this week our unexpected guest is Alex Beauchamp, of hygge house. The Danish word Hygge (hu-gah) is a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary everyday things simply extraordinary, and i think alex does that quite wonderfully in her sunny santa barbara california cottage. if you’ve never been, it’s a lush and lovely beach community, and i think you’re going enjoy this visit.

alex grew up in a creative family of social vagabonds, and she’s lived all over the world, including France, Denmark and New Zealand. In 1999 Alex immigrated to America and has lived from one coast to the other and everywhere in between — from Bowling Green Kentucky, to Seattle Washington, to Santa Monica, California. today we’re dropping in on alex’s 1920′s restored cottage by the beach, where she lives with her dog, Jack Darcy and her cat, Grace.

What are your top three etsy or online handmade shops?
Having been shopping on Etsy for almost 5 years, it’s hard to narrow my favourites down to three! Here’s my attempt:

For home: Modern Arks takes salvage crates and turns them into side tables. Recycling at its finest.
For art: Eva Juliet is a Montreal artist whose combines images and French sayings to create thoughtful and beautiful prints.
For clothes: Allen Company’s vintage pieces are unique, beautiful and affordable.

What’s your favorite flea market, or secondhand find?
My 1940’s wooden bookcase, that is actually the top of a dining hutch, it’s the focal point for my living room. I’d been looking for a bookcase for my cottage for months but couldn’t find anything with the measurements I required. One day last fall my mum came to visit and during my tour of the area we popped into a local antique shop I’d always meant to visit. And there, in the parking lot, was this piece (it was too big to fit inside). It was marked $95 and I bought it on the spot. The unexpected find is always the best, isn’t it?

What’s your favorite possession?
My custom, down filled, slip covered, larger than life couch. I was able to design the frame and design the pillows & slipcovers (people often question my choice of white since I have a black cat!). It often doubles as a bed when I have a full house and is perfect for entertaining as it instantly makes people feel cozy.

What five things can’t you live without?
Having lived through a couple of natural disasters in which I had two homes destroyed and also because my nature is to live pretty minimally, I try not to get too attached to anything one thing because they’re just that. But I do have favorite things that just make living nicer and that I would re-buy in a heartbeat.

1. My space heater. I seem to be always cold and running the heat high for the whole house doesn’t make sense. My space heater keeps my sanity.

2. A good bed. My money goes to good linens, orthopedic mattress toppers, good pillows and a great foundation. Neither my or the guest bed sees anything cheap. If I don’t sleep well, I don’t do anything well.

3. Tea. My cupboard is stocked with amazing teas and pretty cups. Earl Grey or Yerbe Mate will get me in the morning and the herbal ones will calm me in the evening. I can tell how tired I am by the number of cups I’ve had that day.

4. Water filters. I have sensitive, dry skin and live in a city with notoriously hard water. A filter in the shower and the sink have saved my skin.

5. Candles. I grew up with a candle at breakfast every morning and every evening. It’s part of my Danish heritage that would feel strange to not do. My current favourite candles are from Linnea’s Lights – hand made, they burn beautiful and have the nicest fragrance. All candles should be natural and subtle. And lit as much as possible.

what are a few of your favorite things to do in your neighborhood?
Santa Barbara, California is my home of five months so I’m still getting to know it. Thankfully, the town is very bike friendly so hopping on my Dutch bike to explore the city and look at all the historic Victorian homes and coastal cottages is something I often do. The Farmer’s market downtown on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings are a must for amazing local, organic produce and flowers. For coffee, nothing beats The French Press on State Street. Float Luxury Day Spa is run by local sisters in the heart of downtown but they’ve made the spa feel a million miles away with its gardens, indoor fireplace and treatments. I’m never able to leave Botanik empty handed whether it’s picking up something for the garden or a new candle. And for the best views of the city and ocean, nothing beats driving Alameda Padre street from Highway 101 up to the Santa Barbara mission.

Although it’s not in my neighborhood, just a few miles down is the little coastal town, Montecito, which I really love. There’s a wonderful and relatively private beach, Hammonds, that my dog and I love equally. Montecito’s main street has interesting assortment little boutiques and restaurants (I’m partial to The Pharmacy). Montecito is also home to my favourite place to eat and entertain – The Four Seasons, Santa Barbara. It has that old world luxury feel but is completely relaxed whether you’re having Sunday brunch (that I often just take myself to) or dinner and drinks in the lounge (which I often take guests and locals alike).

