Listen to Cleo’s Story:
Interior design is a creative practice that balances form, function, and aesthetic beauty, and it takes a real imaginative mind to play this symphony. Today, we are uncovering the intriguing world of Parisian interior designer Cleo Poli, through a candid conversation between Cleo and Krystal from the “La Vie Creative” podcast.
Discovering the Creative Journey
Krystal welcomes the French interior designer Cleo Fee Polly to the show, who reveals her unique background. Cleo is a born and bred Parisian with a diverse cultural background, her father being Corsican and her mother of Polish descent. From a young age, she was surrounded by a robust creative atmosphere; her mother was an artist, her father was an antiques merchant, and her grandfather was an architect.
Further into the conversation, Cleo shares her living abroad experiences with her Australian partner. The couple traveled between Australia, London, and Africa before settling back in Paris just before the pandemic hit, bringing along a trove of inspiring experiences.
Creativity Meets Child-Friendly Interior Design
With her background in luxury hospitality management and interior design, Cleo started her journey in designing restaurants and bars. After becoming a mother and experiencing a year locked inside due to the pandemic, Cleo realized the importance of making homes not just beautiful but also child-friendly. With a strong belief that our surroundings can impact our behavior and well-being, Cleo’s interior design approach focuses heavily on her clients’ needs and wants. She finds solutions for their interior design problems, sometimes even helping declutter their homes.
Using Artwork in Interior Design
Cleo’s unique incorporation of children’s artwork in her interior design projects stands out. The idea sprouted from working on back-to-back projects where clients came with minimal belongings. Wanting to bring in personality and a sense of home, Cleo thought of using children’s artwork as a decoration. She reveals an interesting project where a client’s child was involved in creating a large artwork for their home. This artwork not only brought a unique beauty to the space but also became a cherished family memory.
Unraveling Cleo’s Inspirations
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and for Cleo, the places she’s lived in and traveled to have a significant influence on her designs. Fascinated by the clean and curated touch of Australian interior design, she brings some of that into her work, mixed with her personal experiences from Africa and the UK.
Encapsulating Creativity
Cleo defines creativity as a problem-solving process filled with romanticism. It involves finding inspiration from everything around you, then putting those inspiractions onto a medium of your choice. Her advice to those struggling to find their creative gifts is not to be afraid of making mistakes. Practice makes perfect, she says, and she encourages budding creatives to give things a try, seek advice and feedback, and most importantly, keep going!
Connecting with Cleo
Cleo continues her inspiring journey of reinventing interior design one home at a time. You can follow her work on Instagram or Facebook at Cleo Interior Design or visit her official website, www.cleointeriordesign.com.
Finally, the conversation ends with Krystal thanking Cleo for sharing the inspirations and motivations that drive her interior design journey, highlighting her creativity and practical solutions.
This delightful exchange uncovers the joy of embracing creativity and how it uniquely intersects with everyday lives, adding flair, functionality, and fond memories to our personal spaces.
