Natalia Samodina, The Interior Design Lawyer, shares an insight into her legal role, toolkits to help furniture brands and why the love for interiors saw the creation of her business.

Let’s start with you. Can you share a bit about yourself?

I’m a commercial solicitor by training, with a career that began in top City and US law and global financial institutions. Over time, I realised my real passion was helping homeware and lifestyle businesses navigate the legal and commercial challenges that are intrinsic to the sector. Today, I run Adcuratus Limited, trading as The Interior Design Lawyer, where I specialise exclusively on helping the furniture, homeware and interiors sector.

My work blends senior legal expertise with a practical understanding of how furniture and homeware products move through their lifecycle – from sourcing and production to logistics, marketing and distribution – and how a business evolves alongside that journey. I support companies at every stage, from start‑ups to scale‑ups and established brands, with strategic legal advice that protects their brand, enables growth and keeps them on the right side of regulators and wider stakeholders.

My role spans commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, raising capital (debt and equity), sustainability responsibilities, brand protection and crisis management for furniture and homeware brands. I started the business in 2023, and since then I’ve focused on building a legal service that feels genuinely sector‑specific, pragmatic and accessible.

What do you love about your job?

I love translating complex legal and financial issues into something that makes sense for busy founders and product teams. As I love the sector itself, I find helping a business protect its ideas, strengthen its supply chain or launch a product with confidence incredibly rewarding.

What time is your alarm clock set for and do you have a morning routine?

I must admit that I’m not consistent (guilty as charged) and the waking-up time varies wildly, depending on how tired I am (usually linked to what hour I went to bed the night before). All things being equal, I get up at around 7 and take my daughter to school. I dive into work at around 8.30.

Why did you choose to work in the furnishing industry?

It started with my love for interiors – not just the aesthetics, but the way spaces shape how we feel and live. By the time I decided to shift from the world of finance, I was already very experienced and versatile in many things commercial law.  Having worked with a couple of companies in the sector, it pained me to see how unprotected some of their assets and businesses were, mostly due to the lack of legal structures, such as enforceable contracts and understanding of the regulatory regime. Sadly, such absence of structures sometimes led to legal battles – meaning stress for the owners and the workforce, unpredictable financial hit, disrupted business and dashed dreams.  The sector deserved legal support that truly understands its nuances, and I wanted to build that.

Who do you most admire in the industry and why?

I admire founders and designers who combine unique and authentic creativity with integrity – the ones who tell a unique story, prioritise working with empoverished communities and long‑term relationships with suppliers and consumers. The industry has many unsung heroes quietly doing things the right way.

Have there been any special moments during your career?

I will mention two: many years ago, I led an investigation on a cross-border international criminal fraud case, essentially acting as a private investigator.  That was fun, even though I did not get to read the rights to the perpetrator. More recently, launching The Interior Design Lawyer was a defining moment. It felt like the culmination of years of experience across finance, law and working for the interiors sector – and the start of something that genuinely serves a community I care about.

What is your favourite item of furniture you own and why?

A beautifully crafted acacia wood chest of drawers from India that I’ve had for years. It’s not the most expensive piece, but it’s the one that feels most “me” – chunky and sturdy, comfortable, timeless and made with real attention to detail.

What do you think is trending within the industry at present?

Four things stand out:

• sustainability with substance, not slogans – businesses are holding themselves to higher standards;
• moving away from “greige” and the embrace of sophisticated, muted colours;
• multiple-use and modular furniture, adaptable to working, living and leisure;
• a return to material honesty – natural textures, visible craftsmanship, and pieces designed to last.

What would you change in the industry?

I have seen a lot of puzzlement within the industry of why a business would need a lawyer, unless it is being sued or is otherwise “in trouble”.  And, sadly, the result has sometimes been a contractual dispute under an either non-existing or inadequate contract (due to no legal oversight) – which cannot possibly lead to a satisfactory resolution.  The reason I write about the legal topics that are relevant for the sector is to raise awareness of reasons for having a robust legal framework in place.  With the necessary tools in place, businesses can focus on creating and growing, safe in the knowledge that their legal affairs are in order and they will not get on regulators’ negative radar, repel consumers or investors or see their brand lose value.

Can you share an insight into your future plans?

I’m building a suite of sector‑specific resources – toolkits, templates and guides – designed to help furniture and homeware businesses access legal support at scale. I’m also developing my brand, The Interior Design Lawyer, as a long‑term and trusted sector authority.

What do you enjoy most outside of work/free time?

Anything that balances the intensity of legal work – reading (in particular, on history), following select interior designers for trends and makeover videos and spending time in green spaces that inspire calmness.

What might someone not know about you?

That law path was a last-minute switch from a previously planned career in music.

If you had a different career, what would it be?

I would probably want to try my hand at interior design – who knows, it might still come.

Get in touch

If you would like tailored legal advice for your business, please contact Natalia at natalia@interiordesignlawyer.co.uk.

www.interiordesignlawyer.co.uk

Five Fun Questions

1) If you could hack into any one computer, whose computer would you choose and why?

I’d choose my own – purely to remind myself how many tabs I leave open.

2) What fact amazes you every time you think of it?

That every object (from an aeroplane to a computer) started as an idea in someone’s mind – a sketch, a conversation, a spark.  That thought feels me with thought that anything is possible, if one applies their mind to it.

3) What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

I’m not a very spontaneous person and the most “outrageous” example is grabbing a toothbrush and a set of overnight clothes before jumping on a train for an overseas city break.

4) What is the most important object you own and why?

It’s tough to choose just one.  How about two categories: one is probably my notebooks that I have kept over the years. It’s where ideas, client insights and future plans all begin.  And two – not necessarily in the order of importance – is my family memories “treasure chest” with old family pictures, my daughter’s first shoes, her first Mother’s Day card to me and other gems that have the power to brighten up an otherwise gloomy day.

5) What did you think was cool when you were young but isn’t cool now?

Oooh, I thought a bit of “boisterous” behaviour and “salty” language was cool, when I was young.  I have done a u-turn on that one – I believe that one can never go wrong with manners, including polite language – irrespective of context.