Tena Strok, founder of the alternative luxury store, Celestine Eleven showed us around her east London home.
Much like her store - which is filled with a unique selection of designer womenswear, rare photography, literature and lifestyle products - Tena's home is full of one-of-a-kind fashion pieces, art, books, candles and vintage jewellery.
Drawing inspiration from a number of sources from 1960s Paris to Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Tena's house is a wonderfully rich extension of herself.
How would you describe your interior style?
I guess eclecticism would cover the bases, although it's always evolving and very much a mix of influences that have inspired me at the time. Testament to this, I see the living room's current incarnation as an ode to a mythical, low-lit opium den in 1960s Paris, belonging to a French prostitute who exclusively plays Françoise Hardy songs and wears ivory silk robes. Applies at night time only.
Is there congruence between your interior style, Celestine Eleven, and the way you dress?
Certainly. I think they educate one another daily, although from a starting point Celestine's feel is a concrete expression of all the spaces I've seen that have influenced me. It's a reference for industrialism, elegance and that low key, pared down luxury that is synonymous with quality as opposed to design statements.
I think naturally the spaces you occupy will become emblematic of your own personal style, so I would say all three share a certain irreverence, sense of irony and elegance, as that's how I like to dress.
What do you love and hate about living in east London?
Love: the abundance of really decent coffee, Bistrotheque, my friends, Broadway Market and the never ending parade of hipsters. Hate....the never ending parade of hipsters.
Where do you seek inspiration for your interior and where did you purchase most of your decor?
As Paul Smith once said, inspiration is everywhere. I'll often pick things up from markets and abroad, and curate the space dependent on my mood. Maximalism one day, minimalism the next. The curse of being a Gemini!
How do you unwind after work?
Incense, candles, Françoise Hardy, a cigarette... It's starting to sound a bit too much like the opium den! It seems your spaces can also influence you.
What are your biggest indulgences in your home?
Definitely a spare room for my clothes and shoes. Or lying like a starfish in the long grass out in the garden - small things.
See Phoebe-Lettice Thompson's full shoot of Tena's incredible apartment below...
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