My Modern House: the self-made interiors of broadcaster Laura Jackson’s east London home

For broadcaster and founder of lifestyle brand Hoste Laura Jackson, home has always been about nesting. Whether at the first flat she and her husband, photographer Jon Gorrigan, rented together, or at their current Victorian home in Forest Gate, east London, where they’ve been joined by a daughter, Sidney, Laura has always been about self-made interiors, sourced from markets, eBay and reclamation yards.

Here, she tells of how her home came together, from staying sensitive to the Victorian bones to creating convivial spaces for the parties she likes to throw.

Laura: “Someone came in the other day and asked if we’d had an interior designer, and I was like, ‘No, no way’!

“I like finding things myself and I enjoy the search, so giving that up to someone else would be strange. The story behind a piece is what’s so interesting to me, and I like that we went to Brussels, for example, to look for bits and pieces, and France, and vintage shops and markets here in England.

“I like picking up pieces as I travel because they are like tokens and trinkets of the memories. And that takes time – years sometimes – but that’s the evolution of a house.

“My husband and I first lived in Haggerston, in a studio flat we rented. It was great in my twenties – it was like a commune, with an open-door policy and constant parties.

“But as we got older, we wanted our own space and a garden. We’d been there for seven years and we’d kind of outgrown it, so we started looking to buy.

“We’d missed out on buying somewhere cheap in Hackney, so we looked a little bit further afield and we had heard through some friends that we could get more for our money in Forest Gate.

“We had a look around here and decided to buy a little house. That was six years ago, and we were lucky enough to buy this place off the back of that.

“Wherever I’ve been, I’ve always managed to make my space mine. When I was little and we went on holiday, I’d take posters and things from my bedroom and put them in the hotel room, so I felt like it was my own personal, cosy space. I think it’s something I’ve always had a habit of doing – I can make a home anywhere.

“But it wasn’t until we got the flat in Haggerston that we did a few more interiors-y bits. And then we did a whole house, the last place we bought, in quite a modern way, all white and Scandi vibes.

“Here, we did the opposite because it was such an amazing canvas. The previous owner had been here for 45 years and had all the original features and amazing wallpaper. It was very Victorian, and I always work with the style of the house that I’ve got, rather than bulldozing everything and doing whatever.

“The last owner had been here for decades and hadn’t really touched anything, so lots of the original features remained, but it also meant that the water didn’t really work and the electrics weren’t great, and we needed to do all the things that cost loads of money that nobody ever sees.

“In the house, the biggest architectural thing that we did was putting on the conservatory. Originally there was a lean-to at the back, but the glass was smashed and the wood was rotten. We had to go through rigorous planning, because we’re in a conservation area. They basically wanted us to have a brick extension with only two small windows, which felt completely out of step with the area.

“We fought really hard and got an amazing orangery-inspired conservatory now that really makes the house – it’s a great place to sit at all times of the day. It looks out into the garden and we can open the doors and have a 360 view of the space.

“I loved furnishing this space. It’s all a mix of cheap finds, second-hand bits and some investment pieces. We bought some disgusting chairs in gross mustard and purple colours from eBay for 80 quid, but the shape was so beautiful. We found some amazing fabric by Virginia White, which has squiggly white and green lines, kind of a modern take on a pinstripe, which we used to reupholster the chairs.

“They’re just so beautiful and everyone always assumes they were more expensive. It took so long but I just like that journey and evolution of something that was really inexpensive to now something that feels so personal to us.

“We wanted the house to be really inviting. It’s always been about us living in it, enjoying it and using the space as best we can, but also about entertaining. We’ve always had an open-door policy, where we like friends dropping in, coming for dinner, we like the more-the-merrier thing, and we want a space that we could enjoy with people.

“We’ve got a 10-person dining table, and it’s strategically placed to have a good view of the kitchen. We placed the Smeg gas cooker so that when you’re cooking you’re facing outwards, and people can stand and talk around the island. Everything was thought about in terms of maximising the social aspects of cooking, because, for me, cooking isn’t a solo thing.

“What has this place given us? God, a better life! I’ve got a garden and having a bit more space has given us a better quality of life, in terms of work and cooking and entertaining, which is such a huge part of what I do.

“But then you don’t always need a big space to have a more enriched life; I don’t believe that that’s true at all. I suppose it’s more about being able to decorate as you want, and feeling more settled.

“I thought this would be our forever home when we moved in, but you never know. I feel the pull of the sea. The one thing I’ve missed during lockdown is water. We go to Cornwall quite a lot and I miss being able to just go and swim. But the countryside has got its ups and its downs.

“We live in London and I like how culturally diverse it is, and I love the restaurants and I love the social aspect. And as much as the idea of living in the countryside and walking around in wellies for the weekend is great, we feel settled here.”

Laura, how do you define modern living?

“Modern living for me means living in a space that can constantly evolve and is moveable. I like there being an ebb and flow in the home, and this is important as we continue to grow our family. Having set spaces would feel quite restrictive.”

Is there a home for sale on The Modern House website that has caught your eye? Why?

“I’ve actually stayed at this house! It is such a beautiful home set in an amazing location near Bath in Bradford on Avon – a space that feels like it’s been carefully curated without being overly styled.”

Related stories