You all know how much we love a collaboration, so we were absolutely delighted to be invited to interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones’ home for a day of design chat, photography and all-round fabulous faffing.
Pink Moon sitting beautifully in Anna's living room
Anna, who runs Habitus, an interior design agency, is perhaps better known as one of the three judges on hugely popular TV show Scotland’s Home of the Year.
Born and raised in London, Anna attended Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 1991 and returning to London to work on a variety of commercial design projects. She relocated to Glasgow in 1999 when she started a family.
Anna has lived in the same traditional Glasgow tenement flat in a quiet leafy street in the city’s West End since her return to the city. It is a home filled with happy memories and personal pieces that allows Anna’s warm personality, and love of art and colour, to shine through.
Anna's traditional tenement flat in nestled in a quiet leafy street in Glasgow's West End
Pink Moon rising
Wendy and Hannah took our elegant, shimmering, hand-knotted Pink Moon rug with them to try her out in Anna’s bold and beautiful living room. The results were nothing short of spectacular.
‘We first got to know Anna as a customer,’ Wendy explains. Most recently ‘Anna specified our hand-knotted Floral Waves Blue for one of her clients – a project we are very much looking forward to seeing – although we already knew of Anna and her design work, she has also been popping up on TV screens for the last few years on Scotland’s Home of the Year.
‘Anna had also mentioned me in a magazine interview, saying she shared my love of maximalist style and that she would love to see inside my home,’ Wendy explains. ‘We became Instagram friends and Anna popped into the Edinburgh studio. We had a chat about photo shoot locations and a lovely collaboration was born.’
Anna and Wendy's friendship was born from a shared love of maximalist décor
Perfect fit
‘Everything ran very smoothly on the day,’ Wendy says. ‘Anna’s home is beautiful and Pink Moon sat so comfortably in her living room – she could not have been a better fit and the photo shoot could not have been easier.
‘After considering the style of Anna’s living room – the walls are in ‘Prison Pink’, which creates a calm, gentle feel to the space, combined with mid-century modern furnishings, including a pair of gorgeous red Barcelona chairs – Pink Moon felt like a natural choice,’ Wendy explains. ‘Pink Moon’s geometric monochrome base with her pink ombre moon made perfect sense in this setting.
Pink Moon combined perfectly with Anna's mid-century modern furnishings, including this pair of gorgeous red Barcelona chairs
Iconic pieces
‘Anna’s furniture is iconic and classic in style, but she has been very playful with her use of textiles and favourite pieces, as well as an eclectic mix of art. Adding Pink Moon to the mix – particularly because of the pink painted walls – felt very much a part of the space, drawing everything together and looking as if she belonged there. And Ivie the cat seemed to approve too!’
Lovely Ivie the cat certainly gave Pink Moon the seal of approval
We asked Anna to give us an insight into her own interior style and what it is that she thinks makes a property into a ‘home’…
Anna, what inspired you to become a designer?
My dad was an architect, so from an early age we talked about the environment around us a lot. I didn’t realise this was unusual until I became an adult!
What do you love most about being an interior designer?
I love being able to work with different clients' styles, it means I’m never doing the same idea twice and that keeps my creative energy going.
When did you first come across Wendy Morrison Design?
I have been aware of Wendy’s amazing work for a few years, but first got the opportunity to purchase one of her rugs for an enlightened client three years ago.
Why did you decide Pink Moon was the right choice of rug for you?
Wendy suggested Pink Moon after I sent her photos of my room. It was fun to let go of the decision-making process and it paid off!
Pink Moon looks like the perfect fit for your home – why do you think she works so well?
I think because it is a counterpoint to my style, which allows the rug to be the decorative focus with nothing competing that is a similar flavour. It shows the versatility of Wendy's designs; you can use them in layers for a maximalist approach, or the other extreme could be a clean white minimalist space where the rug would be akin to a standalone art piece.
Beautiful silk detail
Can you describe your own home style?
My home style is evolved and eclectic, a mix of antiques and mid-century pieces with a focus on an equally quirky art collection. Most of my walls are solid block colours with generally very small pockets of pattern - even though I adore pattern.
What influences you when buying pieces for your home?
I choose from the heart, always. And I trust that if I truly love something it will work with the stuff I already have.
Do you redecorate often?
No, I tend to allow my space to evolve as I do, a sustainable approach is one that builds rather than makes over.
Do you consciously set out to find an item or do you find yourself falling in love with something and making it work in your space?
It's definitely love first, logic second when it comes to my own space. When working with clients, it is their passions that I frame with logic, so probably the other way around.
What says ‘home’ to you?
A home should tell the story of the person who lives there. I feel that doing so is an act of openness, even generosity, to people who visit. A home should be a heart on a sleeve.
What is your favourite space at home and why?
It varies according to my mood, but my living room is my current squeeze. I've just had curtains made for it - it's the first time I've ever had curtains, which is bonkers considering what I do for a living!
What is the best decorating advice you could give?
Make decisions to suit you, not for an imagined future occupant. Be brave and trust your instincts, you will only ever regret not doing something fun.
