Take a tour of Abi's Studio
In celebration of our 20 years of decorating differently, Abi is giving us a full tour of her fab pad. Int his post we are going to explore the space where she spends most of her time, her studio.
❝ Home means everything to me, It lifts my spirits. It cocoons. It comforts. It’s a sanctuary. It gives my mood such a boost when I put my key through the door and I come into this magical space, which feels very unique and personal to me.❞
Abi x
My Studio....beginnings
Before buying this house 20 years ago, I was working in the U.S and spent a lot of time working with architects who were building lots of glasshouses overlooking the Great Lakes so when we moved back to the UK, I knew I wanted to do something similar and quite radical, hence the double height extension that not only created a large living space downstairs but completes the view from my desk on the ground floor, giving it an ever changing and inspiring ‘inside outside’ feel.
My Studio Now
My studio is the engine room to the biz, situated on the ground floor and the place where I spend an awful lot of my time. It's undergone a couple of transformations as my style and needs have changed over the years. Painted out in one of my favourite deepest darkest hues, Hudson Black, which creates the perfect contrast and backdrop. I have a large cork desk, designed by Ilse Crawford for Ikea placed in front of a floor to ceiling bookcase that houses not only an abundance of reference material but cool art and mementoes gathered and collected or gifted to me from over the years.
Adjoining Living Space
This is a strange space because when you live vertically like us (in a townhouse with lots of rooms you don’t tend to use them all) and this room used to just be an ad hoc space that I never spent time in. Now its an extension of my studio a break out space to relax. It has the large window – I loved this window 20 years ago it really frames the room so I wanted a low slung sofa so you could see the full height of the window.
Drilling down to the details.
The sofa is corduroy (I am obsessed with textures). I softened the space further with wooden accents from a supersized coffee table which is actually our ajax console I’ve just taken the legs off. A vintage console from India and then a lot of personal bits and pieces from art to sculptures. The rug really grounds the space and the palette if I were to describe is a murky brown-y sludgy bottom of the lake type hue which I am obsessed with. The console is a piece not yet in production, the sheepskin chair has just landed and Werts has taken it over. The walls are painted Crosby and I have made a further feature of the fireplace wall by painting it out in Hemp which contrasts beautifully with the pink undertones of the Crosby.
Take the tour with Abi as she talks you through her studio, the engine room of the biz.
Abi's Studio Highlights
Smatter some AA magic in your kitchen to create an inspiring hub, somewhere to nourish your body and soul.