Good morning! I hope you had an
underbart weekend?! Get up to anything fun? We went on a road trip to the
Blekinge archipelago to visit friends - if you visit Sweden, these islands are a must, they are so magical! The problem is that it was such a relaxing weekend, monday morning has hit me like a sledgehammer (is anyone else feeling slightly disorientated this morning?!), and I'm in panic mode about a 'scandinavian design' presentation next week (I think there are going to be up to 100 people in the room,
gulp!). A central theme will be about how the 'less is more' philosophy of Scandinavian design has influenced so many people around the world, and this lovely home in Herne Hill, South London is a fine example! The house belongs to
Cate St Hill, interior writer and stylist extraordinaire (check out her instagram feed
here), her partner Olivier and
very cute miniature dachsund Francis. I chatted with Cate to find out more about the soothing colour pallette, nordic influence and creating a little oasis in the heart of London.
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IKEA Kitchen cabinets, Hay J104 chair, Muuto platform tray
How did your passion for design begin?
I've always been interested in design and studied architecture at UCL in London before I became a design journalist.
Fired Earth tiles
Your style has a distinctly Scandinavian feel - do you have a long lost Nordic relative somewhere?
I
really developed an interest in Scandinavian design when I travelled with a university friend for a month, spending a week in each country.
We made little design pilgramages to as many
Arne Jacobsen
and
Alvar Aalto buildings we could find.
Stelton coffee jug*, Teema mugs*
What inspires you about Scandinavian design?
I became
inspired by the ways that Scandinavian interiors connect to nature and
to people, and the respect for quality and craftsmanship. I like that a lot
of Scandinavian design is built to last, they are pieces you can have in
your home for a long time, the materials get better with age and the
shapes and styles endure.
Have you carried out any extensive renovation work?
When
we first found the house it was in need of a bit of work, the living
room was painted bright purple for instance! So I wanted to strip
things back, open the downstairs living room and kitchen up and
transform two dark rooms into a light, open space.
What is important to you when creating a home?
I want
to create a calm, tranquil retreat in which to escape the world. I
wanted a space that would grow with us, the neutral walls, becoming a
blank canvas for everyday life.
How do you add a cosy feel to your home?
I like to use plants, accessories and books to bring life and texture rather than lots of colour.
This pic of Cate's hallway was taken a while back when the space was a work in progress, even so I thought it was too pretty not to share (I hope you don't mind Cate!).
Can you tell us about the subtle colour palette?
It's
blackened by Farrow & Ball on the walls and plain white on the floor (I used
Ronseal floor paint).
And finally, your garden looks like a lovely oasis, do you sit out there a lot?
Yea! it's really sheltered and not overlooked so you don't really feel like you're in London. We've been using it a lot this summer as it's been so warm. It's north facing, I thought it would be really dark but it's a little sun trap during the day.
Thank you so much for telling us about your home Cate.
What a treat this home tour was on a Monday morning - do you feel inspired too?! Perhaps we should all head out into the garden with our laptops! I'm thinking I'm going to need Francis in tow too - isn't he wonderful?!
Is there anything that stood out to you?
Just in case you're not quite ready to launch into the working week yet - you might just like to check out the
grey and white home archive as well as these lovely
London homes (makes me feel slightly home sick!). There's a chance Cate's might crop up first - if so, you know what to do (scroll on passed!)!
Have a fab start to the week!
Niki
Photography by Cate St Hill shared with thanks
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