This Is Who I Am.

Right I'm talking to you! I'm sick and tired of so many of you all falling victim to home-style bullies. There is a silly amount of people who will not invite people over to their home because they feel ashamed of its decor. I have heard you say 'I can never make it look how I should - I have no taste or I don't have the money'. Well STOP it now!

The so called style gurus often demand that we undergo a form of de-narration, a term coined by novelist Dougls Coupland to describe a state of modern flawlessness achieved by banishing all references to your untidy personal story. It was American decor editor Karen Fisher for Cosmopolitan who declared 'Home decorating is the most personal path to self expression next to making love'. I couldn't agree more. Your home isn't about the right rug, or designer chair it's about self-expression, fantasy and identity.

I read in a glossy interiors magazine the other day an editor talking about wabi sabi the Japenese art of finding beauty in imperfection. Wabi sabi is a way of being that champions the simple, slow and uncluttered and reveres authenticity above all else. In the home wabi sabi inspires a kind of warm minimalism that celebrates the human rather than the machine, things that resonate with the maker's touch, things with soul. It's not so a decorating 'look' as a mind set.

After reading this I thought finally the revelution is beginning! The design world is focusing back to why we need a chair and how we are going to use it and they are considering why it's important to have product that we can pass down to our children. However after flicking through the pages of the magazine all I saw was interiors that said 'admire but please don't touch'.

I want to make one thing clear I am not saying we should be slobby or grubby but we should have confidence in the things we love. A frayed, old cushion that you have had since you were a child on a made bed is perfection in my eyes.

When we flick through the pages of glossies and even follow blogs we often feel pushed to use our homes as public exhibits of our perfect selves. NO! Stop this way of thinking and have a little 70's punk rock attitude and say F**K You! It's time to say to those who are dictating to us "this is me and this is who I am". It's people like photographer Annabel Mehran who remind us that we don't all live in the same decor palace but the meaning of home can be similar. Love your home and the space you live in.

All pictures by Annabel Mehran

Sweet Sixteen

Have you guys clocked super-talented Seattle based, self-taught, sixteen-year-old, photographer Chrissie White? Phew that was a mouth full. This young snapper is a name to look out for. Her work has already been published in magazines and books across the globe and she has grabbed a few awards along the way. Chrissie prefers to photograph people she doesn't know but in this post she has captured what home means to her. I love how she focuses around her bedroom. Don't you remember your bedroom being your kingdom whilst growing up?

Design For Life Not Magazine Covers!

I was at my local bookshop today and saw the design magazine Icon. They asked Brit designer Jasper Morrison to design their front cover. The result is a minimal white cover with his scribbled handwriting on it saying design for life not magazine covers! Wow what a statement. I remember graphic design guru Vince Frost telling me don't design for design sake. When you look at the tactile photos of Jessica Backhaus you soon realize there is real beauty and inspiration in the most surprising and ordinary places. The stupid thing is most magazines would pass on showing you this kind of home . If I had a penny for each house my editors passed up to be featured in their magazine because they did not tick certain boxes I would be a very wealthy girl. I have been wondering lately how many gems have been lost in the old rejection pile. I think it's time for a revolution! Just as rock-chick Beth Ditto bared all and looked HOT on the front cover of Love magazine it's time to see homes with real soul making it on the cover of the big glossies looking as seductive and alluring as Beth! With a photographer with a great eye like Jessica it can happen. I would love to know what you would like to see in your magazines.