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My Top Instagram Finds of 2020

December 30, 2020 Rebekah Killigrew Inspiration & Resources

Welcome to a round-up of my favourite insta finds of 2020!

From architects and home interior accounts, to informative news sources and thoughtful podcasts, there’s a variety of accounts that piqued my interest.

It’s been a difficult year and there are still challenges ahead, but I wanted to end with a positive blog post, and to share some of the Instagram accounts that have genuinely brought me joy, provided useful information and much-needed inspiration.

A close-up of an Instagram post from my own feed @rebekahkilligrew

Some of the wonderful people behind the accounts featured in this list have kindly contributed some personal moments of joy from their year, which I hope will act as reminders that there were some posi vibes in 2020.

@rona_renovation

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A post shared by Nads & Juls (@rona_renovation)

Nads and Juls brought a fresh new vibe to the insta home community this year with their renovation of a Victorian terrace in South London, which began just as the pandemic hit. Their account is mainly run by Nads, whose detailed updates, laid-back vibe and megawatt smile bring nothing but joy, though rare appearances from a seemingly unenthused Juls (whose smile equally matches Nads), adds to the magic of their chemistry and humour. Though they are still in the hard-graft phase, we are starting to get a peek at their classic, minimal and carefully-considered interior style.

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A post shared by Nads & Juls (@rona_renovation)

Nads says: “In a year of absolute madness, I have to admit it’s also been a year of wins and moments I’ll never forget. Standing in a long supermarket queue back in April, wondering if I’ll be able to get my hands on some toilet roll, our solicitor called to confirm we had completed on our very first home – delighted hardly covers it! I think the pandemic really toughened us up and put a lot into perspective. I felt so lucky to be a homeowner in such uncertain times. People always DM to ask me how we’ve stayed so upbeat throughout our crazy ‘rona renovation and it’s because we quickly realised what a luxury it actually is to be in this position as the world goes into meltdown. Yes it’s dirty, expensive and inconvenient and yes the pandemic has made it tougher. But ultimately I get to create my dream home with someone I love and that is nothing short of a blessing!”

@join.the.flock

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A post shared by The Flock (@join.the.flock)

The Flock magazine is a “digital space for women who rise” that was founded by journalist Jennifer Crichton; it’s a uniquely ad-free news site with thoughtful and relevant stories. Covering a variety of topics and featuring diverse contributors, it’s aimed at modern and mindful women with a thirst for stories and ideas that challenge. Their Instagram feed features informative info-graphics that prompt you to their website – I particularly like their weekly roundups: Tuesdays for “5 good news stories” (designed to bring some positivity to a day that research suggests is the most depressing day of the week), and Sundays for a summary of the stories you need to know about for that week.

Jennifer Crichton, founder and editor of www.flockmag.com

Jennifer says: “For all the chaos and anxiety (so much anxiety), being asked to look back on 2020 makes me smile. The Flock started when I lost a year’s worth of work and needed a focus, and ends the year having won a start-up award, grant funding and UN Women recognition – not bad for a kitchen table project. But really, what this year taught me was to trust again – to trust myself, and to trust others. As a single mum, my partner moving in at the start of the first lockdown was a big, terrifying step, but he threw himself into the role of step-dad with enthusiasm, joy and so much laughter. It’s been a terrible year for so many reasons and one I’ll always look back on with no small amount of confusion and rage. But on balance? The love and support I’ve found this year outweighs the bad many times over, and for that, I’ll always remember 2020 fondly.”

@mixedup.podcast

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A post shared by Mixed Up Podcast (@mixedup.podcast)

This year was a heavy one when it came to discussions around racism and systems of oppression. There were many days where I felt so upset, angry and frustrated about the conversations I was seeing and hearing in the digital space – as well as the deafening silence. As a mixed race woman, I also found myself often confused about my own voice and where I fell in the conversations, as well as confused about how I actually felt.

