The Malta Independent on Sunday
W|tÜç Memoirs of a Pandemic in London
SIMON ABELA
Born and raised in Malta, upon completing his studies at UOM, Interior Architect moved to Spain and then, in 2005, London, where he has been working on interiors of luxury hotels worldwide for award winning companies, Anouska Hempel and most recently GA design. Whilst juggling their lives between London and Malta, Simon and his husband spend their free time either checking out exhibitions or some new production in the West End. Simon reveals that they also both love to travel and discover new places near or far.
L “ondon, theatres, concerts, underground, the hustle and bustle of the shopping streets, the restaurants, traffic – the buzz. Now imagine all that closed, empty and soulless. That is how, on 23rd March, my city, where I have lived for the past fifteen years, transformed in the blink of an eye. And though it’s a Londoner’s dream to live in a more tranquil, tourist free, less hectic city, these months were quite surreal.
Unlike many others, I have not become skilled at making sourdough bread or learnt a new language, actually my only accomplishment was completing a jigsaw puzzle. From the day we went into lockdown and started working from home I worked on my jigsaw which in a way kept my sanity in check as I can assure you the British government did not help with the contradicting information we were being fed.
Working from a 70sqm apartment with my husband and our dachshund, Schulz, had its challenges. Gratefully, I occupied our combined kitchen and dining room, as working as an Interior Architect meant I needed the space to roll out drawings, store my materials and spread my creative flair, something that did not go down too well with my meticulously tidy, German husband. We did set out a few rules. My husband who owns a fashion and lifestyle PR agency was often on conference calls or presenting a pitch, so we would avoid intruding on each other’s space during working hours. We maintained our morning routine, albeit at a more leisurely pace, and dressed as though we were really heading for the office. We made it a point to stop for lunch and step away from our screens for at least half an hour and cleared away our workspace at the end of the day to retain a workspace/ life balance.
Working from home and managing a team remotely was a new experience particularly for my line of work. We realised how dependent we are on printers, how we took face to face communication for granted, but also how quickly we learnt to use software and technology creatively to ensure communication is clear with colleagues. On the whole this proved to be more of a success than expected, and although I did not miss the last-minute trips, long haul flights and jet lag, I did miss the ability to discuss concepts and designs with fellow colleagues face-to-face and to access our materials and suppliers.
Working on the design of luxury hotels worldwide and highend residential projects, we realised the need to start looking at changes in the way we approached new designs in a post Covid world. There were such matters as the demise of the buffet restaurant to consider. New ways of checking into hotels had to be considered as well as the return of the study in homes, something I actually relish.
Exercise was also key and we started following hit classes and yoga online even if admittedly by the second month enthusiasm waned and we went from alternate days to weekly sessions.
The working days and weekends morphed into one and sadly, the highlight of our week became our vegetable delivery on Tuesdays or an Amazon delivery of an object which we had been meaning to buy and which we had quickly ordered.
One thing we certainly learnt to appreciate in this pandemic was outdoor space. Luckily our back garden was a haven which we enjoyed every morning whilst having breakfast and it was there that we retreated to in the evening with an Aperitivo after a long day’s work. We were also lucky to have some fantastic weather over the lockdown period which together with the garden provided a great respite from constantly being indoors.
Walking Schulz daily, part of our outdoor exercise allowance, created a sense of occasion. Needless to say he was delighted at first to be taken out regularly, until he realised he was being ‘used’ when his daily 20 minute walk lasted a couple of hours.
Exploring the deserted surrounding streets of Fulham and Chelsea and supporting local shops such as delis, butchers, grocery shops, and bakers created a real community spirit. People often say that living in London can be lonely as one never really gets to know your neighbours. But having experienced the city in lockdown has really helped me appreciate getting to know the locals and build a semblance of normality.
The daily Facetime or telephone calls with family was always something to look forward to. Some family members got creative and even hosted quiz nights over social media or group calls. These calls however proved to be quite tricky particularly with Maltese family members and everyone speaking at the same time. One-onone calls also had their moment when you suddenly realised you have been talking to a ceiling for the past 10 minutes or become very familiar with a person’s forehead.
However putting all this aside, the hardest part of the pandemic and the thing I missed the most was interaction and physical contact, be it a hug or a kiss, something we always took for granted. Hopefully the day is not too far off when physical contact will not be taboo. I look forward to the day that I am able to give a simple hug and kiss to my loved ones without the fear of passing on something to them.”