From Finance, Food to Designing Spaces
I was an MD within the Risk & Strategy space on Wall Street when a chance meeting with Warren Buffett changed everything. That conversation led to cooking for the Gates, Obamas and later for Royalty too. I left Finance to set up The Hampstead Kitchen—a thriving private dining experience and culinary studio in 2013.
With clients across London, Europe, the Middle East, and the US, I've cooked and hosted everywhere from palaces to tiny apartments with all kinds of kitchens and living spaces. I learned something fundamental: it's not the size of a space, but how you use it to host and live.
My clients were choosing a slower way of living—moving outside the City to the Countryside: Norfolk, the Cotswolds, Somerset & Southern Europe.
So in spring 2025, I made my own move. From Hampstead, London—800 sq feet—to a 2,000 sq foot barn on a working farm in North Norfolk. The barn gave me alfresco dinners under the stars. Meadow views. A garden. Space to relax and heal. Two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.
I was finally in a home that supported not just how I wanted to live, but who I was becoming. It taught me something visceral: spaces do shape how you live. They either work with you or against you. And that's when I realised—I was my first client.
The space made me re-evaluate everything: how I unwind, move, gather, dine & host.
What I really needed. How I wanted to live mindfully.
How Curated by Saima Began
A private dining client asked me to look at her London penthouse. Beautiful kitchen. Completely unused — she was ordering in, hosting business clients across a table she didn't feel at home in.
"How's the kitchen flow?" I asked. "Love my kitchen but it doesn't work for me."
That one question unlocked everything. A self heated island so she could host casually without setting a formal table. A walk-in coffee & drinks bar carved from the pantry. A cupboard simply labelled "Hosting" — everything she needed for a dinner party, in one place, ready to go. A flow system that made entertaining feel intuitive rather than effortful.
Within three weeks, she was hosting easily. Word spread, by the end of the year: ten clients, sixteen design-led projects, and calls from overseas — all with the same dilemma. Beautiful homes they couldn't fully enjoy or host in.
That's when I understood. This wasn't a side project. There was a genuine need. So Curated by Saima became its own thing. And the more I did it, the more I kept seeing the same pattern.
Create spaces, stories & experiences that make connection feel effortless, uplifting & memorable
The Part Most People Miss
Over a decade of hosting through my private dining business The Hampstead Kitchen taught me one thing: the best gatherings happen when the space does the heavy lifting. Design shapes how you feel — even when you don't realise it.
The difference isn't aesthetics. It's function and flow. A kitchen island where people naturally pull up a stool before dinner. Warm light that shifts the mood without anyone noticing. A hosting cupboard so everything you need is in one place, not three. Spaces organised around how you actually move, cook, and gather — not how they photograph. Small shifts. Completely different feel.
Space, Hosting & Systems
What I discovered through that first client—and countless ones since—is that the magic happens when three things work together: the space itself, how you host in it, and the systems that make it effortless.
Most designers stop at the kitchen. I don't. I ask: how does this space support gathering? How does the dining room connect to the kitchen? Where will people naturally linger? What systems do you need—a "Hosting" cupboard, a drinks station, the right servingware—so entertaining feels effortless, not like a performance?
But deeper than that: how does this space support your wellbeing? Your health? Your peace? Because a space should work with you, not against you. It should support how you want to live, heal, and thrive.
That integration—space + hosting + systems working together—is what makes the difference. It's why clients stop fighting their homes and start actually living in them.
Who Is This For?
You've invested significantly in beautiful homes but struggle to use them the way you imagined. You bought the second home—Norfolk retreat, country property—picturing long lunches and easy weekends. Instead, the kitchen sits unused. Cooking feels like effort, not pleasure.
Life changed. Kids grew up. You relocated or retired. Your routine shifted, but your home didn't. Or you want to host more—intimate dinners, relaxed weekends—but the space doesn't flow.
You're not looking for an interior designer focused on tiles and appliances. You need someone who understands how you actually live, how you want to feel when people walk through your door, how to make hosting intuitive instead of exhausting.
You value real hospitality over Instagram aesthetics and want to truly enjoy the spaces you've invested in.
Curated by Saima is for you if:
You own a second home that feels underused
Your life has shifted and your space needs to evolve
You want to host more but do not know where to begin
Your kitchen looks beautiful but makes simple tasks harder
You divide time between homes and need them to work effortlessly
