WHAT HOME MEANS TO ME Singer, songwriter and DJ Cerys Matthews

THE WELSH SINGER, SONGWRITER AND RADIO 6 DJ ON GROWING UP IN CARDIFF

HOME to me is a place where my collection of books and music is kept, so in that sense it’s really restful and peaceful. I’m not very materialistic. I don’t buy stuff because it’s in fashion; what I have I’ve collected over the years.

MY first memory of home is playing in a weeping willow tree with other children from the same street in Cardiff. Opposite the row of terraced houses there was a patch of green grass and a few trees. That feeling of neighbourhood is what I remember about my early years. And funnily enough, I’ve unconsciously ended up recreating that where we live in London. We share an area of grass and trees with another row of terraced houses. When I realised what I’d done, it tickled me a fair bit. It’s obviously what really matters to me – and that is community. My home is part of a community, rather than a standalone fortress on its own.

I’M a contradictory person. I absolutely love being at home where I’ve got all the bits and pieces that matter to me, but not having the escape option during lockdown gave me extremely itchy feet. I love the freedom we have in the 21st-century world to usually be able to, at the drop of a hat, go somewhere completely different and then appreciate home when we come back to it. In the past year, I’ve learned to stay put, love champagne... and wear earplugs because home has been somewhat chaotic with my family being there all the time.

I’ VE picked up my sense of interior design style from my trips across the world – whether it’s Morocco, Bangkok or anywhere. Travelling so much as a musician, I’ve been inspired and influenced by hotels. When I was growing up, I had polyester sheets. And then when I started staying in hotels it was 100% cotton. I was like, ‘Oh my god this is amazing.’ It felt so good. I started learning about little luxuries that I didn’t know about growing up.

WHEN I’m travelling I’ll take a slice of home with me. I take loungewear or pyjamas, fresh chillies, a Kindle full of books and my running shoes.

I’ VE got madly into interior designer Abigail Ahern lately. I adore her ideas on colour. My favourite style is like a gentlemen’s club. Dark colours, industrial metalwork and huge plants. And comfortable club chairs – that’s my go-to style at the minute.

IN the music industry, there’s a wonderful feeling when you’ve delivered everything to your deadline. I pre-programme all of my radio shows before they go live, so whether it’s that or a piece of writing that I’ve got to submit on a certain date, there is that moment of relief when you allow yourself to take a massive breath. That is when I feel most at home.

Cerys Matthews presents on BBC Radio 6 Music, Sundays, 10am-1pm, and The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 on Mondays, 9pm-10pm.