If you could go shopping with anyone in the world, who would it be?
For home it would be Rachel Ashwell! We both go to the Santa Monica Outdoor Flea Market but I don’t find the things she does there. I only find them in her store, for 80% more!

What bores you to death?
Shopping and television.

This is a charming apartment in Copenhagen (siggggh, they always do it right over there, don’t they?). I just love how clean and fresh it feels. There is so much natural light showcasing all of the simple, yet stunning details of this space. Speaking of details, look how they used a fancy striped rope to tie up their toilet paper. no big deal.

I love how it is clutter free, keeping only the necessities on the counter tops and shelves. And with my life motto being “Invest in the Fantastic”, I can tell they have done so with a few well-crafted chairs perfectly placed in their home (with plenty of room to breathe). My favorite part? Well, i can’t take my eyes off that crazy white light fixture. I don’t know what it is, or if it even gives off light, but it sure is fascinating.

until next week,
bri from designlovefest

*photo credit: verne photography via love nordic design blog.

i came across this gorgeous cape town, south African home while perusing mixr, a wonderful site where you can find a good mix of several of Sweden’s leading design magazines. oh la la, is this home gorgeous, and it’s got a real playful elegance about it, too — something i love — a home that doesn’t take itself too seriously and has fun with color and objects ‘d art.

the furnishings are ornate, but contrasted with light and delicate fabrics, whimsical artwork and personal belongs, makes this home feel really unique and genuine to me, and tells me interesting people live here with a mix of good, and very eclectic taste. in other words, it has great personality and style. the home belongs to artist couple Tracy Lynch and Francois van Reena their daughter, and their bulldog Truman, who they’ve paid homage to in several spots around their lovely home.

i haven’t been ‘visiting’ as much as i’d like to be lately, but this week we’re back with unexpected guest Tamar Schechner, of the lovely blog, Nest Pretty Things. Tamar is an Accessory and jewelry designer with a charming, eclectic home in a small vermont village called Shelburne. a wonderful collection of vintage linens and wallpaper gives Tamar’s home a bit of a bohemian, Bazaar style mixed with English cottage coziness. i think you’re going to like it. and, if you like tamar’s style, you should visit her blog, and also drop in her shop here, and on etsy for some of her handmade goodness!

What is your idea of a perfect day in shelburne?
A perfect day with be a cool and crisp Autumn day when the trees have all turned and the views from everywhere are simply breathtaking, My favorite would be spending a Saturday with my husband and usually one of the boys would join us (we have 3 teen sons) we stop at the Shelburne farmer market for some late season veggies, then have some delicious espresso and home made scones at our local cafe, we continue to our local flea market to see what’s new, from there to the Shelburne apple orchard for some apple picking, it’s a family tradition and we do this a few times during the season.

Another perfect day would be to go into Burlington which is ten minutes away — it’s a perfect New England college town right by lake Champlain, we love having breakfast at Mirabelle’s, walking up and down Church street, going down to the waterfront park or catching a movie at the Roxy.

What are some of your favorite local shops?
For home furnishing I love a new little shop right here in Shelburne — Chez Boheme.  I could buy everything, including the gorgeous art work on the walls painted by the owner Jennifer Blanchard. For clothing I adore Sweet Lady Jane in Burlington, a beautiful  and tasteful mix of clothing and accessories. We also have many many second hand shops in our area which I frequent a lot, and the Charlotte Weekend Flea Market during the warm months.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
Last summer I found a gorgeous quilt from the 40′s for $20!!! And, I’ve also found some great linens there over the last few years.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare, or what would never be caught dead in your home?
Wall to wall carpets, brown “country” kitchens, little frilly window dressings, lazyboy couches.

Who are some of your favorite artists?
My mother and sister, both artists. My mom passed away 12 years ago, her art fills our home, she was a diverse painter with an incredible sense of color and composition and I love being surrounded by her work. My sister is also a beautiful and talented painter, her big passion is gardens, you can see her work here.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
My favorite thing is the beautiful Suzani on our couch, it was a gift from my aunt Susan Meller who is a textile collector and author.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks or coffee with?
Someone from the past — I would have loved to have tea with Jane Austen!

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Magazines! Country Living UK,  Living Etc., Elle Decor. I get them every month.

What is your most treasured belonging?
A beautiful silver cigarette box with a mint green enamel front, it belonged to my great grandfather.

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
Not a souvenir, but I bought some lovely Liberty of London fabric at Purl Soho a few weeks ago in New York City.

