I Am The Space Where I Am

Home has so many different meanings to each of us. What my idea is may be very different to yours. For some people they may not stay in one place for very long because of work, life circumstances or travel. So where can we call home? Perhaps it's where we display our objects hinting who we are and where we have been? Or is it a place where our family and long-time friends are? Or a bit of both? It could be as simple as a shelter to sleep and eat. Even if we are just passing by I believe we can say 'I am the space where I am'. It doesn't take long for our clothes to come out of our suitcase, our i-pod and mobile phone placed on a table, family pictures put on display and our favourite book resting by the bed we are sleeping in. We as humans love to mark our territory just as animals do. We like to have familiarity around us as this helps us settle into the place we habitat. Look at these pictures by Tim Winter. Imagine... All is quiet in the woods and all that can be heard is the wind rustling in the trees. Then a family arrive for their summer holiday's parking their caravan. They bring items to help with comfort, survival and little things that add their stamp to their new space. When they leave all is still again in the woods and the family's new space has disappeared. I would love to know what home means to you?

All pictures by Tim Winter for Peddlers Catalogue

Hanging Out With Philippe Starck

Sadly thus far I haven't been able to convince Philippe Starck to enter into his private residence and capture him in his personal surroundings. Therefore, it was a thrill to see his holiday home at Cap Ferret, France in The New York Times, Design & Living Summer 2009 magazine photographed by super talented Paris based photographers Sofia Sanchez and Mauro Mongiello. Here are a couple of pictures with his beautiful wife, Jasmine. I highly recommend you go and check out the article if you are a Starck fan.

John Rocha's oasis in Provence

Fashion designer John Rocha has proved that he can turn his hand to just about anything – and his own home in the South of France is evidence of that most of all. One of my favourite photographers Richard Powers went and visited John for me and snapped a few shots of his wonderful home.

Today more than ever we are wanting to find a calm oasis away from the hectic and sometimes scary pressures we face day to day. For Dublin based, fashion designer, John Rocha he has chosen a square white house he bought four years ago in St Jean-Cap-Ferrat in south-east France for his holiday home. And looking around at the spare geometry, white walls and cool limestone flooring, an atmosphere of tranquillity pervades.

"This is where I like to come and relax," says John as he walks barefoot and beaming from ear to ear.



John is of course, no stranger to ambitious design projects. His contribution to the British fashion industry won him a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2002, yet to refer to him as only a fashion designer is to grossly underestimate his skills. He’s designed crystal for Waterford, the interior of Dublin’s famed Morrison Hotel and 200 apartments in Birmingham’s towering Orion Building (with more to come in Liverpool and Budapest), all alongside his own-brand lines of jeans, jewellery and fashion. Then there’s the five diffusion ranges of clothing (men’s, women’s kids’), homewares and accessories for UK department store Debenhams. "I never set out to do interior design, I just do what I do and some people come along and want me to work with them," he says modestly. "We always have a couple of interiors projects on, but fashion design is still very much my full-time job,"says John.

John lives with business partner and muse Odette who he has been married to for 35 years. With the warm sun, constant blue skies and a heavenly hum of cicadas it is the ultimate holiday home. Down the road is the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, where Picasso learnt to swim, this stretch of the peninisula is old money; all French family homes oozing leisurely elegance and sophisticated allure.

"I like to create a simple space and surround myself with things that I like to look at," he says.

John’s idiosyncratic style and love of form and texture, abundant in his designs for the catwalk, are also very much in evidence here. The objects, collected on his travels, are dotted around on limestone, glass and glossy wood with occasional hits of colour; there's plenty to keep the eye wandering.

John uses pairs of pieces of furniture to add visual balance throughout the house, like these cane chairs (picked up at a Paris market), white armchairs designed by John for Orior and the black armchairs which Terence Conran designed for his Michelin building in London. On the coffee table is a collection of inspiring pieces from travels abroad, and a Picasso from Galerie Madoura in the South of France.

