Deborah Brett On Her Ultimate Night In

In our new column, Staying In With, we ask the experts of interior design to tell us about their ultimate night in. Here, we speak to Deborah Brett, founder of contemporary tableware brand dbCeramic, about her free-flowing kitchen and living room, how she likes to set the table for guests, and the quest for a new rug.

Staying In With Deborah Brett

Deborah Brett

What’s your favourite place to stay in, and why?

I think I love my open plan kitchen/living room the most. It’s the heart of our home. When I first moved into our home 20 years ago we had a very small kitchen and living room with very formal larger entertaining rooms which was a super old fashioned idea, and rooms we hardly ever used. After flipping the rooms around, so the larger entertaining space became our kitchen/living area, we get to interact more easily and spend more time together – and the best part is that it looks out onto our beautiful garden. 

Is this a space you like to host guests in, or wind down in?

It’s a space where I can cook dinner while my children do homework on the kitchen table, or where I can curl up with my miniature schnauzer Winifred in front of the fire and read a book. It’s super cosy, yet also spacious. It’s also a great place for an intimate kitchen supper with friends.

What makes it the best setting for a night in? 

What I love about it is that it functions both as one and two rooms. That sense of it being individual spaces still exists, because we used a shelving unit with glass cupboards to delineate the two rooms. It means you can see through and into one room from the other; they are neither cut off from each other nor too open. This creates an intimate cosiness with our furniture upholstered in lots of different greens and patterns to create a cocooning effect.

Tell us about a ‘wow’ feature that you love to show off.

Something I do like to show off are all my ceramics which are on display in every nook and cranny of the room – on the table, adorning the book shelves, sitting on the mantelpiece and by the fire. And, depending on what I’ve made recently, I’ll rotate new favourites quite regularly.

What was your best buy for the space, and why?

The lighting! The vintage Brazilian lamp that stands in the corner over my armchair. I love this coloured mid century lamp and it adds great character to the room and the giant bauble lamp above our kitchen table was a former Parisian street light. Always a great talking point!

Is there anything on your wish list at the moment?

After three kids, two cats and a dog I’m in dire need of a new rug. My old cream Berber rug has seen better days. I’m just trying to figure out what I want instead.

What does the space say about your personal design style? 

I think it sums up my personal style to perfection. I’m a big colour fan, and the whole room is shades of green. My work is always inspired by nature and bringing the greens of my garden into the space creates a huge sense of tranquility. I studied fashion and textiles at Central St Martins School of Art, so the mixing of print and patterns and texture is central to the design.

Do you see the space evolving much in the future?

We last renovated this space 12 years ago, so some pieces are beginning to cry out for a bit of TLC. I think the bones of the rooms are perfect and the way they are designed works so well for our family, so I think any changes would just be re-covering the giant L-shaped sofa, that new rug and maybe plumping for a marble coffee table rather than the soft ottoman now the kids are older…

Do you prefer staying in or going out?

I go out so much for work, so I love to stay in. My favourite night in is cooking a big and informal meal for friends, with lots of sharing plates served on my bubble ceramics, candle light and some great music – and, if the weather is good enough, spilling outside onto my green terrazzo terrace for some dancing.

How do you live a life in balance? 

My husband and I both work from home, so the temptation (especially for me) is to head out in the small hours to my ceramic studio and carry on working. Not bringing our work into the kitchen/living room is key and the perfect buffer for both of our work spaces.