Bust Portraits : Eleanor Cording-Booth
As the interiors writer and consultant behind @aconsideredspace, Eleanor Cording-Booth has built a cult following.
People are eager to shop her latest discoveries via her ‘Sunday Bests’ or bag the highly sought after Wavy lampshades she designed in partnership with @munroandkerr. Eleanor shares what inspires her and the inside scoop on the all important quest for London's best cakes.
Tea or coffee?
I’ve become one of those tragically serious coffee people who weighs their beans and water and uses a separate swan neck pouring kettle. I hate the aftertaste of milk, so I also have a new-found passion for oat flat whites (especially after the past year, when there was nothing else to do but walk and buy coffee).
Music or Podcasts?
I was a bit late to the podcast game, so I’ll say music. Though, I’ve got no idea who’s famous or successful in music these days. At home, I usually listen to old jazz or blues, the indie bands of my youth or silly film soundtracks. Some recent faves to play while I work are Fantastic Mr Fox, Toy Story, Moana and Little Women, also anything that sounds like it belongs to a comforting 90s rom-com. Hugely uncool but true.
Your home is a total treasure trove - what one thing would you rescue in a fire?
There are things I own that I prefer aesthetically (such as my lucite coffee table or Swedish oil paintings) but I’d have to rescue my bedside tables as my dad made them for me. I’m not a painfully sentimental person but there are a few things – lovely notes from friends or thoughtful things from my parents – that I couldn’t part with.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
How long have you got? To avoid a 300-page list of everything that annoys me, I’ll choose littering as peeve number one. It makes my blood boil to see someone throw their rubbish on the ground or leave it propped on a wall etc rather than carry it until they find a bin. Epitome of laziness and disregard!
What do you collect?
I don’t intentionally collect anything but I find myself accidentally collecting things, a few prime examples being baskets, brass lamps, chairs with woven seats, candlesticks, vases and landscape paintings. That’s quite a lot of accidental collecting for a one-bedroom flat...
What does a day in your life look like right now?
I’ve only very recently embraced the variety of being freelance after a long time trying (and failing) to find a full time job, so I’m feeling really positive about that but finding a routine that works for me is taking some getting used to! I’m a night owl by nature but I try to get up by 9am, then depending on the day, I’ll combine freelance writing, occasional styling jobs, managing my Instagram and email admin, meeting people for work-related coffees and making sure I get out for a walk (and some cake) every day.
I’ve realised that I’m atrocious at managing my time without the structure of working in an office, so I end up working at 4am when I should be sleeping and then watching a mid-afternoon film when I should be working. I have to write everything down on a paper calendar to keep track of what I’ve agreed to as I’m guilty of saying ‘yes’ to every job I’m offered and then realise there isn’t enough time for everything. I’m trying to get better at not over-committing as I get into the swing of things and learn how long things take.
We look forward to your round ups every week - who/what or where do you get your inspiration from?
I find a lot of small makers via Instagram but I don’t overthink my Sunday Best shopping round-ups. I spend a lot of time window-shopping and I save an ongoing long list of things I’d love to buy if space and money were no object. I’m rarely looking for specific items, so they’re all things I stumbled upon by chance (hence the complete jumble of things) and I would never include something I didn’t like simply because someone asked me to or because I felt obliged. My Sunday Bests are a visual representation of my own taste in homeware and because people trust what I recommend, it’s really important to me that they retain that integrity.
Your incredible Wavy shades sell out in mere minutes - what do you dream of designing next?
Ooh, so many things! I’m often visualising things in my head that I’d love to put into production. The items I design in my brain are usually solving a problem, whether it’s a piece of furniture I’m looking for and can’t find or a practical storage item I need and know other people would find useful too. I’d like to create several other lampshade designs (big lamp fan over here) and perhaps design a product or entire A Considered Space range for a well-known brand or retailer. I already know what my next products would look like, it’s just a matter of finding someone to make them and sourcing the right materials to bring my vision to life. I’m easily scared off when it comes to making something a reality!
The Bare Necessities
Favourite place for cake?
I can’t choose just one but off the top of my head; Jolene Bakery’s custard slice. Wild by Tart’s salted caramel brownies, Petersham Nurseries in Richmond does a cracking slice of carrot cake and Creme’s milk chocolate chip cookies are heaven when they’re still warm and gooey. Also, the takeaway pots of tiramisu from Gloria or Nyokee. If you’re pre-ordering a cake for a special occasion, Paddy Cakes cheesecake is top-drawer. I could go on forever tbh…
Favourite follow on Instagram?
Sorry I’m terrible at choosing just one of anything so I’ll pick the first six that sprung to mind... @pieceslondon_, @metacoleman_, @my.life.in.colour, @charlottebland, @harrisvintage and @tmagazine
Most worn item of clothing?
No matter what the occasion, I live in high waisted blue jeans and 70s Converse high tops. I wear my Re/Done Stove Pipe jeans (the perfect non-stretch straight leg) so much that I have three identical pairs on rotation and I have probably 10+ pairs of Converse sneakers.
The Hustle & Bustle
Favourite city?
Predictable answer but my all-time fave is probably New York. I’ve been around 10 times and never tire of it because it really does feel so iconic – like you’re in a scene from a film. I used to want to live there but then I discovered Americans only get 10 days annual leave! I also feel obliged to give Vancouver a special mention because we lived there for six months and it’s an incredible city with so much green space and surrounded by beaches and mountains. If it wasn’t so far from our friends and family in the UK and such an expensive flight, I’d move there permanently.
Best meal you’ve ever had?
Not the best ever but one of the most memorable because my boyfriend never stops banging on about it... About five years ago, we went to Tulum in Mexico and ordered simple spaghetti dishes at a candlelit restaurant on the beach called Posada Margherita, the waiter asked if we would like to add lobster for an additional $3 per person and we assumed it would be a barely-there decoration but said yes anyway. Turns out, it was a whole lobster, perfectly cooked, halved and plonked on top of our pasta.
Favourite park?
In London, probably Richmond Park as it feels properly wild in parts – I love to see the deer and walk down as far as the Isabella Plantation. It’s much less crowded than Regent’s Park or Hampstead Heath, which I also love. When I go to Richmond Park, it’s always accompanied by a drink stop to see the view at the top of Richmond Hill before meandering down the meadow for tea and cake at Petersham Nurseries.