With its lush tropical planting and dramatic black state infinity swimming pool, the garden is a perfect spot to enjoy the Mediterranean sun. Furniture includes a pair of slatted loungers from the Clignancourt flea market in Paris and white wire chairs picked up at a market in Nice. The glass table and wooden benches were both designed by John Rocha.

It’s impossible to feel stressed here. John’s house is beyond calm. Surrounded by luscious greenery and greeted by his favourite feature a 20-metre slate lined infinity pool you instantly know you are on holiday. The smooth Italian limestone paving ushers you to the downstairs open-plan kitchen and dining room. Inside, a large light flooded room dominates the ground floor with two guest bedrooms tucked out of site.

White Italian limestone, used both inside and out, and vast folding doors fuse the interior with the garden beyond. John has teamed an ultra simple glass table with a pair of benches – both his own design. The Thirties silver candelabra is from a market in Nice while the pretty tulips are displayed in a large signature vase by John Rocha for Waterford Crystal. The artworks in this area are by American photographer Peter Beard. Mixing the rough with the smooth is key to this look – oversized accessories and bold artworks offset the creamy, polished stone.

The bed is a simple solid walnut design by John, adorned by a hand embroidered Indian throw, while the bedside lamps are John Rocha at Waterford Crystal. The useful low bench at the foot of the bed was also designed by John.

John designed the hand-carved white limestone bath himself and positioned it to enjoy a fabulous view over the garden via elegant shuttered windows.

All Images by Richard Powers

Silly Weekend with Ben Watts and Friends

There is no doubt photographer Ben Watts knows how to make a splash. Ben's Long Island retreat is the perfect venue for a summer party thanks to its' colour-clash interior and beachside location. 

As one of the rising stars of the photography world, its no surprise that Brit-born Ben Watts (brother of actress Naomi Watts) chose to relocate to New York. But needing somewhere to escape the city, he created a weekend retreat in Montauk, on the eastern tip of Long Island. The tiny hamlet is part of a beautiful stretch of coast that makes up the Hamptons, the summer playground for cool New Yorkers. 

When Ben's glamourous Manhattan guests come down for a fun weekend, the laid-back vibe and Brit-cool interiors encourages everyone not to waste anytime in replacing their Monalo's with a bikini and an i-phone with a blow-up inflatable. All the lifestyle shots are by Mr Ben Watts and the interior shots are by talented photographerJames Merrell

I gave Ben a call to ask him a few questions about his style and love for summer. 

What does summer mean to you? 

'It's an exciting time that's over way too quickly. It spells fun and optimism'. 

How would you describe your Style? 

`Lively and Eclectic. I like to bring things back from my travels and use them in my home.'

What Inspires You? 

'I was born in the UK and grew up with images of pop culture in magazines like The Face and 

i-D. I'm drawn to anything with a strong visual identity, from the hip-hop scene to the British Flag'

What do bright colours bring to an interior?

'They give a space energy and make everyone feel upbeat. Colour creates mood and reflects the personality of whoever lives there. I like to use loud colours.' 

But how do you mix it all together – colour, pattern and prints – without it all clashing?              

'I don’t really think about it. They all have vitality, so they they work together. I’m an energetic person, so I need my surroundings to keep up with me. Although I live in a beach cottage, I wanted to bring an urban edge to it because it’s still New York'.

How do you like relaxing with friends?

'When people come to Montauk, they let their guard down. The barbacue is fired up and we have a feast. I hold a huge Fourth of July party and guests sleep in tents in my backyard. It’s a place where people can chill out with a beer, sit by the pool or wander down to the beach'.

Ben’s party tips...

Your pool parties are legendary. What’s the recepie for success?

'Good music, interesting people and lots of inflatables.' 

What’s your favourite drink to make a party to go with a bang?

'The pink drink rose – it’s fun and everyone likes it'. 

Speedos or board shorts?

'Board shorts! I would never wear Speedos and I don’t think any man ever should – even if he thinks he can carry them off. If I could get a human-size vacumn, I would suck up all who attempt to don the Speedo!'