Home Comforts: bed, bath and beyond with Sarah Watson of Balineum

Have you ever seen the Instagram account I Have This Thing With Floors? Well, we relate, because Inigo has this thing with tiles. We love hand-painted ones and interestingly shaped ones, gleaming metro ones and gorgeous matte encaustic ones. And the ones we love the most might just be by Balineum.

The company – named after the Latin word for bathhouse – was set up by Sarah Watson in 2007 after she couldn’t find a nice enough shower curtain. Now, however, its scope is somewhat broader, the brand becoming synonymous with the most beautiful bathrooms in the biz (it still sells shower curtains, BTW). If you’ve ever flicked through a glossy magazine and admired, say, a scallop-edged mirror, a lustrous brass washstand or some tortoiseshell tiles, chances are you’ve been bitten by the Balineum bug.

It’s clear, then, that Sarah – who has collaborated with the likes of Fee Greening, Wayne Pate and Common Room on Balineum ranges – knows a good thing when she sees one. Life at home – an apartment in a Victorian building in Hampstead, north London, which she shares with “a cricket-loving Australian who makes a very good spaghetti bolognese (also known as my husband, Dave)” – is therefore just as cleverly considered. Quality over quantity, she tells us, as we quiz her on her on her creature comforts. It’s a rule we can all get behind. As for Balineum? We need no convincing.

My most recent home improvement…
Building in some cupboards in my bedroom. They were made by Palladio Interiors, which specialises in bespoke joinery and restoration for Georgian and Victorian homes. The company really knows its stuff and were lovely to work with.

My friends Polly Sloan and Alex Shepherd then painted them in a warm neutral: ‘Off White 9’ by Papers and Paints. Despite being extensive (they are wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling; Alex referred to them as the Taj Mahal of cupboards mid-painting), most of my clothes still seem to end up in a pile on the floor…

The latest addition to my wardrobe…
A beautiful silk scarf by Louis Barthélemy.

I adore his work across all mediums – Louis works with illustrations, printed textiles, weavings, glass, rattan – and it’s all so joyful. He and I worked together on a collection of tiles using his designs, so I know him personally now, and he is just a dream. He creates beautiful things, but he’s also a kind and interesting soul.

The most useful item in my kitchen…
A blue Le Creuset pot we have had for 25 years and counting. I’ve resolved to buy nothing but Le Creuset hence forth. Nothing else we’ve tried works as well or lasts as long.

I hate throwing things in the rubbish. I am actively trying to consume less and minimise my landfill footprint.

What’s always in my fridge…
Milk, butter and pickled things.

The prize bottle in my drinks cabinet…
I recently bought my husband some nice, fortified wines when I was in Rutherglen, Australia.

Hanging on my walls…
A small but growing collection of paintings by various Swedish artists, many of which were purchased from Tat London. We also have a large African textile from Brownrigg.

The knick-knacks on my mantelpiece…
Dried flowers, including hydrangeas and helichrysum. I seem to kill every plant that enters our home, so have gone for something a little easier to look after.

The books on my shelf right now…
The New Yorker is my preferred reading material each evening. Otherwise, there is usually some sort of non-fiction or self-help book somewhere in the mix.

I’ve just finished Michael Pollen’s How to Change Your Mind. It’s an interesting investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs, and the story of the author’s own experiences using them. Now I want to try psylocibin…

The music on my stereo…
Spotify’s ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist is my go-to. There seems to be a lot of American folk music in my mix. I like anything with group singing and hand clapping; I could be easily lured into a cult, I think.

Growing in my garden…
Our flat is one of eight that share a communal garden, in which I’ve got some roses and gardenias that I am yet to kill. Plants outside fair marginally better than plants inside with me.

I am very lucky; I really like my neighbours. There is a lovely sense of community here.

Hidden away in my cupboards…
Not much right now, as we just did a big clear-out in order to install the new ones.

On my to-do list…
Everything. I love a list and am married to a list-obsessive. We don’t do anything without one – or an Excel spreadsheet.

Further reading

Balineum

Sarah on Instagram