Today I’m really excited to introduce a new feature, “My Space” to the blog. Here I ask the person of the month to take a photo or two (or more!) of their favourite place in their home. It could be a little reading nook, a mantle, desk, the kitchen or table – whatever it is that makes them feel good when they pass it or are spending time there.
My very first subject is Caroline Davis, a stylist from just outside of London who shares her experiments and ideas on her blog, Trend Daily. I discovered Caroline’s blog not long after starting my own and have always been in admiration of her still life styling. I do love a behind the scenes, and this turns out to be one of them as Caroline shoots most of her photos in her study.
As you will see from some of her photos here, she has a glorious mix of vintage, botanicals and produce and they’re always so rich in colour and texture with beautiful lighting.
Thank you Caroline for inviting us into your study, I now can see where you get so much inspiration with these surrounds. Mel x
Deciding which part of my home was a favourite was actually far more tricky than I thought-partly because everything is unfinished, so I have favourite little corners in mainly untidy rooms! No where really has a true identity either-I wouldn’t know how to describe my style. Lots of friends say some rooms are very Scandinavian, but then there’s some retro vintage and ethnic thrown in too! I tend to work at the old barn door table at the front of the house first thing to catch the morning sun and then our big oak floorboard kitchen table in the middle of the day when the sun’s moved round. My one and truly personal space though is the tiny office upstairs at the back of the house, which gets the sun from mid afternoon until it sets. Even in mid Winter the light is just perfect to practice my photography. I’m ashamed to say it took 3 years to clear out the room properly after we moved in and until then it was little more than a glorified cupboard!
We visit a house clearance and antiques barn in Leeds once a year with our friends and invariably come home with something- the 1940s table was £40 and I plan to paint the top white eventually to make a background for some of my pictures. Our friends actually spotted the 1950s kitchen cabinet from there, sent me a picture on the phone and I bought it straight away! The Ikea shelving unit was left over from the kids’ playroom and the wall mounted cupboard came from our old neighbours-all a bit of a mish-mash at the moment, but getting there!
Since discovering The Home Barn last year, I honestly can’t think of a moment when something from them isn’t in my house waiting to be photographed. The owners Sarah and Sally have the most amazing eye-if I could buy everything I would, but they very kindly let me borrow anything whenever I want-the blackboard painted drawer, vintage school rulers and apothecary bottles are all from them-a real treasure trove. I guess it would be fair to say my study is more of a mini studio space than an office. Jon just bought me my first tripod for my birthday and I bought a 50mm lens from the earnings of my last freelance shoot, so my camera is out all the time. I love learning how to take photos, but I’m hopeless at reading instructions-it’s taken me a year to get where I am now, mainly by instinct and a lot of trial and error. I really appreciate quality light and how important it is to a shot, so things may stay laid out for a photo for a few days.
Plants and food have (oddly) turned out to be two of my favourite subject matters, along with vintage bits and bobs of course! Just about everything gets photographed at the beginning and end of its life and beyond. When I get time, I love to sketch and paint them too. I’ve always loved botanical drawing, but didn’t follow the advice of my art teacher and go into wallpaper design, so it’s lovely to paint whenever I can. I also spend a lot of time at my desk designing room sets for my editorial and commercial styling. The wall moodboards change every few weeks depending on my latest favourite magazine features. I used to keep all my magazines, but it just got ridiculous and I never got to see anything at the bottom of the pile, so now all my tear sheets end up in A4 folders after they’ve made a brief appearance on the wall-I’m building quite a large collection of folders, but every page is a favourite!
I’d love to get a vintage swivel office chair at some point, put up the venetian blind that’s been sitting in the corner for two years, pull up the carpet and paint the floorboards white (no I’ll never move all that furniture), hang the 1970s pendant light sitting on top of the cupboard…. And, and, and!!!!!
Readers if you haven’t already, you really must pop over to Trend Daily to see more of her beautiful work! Mel x
All images are courtesy of and copyright to Caroline Davis of Trend Daily
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A wonderful glimpse into an artist space & soul!
What a great feature. Great styling by Caroline. I’m getting curious about the Homebarn, will definitely pop in soon to explore. Have a lovely week both Mel and Caroline. xx
Hi Geraldine! The Homebarn is definitely on my list of places to visit when I’m next in the UK. I just adore what Caroline does! Have a lovely week also:) M x
Mel! Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of your wonderful new feature. It’s going to be so interesting seeing into people’s homes! Im very honoured to take part! :-)) xx
@Caroline, thank you so much for agreeing to share your space. Love your work! M x
@Michelle, we’re sticky beaks at heart aren’t we;) M x
Fantastic new series Mel – I love nothing more than taking a peak inside the homes of clever creatives, especially great bloggers like Caroline! The first image is my fave – such a quirky collection of vases, plants and treasures! x
What a fantastic peak into the inner and outer space of an artist! Thanks Mel for showing her work. :)
Thank you Marjory and so lovely to have you stop by:) Mel
I love Caroline’s styling and home. Isn’t she talented. I have a ton of magazines I never get to the bottom of the pile with, so may employ Caroline’s idea of putting tear sheets into folders. Beautifully written and a joy to read your story Caroline. Great new feature Mel.
It’s a great idea Catherine – I’ve got loads of magazines also but I do love the look of magazines piled high. x
It is so Caroline! If you follow her through Instagram, you immediately recognize her home and signature!
Lovely new topic, Mel!!
Hi Gudy! Isn’t it lovely? And agree, it’s so very Caroline:) M x