Finally living her dream
“Some designers have a specific style or just follow a template. For me, it’s about creating something that works on a physical and emotional level – that will be different for each project.”
Interview: Sue Wilcock / Martine Silkstone, Norfolk Director Magazine
Pictures: Warren Page, Pagepix
Lanassir Gunton talks to Norfolk Director
Looking back over Lanassir Gunton’s varied career, two things become clear: she has a strong work ethic – instilled by her family from a young age – and whatever roles she has undertaken, her true passion has always been interior design.
Leaving home at 17, her journey began in retail and hospitality. For more than a decade, she worked hard within those sectors, growing in confidence all the time and learning many valuable skills for setting up and running a business. Still, throughout all those years, her gift for creating beautiful spaces was always in evidence, whether it was designing the stores in which she worked, or renovating her own homes along the way.
Innate talent will always find a way to shine through, it seems.
Looking back, she says: “Interior design has always been a part of me, but for a long time I lacked the confidence to pursue it. It was only when given the chance to pause and reflect that I realised – this is what I love and this is what I’m good at.”
Today, having followed her dream, she is Founder and Managing Director of the award-winning interior design consultancy, Swank Interiors. Working out of a studio based at her home in Norfolk, she designs both residential and commercial schemes, taking them from consultation to concept to final installation.
At the heart of her success is Lanassir’s ability to understand and connect with her clients, thereby creating something which is both beautiful and suited to their particular needs.
At Swank Interiors, it’s all about people and relationships – not the Instagram photo.
“My portfolio is really diverse because I like to create something truly unique for each person,” she explains. “Some designers have a specific style or just follow a template. For me, it’s about creating something that works on a physical and emotional level, and that will be different for each project.”
It is an assured, expert approach and a stark contrast to the insecure, young girl she once was. In fact, Lanassir becomes quite emotional when reflecting on how far she has come – from someone too scared to attend an interview (more on that later) to successful business owner and award-winning designer, happily married and living the life she always wanted.
“Growing up, I had no confidence. At school they didn’t think I would amount to anything, and I certainly didn’t think I was good enough to do interior design. Now I’ve changed.
“Now I’m able to say: this is me and this is what I can do.”
Where it all began
Lanassir’s mother was just a teenager when she fell pregnant, but left school determined to be a good parent and gave birth at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in June 1977.
Her biological father – a young man from Bangladesh – was sent away by his guardians due to cultural differences, but Lanassir still had a happy childhood surrounded by a loving family.
A Norfolk girl through and through, she grew up in Norwich, living with her grandparents at first, then in a council flat with her mum from the age of two. Even then, her grandparents were always a huge presence in her life. Her grandfather was a builder and she would spend many happy hours with him, often visiting DIY stores or playing in the sand while he was mixing cement. Later, while running his own business, they would work on renovation projects together. Meanwhile, her grandmother taught her how to sew and created pretty costumes for her favourite hobby, baton twirling.
Her mum may have been young, but it is clear that Lanassir was always wanted, loved and nurtured by those close to her. And to complete that family picture, she gained a stepfather at the age of six.
“I call him ‘dad’ because he’s the only man I’ve ever known in that role,” she says fondly.
A mechanic, he went on to set up his own business working on farm machinery. Over the years, her mum and grandmother also worked in care homes and would be sewing and cake-making at home. Surrounded by strong, creative role models, Lanassir says that as an only child, she was already learning that to live, you had to work.
Growing up
Starting her formal education, Lanassir enjoyed school to begin with and, unsurprisingly, loved anything to do with arts and crafts. Still, as a shy child, she found it hard to make friends and was occasionally bullied due to her darker skin.
In 1988, the family moved to Thorpe St Andrew and when the time came, she chose to attend a large new high school across the city. She thought the fresh start would be a chance to reinvent herself but in reality, she just felt lost in the crowd and started skipping lessons.
“If you didn’t turn up nobody noticed and if you didn’t do homework nobody cared,” she recalls. “I felt like people didn’t really expect me to achieve anything, and that’s part of what drives me now.”
After GCSEs (she still got an A in Art, of course), Lanassir applied to attend college and study textiles with a view to becoming a fashion designer. However, when she turned up for the interview, she wasn’t sure where to go and, still painfully shy, just left. Instead, she worked at Dorothy Perkins until a new role at Anglian Fashion Fabrics was advertised. She knew the Norwich store well and it seemed a perfect fit – though her shyness almost got in the way again.
“I nearly left before the interview, but my mum made me go in and they were so lovely,” she smiles. “It turned out to be a job in the furnishing fabric department and I knew nothing about that side of things, but it was a family business and the owner just wanted somebody who would fit in with the team and show an interest.
“I learned a lot and absolutely loved it.”
They taught her how to measure windows and fabric, then she and her mum bought a sewing machine together and she began making curtains at home to boost her wages.
