Welcome to fellow Friends in Home and Hosting, where I sit
down with fellow creatives, homemakers and digital
tastemakers to chat all things styling, space and how we make
our homes feel like home. Today I'm joined by Daniel
Matthews, the charming mind behind At a Modest Semi, a home
account that's equal parts considered colourful and just
the right amount of cheeky. In this episode, we talk about
renting as a way to trial different aesthetics and get it
all out of your system before buying your first home, and what
it's like tackling that through the eyes of a professional
textile designer and navigating renovations as creative people.
We also dig into the style with no name, that beautiful,
romantic English aesthetic that's quietly taken over our
feet without anyone really being able to define it.
And of course, if you haven't already, be sure to follow
Daniel over on Instagram at a dot modest dot semi.
His content is full of warmth and the kind of interiors that
make you want to stay a while. Without further ado, let's get
into today's episode. Well, Dan, it's so good to have
you on fellow friends and home and hosting today.
Thank you so much for having me. Hello, how are you?
I'm so good. How are you?
Yeah, I'm good. Thank you.
It's a bit wet here, but you know, it's nice to be on the
process. Thanks for having me.
Well, to start us off, I always love to have a little nod to
send because I feel like fellow friends and home and hosting.
We all have like a signature send or we all are feeling
inspired by what's happening around us.
So tell me, what are you burning at the moment?
So at the moment I've just started a new candle.
The last one I burnt was by DS and Durga called Big Sur after
rain. I was only burning that one like
last week. Yeah.
How would you describe that it smelled?
Because I couldn't like place what it smelled like so I had to
Google it. Well, surprisingly, like when I
read the description of it, it was like where it was describing
like damp eucalyptus. Yeah.
And I was like, Oh yeah, that kind of actually smells quite
Australian, to be honest. Like it does have that sort of
like wilderness eucalyptus kind of scent it.
I think what Theus and Durga are really good at is that sort of
damp, residual, sort of a little bit heavy kind of scent.
It's very kind of grounded. That's how I would.
Probably describe it. Yeah.
So nice. So just finished that one.
And then at the moment I'm burning Joe Malone, a British
classic, and it's the side pressing Grapevine and it's
really, really nice. It's like a little bit Oodie, a
little bit viney and it just it fills the house with a great
scent. And I feel like I'm really drawn
to more like the like sandalwood oods, but also like the more
fresh viney scents as well. Like Daylesford, which is like a
brand in the UK and they do a tomato vine candle and it smells
so good. It's a bit like the Laueve one,
just a a bit of a nicer price tag.
Yeah, yeah, no, green scents are my favourite scents.
The Flamingo Estate range as well do really good greens.
It's like olive tree. They also have a tomato leaf
one. They're really good.
I love them because they're kind of botanical.
They're a little, sometimes they can be a little bit floral, but
if they've got that sort of depth to them, I don't know,
there's just something nice about them that you can burn
them year round. Absolutely.
Yeah, I'm very much like that. Like, once I've got a candle
going, I'll take it to the end. Like, it doesn't really matter
what season it's in. I just think I just like to have
a nice scent going in the home, really.
And I did have one recently that I'm a celiac and I can't eat
gluten. And my friend bought me a like a
bake. It smelled like a bakery, but it
literally smelled like butterscotch, like you wanted to
eat the candle. It smelled so good.
So yeah, we burned through that one quite quickly.
And I was like, are you baking? And I was like, Oh no, it's just
a candle. Yeah, Deus and Durga actually
have a candle like that. It's called Breakfast Lip Sync,
and it's got like burnt butter and it's also got a bit of
tobacco in it. And you can buy the car like
auto diffusers and they're like $16.00 Australian.
And I have that one in my car all the time.
And when people get in, they're like, Oh my God, your car smells
like one of those bougie bakeries at Easter time because
it smells like hot cross buns and.
Nice. You can also buy the car
diffusers and you can stick them in your wardrobes and then you
can like put those and stuff like that and like it's really
good because it just makes your wardrobe smell really nice.
Oh that's a great tip when I have to have a look into that.
Going back to our classic candles and Speaking of
Australia, I'm actually burning a candle from Country Rd.
That's my new recent obsession. I just shared it on TikTok
earlier. It is the orange and neroli, but
I think it's a good blend because I wouldn't normally go
for something that was orange scented, but this actually
smells. It's got a mix of amber,
vanilla, cedar wood, and then it has the neroli and the orange
flower. So it's actually really dynamic,
and when you smell it up close, for anyone listening who might
want to go try it out at the store, don't take the scent that
you get immediately when you sniff the candle because there's
a lot more ambient and it smells a lot better when it's in a
whole room. But I'm obsessed with it and I'm
like, wow, there you go. Like I just never would have
lent on something that was orange.
But because it's got the. I like amber and I like cedar
wood. So I think that's why, yeah.
Those kind of scents to me feel quite like autumn, winter.
I guess there's like a brand in the UK called the White Company
and I do really lovely, like, you know, like mould, orange
scent, spices, candle scents in the winter and they're really,
really lovely and warming. Yeah, well, let's start off with
your home, that modest semi as you're known as on Instagram,
which I love because it's also kind of like a little bit of a
tongue in cheek every time I hear it.
Exactly. Yeah.
OK, cool. I'm glad that we're on the same
page because I was. OK, cool.
Anybody that is friends with me know that I've got, I'd like to
think I've got a good sense of humour, like to have a laugh, to
make people laugh. And so when I started to the
account I was like, oh, what's could be like, you know, it's
got different meanings. What's the interval?
It's like a home's got a drag name.
Yeah, basically, yeah. So they're kind of stuck.
And then I was then I was like wobbling about and I was like,
no, let's just go with it. And they're here we are nearly
four years later. So it's very much a thing now.
Yeah, well. It's definitely the hallmark of
your account. So can you tell us about the
decision that went into buying this particular home?
So I've been with my now husband Archie since 2019.
And then obviously we won't talk about 2020, but you know what
happened? So I ended up moving S to Essex
in that time, I was living N like in the Midlands of the UK
and we were doing like long distance.
And then I ended up moving into his one bedroom flat, which he
aimed at the time. And then obviously we were
locked in there for a year and then we were like, OK, let's buy
a house together. So we actually put lots of
offers in on different houses previous to this one and they
all fell through. Like we got gazumped by buyers
because I think that at the time the government were doing thing
called like there was you didn't have to pay stamp duty.
So it was making like houses a bit more affordable and you will
be able to you know. Yeah, there was lots of people
were moving sick of where they were living, etcetera.
So we lost out on quite a few houses.
Then we took the flat off the market and as soon as we took
the flat off the market, this house came online and then
because we were still looking on like right move.
I don't know what you have in Australia, but like that kind of
thing. And because, and I was like, Oh
my gosh, it's literally the dream house.
I was like, no, like why? We take it off, then it's sold
and then we just like forgot about it.
And then we put the flat back on the market about six months
later. And then this house came back on
the market and it fell through. The guy just pulled out, didn't
want to the house anymore. So we were like felt like the
stars were aligning. We came to view it.
And it's really funny. I was literally in in the house
and would be a stage and an Archie.
And at the end I was like, we're really interested.
And Archie was like, damn, you need to play it cool.
And I was like, I'm not playing it cool.
