During her return to South Africa, she played in a rock band and was arrested and imprisoned for violating apartheid laws by mixing with black musicians.
[3] Hoppen began her career at 16 when she quit school and took on her first project designing a family friend's kitchen.
[4] She has since then designed for a number of celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham; and Martin Shaw, who was one of her early clients.
[5] She has designed the homes, yachts and jets of private clients, as well as commercial projects in several countries, including hotels, restaurants, offices and aircraft.
She received much critical acclaim and recognition following the publication of her first book, East Meets West, which was published in 1997.
It's about creating calm balanced environments based on Eastern cultures, i.e. order and creation of harmony.
[10] In 2021, it was announced that Hoppen will be designing the initial 10 homes aboard the unique superyacht Njord, a 948 ft cruise ship built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.
Hoppen appeared as a guest judge on the final episode of the third series of BBC Two's The Great Interior Design Challenge.
[5] Hoppen was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to interior design.
[20][21] Hoppen was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to the GREAT campaign.