From London to Sri Lanka

Interior designer Dee Gibson built Kalukanda House and swapped London for running a hip hotel highlighting Sri Lanka’s creativity and natural beauty.

“If I had been told four years ago, I would be doing this, I would not have believed you.”

Did you always plan to go into the

hospitality business?

It was unexpected. One day I was a

London-based interior designer and the next

I owned land I had dreams of developing - the vision has exceeded expectations and keeps evolving.

The best thing has been having total control over the narrative of Kalukanda House and creating a brand and platform to highlight the Sri Lanka I know and love.

How has the business worked with Covid? Hospitality, specifically, has had a rough time… and the situation in Sri Lanka?

Covid was hideous. Everything stopped overnight and in Sri Lanka there was not only a full lockdown with curfews, but the country stopped anybody flying in for a year! I was

incredibly lucky that our guests all waited - initially thinking it would be back to normal by summer, autumn, Christmas, then spring again… they hung in there and I am eternally grateful, they have since all visited. Financially it was tough. Our staff all have young children, and I didn’t want to make anybody redundant. There was no furlough scheme in Sri Lanka, so I was working as a designer in London and funding the maintenance and salaries in Sri Lanka for almost two years. Honestly, the stress was high.

Sri Lanka is a much loved and revered holiday destination and the love for the island keeps bringing people back. Recent political trouble was grossly exaggerated, and it is unfortunate that people think that Sri Lanka should be avoided. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is safe, beautiful and as abundant as ever - while trying to withstand the same economic and other issues that all countries are going through.

Can you pinpoint key turning points in your life?

Yes! Switching from a decade-long finance career in the City of London to interior design was a leap of faith into a field I had yearned for. It was the best thing I could have done, despite raising eyebrows at the time.

Having children slowed me down and anchored me, in a good way, and buying land in Sri Lanka on a whim in 2016 was the most unexpected thing I ever did, even to me. I fell in love with my homeland, one where I had spent early years living with grandparents. The connection had never left me. It really was a calling to go back, and I don’t regret following my heart. It was meant to be.

Any advice for those thinking about starting a family business? In hospitality or otherwise?

Try to follow your heart and instinct. Don’t worry about what others are doing - build your own unique place and fill it with a style and experiences that bring you joy.

Look after your staff and the community you live in and share stories widely. Think about it as a regenerative act, be kind and go into it with your eyes wide open because it is challenging work and is a full-time job.

Make sure you have a plan B, C and D, and put those in a drawer and don’t look at them unless you absolutely must. Make sure that you have a safety net, the world the way has been spinning the last few years, it’s important to do that and foolhardy not to - but never let that stop you building your own life.

What’s your life motto?

I’ll do it my way.

Will your children follow the same path?

I truly hope so but come back and ask in 10 years or so!

How do you balance work with raising a family?

It’s tough, there is no denying but it is incredibly rewarding. The cultural differences are quite noticeable - especially as a female founder of native descent who is essentially an ex-pat. However, this can also have its benefits, I have a foot in the east and west and can marry the two, and one of the most beautiful things of having such a difference is that life is so interesting. The cross pollination of ideas creatively is endless, and it feels like there is an opportunity to be more original and have more social impact at the same time. People in Sri Lanka are extremely kind and life is slower. As a result of that I have developed a more spiritual awareness of life/kids/ purpose/friends and so on.

I absolutely love London and the UK, but I am thankful for the ability to counter the pace of life and expectations we put on ourselves over here, with some deeper connection to myself and the people and nature we find in Sri Lanka. I think we need it now more than ever. I see so many people who are disconnected and are becoming aware of it, they need a place to re-set and Sri Lanka is the perfect place for it sensorially and culturally. I feel incredibly lucky that my life involves travel and design and that I can keep creating in a way that I find fulfilling and which adds value to guests and community, too.

I want to show my daughters that mum needs to work! At the same time, you can change your circumstances and create an environment where you thrive. If my life were a book the first half was mundane and conventional and the second half is full of chapters that twist and turn. Life comes with many challenges, but the rewards surpass, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Find out more at @kalukandahouse

“Life is too short so if you have an opportunity to do something you love, go for it!”