Yeah, I literally, I don't play things cool if I'm like excited
about something. Like you can just tell on my
face. Like I was like, Oh my gosh.
Fantastic. So yeah, we ended up getting the
offer accepted. And then I think it took about 3
or 4 months and we, we moved in in September 2021 and it was
like a biblical rainstorm. We pulled up in the van with all
of our stuff. And I've never seen rain like
it. I was like, Oh my gosh, I'm
getting like, I was like, is this good luck?
Is this bad luck? Like it was crazy weather.
And I, we had fish at the time when I was holding this fish
tank on my lap in this van and I was like, Oh my gosh, what's
going on? And the fish were fine.
And they are no longer with us. But that's just because of, you
know, they just, it was their time.
But yeah, we've been in here nearly four years now and it is
a night. It was in 1908.
So it's an Edwardian semi detached.
And there's only two how? There's only this house on the
street that's like it. And then next door to us are
like some like 80s flats, which aren't very visually pleasing.
And the rumours are that in the World War the houses got bombed
and like taken. Out.
Yeah. So we were like the last two
houses and then so then across the street and down the street,
there's lots of other, like there's a lot of terrace houses
and all the same attached houses, but there's only these
two that are like this on the street.
Very interesting. Wow.
And so are you in the middle of it basically like you're in the
middle of town? So I live in Essex, which is
about half an hour on the train into London and I live in the
city. It's called Chelmsford and we
live in the city, but like just on the outskirts, you can walk
in in like 10-15 minutes. And so it's really, yeah, it's
really good. There's lots of really good
shops and there's a nice park, we can walk the dog and we've
got really good links into London.
So yeah, it's. A really great location.
Yeah. Yeah.
So have you always lived more closer to the city?
No, I come from, I grew up in a, in a town in, it's like a mining
town in the West Midlands. It's a place called Canak in
Staffordshire. And I, yeah, grew up there till
I was 18. And then I went to university in
Yorkshire, which is north of the UK and near Leeds.
And I did my degree there in textiles, printed textiles,
which I guess we'll talk about later, kind of informed my
decisions on how we did design and the house.
And then I had a job and my first graduate job in the East
Midlands. So I moved back down.
But yeah, I was renting for like 10 years before I bought this
house. So it's been such a like renting
and like decorating to rent is so different to when you own a
house over here anyway and the things you're able to do to it.
And I didn't want to like put money into something that might
be like you can make structural changes.
You have to schedule like put the nail in the wall because you
weren't going to get your deposit back.
It's quite in intense. Opportunity to like renovate the
floors because they took your deposit because you put a hole
in the wall. Literally, yeah, I've had some,
some, you know, some, some interesting rental places.
E live in this one. It was like an old hay loft,
which was really cool. And it was where it was in
Market Harbour and it was where the King and the Queen's horses
used to like keep all their horses years ago.
And it was like miles from London.
I was like, Oh my gosh, like as if they used to do that.
But yeah, really cool, Really, really cool.
There's lots of amazing architecture, like buildings in
the UK that are now turned into houses and things.
It's really, really interesting. And that's the best thing about
when you are renting is you can take that opportunity to live
different lives, like you can live in different towns,
different suburbs, and you can live in different styles of
houses. And I think that's probably the
most important thing that people don't think about, I guess when
it comes to renting versus buying.
You should look for a property that's got a great price.
Always try and look for something that has a little bit
of a cool character. Don't go for the thing that's
like, I don't know. I convinced my friend to move
into the same apartment building as me during lockdown, which was
great because she was by herself.
So we ended up being like buddies.
So we'd go down the fire escape stairs and we'd hang out in like
each other's apartments, which we were totally allowed to do.
And it was just, it was, it was nice, you know, and she was
like, I should probably move into this 1970s three Storey
sort of apartment brick building thing.
And I said to her, I go, look, when you're on your deathbed,
think about the storyline. What do you want to do?
Do you want to live, say that you lived in the warehouse
apartment and you have really cool furniture And it was like,
you live with your best friend? Or do you want to say, oh, yeah,
I lived in like a little brick Walker, but it was really close
to work. And she was like, you know what,
You're right. I'm going to move into the city
because she was scared to move in there because she was like,
oh, I have to drive. I'm like, you'll figure it out.
And now like to this day, she's like, I'm so glad that I did
that. And I know she's listening right
now and she's nodding her head so.
I love that it's like that, like that romanticising your life
kind of thing is, you know, like the rituals and, you know,
you're a product of your own environment.
And I think, yeah, if and if, especially if, like obviously if
you can afford it and if the, you know, if there's not much
difference in money, why not take the experience?
And I've lived in so many different properties over the
years, like an old barn conversion, like I did do a flat
in the town. I did like the hayloft thing,
like loads of different things. And I think it's really, it kind
of pinpoints those times in your life as well, like, you know, of
where you're at as a person and what you were doing.
Yeah, it gets out of your system as well.
Like now that you're in this home and you've been here for
four years, you know, you've done a couple of different
homes. So you're not like, oh, what
would it have been like if I bought, you know, if I was in
that apartment in there with that industrial?
You're like, oh, I've done that. Do you know what I mean?
It's a good, it's a good way to test what you like and what you
don't like because you might love the idea of something, but
then the reality of it, it's a completely different story.
Now, absolutely. And I think especially when
you're working around the country and you're living in
different places, you get kind of get a feel of like where you
want to settle and where you don't want to settle or this
doesn't, this feels like at me right now, but it doesn't feel
like me forever. And yeah, it's quite
interesting, isn't it? Yeah.
So with the idea that you grew up more in like a mining town,
did you felt you had to move because it was sort of like the
opportunities just weren't there.
It was like, OK, well, I'm going to be doing this or I'm going to
be doing that. Like I only asked because I'm
originally from a mining town as well.
I moved to Melbourne to do a design degree because it was
like, well, we're packing up shop and we're moving, you know?
Well, I think I've always just had a real interest in the art
and design space. Even since I was younger.
I was obsessed with like a changing rooms.
I don't think they ever had that in Australia.
And it was like Carol Smiley and.
No, I know this thing and they would do, they would do like
really wild renovations, like to the point where they were sort
of like not you could tell it was just full rage bait.
Yeah, have you seen the teapot shelf?
No, they did this float these 3 floating shelves on wires and
it's this ladies prize teapot collection that they put on the
shelf and then they show them and then they're like Oh yeah,
cool. Then they close the door and
then the shelf breaks. All of their teapots smash on
the floor. And she's literally like
inconsolable sobbing. So hilarious.
And I saw that quickly today. It came through on like, you
know when you're scrolling through Tiptok I?
Was like, yeah. I literally remember that.
A cultural moment. Yeah, I saw the one where they
like glued hay to the walls and then there was one where they
did like a wallpaper and then they they bring the couple in,
the couple and the wife, she's just like, no, I don't like
this. Like she just, yeah, she just
hates it. So lots of British shows are
watchable in Australia that we can refer to as well as iconic
ones in like America, which is like House Hunters, yeah and
Fixer Upper and stuff like that. So.
Yeah, yeah. Oh, no.
Amazing. So yeah, I so I guess I used to
love watching like any like TV makeover shows.
And then I took inspiration from Linda Barker myself and I
painted my tiny bedroom bright grass green and I think about
now and it hurts my eyes. It was a wild, you know, just
experimenting and I had this Japan D lilac border, you know,
very of the time, very much to the lover of lilac today, but
not on the walls. Yes, so that was interesting.
