The first time we met Lisa and Ruby, however, was at No.43, the former home of the artist and flamenco dancer Ron Hitchins, in the summer of 2021. The pair launched their partnership with a project that saw them invite contemporary artists and designers to create bespoke pieces in response to Hitchins’ home. “No.43 was a magical way to begin,” says Ruby. As they showed me round the house on that sunny August afternoon, the chemistry between Lisa and Ruby was palpable. “That’s when things are at the absolute best – when we’re in the same room,” Ruby continues. “When I stay in London, we’re joined at the hip.” As for No.43 today? Having been purchased by Lisa, it’s currently in use as the UK base for Atelier LK – and, in the near future, it will be sensitively renovated into Lisa’s family home.

Lisa grew up in Putney, south-west London, in “a beautiful Victorian house” where her mother lives today and which she “put a lot of love into”. “She would spend evenings stripping the fireplaces after she’d put me to bed,” Lisa explains. “I learned a lot about the details that make a house a home. My mum wasn’t too precious about it – it’s very lived in.” Ruby, meanwhile, says her love of design stems from her father, an antique restorer and furniture maker. “My mum and dad were always going to antique stores, which they’d drag me along to,” she says. “When I was, say, five years old, I was able to say if something was made from oak or pine.” Ruby has also adopted their mentality when it comes to interior design. “My family home was an ever-changing organism,” she says. “I love to rearrange things as much as my parents. I’m always moving things around.”

Ruby says she and Lisa “fit like a puzzle”. Lisa is about the details, they reveal, while Ruby is the big picture. “There’s very little boundary that exists between us. We’re always on the phone talking to one another,” whether that’s to discuss personal matters or brainstorm new projects. “Ultimately, the creative perspective is completely two minds as one,” Ruby continues, “and it’s great that way.”

Where do you live and what do your homes look like?
Lisa: I live in a Victorian terraced house in London Fields, Hackney, with my husband and our son. We’ve had it for about 15 years but lived in New York for five years – where Ruby and I were introduced – and have been back here for the past three. Hackney grew up a lot while we were away – it’s been the perfect place to bring up our first child.

Ruby: I live right by the park in Fort Greene, in a 150-year-old brownstone building with my fiancé. It’s a very typical Brooklyn moment – I have a beautiful stoop that I walk up to get to my front door, for instance. We moved here in May 2022 and have the whole of the fourth storey, which is the top floor – it was a nightmare getting everything up the stairs. But it’s a beautiful space with gorgeous light and we’re very lucky to have it.

Are you morning people and do you have a set routine?
Lisa: I’m more of an evening person, so coffee is an important part of my morning. My husband and I get Allpress beans, grind them up and use a cafetière to make our coffee at home. Then I’ll make eggs on toast for me and my son. There’s usually a rush in the morning to get out to school for 9am.

Ruby: Mornings are very sacred to me. I start the day with a matcha or a coffee, which I’ll have sitting at my lovely window seat. There’s an hour of unleashing in Fort Greene Park from 8am where all you can hear is dogs barking. I like to watch the world go by and have a meditative moment. I often light candles in the morning, too.

What’s your go-to neighbourhood spot for lunch?
Lisa: I love visiting Wilton Way Deli because you always bump into a few familiar faces there. One of the reasons I love this area is because there are so many creative people doing inspiring things here. Ruby and I would always go to the deli for lunch when we were running the exhibition at No.43. Fran, who runs it, is the perfect community person – she knows everyone.

Ruby: I spend so much of my life in New York zipping around the city, moving from Brooklyn to Manhattan. I rarely stay in Fort Greene. If I do, however, I’ll grab a sandwich from Petit Paulette, which is a bakery by day and a bar in the evening. On a Tuesday evening, they have live jazz, so I like to pop in for a glass of wine.

What are some of your favourite ways to fill an afternoon?
Lisa: I like to visit No.43 daily. It’s where we currently house all our furniture for our online gallery. We’re still looking for a permanent studio, so we do a lot of our scheming here. Ron Hitchins’ house has been a beautiful gift that neither of us really expected. Ron Hitchins himself has also been an inspiration for how we’ve grown our studio – we’re a team of five now – and how we approach projects.

Ruby: I do a lot of gallery visits, which involve buying and sourcing pieces for clients. Going to emerging studios and spaces is really important to Lisa and me. We’re constantly hunting for things to inspire us and supporting young designers. A typical day for both of us includes spending time with the amazing people we work with, exploring their worlds… We’ve a very collaborative community approach to the way that we design and we have a lot of fun creating lovely relationships and connections.

What galleries and studios do you love at the moment?
Lisa: We’re very lucky that there are some really great places to source furniture from in Hackney. I often drop by Joel Tomlin’s studio – it’s a treasure trove of his incredible work. There’s such magic in the story of each piece. Inspired by arte povera, his sculptures often begin with a found piece of wood, which he then painstakingly carves by hand and patinates to a beautiful effect.

Ruby: I absolutely love Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery in Tribeca. Jacqueline is incredible – we usually have tea together and talk about the pieces she has coming in.

What restaurants would you recommend for dinner?
Lisa: I’m spoiled for choice in Hackney. I love places that have a holistic approach to the sensory aspects rather than simply what’s on your plate. I love Planque, which is under the railway arches near Haggerston. You enter through a curtain, which gives a feeling that you’re going somewhere quite secretive – and the design is lovely.

Ruby: I’m always going out for dinner in New York. If I’m in the city in the afternoon, I’ll have drinks and an early dinner somewhere like Holiday Bar, which is a fun new spot. It has beautiful booths and amazing art and light fixtures.