Kelly Hoppen is one of the most influential interior designers working today. Her clients include racing drivers, cruise-line operators, hotel chains and celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham. Her style – neutral colours and restful spaces – has been so successful that her surname has become an adjective: ‘That’s very Hoppen.’
Born into an affluent family in Chelsea, west London, Kelly grew up in a household where both her parents owned businesses. She admits it was a very lucky start to life, but when she went to school, she faced the same challenges that every dyslexic kid does. ‘My entire life at school was horrendous because I thought I was stupid. I lived with this anxiety of not being able to read out loud in class.’
A diagnosis wouldn’t come until adulthood, but away from academic subjects Kelly showed real talent, particularly in swimming and music, even though she couldn’t read it. ‘I used to fake it, and I used to watch others play and then memorise it. I found methods, I suppose.’
Her memory, it turns out, is phenomenal in other areas too. ‘My mother pointed out to me recently that whenever she says do you remember so-and-so from my childhood, I always say, “What were they wearing?” It was only recently that I realised that was me beginning to find a way of coping with something. I still don’t remember names, but I remember people because it’s a mental picture, and I will remember what someone was wearing from twenty years ago.’
As we’ll see, Kelly’s visual memory has always been remarkable and it would prove to be a vital asset in the career she would go on to forge. Sadly, at the time, she didn’t realise this might be a positive upside related to having dyslexia.
You cAn read Kelly’s story long with 13 other dyslexic minds: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1916797423?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_GW26VAFJVN3FCF1S4KBX
