Inspiration comes in all forms – curated by the world around us, our earliest memories, our most savoured meals and the simplest interactions that leave the most enduring marks. For our second issue of RUSSH Home, we quizzed some of our most creative minds on their fridge staples, favourite family vacations, the items they're coveting and more. Welcome to the people pages – we hope you leave knowing them a little better.
Charlene Prempeh and Lewis Gilbert
One lives by the sea, the other in London. Between them creative directors Charlene Prempeh and Lewis Gilbert are A Vibe Called Tech.
The best advice you’ve ever been given?
CP: A dear friend who is one of the most joyful people I know once said “Not your circus, not your monkeys.” I try not to get heated about things I can’t control.
LG: My therapist once told me to “get messy” when I was curating an exhibition and I think about it daily.
In your fridge you’ll always find?
CP: Saffron mustard.
LG: Butter.
Nostalgic scent and why?
LG: Incense but specifically Nag Champa incense sticks. Both my parents used to burn them and it’s something my sister and I have inherited. The scent also reminds me of markets around the world.
Item that you are most coveting?
CP: Loewe mohair pillow.
LG: I’m still searching for the perfect suit, I’ve been looking for about 16 years.
What book do you gift to your friend?
CP: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, which is how long the average person lives.
What’s on your bedside table?
CP: 98 unread New Yorker magazines.
LG: Lamps and a half-read book.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
LG: I have a book from my childhood where I wrote down “an entertainer”. No specialism detailed.
Favourite city?
CP: London.
LG: New York for anonymity, London for diversity and humour, and Berlin for everything else.
One word that best describes you?
Ravenous.
Your last supper?
CP: Barbequed chicken and plantain.
LG: Something incredibly unhealthy, and lots of it.
Train or plane?
CP: Train in Japan (the toilets!), plane everywhere else.
LG: In the UK; planes. Practically everywhere else; train.
Favourite restaurant in the world?
CP: Toklas at the moment.
LG: The place I recommend the most is La Zucca in Venice, despite only having been there three times.
If you weren’t a creative director what would you be doing?
CP: Working the shop floor at Footlocker. Best job of my life.
LG: I have aspirations to open a bar one day, so maybe something along those lines.
What is the last object you acquired that gave you great pleasure?
CP: Saint Laurent bookmarker.
An indulgence you would never forgo?
CP: Pump Street Chocolate, although one packet now costs the same as a meal.
LG: Butter.
What was the first thing you bought with your own money?
CP: I bought my mum a diamond ring. I was 14 years old and working at Sport’s Division on Oxford Street and she deserved it.
LG: I remember using my student loan to buy a Dior top when I was 18 to go to Boombox, and I wore it until it was threadbare.
Favourite family vacation?
CP: Alentejo region in Portugal. It’s like a second home.
LG: I can only remember one, so Tenerife wins by default.
The most played songs on your playlist currently?
CP: My son dictates our playlists at home – at the moment Under Pressure is on repeat.
LG: I’ve developed an unhealthy George Michael obsession this month, which either means I’m incredibly late to the party or turning into both of my parents.
Daisy Hoppen
Fashion PR Daisy Hoppen cannot forgo a hot bath, collects vintage fans, and gets nostalgic about the smell of Marmite.
In your fridge you’ll always find?
Mayonnaise and butter complete every meal for me.
What was the first thing you bought with your own money?
I worked as a Saturday girl in a shop when I was 15, then as a waitress for events companies from about 18. So for me it wasn’t the first thing I bought but more the freedom to earn my own money and never rely on anyone else.
What is the last object you acquired that gave you great pleasure?
A Nick Cave / Cave Things ‘Suck my Dick’ Mug. I have to be careful on Zoom calls when drinking my tea.
Nostalgic scent and why?
Marmite – reminds me of breakfast at home growing up.
Share your life mantra?
Manners cost nothing.
Favourite city?
Copenhagen, followed by London.
The best gift you ever received?
My William Welstead engagement ring from my now husband.
One word that best describes you?
Introverted.
Who is your hero?
Katy Baggot. From a work perspective, she gave being a PR agent a human element and was invaluable to her clients’ careers. I would have loved to have learned from and worked with her.
Where was the best meal of your life?
It's very hard to pick. The most memorable one is a meal that my mother (who is probably one of the best cooks in the world) made at home on her AGA cooker.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A ballerina. I am still in awe of my friends who are genuine ballerinas and in my down time enjoy watching ballets on TV or when they live stream from the cinema.
An indulgence you would never forgo?
A hot bath. I hunt down hotels in Paris that have baths.
Item that you are most coveting?
A Sophie Bille Brahe diamond letter ring of ‘D’.
What do you collect?
Hand vintage fan and ribbons.
What book do you gift to your friends?
A magazine subscription for The New Yorker.
Favourite family vacation?
Our home in Majorca.