So I, that's kind of like, I was really interested in design and
then I decided to go to university to do art and design
and I needed to move away for that because I think I just
wanted like not to get too deep, but obviously being a gay person
and trying to come to terms with who I was.
And I was just feeling like there wasn't really much there
for me at home apart from my family, which I go back and see
all of the time now. But I felt like I needed to just
kind of reinvent myself, I guess, and like be my own
person. So yeah, I went to university
and I did a green printed textiles, which was so
fantastic. And it really like honed my love
for like colour and design and how I use colour and really,
yeah. And people like how is it worth
going to university to do design?
But Oh my gosh, it's giving me the the tool kit to be able to
go into today into the industry like a freelance print design
now for brands. And yeah.
And then also coming into doing my own kind of our own home,
it's like remembering what you like as a person and like what
you like in design rather than designing for a demographic.
So it's really giving you the toolkit to be diverse and to
really be able to design for different customers, different
demographics. But I guess it's like interior
designers like you have a brief for that person and you need to
deliver that, but that's not necessarily what you would do in
your own home. Which I think it's also a great
skill when it comes to social media as well, because you start
developing your own style and showcasing it online, but you're
also aware that the audience might have a different opinion.
Because people designing can be both objective and subjective.
And it's the same thing when it comes to a brief is that you're
fulfilling what other people have given you and it has a
certain style and you learn about the design history of it
and you can apply your knowledge.
There's actually quite a thorough process that can go
into creating something. But I think a lot of people
confuse it with the art world in which the art world can be quite
subjective. But I think it's a really good
skill to develop, especially if you want to share it online,
because you have to learn that like, everybody's going to have
an opinion, they're going to critique it.
But if you have that sort of design background, it's a little
bit easier to take it on the chin.
Absolutely. I think working in design, you
really have to have a thick skin because as you say, it's like
quite subjective and like what you can perceive to be, you
know, what the brief was. Someone else can perceive that
to be different or, you know, people like things that you
don't like. And it's what makes the world go
around, isn't it? It's like everyone has their own
opinion and everyone has their own likes and dislikes.
But you're having like that design foundation.
I think you can really like, you can back yourself and you're
like, no, actually I like this. And I'm going to stand by what
I, you know, I like. And I think it's really
interesting when people challenge your opinions because
you can kind of try to see it from their point of view and you
can go, I'm like, Oh yeah, I get that.
Or no, actually, I'm really, you know, set up on my choice.
Yeah, I feel like that with styling and doing things online
now that particularly with trends is that like I sometimes
feel like I'm a kind of a couple of steps ahead.
So it's very hard to hold my tongue when I get comments about
certain things like styling something a particular way or
picking a certain colour over something else because people
just haven't caught up yet or they've watched.
The problem is we're consuming so much content is that people
learn this particular way or style and then they start
projecting it onto other like other creators and like
anticipating and expecting it to go that way.
Like for instance, you've transformed your space so much
already, like with your kitchen renovation and also your
bathroom renovation, which I love, but I'm sure plenty of
people had their opinions about the way that you navigated the
bathroom space. Oh my gosh, so many.
And especially when you ask for people's opinions as well, it's
like sometimes it's like actually I've got decision
fatigue as it is. I don't need like any, I don't
need anybody else's opinions. But when we were doing the
bathroom or the kitchen at the same time, it was like, I felt
like so overcome with like decision fatigue because we were
having to get like both things done at the same time.
We didn't have a kitchen, we didn't have a bathroom.
It was like we needed to make these decisions.
I literally cried over the floor tiles in the bathroom because
they weren't the right tone. And now they're in.
It's fine. You can't.
There's not much floor space anyway.
But as like a designer, like, I really like to take time picking
out, like picking things out, getting the samples, seeing what
they look like together. But we had to get these tiles
down and like, pick them in like 48 hours because the plumbers
were coming to put the sink and the toilet in.
And it was like a week before Christmas.
So yeah, it wasn't my finest hour.
I wasn't very pleased with myself.
And I don't think Archie was very pleased with me either.
But we kept them. And now it's fine.
It's fine. But going back to when you were
saying about like a couple of steps ahead of trends, we've had
like the banter in our living room, like the olive green for
like 4 years. It's the first room we ever
decorated. And I saw this article online
last week and it said that olive green is the new millennial
grey. And I was like, Oh my gosh,
literally. Yes, I saw that.
The window like I just don't. I just don't want that.
So yeah, I'm just feeling really sad about that.
I. Think that, but like I can sort
of see where they're coming from in that.
But initially when I first read it, I was like, I feel like
beige is the new millennial grey because it's pretty much just
like how the pendulum swings from warm to cool tones.
It's like we were going very like early 2000s is very like
blue toned whites, absolutely grey slate.
And then it flipped on its head now to being a lot more warm.
So everything's a lot more creamy.
There's like soft yellows. And when I saw the green, I was
sort of like they were already, they people already injecting
like emerald green, like a cool toned green into those spaces
when they had grey. So whereas now I would say
instead of green, people are using brown.
Like brown is a lot more popular.
Like people were not using brown as much with grey.
So I would say like the new green is brown and like the new
millennial grey is beige. Yeah, it's, yeah, That's
interesting. And also it's a cycle, isn't it?
Like these always come back around and like it's invented in
like different ways and different tapes on it.
But then I also think when you have it in your home, if it's
like a colour that you simply love and it's the way that you
style it in a way that you use it.
Like you could do like the millennial grain.
It's just like a box. Or you could have all of like,
it could be your base colour and then you could have all of your
amazing like things that you've collected over time and like
accent chairs and pieces of art. And I think it could look
totally different. So I think, I think it's like
how you put your spin on it, I guess.
Yeah, it's the way that you like all the different applications
because yeah, it's like now, like like I said, it's like you
weren't mixing brown and grey back then.
But then now when I think about fashion and when I wear grey, I
always have started using a lot of Navy and a lot of brown,
which is we wouldn't really do back in the day.
But I do it now and I love it. So it's so interesting how it
all changes. Yeah.
And I think it's really interesting how, like, there's
just some certain kind of like, like statements that you don't
want to be associated with you Like, no, that's not the vibe I
was going for. And they were like, Oh my gosh,
is that's what happened. And yeah, yeah.
Yeah, it's like meeting people where they're at.
It's like, you know, in Australia it's notorious.
Everyone will say anything that's slightly like Lux.
They were like, oh, it's so Hamptons.
It's giving Hamptons like that is like that is I'm saying that
everything is Hamptons call. Yeah.
And it's just like, how is this Hamptons like?
But they're just trying to like talk about the energy or the
vibe. Yeah, but they can't describe
private, so they'll use keywords that they've learnt from the
Internet to help them define what things are.
I've got the words quirky or trendy before and I'm like, oh,
quirky. Like.
I don't think it's quirky. Yeah, quirky.
I think so, because I think obviously I use a lot of colour
in my home, but it's all very considered and it's all very
like, there's a plan behind it. It's not just like, oh, let's
just see what happens. So I'm like, oh, it's very
quick. I'm like, oh, that wasn't
actually the brief, but thank you.
But I think that's like it's educating the vocabulary, isn't
it? It's like educating the people.
Well, it's like you bring up a good point, which is I think in
England in particular, that is an approach to colour and
layering which isn't really seen elsewhere.
And it's different to a Scandinavian approach to using
colour. Because like As for instance, in
Australia, when we look overseas and international references, a
lot of the stuff that we've looked at previously has been
more that Scandi influence. So things that you're seeing in
Sweden or things you're seeing in like Denmark and Copenhagen,
Yeah. Whereas like in England, like I
think with the rise of like Matilda Goad and a lot of other
creators in that space, there's, there's definitely an English
way of using colour and yeah, doing layering and pattern that
isn't really seen anywhere. And I don't think there has
really been a style that's sort of defined it other than like,
for instance, like how I just mentioned Matilda Goad.
I feel like she really kind of like projected like made that
style really popular. But I wouldn't necessarily say
that she was the one who like, I don't like, I think it's been
around for a really long time, but I think no one's really
defined it yet. So I think the story why people
are like, oh, it's quirky because they don't know what to
say. Because if you would have got,
oh, that's so like English. It's like, maybe not what you
would think when you think of English, you know?
Yeah, I think there's, there's also, I don't know, you've heard
of Lucetta at all. He is a British designer and he
he's one of my biggest inspirations.
How he uses colour in his home. It's it's very bold.
It's not as bold as I would go, but how he and puts print and
colour and I think it's all about like mixing like old and
new as well, like antiques, but then you've got The Odd Couple
of new pieces and there's a really good book actually, it's
called it's I've got it here. It's called new English home,
also new English interiors and it's fantastic and it's got
loads of different interior designers in there.
And it's very, it's basically talking about what you just said
about like the English kind of interior design movement at the
moment. But I think it's quite timeless.
And I think it's been going on a long time and I think people are
just starting to get more brave with clashing colours, prints,
patterns. And if there's just such a
specific way to do it, it's like it's everyone thinks you've just
thrown the kitchen sink at it, but you really haven't.
You've really had to consider all of those colours and those
pieces and those forms. And it's quite an art. 100%,
yeah. And I feel like everyone's style
is very unique. Like even when I think of like
Matilda B for instance, she's very popular.
At TikTok, she's. Based in England.
And then there's also like Kate Spears or Kate Spies.
She also is based in England and she like she has a lot of cut.
Like you like you all do it very differently.
But there's also a connectivity in the fact that it is a style,
but yet it hasn't been defined, which I think is sort of
interesting. So I feel like also for people
who were watching, who don't have that design, I probably
seen the similarities, but they're like, I don't know how
to put, I don't know what word to describe because I even my
like me myself, I couldn't describe it either because it's
hard. Yeah, because it's not in that
because, because it is definitely like English, but
it's not that tradition. Like you're not doing like some
people are doing the approach where it's like deep burgundies,
like Federation style, like deep burgundies, deep greens, like
the gold accents. It's not like that.
It's a, it's a different style entirely, really.
Like, it's really interesting. Yeah, it's quite.
It's a bit of like elements of like the arts and crafts and
it's quite traditional English. Yeah.
And there's a group in years ago, it's called the Balloons
Free Group. Vanessa Bell and a couple of
other artists that have left my head.
And I used to like, paint their interiors, like hand paint.
And there's an artist now called Test No One.
And she goes around and paints like people's cupboards and
things. And it's like bringing in the
more like hand finished arts and crafts, like bringing the
colour, bringing the pattern. And it's really, really
interesting. And there's a lot of like Indian
block print that people are using a lot at the moment.
And also like using like a stripe as like a neutral and
using that as like to add conversation into a room.
But it's not just like a plain colour or it's not like a loud
print. I think there's yeah, it's
really exciting at the moment. There's people doing similar
things but they're very different and it's being
inspirational. And I love how your style sort
of sits somewhere between the quiet luxury and that lived in
charm. So if we were to try to like,
put it into your own words and your own design philosophy,
what, how would you describe it? Do you think I'd?
Say that a modest semi is I'd say it's like the home of like
considered colour and print. Like as I said, like
everything's very considered and the pieces that we have in our
home are very much like second hand, like I'm trolling Facebook
marketplace and daily love and antiques there love a charity
shop and like you just see some people are why the hell did you
buy that? Then you get it home and you're
like, Oh my gosh, like it looks great.
And I also have a lot of things from like that were my
grandparents or things that have been bought by friends or made
by friends. And it's like having those bits
of like, you in the home adds that personality and
everything's got a story. And that's why I absolutely
love, like, I like collecting things.
When we go on holiday, we always have to buy something to bring
that back. And then it's like, oh, we
bought that fish in Barcelona. Or, you know, it's like, it
could just be the smallest thing, but it's like, it's like
my mission. Every time I go on holiday, I'm
like, I've got to bring something back for the house.
Will it fit in the suitcase? I don't know.
But we will give it a go. We went to this January, went to
Barcelona to see Archies friends.
We went to this flea market and Oh my gosh, it was so good.
And people were thinking, Oh my gosh, it looks mental.
But I was literally living my best life.
Like there was just so much stuff on that.
I saw this painting and it was probably about 3 metres long and
I was like, this man was trying to get me to buy it and I was
like, I really want to buy it, but I just didn't know how I was
going to get it home. So we had to stay there.
Very sad. But I think it's so important to
just like have that bit of your what like ask yourself what you
truly love and the things that speak to you to put in your
home. And that's what kind of makes
your style very much your home. Like you're an it's an extension
of you. So I don't really know.
I can't really describe my style.
I guess it's very much like English.
It's like English, traditional English maybe, but it's kind of
got that contemporary edge. And I think when you're looking
for the high, low mix, it's like, what can you spend your
money on? That is you don't last long
time. Like good countertops in your
kitchen, good hardware that's really elevates and but then
like also mixing things like Primark home doing really good
things that, you know, that's even a little bit cheaper than
H&M home. And it's like they've got great
ceramics. If you want those smaller trend
LED pieces that you can pick up at a cheaper price that you
know, you're not going to have forever and mix those.
But then you've got like your bordello kind of like melon bowl
or you've got your linen napkins that are quite expensive.
And I think that's how you kind of get the high, low mix and it
kind of gives an eclectic feel because you're trying you.
Yeah, you've got that. You're not buying.
You're not just going into one shop.
You say I'll take the take the whole table.
Do you know what I mean? I want those plates.
I want those napkins at the table, at the closet.
It's all very thought through and considered.
And I think that's the kind of that's we can get like a higher
end look for less. Yeah.
And I think you do a really good job at showcasing that as well
on your profile when you go through the process of
developing a space and you show how it comes together given that
like even I think even with your bedroom.
Oh yeah. Yeah.
You know, like, just like the bits and pieces that you decided
to take on yourself and then other bits and pieces that you
put together. Like it's really nice how you
bring us along on the journey and show people how to do it.
Thank you. Yeah, I really enjoyed doing the
bedroom. So we had this cupboard that was
an original cupboard and it was quite shallow.
And originally we were going to RIP it out.
And I was like, no, we're like, I want to keep the cupboard.
But then there was this, like void above the cupboard.
And I'm like, what do we do there?
And there's a lady called Sarah Corbett Winder in the UK, and
she's like a fashion stylist at home is incredible.
And she started and these pediments on like cupboards and
I was like, Oh my gosh, we should put a pediment on there.
It looks so good. And literally people dragged one
line. What a waste of space, what a
waste of storage. And I'm like, I literally
comment with it's a bit sassy. I'm like, oh, that's the beauty
of having your own home. You can do what you'd like to
do. But like it adds that kind of
like bit of texture in the room. It's all painted the same colour
as the wall. So it kind of camouflaged, but
it gives that different dimension.
And then with our bedside tables, they were just from
HomeSense, which is like TK Maxx, I don't know if you have
that in Australia. And they were like 50 lbs each.
Then we went to the local marble merchant.
We got some marble cuts for the top because we wanted marble
like lids on it I guess. And it also bought the bedside
tables at the right height then for where our bed finished.
And then I upholstered the headboard, my first ever go
doing it. And the fabric was quite
expensive, was like hand printed in the Cotswolds.
But then I thought I was saving it by making it, saving money by
making it myself. But then I was literally so
scared to cut it. I was thinking like shaking with
the scissors, like, Oh my gosh, if I cut this wrong, we're
screwed. And it's like one of my my
favourite things in the home. I can't wait to post them all
headboards. And then we've got like the
chest of drawers was from a local antiques market was 40
lbs. So it's all of these things that
you kind of bring together and you see like when you're out and
about and you're like, oh, that's going to work.
And if it doesn't work, you've spent £40 in it, just resell it.
Like it's not like kind of the end of the world.
You're not spending thousands of pounds on things.
And I really think like bringing fabrics in and like textures,
like our bed is just like a standard to band bed, but then
we put like a bed skirt on it and then say like elevates.
And it's not cost you like thousands of pounds for this
like hand carved bed, but it's still really comfortable and you
get the luxurious look for less. Yeah, and it is those little
touches, it's like you said, putting that detail on top of
the cupboard and then adding the bed skirt and then going out and
getting a stone top to put on top of, you know, those
bedsides. That really do make the
difference. That I don't think a lot of
people have the foresight to see where it's going if they see an
object out on the street or if they see a bedroom.
Sometimes it's like, I think you bring up a really good point
that it is like those just those slight details that really like
take it up a notch. I find that the case anyway,
when I'm at home and I go through my content and I say,
oh, that was a game changer. It was just that little, you
know what I mean? Like it's like a little detail.
Yeah. Because sometimes we always look
at the big things. Like I always tell people, like
whenever you move into a room, it's always about you've got to
have the rug, we've got to have a window treatment and we've got
to check out the lighting situation.
But then there are just those little tweaks that you can't
fully recommend to people without having B in their space
to see what those little pieces are, you know?
And I find that so interesting when people ask your opinion
online, like paint colours. And I'm like, take it with a
pinch of salt because the colour looks different in every single
room. Like what could look great in my
house is not going to look great in your house.
You might need to go 2 tones lighter on the shade card or two
tones darker like. But it's hard to give that
advice when you're not in that space yourself.
And it's also really important for compromise, especially when
you're living with somebody, because Archie really wanted to
have a full carpet in the bedroom because he doesn't like
wooden floors in the bedroom. And I was like, no, there are
original floorboards. I really want to have the
floorboards. So we ended up going to like a
local carpet shop. And I had this thing called
Aladdin's Cave, which was just like their bargain bin.
And we found this roll of carpet.
And then we basically got it and whipped the diameter of the room
about about 20 centimetres smaller.
So the middle of the room is a carpet, but you still get the
tone of the wood around the edge.
So it was like a happy medium. Yeah.
Which I'm kind of happy that we did in the end because I think a
wooden floor would have, yeah, quite creaky and quite old our
house. It would have been not very
like, noise. And, you know, you'd hear
downstairs, like the creaking when you're walking on the
floor. So the carpet definitely helped.
But I think, yeah, compromise is definitely key when you're
living with someone also. But again, that's another really
good trick because I my rugs in my living room, a bedroom, are
also carpet that got turned into rugs from a local like the New
Zealand Wall, which people do make rugs out of.
Then I had them to turned into rugs versus carpet, which is
such a good trick if you want to also get a more cost effective
rug too. So like that's a really good
point. And I think also with the power
of a rug, I really love when like a rug can take up a lot of
surface area of a room, but you can still showcase the timber
underneath. And like you said, it's really
good for the acoustics in a room.
But also I think it's good because it really grounds the
furniture. People don't really want to
splurge on a rug, but it really does just take things to another
level. At least it certainly can.
And it also just gives your furniture a sense of home, you
know, like, it puts them in the room and they feel like they
connect. And I think it like draws the
eye, like when you have a carpet in the room and you don't have
anything else on the floor, like your eye just go straight to the
skirting board. And like if you've got the rug
or you've got the whipped carpet, then you've got the
wooden floor. It kind of adds those different
layers and dimensions again. And it's all about like the
layering and the colour and the you like you're considering the
floor, like you have to consider every part of a room, floor,
ceiling, walls, like everything. So I think that is, yeah, so
important as you say, for. Sure.
Yeah. And Speaking of home, like what
does the word home mean to you? Like how would you define it
beyond the pieces that we have in our space?
Home to me is a place where you can come and you can truly relax
and you just feel safe. And you feel like, gosh, like
you've had the day of it and you come home.
Well, you've been on holiday and you're just like, OK, just want
to get home now. Like, you know, you've got to
get the flight home or whatever. You're like, I just want to be
home. Just want to be around my
things. Yeah.
You know, you have your routines, you have your rituals,
you have your, you know, your day to day.
And I think there's something so comforting in that.
And like I suffer with like, anxiety and I think just being
around the things that make me feel safe and making the home a
place that we love to be in just really like calms you down and
makes you feel so relaxed. So I think that's how I describe
saying to me just like a like a safe space.
What's 1 room space in your house that you're itching to
tackle next? That is our third bedroom, which
is still very much like a plastered box at a storage room.
But that's going to be my last studio, I guess, where I do all
my work there. Because at the moment I'm kind
of like dotted all around the house.
And I'd like paint brushes and paints everywhere and arches.
Like we just need to put everything in one room.
I'm like, yeah, we actually do. And that was always the plan for
that room. And it can be it'll be a third
bedroom when we go to like eventually sell the house.
But yeah, just a place to put like all of my like paint,
sewing machine, like have like computer screens, like all my.
Yeah. And then all of the stuff that
goes with content creating like tripods and your lights and
yeah, extra storage for like tableware.
But that is the room I'm really excited to do.
I'm just starting to plan it at the moment.
So hopefully that'll be done by the end of the year.
And then all we've got left to do here really then is our
second bedroom. And then like the hall and the
stairs, which we were going to do last because obviously it's
just going to get battered taking things up and down and
getting it sorted. But we've had such a big remodel
the like the in the last year of the back of the house, that
renovating just takes so much time and so much money and you
kind of just have to just take it in chunks.
And just like we were so appreciative of like where we've
got to and like the amount of work that's been put in.
But we just take a toll on you and it takes a toll on, like,
your relationship. It takes a toll on your mental
health and constantly, like, living in dust.
So I feel like we're at a place this summer where we've kind of
just like, paused, the building works.
We're really happy with, like, the rings that we've got sorted.
We're just trying to enjoy and like, live a little bit.
We want to go on holiday if we can.
