This Is Who I Am.

Right I'm talking to you! I'm sick and tired of so many of you all falling victim to home-style bullies. There is a silly amount of people who will not invite people over to their home because they feel ashamed of its decor. I have heard you say 'I can never make it look how I should - I have no taste or I don't have the money'. Well STOP it now!

The so called style gurus often demand that we undergo a form of de-narration, a term coined by novelist Dougls Coupland to describe a state of modern flawlessness achieved by banishing all references to your untidy personal story. It was American decor editor Karen Fisher for Cosmopolitan who declared 'Home decorating is the most personal path to self expression next to making love'. I couldn't agree more. Your home isn't about the right rug, or designer chair it's about self-expression, fantasy and identity.

I read in a glossy interiors magazine the other day an editor talking about wabi sabi the Japenese art of finding beauty in imperfection. Wabi sabi is a way of being that champions the simple, slow and uncluttered and reveres authenticity above all else. In the home wabi sabi inspires a kind of warm minimalism that celebrates the human rather than the machine, things that resonate with the maker's touch, things with soul. It's not so a decorating 'look' as a mind set.

After reading this I thought finally the revelution is beginning! The design world is focusing back to why we need a chair and how we are going to use it and they are considering why it's important to have product that we can pass down to our children. However after flicking through the pages of the magazine all I saw was interiors that said 'admire but please don't touch'.

I want to make one thing clear I am not saying we should be slobby or grubby but we should have confidence in the things we love. A frayed, old cushion that you have had since you were a child on a made bed is perfection in my eyes.

When we flick through the pages of glossies and even follow blogs we often feel pushed to use our homes as public exhibits of our perfect selves. NO! Stop this way of thinking and have a little 70's punk rock attitude and say F**K You! It's time to say to those who are dictating to us "this is me and this is who I am". It's people like photographer Annabel Mehran who remind us that we don't all live in the same decor palace but the meaning of home can be similar. Love your home and the space you live in.

All pictures by Annabel Mehran

Stop Hogging The Sheets!

From Nanna Saarhelo's Sleep with me series.

Yokoo

I don't know where I have been but I have only just discovered queen of the yarn Yokoo. I have fallen head over heals for this Atlanta based designer who has gained sky-rocketing fame on the internet. Her devotees follow her not only for the over-sized chunky knitwear that she sells onEtsy but because of her eclectic style, endearing self-portraits and trademark haircut. I could go on and discuss the reasons why she is building up steam on the web but that would be boring. What I will share firstly is how Yokoo often wonders what her flick'r devotees smell like she usually opts to wears Liz Claiborne. Secondly, the new glossy Love Magazine disappointingly spelt her name wrong in their second issue. Thirdly, her muse is 'Tavi the 13 year old doopasoopa star, with all the personality of a thirty-year-old wool sweater'. Another fact is when she is knitting, crocheting, sewing or crafting in general Yokoo watches Charlie Brown and old Alfred Hitchcock episodes. One final thing to share is Yokoo has calculated that she spends 36 hours and 5o minutes a year fluffing her pillows on her bed. If you suffer from Seriousitis, then Yakoo can be just the eclectic shock therapy you need. She is fun, inspirational and full of colour. Enjoy her home that is as warm and tactile as her knitwear.

All photos by Yokoo

Behind Closed Doors

Do you know what I love when I shut my front door behind me when I get in from work or play? I finally have some privacy where the world can't judge me and I don't have to please the world. I can walk around the house naked, I can have an afternoon nap, I can leave a light on for too long and I can sit and watch a very uncool television programme while eating my dinner. I don't have to be perfect I can simply be me. Photographer Louise Ingalls Sturges has captured this thought beautifully. You need to check out her website! Tell us what your secret indulgence is behind your closed door.

Photographs by Louise Ingalls Sturges