Tutor Spotlight: Pavlina Campbell

Growing up in the Czech Republic, Pavlina knew deep down that she would always be a creative person. She had an interest in doing something possibly with fashion design but at the time, the options to study the arts were limited. When Pavlina was confronted with making university and career choices she was only 15 years old, and like all fifteen-year-olds, she needed guidance. Her family were in the hospitality business so, with pressure to step into the family business and the naiveite of a teenager, she enrolled in hotel management. As soon as Pavlina graduated at 18, she knew for sure she wanted something else. It was then she took off for London.  

Image credit: Project by Pavlina Campbell. 

Soon after arriving she would meet her Scottish (now) husband and together they moved to Edinburgh. She had a lot of fun and made lots of friends but working in hotels was just not satisfying enough. That creative voice was still looking for an outlet. With interior design whispering in her ear, Pavlina enrolled in a course, just to test the waters. She loved it.  Her next move was to apply for a HNC in Edinburgh, but she was actually offered the HND.  It was then she knew the direction her creative urge was going to take her. She had an appetite for it and wanted more, so she enrolled in Edinburgh School of Art and earned a degree in Interior Design & Applied Art. She fondly recalls the day she graduated as one of the “greatest moments of joy” in her young life. 

At first Pavlina found it hard to get work. She was applying for jobs and was getting nowhere but she is a resilient and determined person and believed deep down that sooner or later, “someone will say yes”. Eventually she got a job in a small studio as a design technician which meant she got tons of experience with plans, budgets, contractors and surveys, drawings, and paperwork. But it wasn’t a creative role. Pavlina had a kind boss who was encouraging and listened to her design suggestions, but she knew she had to think bigger.   

Image credit: Project by Pavlina Campbell. 

Then Ikea came along. It was a wonderful opportunity for a new designer and so Pavlina followed her heart and upped sticks and moved back to London. For 7 years Pavlina was designing their flagship store in Wembley. She was like a kid in a candy store. Warehouses were stocked with endless supplies of furniture and decorative options. She would design displays for all rooms of the house and all sizes. There were of course parameters under which she would work but she loves the effortless, understated, functionality of Scandinavian design.  

Pavlina’s next move was a high-end glass company called Cantifix. It was an interesting area to explore and some of the work was incredibly luxurious, including glass work appearing on Channel 4’s Grand Designs.  Today Pavlina is a tutor in the British Academy of Interior Design and loves to work with students. She feels it’s important to change jobs and try different things which led her to her own company.  

Image credit: Project by Pavlina Campbell. 

Teaching is a joy to her because she loves nothing more than talking about design and could do it all day long. She is fascinated by the passion in students and finds it incredibly rewarding to watch them soak up information and apply it in their own way. She feels that sharing her skills is a way to contribute to the world and as well as paying it forward to students who benefit from her knowledge as they grow.  Pavlina has witnessed a change in attitudes towards interior design over the years and now it’s more accessible, affordable and something people are happy to invest in. People care more about the quality of living and a home is so much more than it ever was. She delights in people’s new respect for how they live and has seen how “a bathroom is not just a bathroom anymore”.   

Pavlina continues to learn and to evolve as a designer and her next goal is to try to tap into the minds of Japanese culture and design. She is drawn to their ethos that ‘less is more’ and she finds minimalism and a lack of clutter so freeing and clean. Her goal is to surround herself with only the things she needs, beautiful but functional things. The right things. Pavlina asks herself, “what is actually enough?”  

When a designer like Pavlina has experienced many facets of designs in many places, both literally and figuratively, is it any surprise that she asks such a wise question?