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, Peanut founder Michelle Kennedy has showed us how she put together her favourite nook in her London home...
The walls
Does it make me a cliché to admit it's Farrow & Ball on the walls? Anyway, it is: the accent colour is Downpipe, and the grey is Elephant's Breath. Our house is a period property, so the dimensions are large. I think that means it can take accent colours well, and I wanted to have a focus for my beautiful mirror! It is by Porada and reminds me of being on a boat.
The statement fireplace
Due to the house being listed, we can't have several of the fireplaces we would love to include. At the moment, I'm doing some kind of scandi-chic with the logs, but the fireplace is very much a work in progress: we just need to get the relevant consents.
The furniture
Other than the fire place, the talking point is always the chairs. I wanted to get plush pink velvet chairs so badly, and my other half really objected. Then we came across these moss green chairs from Gam Fratesi, and we were done. I just love them: they remind me of old members clubs, and there is something grand about them, particularly when my little boy sits in them and they seem to envelope him.
The table and bench were a bit of a find because whilst everywhere seems to have walnut now, at the time, finding walnut and brushed brass was the impossible ask. Eventually I found it in a small store in called Another Country. I will always love this table because when everyone told me no, these guys were like "Oh sure," and three months later, it arrived!
The space
I love this corner because I can sit here and look at everything going on in the kitchen in the next room (it's usually chaos...) I can sit and remember all of the evenings we've spent at this table: too many people squashed on the bench, laughs, my terrible cooking, Fin reading his first words and my very first steps towards creating Peanut. All of that happened in this corner. There is that standard joke about female entrepreneurs starting their business at the kitchen table... well, here it is!