at home: part one

A glimpse into my home... I bought the wooden desk off of a young Islington couple - I picked it up from their house, just down the road from The Duke of Cambridge, a favourite pub of mine. I was completely adamant that I wanted an old school desk. The lid lifts up in two parts and it's covered in scribblings, scratches and gouges. It's quite small but pretty perfect. I bought the purple crystal in Devon a long time ago and the two tiny Dutch candlesticks were given to me by a friend who was living in Amsterdam at the time. I bought the old embroidered Royal coat of arms patch on eBay and the figurine of Michelangelo's David was picked up in Rome during my teenage years. The perspex photo frame was made at school, when I must have been about thirteen or fourteen; it contains a snap from a holiday in France. I can't help but surround myself in objects that I've collected over the years; most of them have little value and are possibly a bit ridiculous, yet I wouldn't have it any other way. The etched tumbler and footed mug both came from Ben's shop. They are useful, perfectly formed things. The lavender on the other hand is clearly past it's prime... I need to find an interesting new plant for the forest green Kew pot.

My bedlinen came from Toast. Mismatched, of course. The copy of Dracula, with its perfect bright yellow cover, was given to me a few years ago on my Birthday.

This is one of my all-time favourite paintings. Jeune Homme nu assis au bord de la mer, figure d'étude by Hippolyte Flandrin. I bought at least five postcard versions from the Louvre many years ago. I rediscover one every now and again, in a box or used as a bookmark in a long forgotten novel. I pasted one up on my wall.

I bought this Welsh tapestry rug from Toast, once again. It was hand loomed using British wool by the oldest working woollen mill in Pembrokeshire. It glows golden in the sunlight. I love the colours so much - olive green and oatmeal. Resting on top: a pair of tattered but much loved plimsolls.