There are elements of taste – and therefore interior design – that are seemingly innate. Images, stored in the mind’s eye conjure up an impression of ‘home’, whether that’s the pattern in a hearth rug, the colours of the South African veldt, or a table set with particular china. “For the first three years of my life, I never stopped crying,” says Emma Burns. “My mother would push me down Kensington Church Street, and, for some relief, visit the local pawn shop where she would buy me the odd Royal Doulton plate or Worcester cup. She was determined that I should not eat off pieces covered in teddy bears.”

As a child, Nicky Haslam lived at Great Huntridge Manor, which, according to David Hicks, contained some of the best rooms in England. “I remember details, and sometimes I plop parts into something else,” he says. Early memories become seminal – whatever they are; Sarah Vanrenen of Vanrenen GW Designs recollects “fending off parking wardens while sitting on double yellows outside various antique shops waiting for my mother, Penny Morrison”. She explains that a significant part of her upbringing involved “driving to site visits, interior projects, fabric and antique shops,” and that it made her who she is – “it is no surprise to my mother or myself that we find ourselves within the same industry.”

Notably, Sarah’s not the only interior designer on our Top 100 list whose parent features too. Rita Konig, daughter of Nina Campbell, talks reverently of the thrill that comes with the job. “There’s a moment in building a house that is terribly exciting. What is the life in this house going to be? It’s a bit like the feeling of spring. My mother taught me that.” Then there are the designers whose parents dealt in or collected antiques, which include Rose Uniacke, and Daniel Slowik, who mentions being raised in “a very full house. My mother was also an early collector of kitsch, which included flying ducks, knitting patterns, and other general ephemera. So that started my antique dealing, and because of my mother I saw antiques as component parts of a house. My whole idea that interiors should include both carefully chosen antiques and antiques of interest comes from her, along with the idea of a layered look, of building up a collection, and of it being eclectic and fun – in fact, in marrying Benedict, I might just have married another version of my mother.”