Meet The Interior Design World's Best Kept Secret, Jonathan Sainsbury

Meet The Interior Design World's Best Kept Secret, Jonathan Sainsbury

From House Guest by Country & Town House | Interior Designer Interviews by Country and Town House

February 20, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Carole Annett interviews Jonathan Sainsbury, a renowned interior designer known for his exceptional furniture and attention to detail.

'Young Sainsbury is a cheeky little sausage with the most wonderful eye for detail. His furniture is extraordinary', says his client Sir Rod Stewart. Meeting in Guy Goodfellow's Chelsea atelier, this week Carole Annett sits down with the design world's best-kept secret: Jonathan Sainsbury. Founded in 1918, his eponymous family-run business has a reputation for creating some of the finest furniture in the world, often (though, as he stresses, not always) inspired by classical interiors of the 18th- and 19th-centuries. The key to his success? Quality. As he tells Carole: 'I only trade off my quality. I don't trade off price. I don't trade off being the quickest in the world. I don't trade off any of that. I only trade off people saying "If you want the best job then go and see Jonny and he'll sort it out for you".'

People in this episode

Host: Carole Annett

Guest: Jonathan Sainsbury

Topics covered

  • interior design
  • furniture
  • quality craftsmanship
  • classical interiors
  • design secrets

Keywords

  • interior design
  • furniture
  • Jonathan Sainsbury
  • quality
  • classical interiors

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Guy Goodfellow, Country and Town House

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