What’s your favorite home decor/style book?
Bazaar Style by Selina Lake.

do you have a Favorite set design from a film?
Marie Antoinette – I loved the colors and over the top style! and on a different note, It’s Complicated I would have loved to live in that house and that coffee shop was to die for!! I am sure that there are many more that I can’t recall.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to search for inspiration?
I love these: Decor8, Design*Sponge, Apartment Therapy, Creature Comforts, Poppytalk, Yvestown, Frolic, Oh Joy!, Sunday Suppers, Door Sixteen, Geninne’s Art Blog, Lobster and Swan, T Magazine, Uppercase, and sfgirlbybay of course!!!

I hadn’t thought much about it before, but what could someone’s place look like with such significant access to the design world? My curiosity was piqued. Needless to say, it was one of the first windows into a space I hoped to inhabit or at least try to emulate. It is a lovely mix of design icons, antiques, perfectly combined with industrial objects and original works of art. A home where every piece has a story and is not in the least minimalist, which was huge at the time. Robert no longer works at Limn but is still very much involved in the design world via his consulting business Cornell & Münzer.

Robert‘s & David’s entrance is filled with pieces from their travels, Limn gallery, and myriad of other originals. A feast for the eyes upon your first step inside.

A gorgeous Belgian antique piece found at the now closed Grand Central Antiques on Castro Street. It was designed to hold sheet music.

Copper Penny sculpture by Oakland artist Dave Meeker; ‘Wheel Nose Head’ by Albuquerque artist Page Colman. Boy on little pillow by unknown Honolulu artist; and “Monkey Boy” by Sacramento artist Gale Hart.

Driade, ‘Empty Chair’ by Ron Arad (he designed it originally for the Tel Aviv opera house); ‘Liz’ pendant (made of over 9000 drinking straws) by Oakland artist Dave Meeker; And sweet Smoky posed for me.

Robert deejayed for many years and has one of the most fantastic record collections. He is also Swiss (if you couldn’t tell) hence the great collection of Swissair travel bags and fantastic vintage poster. The desk is vintage by Jens Risom.

I immediately thought the paintings were of NYC but apparently they are of San Francisco before the water towers were realized to be a huge hazard because of our seismic activity. They are early 1960′s paintings by San Francisco by artist Richard Roberts. The lights are Flos, Taccia lamp by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and the Akari floor lamp by Isamu Noguchi. The chandelier is vintage 1950′s Italian.

Brazilian head grid sculptures on the wall. The blown glass ‘blossoms’ were found by David at a small flower boutique on Gough Street. Vintage 1960′s bedroom chairs, slip-covered in Italian ‘Poppy’ fabric. Solidarity painting by San Francisco artist Eva Dottore.

A simplistic kitchen with a vintage table and Verner Panton chairs. A window filled with planted sculptures by Robert’s husband, David. And ‘Shovel Face’ Art by San Francisco artist Vernon The Gardener.

And finally their bedroom with rich dark brown walls, light fixtures creatively tweaked and 1960′s paintings by Richard Roberts and Ann Levinger.

today on unexpected guests we’re traveling to our nation’s capital, to the lovely home of gwen bugheart from washington d.c. gwen is an entomologist – which means she really does have a ‘bugheart‘, or at the very least a fondness for the small creatures of our world. i love gwen’s visually beautiful photographic blog, bugheart, as well as her etsy shop, where entomology meets art & craft, and gwen sells her handsewn and adorable bags and accessories, and her other etsy shop jenny penny vintage. now, let’s check out her amazing home in washington d.c.’s u street/cardozo neighborhood.

What is your idea of a perfect day in d.c.?
the day would begin with a leisurely morning latte and bagel at big bear coffee with my partner, john, after we would peruse the thrift/vintage stores on u street, next we would head downtown and visit the new exhibit at the national gallery of art, have lunch at oyamel, and a movie at e street cinema, and finally we would return to the U street corridor for an evening cocktail at the gibson.

What are a few of your favorite local shops?
i enjoy shopping for unusual vintage items. ruff n ready is a great vintage store in an old dilapidated building on 14th Street NW. it’s packed to the gills and you really have to dig to find anything and then haggle to get a reasonable price. i also love to go to good wood and millennium on U street for interesting home decor pieces.

