Katie Fontana, the co-founder and creative director of Plain English paints a picture of her life, work and inspirations.
I'm forever trailing round reclamation yards looking for a particular lock or loo seat. Frome Reclamation and Glastonbury Reclamation are my favourites.
Most people don't know I love classic cars. We have a few. My favourite to drive is a 1970 'pagoda'-roofed Mercedes. But I also love the blue 1929 Riley convertible I inherited from my father when he died.
I can be quite conservative in my taste. I like dark Elizabethan paintings, such as this one of Elizabeth I, part of the National Portrait Gallery collection on display at Montacute House in Somerset.
I grew up in a have-a-go-yourself household. My father built the bungalow that I was born in, in Writtle, Essex, and painted a wall of stars for my mother after she had seen a similar wallpaper they couldn't afford. He also designed and made this little table, which I still have.
Georgian architecture has a minimalist elegance. It does just enough, but not too much. I hope I do the same with Plain English. plainenglishdesign.co.uk
Elizabeth Gage jewellery is something I particularly covet. I would love to own one of her 'Templar' rings as I adore the shape.
I'm a fan of commissioning craftspeople, such as Polly Lyster, an artisan fabric dyer, and the basketmaker David Drew. The designer Jonathan Reed seeks out special things. He doesn't buy a set of china for a client: he commissions a potter.
When I'm designing, I'll often look at the book Mouldings & Turned Woodwork of the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries for its illustrations of architectural mouldings. If I ask myself, 'What would Christopher Wren have done?', this is where I find out.
