Words Billie Brand
Photography Mark Anthony Fox
Production Harry Cave

Daisy Hoppen always dreamt of living in an old Victorian townhouse, not dissimilar to the one in which she grew up, in Wandsworth. The interior scheme of her family home was all plush velvets and magpie-enticing objects – an aesthetic that has shaped her grown-up wardrobe: Daisy loves nothing more than frothy dresses, pearl-lined knits and furry platform sandals. It’s fitting that someone with with such a fondness for fashion – Daisy is the founder DH-PR, the London-based communications agency that counts Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard and Shrimps as part of its roster – has instead found herself living in a former footwear factory in Highbury. As the saying goes, if the shoe fits…

One might expect Daisy’s home to be as romantic as her clothes – today, she is dressed in a Simone Rocha silk slip and a beaded puffy-sleeved cardigan – but conversely, it’s polished and pared-back. “It’s the influence of my fiancé, Vincent,” she smiles. “I would love to live in a Jane Austen world.” The place might lack frills, but Daisy makes up for it with an exquisite collection of provocative photography that commands the eye: the work of Nobuyoshi Araki, Eamonn Doyle and Sarah Moon, to name a few, feature on her walls. “I don’t really have an eye for interiors,” she confesses, “but I feel comfortable with art.” As she sips on sparkling water, Daisy tells us about compromising on her personal style, her love of hot sauce and why Highbury has a special place in her heart.

Daisy: “I grew up in a traditional period house near Wandsworth Common, in south London. I’m one of four girls, so it was quite chaotic and there was always a lot of noise. My father collects stuffed animals: we had a full-scale crocodile in the hallway, and love birds in a giant cage; our cat would sleep on top of it. We also had things like old fairground memorabilia, a jukebox, big velvet sofas and large Moroccan rugs. It was eclectic but very beautiful.

“My father, Michael Hoppen, has run a photography gallery for 30 years. He has a brilliant point of view: he isn’t afraid to mix a vintage Hungarian print from the early 1900s with something very modern by Harley Weir. Growing up, there were lots of forward-thinking photographs on the walls. I’m very lucky that I got to live with pieces by Peter Beard and Irving Penn. But the art and photography at home were always changing because he would often buy things and then sell them on. My sisters and I were encouraged to invest in photography too, so our rooms were full of things we’d spent our savings on.

“Aesthetically, what I like is quite similar to my parents; I love frills and all sorts of textiles. But Vincent has brought me round to the idea of clean spaces. Without him, this place would look so different – it would be full of clothes. He has a very strict policy that if I bring something new in, something else has to go out. I can definitely be a hoarder, I hate throwing things away – I have birthday cards, tickets and diaries I have written since the age of 11. It’s quite good, actually, to be kept in check by someone.

“I moved here earlier this year, in May. Before the pandemic, I had just come out of a long-term relationship and I was looking to buy something of my own. I really wanted to have that Carrie Bradshaw-style Sex and the City moment of having all of my shoes in my kitchen cupboards and being able to run out, jump on the tube and go anywhere in London. Originally, I liked the idea of a small house with a garden, but the market was proving to be a challenge.

“An amazing friend called Chris Jones runs a property-finding company called Warnerheath and he helped me discover this place. It was so far from what I wanted that he almost discounted it. But when I first walked in, I saw that the light was just magic. Even on a grey January day. I also liked that it had a bit of history to it and how private it feels – you’d have no idea that the building was here from the street. And so I decided to go for it.

“No one had lived here for a long time, so the interiors felt a little depressing. I didn’t know what to do with it, but my friends, Sussy Cazalet, Laura Jackson and Matilda Goad, were instrumental in giving advice. I also brought on the interior designer Oliver Harris to help me. There were giant industrial off-cream tiles downstairs, which made the whole place feel cold. As it already had underfloor heating installed, you couldn’t put a carpet on top and I couldn’t afford to have it all ripped up. Oliver connected me with a company called One and Maike that creates bespoke solutions for things like this. They painted the floor in a mineral finish called Mortex. There were so many different colours to choose from – there was a green that was bonkers but brilliant – but I love the pale tone I went for.

“I tried to make the space feel similar to the home I grew up in by utilising art to elevate white walls. Vincent thinks I have a lot of female nudes. We actually just bought our first together. It’s by Jet Swan, who is a very talented photographer. Lucy Moore, who runs Claire de Rouen gallery, introduced me to her work. The image reminds me of Dutch old-master paintings. I’m looking forward to building a collection with Vincent. We both have very different views in terms of what we like, but we’re bringing them both together.

“One of my favourite spaces is the open-plan kitchen, dining and living area. We decided not to put the TV in there, because we work at screens all day. We like to have dinner without watching anything. The snug is sweet too because it has more colour, which reminds me of my family home. I love the bathroom. Having a bath is a real ritual of mine. And then there’s the terrace. My mother is very green-fingered and is helping us make them more verdant. The smell of the jasmine she planted is so lovely.

“The dining table and chairs are from my father’s old gallery in Chelsea. He had the table for many years and I have amazing memories of it. When I first started my business, I set up an office in the attic of his gallery and worked at it. The red-velvet armchair in the snug was a birthday present from my father. It’s huge and I could never fit it in anywhere I ever lived – until now. It had also been in his gallery for a number of years. The daybed belonged to my grandmother, while the bridge table was my other granny’s. I like to hold on to pieces that I have memories of, rather than buy new things.

“Highbury has everything you need. There’s an amazing Asian supermarket nearby, where I like to buy frozen dim sum. It is my go-to dinner. I have them with hot sauce – and I have more than anyone could ever need. I’m such a big fan of spice. I like to get them all out on my little condiments tray. If we entertain at home, we just get loads of dim sum in, a delicious sorbet for dessert and then tons of beer and wine. We’ve also got a lime squeezer to make margaritas with.

“But most of all I love Highbury Fields. Vincent and I met while running there in lockdown, so it’s really special to me. We would go past one another in opposite directions and then, one morning – a good six to eight weeks after we’d first seen each other – he stopped me and introduced himself. We try to go together every week now, but he’s a lot faster than me. I still see other people I used to run past – there’s a guy who has his dog in a pram, two ladies that do Tai Chi. I really love that sense of familiarity.”