Designing interiors for listed buildings and period properties goes beyond finishes and furniture, it requires a deeper understanding of the building itself.
Working in collaboration with experienced interior designer Jess Cooper from Cooper & Cooper Interiors, we combine E2’s conservation architectural thinking with a refined design approach. Ensuring every detail, from layout to lighting and materials, is aligned from the outset.
The result is truly bespoke, liveable, luxurious interiors that respect the character of your heritage home while transforming how it’s lived in today.
Designing interiors in historic buildings requires a more considered approach.
These properties often come with constraints – from protected features and planning requirements to structural limitations and challenging layouts. Without the right expertise, changes can quickly become complex or costly.
Our approach is rooted in contemporary conservation – understanding what makes a building significant, and using that knowledge to guide where and how change should happen.
We identify:
Alongside these constraints comes real potential. Historic buildings offer texture, character and craftsmanship that contemporary design can build upon.
By working with the building – not against it – we use light, material and detail to create interiors that feel both sensitive and transformative.
Our interior offering is built on collaboration – combining E2’s expertise in heritage, planning and building fabric with Jess’s strength in interior concept and design.
Together, we look at:
This joined-up approach combines E2’s RIBA conservation architecture with Cooper & Cooper Interior’s refined interior design thinking and expertise.
It allows us to deliver an optional add-on service for your interior design needs or a complete scheme – from building design through to final interior details – avoiding disconnect, delays, or costly rework.
It’s particularly valuable in listed buildings and conservation areas, where even interior decisions may require careful consideration and approvals.
We provide a coordinated interior design service for both heritage and contemporary
homes – either as a standalone service or fully integrated with our architectural projects.
A comprehensive design service that works hand-in-hand with the building itself.
We develop a complete interior scheme before construction begins – covering space planning, layout changes, flow, lighting and electrical design, as well as materials, finishes, joinery and furniture.
From early concepts and mood boards through to detailed design, procurement and on-site support, we ensure every element is considered, aligned and delivered as intended.
For clients looking to refresh or elevate existing spaces, we provide a focused decoration service.
This includes choosing and sourcing furniture, lighting, fabrics and accessories, alongside finishes such as paint, wall coverings and window treatments – creating a cohesive, bespoke and luxury interior.
Where relevant, we also guide you on heritage considerations and any approvals required, ensuring changes are both appropriate and compliant.
A highly sensitive refurbishment of a Grade I Listed chambers in London, delivered in collaboration with Cooper & Cooper Interiors.
With English Heritage guidelines limiting alterations to the building’s original surfaces, the scheme works through considered layers: freestanding joinery, refined lighting, and a carefully composed palette of paint, fabrics, and furnishings.
A dual lighting scheme, ambient and task, brings warmth and functionality to every room, while fittings are sourced wherever possible from British makers and artisans committed to sustainable practice.
The result is a classic contemporary interior that elevates and works with the building’s heritage, rather than competing with it.
A standalone leisure pavilion designed in collaboration with Cooper & Cooper Interiors, set within the grounds of a private residence in a constrained conservation setting. Previous planning attempts for the site had failed, requiring a carefully balanced approach between design ambition and planning sensitivity.
The brief was to create a self-contained retreat incorporating a bar, gym, spa, treatment room, sauna and outdoor wellness deck.
E2’s conservation, planning and interior architecture expertise helped unlock the scheme, establishing the spatial concept and framework for Cooper & Cooper Interiors to develop the interior design and furnishings.
The interior was conceived as two distinct experiences:
The result is a contemporary retreat designed for entertaining, wellbeing and relaxation – where architecture and interiors work seamlessly together to create a cohesive and highly personal space.
Jess Cooper is managing director and head of design at Cooper & Cooper Interiors, a studio known for creating sophisticated and timeless interior spaces that balance functionality with elegant design.
Jess is a creative and entrepreneurial interior designer who believes in providing sustainable, liveable and above all memorable interiors for clients.
Educated at Central Saint Martins and the London College of Communication, and over 15 years of experience in the industry, Jess brings a multidisciplinary approach to design, influenced by her background in performance design, visual storytelling and branding.
Her design philosophy balances creativity with pragmatism: interiors must look beautiful and function seamlessly for the people who live in them.
Working alongside E2, Jess brings a design-led approach to interiors within historic and listed buildings, helping clients create spaces that feel both timeless and personal.
Our commitment to sustainability, quality craftsmanship, and tailored solutions makes us a trusted partner in bespoke interior design.
Whether you’re planning a full renovation or refining interiors within an existing scheme, we can help you explore what’s possible.
Let’s start the conversation early.
We project manage and bring together trusted specialists, from bespoke joinery and lighting designers to heritage craftspeople.
This joined-up approach simplifies the process and ensures every detail works together seamlessly.
We can also work alongside your preferred interior design to integrate your scheme into the listed building.
> Can you change the interior of a listed building?
Yes. Many internal alterations are possible, but changes affecting historic features may require listed building consent
> Do interior alterations need planning permission?
This depends on the building and the nature of the changes. Listed buildings often require consent even for internal alterations.
> Can modern interiors work in historic buildings?
Yes - in fact contemporary design often works beautifully in historic settings when it is carefully considered.
> When should interior design start in a renovation?
Ideally at the very beginning of the architectural design process so that layouts, lighting and services can be fully integrated.
> What are common mistakes when renovating a listed building interior?
- Removing historic features
- Poor lighting design
- Incompatible materials
- Leaving interior design until the end of the project
> Do I need a conservation architect for interior alterations?
If your property is listed or within a conservation area, working with a conservation specialist can significantly increase your chances of securing permission.
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