White Ikea base units in kitchen with recycled Iroko worktops and glass fronted black cabinet Cassandra Ellis is a New Zealander who loves London. She and her partner recently bought a south east London terraced house in Peckham 'its a fabulous diverse, vibrant area with lots of creative people' and proceeded to strip away up to 20 layers of paint, old wiring and plumbing and carefully replace the kitchen and bathroom, restore the original floorboards and bring the house up-to-date but keeping a lovely simplicity. Cassandra always worked in the corporate marketing world but having made quilts as a hobby for some years she decided to make it a business. These are not ordinary quilts, many are made in collaboration with people who bring their own treasures and memories in the way of different fabrics or pieces of clothing and Cassandra adds her own textures and patterns and ever evolving unique designs to create completely one-off works of art. She teaches in various locations and also makes lampshades and cushions for Liberty of London. Her house is a good example of pared-down simplicity, still comfortable but a long way from minimal.
