House Style with Rhonda Drakeford
After showing us around her upgraded rental flat in Hackney, east London, graphic and interior designer Rhonda Drakeford shares her house style.
How would you describe the interiors of your house?
Bold, on a budget. Colourful (with compromises).
Mine is
temporary, rented space made into a cosy home with a combination of favourite
furniture, art, plants and objects framed and delineated by graphic forms
painted on the walls.
Regardless
of how temporary, I feel a huge need to make a place my home, whether it’s a
hotel room or this rented flat. There’s so much that can be done that can
simply be reversed when moving out. As this is quite a small and awkward
space—very long and narrow, I’ve cherry picked from my furniture, art and
objects to work with it. I’ve not shied away from using large pieces of
furniture and art as I feel they ground the space more and help delineate
different areas.
If you could only save one thing, what would it be?
A box of photos documenting family, friends and fun times, from birth until digital cameras put a stop to my printing.
Also my two new rescue cats, Barbara and Beverley. So much of what I own has deep sentimental value, and I would find it incredibly upsetting to lose it, but what I’ve learned from downsizing of late is that a fresh start in a new place with limitations is incredibly refreshing.
What was the last thing you bought for the house?
Plants and plant pots.
After downsizing to this space, I’ve had to be very strict about bringing new things in. It’s been both frustrating and calming at the same time. I’m a real sucker for collecting similar objects — traditional Lanzarote terracotta, African textiles, chairs in general and black crockery — I have so many. But that’s had to stop (mostly). Plants, however, can always be squeezed in, mainly because I kill quite a few.
Where do you shop for your home?
The Peanut Vendor, Darkroom and friends.
I love The Peanut Vendor for their idiosyncratic take on modernism — their weekly mailer always contains something I would kill for. I’ve designed or made quite a lot of the furniture and objects in my home – the prototypes always end up here – or I’ve swapped and bought from artist friends or people I’ve collaborated with at Darkroom. I also buy good basics from made.com who I’ve been working with for a couple of years.
Top three coffee table books?
Ndebele: The Art of an African Tribe, Margaret Courtney-Clarke. So Far So Goude, Jean-Paul Goude. The House Book, Terence Conran.
If money was no object, what changes would you make?
Sinks, taps, radiators. The things landlords always scrimp on.
The two main gripes of rental living are the kitchen and bathroom – I have to mentally block out the sinks and taps and built-in cabinets because they are so ugly! Inversely, I have a couple of flats that I rent out elsewhere and really put a lot of effort and budget into getting the kitchen and bathrooms looking good and working well. They are the nuts and bolts of a home.
Less is more or more is more?
More is more — as long as it’s in straight lines.
I was brought up on Army bases, so I have an inherent desire for order, though I like to mess with that. I rarely do symmetry, and never completely fill a space or wall. I play with the empty spaces between and interesting compositions.
Design classics or contemporary pieces?
I’m more drawn to oddness or character, whether it’s an old or contemporary piece. I’m not snobbish about who designed what that I own as I’m more interested in the story of how I found it or where it got that scratch…
If you’re having people over for dinner, what do you cook?
I love cooking for friends and my cooking style is rustic rather than gourmet. But I do a mean middle eastern banquet. I enjoy informal dining: a table full of different dishes that people can help themselves to. It’s also a very nice way to use my myriad of randomly collected black crockery.
What are the best things about the neighbourhood?
The parks, the food, the nightlife.
Hackney treads a fine line between being so horribly hip it hurts and being hugely engaging and entertaining. Where I live is still a fairly mixed community, which I love. I’m super close to Broadway Market which definitely ticks the ‘hip and hurts’ checklist, but several of my favourite places are there: Donlon Books for idiosyncratic art and counterculture books and Hill & Szrok, a butcher by day, restaurant by night.
I also love the older businesses still clinging on such as Woolcrest fabrics off Well Street, a warehouse of end-of-line fabrics. A favourite place to decompress is with a cardamom bun and coffee sitting by the pond at Pavilion Cafe in Victoria Park – that’s probably the most hipster thing I’ve ever said!
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