Most people would agree that creating the perfect home is a deeply personal thing. If you boil it down, it’s all about creating a space you love and makes you happy.
With that in mind, we’re asking a few of our friends to share themselves and their homes via the COAT blog. We asked them to tidy up a bit, and maybe hide the tea towels - but our Humans at Home series is about more than perfect interiors. It’s about the people, and how their homes work for them.
First up it’s COAT bff Jane and her Richmond flat that’s anything but plain.
Jane bought the spacious 1-bed 4 years ago. In the eaves of a Victorian pile in Kew Village, it’s a complex series of ups-and-downs, with some unique roof angles and nooks to work with.
As a Senior Category Strategy Manager at Lindt, one particular nook that gets a lot of use these days is the home office. The space was empty until lockdown, but since then it’s become a day-to-day staple of life working from home.
“I didn’t really know what to do with it before, because the sloped ceiling meant it was hard for furniture to fit. Creating a little work area with a compact desk and my favourite Patch Plant gives it a purpose. And it’s snug enough to live in the corner and not dominate my living space”
Jane’s job involves assessing trends to steer the future direction of the chocolate business. Literally, that’s a thing (and it comes with a shit ton of choc). Big on numbers and analytics, we asked Jane where her interior design inspo came from.
“I wanted to be an interior designer as a kid. I’ve still got that burning somewhere in me. My style is definitely minimalist, and I’m a big fan of clean lines. I won’t fill my house with stuff, I buy very few things that I absolutely love. Same for clothes and other stuff too”
Jane’s living space is one big room in the eaves, with the compact kitchen leading straight off. It’s a nice bright space, painted in COAT Low Salt - a slightly cool off-white. Deliberately white because of the awkward ceiling (no idea where the walls end and the ceilings start) - it’s the perfect minimalist canvas.
“I wanted to let the furniture in here take centre stage. I bought pieces that I’d lusted after for years, like the wishbone chairs that I pinned about 10 years ago. I’m good at waiting for things”
“That small console table is from a good friend in Newcastle, Ress furniture. He custom hand-makes steel furniture, and I’m a big fan of buying unique from small businesses.”
“Colour can come from other places than the walls. The walls in here are off-white, but the cushions, art, and my carefully placed clutter add interest. The cushions are a recent find from A New Tribe in Hackney. They’re yellow with turquoise leopard print. Anything but minimal but I loved them, so they came home”
There’s a lot of colourful art in Jane’s flat too, and some pieces that really pop. Jane’s approach to that follows her typical suit, with a focus on carefully choosing each piece and enjoying the search. Rather than filling a wall, she’ll wait to fall in love with something - and it’ll own the wall. Rather than the other way around.
Jane’s most recent decorating project was an overhaul of the hallway. The space doesn’t have any natural light, and previously painted in Oval Room Blue by F&B - similar to COAT Mr Clifton - it was a little dark. If anything feels like a “fuck you Covid” moment - then painting your space in Amoureuse (vibrant pink) is probably it.
“It’s the kind of colour I’d look at and love, but never actually paint. But since being in the house so much over lockdown, and generally developing more of a take-a-chance attitude of late - I just did it. After all it’s paint right, not a tattoo.”
Jane’s used COAT Amoureuse on most walls, with pale pink COAT Two Scoops taking the others.
“Two Scoops is that grown up pink I’ve always really liked. It’s not a dolls house vibe. The colours and the art work so well together. You open the front door home and smile, it’s really nice.”
We asked Jane what was next for the flat.
“There’s not much else I want to do in the flat, I’m pretty happy here. I do keep viewing other places with gardens and a second bedroom… but I’m yet to fall in love with anything else. Honestly I spend months looking for a cushion, so a new flat is going to take some time”.
