This week’s LDNER was named one of London’s best interior bloggers by Ideal Home magazine earlier this year and is involved with the workshops and talks at the Sony Lifespce UX pop up on Shoreditch High Street. Meet Cate St Hill, who runs a simple interior design blog for everyday living that we just absolutely love.
Where do you live in London and what do you like about the area?
I live in Herne Hill, south London with my French boyfriend and sausage dog puppy. I used to live right in the thick of it in King’s Cross but here I love the friendly, village-y feel of the area – when you step out of the station you don’t really feel like you’re in London at all, yet you’re a short walk from Brixton and a ten-minute journey to the South Bank. And you’ve got everything you need – there’s a cute little florist, a wonderful butcher, a lovely hairdresser, a bookshop and bakery, and a couple of great pubs. We’re right near Brockwell Park and there’s also a brilliant, thriving farmer’s market on a Sunday where every week we get a chicken to roast and fresh vegetables for the week. You’ll often find me working in Parissi (their croissants and pain au chocolats are the best around), having a browse for unique homewares and things to wear at Lowie, eating at Llewellyn’s (start with white port and tonic and finish with one of their Paris Brest’s or chocolate tarts), and drinking cocktails at First Aid Box.
What inspired you to start #thesimpleeveryday on Instagram?
#thesimpleeveryday is all about celebrating and uplifting everyday moments but also trying to find simplicity every day, whether that’s in calm corners of our home or savoured daily rituals. It means seeking a moment of calm in the mundane of daily life – to take a moment out of our busy schedules to simply slow down and appreciate the little things. Starting the hashtag gave my blog a clear voice and a reasoning behind what I was sharing, but more than that, I wanted to reach out and connect with like-minded people that share a similar aesthetic and creative outlook.
Where do you go for interior design inspo in London?
I love having a browse around Scandinavian design shop Skandium in Marylebone, they’ve just opened the Skandium Townhouse in South Ken, a four-storey design heaven. If I want to do a bit of interiors shopping, I’ll also head to Tottenham Court Road where all the interiors shops are in one place – Habitat, Heal’s, West Elm, Muji, and newly opened HEMA (great for everyday basics) that has come over from The Netherlands.
[easy-image-collage id=98929]You’re involved with the Sony Life Space UX pop-up, which pieces of Sony tech suit your both your lifestyle and your design aesthetic and why?
My home is quite understated, with pale grey walls, white floorboards and a Scandi feel – Sony’s Life Space range fits with that aesthetic as it’s discreet and minimally designed. I love when you can hardly see technology in a home, when it doesn’t ruin the look with big, bulky displays. We also have a flexible, open-plan kitchen and living room so having something small and portable like the Ultra Short Throw projector is great. We can easily move it around, from projecting a clock or timer onto the kitchen wall to film nights in bed, or even showing friends photos of our travels in the living room – as it lets you mirror your computer or phone and stream videos.
Describe your perfect day in London.
It would probably start with a bacon naan in Dishoom. Then a stroll around one of my favourite areas, Bloomsbury, stopping by Lamb’s Conduit Street to pop into the clothing shop Folk and Persephone Bookshop to pick up one of their wonderful books, before having lunch at the lovely, new La Fromagerie. I’d spend the afternoon wandering around the John Soane Museum or seeing an exhibition, before fuelling up with a cinnamon bun at Fabrique bakery. Dinner would be at my all time favourite restaurant Quality Chop House just off Exmouth Market (their confit potatoes are the best!), ending the evening with cocktails at Nightjar in Old Street.