As her restored Victorian maisonette in Clapton comes onto the market, London Borough of Jam founder Lille O’Brien – who shares the space with her husband, Marcus – reflects on the joys of gardening, cooking and making jam (naturally). Check out the sales listing here. 

Lillie O’Brien: “Modern living can only be defined by one’s own inclinations as it’s such a broad scope. For me, modern living can mean lots of light, functionality and being able to adapt and make things work for you. 

“This is a converted Victorian building with most of the original features. We exposed the original floorboards and knocked down a wall downstairs to create a dining room as a sociable space with a dining table to eat and entertain, as cooking for people is one of my favourite things. 

“I am from Melbourne, Australia. People always ask me why I live here and not Australia (referring to the climate) and I always explain that Melbourne also has long cold winters, not as grey as it is here but it does get cold. Our summers are much warmer and the light is different but Melbourne isn’t as tropical as it is in the northern parts of Australia. 

“I love the light in our home and that we have kept all the walls clean colours. It gives us more space to add colour without it feeling cluttered and makes it feel brighter on typical British winter days. Our bedroom upstairs has such fantastic light coming from three different windows. 

“The side of the kitchen opens up onto the decking and the garden, which is a little oasis. I love how all the gardens back up onto each other but, as we are at the end of the terrace, it feels big and not crammed in. Our cat, Chester, loves bouncing between the gardens. 

“I think interiors should be functional and make sense. We only place things in our home that mean something to us and I think a good interior should make you feel comfortable. 

“By keeping the walls all white and clean we can add more to the space without it feeling cluttered. The aim is for clean lines with lots of colour and textures. We have just acquired things along the way, and we don’t really buy for the space, rather, the space has to accommodate for what we buy. We do tend to buy lots of bits and pieces whilst travelling but, generally, we don’t put any design restrictions on ourselves. 

“A lot of the art is from friends and we also have a lot of Marcus’s son, Jack Haslam’s, work. Some of it is bought, like the Rose Wylie, and Marcus also likes to buy through Allied Editions, which supports galleries like Camden Arts Centre. 

“The bedroom is my favourite room in the house. I like to call it the holiday home room as no matter what time of the day it is and what the weather is, it’s always bright and such a nice place to go and lie down, if it’s to read or just for a rest. Even on a grey day it can still feel light and airy and, as it’s away from the main part of the flat, it feels remote. 

“The local area is great. Of course I’d say that my shop, the London Borough of Jam, is worth a visit! We’re so lucky to live so close to a high street that has such a good selection of shops, and if I ever run out of something it’s so useful being able to just nip out and get it. We also have a great pub across the road, so it does feel like a little village here.

“Jam is very nostalgic and has many meanings to me. One of these is seeing jam making as a form of meditation, a way of unwinding in the kitchen at home. It cannot be rushed and now that we’ve all slowed down, we’ve all probably found more time to enjoy these activities that are usually more time-consuming. 

“Jam and preserves don’t usually have many ingredients so one of my favourite parts of the process is taking time to gather the ingredients and connect with the outdoors. I love that I can go out into my garden and see what’s growing and use whatever is in abundance.

“I also like the fact that you can fill jars with jam that create and trap memories, from when you first create an idea for a new flavour combination to when you pop the lid off the jar, sometimes two years later, and spread it on your toast. 

“I hope everyone continues with the new ways they’ve learnt over lockdown and embrace how it has changed. I have always cooked from scratch at home even when I have been really busy and will continue to do so, for our health and mentality. 

“We need to take something from this and turn it into personal positives. I know lots of people who have started making their own bread, so why should you stop once lockdown lifts? Just find a way to keep going.

“We’re looking at finding a little more space somewhere to accommodate all the artwork that Marcus needs framing and hanging! And some fresher air would be nice, but I do need to be able to commute to London for work.

“We are very open at the moment as to where we go. I wouldn’t mind a bigger garden where I can do more planting and perhaps have a polytunnel – I really enjoy gardening and would love to spend more time on it.

“We’ll miss everything about this house! We love it but we just feel like we need some change. I hope whoever buys it bathes in the sunshine as much as we do!”