Meet the Islanders: Victoria-The Heritage Designer

Meet Victoria, Founder & Creative Director of Bayres, an interior design experience rooted in heritage, storytelling and the art of creating meaningful spaces. Originally from Argentina, with Italian and Spanish roots, Victoria draws inspiration from the places, memories, traditions and objects that shape our sense of identity.

Tell me a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and what you do.

I’m Victoria, Founder & Creative Director of Bayres, an interior design experience anchored in heritage.

For me, heritage can take many forms. It can mean honouring the provenance and patina of an object, but it can also be something deeply personal — a quilt passed down through generations, a childhood book you still remember, or a place that has stayed with you.

Storytelling anchors my approach to design. I’m interested in finding those stories and keeping them at the heart of the project.

What is your favourite thing about living in Scotland?

I think it’s the closeness to nature. Even in Edinburgh, the landscape never feels far away — you can be by the sea, in the hills, or surrounded by woodland within a short distance.

I also love the sense of identity here. You see it in the architecture, traditional crafts, local customs and the way people continue to celebrate where they come from.

Would you say Edinburgh is a creative city?

Absolutely, but I think its creativity is quite understated. There’s a strong community of independent makers, artists, craftspeople and small businesses here, often working in ways that feel very considered and personal.

There’s also something quite special about creating in a city where the past is so present. You’re surrounded by centuries of architecture, craftsmanship and history, while new ideas constantly emerge alongside them. That relationship between old and new feels very natural in Edinburgh, and it’s something I really value.

What are some of your favourite Scottish traditions, or some that you’ve learned while you’ve been here?

I’ve become particularly drawn to traditions connected to the seasons and the landscape. gathering, harvest, plant folklore and the old customs around marking the changing year.

I love discovering that a flower or plant I might pass on a walk has a story or meaning that has been carried for generations. It’s changed the way I look at the landscape around me, and many of those stories have naturally found their way into my pattern collections.

My first collection, Midsummer Dream, grew from exactly that. Scottish wildflowers and the folklore surrounding them, translated into patterns for the home.

What first sparked your interest in your creative work / starting Bayres?

Relocating to Scotland made me appreciate my heritage in a completely different way. When you move countries, you have to decide what you take with you and what you leave behind, and I became much more conscious of the meaning we attach to the pieces we choose to keep.

It made me understand how interiors reflect our identity: not only where we come from, but where we’re going. Even the name Bayres carries that tension. It comes from the affectionate way Argentinians refer to Buenos Aires, but in its historical English spelling — bringing a little of where I came from into where I am now.

What do you love most about what you do?

I would say I love finding and honouring the story at the heart of a project. It might come from the history of the building, a piece that has been passed down, a memory, or a connection to a particular place.

There’s something very special about taking those references and translating them into an interior that feels deeply personal — where every detail has meaning.

How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style is very much a reflection of my identity. I’m Argentinian, with Italian and Spanish roots, and Scotland is now home, so there are different cultural references and influences that naturally coexist in the way I dress.

As I’ve grown more conscious of my own heritage, I’ve also become much more intentional about honouring it through what I wear. I often incorporate pieces inherited from my family alongside pieces I’ve collected myself, allowing different generations, places and periods to sit together.

I think that’s why I’ve never felt the need to define my style by a particular aesthetic. It’s an evolving expression of where I come from, who I am now and the life I’m creating.

What is your favourite Islander bag?

The Leather Medium Satchel in Chestnut Tartan

I was immediately drawn to the earthy palette — the greens, chestnut browns and warm neutrals are colours I naturally gravitate towards, particularly at this time of year.

It’s also incredibly practical. It’s the sort of bag I can take from the studio to an antique shop or on a walk, which suits the way I tend to move through my day. And, of course, the Harris Tweed brings a sense of Scottish provenance and craft. There’s something quite special about carrying a material with that much history as part of my everyday.

What advice would you give to other women wanting to express their individuality through their style?

I’d say start with your own story. where you come from, what you’ve inherited, the places you’ve lived and the references that have stayed with you. But don’t feel bound by it either.

Our stories are always evolving, and I think our personal style should be allowed to evolve with them. What we choose to carry forward is just as much a part of the story as where it began.