Hill House Interiors: From Two Founders to a 40+ Person International Design Business
Hill House Interiors started nearly three decades ago with two founders and a shared passion for interiors.
Today, it’s a high-end residential design and interior architecture studio delivering ultra-prime projects across the UK and internationally - with a team of more than 40 people and a growing presence overseas.
Projects can involve everything from full interior architecture through to FF&E and, in some cases, complete builds delivered at remarkable speed.
But like many businesses that grow organically over time, scaling a creative business also brings new pressures. Managing larger projects, supporting a growing team, and making the right strategic decisions becomes increasingly important.
In the video above, founders Jenny and Helen reflect on the journey of building Hill House, the realities behind running a growing business, and the importance of having the right strategic support around you.
It’s an honest look at what it really takes to grow a high-end design business - and the decisions that shape what comes next.
If your business has changed significantly since it was first set up, it’s worth asking a simple question:
Is the structure still designed for the business you’re running today?
Accountancy Deal of the Year: Unlocking £1m Tax-Free on an £8m Property Development
Property development rarely goes exactly to plan.
Markets move, interest rates change, and the strategy you started with often isn’t the strategy that makes sense by the time a project is finished.
That’s exactly what happened with a family-led developer in South London who had demolished a single residential property and rebuilt it as a 21-apartment block.
As the project neared completion, they faced the usual big decisions: refinance the development finance, decide which units to sell, and whether the building should ultimately be held as a long-term investment.
They initially approached P10 for help with debt advisory.
But once we started digging into the detail, it became clear the real challenge wasn’t the finance - it was the structure behind the development.
Everything sat within a single company. The owners believed extracting funds or retaining properties could trigger over £1m in tax, and the structure made refinancing and long-term planning far more complicated than it needed to be.
After reviewing the accounts and reassessing the asset values, P10 implemented a group restructure that separated the development into clearer ownership entities for the freehold, retained units and disposals.
That change unlocked a number of outcomes:
- £1m extracted from the business tax-free
- £5.2m refinanced from 10% to 5.3%
- Over £20k per month saved in interest
- Flexibility to sell four units while retaining seventeen as rental investments
- No stamp duty or corporation tax triggered on internal transfers
What began as a refinancing conversation ended up reshaping the entire project financially.
And it’s a good example of something we see often — when the structure behind a development is reviewed properly, it can unlock opportunities that owners didn’t realise were possible.
If you're interested in how the restructure worked and why it made such a difference, you can read the full story here.
Accountancy Deal of the Year: 8-Figure Revenue Group Restructure & International Expansion
One company, a clear focus, and a small team building something from the ground up.
That's how most businesses start.
But as opportunities appear - new markets, new ventures, international projects - things naturally become more complex.
That was the situation facing a fast-growing professional services business delivering ultra-prime projects and expanding internationally.
Over the years, several companies had been created around the core brand. A new UAE entity had been launched to support projects in the region, and the founders were also developing a new lifestyle product range that would extend the brand into online retail and product design.
Commercially, the business was thriving. But structurally, everything still sat under the founders’ personal ownership. That meant moving profits, assets or dividends between companies triggered tax consequences, and valuable cash tended to remain trapped inside individual trading businesses.
For a business entering its next phase of growth, that creates friction.
P10 carried out a full strategic review and implemented a group restructure, bringing seven companies under a newly created holding company.
That change unlocked a far more flexible framework for growth.
The result:
- Profits can now move around the group tax efficiently
- Cash can be reinvested into new ventures and expansion
- Assets and intellectual property can be placed in the most appropriate company
- International profits can move through the group without unnecessary tax friction
- Individual companies can potentially be sold independently in future
In other words, the structure now supports where the business is going - not just where it started.
For growing businesses, work like this often sits quietly in the background. But getting the structure right can make a huge difference to how easily a company can expand, invest and evolve.
Read the full story to see how the restructure works and why it matters for growing businesses.
The 2026 Operating Environment: What We’re Seeing With HMRC
We don’t usually use our content to have a dig at HMRC.
But it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge what we’re seeing at the moment.
In short, HMRC’s current conduct is creating avoidable friction for businesses that are doing everything correctly.
Returns are being filed on time.
Registrations are being submitted properly.
Positions are being reconciled.
Yet the environment we’re operating in has become increasingly unpredictable.
Before We Get Into It
Before we outline what we are seeing with HMRC - from VAT registration delays to repayment enquiries and offset issues - it is worth clarifying something.
Accountancy at P10 is not just filing returns and responding to correspondence.
Compliance is handled properly and on time. But our role also includes reviewing structure, identifying risk early and ensuring cash flow and tax positioning support longer-term plans.
That distinction matters, particularly in an environment that has become increasingly unpredictable.
VAT Registration Delays: Why Applications Are Stalling
We are seeing VAT registrations not being processed or rejected without explanation.
The difficulty is this: without a VAT registration number, we cannot formally act as agent. And without agent status, HMRC will often not speak to us.
It becomes a circular problem that is unnecessarily difficult to resolve and is causing significant delays for businesses trying to get properly registered and trading.
VAT Repayment Delays on First Returns
We are also seeing first VAT returns that show a repayment automatically trigger an enquiry.
For many new businesses, that first repayment is relied upon as part of early cash flow planning. The enquiry process ultimately delays the repayment being made, even where the return itself is accurate and fully supported.
It doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
But it does mean timeframes are extending.
Increased HMRC Enquiry Activity
More broadly, enquiry activity in general appears to have increased.
Routine matters that would previously have passed without issue are now more likely to be reviewed. That in itself isn’t necessarily a problem, but it does extend timeframes and adds administrative weight to matters that used to be straightforward.
HMRC Delays & Inconsistent Outcomes
Telephone wait times can be excessive. A simple request can take significantly longer than expected, and the success of a call can sometimes depend on the individual HMRC officer handling it.
That variability makes it difficult to provide precise timelines, even when everything has been submitted correctly from our side.
HMRC Refund Delays, Security Checks & System Errors
We are also encountering HMRC delays when it comes to refunds and additional security checks being performed without clear reasoning.
In some cases, HMRC systems are not communicating correctly with one another, leading to submissions being rejected or penalties being issued for matters that have in fact been dealt with.
Those penalties then need to be appealed, which can create the impression that something has been missed, when in reality it is a systems issue that sits outside of both the client’s control and ours.
CIS Suffered & Corporation Tax Offset Issues
One of the more frustrating examples at present relates to CIS and Corporation Tax offsets.
We are seeing instances where CIS has been suffered and HMRC effectively owes the company money, yet the offset is not being processed correctly against Corporation Tax or PAYE liabilities.
In some cases, clients are being referred to debt collectors for unpaid liabilities when the underlying position is that HMRC has failed to offset or repay sums already due.
These situations are resolvable. But they require time and escalation.
The Core Issue: HMRC Processing Unpredictability
Sometimes matters are processed quickly.
At other times, weeks or even months pass without movement.
That inconsistency makes it difficult to provide clear guidance on timing and can understandably lead to frustration where delays are assumed to sit with advisers rather than within HMRC’s systems.
So this note isn’t a complaint. It’s context.
Our standards have not changed. Returns continue to be filed correctly and on time. Issues are being chased and escalated where appropriate. Appeals are being made where penalties are incorrectly issued. Offsets are being reconciled and repayment claims followed through.
What has changed is the operating environment.
If you are expecting a VAT registration, a repayment, an offset or are concerned about correspondence you have received, speak to us early.
The earlier we are aware of potential pressure points, particularly around cash flow, the better we can plan around them.
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