Guest Curator // Erica Davies
This week we’ve been chatting with former fashion editor Erica Davies! Scroll down to have a look inside her stunning home and see her favourite prints from our gallery.
I’m Erica, a former fashion editor who worked on a variety of national newspapers and magazines until about ten years ago, when I decided to start working for myself as a content creator and brand consultant. I still absolutely love fashion, but am just as obsessed with interiors – I think there is a fine thread that links the two worlds! My husband James and our children Charlie and Lila live in north Essex.
When we bought it, it was a new-build magnolia box. Now there’s a lot less magnolia! I love colour and print, so I would say it has its foundations in the traditional (shaker style kitchen, encaustic tiles), but with a very colourful, contemporary edge.
I’m a eclectic, bohemian maximalist. Does that exist?!
Gradually, although I have always been very decisive about colour choices and furniture decisions. I’ve lived in a lot of places, but would say it took me until we moved here to really work out what my style is. It was such a blank canvas, so gave me a real freedom in making decisions.
Sunshine, lie in, friends, beach hut, rosé, happy kids, fish and chips
We are just about to start decorating our main bedroom, which hasn’t been touched since we moved in. So it’s going to be paint and carpet!
Home school, trying to fit in work around the children, going for long walks, cooking! Watched a lot of TV! Same as everyone really!
Novel: A Little Life, Hanya Yanigahara
Non-fiction: I am trying to collect the beautiful Assouline travel books, which are like works of art.
Hearts & Flowers by Hannah Carvell
Edition of 25, £80
Palm Array by Clare Halifax
Edition of 100, £70
All The Places I’ve Had Fish & Chips by Dave Buonaguidi
Open Edition, £350
Podcast: Fortunately with Fi & Jane
We are not going away this year, just to our beach hut in Frinton on Sea which will be lovely.
We’ve done a lot of cooking during lockdown and a family fave is Piri Piri chicken with sweet potato mash. In a massive, deep oven tray, put in your chicken thighs, sprinkle over piri piri seasoning, chop up some red onions down one end, down the other cubes of sweet potato. Season everything and add lots of olive oil. Roast for 40 mins, turning halfway. Then add long stem broccoli and roast for another ten mins. Take out the chicken, broccoli and mash the sweet potato, red onion and olive oil together. Arrange on a plate, job done! It is delicious!
Don’t be afraid to take your time with a space. It shouldn’t all come from one place and your home should tell a story about who you are.
I have lots of pieces that tell stories and that I would grab in a fire. One is a large black and white photography canvas of four debutante women that I found in a junk shop about 25 years ago – I love them so much. I adore the Halabala chairs I found on eBay that I had reupholstered in a tropical print and an Ercol chair I found covered in a velvet leopard. I love chairs!
How can you ask me that! An absolute classic (Leopard is a neutral, a very useful style guide by Erica Davies is OUT NOW!) 🙂