An Interior Designer’s Favourite Brands, Shops & More
If I could only buy homeware from one place, it would be Artilleriet in Gothenburg. What I love most is that the shop is curated into whole rooms, so you walk into what genuinely feels like someone's kitchen or living room, styled down to the last detail. It's the closest thing to stepping into a home rather than a shop.
The most interesting interiors shop is actually a brocante in Limoges. I've gone every summer for years and there's something almost meditative about wandering through every stall, inspecting every ceramic, kitchen linen and piece of furniture. Everything has a history and nothing feels mass-produced. I never leave empty-handed.
The best department store in the world for homeware is Liberty. The brand curation is so unique and the fabric and prints are iconic. I always get so many ideas there.
The coolest independent interiors brands are Beata Heuman, Maria Veerasamy of Svenskt Tenn, Alice Palmer, Louise Roe and, of course, Estrid Ericson's extraordinary legacy at Svenskt Tenn. None of them follow trends; they've created worlds entirely their own.
The best destination for independent designers and makers is Maison Flâneur, The Oblist and Smallable. They do the hard, unglamorous work of finding genuinely original makers and small studios that you would probably never discover otherwise.
The under-the-radar brand I keep coming back to is Sézane's homeware collection. Everyone knows it for fashion but the home edit is beautifully considered too.
My perfect shopping day would involve no plan at all. Just wandering through flea markets, antique shops and streets I've never explored before. I always find the best pieces when I'm not looking for anything in particular.
The best vintage store in the world is Pamono – it’s essentially a marketplace for vintage dealers across Europe, so you can discover genuinely one-of-a-kind pieces without spending days travelling. Because sourcing is part of my job, I rely heavily on the filters to narrow things down by country, era and material. I also love The Saleroom for uncovering pieces through smaller UK auction houses.
My favourite vintage piece is our kitchen table. It's the first piece my husband Patrick and I bought together; I can't imagine ever parting with it.
The best sustainable brand is Bemz. It makes slipcovers for IKEA furniture and I don't think it gets nearly enough credit. I designed a collection with the brand, La Maison, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how the team work only deepened my admiration. The philosophy is rooted in helping furniture last for decades rather than replacing it every few years, which still feels surprisingly rare.
For something really special I go to auction houses rather than shops. I love the anticipation of waiting for a sale and never quite knowing what might appear. The Saleroom is usually where I begin but I also keep an eye on smaller regional auction houses across the UK and France. Some of my favourite pieces have come from places I'd never heard of before.
The best gift I've ever given someone was a small antique wooden boat for my husband Patrick. I found it in a tiny antiques shop in Dunoon on Scotland's west coast. It sits on our mantelpiece and every time I look at it, it reminds us of taking the ferry across the Clyde, wrapped up on deck watching dolphins swimming alongside us.
The best gift I've ever received was a small antique side table. Patrick surprised me – he bought it from my favourite brocante in Limoges. He somehow managed to buy the one piece I'd been admiring without me noticing. It's one of those pieces that will stay with us forever.
The most recent item I bought for my home was a rug. I've been sourcing so many recently because I've been immersed in developing my own collection with Livabliss. It's made me much more decisive about rugs in my own home.
The most expensive investment I made in my home was my collection of antiques. Individually none of them felt outrageous but over the years they've become our biggest investment. I'd much rather take my time to collect pieces I'll keep forever than furnish a room all at once.
I buy a lot of everyday tableware from Pick A Poppy. But truthfully, my favourite way to collect tableware is by picking up individual pieces whenever I'm back in Sweden or France. I love the idea that every plate or bowl comes from somewhere different.
For bedlinen, I like Piglet in Bed and Bed Threads. They make beautiful, relaxed linen that gets better with age and never feels too precious.
Glassware is something Zara Home does so well. The tumblers and more unusual glassware are surprisingly good for the price. I'll also admit I've developed a slight obsession with wine glasses … French supermarkets are brilliant for finding beautiful everyday glassware that doesn’t cost a fortune.
You can find some really great art on eBay. I strongly believe art should be accessible and if you're patient, there are extraordinary antique paintings waiting to be discovered. Some of my favourite pieces have cost less than dinner for two.
Rowen & Wren makes great soft furnishings. The collections feel relaxed and very easy to live with.
If you want to buy furniture online, look at Vinterior and Pamono. But given the choice, I'd much rather spend a day wandering through antique fairs, local dealers or auction houses.
Always go to antique dealers for lighting first. Vintage lighting brings an instant sense of character to spaces that new pieces rarely achieve. If I am buying new, Soho Home and lights&lamps are great starting points but for something truly special it's hard to beat Murano.
The item I regret not buying is a Scandinavian armoire I spotted on eBay for £200. I still don't know why I hesitated. Unsurprisingly, it disappeared almost immediately and I've never found another quite like it.
If my house was burning down I'd save my dog and husband! Then my 1960s brown office chairs – I just never want to part with them
Next on my shopping list are the rugs I've designed with Livabliss. I've already placed my own order, which feels slightly surreal but after living with the samples for months, I knew exactly which ones I wanted in our home.
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