Podcast Summary: The Sisters Behind Flora Soames on the Key to English Style

Business of Home Podcast
Host: Dennis Scully
Guests: Flora Soames & Gemma Soames
Date: October 6, 2025

Overview

In this engaging episode, Dennis Scully sits down with Flora Soames and her sister, Gemma Soames, the duo behind the rising British fabric brand, Flora Soames. The conversation ranges from their aristocratic lineage (as great-granddaughters of Winston Churchill) to the evolution of their business, their dynamic as sisters and business partners, and what truly sets English style apart. The siblings share candid stories of family, resilience, and their commitment to British craftsmanship, as well as insights into their recent expansion into the US market.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sisterhood and Business Partnership

• Navigating Sibling Dynamics
  • Dennis opens with humor, admitting envy at their relationship:
    "I do not get along terribly well with my sister. So I—the thought of actually running a business with my sister, an impossibility." (02:39)
  • Flora and Gemma describe their bond, having always been close yet following different paths before converging in business.
• Personal Tragedy as a Catalyst
  • The sisters' strengthened partnership grew out of personal losses and serious health challenges, which created a context for mutual support and new opportunities:
    • Flora lost her long-term partner in 2017, and Gemma was diagnosed with breast cancer during COVID (10:02, 20:23).

2. Personal Histories Influencing a Brand

• Flora's journey began in art history, experience working for a furniture dealer, and a natural gravitation to interiors rooted in early, tactile memories of family homes (04:24, 13:59).
• Gemma transitioned from jewelry marketing in the US to journalism in the UK, later leveraging her storytelling skills in the business (06:19–09:23).

3. Family, Heritage, and The English Home

• The Soames sisters' home environments, especially shaped by their mother and grandmothers, deeply influence the brand's style and ethos.
  • Notable moment: Discussion about a photo of their mother surrounded by family dogs, symbolizing lived-in, welcoming English interiors (17:10):

    "It's about the way that a house makes you feel when you cross the threshold ... a house that tells the story of everyone who lives under that roof, as well as the people who have gone before." – Flora (18:44)

• The concept of “mixing the ordinary with the extraordinary” is repeated as a key principle of authentic English style (19:52).

4. The Birth and Growth of Flora Soames (The Brand)

• Origins Amid Loss and Reflection
  • Flora developed her fabric line during a period of isolation and creativity at her cottage in the woods, drawing inspiration from a personal collection of antique textiles (25:09).
• Official Business Partnership
  • Gemma’s official involvement began in 2023, running day-to-day operations and supporting the business’s digital growth (28:01).
• Commitment to British Craft
  • All products are made in the UK, with an emphasis on craftsmanship, detailed processes, and a hands-on team (28:50).

5. Scaling, Expansion, and The US Market

• Separation of Design and Fabric Divisions
  • The design (interior) and fabric businesses are now separate, each requiring distinct teams but sharing Flora’s vision (30:23).
• Physical Presence: Pimlico Road Showroom
  • Opening a shop on London’s Pimlico Road—a site rich in industry heritage—was a "no brainer" for the sisters (32:17–34:58).
  • The local community and proximity to British icons like Nina Campbell, Will Fisher, and Robert Kime have been both supportive and inspiring.
• US Market Entry
  • Flora Soames fabric is now represented in Texas, New York, LA, and soon Atlanta, with a focus on building relationships and delivering personalized service (44:33–45:45):

    "Our first step was to open in Texas with James, with Hunter and Meredith, who I know you know well ... we've been with them in Texas for over a year and it's been absolutely great." – Gemma (45:45)

  • The US market’s strong appetite for English style is palpable, but success requires adaptation, persistence, and storytelling.

6. The Power of Storytelling & Brand Identity

• The family’s Churchill heritage provides rich narrative, but the sisters emphasize the influence of matriarchal figures and a lived-in, welcoming home above all (37:26–40:07).
• Iconic product: The "Dahlias" print, based on a 19th-century French wallpaper, exemplifies creativity sometimes pushing commercial boundaries (42:27):

  "The Dahlias is based on a 19th century French fragment of wallpaper...certainly our printers would say it's the most ambitious thing that they print." – Flora (42:27)

• Customization and direct communication with clients remains central to success, especially in the US (48:02).

7. Balancing Authenticity and Marketing

• Social media is approached with authenticity and caution. Flora’s voice leads their Instagram, even as Gemma gently encourages more content (53:56):

  "We’re not just going to respond exclusively to what the algorithms require; it’s got to fit holistically with what we’re doing..." – Flora (54:22)

• Memorable anecdote: Flora’s ambitious marketing ideas (eg. a swan in a bath) and Gemma pulling her back toward realistic execution (55:10):

  "She said, I’m thinking swans ... that old adage, you know, never work with your family or animals does not apply in our case." – Gemma (55:50)

• There’s a tension between showcasing “behind the scenes” family life, as the American audience craves, and traditional British reserve (56:13–57:07).

8. What Makes English Style?

• The sisters distill English style as a mix of patina, personal objects, color and comfort, rather than perfection or polish:

  "I think we want our homes to say something about us ... The more that you're willing for your interior to speak to that, the more interesting a time I hope you’ll have when you cross my threshold." – Flora (58:42)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On English Style:
  "It's celebrating the ordinary as well as the extraordinary." – Flora (19:52)

• On business with family:
  "It is quite challenging to reel her in." – Gemma, regarding balancing Flora's creative ambitions with commercial concerns (44:12)

• On family legacy:
  "She lived in a country cottage in the middle of Holland Park...this all-encompassing feeling of ease and welcome was something so infused in the spaces we grew up in." – Gemma, describing their grandmother Mary Soames (38:54)

• On authenticity in marketing:
  "We have to show up in a way that works for us and that feels right." – Gemma (56:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:39] – Sibling dynamics and business partnership beginnings
• [04:24] – Flora’s early career and design path
• [06:19] – Gemma’s path from media to business
• [10:02] – Personal tragedy strengthens their bond
• [13:59] – Flora’s vocational journey in design
• [17:10] – Influence of their mother and photos symbolic of English interiors
• [19:52] – Celebrating the “ordinary and extraordinary”
• [20:23]/[22:22] – Gemma’s cancer diagnosis and involvement in the business
• [28:01] – Gemma’s official involvement and e-commerce launch
• [32:17] – Discussion of the Pimlico Road showroom
• [37:26] – Churchill family legacy and its influence
• [42:27] – Product stories: the ambitious “Dahlias” print
• [44:33] – US market entry strategy
• [53:56] – Storytelling, social media, and marketing approach
• [58:42] – The true key to English style in interior design

Tone and Language

The conversation is warm, candid, gently humorous, and deeply reflective—honoring personal histories and family while embracing the challenges of entrepreneurship and brand-building. The sisters are forthright about business hurdles but grounded in gratitude and authenticity, with a distinctly English sensibility throughout.

This summary captures the full arc of Flora and Gemma’s story, the ethos behind their work, and the wisdom and wit shared for listeners passionate about design, heritage, and authentic British style.