Sophie Conran: life as a design-dynasty scion

What was it like growing up in such an artistic household?

My dad founded Habitat in 1964, but my mum was instrumental in setting up the company, so they discussed all the products that came into the house. We didn’t really notice it, but it was a fantastic education. My brother Tom and I used to appear in the catalogue shoots in the 1970s and artist friends of my parents would always be dropping in.

By ‘artist friends’, do you mean the likes of Francis Bacon and Eduardo Paolozzi?

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Yes. Eduardo was around a lot and often came for Christmas. I was slightly scared of him because he was very big and hairy. He was funny, too, and often played pranks – there was always a lot of laughter when he was around. Francis was a very different character. I remember him once getting completely sozzled at lunch and stuffing a £20 note into my brother’s hand because he thought he was a cute waiter.

One year, we went on holiday with David Hockney. He was lovely, with such a generous spirit. Paul Kasmin, one of Dad’s greatest friends, had a gallery on Cork Street and his kids were the same age as us. They rented a château in the Dordogne when I was about seven. David came along and set up a little studio and I used to go and draw with him. There are photos of us together, me concentrating really hard, both of us with white hair.

Were you an outgoing child or an observer?

I have several loud brothers, but I was quite quiet. I once got annoyed on a boisterous car journey and decided not to talk. ‘I’ll show them!’ I thought. I was silent for ages, but nobody even noticed – my silent campaign didn’t really work.

You learnt about food from your mother. Did she teach you to cook?

She used to freelance for The Sunday Times and Nova as well as writing cookbooks. On holidays and at weekends, we’d go off to Spitalfields or search out Italian delis. Once home, I’d chop garlic or set the table. Food was very different back in the 1970s. Avocados were a real luxury and I couldn’t believe it when my parents bought a mango back from India. How could something so delicious exist?

How has your knowledge of cookery informed the design of your homewares?

I love cooking and I love kitchenware. I like things that work well but also look good. The truth is, I’ve rather selfishly been designing things for myself.

Where do you find inspiration?

Often in nature. The smoothness of the stones on the fossil beach in Lyme Regis was something I wanted to recreate in our cutlery range. A field of vivid yellow buttercups is a thing of great joy to me and that might translate into yellow tableware or napkins that are the same intense hue. At the same time, you don’t want colour to always dominate design – I don’t like shouty things with too much bling – but I hope my homeware gives people a moment of pleasure in their day.

Your kitchen is painted bright pink – is that because it makes you happy?

Very. Colour is a mood-enhancer. The Victorians painted their dining rooms red because it makes you more energetic, chatty and passionate. Some Japanese businessmen visited me once and got quite hysterical while sitting in my very pink kitchen; they turned up in suits, all serious, but within minutes were giggling uncontrollably. It was totally charming.

Which designers do you most admire?

Charles and Ray Eames. Ray had an amazing vivacity – she was always looking at colour and shape, and collected random things such as buttons or bales of twine. Charles made medical splints out of moulded plywood during the war, which later transferred into the organic shapes of their designs. I like the fact they came from two different disciplines.

SOPHIE CONRAN is part of a super-creative family: father Terence is a designer and restaurateur, mother Caroline is a food writer, and her brothers, Sebastian, Jasper, Tom and Ned, are variously involved in design and restaurants. Her extensive homeware range is available at sophieconran.com