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A post shared by Mixed Up Podcast (@mixedup.podcast)

Then, the Mixed Up podcast was launched in July by Emma Slade Edmondson and Nicole Ocran, both mixed race “multi-hyphenate millennials”. Suddenly I was listening to conversations around race and identity that I could relate to, and I felt seen and so relieved. Hosts Emma and Nicole, along with their diverse roster of guests, cut through all the noise, and articulated so many thoughts that had been swirling around my mind. However, this podcast isn’t just for mixed race individuals, it’s for anyone with an interest in the mixed race experience and I particularly think it’s a great resource for parents of mixed race children. It has been a true comfort to me throughout this year and I hope it long continues.

You can check out the final episode of Mixed Up season 1 here.

If you would like to support the Mixed Up podcast please visit their Patreon.

“We have taken so much joy in 2020 from hearing back from our ‘Mixed Up’ community that they have felt supported, seen and heard through the making of the podcast. These messages fill our hearts with joy.” – Emma & Nicole, Mixed Up podcast hosts

@home.style.interior

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A post shared by TANYA (@home.style.interior)

With a much-lusted after home interior and an incredible eye for design, Tanya, the style force behind @home.style.interior, always showcases beautiful quality finishes on her feed coupled with practical and resourceful DIY ideas on her stories. Her impeccable taste can been seen throughout all of her room renovations, the most recent of which has been a stunning kitchen update.

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A post shared by TANYA (@home.style.interior)

Tanya says: “I had my second son in February at home just before lockdown so I’m amongst so many others who have really struggled to deal with not being able to experience all the amazing things with your newborn and introducing him to our family. I’ve had so much time in the house and have begun to really appreciate what we’ve achieved over a long renovation process. All I’ve wanted is to create a beautiful home for us to enjoy and be comfortable in and throughout renovating, it’s hard to see the end result especially when you have faced many obstacles.Having the house nearly complete is the best feeling in these times and seeing the children finally being able to move freely especially as my first son was born into a full on building site!”

@plywood_and_plants

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A post shared by @plywood_and_plants

As you’d expect from the Instagram handle, plywood and plants feature heavily on this home interior account, run by couple Mel and Mark. However you will also find pleasing bare surfaces – think cement floors and plaster walls – carefully crafted design pieces, and black statement features, which all come together and elevate this mid-century bungalow into a truly special family home.

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A post shared by @plywood_and_plants

Mel says: “2020 certainly helped us to appreciate what we have as a family. Like so many people, we both lead busy lives working full time, bringing up 2 young boys away from family due to our relocation, and juggling a renovation! Lock down gave us time to slow down and enjoy being a family together, we even made a start on our garden, which was a building site until Easter 20. It’s nothing too special, but having a quiet and safe open space for our boys to play in became a haven we were so grateful for. It made us realise how happy we were just being together and how much we had achieved. Plus, the fairy lights look great outside at this time of year!”

@annaphilipldn

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A post shared by Anna Philip London (@annaphilipldn)

Anna Philip London is a simply gorgeous lifestyle brand offering luxurious natural care products and beautifully made homeware and jewellery. Their vegan-friendly range of body oils smell incredible and their glow butter is a deliciously dreamy pick-me-up for your skin.

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A post shared by Anna Philip London (@annaphilipldn)

“Our highlight of the year was being a little team of three and seeing hundreds of orders come through between black Friday and Christmas, being totally overwhelmed for about three minutes but then the whole team coming together and getting everything out the door. It was amazing and wrapped up by a surprise feature in Telegraph Luxury alongside the likes of Oswald Boateng! Overall, our joy this 2020 is our little team.” – Funke, founder of Anna Philip London

@plumandcrumble

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A post shared by plumandcrumble (@plumandcrumble)

Sherez and Tom, the duo behind @plumandcrumble, are a young couple who fully renovated a Plumstead townhouse, making an appearance on George Clarke’s Old House New House. Recently, they have moved out of London and purchased an idyllic Grade 2 listed cottage in East Leicestershire. This next project will be a long-term renovation with big extension plans in the future. Their last house featured bright colour pops, contrasting textures and a contemporary feel, so I’m excited to see how the interiors come together in a very different property – Sherez has already hinted at a more traditional, country style for their new abode, albeit with their own unique twist.