And then, yeah, maybe like when autumn comes, that room just
needs, like, decorating. Like, there's nothing majorly,
like, building work need to be done.
So yeah, that is the plan. Fingers crossed.
Exciting, but also I'm like thinking when you were saying
those rooms, I'm like, yeah, but you've also got Christmas in the
middle of that that you're going to have to decorate for and do a
whole Christmas content spirit I'm.
Already starting. I'm already starting to Plumb
that. I know, yeah, I just booked in a
Christmas home tour that I've got to do and I was like, OK,
here we go. So I've got to make sure that
it's up by like November 13th for some point.
Everyone's like looking through your window, like when you got a
Christmas tree in August. I'm like, you will not
understand. No, to be fair, I had a couple
of campaigns last year that was like, I had them on like the
first week of December. Like they came through like a
day before. I was like, Oh my gosh, the
panic, that time to get it all sorted.
You have to be so agile, don't you?
Yeah, yeah. And also, but I do think the
English are really good at going all out with the evergreens.
There's just like this lushness with the amount of evergreens
that you guys do, you know, like layering all the greenery.
It's just really not it's it looks completely different to
the US former Christmas. And it's also completely
different to like Nordic or Scandinavian countries.
Christmas as well. It's got a really unique style
about it that I always think of, like the deep green foliage and
like candles. And it just feels really
romantic. It's like, it's very romantic.
Whereas it feels like the holiday, that's what I always go
back to, like the film. The holiday it's, it's like the
US has like a warm cosy feeling and then the UK has the warm
cosy, but it has this element of romance to it that you just that
it just feels really good. I don't know.
Yeah, it's, I feel like it's quite nostalgic.
I think it feels like very nostalgic to me.
Like, yeah, I should say like all of the evergreens and like
we have like the wreaths on the door and we have the different
like what's it called? You know, you have, we have like
garlands on like the fireplaces and those kinds of things as
well. And like, yeah, I think people
really go all out, which I absolutely love.
And I must have part of that. I love doing that.
Yeah. I can't wait to do the kitchen
this year. Well, yeah, it's gonna be so
much fun. Oh my God.
There's just so many opportunities.
But it never ends, though. You'll be going to like the
florist and picking up all the greenery.
Yeah, there are a lot of spaces. You can pick up the greenery.
Yeah, that is then we've got florists and then we have like
wholesalers and then also I just go into the forest sometimes and
just like chop like a couple of like, you know, bits that I need
like a bit of holly or whatever. And yet holly bushes, like, go
to my in laws, go to my parents. Yeah, just go wild with my
secateurs. The only problem is when you're
doing the content really early, like everything's going to get
dry and crispy by December, though sometimes you have to
like, have I've got like a good fake wreath.
And we bought a good fake tree last year just for longevity
because we used to buy real trees and they're so expensive.
And then like, they're like hanging on by the last leg.
And like the second week of December, I'm like, Oh no.
Yeah, in the, yeah. Are there lots of different
varieties of trees that you can get, or is there pretty much
just like one kind of tree? You know, there's many, there's
like Nordic furs, there's spruces, there's loads and some
of them see. That's what you guys, yeah, you
guys are so lucky. See, in Australia we don't have
that, where there's just pretty much one kind of Christmas tree.
OK. I can't even think of what it
is. Wait, I'm trying to think of
what the name of it is. I don't know.
But it's it's kind of like bushy and it's really hard to decorate
and it's only there's only one style.
And that's something that's so disappointing as well.
When you want a real tree. They smell amazing, but they're
not the best to decorate. And I know like, and I was just
saying before about how I like, love showcasing, you know, maybe
I should talk about it more that that is the tree that we have in
Australia. But like, it feels like it.
Nah, but it just feels like a random, a random tree, you know
what I mean? You can also pick it up on
Balsam Hill and I'm like, don't get that one, get get a
different one. Like I have like a Norway
spruce, like that's why I have the Balsam Hill trees.
Any Australian that wants a different variety of Evergreen
get the Balsam Hill tree because you get the look and you know.
So good, aren't they? And we have like the white
company version, but I love that the lights are already built in
as well. So there's like even light
distribution. Perfect.
But we bought when you buy a real tree, you don't think it
looks that big when it's in like outside and you bring it in the
house, you have to like chop the top off because you're, you
know, you can't get it in the room.
So there's all those, all those things to do as well, like a
massive gap in the one side that you wanted to like have in the
room. So yeah, real truth come with
that, and problems for sure. Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know. I still feel like I want one
there anyway. Maybe when you give it a go.
Overseas, yeah. I want to do a white Christmas
one year and New Year's. I just have to plan it properly.
But it would be nice. And I want to do like an Airbnb
and like, decorate it that way. So then it's like I have like a
home, my way to home. I think that would be fun
because I can still do content and it would be like my take on
a Christmas. Yeah, Oh my gosh, you should
cut. Like London at Christmas is so
good. Yeah, it's fantastic.
Like all the lights? And the window displays, yeah,
it's really great. Oh my God, Christmas in July.
Love this chat, which leads me onto my speed round because
everybody loves a good speed round, but I call it a speed
round, but it, it never is a speed round.
So you know what I mean? Like we're, we're, we're ready
to have a chat through it. So yeah, for sure.
Are we a morning person or are we a night owl when it comes to
pottering around the house? I was thinking about this and I
think I'm really, I think I'm a bit of both.
Like I, if we like in the evening, like we're going up to
bed, I'll come, I'll quickly pop into the kitchen, like put the
dishwasher on and like have a quick clean around.
But that's like a closing shift. Yeah, true.
Yeah, that is very true. And then like I guess pottering
the more like morning, mid morning.
But again it depends on my routine like on my on my content
days yeah, I Potter more for sure.
And yeah and I I really just like just styling corners of the
home like move shopping your own home and moving things around in
different rooms. So which?
And also moving the mess, because when you're filming,
you're like moving the mess from room to room to room.
Like it's like, you know, like it's like this is what you see.
And then you turn it around and you're like, and that's
everything over there. Yeah, it's like look like this.
There's all this stuff on the table.
Exactly, exactly. Real life comes into play.
Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, just moving piles of
things. Yeah, I do that a lot throughout
the throughout the day for. Sure, but it's a game.
But Archie, when he comes home, I'm like, spot the difference,
like what's moved? I love that.
Yes, all the time.
So #2 is curtains or blinds. I think it's a case by case
situation but I love curtain. I love like framing a window.
I really don't like the phrase window treatment because it
gives me the ick of it. But I love curtains and I love
how they can frame a window and they bring more colour and
texture and personality into the space.
But blinds definitely have place.
Although I don't really like, I don't mind like a Roman blind,
but I don't like, like, is it called Venetian blinds?
Shutters. I really like shutters.
I don't, I don't come home, but we do a cafe curtain at the
front of the house. But yeah, I like, I just think
it's another excuse to add more drama.
I have a really cool book called the The Encyclopaedia of Curtain
or whatever it's called. It's from like the 2000s.
I don't know if you saw it, I saw Received the Day, but it's
got all these illustrations of all these different helmets and
curtain. Finishes.
Yeah, I was going to say, you can get so much more creative
with the curtains, with the pleats and everything.
It's and obviously like hello someone who's studied textile
design, I was fully anticipating curtains.
Yeah, yeah. Love it.
