We bought the downstairs flat next door which came with its own garden, so we now have a double-width garden. I have a studio there, where I spend the evening and weekends tinkering The children run in and out and help me. I don’t watch television and this gives me time in my studio. I built a playhouse for the girls and clad it in purple leather.
Ultimately, the most durable coating will protect it even as an exterior all-weather cladding, as seen on my garden playhouse, although its lifespan is shorter. In our bedroom, we have a headboard and cabinets covered in cream calfskin. In the basement we have our fabulous new laundry room and a snug, with toys and a telly and sofas. We’ve had a leather floor in here for years and I’m taking it up now and changing it for a new one. Leather is a perfect flooring material, warm, dust-free, with wonderful acoustic properties. It wears beautifully, too, mellowing with age and you can choose which level of protection you apply to it.
On the living room wall is a fascinating and vast drawing by Kate Atkins. Drawn in pencil, it is a study of the base of a tree but also manages to look like an island at first glance. We’ve also got a lovely drawing of a chicken’s head by Carrie Walker. It’s very simple, with a light inside each cube-shaped unit, and looks great.