Laidback LIVING

Liselo e Watkins is open minded when it comes to taste. She’s a racted to characterful antique and vintage pieces that, when combined, make for a fun – yet stylish – family home

have a hard time buying things that are extremely correct,’ says fashion illustrator Liselo! e Watkins. ‘ I’m drawn to pieces that are a bit awkward. Things that don’t have a place.’ This explains, in part, how her home – an apartment in Rome – has such an e"ortless feel. Pieces aren’t bought because they’re fashionable (although there’s no denying that the look she’s achieved is seriously stylish) but because they speak to her. Nor do they conform to a certain style – something that could come down to the fact that Liselo!e has lived all over the world. She was born in Sweden and counters her Swedish in #uences (think Svenskt Tenn textiles and Scandinavian mid- century furniture) with quirky vintage homeware bought while living in Paris, New York and – more recently – Rome. ‘ The Swedish and Italian approaches to decorating are completely opposite

but they work beautifully together. If you want things to work together, then they do – somehow,’ she says.

Liselo!e and her family – husband Jonas and children, Ava and Wim – moved here three years ago. The interior was decorated in such dark hues when Liselo!e viewed it that she didn’t have much to go on, but she and Jonas were pleasantly surprised when they moved in and discovered freshly painted white walls, airy, light-" lled rooms and amazing geometricpa! erned tiled #oors. ‘ It’s a good job we aren’t minimalists,’ she laughs.

Although Liselo! e loves colour (‘ I’ve never thought of decorating with colour as being a daring thing to do’), the white walls act as a foil to her vintage "nds and collections of art. When it came to buying vintage, she started young. ‘ I was 10 years old when I began going to auctions. My grandparents would give me €10 and I’d buy these huge items, such as sofas and chandeliers, and convince my parents to "nd somewhere in our home for them,’ she says. ‘ Everything was so cheap as, at that time, everybody wanted new stu %. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and buy more. It was heaven.’ Now, there isn’t much that isn’t old in her home – from the Børge Mogensen sofa to the vintage Ikea sideboard. ‘ I "nd the idea of

Although Liselo!e loves colour (‘I’ve never thought of decorating with colour as being a daring thing to do’), the white walls act as a foil to her vintage "nds and collections of art.

someone else having owned something before me very comforting. I like to fantasise about their lives,’ she says. ‘ Plus, with antiques and vintage you’re always learning. Whether it’s discovering a new designer, artist or aspect of social history.’

As an illustrator, artist and textile designer, art is a big part of Liselo! e’s life. The walls of her apartment are "lled with posters (o#en from museum shops), oil paintings in mismatched frames and, of course, her own pieces: bright and bold abstracts of the female form, which are mirrored in her ceramic designs. Her collection of still-life paintings, displayed en masse in the kitchen, was started 20 years ago, and is made of $ea-market "nds.

‘ The paintings provide snapshots into the everyday. I love how they depict ordinary items in a beautiful way,’ she says. Elsewhere in the apartment, a cluster of portraits hangs in the master bedroom, while posters are teamed together in the living room and hallway. When asked for tips on how to display art, Liselo! e confesses that she doesn’t have grand schemes but does tend to group pieces. ‘ I like how works play o" each other. I love juxtaposing something precious with something cheap. It makes it more fun.’

Fun is at the core of this home. The children’s artworks are proudly displayed on their bedroom walls, an industrial # ling cabinet is put to use in the kitchen and, case in point, one of Liselo! e’s most treasured belongings is a leather hippo duo. ‘ People are so obsessed with how your home should re$ect your personality or your success, but I think it should be welcoming and fun. Our kids and their friends love it here – there’s so much to look at.’ She # nds great joy, too, in rearranging her belongings – a process that helps her relax before she delves into work. ‘ It’s so calming when you # nd the harmony in a composition of objects or art, and fun to see how things look when displayed in di "erent ways,’ she says. ‘ I would love to have a store although I’d never sell anything. I’d just go around rearranging it all.’

Liselotte Watkins, fashion illustrator, artist and textile designer, lives here with her husband Jonas, who works in fashion, and their two young children, Ava and Wim. The Owners

The Property The apartment is located in Rome. It has three bedrooms, a kitchen/diner, living room and entrance hall.

ABOVE The children’s old wooden beds are from eBay while the vintage chair is from a Swedish flea market. Some of the children’s artwork is displayed above.LEFT The cushions on Liselotte’s vintage Thonet sofa are Josef Frank. The lamp is from Flos and the curtain fabric is by Marimekko. The handbag is Prada and the surface design is by Liselotte.RIGHT In the hallway, a table from Navigli market in Milan and a French chair make a striking office space.

The unusual floor tiles run throughout the apartment, into the master bedroom. The art on the walls is – like most of the art in the house – from flea markets. The bed is vintage and from eBay. RIGHT One of Liselotte’s vases is displayed on a vintage bench from New York. The head is from a flea market in Milan.