Curator Natasha Landers’ art-filled London home

A self-described rebel takes us through her bold Victorian terrace, where art, lockers and colour collide.

If there’s one thing that Natasha Landers’ East London home might tell you, it’s this: good things take time.

Originally purchased in the year 2000, it’s been a work in progress for 26 years and counting. “I guess it will never be finished, because there is always something to do,” Natasha tells us. “My favourite update changes with whatever I did last.”

For the interior designer and art curator, colour is more than decoration. It’s a way of life. “I couldn’t imagine a home without colour. I always credit my mum with my confidence and love of colour. My family home is full of it.”

Outside the lines

Natasha’s home today is a celebration of colour, from the red grout peeking through the bathroom tile, to the expanse of sunny yellow rubber flooring in the kitchen. But this is no paint-by-numbers home. “I don’t follow the rules,” Natasha says. “I’m rebellious, and like challenging the norms.” A perfect example can be found in her living room, where colour blocking gets an unexpected treatment. “The conventional way of doing this was probably to paint the chimney breast or feature wall a different colour. Instead I colour blocked across the ceiling and the floor. Lines that started on the wall went across the shutters and the door.” The result is a home that’s as surprising as it is joyful.

Art imitates life

It’s clear that colour is a main character in this home, but art is the co-star. The walls of every room are studded with Natasha’s collection, curated over a lifetime of sourcing. “It’s an intentional curation, deliberately eclectic but with purpose,” she says. What started as instinct has now become a career – Natasha is the founder of The Lemon Seed Project, turning her home into a gallery space supporting emerging artists.

“I pick these pieces because I am intentional about having art that reflects me and that I can see myself in. I recently bought a piece entitled Don’t Touch My Hair by a young new artist called Croix. As a black woman, I resonated with this painting. I have had to navigate a world where white people who are fascinated by the texture of my hair, without permission, try to put their hands in my hair. Wild behaviour! And not uncommon for black women to experience this.”

The art of curating

Natasha’s advice for anyone looking to start their own art collection is simple. “Go to craft fairs and markets,” she says. “A lot of artists start selling there. You can often pick up original pieces or limited editions at really reasonable prices.” As for what to choose? That’s even simpler. “Buy things that you love, and speak to your heart.”

Underground ideas

One of Natasha’s favourite features of her home is the copper pipe light installation in the kitchen, loosely inspired by the London Underground map and custom-made by the underfloor heating engineer who was installing the kitchen heating.

“The conversation went like this,” Natasha says. “Me: ‘You work with pipes, do you think you could do this?’ I handed him a crude drawing. Him: ‘Say less.’ He was amazing. I tried to convince him we should go into business making them, but it was a one-off for him.”

Extra Mustard

With pops of warm, Mustard yellow appearing throughout Natasha’s home, Mustard is the obvious choice for storage. Natasha bought her first Mustard locker - a Skinny in Mustard - many years ago. “I love my lockers,” she says. “Even though I live in a house, there is not a lot of built in storage so they are so important.” In her kitchen, a pair of Skinnys house cleaning products, mops and a hoover. Upstairs, another houses bed linens while The Shorty brings a pop of colour to the bedside.

Seeing red

The latest update in Natasha’s home is a bathroom refresh with a playful colour palette. What started as an avocado green room with bamboo shelves (“a nod to my aunt’s 70s bathroom”) harnessed the power of a red accent for a bold, vibrant result. Powder blue walls, atomic red woodwork and a roll top bath in rich green are complemented by a metal cabinet and a Shorty in Poppy. “The biggest wow factor was colouring the grout lines with a red grout pen. I’m so happy with the outcome.”

It’s personal

Natasha’s home is a reminder that your home should reflect who you are. There is an unmistakable energy here, with expression and creativity plain to see. That’s just as Natasha intends it: “My house, like me, is a take me as I am attitude.”