Favourite restaurant in the world?
Sessions Arts Club by Florence Knight – she is a true genius and a wonderful person.
Your last supper?
Vodka Pasta at Brutto (London).
Mimi Shodeinde
British-Nigerian interior designer Mimi Shodeinde believes in moderation – she loves her home city London, but still dreams of Lagos and channels her African heritage in the items she collects and the music she’s listening to.
What’s on your bedside table?
My Quran and books on spirituality and Islam.
In your fridge you’ll always find?
Olives.
The best advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. And don’t rush – the best things in life take time.
Item that you are most coveting?
I will forever covet the work of modernist icons like Oscar Neiymar and Lina Bo Bardi.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A dentist. But my brain had other plans – science was never my strong point and I gravitated towards art from my very first day
at school.
An indulgence you would never forgo?
I don’t really indulge in anything as such, I strongly believe everything should be in moderation. Juicing is something I could never forgo. I start everyday with a celery, mint, apple, lemon and cucumber juice that I prepare the night before. It’s a forever ritual for me now.
What do you collect?
African, Arabic and Chinese incense clay pots, I love burning incense, and I have several from Somalia and Senegal.
What book do you gift to your friends?
Woman Made: Great Women Designers.
What is the last object you acquired that gave you great pleasure?
My Arabic Travertine stone incense burner which was gifted to me by a much-loved client of mine in Kuwait.
Where was the best meal of your life?
Joe’s Pizza in New York on Carmine Street. It’s no frills and you just can’t beat it. Go there immediately.
Nostalgic scent and why?
Lavender. My mum always used to wash my clothes and bedsheets with it, so it smells like home to me.
Favourite family vacation?
Lagos – I dream of it most days. The city means so much to me.
Who is your hero?
My mum without a doubt. The wisest and most wonderful woman I know. She is an incredible businesswoman with the most insane entrepreneurial drive. She inspired me to go out on my own in business.
If you weren’t an interior designer what would you be doing?
Something in the music/ production industry. My house was filled with music growing up and it’s a big part of who I am.
The most played songs on your playlist currently?
Joha by Asake, I Found My Smile by D’Angelo, Ferrari Drip by Willie The Kid, Don’t Let It Get To Your Head by Cleo Sol.
Nina Fitzgerald
Writer and gallerist Nina Fitzgerald is truly a girl from the tropics – she lives in Darwin and collects art commemorating iconic cyclones of the far north of Australia.
What do you collect?
Art, photographs and sunglasses (my grandma always wore the best ones).
The best advice you’ve ever been given?
Back yourself.
In your fridge you’ll always find?
A bottle of home-made chilli sauce from my local market. Can’t live without.
Nostalgic scent and why?
Petrichor, the unique earthy smell of rain – I’m a girl from the tropics after all. The scent is the same the world over and it always transports me home, to the sound of rain on the corrugated iron roof, rainwater showers under downpipes, lazy afternoons cooking and reading, and mostly my dad, who loved the rain as much as me.
Share your life mantra/words you live by?
As long as I can remember I have never been afraid to ask many questions. Staying curious keeps my mind active, always learning and always inspired. Also never give up.
Who is your hero?
My mum. Always.
If you weren’t a writer/gallerist what would you be doing?
Sometimes I wish I was an architect – a mix of creativity and analytical thinking, designing beautiful spaces.
One word that best describes you?
Forthright. But in a warm way, mostly. Sometimes my Mum tells me I need to be more tactical and less unfiltered.
An indulgence you would never forgo?
A swim in the ocean.
Train or plane?
Planes for the allure of extra faraway places. Scenic trains for the adventure in themselves.
What is the last object you acquired that gave you great pleasure?
An old car bonnet painted by a local artist Penny Wiggins. It depicts a scene from Cyclone Marcus, which upended half of Darwin in 2018. The cyclone happened during a weekend I was spontaneously at home (I was living in Melbourne at the time). It’s an iconic, wild Darwin cyclone scene and I bought it after years of lusting over it and harassing Penny.
Favourite city?
Darwin. Home. Forever a special place in my heart.
Favourite family vacation?
My dad took my brother and I to Fiji when I was 11 or 12. This was a particularly special trip, spent largely on a pristine, tiny, remote island, home to a small and gregarious community.
Your currently most played songs?
Die Hard by Kendrick Lamar and The Bucket, Walls and Pyro by Kings of Leon.
The best gift you ever received?
A letter my dad wrote in the 70s when he first moved to Darwin, explaining the wild and wonderful world of the uncharted north to a mate in Melbourne
Romy Theodore
Fashion may be an enduring love for Romy Theodore, but so is eating mango with chilli and lime from a Ziploc bag outside a New York subway station in summer.
The best advice you’ve ever been given?
Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Perfect advice for a chronic procrastinator.
Nostalgic scent and why?
