One of the questions I’m asked most often is a simple one:
Why Copper Vixen?
The truth is, the name didn’t begin with a grand brand strategy or a carefully constructed meaning. It began with foxes.
Copper Fox Building Services came first. We wanted a name that felt distinctive, memorable and easy to recognise — something with character, rather than another building company name that could easily be forgotten. We both loved foxes, the imagery felt strong, and it gave us an obvious visual identity from the very beginning. The copper part worked on two levels: it reflected the warm colouring of a fox, while also feeling at home in the world of building materials, metalwork and craftsmanship.
And then came the van.
Bright orange, impossible to miss and now probably one of our most recognisable pieces of advertising, it quickly became part of the Copper Fox identity in its own right. People remember it, spot it locally and mention it to us.
That was always part of the hope behind choosing a name like Copper Fox. It didn’t necessarily matter whether people immediately understood why we had chosen it. What mattered was that they remembered it.
From Copper Fox to Copper Vixen
When the interior design side of the business began to take shape, Copper Vixen felt like the natural next step. Copper Fox already belonged to Michael and the building side, so Vixen became the obvious counterpart — the Mr and Mrs connection, with two complementary sides of the same business, each with its own personality and purpose.
Copper Vixen needed to feel connected to Fox, without simply becoming a softer version of it.
Copper Fox is about building, craftsmanship and bringing ideas to life. Copper Vixen is about seeing the possibilities first.
As an interior designer in Somerset, my work is not only about how a home looks. A large part of what I do is spatial planning: looking at how rooms connect, how a home flows and whether the existing space could work harder for the people living there.
Sometimes that means choosing colours, finishes and furnishings. Sometimes it means completely rethinking a floor plan.
And as Copper Vixen has developed, something slightly unexpected has happened.
The name has started to feel even more fitting than we originally intended.
Clever by Nature
Foxes are clever, adaptable and resourceful. They find their way around problems, make use of what is available and they are full of character. That is surprisingly close to the way I approach interior design and spatial planning. Good design is not always about adding more. It isn’t always about extending, moving house or replacing everything you already own.
Often, it is about looking more carefully at what is already there:
Could an awkward hallway become useful storage?
Could an underused room take on a different purpose?
Could changing a doorway improve the flow through your home?
Could a better layout create the feeling of more space without adding a single square metre?
For me, this is where thoughtful spatial planning can make such a difference.
Whether you are renovating an existing home, considering an extension, reworking several connected rooms or simply trying to make an awkward layout function better, the right plan can completely change the way a home feels and works.
I love the challenge of helping people make better use of the space they already have. But practicality is only half of it. A home should also feel personal. It should have warmth, character and individuality. It should reflect the people who live there rather than following a formula or a passing interior trend.
That balance has become the heart of Copper Vixen:
Cleverly planned. Beautifully personal.
Interior Design and Spatial Planning That Works for Real Life
Copper Vixen Interiors is based in Somerset, with interior design and spatial planning services available both locally and online across the UK.
My approach is always rooted in the same idea: a better home does not necessarily need to be a bigger one. Sometimes it simply needs a better plan.
That might mean improving the flow between a kitchen and dining space, rethinking an entrance that never quite works, planning a garage conversion, making better use of an extension, or creating a room that finally feels like you.
The aim is never simply to make a home look beautiful. It is to make it work beautifully too.
Two Sides of the Same Business
Copper Fox and Copper Vixen have different roles, but they are part of the same business. Copper Fox is the building side, focused on craftsmanship, construction and bringing ideas to life. Copper Vixen is the interior design and spatial planning side, focused on seeing the possibilities first and shaping homes around the people who live in them.
We can work independently depending on what a project needs, but when Fox and Vixen come together, there is something particularly satisfying about taking an idea from the first sketch through to the finished space. It is a joined-up approach built around the same belief: that homes should be well considered, well made and designed for real life.
So, why Copper Vixen?
It started with a love of foxes, a memorable name and the desire to create a strong identity.
But somewhere along the way, the name grew into the business itself.
Clever.
Characterful.
Adaptable.
And just a little unexpected.
Which, as it turns out, feels rather fitting.