James found his niche when he joined prestigious design firm Roche Bobois in the early eighties. After his apprenticeship and subsequent travels to Paris and Milan to learn the trade of design, his mentor taught him to continue to explore and develop his own design style. To further his knowledge and experience he moved to Roche Bobois USA to open the Atlanta office in the late eighties. He then spent the next four years travelling the US, before settling down in Los Angeles where he initially taught at the Interior Design Institute (IDI) and later decided to set up his own design practice in 1994; James Charles Design Inc.

Since that time, James has received several awards from prominent competitions including the Beverly Hills Decorating Contest and the British Design Award. James' work has been published in various local and international publications and he has appeared on various television shows including Good Morning America, Channel 7 news, HGTV and E! Entertainment.

James genuinely enjoys the relationship between the client and the designer. This relationship enables him to truly interpret their needs and desires thereby enabling him to create interiors that compliment their taste and lifestyle. Now James and his team are working on large residential properties in the US and the UK and two new contemporary restaurants in Las Vegas. James was recently invited to join the world design team collaborating on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the cutting-edge of new aircraft design.

James is a founding member of the British Interior Design Group.