TYSON & VIC - AT HOME
Tyson and Vic live in a Victorian flat in Crystal Palace, South East London. Vic bought the flat in 2007 and then a couple of years ago Tyson moved in. Tyson and Vic also work together, owning and running The Photo Emporium which offers creative photobooth experiences for hire. See more about their brilliant company here http://www.thephotoemporium.com/about/. We spent a lovely spring day shooting their flat and talking to them in their gorgeous garden. (Garden shoot to follow!)
WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THE FLAT AND WHAT STATE WAS IT IN WHEN YOU FIRST BOUGHT IT?
V It was a bit of a state but I fell in love with the garden and the open plan upstairs. A family had lived here for a long time and done very little to it. It was a bit ‘changing rooms’ with pebbles stuck to the walls and paint effects.
WHAT WORK HAVE YOU DONE TO THE FLAT?
V When I first moved in I did a lot of the work myself. I redecorated, added cornicing, a new fireplace and reconditioned the windows. Since Tyson moved in we’ve redone the garden, redecorated the flat and put in a new kitchen. We’re about to fit a balcony to the outside of the kitchen, opening it out onto the garden. The garden backs onto a large green hill, so the outlook will be very open and peaceful, which is pretty special in London.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR KITCHEN.
T I’ve always wanted to design my own kitchen so having the opportunity to collaborate with my brother in law Tom, a furniture and kitchen designer, was a dream come true. I knew it would be made of layered ply as I’ve always loved the exposed layers of curved ply furniture, and it also lasts forever. I did some initial drawings and then Tom developed the design and built it, and Vic and Tom chose the veneer. It was important to us that we didn’t have a rainforest veneer, but had something sustainable so we chose cherry. We’re really happy with the kitchen, it’s exceeded our expectations.
V As the kitchen and living room are open plan we wanted them to work together. We didn’t want the cupboards to stand out too much. We have lots of mid-century furniture and we wanted the kitchen to fit in with this.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM HOME?
T We have two dreams. One is just having the upstairs flat and turning the two flats back into a house. We love where we live and if they were to ever sell it we would do everything we could to buy it. The other dream would be to build our own contemporary house. We’d both really like to do a big creative project like that. I hope we will one day.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR INTERIOR STYLE?
V Tyson likes trinkets but I prefer the flat a bit more de-cluttered. I try to hide stuff in drawers but he gets it out and rearranges it. We both like mid-century furniture and love beautiful design that will last.
T We like things that are timeless and really hate the idea of disposable furniture like Ikea. I think it’s important to be really careful about what you buy. It is what surrounds you. You create your own environment.
DO YOU ALWAYS AGREE WHEN MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR HOUSE OR IS ONE OF YOU IN CHARGE? DOES ONE OF YOU WEAR THE STYLE TROUSERS?
V It’s probably Tyson who wears the style trousers.
T We do a lot of it together but if Vic doesn’t like something I’ll persevere until she gives in. I have always wanted a room a bit like a museum where I could display items of interest. I find it inspiring to have interesting stuff around me.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD? WHERE ARE YOUR FAVOURITE PLACES TO SPEND TIME LOCALLY?
T There is a weekend market and lots of antique shops which are good for pottering. The beer rebellion is a quirky pop up bar and The Sparrowhawk pub is good for food and has a great atmosphere.
V There is a lovely community spirit in Crystal Palace. The Picturehouse bid to put a cinema here would have been brilliant but it didn't go ahead. We were really gutted about that. There is a big campaign to get a cinema in Crystal Palace.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON?
T We love the Southbank for the architecture and the buzz.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LONDON?
T The incredibly diverse food available. But the most important thing is having all our friends and family close.
DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING?
T I try to collect things that I think are design classics. I have collected old cameras for a long time - I’ve always been really into photography. I’ve also got a crystal and fossil collection. I just bought a record player and I would like to start collecting records. I think its a shame that music is now digital: something is getting lost that should be kept.
V We also like to buy stuff when we go away. Thailand had amazing vintage markets.
IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD IT BE?
V Asia - maybe Bangkok for a while.
T San Francisco or somewhere in California and we both love Devon. We would love to escape the British winter for somewhere sunny and also have a country place to escape to. That would be the ultimate dream.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
T The Ercol coffee table, it was my Grandad’s. And our garden, it’s not a possession, but we really love hanging out in it and working on it.
V I love having Tyson’s photography in the house. It looks great and feels really personal.
Kitchen by Tom Jarvis. For more information about these beautiful bespoke kitchens contact Tom at tpjarvis@hotmail.co.uk.
