Gail Race
Founder
Gail Race Interior Design
Gail Race is the founder of VITAE Longevity Living, advising private clients and organisations on how the environments in which we live and stay can become an active part of living well for longer.
Drawing on more than 20 years in luxury interior design, Gail works across residential and hospitality environments at the intersection of design, wellbeing and longevity.
Through the Longevity Property Diagnostic™ she assesses homes at pre-purchase, renovation or design stage, looking beyond aesthetics at factors that can influence everyday wellbeing — including light and circadian health, air and water quality, materials, acoustics, sleep, thermal comfort, spatial flow and opportunities for movement, restoration and connection.
Her Retreat to Residence™ service bridges the worlds of hospitality and home, helping translate the principles and benefits experienced at leading wellness retreats, spas and longevity clinics into the environments people return to every day.
For clients embarking on a significant renovation, new home or hospitality project, Gail and her team provide residential and hospitality design and advisory, bringing together exceptional design with a deeper understanding of how our surroundings influence how we feel, function and age.
A WELL Accredited Professional and BIID Registered Interior Designer, Gail works with private clients, property advisors, family offices, developers, hoteliers and wellness brands — bringing an additional layer of expertise to the creation of environments designed not simply to look exceptional, but to support the people who inhabit them.
Share an experience or challenge that has shaped you? My parents had their own business manufacturing and selling ice cream, so from an early age I was learning about running a business. It was very hands on, seasonal and very weather dependent. There was no such thing as a regular day and you really had to think on your feet.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given? Be you, everyone else is taken.
What advice would you give to your younger self or a woman just starting her career? Never stop learning, be the expert in your field. Be open minded but stick with your gut instinct, it’s there for a reason.
What does success mean to you?For me, success is being my own boss. Being in control of my own destiny, the direction I take my business, how much growth to chase, or simply deciding to take my foot off the gas and re-group. I've built my business up slowly over 20 years, the first ten of those I was the primary caregiver to my children and this took priority. Now I have the time and experience to shape my working life how I want it to look. I often say to myself ‘ if it's not fun, I'm not doing it.’
Life isn’t always so black and white of course, but there are only a certain number of hours in a day, so you may as well choose wisely.
How do you handle challenges and changes? What's in your toolkit? I like change and a challenge, so to me they are not negatives but opportunities for growth and new experiences. That doesn’t mean change isn’t uncomfortable but I think it’s interesting to see what you can achieve, sometimes you surprise yourself! I think how you frame a situation can make all the difference and I'm an optimist by nature. Knowledge is power, and I think fear is really just the unknown, so research, plan, and practise your way to a comfortable place, you might even enjoy it! Why is it important to support women in business and women-led business? We have to readdress the balance of power. The more women there are in business the more female voices will be heard, the more gender equal decisions will be made.
60 Seconds with Gail Race
My inspiration is:Travel, nature and people are my biggest inspirations. I love seeing how people live across the world. I'm a beauty seeker and being amongst nature recharges my batteries and lust for life.
My greatest fear is: Standing still. I thrive on being open and proactive about new opportunities that excite and challenge me.
The most courageous thing I have ever done is:Trust in myself - when really I had no idea if I could build a business that would sustain me. It would have been so much easier to continue on my career path with a global brand.
I am most proud of: My two beautiful grown up sons who are chasing their own dreams.
Guiltless pleasure: Chocolate with salt.
Mantra I live by: If not now, when?
Female role model: Not one person but I always admire strong women who wear their passion on their sleeve, who don’t swayed from their course by others opinions or agenda.
Women-led brand I love: Anya Hindmarch, Designers Guild and Malene Birger.
