At the end of the day… Kelly Hoppen
When I go home, I go straight upstairs to unload my bag, wash my hands and put on a tracksuit. In the old days, we’d often be going out, so I’d get ready for the evening, but now there’s a lot more time at home, so we might go for a walk. John [Gardiner, Kelly’s partner] and I talk a lot: we talk about everything that’s happened in the day.
Designing for 43 years means that, when it comes to your own home, you just know what you want. From the colours and the spaces, everything about our home feels like a sanctuary. I’m still in awe of it: every time I walk in, I stand in the hall, take my shoes of and sigh with relief to be home. It has lots of light, and it’s all very neutral, but there are lots of places where you can just slump. Even with lockdown, having spent so much time there, I still love it – a good sign.
Everyone is looking at everyone else’s homes now, thanks to video meetings, whether it’s the walls behind them or, for me, if the cushions are straight. Lockdown has made people reflect and look at their homes, and make it work for them. That’s one positive thing to have come out of this.
There are televisions everywhere at home, because we love TV. In the evenings, we’ll have a binge watch. I love a drama, particularly if it’s to do with politics or the White House. I watch The Blacklist or Succession, and I’ll have a cry watching Military Wives. I’ve watched two series of Below Deck – which I must stress that John does not watch with me.
During lockdown, I didn’t step outside for six weeks. The house is a big space, luckily, but that means there’s a lot of cleaning. I was fortunate to be busier than ever, so was working from home. I loved it. It’s changed my perspective and was a real eye opener. I made a concerted efort to not look at my phone after a certain time, because there was a point where the phone was in my hand the whole day. That moment when you’re having downtime is so important.
I was so busted with cooking in lockdown. It’s not that I can’t – I cook on the weekends and really enjoy that – but during the week, I’m in a diferent space. The great thing is that, when I do cook, John loves it and, when I don’t, he doesn’t care. I was not born with my daughter Natasha’s talent – she is an incredible cook – but I do amazing salads, I can roast a chicken, and I do quite a few puddings. I just choose not to do it very often!
It was horrendous not seeing my daughter, grandson, son-in-law, mum and brother during lockdown. But with friends, we’ve had virtual house parties and
Whatsapp chats and we’ve spent more time with them than we do normally, so it’s like we’ve got to know people better.
What got to me initially about lockdown was the fear factor. I am still frightened, and we’re being very careful. Our home is sanitised and I’m running my studio very carefully. I’m learning to live alongside this. But I miss travel a lot. I travel for work and for pleasure, and was often in Asia, which feeds my soul. Also, we used to have amazing dinners at home for 25 people, and I miss that. I look at our table and wonder if it will ever get used again. K by Kelly Hoppen jewellery is available exclusively online at qvcuk.com