you smile every time you walk into the room. Choose colours and patterns that genuinely speak to you, not what you think you should like. Life’s too short for beige walls and playing it safe. Your home should be designed to be lived with, not admired from a distance.”
Where do you find creative inspiration, and how do you keep ideas fresh when designing new collections?
“Everywhere, really – a vintage matchbox, a carousel at a fairground, art books, galleries, a pair of dogs at an auction, something my kids say. I’m drawn to the odd, the overlooked, the charmingly strange. I keep notebooks full of scraps and sketches, but it’s only when I start carving that ideas properly take shape. The woodblock technique keeps ideas fresh because every pattern has to work as a carved design first. There’s something about being observant – noticing the everyday fragments of life. Folklore, the time of year, little trinkets picked up on holiday – all these things I’m drawn to eventually find their way into patterns.”
For more information and to view Annika’s wallpaper collection, click HERE.
