In our regular column, interiors and lifestyle editor Georgina Blaskey asks some of the most inspiring names from the worlds of interiors, food, travel and lifestyle to reveal the treasured possessions they would rescue first in a fire. From sentimental heirlooms to beloved design pieces, each object tells a story about the people who cherish them. This month, we speak to interior designer Laura Stephens…
Parlour Armchair
This is the first version of an armchair I designed for my range, Parlour. It sits in my living room and I just love the whimsical, curvy shape and pretty fabric. The manufacturing of the chair all takes place in the UK and it’s made using traditional methods by a decades-old family firm located where I grew up in the Midlands. It is the perfect armchair.
Circus Tent Painting
I actually borrowed this painting from Arti for a shoot for this space, and I literally couldn’t give it back. I love that it depicts a circus tent (my husband spent some of his youth working in a circus) and the colours on this painting were so perfect for the space.
I am really drawn to anything which is magical and transportive, and this painting is all of those things for me.
Our Dog, Lulu
It goes without saying I would save my family, but Lulu, our little long-haired mini dachshund, is literally like my version of a Philip Pullman’s ‘daemon’ creation (a spirit animal permanently attached to its owner). She has, inadvertently, become my business’s mascot – she loves a camera and somehow seems to enhance any interiors shot I put her into! Here she is in my office, where she keeps me company whilst I work.
Poppy Ellis Painting
I found this painting at Ardingly Antiques Fair on a sourcing trip for a client. It’s by artist Poppy Ellis and I just love everything about it – the composition, colours and patterns. It has a Matisse-like quality, and I hung it in my office where I can enjoy it every day.
My Great-Great-Grandmother’s Sampler
I was named after my great-great-grandmother, Laura Catherine Williams, who created this little antique alphabet sampler when she was nine years old in the 1800s. It now sits in my daughter’s bedroom next to her window seat; it is a reminder of where she came from and I hope she hands it down to her daughter one day.
Cards From My Children
I am surprisingly unsentimental and don’t tend to keep birthday cards, apart from those made by my children, which I keep in a Chinese lacquered box in my bedroom.
My Antique Bowl Collection
I have collected antique bowls for years and I have a kitchen deep drawer where they’re kept. I like to use them every day to enjoy them – nothing in my house is ‘kept for best’. I would take the whole drawer.
My Wedding Dress
I had it made by a sales assistant in the shop where my husband bought my wedding ring. It is the prettiest antique gold lace. I would save it, just in case one of my three daughters might ever wish to wear it…
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