The Wind Down With Skyla And Ollie

2020: the year that spare bedrooms turned into makeshift offices, dining tables were cleared to make way for laptops, paperwork and meetings on Zoom, and couples turned into colleagues.

How do you signify the end of a working day and the beginning of relaxing when you’re working and living in the same space? This weekend we’re hopping into bed (virtually) with BAFTA winning filmmaker Ollie and his partner Skyla an interior designer, to find out just that.
 

Skyla and Ollie at their home in Worcestershire

Have you found any small joys in spending more time in your space over the last year?  

Skyla: One project I’ve wanted to do for a while was pottery and I’ve been getting creative with ceramics to use around our home. I’ve also enjoyed working with textures and I’ve been creating my own artwork.
 
Ollie: I realised I have too many hobbies! It started with pizza making, to cocktail shaking and now I’m learning to play the piano. I have also been able to diversify what I do and working with brands in our home creating cinematic films.
 
It’s been nice to just appreciate our home as we’ve always had a very busy lifestyle. By slowing down we’ve been able to take time to adventure into new projects.

Skyla's lockdown artwork

Have you adjusted to working at home? What do you do to signify the end of your working day? 

Ollie: I’ve been working from home for a while but lockdown has given me the motivation and time to reflect on where I want to go with my film career. What signifies the end of the working day for me is when my editing software crashes! We love going on our daily walks whilst secretly trying to find our next home.

Skyla, you’re an interior designer. How would you describe your home style?

Skyla: I would describe my style as soft minimal with elements of textures, calming tones and unique travel pieces.  It is important that our space feels light and airy which reflects what we love.

Skyla and Ollie sleep in Linen in Snow

You’ve recently decorated your bedroom. What was the inspiration behind the design and how did you want your bedroom to feel? 

The inspiration behind our bedroom re-design came from our travels around the world.  We needed a peaceful place to relax, Inspired by Bali and Mykonos we wanted to bring in soft natural calming tones. We now feel we have a space that reflect us and our personality.

Describe your perfect day off at home.

Our perfect day off starts with a chilled morning and tucking in to one of our favourite breakfasts. We like to try new recipes and home projects that we have wanted to do for a while. 
 
In the summer months we spend most of our time in our garden where we have been growing our own vegetables. Whereas we spend winter relaxing in our living area and making it feel cosy and peaceful.

What helps you to really wind down well? 

After a challenging week we wind down with one of Ollie’s homemade cocktails, shaken not stirred, candles on and just spending time together.

Skyla and Ollie wind down under the Linen & Cotton Throw in Clay

Quickfire answers:

Who is the biggest homebody?

Ollie! Easy answer
 

My sheets make me feel…  

At home
 

One, two or three pillows?

Two for us