What’s on your wish list?
we have one ib kofod-larsen chair and i’d like to get a matching one. i’d also love a large painting by deborah bell or kristen cochran.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
a few years back i bought a swedish DUX sofa locally through ebay. the only reason i was able to buy it for a song was it was “pick up only.” they even delivered it from Towson, MD for $25! recently i found a 3.1 phillip lim (barneys) sweater for $4 at value village!

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
wall to wall carpet.

Who are your favorite artists? And why?
i am biased- my favorite visual artists are my brothers – joe shlichta and john shlichta. i also love the work of lisa solomon, saul becker and camilla engman. i am currently smitten with the occupied homes and landscapes of todd hido and the music of blind pilot and alexi murdoch.

Where do you find inspiration?
i am most inspired by found objects, dilapidated buildings, old science books, and laboratory ware. i often wander down to hirshhorn or the national gallery of art for inspiration.

Do you collect anything?
i collect too much! i have collections of insects (or course), train cases, vintage cameras, music show posters, rocks with lines, scientific models, belt buckles, and more — currently i am collecting vintage wind-up clocks, beat-up teddy bears (for an art project), old rubber office stamps, and bell jars.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
our patio. it’s the first time i have had an outdoor space. i have always wanted a space to grow my own herbs and vegetables and enjoy my morning tea or an evening glass of wine. i hope to have a beehive on my patio this upcoming summer.

If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
i don’t think that there would be any one person i would love to photograph. i have always wished that i was invisible so i could take those perfect shots of people who i was too shy to photograph — the old woman sitting in the afternoon sun at the bus stop, a child checking out his reflection in a subway window, or a woman in a red dress leaning against a crumbling blue wall in mexico.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
i live far from my family — so i’d have to be boring and say that i would love to have drinks with my siblings in seattle.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
staying home all day and knitting.

What is your most treasured belonging?
letters and photographs, especially old ones from my grandparents and parents.

what is your greatest indulgence?
cheese from cowgirl creamery. real champagne. sleeping in until noon.

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
i went to quintana roo, mexico with my partner for a butterfly/moth meeting. i brought back pieces of broken coral that had washed up on the beaches.

What is your idea of living hell?
going to a mall. being stuck on the LA freeway.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
habit, pitchfork, the jealous curator, nerd boyfriend, poppytalk, 3191, 100 abandoned houses, and the herman miller blog.

there’s a fantastic home tour of alysia cotter’s silverlake, los angeles home on Apartment Therapy Los Angeles that just must be seen! be sure to go check it out. I love it!!! It’s like a mini museum with tons of vignettes of charming nooks and crannies, and lots of lovely bright light. well done alysia! and, you can see more of alysia’s photography on her flickr photostream, and her blog.

[ photos courtesy of Apartment Therapy Los Angeles. ]

let’s face it, i just adore everything this girl designs & creates, photographs, and now apparently lives in. sandra juto just has flair! she submitted some wonderful photos of her home on flickr this week, and kindly allowed me to share! they look like they’re having such a relaxed, swanky and fun evening. maybe we could all aspire to that one night this weekend. wait until you see — ready? okay, prepare for ultra cool. and for more cool sandra stuff, visit her blog.

today on unexpected guests we’re headed all the way across the pond to visit with Zita Spring, aka zee of the blog homebug. zee lives in dublin, ireland with her boyfriend and two very cute dogs, polly the the basset hound, and django the dalmation — two very sweet looking pups. I loved zee’s cheerful, eclectic home and all the bright, happy colors. here’s a look at what it’s like living in dublin, ireland. thanks for sharing zee, and for those of you readers looking to find more about zee, be sure and drop in on homebug.

What is your idea of a perfect day in dublin?
The formula for my perfect day doesn’t involve anything out of the ordinary and I do variations on it just about every weekend!  My boyfriend and I will start the day with a cooked breakfast and a read of the newspapers, before taking our dogs Django and Polly for a walk in the park beside our house.  Then later on we’ll stroll into town stopping in every charity shop along the way picking up vintage clothes, knick knacks, records and books.  Once in town, we’ll get a spot of lunch somewhere along South Great George’s Street.  We’ll catch an indie movie in the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar and afterwards meet up with friends or family for dinner in the best Chinese restaurant in the whole world – the ramshackle Sichuan House on Parnell Street – followed by drinks in the Welcome Inn on the same street.  It’s a bar where time has stood still; it retains the faded grandeur of 1960s décor and plays a great mix of music.  Then home to our house or someone else’s to chill out and chat.

What don’t you leave home without?
I’m the sort of scatterbrain who regularly leaves the house without my keys, phone, purse, you name it, but I always have a book or two in my handbag.