Mad for it. Give me a curtain any day.
What is your tips with curtains though?
Like I'm sure you've got plenty for people out there that are
struggling with the curtain thing.
I'd be the most obvious ones I think always take them to the
floor, don't have like 1/2 length of curtain because you're
chopping off the wall and depending on the height of your
ceiling, put the curtain rail on the ceiling.
So then you've got the full length of the wall for the
curtain rather than having like this much gap.
If you can with coping it can be a bit tricky sometimes.
So it just really adds to the drama.
And also make sure your curtains are full.
So if you're getting someone to make them, they will know the
you need to have like double the width of the window.
So when they're pulse together, they're not like too we talk
bits of fabric, you know, they've got the the movement in
them. Also, I can go for a statement
curtain and it like let it be a conversation piece.
I just think don't let them blend into the wall.
I think like really let them have their moment.
And always if you're if you don't go for a pencil pleat
because they're just like a nice classic, but I always think like
a double or a triple pinch pleat look quite elevated.
A good tip that I have from someone who came and visited me
because I'm getting some curtains in this living room,
was doing the hem stitch the same height as my skirting
boards. So it's like a thicker, Yeah,
it's a thicker hem. So then when you look at it,
when it hits the ground, the like the eye line is the same.
And I thought that's a great idea.
And it also makes it a little bit heavier too because there's
more fabric that folds up so it has a better hang.
I was like, This is why you get the professionals guys.
I'm telling you now, so you know what they're doing.
Any locals in? Well then check out Zen Design.
They're incredible. Yeah, that's great.
Totally agree with you. Curtains all the way.
Favourite place to sit with a cuppa, even though I think you
mentioned earlier it's got to be out in the garden, yeah.
Yeah, although our garden is a work in progress at the moment
and that's probably a next year's job.
But yeah, we have like, yeah, it's just we actually to be in
the morning. I like to sit at the front of
the house because we get the sun.
So I'll sit in the front room and, like, let the sun, you
know, on my face. And then in the evening we get
the sun at the back. So it just depends on the day,
really. But yeah.
And there's a few. Places I'd like to sit with a
cup of tea. It's not I'm really bad.
Just sitting and like staring into like the into space.
Like I'm just like, I'm just looking at.
I'm like nothing. But yeah, I think you're just
sort of being outside and like having the doors open.
That's really nice. Especially this time of year.
That's my favourite place in the summer, yeah.
Amazing. What's what is the home task
that you always put off? Washing.
I hate it. I hate doing washing.
I hate collecting things around the house to get point the
washing machine. I hate sorting out the colours.
Yeah. I hate hanging it on an arrow
like it's good at the moment because we can hang it outside.
Yeah, just really not. I just hate washing and then I
hate putting it away. Yeah.
I think that's right. I, I love like I do like washing
up until the putting it away and folding it, which is interesting
given I'm the one who's making the beds and doing all that
stuff. But I like when it comes to
folding the clothes. I just, I can fold towels, I can
fold tea towels, I can fold bed linen I use, I don't iron bed
linen. I steam it when it's on the bed.
But when it comes to folding T-shirts and things like that,
everything is pretty much hung up.
I have my tops and my pants all hung up on Hangouts.
So that's my go to. Tip for anyone that honey to do
that, it makes all the difference, I'm telling you.
And if you have a wardrobe that's double stacked, like top
rail, bottom rail, you can do all the tops at the top and the
pants along the bottom and you can kind of coordinate them to
your outfit. So it kind of makes sense
because you're just like bop, bop.
OK, done. Like it's yeah, great.
Highly. Recommended.
Needs to do that. We need to get some more clothes
storage actually when we do that room.
So yeah, I'll definitely consider that.
What's your favourite paint colour that you've used so far?
I think it has to be in the bedroom.
It's called Lion by Coat Paints and it's like this really soft
blue and in the morning, because we're like east facing our
house, when the sun comes into the room, it gives us really
like nice warm. It's not like baby blue, it's
like a powdery blue and it goes really nice like the orange,
like the burnt orange Sienna headboard and like the colours
just Zing really lovely in that room in the morning.
And then at the end of the day it's like this cooler toned grey
blue and it just looks really calm and sophisticated.
So it's quite a relaxing room to go to sleep in I think.
I love also how you can see how the colour changes throughout
the day, which is also amazing as a content creator because you
can be like cool but also maybe a nightmare when you're a
content creator because you're like, Oh no, it's raining.
So it's like not giving me the vibe vibe that I needed.
Or, you know, if you're, if you're shooting something over a
couple of days, yeah, if you're shooting over a couple of days,
yeah, sometimes the lights isn't the same.
And then it's like, oh, continuity, yeah, is off.
But yeah, it's, it's a great colour, Yeah.
Well, yeah. Speaking of lights, how many
lamps do you think you have in your home?
I'm. Just going to do a quick mental
check. Are we just talking like table
lamps? We're talking like wall lights
as well. I think, I think, I don't know,
because they're like wall lights and sconces.
They're kind of considered, they're kind of like a lamp, but
let's just go with table lamps and like table lamps and
standing lamps. At the moment, 12, but there's
room for more. Yeah, I think I've got about 9
and are all of yours. Do you have Wi-Fi globes or do
you turn them off and on manually every day?
Turn them off and on. I just like turning the lights
on and off. I just, yeah, I love doing it.
This is my newest one. It's a big, she's massive.
But yeah, that's plugged in here.
Yeah, it's from 34 to Ski, which is a Norfolk designer, and
they're just such a lovely brand.
And this is that hand like mosaic.
It's beautiful, like all hand place, but yeah, it's very
heavy. Yeah, no, it looks beautiful.
I love it. That's the thing, like with my
globes, I've got them all hooked up to Google, Google Home,
They're the Genio globes. So I just tell Google to turn
them on and off every day. But I've also got them on my
hallway globes. So when I get home I just like
tell Google, turn the lights on, turn the lights off and it just
doesn't form. That's so good.
Fantastic. And you can also adjust the
temperature and the hue and you can adjust the brightness.
So it's great too, because, you know, sometimes.
Love. The globes can have different
payouts. It's yeah, I do recommend the
genio ones are good and they last a really long time.
Any issue is I think that they do affect your power bill, but
like OK, not by too much, not by too much, I don't think.
Good to know. Yeah, Yeah.
We've got so many different levels of lighting in the
kitchen because we got to design it from scratch.
I did this full mental lighting plan for the electrician and he
said he was very impressed. I was like, thank you.
Yeah. Lots of like wall lights as well
because I don't like the big light normally, No, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, light at different levels, eye levels is really
important, I think for sure for. Sure.
Yeah, definitely. What's your go to weekend ritual
at home? I'd say something that can
definitely vary depends if we're seeing family or we usually sit
here there everywhere. But a Sunday, we usually get up
quite early and we take the dog over at our local Country Park
and have a coffee and just walk the dog together, which is nice
because in the week Art, she goes to work really early and so
I will jog on my own. And then we probably go and
quickly do a food shop. And then we just spend the rest
of the day like pottering at home or yeah, just having a bit
of a chill or I'm probably editing something.
I mean, I'll just cut in the grass in the garden.
Like, yeah, we just like to be at home as much as we can when
we can because because my family don't live close by, sometimes
we can be away like quite a few weekends, like consecutively.
