Interior designer, mother and owner of HOME’s August/September cover house, Fiona Fillmore is spending her lockdown working through foreign films and surprising her teenagers with homemade burgers. We caught up with her to hear about her bubble.
HOME: What’s the best part of your view from home?
Fiona Fillmore: We are blessed with an amazing outlook of the bays and harbour. There’s always something to watch and it’s a great distraction from things I should be doing. Sunset can be a magical time to stop and reflect. Even more so during these times. I keep meaning to use that time to meditate but always find a distraction that may or may not involve a G&T or wine.
H: What are you reading?
FF: I’m currently obsessed with podcasts more than reading books. Smartless with Jason Bateman & Co is a gift that keeps on giving. Also Absolutely Mental with Ricky Gervais & Sam Harris. They both lighten the mood, remind you of the importance of good friendships and make you think outside the box. Although, I have been enjoying going back and reading my pile of coffee table books from interior designers who have inspired me for years.
H: What are you watching?
FF: Watching TV is one of my favourite parts of lockdown. I’m seriously loving Ted Lasso with the family. I really enjoy foreign films. I find the subtitles mean I actually concentrate and don’t try to multitask while watching. I’ve just completed The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties. It mashes all my loves together, including property and interior design. I’m also working through Money Heist and Marseille.
H: What are you cooking and/or baking?
FF: I definitely don’t bake. I’d eat it all! I love cooking a good meal and am lucky my teenagers eat everything. I’ll randomly make hotdogs for lunch or Wagu beef burgers to surprise them halfway through a day of school zoom lessons. It’s also fun trying to make meals from my Chin Chin recipe book from whatever I can find in the cupboards. Swapping the soft shell crab out for frozen prawns or adding an Asian twist to a good old roast chicken. I’ve also found some amazing local businesses to source fish and meat from during lockdown.
H: What’s inspiring you right now?
I love a good spring clean and find myself inspired by clearing out spaces and reorganising my home. It’s a special (weird) high to completely redo a room and find a new purpose or focus for it.
Watching my teenagers manage to get up each day and continue to learn online for school is inspiring.
I’m also completing a pile of photo books from trips we took in the years leading up to the lockdowns. These photos of precious moments inspire me. Getting them into albums so we can all laugh and reminisce is even more important now.
Discover what our friends are up to in lockdown in our HOME in five series.
