You guys! This is what I’ve been waiting for, the chance to introduce you to the lovely people who will be contributing to Collective Gen and sharing their style, homes and lives with you! The Collective if you will.
First up, one of my ultimate girl crushes, and someone I am so pleased to have – Emily Jane Lathan. You may know her from her beautiful IG account where she shares the renovation of her Bungalow in the UK and her Mallorca holiday home, her beautiful accessories brand Rock N Rose or her side side hustle, the Vinyl Wall. She is truly a women of many talents, whose eye for design is matched only by her ability to nab a bargain. And you know what I love the most? Her ability to mix mainstream, high end and antique pieces to create spaces that are truly a pleasure to be in. She’s a woman after my own heart!
Recently on my trip to Mallorca I had the pleasure of spending time with Emily and her family (her sister Jess is the sweetest), and couldn’t have felt more welcomed into their Mallorcan Casa. She gave me a full tour, and we chatted about the various changes she wants to make, as well as sharing with me a few completed rooms. I’m extremely excited to have Emily here as a contributor, to share the secrets to creating a beautiful space, shopping vintage, and how she does it all. Today, a little chat and a look at her beautifully simple Spanish living space.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
What inspires the design of your interior spaces?
You juggle an online accessories business, a million home projects and a beautiful Instagram account. How do you do it all?
Can you share your morning routine with us?
Decorating the Mallorcan Casa Loungeroom!
What was your theme for this room?
We wanted to make all of the rooms work with the very traditional bare bones of the house which is mostly terracotta tiled floors and super dark wood, so I made certain we kept everything light, white and bright! I love natural textures so we wanted to incorporate wooden pieces, jute and rattan.
Were there any challenges in this room?
A sofa that fit the awkward space, housed at least 6 people and would survive chocolate handprints from my niece and nephew. We chose this Ikea sofa as it has removable covers!
What’s your favourite thing about this room?
The huge basket light fitting! We almost spent €600+ on a very similar one, then found this shade for around €50 in a store called Expo in Manacor. It had no light fitting so we had to fashion one from the insides of an Ikea Sinnerlig light, but its perfect! (And we saved €500!). Also our beautiful coffee table made to order by Con Alma. They’re a local company and use only Mallorcan pine. We’ve used a lot of Ikea pieces in the space due to price point and how easily accessible it is, so I really felt like we needed a beautiful handcrafted piece to elevate the space.
Is there anything that you didn’t expect to work but did?
The dark wood throughout the house. I wanted to sand it all back initially or completely replace it, but now I really feel that would have taken away some of the Mallorcan charm of the property. We’ve since added some Ikea units under the TV (you can take a look on my Instagram!) and styled them with some flea market finds. There’s still a lot of work to do on this space, so stay tuned!
In Emily’s Space: Ikea Sofa, rug and drapes, Custom made coffee table by Con Alma Design, H&M Home tray, Basket shade from Expo Mobles.
Make sure to check out Rock N Rose and The Vinyl Wall. And stay tuned for more of Emily’s casa coming soon! Photos by me and Jess Lathan.
