Interview with Nicolette Le Pelley of The House Directory

Co-founder of The House Directory and a former deputy editor of The World of Interiors magazine, Nicolette Le Pelley has a true passion for interior design and decorating, but what is her own home style? Who does she admire? And where does her love of interiors come from? We caught up with the entrepreneur and interiors nut to talk Italian frescoes, English tea and family secrets.

I like to think that my interest in interiors... stemmed from my schooldays in Florence when we (really) had frescoes on the ceiling of our gym.

With three children, a shedding dog and an academic husband.... who lives under books and newspapers, the general effect of our home is (sadly) that of a landfill site. On a clear day, one can just about make out our collections of classical engravings, mouldings and antiquities.

A designer who is an old favourite is... French designer Frédéric Méchiche, with his eclectic combinations of old and new. My new favourite is Washington DC-based designer Darryl Carter who offsets biscuit and linen palettes with dark wood.

My home comforts are... traditional English tea - the works.

The best piece of advice I've ever been given is to... stick at it until you get it right - that was my training at The World of Interiors. Whether virtue is its own reward I'm still not quite sure.

If I could be anywhere in the world right now I would be... looking out at the lush forested hills and the sea beyond from our village house in the Italian Maremma. It's a place to go brain-dead, which we all need occasionally.

You might not know this, but... I have a grandmother umpteen-times removed who was burnt as a witch in Guernsey in the 17th century!

I'm very fond of... a large blue and white Liverpool faience bowl from the mid-18th century. I bought it in pieces at the antique shop where I worked for my first job. I love the big menacing crow perched on a tree overlooking some gabled houses.

At The House Directory, I find it really satisfying... helping people source an item or service for which they've been looking for ages. And there's always a new shop or product to discover.

If money was no object I'd buy... a pied-a-terre in Rome. High ceilings essential.

My average day involves... juggling the school run, dog-walking and co-running The House Directory from my eyrie overlooking the garden. The usual hectic stuff of modern life.

My dinner party dish... would have to be our family favourite - an Egyptian dish called Molokhia. It's a green glutinous soup served with chicken and rice. Amazingly, guests really seem to like it
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I could spend hours browsing... The Interior Archive. It's a photo agency with a fantastic picture library specialising in interiors (www.interiorarchive.com)

Emily Jenkinson

31 January 2011