Julia Kendell (born 25 April 1968) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

interior designer, television presenter and writer.

Biography

Born in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, Kendell went to Newnham Junior School in

Eastcote Eastcote is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in northwest London. In the Middle Ages, Eastcote was one of the three areas that made up the parish of Ruislip, under the name of Ascot. The name came from its position to the e ...

, and Haydon Secondary School in Northwood.

Career

Aged 14 she began working in a local soft furnishings shop, and developed a career in interior design after being offered the manager's job aged 18. She now specialises in kitchen design, bespoke cabinetry and lighting design and writes for many interiors magazines including Real Homes and House Beautiful. Her signature style is 'rustic contemporary' and her ethos centres on creating practical, beautiful and emotionally connected homes for all. She regularly speaks at Home Shows across the UK and abroad and mentors the Homebase Decorating Academy. In 2012 she designed the interior of the venue for

Nick Knowles Nicholas Simon Augustine Knowles (born 21 September 1962) is an English television presenter, writer and musical artist. He is best known for his presenting roles on the BBC, including game shows ''Who Dares Wins'' (2007–2019), ''Break the Sa ...

and his wife Jessica's wedding in the UK. In 2015 Kendell has collaborated wit
Danetti UK
designing and launching a new range of dining furniture.

Television career

Kendell's first television appearances were for ITV's ''

60 Minute Makeover ''60 Minute Makeover'' was a British daytime home interior design television programme broadcast on ITV, and later by Quest Red. In 2013, the show's name changed to reflect the change in presenter to Peter Andre. Format The challenge was to red ...

'' for which she made eight series between 2004-2014, most recently co-presenting with

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...

. She has also appeared in a two-part special for ''

Tonight with Trevor McDonald ''Tonight'' (often referred to as ''The Tonight Programme'') is a British current affairs programme, produced by ITV Studios (formerly Granada Television) and ITN for the ITV network, replacing the long-running investigative series ''World ...

'' highlighting the demolition and refurbishment debate of Victorian housing stock in the UK. In January 2008 Julia took over the role of designer for ''

DIY SOS "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

'' on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. Three years later Kendell was instrumental in taking SOS to an hour-long 'Big Build' format where the team complete entire house builds over a 9-day period involving an army of trades volunteers. In April 2011, she was the DIY and makeover expert for '' Daybreak's'' "Guide to Transforming Your Home", in 2012 she appeared on several episodes of T''he Alan Titchmarsh Show'', and in 2015 Rebuild Our Home''' with

Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...

for ITV.

Personal life

Having moved to

Henley on Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bucking ...

with her first husband, she now lives in the area with her partner, James. She has renovated and built homes in the area including an award-winning self-build eco home constructed in 2008.Windrush, a natural wonder
Times Online, 17 May 2009 Julia has two grown-up daughters and a granddaughter. Her passions outside of design include organic vegetable growing, keeping hens and self-sufficiency. She is a prolific cook and enjoys scuba diving and skiing.

References

External links

Official website60 Minute Makeover
ITV.com
DIY SOS
BBC1 One {{DEFAULTSORT:Kendell, Julia Living people People from Eastcote English interior designers English television presenters 1968 births Designers from London