I could introduce Siobhan Hannah Murphy to you as THE designer for maximalism. Her style, her work, her patterns, they all speak for themselves. As do her clothes, her own house, her external personality. People love her on Instagram, and people love her on TV and in magazines. I could spend all day photographing her stunning home and by the time I'd finish, she'd be already ripping off the flooring in one room and changing the wallpaper in another. But really, the Siobhan I got to know during our morning shoot with her and her elderly (but still sassy) cat, Benji, is Siobhan who's full of kindness and warmth. A business woman like me, a creative like me, we actually chatted about working, about clients, about money, about taking time off, about Benji almost doing a great escape via the roof terrace, about her partner, Nick, about this really cute local cafe that she and Nick just have to go because they do the best breakfast (and the best parking situation there), plus maybe a double date?? and more.
When I arrived to photograph her and Benji, they actually did have some flooring getting ripped out in the kitchen and another room was getting re-done so we found ourselves in Siobhan's dressing room, the upstairs bar (the light was perfect there), and the downstairs bedroom, which I would call more like Benji's Court. The pink chaise looks like it was made for him. I ran into Nick in one of the rooms, (I'm pretty sure this was after we already got introduced) and I just said, 'sorry, I'm just running after the cat.' Surprisingly, Benji wasn't too fussed about Dreamies — a first for my cat models.
