‘I’ve always been a displayer. I think it probably stems from my mother, who was a great collector of things. Display to me means decoration, whether you’re decorating your body or your home. You can wake up and feel that you just want to hunker down and wear very cosy clothes, or decide that you want to make an impact. I think it’s the same with your living space.
Everything that I own evokes a memory: there’s a reason why I bought it or a thought process behind it. I don’t want those things to be stuffed in cupboards. I’ve got a whole wall full of textiles that I’ve collected since I was about 12; I’m not sure where I thought I was going to live at that age, but it was probably somewhere with plenty of windows and a lot of cushion action. The textiles are all on display on floor-to-ceiling shelves as I use them in my work – nothing goes to waste.
It’s the same with my wardrobe. I also give away a lot of things by organising charity sales for my clothes. If I don’t wear it, I think: ‘Let it have another life.’ Weirdly, for someone as acquisitive as I am, I’m not materialistic. Objects don’t represent anything intrinsic to me, such as money, status or good taste. I’m never upset when something gets broken. For me, the things I own just have to be a visual treat.
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Currently, for example, I’m looking at a vase, which Molly Molloy [co-founder of luxury-fashion brand Colville] and I worked on together. It’s hand-blown by amazing artisans in Murano and looks like a bowling ball with beautiful electric-blue, lilac and tobacco colours. It’s just a glorious thing. I think if you have something like that, which is a feast for the eyes, it hopefully gives other people pleasure, too.
When it comes to collecting, nothing is off-limits for me. I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled a lot over the years, exploring markets everywhere from Mexico to Rome and Sicily. The souk in Marrakech is a particular favourite. We’ve got a house in France and one of the first things I do when I get there is look up where the vide-greniers (which loosely translates into attic sales) are. You can pick up anything from toys to a really interesting lampshade. I also love a car-boot sale. I go to ones in Wimbledon and Chiswick, and I love Kempton.
I think I am at my happiest at them. I like mixing new and vintage; there’s a joy to finding, as we say at Collagerie, ‘the one thing over everything ’. With age, however, I have become more focused. Now, if I don’t have space for a purchase, I just don’t buy it. Before, if I fell in love with something and it was the right price, I would simply have to find it a home. The trick now is to admire the object, take a picture, appreciate it and move on. Actually, as I’ve got older, I think I’m coming to a place where I’d like to give more things away and make space.’
