Kelly Hoppen

Family

Kelly Hoppen was born on 28 July 1959 in Cape Town, South Africa. Her mother Stephanie Hoppen (née Shub) and her father Seymour Hoppen are of Estonian Jewish ancestry. Her brother, Michael, owns the Michael Hoppen Gallery. Her daughter is the food writer Natasha Corrett.

Career

Hoppen began her career at 16 when she was given the opportunity to design a family friend’s kitchen. She has designed for a number of celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham; and Martin Shaw, who was one of her early clients. She has designed the homes, yachts and jets of private clients, as well as commercial projects in several countries, including hotels, restaurants, offices and aircraft. Some of Hoppen's most recent projects include a collaboration with Pearl Motor Yachts and the design of a LUX* Belle Mare hotel resort in Mauritius.

Hoppen is the author of eight design books to date. She became famous on the back of her 1997 book. In November 2013, Hoppen published Kelly Hoppen Design Masterclass - How to Achieve the Home of your Dreams.

Hoppen uses a neutral colour palette such as taupe and beige. She has said of her design philosophy, "My philosophy has always remained the same. It's about creating calm balanced environments based on Eastern cultures, i.e. order and creation of harmony. How people feel in a space is as important as the way it looks, one can't be without the other to succeed."

In January 2014, she launched her first e-commerce store: www.kellyhoppen.com with a self-designed interiors accessories range. The same year the Daily Telegraph ranked her as the second most influential female interior designer in Britain.

Hoppen has also partnered a select number of licensees to offer a range of other home products including fabrics, shutters, paints, scents, furniture, wallpaper, taps, prints and products on QVC UK.

Television

In 2011, Hoppen presented her own show on Channel 5 called Superior Interiors with Kelly Hoppen.

On 11 August 2013, Hoppen became one of the new dragons on BBC Two's Dragons' Den following the departure of Hilary Devey. On 23 January 2015, she announced her departure from the show after three series.

Hoppen will appear in the fourth series of BBC Two's The Great Interior Design Challenge as a judge alongside Daniel Hopwood in 2017. She replaces Sophie Robinson.

Awards

In 1996, Hoppen was awarded the Andrew Martin Interior Design Award by Andrew Martin International. She has subsequently won a number of other awards including European Woman Of Achievement in 2007, ELLE Decoration Award and Grazia Designer of the Year.

In March 2009, Hoppen was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. The award was given for services to Interior Design. Hoppen is an ambassador for the Prince's Trust, the Government’s GREAT campaign and now works with UK Trade & Investment and other parts the government, as an adviser and mentor to small businesses.

In December 2013, Hoppen was awarded the Natwest Everywoman Ambassador award for inspiring more young women to excel. On 29 October 2015, Hoppen was listed by UK-based company Richtopia at number 35 in the list of 100 Most Influential British Entrepreneurs.

Personal life

Although moving permanently to London, Hoppen returns to South Africa every year for Christmas. Hoppen has struggled in life because of her dyslexia. Her father worked in the fashion industry and her mother has a gallery in London exhibiting artists and photographers from around the world. Her older brother, Michael, owns the Michael Hoppen Gallery.

News of the World legal action

Hoppen lodged a claim against the News of the World and one of its reporters, Dan Evans, for "accessing or attempting to access her voicemail messages between June 2009 and March 2010". Hoppen's case was one of five test cases concerning the hacking of the mobile phones of public figures by the paper due to be brought before the High Court early in 2012. In October 2011, she accepted £60,000 in damages from News International in relation to phone hacking in 2005-2006. No acceptance of liability was made in relation to the allegations against Evans in respect of 2009. Since the settlement, her test case has been replaced by that of footballer Ashley Cole.