What’s on your wish list?
An extension of our 600 sq. ft. house, please!  A kitchen-diner for entertaining in and a bathroom rather than a shower room would be life changing!

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
I think it’s got to be my antique Chesterfield sofa – it’s one of my dream items of furniture and I got it for €100 through a small ads website.  The person selling it had listed it as “old couch”!

Who is your favorite artist? And why?
I love Danish artist Christina Blaabjerg and have one of her paintings in my living room.  I love her use of colour and the influence of architecture on her style.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
Having two big silly dogs means that I have recurring interior design nightmares involving rugs and soft furnishings!  I can’t get too precious about anything in our home because someone is bound to chew on it or pee on it eventually!

Where do you find inspiration?
I find blogs like Door Sixteen, Making It Lovely, Design*Sponge and Sfgirlbybay plus loads of Flickr members very inspiring.  I love Living Etc. and Irish interiors magazines too.  And I always keep an eye on my favourite interior designers like Suzy Hoodless and Danielle Mac Innes.  But I also find inspiration in movies, fashion, art, everywhere!

What is your most treasured belonging?
I have a patchwork blanket that my Grandmother made about forty years ago (it’s in the photos of my bedroom) – my attachment to it is more than sentimental, as it’s such a beautiful thing; every patch of fabric used is stunning.  It’s the one thing I own that’s truly irreplaceable.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
The cute little fireplace in the bedroom was what made me fall for our house.  Of features that we’ve added ourselves though, I love the white painted floorboards in the den, and I intend giving our bedroom the same treatment soon.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
Michael Chabon, George Pelecanos, Smokey Robinson and Alain de Botton.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Spending too much time online and ordering takeout.  Sometimes at the same time!

What is your greatest indulgence?
Music.  It’s one thing I never even try to curtail my spending on, and I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t have something new to listen to!  Every nook and cranny of our little house is stuffed with records and CDs.  The thought of converting it all to digital and freeing up some space makes me sad, though.  I’d sooner move to a bigger house!

What is your idea of living hell?
Busy nightclubs with awful music.  I like to keep it low-key.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
I read loads of blogs.  My favourites at the moment (besides the obvious big ones) are by people whose individual style I admire, like Blanaid,  Nestled In, Emma’s Designblogg , Chez Larsson , and oodles more..!

okay, we’re taking a big old journey today, all the way to cape town, south africa! we’re visiting one of my favorite textile artists and bloggers, heather moore, aka skinny laminx. you’ve probably seen her gorgeous hand screened teatowels and pillows (as well as many other fabulous home wares) and all around the web, and read her blog, skinny laminx or checked out her wonderful column on south africa’s elle decor. Heather has guest posted here on sfgirlbybay as well. so, well, it’s quite clear this girl gets around — because we all can’t get enough of her! and today, we get to see what home life for heather and her artist husband Paul Edmunds in cape town is like (which i personally am pretty excited about, as heather and i have even chatted about a little holiday house swap!). let’s take a nice leisurely, lingering visit, shall we?

What neighborhood do you live in?
My neighborhood is called Gardens, and it’s called that because it’s just a short stroll away from Cape Town’s city centre, through the oak shaded historical Company’s Gardens. We’re very fortunate to live in an area that’s very easy to get around by foot, that has an amazing view of Table Mountain, and is within walking distance of Table Mountain national park. There can’t be many cities in the world where you can live in the centre and then take a 20 minute walk to a pristine mountain environment, with sea views to boot!

What is your idea of a perfect day in Cape Town?
This is such a difficult question to answer, because, while I don’t mean to be smug, Cape Town really is the perfect city, so you’d need days and days to do everything there is to do! For me though, I’d love to wake up and do a yoga class, then meet my husband Paul at Lola’s on Long Street for a big eggy brunch and lots of coffee. A perfect day should include a nap at some point, but I’m not sure where I’ll squeeze that in, because I’d like to go walking on Noordhoek beach while horses gallop by, have an icy swim at Camps Bay and do some drowsy beautiful-people-watching, I’d need to get to Milnerton Market, my favourite spot for vintage bargain hunting, or maybe I’d have better luck scouring the bric-a-brac on Kalk Bay’s main road. The evening would have to be outdoors, as the weather would be balmy and windless. So maybe we’d break the rules (unlikely – I’m a line-toer of note) and make a big bonfire on Clifton Beach, watching the sun go down behind the yachts while sipping a glass of bubbly. Wow, I got a bit carried away there. Life’s generally not quite so glam, but it’s a perfectly achievable day in this beautiful city of ours.

