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Sophie Robinson
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20 Dec 18

Merry Christmas- 2018 it’s a wrap!

Ho ho ho, and wow what a year!!! Thank you to all of you for being part of my Great Interior Design Challenge this year! Stopping everything for the Christmas break is a great time to take stock and be thankful for everything that the year has brought, and let go of all the things that didn’t go your way.

I appreciate that Christmas can be a challenging time for people – we seem to increasingly put ourselves under immeasurable pressure to have the perfect day. For me, the house won’t be finished, and I’m totally fine with that. I don’t do perfect anyway! But we are working on getting it to a point that my husband and I can sit back and relax and take some well-earned rest! We’ve declared an amnesty on presents to each other, and of course, all my guests who are coming to stay with us for Christmas will be bringing a dish!

I don’t have any perfect Christmas tree shots to share with you, the hall isn’t decked with boughs of holly, there is no handmade wreath on the front door, and the tree is half decked and covered in builders dust. I still haven’t wrapped my presents, (but that’s a tradition I always save until Christmas Eve anyway!) But I’m excited to be spending Christmas at home. I’m going to take time to hang out with my family and friends, walk in the woods, soak up the season and drink all the wine. And unlike last Christmas, at least we have a kitchen this year!

I’m looking forward to wrapping my gifts in this stunning alternative Christmas gift wrap by designer and good friend of mine Petra Boase.

But what is wrapped, is this blog for 2018. I’m really looking forward to seeing you back on here in 2019, revitalised and full of gusto. I’ll be back here on ye olde blog on the 8th January and already Luisa, my interiors editor, and I have planned loads of inspiring and useful interiors content for you in the New Year.

And of course, Kate and I will be back with the second series of The Great Indoors Podcast, thanks to our sponsor Dfs, which we are beyond excited about. The podcast has been such a highlight for me this year, I’ve truly loved making it and continue to enjoy reading all your reviews and feedback so keep them coming! And if you find yourself trawling through Netflix over the festive season, the second series of The Great Interior Design Challenge has been recently uploaded as well as the third! And who doesn’t love binging on a box set.

So wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, a happy holiday and already looking forward to catching up with you all in the New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy New Year 2019! Pantone’s colour of the year: Living Coral

