Homegirl London is a lifestyle and interior design blog featuring positive and original content and is deservedly nominated for an Amara Interior Blog Award. Cast your vote for Homegirl London to win best designed blog here
I am delighted to feature Homegirl London on my blog today:
Here’s her story …
“I never intended to become a blogger and must admit that I hadn’t even really properly read a blog before I started up my own. I’d left a PR job because I felt like a change, although I had absolutely no idea what that would be. After a few months off I was starting to get somewhat bored of watching repeats on daytime TV. One day I found myself wandering aimlessly around London when it suddenly popped into my head – “start a blog.” I stopped in the street and asked myself what it would be about – “interiors … London … lifestyle.” Then the name Homegirl … followed by London came to mind. I pulled out my mobile phone tapped in the name and it was available. When I got home I told my partner about the idea. He was teaching himself how to design and build websites at the time so he was up for the challenge. We registered the domain that night and started designing the website. I needed full training from my partner on how to do everything from using the digital camera to uploading content and engaging on social media. Three weeks later www.homegirllondon.com was born on 12 April 2012.
Although the idea of starting the blog literally popped into my head it was, I suppose, a convergence of everything that had happened in my life up until that point. I grew up in Basingstoke and yearned to live in London which was only a short train ride away. My parents were Londoners and had relocated to start a family and it just seemed to me that that was where I was supposed to be. When I left Essex University, where I studied Sociology, I moved to London and felt as though I was finally home.
My love for homes and interiors stems from my dad who was a builder. I helped him out in my summer holidays and enjoyed the dirt and seeing how a house was actually built. I also funded university by painting and decorating properties. If I wasn’t blogging then I’d be obsessed with decorating and buying furniture for my home. Having the blog is an antidote to that, if I write about a lovely sofa or a cool industrial cabinet I feel as though I have actually bought it which saves me a lot of money!”
“At my last PR job, the social media side of promotions was segregated in another department so I felt as though I was being left behind. This was an area I wanted to get up to speed with while I was taking a break. I tried out twitter as myself but I didn’t really want to share my personal life with strangers. My identity of being Homegirl London works for me because I can communicate with the world through my alter ego and keep my private life … private. Yes, I did love watching Sex and the City and Gossip Girl so that’s probably how I arrived at the Homegirl London name and being somewhat mysterious.”
Homegirl London – what my blog is about
“My blog is mostly about interiors, London and also includes some food, beauty and fashion. I try to incorporate as much as possible from my daily life. I love eating out and writing my Eats section means that whenever we visit a restaurant I have my camera at the ready so I can snap pictures for a potential article. This can sometimes be annoying for friends who are hungry and just want to eat the lovely food!
I try to include a mix of interior styles ranging from contemporary to traditional, mid century modern, industrial and vintage. You’ll find an eclectic mix of fabulous furniture and adorable home accessories from high end brands to smaller designer-makers.
I have five main sections which cover –
Trends: Reporting on quirky trends I’ve spotted emerging in the capital or interior design.
Finds: Featuring anything from furniture, home accessories, beauty products, fashion items and gifts.
Profiles: Paying homage to cool companies, artists and designer-makers.
Rooms: Presenting what’s hot for home décor and refurbishments by interior design companies.
Shops: Showcasing London’s best neighbourhood furniture shops along with profiles on web based stores.
Eats: Reviewing London coffee shops, cafes and restaurants.
Homegirl London – my typical day
I get up around 7am, make a pot of coffee and switch on my laptop. I attend to my social media while I’m waking up. Then I promote my daily post. After that I’m researching and writing features which I usually prepare three weeks in advance of going live. If it’s a nice day then I’m off out with my camera pounding the streets of London looking for trends and shops to review. I usually head off to Shoreditch at least twice a month to take street art pictures. Aside from that I’ll be visiting press events and trade shows to discover new designers and find out about new products. There’s also plenty of administration that needs to happen like uploading content, responding to emails, etc. Luckily, up until now, I haven’t had writers block and I have so many stories popping into my head that it’s difficult to get through them all. There’s no time to get bored yet because I’m learning something new every day.
Anyway, that’s enough about me; do read my blog if you love homes, interiors and London! ”
