Design notebook

Q&A with Derek Henderson

What do you love most about your collection? Going to the galleries, shows and auctions and meeting like-minded people who engage in art. Seeing the collection every day at home and getting something new from the pieces over time. I always gravitate towards work that, at first, I might not like or understand and slowly, after spending time with it, it grows on me.

I often use my book collection for reference and scan the bookcase for something I haven’t looked at for a while – it can inspire me or remind me of something I was interested in, and now I feel I can tackle that idea.

What do you love about the light in your home? Our living area faces north so we have direct light coming into that room all day, and I always enjoy watching it change through the day. It’s the same in our bedroom: I often just sit in either room and watch the light falling on objects. I think that’s why I like shooting still-life, because of the way light falls on things.

What do you love most about where you live? Being close to the beach: it’s inspiring and uplifting. Again, looking at the light by the seaside gives you fresh ideas. Also being able to throw yourself into the sea is exhilarating and throwing the kids in is even more fun.

If you could do anything to your home right now what would you do? Build a studio on top of the garage so I could have a space where I could leave things set up for a while.

What do people say about your home when they visit? Nice things or they don’t get to come back!

What do you love most about returning home? Seeing my kids come running down the corridor to meet me.