WE MOVED a lot as a family when I was growing up, so I think it’s no surprise that we have stayed in our family house in Shepherd’s Bush for 30 years. I love to feel settled, I like the familiarity, and I enjoy the fact that my children grew up there.
I DO change the house up. I love transformation: clothes or interiors. What was once the playroom is now our TV room, while the boys’ teenage den is a light and airy guest room.
WE BOUGHT a farmhouse in southern France 20 years ago. When we’re there we relax, but we always have a project on the go. Each bedroom has a totally different atmosphere: one is faded floral and pretty and French, another is calm and in shades of grey and white, while another is stripy and lively. Everyone has a favourite.
I THINK there is a synergy between styling rooms and oneself. It’s all about trying things out to see if they suit – and comfort has to be pretty far up the requirement list for both.
WE DON’T have a rigid idea of who our customer is at Collagerie. It’s like a restaurant – you should feel it’s “your place”. If you feel like a floral dress day, there’s plenty there, and if you want it to be utilitarian, we have that too.
COMFORT IS super-important to me and, I think, greatly underrated. You can’t be happy in a home where you couldn’t fling yourself on the sofa, read a book or curl up in a chair.
