Our story
We design homes that restore you.
Studio Ember Interiors is an independent design studio founded by Francesca Sadd and based in Henley-on-Thames. It began with a simple conviction: that a home shouldn't be a showroom you tiptoe around, but a soulful, collected space that genuinely restores you — the person who leads your project is the same one clients keep naming in their reviews.
Every space we create is rooted in how you actually live: the morning coffee rituals, the Sunday sprawl, the happy chaos of family life. We layer eclectic finds with considered comfort, blending colour psychology, natural materials and a touch of the unexpected — interiors designed to heal, energise and evolve with you, rather than to chase a trend that's gone by next season.
What clients write about, over and over, isn't just the finished rooms — it's the experience. They describe an innate empathy for a space, a voice that helps them stand back and see what matters, and a designer who understands their brief and aesthetic while still nudging them somewhere they couldn't have reached alone. It's essentially design therapy, they say — and the space still feels unmistakably theirs, but better.
Founder-led
by Francesca Sadd
Henley
on-Thames & beyond
5.0★
Rated on Google
What we believe
The things clients mention every time.
An innate empathy for the space
Clients describe a voice that helps them stand back and see what's important when a lot is going on — guidance on what's truly best for them.
Design that feels like therapy
It's not just décor. Francesca takes the stress out of the process and manages every stage smoothly, so the whole thing feels considered and calm.
Rooted in how you live
We design around your real, everyday life — never a trend for its own sake, and never a precious room you're afraid to touch.
Understood, then stretched
She really understands your brief and aesthetic, then gently pushes you toward things you couldn't have thought of yourself.
Unmistakably yours
The space still feels like yours — but better — right down to making a treasured old armchair finally feel like it belongs.
Built to evolve
Homes designed to heal, energise and evolve with you over time, whether delivered all at once or in considered phases.
The designer you'll work with
Francesca Sadd
Founder · Interior Designer
Francesca — known to clients as Chess — founded Studio Ember and leads every project personally. Reviews describe an innate empathy for the design and the space she's helping you create: the voice that helps you stand back and see what's important, understands your brief and aesthetic, and still pushes you toward things you couldn't have thought of yourself. It's design, clients say, that feels like therapy — and homes that end up unmistakably theirs, but better.
Where we work
Henley-based, but we cover far and wide.
Studio Ember is based in Henley-on-Thames and works across the surrounding towns and villages — Marlow, Wallingford, Reading, Wargrave, Sonning, Twyford and beyond. Past projects have taken the studio further afield too, into Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and London. Not sure if you're in reach? Just ask — Francesca is happy to talk it through.
In clients' own words
Every star earned on a real project.
“Francesca has an innate empathy for the design and space she is helping you create. When a lot is going on and it's easy to get lost in it, you need that voice that helps you stand back and see what's important or to guide you on what's best for you. It's essentially design therapy and she's really…”
“Francesca helped us decorate our 60s townhouse in Henley and we couldn't be happier. Her managing of every stage of the process was as smooth and efficient as possible — it really took the stress out of the job. We especially appreciate that she really understood the brief and our aesthetic while…”
“Our house is a new build and we really struggled to give it any character... until Chess arrived! She completely opened up our eyes to how we could make our new and modern living room get some personality. She introduced different textures, worked with our select few, preferred colours and she even…”