So yeah, when we get the chance to be at home, yeah, that's like
the favourite weekend ritual for sure on a Sunday, just pottering
around. Amazing.
And so if your home had a soundtrack, what song would be
on repeat? I was thinking about this and I
was like, Oh my gosh, I feel like I have a different
soundtrack throughout the day. Never mind just.
Like what's your vibe? Like what?
Yeah, I think yeah, maybe like the soundtrack, like what's the
playlist we're playing? So usually like, it's like
Ocean's pop, but I love this. So I love like Céline Dion.
Share Share Believe he's on at least once a day.
Yeah. We love like, yeah, a bit of
LeAnn Rimes, like all of the great girls, Shania Twain,
they're all playing. But then in the evening you
can't something a bit more like chilled.
We love the film Call Me By Your Name.
And like that soundtrack is so called, like such an Stevens
mystery of love. That's a great song.
And we're really into an Irish like country singer at the
moment. She's called Seem act.
I don't know if you ever heard of her and I'll give her a
listen. She's fantastic.
And yeah, she's, she's just got quite big this year.
I like, think she's like blowing up a bitch.
She's got a new album coming out soon.
But there's this song called I want to Be a Cowboy Baby, and
it's such a good song. You've got to listen.
But yeah, so we've listened to her quite a lot like, and just
like have like the doors open, have a little glass of wine on a
weekend. She's quite nice.
But yeah, that's not the one who was the butcher, the Baker.
In the yeah, her, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah her.
Oh, yeah, cool. I was.
I'm like, I'm like, this sounds familiar.
And I'm like, I don't want people being like, Louis, come
on, you know who this person is. No, you did.
I was like, you gave me the pad around Tito.
But that song is good. That's one of her new ones.
But the one I was just trying to is like one of her older songs.
But she's got such a great, eclectic catalogue.
You should listen to her. She's really good.
Amazing. I feel like it's hilarious.
Everyone I've spoken to so far, everyone, well everyone has
rogue music taste though I have to say.
Like it's like out of all the home creators I'd love that I'm
music style isn't cohesive. With I'm the Princess, I'm mad
for the pop pop and. Especially when like we're doing
reels and we're setting songs to like match the vibe of the song.
But it's like, but it could be like nothing further from the
truth of what's actually playing in the background.
But admittedly I am a little bit lame.
I think it must be my restaurant upbringing and stuff like that
with like doing the soundtrack of stuff.
But I am like a dinner with friends playlist like anyone
that knows like the dinner with friends.
Play this on Spotify. It's a great one.
Yeah, it's a good, it is a good one.
And I'm also the type to listen to Billie Holiday and Frank
Sinatra and all that on my drive and also at the gym.
So like, wow. Like, don't get me wrong.
I can listen to like, classic. I'm still like, I still know
what's happening. Like, I still know, like, the
most recent Sabrina Carpenter song or like, Oh yeah, Charlie
XCX has come up with a song or Troy Sivan or whoever.
And I'll also listen to the icons.
Yeah, love. Kylie But I have to say that
like my yeah, my usual thing that I have at home going is
like dinner with friends or like classic jazz.
And if I find one on social media that goes with their
content, I'll be like, oh, I'm going to save that.
And then I like play it. It's I'm, I'm just, I'm it's the
Virgo in me. I'm just too cohesive.
There you go. Yeah, you like you like the
cohesion. I like the chaos.
I just was. What I don't like about the
Instagram trending music is sometimes I don't like any of
them and I'm like, sometimes I just put them on that I like.
I'm like I. Agree.
Yeah. And it's if it's not performing,
it's really annoying at the moment.
Like that Justin Bieber song is the most popular song.
It doesn't really, it doesn't really work with anything.
But then you also know that if you use a trending song, people
are probably going to listen. People get like, your watch time
will go up because people want to hear the chorus.
So, like, you'll be tempted. I get tempted to like put the
bridge song first because then I know they listen to the chorus,
even though it has like the other day I did a day in the
life on TikTok and I used Tracer Barnes song and I knew that
people were going to wait for the whole thing because some
people connect to that and they also identify.
They see a lot of their identity in musicians as well.
So you can kind of capitalise off the fact that like they love
a musician. So they got to listen and watch
and like, like your content because they might not
understand home aesthetics. At the end of the day, like home
and lifestyle is a very is a is a niche and some people get it
or they don't. But you've also got to try and
expand your audience and ways that you can do that is like
leveraging things like music artists and like popular
culture. Yeah, I know it's like a weird.
But like, at the same time, you don't want to, you also want to
speak to the people that get it. Like, I know, like I know my
follower. And then they're like me, and I
know they're going to want to hear like a nice jazz song.
Sure. It's like, yeah, It's like, no,
it's like, no, it's your community and like still giving
them the content, but you're trying to like bring in
different, you know, you're trying to supplement yourself
also as well. It's such a fine balance, isn't
it? And sure.
My last question comes from a previous guest because every
episode I have the guest that's with me ask a question for the
next person to join me. And today's question is, what's
1 ritual or routine you think someone could add to their life
today that would make this space feel more like home?
I would say. Creating a core now or a space
that you would love to just like your favourite place to sit and
just like maybe have like a quiet 10 minutes.
Like could it be by a window? Could you be looking out into
nature? Could you be lighting candle or
just like even, I mean, I don't journal because I feel like my
mind's too chaotic, but I always like the idea of it.
Could they like be journalling or like, you know, just having
that quiet like 10 minutes. I think people have their quiet
10 minutes in very different ways.
But I think that is like, quite a grounding ritual I think that
everyone should put into their routine because you're always
exposed. Like, especially like Instagram,
TikTok, like short attention spans, like watching the telly,
like all of these different things, Like, the world's crazy,
isn't it? So just set that time and switch
off. So like 10 minutes, yeah.
In like a nice corner that you've created, I think is just
like a dream. Yeah, no, amazing.
And putting thoughts into words is also really good because it
can stop. It can stop the constant cycle
of your brain running over a scenario sometimes.
Good. It's a little bit of therapy
speak right there. But anyway, thank you so much,
Dan, for joining me today. It's been amazing to catch up
with you and learn all about your story and have a little fun
questionnaire and talk all things Christmas as well.
Oh, no, yeah. Thank you so much.
It's been fantastic. It's so nice to finally talk to
you after following you for so many years.
It's it. Yeah, it's.
Been fantastic. Thank you.
And that's a wrap on today's episode of Fellow Friends in
Home and hosting. A big thank you to Dan for such
a thoughtful, fun and genuinely inspiring chat.
I loved hearing about how his background and textiles shape
the way he approaches his home, from the colours he chooses to
the little details that make each room feel layered and
lived. Whether it's carving out a
corner for quiet, navigating a Renault with your partner, or
adding personality through secondhand finds, I think this
episode was a great reminder that home isn't about getting it
perfect, it's about getting it right for you.
And if you haven't already, be sure to head over onto Instagram
and give Daniel a follow at a dot modest dot semi.
His content is such a joy to watch and a beautiful example of
English interiors done with charm, wit and intention.
And as always, if you love this episode so share it with a
friend and leave a quick. Review or tag.
Us while you're listening. It means a lot and helps us keep
growing this little community. Until next time, keep pottering,
keep styling, and keep making your home feel like home.
I'll see you in the next one.