#MCCOTInterview {10}
Louise Roe celebrates her great-granny from Buenos Aires with her rattan homewares brand Sharland England
From sunny Los Angeles to the green and bucolic London's Countryside. British Fashion Journalist and former model and TV Host and presenter (MTV), Louise Roe is back in England after a decade away for work. Happily married to British Television Director and Producer Mackenzie Hunkin and mother of two little girls, Louise is starting a new exciting chapter of her life and career. She is finally following her long lasting passion for Interior Design, she started to share on IG in occasion of the renovation in progress- now finished- of her new family home. And She is definitively turning it into a real business as the new and proud founder of the homewares brand Sharland England. Let's talk with her about this new challenging entrepreneurial journey and her new family life in England.
By Hélène Battaglia
I’m Louise Roe, a fashion journalist and now a homewares brand founder.
What brought you from Fashion and TV Industry to the Interior Design market?
It was not the plan! But after living in LA for a decade hosting TV shows, we moved back to the English countryside and renovated a beautiful old farmhouse. I had always loved interior design but that process made me want to pursue it in a bigger way.
A few years ago, you opened the account @LouiseRoeHome on IG. What is it exactly about?
I opened it purely for fun: it is a place where I share all the interiors and small brands that inspire me. Some of the photos document the renovation process of our home too.
How and when did you come to the idea of launching your own homewares & accessories brand?
During the lockdown, I had a moment of inspiration! I knew I wanted to create a small homewares brand focusing on quality and elegance, with everything being hand-crafted. The designs all came into my head pretty quickly, so I sketched them, and then began the process of finding someone in the world who could make it.
Why did you call it Sharland England?
My great-granny’s name was Sharland. She lived in Buenos Aires and threw fabulous parties, and I grew up surrounded by her rattan and antiques. They have always held a nostalgic glamour for me.
I think rattan is timeless and goes with any background colour or fabric. There was a rattan lounge aboard the Titanic! And it’s important to me that everything comes from a sustainable origin: rattan is one of the most sustainable materials in the world, and antiques are of course, also very sustainable!
Elegant, hand-crafted, nostalgic.
How is it being back in your home country after a long absence?
I appreciate it more than ever, I just love London!
What did you miss the most when you were living abroad?
The history.
You’ve recently welcomed your second child. How is your daily routine as a mum of two?
Very busy! I think every woman juggles and never has the perfect balance, so there’s no real routine yet but we try to have a lot of fun!
The Swid console table and Letty slipper chair are in the guest room with a mirror and lamp on top, as a dressing table. I have the fruit bowl and tray in the kitchen holding delicious things, and the vase is on the mantle currently displaying branches of cotton.
2022 has just started. What are you planning for this brand new year?
Tabletop. I cannot wait to show you. The pieces are incredible and it has been a joy creating them!
All the pictures are Courtesy of Sharland England
IG: @louiseroe
@louiseroehome
@sharland_england
#LouiseRoe
#Femaleentrepreneur
#Rattanlover
#InteriorDesign
#Britishbrand
#Homewaresbrand
#Antiques
#Sustainability
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