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The Inbetweener
The iconic designer Madeleine Castaing once said “I design rooms like others draw portraits”. A room is very much a portrait of the person who inhabits it. There is a lot to tell about someone from looking at their space – what they value, what they love. Beyond the décor, like a beautiful patchwork quilt, it is a tapestry of their lives. A collection of mementoes from places they’ve visited, gifts and words from loved ones, curios and talismans from the past. Art that has been discovered or handed-down, books that have become friends, a favourite flower by the bedside. In our House we’re often described as maximalists, if maximalism means being surrounded by this rich tapestry of life - then yes we love maximalism.
In this series we take a look at the portrait of a person in their own personal habitat, as we explore how their room reflects their spirit.
The Inbetweener
The iconic designer Madeleine Castaing once said “I design rooms like others draw portraits”. A room is very much a portrait of the person who inhabits it.
There is a lot to tell about someone from looking at their space – what they value, what they love. Beyond the décor, like a beautiful patchwork quilt, it is a tapestry of their lives.
A collection of mementoes from places they’ve visited, gifts and words from loved ones, curios and talismans from the past. Art that has been discovered or handed-down, books that have become friends, a favourite flower by the bedside.
In our House we’re often described as maximalists, if maximalism means being surrounded by this rich tapestry of life - then yes we love maximalism.
In this series we take a look at the portrait of a person in their own personal habitat, as we explore how their room reflects their spirit.
We’re starting close to home with 9 year old Lila, daughter of House of Hackney founders Frieda and Javvy. The brief? To create a room that everyone was happy with. A room that allowed Lila to express her personality but that could also evolve as she grew older - when curating a scheme for children considering the investment in decoration is key.
The finished product is quite the conversation piece and we wanted to find out more. Here we talk with Frieda as she tells us the story of Lila’s room.
“We moved to Trematon, Cornwall from London 3 years ago and we are only now getting around to making the house a home. A child’s bedroom is their own personal sanctuary - a place for their imaginations to retreat, a space to call their own. Lila is at a stage where she has one foot in the world of Sylvanian Families and the other in skating fashion. We all wanted a bright, fresh room that felt timeless in its inspiration - taking cues from the past and complementing these with pops of bright colour to bring a splash of modernity into the scheme.”
We’re starting close to home with 9 year old Lila, daughter of House of Hackney founders Frieda and Javvy. The brief? To create a room that everyone was happy with. A room that allowed Lila to express her personality but that could also evolve as she grew older - when curating a scheme for children considering the investment in decoration is key.
The finished product is quite the conversation piece and we wanted to find out more. Here we talk with Frieda as she tells us the story of Lila’s room.
“We moved to Trematon, Cornwall from London 3 years ago and we are only now getting around to making the house a home. A child’s bedroom is their own personal sanctuary - a place for their imaginations to retreat, a space to call their own. Lila is at a stage where she has one foot in the world of Sylvanian Families and the other in skating fashion. We all wanted a bright, fresh room that felt timeless in its inspiration - taking cues from the past and complementing these with pops of bright colour to bring a splash of modernity into the scheme.”
“We chose the ‘EMANIA’ print as the basis for the room, using the contemporary take on a classic Art Nouveau motif across wallpaper, curtains and upholstery. Somehow even Santa got his hands on this fabric, as low and behold we awoke to find Sylvanian Family furniture upholstered in it on Christmas day! Using one print throughout the design brought harmony to the room and created a beautiful blank canvas for dressing with Lilas’ art and beloved ‘stuff’.”
“We used the cotton linen fabric to upholster a Titchmarsh & Goodwin bed and a local upholsterer created a bed coverlet.We also upcycled a Lloyd Loom laundry basket found on Ebay with a touch of the print. We made the decision to install Axminster WILD CARD leopard wool carpet as design-wise it goes with everything. Pattern-wise it hides any spills or markings and investment-wise insulates a draughty house in the winter - not to mention it will last a lifetime of wear and tear. But perhaps most importantly, it's really soft for little toes to dance around on.”
“The room needed to have Lila’s own spirit stamped all over it so we gave her a corkboard which she painted in the bright pink of the room. Once dry she pinned on all of her favourite memories, photos of pets and friends, as well as skate fashion collages - all the things she holds dearly!”
“We chose the ‘EMANIA’ print as the basis for the room, using the contemporary take on a classic Art Nouveau motif across wallpaper, curtains and upholstery. Somehow even Santa got his hands on this fabric, as low and behold we awoke to find Sylvanian Family furniture upholstered in it on Christmas day! Using one print throughout the design brought harmony to the room and created a beautiful blank canvas for dressing with Lilas’ art and beloved ‘stuff’.”
“We used the cotton linen fabric to upholster a Titchmarsh & Goodwin bed and a local upholsterer created a bed coverlet.We also upcycled a Lloyd Loom laundry basket found on Ebay with a touch of the print. We made the decision to install Axminster WILD CARD leopard wool carpet as design-wise it goes with everything. Pattern-wise it hides any spills or markings and investment-wise insulates a draughty house in the winter - not to mention it will last a lifetime of wear and tear. But perhaps most importantly, it's really soft for little toes to dance around on.”
“The room needed to have Lila’s own spirit stamped all over it so we gave her a corkboard which she painted in the bright pink of the room. Once dry she pinned on all of her favourite memories, photos of pets and friends, as well as skate fashion collages - all the things she holds dearly!”
“Art is at the heart of every room. Along with a painting by Nicolette Vine of a girl called ‘Lila’, we framed fairy tale prints by Molly Brett ‘The Flower Ballet’ and Margaret Tarrant’s ‘The Fairy Way’. Once again we got Lila involved in her room by giving her a blank canvas to paint. Her output was a painting with a motto to live by ‘Creativity is the Key!’ Now we just need to try and encourage her to keep the room tidy… but perhaps messiness is creativity.”
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