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A post shared by plumandcrumble (@plumandcrumble)

Sherez says: “In 2020, Tom and I traded in life in the city for a cottage in the countryside. 2020 taught us both more than any other – it taught us the great pleasures of life. Being outdoors, lying in, home cooked food, working in slippers, phoning friends, keeping fit, looking out for strangers, and being a short enough drive away to leave hot coffees on your parents’ doorstep. It’s been a strange and special year in equal measure, giving us the little push we needed to do something we’ve both always wanted to do. I hope between the sadness 2020 has brought us all, it has brought joy too. I believe we’re all better people because of it. 2020 will be over soon but now we’ve shown kindness to our neighbours, started to educate ourselves on black heritage, appreciated the hard work of previously unsung heroes and shown we can reduce our carbon footprint, even when this year is done, and science shows us a way out of the crisis, so much to be proud of will remain.”

@hattiekolp

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A post shared by HATTIE👒 (@hattiekolp)

Hattie is a New Yorker through and through, and for an English village dweller like me, her account is such a cool escape to one of my favourite cities (I’ve visited NYC once before). The décor in her pre-war apartment on the Upper West Side is divine, and her street-style stories make you feel like you are there too – plus she always seems to have such interesting backstories. If you love NYC, beautiful buildings and classic interiors, Hattie is your woman.

@vatraa_architecture

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A post shared by VATRAA (@vatraa_architecture)

I discovered interior design and architecture practice VATRAA via Instagram’s’ explore page and was stunned by a project of theirs featuring plaster walls and other raw design elements. I went on to find more of their fresh and exciting work via their website and interviewed co-founder Anamaria Pircu for this blog, as well as working with them on a feature for Interior Designer magazine. Founded by Anamaria and Bogdan Rusu, VATRAA have offices based in London and Bucharest, and their unique and multi-skilled eye for design (they also create bespoke joinery objects and offer a lighting design service) make them a fascinating studio to follow.

The Ex-Council House project by VATRAA

Anamaria says: “With 2020 coming to an end we look back at the difficulties we’ve all been through but also at our achievements, and are grateful for the lovely people we’ve had the opportunity to work with. The Ex-Council House Project has been a great success, and this is only due to the amazing people on the project and their collaboration and determination to work it out through the delays and complications caused by the pandemic. I think this year has shown many such moments, where teams around the world came together to help each other in times of need, and give a boost of confidence when one was down. We are thankful to have been part of this and to have had the opportunity of building such beautiful relationships. We’re looking at 2021 with great enthusiasm! A New Year filled with new goals, new opportunities for projects and collaborations, and a more open appreciation for the people around us and the spaces we live in.” www.vatraa.com

@byvickysmith

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A post shared by Vicky Smith (@byvickysmith)

Journalist and blogger Vicky Smith serves up daily doses of information on current affairs and breaking news in a way that is easily digestible. She breaks down the news into small chunks on her stories and links to reliable sources, always keeping a neutral view and delivering facts over opinions and conspiracies. I’ve only witnessed her breaking her neutral tone once to call-out the ridiculousness of Donald Trump’s claims around the US election, of course. Vicky has been my go-to account for when the news got overwhelming this year and I needed some clarity.

And that’s my round-up of some of my favourite new Instagram finds of 2020! Who have you discovered this year? Who else should I be following? Do let me know.

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Welcome.

Texture & Space is a blog that explores creative spaces and places with a focus on the resources and stories that make them unique.

Hello.

Hi – my name is Rebekah, and I am a writer and editor.

I created this blog to share my love of spaces that ooze texture and to highlight diverse stories of work and home.

The common theme running throughout this blog is the importance of the environments we live in and my belief that any space can be viewed as a beautiful and desirable place to be.

Aside from blogging, I can usually be found editing magazines for my day job, chugging down coffee or getting snacks for my toddler.

Thanks for stopping by.

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rebekahkilligrew

rebekahkilligrew
PJs on at 16:45. Double snow-day exhaustion ❄️ PJs on at 16:45. Double snow-day exhaustion ❄️
2 mins at the park and “Mummy, I’m cold, I wan 2 mins at the park and “Mummy, I’m cold, I want to go home.” My sweet, dreaming of warmer days ☀️
New phone, new phone case, red lipstick - who dis? New phone, new phone case, red lipstick - who dis?