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Today I’m popping up at @happyplaceofficial free Today I’m popping up at @happyplaceofficial free online well-being festival hosted and masterminded by the awesome @fearnecotton . I’m thrilled to be part of this festival again this year and passionately believe that your wellbeing and happiness starts at home. . I’ll be in the ‘wellbeing garden’ today at happyplacefestival.com 3pm today with a guided meditation to help you create your own dream home. All the talks and works shops are free for you to enjoy! But meanwhile I thought I’d share this poem by a four year old poet, highlighted to me by @katetaylorldn and I feel sums up what our home’s mean to us. Titled ‘Coming Home’ Take off your jackets Hang them up Take our gloves off Take our shoes off Put them Where they are supposed to go. You take off your brave feeling Because there’s nothing To be scared of in the house: No dark caves no monsters no witches no bees no howling sounds You don’t need your brave Anymore wash your hands Eat lunch Go get cosy
On The Great Indoors podcast today (new episode! L On The Great Indoors podcast today (new episode! Last in the series!) @mad_about_the_house both head out to The Great Outdoors and talk about what we love about our back gardens. You can see Kate’s suitably stylish outside living room (swipe left) and my more rural affair! I actually just grab rugs and cushions from the house and lay them out under the willow tree, with the children’s swing as a handy side table! Rey impromptu but it works! What an incredible week to get outside whatever you’re garden situation. 🥵 And in this episode we also have a catch up about diversity in design as conversations turn into positive action. We interview the incredible design brain @matt_gibberd , the mastermind behind the cult estate agency @themodernhouse . And finally we chat all things trending #cottagecore #grandmacore and #nancore. And I almost get Kate on board by the end of the episode. Almost! Bar the smock dress. Tune in to find out more! Links to listen are in my profile @sophierobinsoninteriors as well as the show notes with pictures and links to support the show! Now...time to get back to that G&T!
Now that Toms Brighton development is drawing to a Now that Toms Brighton development is drawing to a close I will be able to pass the baton and start to get back to work. While I’ve loved being with Arthur during lock down the home schooling has been hard for both of us. He ‘breaks up’ for the holidays in two weeks but has a summer of being with his dad to look forward to while I look forward to getting back to my desk. So looking forward to sharing more interior inspiration with you here. Lovely illustration by @sjaxelby . Check out her feed for more beautiful colourful interior inspiration!
This week I’ve enjoyed stepping back from the gr This week I’ve enjoyed stepping back from the grid and handing over these squares to black-owned interiors accounts that I love, and to support #diversityindesign. Please do read my previous posts for context. Instagram has been a great platform for @somethingbluehome to share her obvious talent for design, where she has had the door to a career closed too many times due to racist attitutes. You can hear Angie’s full story on this weeks The Great Indoors podcast. But meanwhile can we all give some love to that yellow stair case! Hello, I’m Angie. I set up my interiors account to explore my love for bold, colourful and eclectic interiors. I’ve always known that there is an under-representation of Black and minority ethnic groups in the world of interiors, however, I naively thought that with the right attitude, commitment and passion — being a young black woman would not be a barrier to success in the industry. Sadly, my experience of racial discrimination left that dream unfulfilled. One particular experience etched in my memory was when I was asked to leave a shoot because the homeowners didn’t feel comfortable with having ‘me’ around. Presently, when the world seems more aware and awake to the perils of systemic racism, injustice and inequality, I have found myself sad, at times angry and hurt as to why it has taken this long. However, I feel encouraged by the actions of the many to fight for change. My hope is that — people will see the talents of BAME creatives first and not their skin colour when deciding whether to hire them or not. I hope that we can collectively work together to increase diversity in ALL industries.
Today on The Great Indoors podcast @mad_about_the_ Today on The Great Indoors podcast @mad_about_the_house and I bring you a special extended episode. Everyone has felt effected by the recent #blacklivesmatter movement and it’s sparked many much-needed conversations both online and around our kitchen tables. We decided to look at diversity within our interior design community by passing the mic to Black, Asian and minority ethnic interior designers, TV presenters, authors, commissioners, casting directors, bloggers and Instagrammers and asking them to share their experiences on what it is like in the world of interiors. It makes for sobering listening and there are conclusions we can draw in order to make much needed change. But the first thing we need to do is listen. We also have the absolute pleasure to talk to colour expert and trend forecaster @m_shillingford about how the power of colour can lift us up during these uncertain times and Kate and I tackle Kitchen revamp ideas to keep you all busy refreshing your homes during lock down. I’d like to thank our amazing sponsor @geberituk for their continued support and our super talented and oh so commited producer @katetaylorldn for whom without, this would all be just be waffle. Tune in on your podcast app and please let us have your thoughts on the show and keep these conversations for change going. All links to listen plus blog notes in my profile.
This week I’m stepping back from the grid and ha This week I’m stepping back from the grid and handing over these squares to black-owned interiors accounts that I love, and to support #diversityindesign. Please do read my previous posts for context. Eva from UK design house @evasonaike brings forth her heritage and love of colour to everything she designs. I’ve been a long time fan of her striking patterns…and you can tell why! I am Nigerian but was born and raised in Southern Germany. I came to London in the late 1990s to study journalism at London College of Fashion. After working in fashion and lifestyle journalism for many years, I saw a gap in the market for a premium brand that reflected the vibrance, elegance and commercial viability of African design within interior design. I followed my instinct and passion and founded Eva Sonaike, an interior brand that specialises in luxury African-inspired home-decor and textiles with bold colours. We have been running for over 10 years and I’ve been blessed with making my dream a reality. We are represented world-wide, work with amazing stockist here in the UK and abroad and have collaborated with leading interior design firms on commercial and residential projects around the globe. But at the same time, this 10-year journey has been extremely lonely at times. A loneliness that is quite difficult to describe. At trade shows and industry events, I am often one of the few Black female-owned design businesses present. This can make you feel uncomfortable and exposed and have a negative impact on your overall performance. There needs to be more inclusion and openness both in the UK and the international design industry. We all have to address the uncomfortable topic of prejudice in representation and recruitment, now more than ever. I really hope that this moment represents a change.
This week I’m stepping back from the grid and ha This week I’m stepping back from the grid and handing over these squares to black-owned interiors accounts that I love, to support #diversityindesign. Please do read my previous posts for context. Sharing your home on here is an intimate thing to do and it’s a chance to share our personal stories. First up a woman after my very own heart, pattern lover extraordinaire, Laura from @nofeaturewalls . I grew up in North London and as a teenager my dad took me to the William Morris gallery in Walthamstow. I was hooked on pattern and interiors from that point on. My grandmother was a part of the Windrush generation and like most immigrants of the time she decorated her home with her unique Caribbean style, which was heavy pattern, wild wallpaper, and ‘good’ furniture that was covered in plastic! No one had much money but making the house look good was a priority. People just did their own thing and were inspired by what Winnie down the road had done. Whilst I am renovating my own house in Oxfordshire, I try to incorporate these styles into my own decorating. I love to use traditional heritage brands in a new way and I am partial to a bit of wallpaper. Over the last few months I have encountered a real mix of people on this platform but at the ‘big account’ level there are very few BAME people. I would love to see more accounts leading the way and hopefully this translates into a more diversified offline interiors world too.
It’s been a week since I made a statement here a It’s been a week since I made a statement here about the shocking murder of George Floyd in America. I was initially baffled why people wanted to hear from me - a white interior designer in the UK. I was slow to connect the dots but I want to put that right now. I realise people weren’t asking for an opinion piece but for solidarity. They were asking me to see beyond my ‘I only post about interiors’ bubble and recognise that everyone needs to be part of the movement for change. Like many of you these events have consumed me and it’s been emotional, overwhelming and hopeful in equal measure. I recognise the anger from Black people on why this still hasn’t been tackled effectively, and I accept my own failings. People have been fighting for change FOR YEARS and this explains the roar. I assumed diversity was being dealt with by the big folk: broadcasting houses, magazine publishers, brands, advertising agencies. But after speaking to many people within the UK design community this past week I have been shocked and realise each and everyone one of us can and need to make a difference, no matter how insignificant it might feel. Collectively it will create a big impact.  One area I can address is my own back yard, the interior design community. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people want and need to be seen and acknowledged for their contribution. Young people need to see faces they relate to, to encourage them to follow a profession in interiors. Our industry can be elitist and impenetrable but social media has created a more inclusive space for all and these squares are a great place to start. This week I will be carrying on @mad_about_the_house initiative who handed over her grid to black people within our design community. And for those of you who messaged me to say you struggle to find accounts from people of colour I defy you. There are loads; so many that picking a selection for my grid this week was super hard! #diversityindesign
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