Imperial Leather Soap. You can put that down to a lot of time spent in the bath as a child. The house I grew up in had a six-foot-long tub. My brother and I would swim laps in there!
Item that you are most coveting?
One of the lamps I designed with my friend Max Copolov – I promised myself I wouldn’t keep one but I’m getting more and more tempted.
Your last supper?
Mango with chilli and lime, preferably in a Ziploc bag eaten outside the subway stop during summer in New York.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I’ve always wanted to work in something fashion, architecture or art related – but then when I started learning to drive, I had a stint of wanting to be a race car driver.
What do you collect?
Joseph Holtzmann’s Nest Magazine. I’m on the final stretch now, only six issues left. And decks of cards.
Where was the best meal of your life?
Street food in Mumbai, followed by a beer on the cricket pitch at Shivaji Park.
What’s on your bedside table?
Half read books warped by my humidifier, my watch, a Paco Lobo ashtray I use as a ring dish, and a Braun alarm clock. Never my phone. I wake up too much in the night and can’t be trusted to have that within reach.
An indulgence you would never forgo?
Good lighting. It’s maybe not an indulgence, but wherever I go I’ve got to fight the urge to change the lightbulbs.
If you weren’t in fashion what would you be doing?
I’d love to work in art conservation or industrial design.
What is the last object you acquired that gave you great pleasure?
A pair of Tony Clark paintings. They stop me in my tracks every day.
In your fridge you’ll always find?
Jimmy’s Sate Sauce. And probably a packed lunch I made for work and never took.
Favourite family vacation?
Summers spent riding my bike back and forth to the general store in Somers. Or our yearly trip back to Greece, where my Dad’s family is from. We’d go to a different area each time, hire a car, and spend the days exploring, from first swim until dinner time, then finish at the best-looking taverna we passed that day.
The best gift you’ve ever received?
I never take off the Marcos Davidson earrings handed down to me by my Mum. But more recently my boyfriend gave me a weekend at Richard Leplastrier’s River Room in Bellingen which was truly special.
Who is your hero?
My grandma Pip. She’s the youngest, and coolest, person I know.
Christabel MacGreevy
London-based artist Christabel MacGreevy always wanted to be an artist. But if she wasn’t making sculptures, she’d probably be a baker, using her hands to create experimental pies and cakes.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to make stuff and be an artist. Although there was a phase when I wanted to have my own farm and to live in a treehouse commune.
What’s on your bedside table?
A pile of unread books, tarot cards and a candle.
Who is your hero?
Eckhart Tolle, for writing The Power of Now.
Your last supper?
A large dish of Cacio e pepe and a nice bottle of red, followed by tiramisu and black coffee with cream.
Nostalgic scent and why?
The smell of incense from hundreds of hours of Sunday mass in Catholic churches as a child.
If you weren’t an artist what would you be doing?
I would be an estate agent. I’m absolutely obsessed with Rightmove.com and the property market. Or I would be a baker and make experimental and sculptural pies and cakes. I badly love a baked good.
Item that you are most coveting?
Two tone white and black page boy Gucci loafers.
Train or plane?
Depends on the destination.
Favourite restaurant in the world?
Mexico has some of the best food culture in the world. I’ve had amazing meals at Criollo in Oaxaca, where I celebrated my 30th birthday. La Fonda de la Noche in Guadalajara – a favourite when I was doing a residency there, dimly lit and cosy with the most delicious traditional cooking. Panaderia Rosetta in Mexico City for breakfast and the perfect way to start the day.
What is the last object you acquired that gave you great pleasure?
I recently reupholstered an armchair that my grandmother left me. The whole process, choosing the fabric and seeing the item transformed with a full facelift, was deeply pleasing.
What do you collect?
Antique textiles of all kinds. I have two sailors woolworks, a hand pieced quilt from Pakistan, and several traditional North American ones, as well as old lace tablecloths. When I find smaller scraps, I use them for my own patchwork quilting.
The best advice you’ve ever been given?
What people say about you behind your back is absolutely none of your business. It liberated me.
Your currently most played songs?
Beso by Rosalia & Rauw Alejandro, Here Comes The Rain Again by the Eurythmics and The Time is Now by Maloko.
Favourite family vacation?
Every summer we used to get the sleeper train up to Scotland to stay at my grandparent’s house in the Highlands. It always poured with rain, but we went on wet walks and had damp beach picnics nevertheless.
What was the first thing you bought with your own money?
Sweets and Sylvanian bunnies in different colours.
The best gift you ever received?
A Rimowa suitcase. Every time I pull it down to pack for a holiday it gives me great pleasure with its design and function. Plus, I love that it can be a bench on wheels while you’re waiting around at the airport.
An indulgence you would never forgo?
Olverum bath oil. It’s so delicious and indulgent.
To experience RUSSH Home in its entirety, issue two is available on newsstands and online now. Find a stockist near you.
