Gabriela has been part of our Petworth Places team since 2022. She first worked as an invigilator at our Newlands House Gallery and was later offered a position with Augustus Brandt in 2023.

Augustus Brandt suits her interests perfectly. With a degree in Interior Architecture and 3D Design (BA Hons), she is, of course, a lover of antiques, art and design. She quickly established herself as an integral part of our team. Full of imagination, curiosity and an appreciation of harmony, Gabriela has a wonderful ability to combine different art and furniture styles with respect and intent, creating a haven of elegance and refinement.

Gabriela describes herself as an eclectic mix.

Born in Switzerland to Hungarian and German parents, she grew up near Zurich with her three older brothers. From an early age she developed a love for dancing and music. At the age of five she began figure skating lessons and, like a fish to water, she started improvising and dancing to her own interpretations, telling stories and expressing them through movement on the ice.

It soon became apparent that this was more than a hobby. Paired with her youngest brother, Gabriela became junior champion in pair figure skating at the age of nine and senior champion at the age of eleven. They held the title for several years and were invited to participate in the Junior World and European Championships, as well as the Swiss Olympic team.

For Gabriela, however, skating became more about sport than dance. She was given the opportunity to audition for John Curry’s skating company in Vail, near Denver, USA. She was accepted and performed with the company at the Kennedy Center in Washington and at the Met in New York. For her, it was exactly what she had been yearning for — a live orchestra, the sensation of gliding like flying, the lightness and flow of dancing to Handel, Debussy, Ravel and Satie, to name just a few.

She continued skating until the age of 25, performing with Dorothy Hamill and The Next Ice Age in Baltimore, travelling across the continent. When a serious accident prevented her from continuing this career, it was not as disastrous as one might expect. She was ready to move on.

Luckily, thanks to her father’s insistence that she complete a degree in business studies, she left for Paris. She meant to stay for one month. She stayed for five years. During that time, she performed, almost by accident, in a classic piece by Molière at the Renaud-Barrault Theatre on the Champs-Élysées. Although she did not particularly enjoy the theatre, she very much enjoyed staying in Paris.

She was then offered an opportunity to work for Shiseido International, the renowned Japanese beauty company. Fluent in German, French and English, Gabriela worked closely with the marketing and advertising teams. Gabriela loves languages, and naturally became fascinated by Japan, its culture and its language.

After returning to Switzerland, she studied at the University of Zurich while working in the finance department at Zurich University Hospital.

It may not come as a surprise that she eventually spent more than five years living on a small island in the Sea of Japan. There she helped farmers plant and harvest rice, participated in community work and learned fluent Japanese. She also taught English and embraced life fully, à la Japonaise.

After five years of this idyllic life, Gabriela felt it was time to expand her horizons again. She briefly returned to Switzerland before moving to England to follow her heart.

She has now lived here for over 25 years with her husband and two of their five children, the longest she has stayed anywhere. Do you think there might be a next chapter?

We certainly hope not.

Gabriela feels it is a marvellous privilege to work for Petworth Places, and especially for Augustus Brandt. She brings with her an extraordinary wealth of experience, creativity and wide-ranging interests, always with a wink. We are delighted to have her as part of our fabulous team.