Coulby Interiors carry out a wide range of projects from designing and installing kitchens and bathrooms through to complete house renovations. BD&C spoke to founder and owner Rebecca Coulby to find out more about her and her company.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? That was the question posed to Rebecca Coulby at an entrepreneur programme a decade ago. She attended it with a burning ambition to set up her own company after taking a period of time out to raise a family. She tells me she kept the answers she wrote down in response.

A mark of her humility perhaps, the goals she set herself appear particularly modest with foresight. But it goes to show what courage, hard work and imagination can achieve. And this year, the icing on the cake was the Specialist Contractor of the Year Award from the National Building Awards. 

“We set up our business almost ten years ago after identifying a gap in the market for a new approach to interior design. I’ve grown up in the industry – my father was an interior designer and an architect – and seeing how companies in the sector were operating I felt there wasn’t anyone offering a fully end-to-end service, certainly in Norfolk and Suffolk. 

“I wanted to offer a complete, specialised, personal service that differentiated itself from what we were seeing at the time. 10 years on, to win Specialist Contractor of the Year verified the idea I had, starting up from scratch and building up a significant team. That was very special. I really haven’t had a day out of work. We’re working from a six to 12-month lead time and we’ve been growing organically year-on-year.”

The success of the business – which also saw Rebecca become runner-up the Women in Construction category – has, she admits, far exceeded her initial expectations. 

Today she’s got three full-time build and installation teams, her husband Thomas left his own successful business to join hers as a project manager and co-director, and the company is carrying out design and build - including complete house renovations and extensions – on buildings ranging from listed medieval properties to new eco-homes.

“I could never have anticipated this and I’m quite excited to see where it will go,” she says. “We pride ourselves on offering a personal level of service with careful consideration of individual client needs and varying budgets. And we care. The devil is in the detail. We’re not happy if something is a millimetre out. We’re right there every day drawing in the dirt right the way through to checking every single possible snag at the very end in order to make our clients happy with the finished result. There’s a lot of heart and soul that goes into every project.”

Indeed, Coulby Interiors has gained a reputation for excellence and for providing a unique and bespoke service. As testament to clients’ high levels of satisfaction, 70% of projects are from repeat business and recommendations. This is only possible thanks to Rebecca’s conviction to work closely with her clients to design from the inside out. Ultimately, that brings in the trades that will make the end result possible but entirely under her direction. It’s the single point of contact that helps differentiate the business. But it also has other advantages.

The relationships she’s built – with architects, structural engineers, building control – complement the experienced build teams Coulby Interiors is able to call upon. Instead of clients having to “project manage” multiple work streams and tackle complicated administration, the process is handled for them. That’s a far more efficient way of working but it also enables Rebecca and her team to tackle projects without typical limitations. 

She also has strong ties to manufacturers, opening up further opportunities for clients to develop their project vision and not being constrained to the brands some retailers might be tied to. This can also add value. Coupled with the fact there’s no sales rep to go through, with Rebecca or Thomas project managing every job, there’s reassurance that all elements of Coulby Interiors’ complete package are being handled effectively. 

Collaboration with the client is, ultimately, pivotal to its success. This is undoubtably more important in full-service firms, where the entire project is left in the hands of the designer. Satisfaction rests on the effectiveness and efficiency of that communication. As evidenced by the company’s stream of testimonials as well as its repeat business, Coulby Interiors is making good on its promise.

Last year’s Most Outstanding Interior Design Team of 2018 in LUXlife's Leading Designer Awards, the accolades are stacking up. I wonder how Rebecca’s goals, if she were to put together another “in ten years’ time” list of ambitions, have changed over the years. 

Unsurprisingly, she’s modest in her response. “I want to help people. I’ve learned a lot. The more I do it, the more I recognise the potential mistakes that can be made. Whether that’s writing a book or taking to social media, that’s something I’m keen to do in future.”