29th September 2026 | IN DESIGN ADVICE | BY SBID Share Tweet Pinterest LinkedIn Natalie Fry, Founder & Creative Director at Grid Thirteen Design Studio, has given her insights into the industry. I’ve been fortunate to build a career exploring the relationship between furniture, architecture and the way we live within a space. My training in interior architecture and design laid the foundation for that, but much of my understanding has come through experience – working alongside some of the UK’s leading designers and architects, learning from the people around me and developing a particular depth of knowledge in furniture design. As my career developed, I later went on to lead design studios for a number of companies, including those working with both SieMatic and Poggenpohl, with responsibility extending beyond the design teams into the technical and installation side of the business. That combination of training and practical experience gave me a strong grounding in furniture, architecture and spatial planning, but perhaps more importantly, taught me that a strong concept is only part of the process. The real skill lies in carrying that design intent through the technical detail and into the finished space. In 2013, I reached a point where I wanted to create a studio that reflected my own approach to design, and I founded Grid Thirteen. At the time, the youngest of our five children was just three, so it was a significant decision both professionally and personally. It was a busy chapter of family life, but it also felt like the right point in my career to build something of my own and establish the kind of design practice I wanted Grid Thirteen to become. Grid Thirteen initially specialised in kitchen design, but as the studio has grown, that expertise has evolved into furniture design throughout the home – from kitchens and living spaces to bedrooms, dressing rooms, bars and other interior spaces. Furniture remains at the heart of what we do, with materiality and spatial planning helping to shape the spaces around it. Today, we are an independent Yorkshire design studio with a growing team and our own handmade furniture offering alongside SieMatic. That combination gives us greater freedom in the way we approach furniture and interiors, allowing us to create highly personalised spaces with a design language that responds naturally to both the individual and the architecture. Photo credit: Andy Haslam Why did you want to work in the interior design profession? I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between people and space – why we respond instinctively to certain environments and how the spaces around us can influence the way we feel and live. The more experience I gained, the more interested I became in the human side of design. Beautiful spaces matter of course, but understanding why somebody feels comfortable in one environment and not another, or why the same space might work completely differently for two people, is far more interesting to me. That is probably what has kept me engaged with design for so long, there is always something more to understand – about people, materials, craftsmanship or the way we experience space. Experience gives you confidence in your judgement, but I don’t think it should ever stop you questioning, learning or being open to another perspective. Photo credit: Andy Haslam Which elements of your profession do you enjoy the most? The people, no two clients live in quite the same way, and that is what continues to make residential design so interesting to me. The early design process is as much about listening and observing as it is developing the design. I enjoy understanding the routines and small details of everyday life that can easily be overlooked – where the keys are put down, where the school bags end up, how a family moves through the house and what happens when everybody arrives home at once, those details tell us a great deal about what somebody really needs from their space. For me, that is where our work goes beyond aesthetic preference and becomes about understanding the individual, how they live and how they want to feel in their home. Photo credit: Andy Haslam What has been your most memorable career highlight from the past year? Our ‘The Architecture of Luxury’ project has undoubtedly been a highlight. The project won ‘Best Luxury Kitchen Design’ at the 2026 Designerati North Awards and has subsequently been shortlisted in the forthcoming national Designerati Awards and SBID Awards. It’s great to see the recognition this project has had in titles such as The Times, Yorkshire Life and The Yorkshire Post. Alongside the recognition for our work, one of the things I’m most proud of is seeing the team develop, a number of our designers joined Grid Thirteen as graduates, and watching them grow in confidence, develop their own style and become accomplished designers in their own right has been incredibly rewarding. My role is to give the team the technical grounding, support and confidence to trust their own judgement, seeing their individual design identities emerge, and watching that confidence grow, has been a real highlight for me. Photo credit: Andy Haslam Photo credit: Andy Haslam What are your favourite types of projects to work on and why? I’m drawn to projects where we have the freedom to explore ideas and create something genuinely individual, I’ve never been particularly excited by designing to a rigid formula. I enjoy the unexpected – contemporary alongside traditional, precision alongside craft, quiet architectural elements with something more expressive. Our blended concept is probably the clearest example of that approach, combining the precision and restraint of SieMatic with the tactility and individuality of hand-crafted bespoke furniture. They are two different design languages, but I don’t believe they need to imitate one another to coexist, if they make sense together and create interest, then that is the approach we will take. For me, pushing boundaries isn’t about being different for the sake of it, it’s about understanding the principles, understanding the person, and having the confidence to challenge convention when the design rationale supports it. Photo credit: Andy Haslam What are the most challenging aspects of working in interior design? One of the greatest challenges is maintaining the integrity of an idea from the initial concept through to the finished space. As projects become more ambitious, the relationship between creativity and technical understanding becomes increasingly important. Proportion, tolerances, junctions, lighting, services, material behaviour and installation all influence whether a design ultimately feels resolved. Technical understanding gives you greater creative freedom – when you understand how a design will be constructed and the principles behind it, you have greater confidence to explore ideas beyond the