Words Billie Brand
Photography Elliot Sheppard
Production Hannah Philips

Six years ago, Holly Hay purchased her first print, a Malick Sidibé, which hangs in the hallway of her home. Although she’s always had a love of photography – she even considered a career behind the lens in the past – that particular moment spurred on her inner collector. Now, the Sidibé is in good company. There’s barely a wall in her flat without a thoughtfully placed framed photograph hanging on it. While the subject of each image contrasts to the next, Holly’s penchant for a certain aesthetic – monochrome, graphic, clean, subversive even – means everything sits beautifully together. It’s just as you might expect for the photography director of Wallpaper*.

This is how Holly and her partner, the photographer George Harvey, have put a personal spin on their flat within a new build in Camberwell, south-east London. Since they moved in five years ago, the couple has been nurturing the interiors to create a calm backdrop to the life they share here with their two-year-old son, Mungo, and cats, Merlin and Prawn. Here, Holly sits down to tell us about the design lessons she learned from her architect father, how curating photography in her home differs to work and the importance of supporting emerging creatives.

Holly: “I like things that are clean, monochrome, graphic. Not minimal, because I like stuff, but simple. I inherited my taste from my dad – we’re very similar and I’m appreciative of that. We both struggle with the idea of cosy. It’s taken some work for me to get used to the idea of cushions and rugs because my dad never liked them.

“He was an architect, so growing up, there were rules about our Victorian townhouse in Islington. I wasn’t allowed to paint my bedroom, for instance, it had to be white. He had lots of pictures, but they were always on the floor leaning against the wall. He wanted to celebrate the bones of the building as it was. But now, having pictures on the wall has revolutionised my life!

“My mum is very knowledgeable about the architecture world too – she worked as the practice manager in the same firm as my dad and since she’s retired, she’s done an MA in curation. Aesthetics have always been a big part of my life. Every weekend we’d go to exhibitions and that never felt like a chore. For my 21st birthday, when my friends were getting jewellery, I got a Charlotte Perriand chair.

“I used to own a studio flat on Old Street roundabout in a huge ex-local authority building, which I loved, but it was not fit for purpose. George and I wanted something reliable and spacious. When we first moved in here, the walls were whiter than white. It felt stark and impenetrable. We’ve added subtle colours, which have made a huge difference. Slowly, we’ve been evolving the interiors and it has been a really nice way of doing it.

“Everything has been chosen for the space. All the furniture I had in the studio flat looked ridiculous in here as it just wasn’t the right shape or size. We pretty much started from scratch. The dining table is from my parents’ house, the chairs from my dad’s office when he retired, and the sofa is from Hay. It was the first thing we chose for the space and I love it.

“I bought my first two prints when my grandpa died about seven years ago. I received a little bit of inheritance money and it was an excuse to start collecting. I wanted to buy something that I could remember him by, so I chose a Malick Sidibé and a print from an auction by an anonymous photographer. It’s a really beautiful photograph of a tennis racket and I just loved the light of it. It reminded me of the early work of fashion photographer Zoë Ghertner.

“Buying my first two prints really got my attention. Then I started to fill the gaps. I actually have a Zoë Ghertner in the living room. It’s of two pairs of eyes and I bought it through a friend of mine, Steven, who set up a really beautiful company called Prize Editions. He helps artists in the fashion sphere develop their print business. I love that picture so much, but I also really wanted to support him and his company.

“I think so differently about curating photography depending on whether I’m at work or home. I’ve learned to separate my personal taste from work, so I don’t even think about it anymore. At Wallpaper*, I think about what’s absolutely best for the commission – what’s the most surprising shot, for instance. I’m not thinking about what I would like framed or what I personally love. I have such a huge appreciation for photography and the artists that work within that genre that it goes beyond whether I would like it in my home.

“Sometimes, however, you can’t get the best out of a photographer for a particular commission – for example, if the strongest image doesn’t suit the story. That’s why you need to find other ways of appreciating photography: you show interest in photographers’ work; you go to the exhibitions; you support them through their career.

“When I’m looking for a photograph for the home it’s about mix of wanting something I look at every day and strategy. For example, buying the Malick Sidibé print late on in his career when they were still quite reasonably priced was smart. I bought the Senta Simond photograph, which sits above the sofa, from her agency, Webber, when I met her just after she graduated.

“But it’s also emotional – I have to have a real attachment to the image. A lot of the pieces on the walls were given to me by photographers. I’ve then become invested in their work through a personal connection.

“One of my newest pictures is by Deo Suveera, a Thai photographer living in London. He’s a recent RCA graduate and now works as a duo with his partner, Pamela, who’s an art director/photographer. It’s hugely important to support and nurture emerging artists. I always revisit the photographers I buy from and work with. It’s imperative, I believe, to come full circle and check back in on people throughout their careers.

“George and I have a similar taste, but there’s a lot of discussion about where things go. Nothing is incidentally placed. We do a re-hang quite often – every three or four months – and it’s driven by something new being framed.

“We have lived here for five years and we’re really happy. I love nothing better than cooking by the kitchen when Mungo and George are playing or watching a movie. We spend a lot of time in this open space. It’s interesting because my mum speaks a lot now about how we grew up on different levels in the townhouse – she’d cook in the kitchen downstairs, I’d be in my bedroom, my dad in the home office. It wasn’t easy to spend time together. Here, we live in such a different way to that.

“It’s really important for us to spend time together as a family – especially during mealtimes – but it’s also important for Mungo to have his own space and feel proud of it. George and I will spend time there with him and that’s really nice. I would probably let him choose the colour of the bedroom – within reason! If he wanted to paint it pink, for instance, there would be a spectrum of pinks he can choose from. There’s got to be a bit of compromise!”

Holly, how do you define modern living?

“Togetherness.”

Is there a home for sale that’s caught your eye recently?

“This home within the Penarth Centre is something George and I still talk about. It sparked a lot of conversation between us about the fantasy of how we might live. It made us question whether it’s interesting to further and more seamlessly blend our work lives into our home, or whether it is healthier to keep them totally separate.”