Clare Toland
Making interior design affordable and accessible for young renters
Making interior design affordable and accessible for young renters
From her own experience of renting property, Clare Toland saw the benefits that good interior design could have on renters. But it was during the pandemic that she became really passionate about the power of interior design on people’s mental health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Her research showed that young people in the UK are living in private rentals for longer as they cannot afford homeownership. Additionally, a large number of people are living in poor quality properties with outdated and unappealing interiors.
It gave Clare the idea for So Haven, an online interior design service for young people who rent property. She aims to make it as affordable as possible to tackle the perception that interior design is expensive and out of reach.
“I really believe in my business idea but I don’t have experience in business. The Young Innovators programme is an exciting opportunity to get business support and network with leading businesses in the UK. The grant will also make a huge difference to the speed at which I can grow the business,” Clare says.