What don’t you leave home without?
My To Do list, I’m afraid. It’s a very, very strict taskmaster, and without it, I’m lost.

What are some of your favorite local shops?
For fashion, I love Marion & Lindie, , and also often buy lovely clothes from my friend Alexandra Hojer. For coffee, I adore the little hole-in-the-wall Jardine Bakery, part of the award-winning Jardine restaurant. We live just off a road that estate agents love to call “vibey Kloof Street”, and it is vibey – full of amazing homeware shops, like LIM, O.live and Heartworks, as well as some fab restaurants, coffee shops and bars. The only place where Kloof Street isn’t “vibey” is the part where all the estate agents have opened offices. Bleh.

What’s on your wish list?
I really could do with a Jielde lamp or two, if my pocket could stand it! I recently found a downmarket version at Woolworths that’s keeping me happy in the meantime.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
For a long time, I would have said my dream bargain find would be an Ercol daybed, and I’d always have my eyes out on stalks for that treasure, but since my dream came true and we got one (a very lucky find), I’m a lot less ambitious. I’m always on the lookout for beautiful vintage fabric to hoard, and Scandinavian ceramics to add to my collection. My absolute pinnacle find in that department would be anything from Stig Lindberg’s Bersa range.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
Oversized, over-upholstered black leather sofas, “soothing” typography on bathroom walls, wall-to-wall carpets hiding wooden floors, tiles from front to back – anything generic, aspirational or bought as a “look” just leaves me cold.

Who is your favorite artists? And why?
Well, there’s only one thing to answer here: My favourite artist is Paul Edmunds (see image  just below). That’s not just because he’s my husband, but because his work is the kind that grows and resonates the more you look at it. He makes his things very slowly and very carefully, and this devotion to process and detail makes his already beautiful sculpture even more lovely.

Where do you find inspiration?
It’s a horribly stereotypical Cape Town answer, but I often do find inspiration on the mountain. It clears your head, allows you to see, and is covered in finely-detailed and incredibly varied flora. So every walk on the mountain results in discovery and refreshment. Not too long ago I made some drawings of plants from the mountain to use on ceramics, and I’ve used them in my papercuts too.

Do you collect anything?
Not with any vigour, although I have a pretty large stash of vintage fabric, and a wide range of vintage ceramics.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
Our kitchen, which we renovated two years ago, has a little wooden “roof” over the counter, which helps make our open-plan layout more intimate, and whenever we have guests, everyone ends up gathered under the roof, chatting.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
I’m really looking forward to meeting Neville Trickett one day. I’ve only met him on the Internet, where he’s been doing a weekly post at ELLE DECORATION, but I’ve been to his Saint Verde stores and am quite fascinated with his appetite for collection and ability to see visual links between the most disparate of things.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
I steal paint samples, just cos I can’t resist them. Sorry, Plascon.

What is your most treasured belonging?
Probably the artworks that we’ve bought over the years. We don’t have much, as we’re slow to buy, but love the few pieces we have by Greg Streak, Medina Morphet, Gabby Raaff, Kevin Brand and, of course, we’ve a couple by Paul Edmunds too. We’ve got a pair of divine kitties who, while not strictly a “belonging”, are most treasured indeed!

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?

My last trip was to the northern part of South Africa, where we spent a lot of time at an amazing garden called Kings Walden, which was closed to the public but open to us. It really is a very special place, and is currently under renovation. I was terribly tempted to take away a little piece of Kings Walden before it was totally renovated and changed, but felt too much like I was treading on history and stories that didn’t belong to me, so I kept my itchy fingers on my camera trigger instead.  Prior to that, we were in Thailand, and brought back just a few things, including a beautifully-decorated brick that we found holding down a tarpaulen.

What’s your greatest indulgence?
Lots of tea… and bubbly whenever I get the chance.

What is your idea of living hell?
Commuting in a car every day. Hours in and hours out – I swear I’d age visibly by the day. I thank my lucky stars that I can get around by foot and by bicycle so much – cars bring out the worst in us, and in me most of all!

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
There really are so many, and I’ve met such amazing friends and colleagues through blogs (yourself included!). Most recently, I’ve discovered a couple of new ones, like the Saint Verde Digest, At Swim Two Birds, Manna from Brooklyn, and yesterday I discovered The Golden Smith, by Australian jeweller, David Neale.