Following our visit to the Peckham home of Ferren Gipson, where she lives with her husband, tech specialist Tom Lloyd, their son, Winter, and golden doodle, Bobby, we asked the author and art historian to share her House Style.

How would you describe the interiors of your home?
Our style draws on the varied things we love.

When I was designing the house, I was thinking about a mixture of 1970s decor, old schoolhouses, industrial and commercial spaces, and how we wanted to feel when we were inside each room. Each space of the house has its own personality, but hopefully, our tastes provide a common thread that ties it all together.

You’re happiest at home when…
We have impromptu music sessions.

My husband and I jokingly refer to them as DJ sets. We’ll play music across genres and eras. It’s always fun to see if we can put a good set together and surprise each other with some of our choices. Those moments spark a lot of singing and dancing.

If you could save one thing, what would it be?
Our painting by Joy Yamusangie.

The painting is called Phantasm – The American in the Middle. It was the first big artwork we purchased. We’re looking forward to slowly growing our collection over the coming years.

What is your favourite living space around the world?
People live in so many interesting and beautiful ways – it’s nearly impossible to choose.

I once visited a Moroccan riad that had rooms surrounding a beautiful courtyard with a small pool and fruit trees. I’ve always thought it would be amazing to live in a house with that sort of layout.

What was the last thing that you bought for the house?
We bought an old kitchen cabinet for a DIY project.

I make quilts and my sewing materials were starting to take over a corner of our kitchen. We looked around for a while before finding a cabinet in a vintage shop. It was in a state – you really needed to see its potential to buy it. I cleaned it up, painted it black and added some rattan to give it a new life. It’s brought a nice warmth to the kitchen that wasn’t there before.

Top three coffee table books?
Can I say my two books? The Ultimate Art Museum and Women’s Work.

I wrote them to make art history very accessible. They should hopefully engage people across ages, with any level of art knowledge. Aside from that, Phaidon generally make some of the most beautiful coffee table books around. They take interesting approaches to art history and their images and writing are always top-notch.

If money was no object, what changes would you make?
I would add a roof terrace.

We have a brilliant view of the city from our back windows and it would be great to figure out a way to build a roof terrace so that we could sit outside and enjoy it on a nice day.

You’re having people over for dinner: what do you cook?
If the weather is nice, a barbecue is a good option.

My husband Tom does a great job with steak, chicken and ribs. My contribution is usually a dish from my roots growing up in the American South. I’ll make potato salad or macaroni and cheese.

What does Sunday here look like?
Sundays look very different week to week.

Sometimes we’re tidying the house or gardening. On other days, we may go out for a pub lunch and then come home to lounge on the sofa. In the evenings, we might help our son with his homework and do small preparations for the coming week.

What are the best things about the neighbourhood?
We live between Nunhead and Peckham – and we love it.

There are a lot of great independent businesses to support and there’s a real sense of community and care where we live. There are also wonderful green spaces like Nunhead Cemetery and Peckham Rye Park, which is great for our dog, Bobby.