It was a slow journey for me into interiors, considering that I was so into fashion from the get-go. Now, my bank balance hates me even more, because not only am I sucked into buying the newest Bottega it-handbag, and I am also now sucked into buying the newest cult couch. If you thought a Bottega bag was expensive, wait until you hear about a Soriana sofa. Not that I can afford one of those (much to my dismay).
I am also very picky with my home furniture: I have a couch, but no armchairs; a dining table, but no dining chairs; a bedside table, but no bedhead. I refuse to buy something that isn’t my “forever piece.” Which is very infuriating for my mother when she’s visiting and has to sit on the floor when there’s no room on the couch, and very embarrassing for me when I host a dinner party and one of my temporary dining chairs collapses from underneath me. Believe me, it happened. I remember it vividly.
At any rate, these are the Instagram profiles I stalk for inspiration, and hopefully – if I’m quick enough – I can nab a cult armchair via DM. We’ll see.
Abigail Bell Vintage
A curated collection of vintage pieces in Brooklyn, Abigail Bell answers all our calls for a dreamy home with pastel coloured lamps and psychedelic glass trays. If you love knick-knacks like I love knick-knacks (I’ve lived without dining chairs for 2 years, but thank god I’ve got 16 Hermès ceramic trays) then Abigail has got the ‘knacks for you. Especially if you love pastel pink or lime green.
Carpenter Studio
If you love white ceramic busts and Art Deco candelabras, go creep on Carpenter Studio’s Insta page. If I was the kind of girl that I wish I was, the kind of girl who has a sisal carpet and minimalistic textured plates that all match, I would have all my vases from here. One day I’ll be that girl. One day.
Pop Up Home
I originally learnt about this shop from one of my favourite fashion influencers, Courtney Trop, i.e. @alwaysjudging. Pop Up Home has recently moved to their own warehouse in West Hollywood, which is filled with mid-century couches and consoles for days. Also if you’re in the market for some extra-large jumbo travertine vases – this is the place. Follow Tricia Beanum (the owner) for her real-time updates of what’s available on the shop floor. They also do estate sales – one of which I narrowly missed out on a vintage rattan bed frame. Bummer!
Dream Spaces
Not selling you anything except 80’s dreams (and literal dreamscapes), Dream Spaces is a curation of the ultimate vintage scenes. Buildings, rooms, couches – if Dream Spaces feature it, you’ll probably love it. Nostalgia is a powerful thing; if only every 80’s house looked like this. With a proclivity for colour and curved edges, you’ll wish you had an endless money pit and a wildly fearless architect to design your dream home, with inspo a-plenty from Dream Spaces – a space where your (and most definitely my) architectural/interior dreams really do come true.
Marc Fish
I first discovered Marc Fish at the PAD Fair in London, where I fell in love with his Ethereal Lounge Chair and Drinks Cabinet. Holy shit, if you love Liv Tyler in Lord of the Rings, and you want a chair that would totally fit in her elf-y room, this is that f**king chair. His Ethereal range is made up of over 2000 sycamore veneer strips, bound together with resin, to make furniture that glows a beautiful blush colour, and flows like waves seen from the sea floor. I’ve decided that I’m saving up for his drinks cabinet, although I may be in a resting home and have my doctor recommend me to refrain from drinking alcohol before I can afford it. But a girl can dream.