Evolution Of A Wall

The British online magazine Heart Home just republished a house tour they did back in 2013, featuring our rented home in North London. We'd only been living in this house for a few months and I really wasn't ready for a photographer to document things (story of my life?) But me being me, and never wanting to say no, I said yes. 

Since then, I've published two books, I've started working with Anthropologie Europe and A LOT has changed. Judging by these pictures, one of the main things that's changed is my personal interiors style. Granted, we had no furniture, having sold it all to move back to London from LA, and I was in full on make do and mend spirit (here and here), but I have to admit that it's hard to look at the photos now. I reeeeally don't like much of what I was doing back then and I really don't think it represents my style. Having your home photographed repeatedly over the years is a bit like opening up a very personal diary and letting everyone read it. All my mistakes are exposed for everyone to judge! (And they do)

The photo above is from Heart Home Magazine. The following images show the evolution of the exact same wall since that shoot, and they really tell a story about the way my brain works: Start with nothing. Attempt to make something from nothing. Overcompensate for having nothing by adding too many little bits of - you guessed it - nothing. Get overwhelmed by clutteredness of all the bits of nothing. Tear it all down. Start again. 

Image one, above: I had no furniture, but found some frames and a weird shelf on the street, made some bunting (Ugh! Really?) Faked it all out by adding flowers and veg to make it look lived-in - honestly, imagine it without all the greens - blander than bland. I've since donated anything remotely vintagey/kitschy to Stoke Newington's finest charity shops, slowly replacing them with things I actually like or - God forbid - leaving an empty space until I find something I like.

Image two, above: The day before photographing my home for my book Bohemian Modern I panicked, having spent 6 months working full time and travelling Europe in every spare moment photographing amazing homes for the book, and completely neglecting my own little hovel. I unearthed some wallpaper scraps, added decades worth of embarrassing family photos, lots of plants, and boom! Bohemian Modern in a flash.

Image three: Last Friday. I'd worked an overnight shift on Thursday so had Friday off. I took a nap, woke up refreshed and was buzzing slightly from the huge coffee I'd just had - I needed a project! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the messiness of the wall so I took off all the pictures and wallpaper, realised that blue-tac is rubbish and does in fact leave little marks even though it says it won't - there were hundreds - and realised I had to paint it. I bought some magnetic chalkboard paint and quickly slapped it on. Suddenly got inspired by the pattern on the dutch wax fabric I'd stapled onto the chair seats, attempted to copy it with chalk, with a plan to cover the whole wall. My arm started to ache at the tediousness of it. Gave up after one row.

And that, my friends, is how my brain works. What can I say, planning is for suckers! All hail, the queen of slap-dash decorating (Er, that's me).

For the full house tour head to Heart Home magazine. Just promise not to judge too harshly. Particularly the shot where I thought crazy Dutch wax fabric curtains and painting the words "What are you waiting for?" on a frame would be calming for a bedroom...

And to see yet another incarnation of my home, buy Bohemian Modern and look for the chapter called Urban Bohemian.

Top image by James Balston for Heart Home Magazine, second image by Katya de Grunwald for my book Bohemian Modern. Last image by me and my iPhone.