Though the classic shelfie still holds undeniable clout on our social media feeds, recently there’s been a definite shift in the way we’re showcasing our interiors online. It’s as if our focus has zoomed outwards a little: stylishly arranged and usually featuring some variant of house plant, well put-together corners keep grabbing our attention. But are they as effortless as they appear on our Instagram feeds?
With this in mind, each week we’ll be asking one influencer to talk us through the most curated spot in their house. For our latest Story of a Corner, Emma Young, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Falcon Enamelware and Founder and Director Kiwi and Pomtakes us through her favourite spot in the house she shares with her husband and three children.
With three young children it can be challenging to maintain a corner of calm at home! My bedroom is one of the few sanctuaries where I manage to control the space. My grandfather’s writing desk, which he bought and had shipped over from Malta in the 1940s, fits neatly between the floor to ceiling windows and French armoire.
The bedroom walls are painted ‘Ammonite’ by Farrow & Ball which helps to bring together our eclectic mix of furniture and lends warmth to the room, which is south facing and full of daylight. The rest of the house is painted in shades of Marston & Langinger grey, creating a neutral, timeless backdrop to counter balance my ongoing obsession with rearranging colourful furniture, objects and accessories
Falcon enamelware features everywhere throughout our house! I love the versatility of the products. The jugs make great vases and I always make a point of having cut flowers in the home. It’s a habit I picked up from my mum. It was the one luxury she would afford herself and I used to enjoy helping her arrange them every week. I don’t mind if it’s a bouquet or single stem dandelion picked by one of the kids! I just love the colour and life that flowers bring into the home.
Our home has become a bit of a repository for random Kiwi & Pom prototypes and design experiments! Kiwi & Pom have an ongoing working relationship with Belgian furniture company, Vincent Sheppard, who specialise in rattan and Lloyd Loom production. My starting point for any design – be it a product, interior or piece of furniture - is always colour and material so this is a perfect collaboration. The chair is an initial prototype. I believe it’s important to live with your designs and really road test them before releasing them to the market. The rattan adds a natural warmth and texture to the interior and has a timeless appeal which is something we aspire to in any design.
This corner is where I revert to capture creative ideas at home – a clear space where I can think, sketch, draw and paint. I derive real pleasure from living with objects that have family heritage and everyday use. For me, a successful home interior manages to weave both together effortlessly. The silk and ivory desk lamp is not something I would personally have gone and bought but it belonged to my grandmother and reminds me of her every day I switch on the light. In contrast, the Dieter Rams radio was a gift from my husband as an antidote to Sonos (I’m not a great technology fan!). The original framed print was a gift to him which I bought from an artist in his home town - Wellington, New Zealand.