When my daughter was young, her friends’ parents seemed to fall into two camps: the journalists and creatives, and the social workers and charity workers. Hackney was a very different place back then, long before the bankers and Gails moved in. Children from the second camp were often both fascinated and confused by our house. “Why do you have tiny fake sushi and plastic cows on your kitchen shelf?” they’d ask. Or, when I was busy rearranging vases, seasonal flowers and colourful gourds on the mantlepiece, I’d get a puzzled, “What are you doing?”
My obsession with arranging things started early. I’d spend hours in my brown and cream 1970s bedroom reconfiguring the furniture and putting up posters (a “gallery wall” before that term existed). At my Saturday job at Boots, 16-year-old me was even offered a full-time job as a window dresser – long before “visual merchandising” was a thing. Luckily, my mum saw that my talent for drawing and general all-round “weirdness” was better suited to art college. And the rest, as they say, is history
Through student bedrooms, shared flats and eventually family homes, my love of interiors grew. I discovered vintage shops, eBay, antiques markets, Facebook Marketplace – and, best of all, the treasures I picked up while travelling for work. My golden rule has always been and still is, buy what you love, because you may never find it again. Lace tablecloths from Hong Kong, huge enamel bowls from Hungary (back in the glory days of no rules on planes), embroidered bedspreads from India, vintage Christmas decorations from New York… if I saw it and loved it, I bought it. Add in mid-century furniture, Victorian ceramics, mountains of theatre programmes, family photographs, my dad’s amazing artwork and the all the other knick-knacks I’ve inherited in the last two years, and yes – I sometimes worry my children will rebel, embrace John Pawson minimalism, and hold a massive car boot sale when I die.
USP print inspiration
When people ask about my interior style, I usually say: “I buy whatever I love and hope it all works together.” And it generally does. Whether that’s luck or judgement, who knows – but the key is not to overthink it. Our homes are personal. They reflect how we live and how our personal style extends beyond just clothes.
Once, while shopping for a potato peeler, I told my ex, “Just buy any, I don’t care.” His reply? “You do care – you care how everything looks.” And he was right. Some might see that as shallow, but for me it’s instinct. I can’t help it, I notice aesthetics. I observe style.
USP pattern inspiration
“Fashion is interiors, interiors is fashion” has been my mantra for years when tracking trends. Back in the day, fashion led while interiors trailed behind, too cautious for bold colours or strong statements. Beige and 50 shades of grey ruled and “quiet luxury” became the height of tasteful (read, dull) home style. Slowly, though, daring (!) shades such as Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue and Setting Plaster paved the way for small brands such as Coat, Lick and Yes to push boundaries and illustrate the joy of colour at home. Now, the lines have completely blurred as fashion brands launch homeware collections, translating their DNA into wallpaper, lighting and ceramics and even hotels, while interiors brands adopt fashion’s approach with seasonal drops, pop-ups and limited-edition collabs with celebrities and influencers.
USP colour inspiration
Of course, curating a personal fashion aesthetic has become second nature to most of us – but algorithms make it increasingly harder to create something truly authentic. If our homes are as much a reflection of personal style as our wardrobes, how do we resist having the same interiors as everyone else?
Business Of Fashion
For me, the answer lies in craft, longevity and history – combined with instinct for colour, texture and mood. I want cosy and homely. Lamps only, never overhead lighting (it’s a crime against aesthetics). I want my guests to feel comfortable and I want to feel calm the moment I walk through the door. And I want objects that tell stories. The tiny fake sushi remind me of Tokyo work trips and the plastic cows remind me of my four year old son’s animal obsession.
My colourful home
It may not be everyone’s taste, but it’s mine. And while I’ll always keep one eye on trends – because that’s my job – the algorithm can’t give me the things that matter most in a home: heritage, emotion and heart.
USP have created a colour palette for homeware brand Made.com to celebrate 15 years of their most iconic products – launching September 12th.