Now 17, earning her own money and going out to clubs in the evening, it was time for more independence.
First project
In 1994, Lanassir moved into her own flat.
“I’d always said that I’d leave home when I earned £100 a week – goodness knows how I thought I was going to do that,” she laughs.
Fortunately, her parents were able to buy her a flat in Norwich, on the understanding that she would pay rent and redecorate over time. It was the age of ‘Changing Rooms’ on TV and, now working in the industry, Lanassir was excited to try the different techniques she had discovered. She made curtains and painted the walls, tried different borders and played with colour – really exploring her talent for the first time.
Meanwhile, during the day she was enjoying helping customers choose fabrics for their rooms, even assisting the few interior designers who came in.
Yet still she didn’t see it as a career.
“I didn’t think it was really a job!” she exclaims. “A few designers used to come into the shop but they would leave it to us to come up with ideas. One man would just fling some things on the table and say: ‘darling, what can I have to go with this?’. I was basically doing his job for him! But he had confidence and that made all the difference.”
With the seeds of her true passion growing, in 1996 she enrolled at the adult education centre to study GCSE and A Level Interior Design and, having learned so much already, she was excited to finally be studying something she enjoyed.
Soon it was time to use all her newfound knowledge to refurbish her own home.
Changing rooms
Aged 21, with additional funds from a second job working behind the bar at a local nightclub, Lanassir bought her first house – a three-storey property on Magdalen Street.
Going halves with her best friend, they moved in and Lanassir set about renovating the whole place. Helped by her grandad – who was teaching her new skills along the way – she redesigned the bathroom and kitchen, re-tiled the bathroom herself and painted the chimney breast with a hand-drawn zebra print.
“I think that’s probably why I didn’t get married young, because I scared men with my décor,” she laughs. “I was experimenting with anything and everything, and I was finally feeling more confident because I’d found something that I enjoyed.”
A romantic relationship began and ended while she was busy with the house and, having been at Anglian Fashion Fabrics for seven years, she decided it was time to move on in her career too. Although she was now running the furnishings shop, it was a small family business and she couldn’t see any further progression ahead so, aged 23, she moved to a sales assistant role at John Lewis, thinking the larger company would offer more opportunities. However, she was placed in the childrenswear department and was using her valuable measuring skills to fit children for school uniforms – it was not for her.
In less than a year, she was looking for a new role.
New beginnings
By the age of 25, Lanassir had sold her house and was renting a flat with a new boyfriend.
After leaving John Lewis, she helped an old employer open a new restaurant, but it was long hours and she felt uneasy locking up late at night, so after three months she left to join Body Shop as Deputy Manager. As with her other retail jobs, she enjoyed laying out the store so “everything looked just right” and planned different ways to train the team, always looking for ways to make things interesting for people.
She did so well that it wasn’t long before she became Manager and with confidence high, she decided it was time to get back on the property ladder.
So, with her boyfriend, she bought a 1970s house in Brundall which was in need of refurbishment. Aided by her grandad as always, Lanassir began a complete renovation throughout.
Meanwhile, she successfully applied to be Manager at Barratts Shoes, opening the new Chapelfield Shopping Centre store and taking charge of staff recruitment, training, stock, shop floor – everything. She was working 12 hours a day and had an amazing first three months. But while work was great, at home her relationship had broken down. The house was put up for sale and feeling unsettled and unhappy, Lanassir went to work at a shoe shop in Gorleston for a while, looking for space to clear her head and reset. There was talk of potentially buying the business but she wasn’t sure about the finances or if that was the right decision anyway.
It had been a busy few years both personally and professionally and now she was confused and unsure about the future – then a casual flick through the Yellow Pages one lunchtime finally set her on the right path.
Food for thought
Through everything, Lanassir had been working hard and gathering a wide range of skills and experience – but she still didn’t have a real plan for her career.
Now aged 29 and unsure about work, she decided it was time to think about her personal life instead and start dating again. When she saw an advert for ‘Matching Professionals’ in the phone book, she signed up thinking: “what have I got to lose?”
Before long, the matchmaker called and suggested a practice date with a gentleman who was on their books – all very official though.
“We talked on the phone to start with,” Lanassir recalls, “then we went out for dinner. He was very charming and charismatic. We had a lovely evening and the next day he sent flowers and asked me out again. It was just a nice friendship in the beginning, but then slowly became something more.”
By the end of 2006, they were in a relationship. With her house now sold, her new partner suggested that she move in with him and take time to figure out what she really wanted to do – it was an important moment in her story.
“I stopped work for a while which was so out of character for me, but it gave me the breathing space I needed; it gave me time to think about what I really enjoyed doing and what I was actually good at. It suddenly seemed so clear, and that’s when I decided to do interior design.”
Dreams come true
On her 30th birthday, Lanassir enrolled at the KLC School of Design in London.
