Welcome to A Considered Space!

This introduction took me a year to write

Last summer, an email landed in my inbox asking whether I’d considered joining Substack as a writer. It took me by surprise as I definitely hadn’t considered it, but after ruminating for about seven minutes, I decided I couldn’t offer anything of value and put it straight to the back of my mind. Along with singing, learning the rules of card games, cooking under pressure, saving receipts and leaving my spots alone, it was something I felt sure I wouldn’t be able to do. My crippling imposter syndrome wouldn’t allow me to take the idea seriously and so I didn’t.  

That was until last week when a chance conversation with an interior designer made me rethink Substack entirely. Her enthusiasm made me feel excited about it, even. So I finally had the guts to respond to that email, a mortifying 13 months after first opening it. I’m truly the poster girl for “apologies for the delayed response”. 

I’ll start with an introduction. I’m Eleanor, I grew up in a former mining town in the north of England and I’ve spent most of my adult life living in London. For almost a decade I’ve rented a flat in the Barbican Estate, which is an iconic concrete monolith and also a useful conversation topic at parties. The weekly Barbican architecture tours draw Brutalism fans from around the world. And now Harry Styles fans too, since he filmed a music video outside our bedroom window. As luck would have it, I was at a work event up the road and missed the whole thing!

The setting for my childhood was more council estate than country estate, which isn’t typical for the [mostly] privileged interiors world that I work in. Being an outsider of sorts is another subject I’m happy to talk about here. Growing up, I wasn’t surrounded by inspiring spaces and we never travelled but I was artistic and annoyingly dramatic. When I was little I assumed I’d grow up to be a fashion designer in London or an actress in New York. One out of four ain’t bad…

Why did I settle on interiors in the end? My mood has always been affected by my surroundings, I believe in the life-enhancing power of interior design and I’m forever chasing that elusive feeling of home. It makes sense that after a dalliance with fashion and five years in travel, I now work as a freelance journalist, interior stylist and creative consultant. I write about homes and design for titles including House & Garden, Cabana and Vogue and I’ve also styled photoshoots for interior designers and brands. I’m known on Instagram as A Considered Space and I’m the co-creator of a best-selling wavy lampshade that is owned by many of my favourite tastemakers.

That all sounds jolly enough but I’m not here to blow my own trumpet. I want to use Substack to be transparent and balanced – sharing unbiased reviews, insider knowledge and honest experiences. Life is more than a carefully styled coffee table photo and a byline in a magazine, so I should also add that four years ago, I had a tough time when I unsuccessfully applied to well over a hundred jobs and my self-worth was the only thing draining away faster than my bank balance. I’m not sure you’d gather that from a quick scroll down my Instagram feed…

That’s part of the reason why I changed my mind about Substack. I love that I can write about any topic without waiting for a relevant editorial commission and I can create boundaries by choosing to share my most vulnerable writing with my much smaller paid community. 

For better or worse, I’m always honest and I’m a chronic oversharer (even when it makes me seem slightly unhinged). I still have flashbacks to telling a job interviewer I’d rather not shake his hand because mine was so sweaty.

Instagram is an image-led app where the algorithm plays god, so I can never guarantee that content will be seen. Any deep and meaningful thoughts or brilliant recommendations that I share on Stories expire after 24 hours and the responses end up lost in my DMs. It has never felt like the right platform for vulnerable, longer-form writing or obsessively researched edits.

Back in 2020, I started to use Instagram Stories to share a weekly ‘Sunday Best’, which was a curated shopping edit of things that had caught my eye that week. I continued every week for about 18 months but it was taking so much time – at least a whole day and sometimes two. I struggle with the quest for perfectionism, so I’d spend embarrassing amounts of time searching for lesser-seen pieces that people would love. Problem is, I wasn’t actually earning any money, so in the end, I had to prioritise paid jobs. 

I decided a couple of months ago that I wanted to bring my shopping edits back but they needed a more permanent home, otherwise, it’s simply not worth the hours of effort. Yet another reason why I came around to the idea of Substack! 

So, what can you expect here?

There will be a few key themes covered. Interiors will of course be a key topic, with shopping edits, discussions and insider advice. I’ll also share useful recommendations across fashion and design-led travel. I’m detail-obsessed, (especially where hotels and quality are concerned), I hate fads and I don’t believe in trends, so I’ll only share what I love. There will also be content around work and life in general via regular personal essays.

If you’re able to support me with a subscription at £5 a month (think of it as buying me a coffee once in a while), it will make a genuine difference to the amount of time that I’m able to dedicate to this. I’d also really appreciate any shares to spread the word. Thank you!