expected. Experience has also taught me to recognise when somebody else’s expertise can make a project stronger. I’ve always believed in collaboration over competition, and our relationship with William Howarth and Holly Stott, the co-founders of luxury bespoke bathroom design studio, Holt Living, is a great example of that. We’re aligned in our approach to design, the premium products we work with, the client experience we want to deliver and, importantly, the level of technical resolution behind the finished space. Their strength in creating bespoke bathroom designs, master en-suites, spa wellness rooms and custom-made bathroom furniture sits naturally alongside our focus on furniture design, allowing us to work collaboratively across more areas of the home and extend that collective expertise to each other’s clients for an exceptional outcome. Our successful partnership was recognised at the 2025 designerati North Awards winning the award for ‘Best Trade Collaboration’. The team from Grid Thirteen Design Studio - Jo Ritchie Photo What do you wish you knew before working in the field? To trust my instinct sooner. In the earlier years of Grid Thirteen, I probably believed that with enough effort I could make every opportunity, partnership or relationship work. Experience has taught me that recognising when something isn’t right is just as important as knowing when something is. I’ve also become much more conscious of protecting the culture within the studio, design is collaborative, and our people produce their best work when they feel trusted and valued. We have a team with different strengths and perspectives, and I don’t want everybody around the table to think like me – our work would be far less interesting if they did. Photo credit: Andy Haslam If you could give one tip to aspiring designers, what would it be? Take your time to develop your own style and try not to get too caught up in the constant pursuit of the ‘latest trend’. When a client is investing significantly in their home, they want to feel that the design is genuinely theirs – a response to how they live, what they are drawn to and the architecture around them, rather than a generic aesthetic that may be superseded over time. I would also say that it’s important to value the technical side of the profession. A strong concept needs to be technically resolved, and the creative at the front end has to be backed up by a process that supports the project all the way through to delivery and project completion. Understanding how a design develops from concept through to technical detailing and installation doesn’t limit creativity, it gives you greater freedom and the confidence to explore ideas with real intent. Spending time on site with the people installing your work is invaluable, understanding the challenges they face and seeing how decisions made at the design stage translate into reality will make you a better designer. Some of the most valuable things I’ve learnt have come from those conversations, and from building relationships with people whose knowledge and experience are different to my own. And finally, stay open to the people around you, I’ve worked in the industry for over 30 years and I’m still learning – sometimes from people who have been designing for far less time than I have. Experience brings knowledge and confidence, but there should always be room for another perspective. Photo credit: Andy Haslam How do you see the interior design industry evolving in the year ahead? There’s no question that technology and AI will inevitably continue to influence how we work and live, but I think there is an interesting counterbalance emerging. As our lives become faster and increasingly connected to technology, I find myself thinking more about how we experience our physical environments through the senses – and the role our homes can play in allowing us to step away from some of that constant stimulation. Neuroaesthetics is an area I’ve become increasingly interested in, particularly how the pace of activity within a space, and the level of decision-making taking place, might influence the way we experience that environment. A kitchen or entrance hallway, for example, can involve fast movement, conversation, noise, multiple tasks and a constant series of small decisions. Compare that with a bedroom or wellness space, where the intention may be to reduce stimulation, slow things down and allow us to switch off. When designing for this approach, one question I always ask myself is – ‘if the demands we place on ourselves change from one environment to another, should the sensory demands of those spaces change with them’? For me, this is something I want to explore further through our work as a practice. It raises interesting questions about how these factors can inform a more individual response to design, rather than being considered purely through the aesthetic of a space. What does being an SBID Accredited Interior Designer mean to you? Becoming an SBID Accredited Design Practice is important to us because it recognises the professional standards behind what we do. Interior design is creative, but it also carries responsibility, and that requires knowledge, technical competence, integrity and accountability. As an independent studio in Yorkshire, being part of SBID also connects us to a wider professional design community. We’re fortunate to work alongside some exceptional designers and architects here in the North, and I value the opportunity accreditation gives us to share ideas, learn from others and contribute to the wider conversation around our profession. The SBID accreditation represents the standards we hold ourselves to as a practice, while giving us the opportunity to be part of a professional community that supports collaboration, knowledge-sharing and supporting the next generation of designers. Natalie Fry, Founder & Creative Director of Grid Thirteen Design Studio - photo credit Jo Ritchie About Grid Thirteen Grid Thirteen is an independent luxury interior design studio based in North Leeds, specialising in bespoke kitchens, bedrooms and living spaces throughout the UK. Every project begins with understanding how our clients live, ensuring each space is shaped around the way they live rather than passing trends. Our work combines interior architecture, technical precision and exceptional craftsmanship to create interiors that feel timeless, functional and deeply personal. Collaborating with carefully selected manufacturing partners alongside our own handcrafted furniture collections, we deliver beautifully resolved interiors where every detail has purpose, every material is carefully considered, and every project is approached with an unwavering commitment to excellence. Visit Profile If you’d like to feature your news or stories on SBID.org, get in touch to find out more. If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here for more information.