Her Indoors

This week ESPC interviews Alison Gibb - interiors expert, blogger, mother and wife to respected interiors photographer Douglas Gibb. Alison has made her home an on-going project between busy scheduling around the work she does with Douglas for home magazines and blogging several times a week.

We came across her blog and her love for her home and wanted to share it and her inspiration with our readers.

Podcast

We interviewed Alison for an audio recording or podcast. Have a listen to 'Alison Gibb-Her Indoors' on Soundcloud.

Blogging

Alison blogs regularly on Her Indoors - the musings of an interiors photographer's wife - about the joys of living in Gullane and often offers tips to her readers in a quirky and relatable way. Her home says a lot about her and Alison admits that it reflects their informality saying "we love having friends round, but they won't all get matching wine glasses!"

Alison has really delved into her blog and explains

"I started the blog because it seemed to be the new way to promote myself in an ever more cut throat working environment - it works as an online portfolio or CV for Douglas that can be constantly updated.

I then started to really enjoy telling my own stories and now love having a growing record of our family life; my children's teenage years just seem to go by so fast, I think my blog will be fun to look back on!"

Family home

Alison's favourite room of the house is her living room, a focus point which also sets the scene and tone for the rest of house. Allison says:

"sitting beside the wood burning stove is heaven...reading or even blogging" and we can see why.

The family have collected drift wood from the nearby beaches in Gullane and these have been used to create unique, once off pieces like the glass topped coffee table and mantel piece.

These drift wood creations seem to organically stem from the aged but well maintained floor boards which result in a seemingly symbiotic flow between the two.

The room is further complemented by soft furnishings on large sofa couches and an impressive, divider shelving unit which not only holds books and knick-knacks but also allows soft light to filter in and add to the atmosphere of the space.

Interiors advice

The presence of beach bric-a-brac in her home is not a coincidence as Alison explains that she is truly inspired by beach side living saying:

" The beach and the colours and textures you get by the seaside inspire me: faded linens, stone, driftwood - I can't get enough of these favourite elements".

Picking this theme for her home is also a deliberate decision on Alison's part, this is part of a rule she gives openly as advice to The ESPC Paper readers and website visitors.

She says "I am a great believer in deciding on a style that is right for you and sticking to it - commitment is everything!

Don't be a slave to your homes architecture: make it work for you. An old house can be gutted and pared down, transformed into a contemporary, minimalist home; by the same token, vintage and antique furniture can inject character into a modern setting...make your home say what you want it to say!"

For more advice or to find out more about her interior design, projects and her quirky story telling you can visit Allison's 'Her Indoors' -her-indoors.com- blog online.