Skye McAlpine's London Apartment
I love it when people I stalk on social media also stalk each other, and end up collaborating. It makes me feel like life makes sense. And when both parties are creative powerhouses, you can be sure that something beautiful will be created.
Having seen what interior design duo Jersey Ice Cream Co. came up with when they worked with Beth Kirby from Local Milk (which you can check out by clicking the link), I was excited to see them team up with another one of my creative heroes. This time it was in the London flat of food writer and photographer, Skye McAlpine who blogs at From My Dining Table. The finished product was perfection. Take a look.
The brass utensil rail is pretty, but practical and keeps Skye’s collection of copper and enamelware in easy reach.
I just love how the forest green of the bentwood chairs, together with the timber finishes on the shelving and dining table, ground the pink plasterwork. It looks feminine but in a soft, romantic way- not too twee or girly.
Of course the rustic dining table also serves as a backdrop for some of Skye’s stunning food photography.
Some girls like flowers, Skye likes flours;
“My husband always jokes, “This is ridiculous, why do you need so much flour?” He doesn’t really get it, but sometimes you need different flour for things! I’ve got plain flour, the really fine Italian 00 flour, self-raising flour, cornmeal flour, buckwheat, strong bread flour and gluten-free.”
The marble-topped console table was made by Jersey Ice Cream Co.’s Percy Bright. Percy cut his teeth working in the carpentry team at Anthropologie, creating their store displays. Considering how utterly obsessed I am with their displays, this makes Percy my hero.
“We have lots of furniture from flea markets and charity shops. Our building is so old that it didn’t seem right to fight against that! I was raised in Venice, Italy, and I love that our chandeliers are from the Venetian glass factories — we found them at a flea market, so they’re slightly chipped. My father was a great collector, and our home felt like a cabinet of curiosities. I think that I’ve inherited a love of quirky clutter from him.”
“I have two pin boards up in the living room for inspiration. I will pin up recipes with great flavors, ones that were shot really well or just beautiful imagery. They are constantly changing and evolving. Magazines are wonderful, but don’t like them gathering in stacks around the house. So, I will buy one and read it right away, tear out all the inspiring pages, pin them on the board, and then get rid of it. I like Condé Nast Traveller, Food & Wine, Vogue and Cherry Bombe.”
“Whenever my mom asks what she should get us for Christmas, I always ask for a rug or blanket. I really love everything to be cosy. Because I work from home, it’s important that this is a calming space and a refuge from the city. I find London to be quite manic and overwhelming, so I wanted the house to feel warm, welcoming and soothing.”
For a room in London with quintessentially French-style toile wallpaper (from Zoffany, B.T.Dubz), this space kinda reminds me of the Caribbean. This analysis may be a little askew however, considering I’ve been to the Caribbean zero times. But the pineapple lamp, parrot artwork, bamboo-legged nightstand and cane Margot bedframe from Loaf.com give it a little tropical vibe, no?
I love the addition of an industrial style Anglepoise lamp. It balances out the whimsy of the pineapple House of Hackney lamp on the other side of the bed.
“I saw this tree wallpaper at a friend’s house and fell completely in love with it. I wanted something that Aeneas would like, but that wasn’t obviously childish. I thought it was really magical for a little boy’s bedroom because it felt very Robin Hood.”
All photography by Skye McAlpine. Quotes from Skye were taken from an interview with Cup of Jo.