She “absolutely loved the course” and quickly threw herself into learning, attending classes on everything from technical drawing to lighting, and becoming fully immersed in her subject.
While studying, her partner asked if she would like to take over the refurbishment of his new flat in Norwich. It was a great experience for a budding interior designer and though it had been a trusting move to start with, he soon saw that she knew what she was doing.
Getting back into the market herself, she also bought her own place on Aylsham Road – a short walk from her very first flat – and then renovated it, of course.
Now she had two projects under her belt and the beginnings of a professional portfolio.
But it was the recommendation by an architect friend that bought her first real client – a woman moving back from Milan had bought a 1960s house on Sunningdale and with Lanassir’s love of all things retro, it was the perfect pairing.
She was officially in business and in 2009, Swank Interiors was born.
Using photos from her unofficial projects, she used local experts to establish her website and create her brand, choosing her colours – pink and green – after being inspired by the heathers in the garden outside her desk window. Once online, the calls started coming in and she quickly had a steady flow of clients.
She was on her way.
Making her mark
Lanassir’s first work as Swank Interiors included a complete house and home office re-design. Meanwhile, at home, she converted a vacant barn into a showroom and store, providing the ideal space to meet clients and demonstrate different styles. She hired an assistant to help set everything up and joined local networking groups to meet other professionals and build her profile across the region.
Following an event to launch the new showroom in May 2011, big projects quickly started to come her way and she was soon making a name for herself. In 2013, she was offered the prestigious contract to design the penthouse at Westlegate Tower in Norwich and this went on to win a United Kingdom Property Award. By the time her business was just five years old, she had also been featured in the Andrew Martin Interior Design Review – a highly regarded annual publication showcasing work from top designers worldwide. She had clearly found her true path.
Moving on
While working hard on her business, Lanassir sold her flat on Aylsham Road and bought another in Norwich city centre. After completely gutting the property, she had planned to take her time redecorating, but found herself under pressure as at home her relationship was coming to an end.
“I was really focused on work, to the detriment of my relationship. I’d found something I loved and wanted to give it my all, but my partner was at a very different stage in his career. It just got to a point where it didn’t work and we split up.
“But I’m forever grateful to him because although our relationship eventually broke down, he gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream career. He believed in me and still does.”
They parted in May 2015 but he remains a client to this day.
However, having left her home and the showroom behind, Lanassir quickly needed a place to live and run her business.
She completed the work at her new flat in just two months, while briefly staying with her grandparents. Unfortunately, the new circumstances meant letting her assistant go while she spent time stabilising the business and selling off stock from her old store.
It was a tough few years in many ways but work was still coming in thick and fast. Despite not doing any marketing or networking at that time, new clients – including a few footballers – were being introduced through word of mouth and she was working all over the country.
Eventually it became too much for her to cope with alone and never wanting to give less than 100%, Lanassir concluded something had to give.
With Swank Interiors thriving and Lanassir’s confidence in her own abilities finally secure, it was time to decide what she really wanted the business to be; whether to push for growth, or simply focus on what she really enjoyed doing.
She chose personal fulfilment over the pressure of financial targets.
Since then, her business has been strictly local. She takes on just a few projects at a time and only in Norfolk where she can always be on hand if needed. The combination of both personal and business contracts allows for an interesting variety of work and, in both cases, her main objective is always to ensure a feeling of “wellbeing” for everyone involved. She is now doing what she loves and, importantly, in a way that maintains her high standards.
Finding love
By 2018, Lanassir was single again and living in the city, and with her work life sorted, it was time to find her personal happy ever after.
In a blast from the past, the sister of her old nightclub boss suggested meeting for a casual dinner so she could introduce her friend, Andrew. Lanassir agreed and at the meal her friends bombarded him with questions to see if he was a suitable match. Unphased by their approach, he remained laid back and relaxed – Lanassir was impressed.
“I just loved how he was so easy-going. He wasn’t even scared off when he first came to my flat and I had wedding magazines everywhere,” she laughs. “But I did explain: there’s no pressure – I’m just researching ideas for a venue design.”
Although as if destined from the start, that research came in handy when the couple married at that wedding venue – The Park Farm Hotel – in 2022.
Today, they live in Hingham where she has built her own family with her husband, his two children, Daisy and Tom, and their cocker spaniel, Bailey.
As a couple, they can often be found at design expos, industry showrooms, museums and galleries, feeding Lanassir’s creative inspiration through art and travel.
“I like to cram as much as I can into a day – no second wasted.”
So, what’s next?
“Professionally, I enjoy working independently, but in the future I’d like to become more involved with mentoring the new designers coming through. I am also very active in the Norfolk business community and I love helping companies understand the importance of workplace wellbeing. I think that’s probably the backbone of my business – making sure that everybody who will use each space has been taken into consideration.
“At home, I just love cooking and entertaining.
“I guess for me, life is all about the people.”
