About

A little bit LA,
and little bit UK.

When I was ten, we moved from the UK to California to a very typical open-plan tract-home house with a double story vaulted ceiling entryway that immediately captured my mother’s imagination. It was nothing spectacular for Orange County, but it was very glam coming from our tiny house in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire!

About a year in and at least a dozen colour changes, the family joke was that when the big earthquake came, everything might crumble to the ground except that vaulted wall that was now so thick with paint could survive any amount of shaking! My mother’s drive to find a colour to meet her vision taught me two things. Firstly about the power of colour in interior design to completely change a space, and secondly, to never be scared of the process. “Never forget,” she would say, “it can always be changed!” It’s freeing to know that mistakes or just a desire to find something different are part of the process.

At the same time, my grandparents were always travelling around the world collecting antiques and then returning to the South of France to rebuild ruins into homes before retiring to Whitby, Yorkshire. All of this sparked a lifelong passion for creating beautiful spaces while exploring colour and pattern as part of the solutions, mixing old and new, USA and UK. It doesn’t always mean being bold, I love neutrals too, but it’s about finding colours and patterns that showcase who you are.

I love beautiful things, but unfortunately, it’s often a case of champagne taste, beer budget! I’ve had to learn how to live my dreams out by being creative on pennies or cents. I don’t believe things have to cost a lot, but handmade takes time. There is value in that time, and it’s worth investing in it. Items created with time and passion usually end up being priceless.

My loves, Tim and Angus (our Working Cocker Spaniel), and I have been slowly renovating our victorian flat in North West London. Now we’re also helping my Aunt refresh my grandparents’ house on the coast of Whitby, creating homes that are both beautiful and functional. I hope you enjoy hearing about the journey we’re on, and some of the things I find that I think are pretty special.

Toni

Yes, the kitchen really is painted Avocado by Sherwin-Williams, an English kitchen appropriately coloured with American paint!