Don’t be fooled by the cute stories of time with my daughter and careful edits of my home, I’ve cried with anxiety and frustration just like you, I’ve sent over-thought essays to my family & friends, and I’ve said irrational things to Tom on the regular - and if you find us post-lunchtime, don’t even bother. 

I don’t have any advice (how annoying is advice right now?😂), but sending love to all 💋❤️
#TransformationTuesday because I don’t have the #TransformationTuesday because I don’t have the energy for anything more meaningful 😅

The kitchen is done. Well, sort of - out of shot the pantry door needs to go back on and the sockets need final fix. I’m also still on the hunt for an aesthetically pleasing kettle and toaster, but don’t hold your breath because it took me four years to find a dining plate that I liked. It’s likely we will be living with our cheap reno-kettle (which I thought died on two occasions) for the foreseeable. But, the kitchen is done 🎉 

#houseoftexture #kitchenmakeover #diykitchens
New Years Day ✨ We had such an amazing time last New Years Day ✨ We had such an amazing time last night; stayed up until midnight to hear the chimes, Tom finished off a bottle of Baileys whilst Lula & I danced the night away in the kitchen blasting our fave tunes....just kidding. Tom & I were in bed before 9pm, and Lula decided to wake up at 4:30am and wouldn’t go back to sleep even when we let her in our bed, and we’ve been doing princess puzzles since 5am. Start as you mean to go on! Come at me 2021 ✌🏾
Mismatched dining situ making me very happy 😆 A Mismatched dining situ making me very happy 😆 All furniture sourced on eBay and Facebook Marketplace 🙌🏾 

#houseoftexture #ebayfinds #facebookmarketplace
can’t let go, won’t let go ❤️ #tuesdays can’t let go, won’t let go ❤️ #tuesdays
Christmas miracles do happen folks. After 4 months Christmas miracles do happen folks. After 4 months of patiently waiting, our new sofa has been unwrapped! Let’s not talk about Lula already smudging ice-cream fingers on it (she was nearly turfed out on Christmas Day) ✨

#houseoftexture #minimalinteriors #neutralhome
So I bought this jumper for Tom but I think we alw So I bought this jumper for Tom but I think we always knew where it was headed, and it’s a rather, err, snug fit on me 🤰🏽 I bought a matching one for Lula and I tried to get her to wear it so we could do a cute Xmas photo but she said she only wears it with Daddy 🤷🏽‍♀️ At the beginning of the year I didn’t see myself right where I am now: wet bun, preggo, exhausted, and shunned by my offspring, but that’s where we are at folks 😂 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas full of good roast potatoes (start managing those expectations now!) 👽
Ladz, some progress 🙌🏾 Swipe to see how we Ladz, some progress 🙌🏾

Swipe to see how we got here 😅 the penultimate photo is a temp makeover I did back in April, and the last photo is how it looked when we first moved in 🤗 

#transformationtuesday #limewashpaint #chimneybreast #houseoftexture
Some of my recent editorial work 🤓 I’ve some Some of my recent editorial work 🤓

I’ve somehow managed to edit 3 magazines AND 3 yearbooks in the last 3 months, all crammed into a 3 day working week. 

My brain has been exploding; I’ve read/proofed/edited a ridiculous amount of emails/articles/releases, but I’m so proud of what I’ve managed to achieve and I’ve put a lot of focus on including more diversity within each publication - and let me tell you, it’s hard work seeking out interior designers and architects from under-represented and minority backgrounds. Help!

2 more working days to go and then I have a few weeks off. Obviously I’ll be complaining about being bored within a week 😅

#editorialwork #interiordesignermagazine #architecturemagazine
A much needed day with my cute lil fam 🥰 We dee A much needed day with my cute lil fam 🥰 We deep cleaned the house and then decided to take Rambo on THE muddiest walk 🤦🏽‍♀️ why tho?
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