Get to know deVOL’s Creative Director, Helen Parker!
27th August 2025
If you watched our TV show, ‘For The Love Of Kitchens’, you’ll probably know (and love) our Creative Director, Helen. But for those of you who haven’t been able to catch the episodes, we thought you might like to know a little bit more about the person behind deVOL’s unique and beautiful style…
Hi Helen! For those who don’t know you, how did your journey with deVOL start?
It all began in a delicatessen!! I was working part-time, as my children had moved up to senior school, and I wanted something a little more than being a full-time mum!! The owner of deVOL, Paul O’Leary, had a little shop in a small village in Leicestershire that made freestanding kitchens. He used to buy his lunch from the deli, and one day he approached me, thinking I looked like a middle-aged lady who might relate well to his customers. I had no experience in selling kitchens; I did have a passion for design and art, but no formal training. It was one of those moments, a chance encounter that changes your whole life, literally in an instant. I began chatting to customers, doing window displays, and then, after a while, designing kitchens. With a lot of support and help from Paul and his team, I found myself; I loved the creativity I was able to demonstrate, and I found, for the first time in my checkered working career, something I was actually good at.
What is your style aesthetic?
My style is very much old and new. I like textures and I like patina, but mostly I enjoy finding things that feel soulful and unusual. I love colour, but not bold bright colours, just a nice mix of soft, maybe muted, tones and patterns, but not too much. I love traditional styles such as Victorian and Georgian, but with a contemporary twist. Artwork is somewhere I like to add a big, bold, unexpected look to a room, a splash of quirkiness to stop it feeling too obvious. I like a mix of styles rather than sticking wholeheartedly to one look. Adding vintage pieces is an absolute must for me. I’m bordering on cluttery in my own home, so I have to keep a check on this at deVOL and have more curated clutter!! I love collections of things, pictures, objects, anything that becomes a cluster is good for me. I also like things to be done in a bold way. I like big, grand things even in small spaces. I’m not big on lots of little bits and bobs unless they are carefully displayed to create a collection.
What inspires you?
Walking the streets inspires me. I have since found there is a word for this, a flaneur, which I am very pleased to know, as it feels like a proper pastime now!! My favourite streets are those around Spitalfields in East London. I have an unhealthy interest in everything that has gone on in this area over the centuries, and now I love nothing more than to wander. The colours of the woodwork, the grandeur of the houses, a peek through a window, it’s all so beautifully old and carefully preserved, but in a sympathetic way. I love this, things that feel as if time has stood still, houses where people don’t change the windows, add extensions, knock out walls, or just generally try to change things.
My other passion is the Mediterranean, another place where things are far more likely to stay the same, old bars, restaurants and homes. These people seem less intent on always having to change things; they are content with what they have. I love that! I am not one for changing for changing’s sake. I like to enhance a space with beautiful things, but I like those things to be very carefully considered, so even if they are new, they feel at home in their space.
Do you have any specialisms?
Gosh, I don’t really know, but I would say designing and styling our showrooms has become my thing!! I love the process of imagining how I want a room or a series of rooms to look. Choosing the colours, the layouts and sourcing every tiny item that will then dress the room. I love to find unique pieces, old or new. I spend so long imagining the finished rooms down to every little detail and scour the antiques fairs and eBay for special things that are just perfect for each spot. There is such a thrill when you see the rooms take shape, and you can unpack boxes of treasures that you’d forgotten about.
The final job for me is to ensure, with deVOL’s photographer Tim, that we get the most beautiful images to show the world. I always know if a room has worked if the images look good; it’s one of the most important things to me. The styling of an image for a photoshoot and getting a beautiful shot is where I am at my happiest.
Thank you so much, Helen! You can follow along with Helen at her Instagram, @hapdesigns, or watch her and Paul on our TV show, ‘For The Love Of Kitchens’.
