Meet our new home interiors columnist, Nommi Parker – Founder and Head of Design at The Parlour Room.
Nommi Parker always had a feel for interior design: “I was always the one friends and family turned to when a room wasn’t working. long before it became my profession, redesigning spaces for the people around me was just second nature.”
The route to making it her career took a few twists and turns. Growing up in LS17, after university she worked in creative events – helping to stage immersive, themed productions – before pivoting into strategic customer journey planning for leading supermarkets.
That work gave her a forensic understanding of how people move through, interact with, and feel within a space. But the role was no longer a good fit: “My entire life had become really data-driven and as someone who thrives in a creative environment, that just wasn’t working for me anymore.”
When COVID hit, the time felt right to change direction. Nommi retrained as a kitchen designer, which reshaped how she thinks about the modern home: “Designing a kitchen is about understanding how a family lives – how they entertain, how they move through their home. Get the kitchen right and the function of everything around it follows.” She then moved into an interior design studio, before two babies arrived in quick succession.
Now, launching The Parlour Room in Harrogate, Nommi brings intention and a clarity of vision entirely her own: “I’ve always wanted my own brand to create something with a recognisable signature.
“When you walk into a home that feels like it’s been designed from the inside out and it truly belongs to the person who lives there, that’s what I’m working towards.”
The Parlour Room’s ethos is built around what Nommi calls ‘quiet luxury’ – an organising principle that goes beyond the aesthetic: “Quiet luxury isn’t just about finishes and chosen pieces. It’s about lifestyle and personality. The first questions I ask any client are, ‘How do you want this space to feel? How do you actually live in it?’”
It’s an approach rooted in the realities of home life and identifying friction points: “If every morning you’re navigating chaos in the hallway, let’s design a solution.
“If you love your morning coffee but the coffee machine is hard to get to, let’s make space for that ritual. If you’re a book lover with nowhere to sit and read, you deserve a nook that’s entirely yours. Quiet luxury looks different for everyone, and my job is to find what yours looks like and build your home around it.”
Nommi describes her design identity as ‘English modern’ – heritage warmth complemented by clean contemporary lines and architectural precision: “I’m a neutral lover, but neutrals aren’t boring to me. I embrace things that look intentional now and will continue to in 20 years’ time.”
The Parlour Room’s Concept Clinic is for those experiencing what Nommi calls ‘design paralysis’ – the overwhelm of not knowing where to begin: “Many people are cautious about working with a designer. They worry about handing over control or committing to something they can’t envisage. We remove that barrier by using high-end rendering to produce walkthroughs that let clients really inhabit a space before a single decision is made or a penny is spent.” Other services include The Edit – for homes that have the bones but need that final layer of cohesion – and The Signature, a comprehensive end-to-end experience for major renovations and new builds.
With all services, Nommi’s approach is consistent: “I really take time to listen, read between the lines, and pick up on things people may not have noticed. “Every enquiry begins with a complimentary discovery call then proceeds at a pace that’s comfortable for the client. “People are handing over their home, their sanctuary. That trust is everything.”
Being part of the North Leeds Jewish community adds another dimension to that trust: “There’s a shared set of values, warmth, and familiarity which is a great foundation on which to build a client relationship.”
In future issues, Nommi will explore everything from the art of the intentional home and how to bridge the gap between a transitional space and quiet luxury to the hierarchy of materials, how to mix architectural textures, and seasonal home styling. If you’ve ever looked at a room and thought something was missing but couldn’t quite put your finger on what – this column is for you.
Theparlourroom.uk | On Instagram @parlourroominteriors
