Susie Watson never imagined herself as founder of a celebrated design brand, nor did she envisage the roller-coaster ride that she'd go on to create it. Brought up in Wimbledon, which she considered rather boring and suburban', Susie's father ran a family business that sold some of the first sewing machines and bought up most of Peckham High Street in its early days. 'My mother's family were rather different,' she says. 'Obsessed with travel and collecting beautiful things. This diverse set of genes may have served me well.'
Sent away to boarding school, Susie showed little interest in an academic career: 'School didn't capture my imagination and I was exceptionally naughty. I ended up taking only one A-Level at an expensive London crammer.' Unsure what to do next, and with university options blown, she trained as a radiographer and a speed writer, then tried work as a doctor's receptionist, an elocution teacher and a cleaner. Each job ended disastrously until, much to her father's relief, she met her future husband Hamish and married, aged 20.
Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
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Denne historien er fra January 2023-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques