Sir Paul Smith takes Soho House inside his home

Sir Paul Smith is arguably one of the most important aesthetes that the UK has ever produced. Beloved worldwide for his uniquely upbeat approach to fashion design and renowned for his eclectic eye, the designer (whose team refers to him as ‘the octopus’ in homage to his hands-on approach) took time out of his busy schedule to talk us through his home and how he lives within it. 

Where in your home do you do your best thinking? 
‘In what I call my jet-lag room. It’s where I go in the middle of the night when my head is full of thoughts.’

What is the first item of furniture you bought for your house? 
‘I haven’t got the best memory for specific times/ dates, but I remember buying one of the first-ever pieces of furniture that Tom Dixon’s ever designed for my home. That was the start of a great friendship.’

Which item in your home brings you the most joy? 
‘Anyone that’s seen pictures of my office will know I like to surround myself with “things”, and so choosing just one item would be impossible. But my collection of Line Vautrin gold buttons is very special; I bought them when I could still afford them!’
 
How would you describe your interiors style? 
‘Curated. Eclectic. Our house is a home and that’s something that is very important to me, it’s not a museum.’  

What is your greatest fear about how your home is perceived? How would you hate it to be described? 
‘I don’t think I have a fear about how it’s perceived, but my home which I share with my wife Pauline is very much her style... in her words, not cluttered. I have a few rooms in our home – my office and jet-lag room – which I say truly represent me.’

What’s the one item of furniture or art you covet above all others? 
‘I’m lucky enough to own some work by Alberto Giacometti, which I protect with my life.’

What’s the greatest heirloom you’ve ever received? 
‘It wasn’t received at one time, but rather something that’s grown throughout my career: my collection of miniature rabbits from Pauline. I’ve received one as a good luck charm before every one of my fashion shows. As you can imagine it’s grown into quite the collection.’

What’s the greatest heirloom you have to pass on? 
‘Hopefully my advice? That’s the focus of my foundation, which I started a couple of years ago. It’s aimed at giving helpful advice to young, creative people.’
 
What’s your favourite shop in the world and why? 
‘Again, impossible to have favourites, but I’d have to say my own shop on Albemarle Street in Mayfair. It’s got the most wonderful mix of art, furniture, objects, and a few clothes. It’s full of unexpected delights and so is always worth a visit. And I meet some wonderful people when I’m in there working, which I do most Saturdays and Sundays.’

Do you prefer matching crockery or mismatched? 
‘As someone who has large collections of different things, I have quite naturally acquired mismatched items. I have an array of colourful teacups and saucers, which sit beautifully alongside my own chinaware that I made with Thomas Goode.’

Favourite pen? 
‘The Paul Smith x Caran D’ache pen.’

Which bed sheets do you have? 
‘Frette, of course.’
 
Do you wear a dressing gown? If so, what’s it like? 
‘I don’t, I’m more or less always in a suit, but I understand people love our Signature Stripe towelling dressing gown.’

What do you wear to relax around the house? 
‘Relax? I’ve heard that word before, but I’ve never known what it means.’ 

Favourite city to visit? 
‘I’m very fortunate to have visited many exciting cities where there stores are across the globe: Paris, Mumbai, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Osaka… to name a few. But my favourite city will always be London, where our HQ is based, and where my wife and I live.’ 

Favourite work of art? 
‘You can’t make me choose… I would say one of my favourite artists is James Lloyd; he was the first recipient of my wife’s scholarship from Slade Art School. A few years ago he was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to create my portrait and I have a number of his works including a couple that hang in my office.’

What’s the one item in your home you know you should throw out but can’t?
‘I still have a huge collection of music in various old formats – everything from cassette tapes to CDs and vinyl. Some of them are one-of-a-kind recordings of things like my old show soundtracks, which I will never get rid of.’

Favourite dish to cook? 
‘Beans on toast.’
 
Favourite plant in your garden/ house? 
‘The Paul Smith rose, which Pauline once named and gave me for my birthday.’
 
The three things you would save in a fire? 
‘A toile on a miniature mannequin that Pauline created for me. One of the many little lucky rabbits. And lastly, my father’s camera with which many family photos were taken.’