Having previously featured in
House Beautiful s list of emerging female gardeners, find out more about Poppy Okotcha s modelling past and how she s become horticulture s newest rising star.
Poppy appears in Channel 4
• Poppy was born in London but grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. During her teenage years she moved back to the UK, spending time in the British countryside, and spent her early 20s in London.
• As a trained horticulturist and ecologically-focussed grower, Poppy s mission is to inspire people to engage with and connect to the natural world. She also advocates for those who are under-represented and marginalised in both horticulture and environmentalism. Whilst confirming her new TV slot via Instagram, Poppy reflected on why her casting is significant in addressing diversity in horticulture, writing:
Gen Zen - the modern way to create a calm interior
We could all do with a calmer, more relaxing new year – so why not start by creating rooms that speak as much to the soul as they do the eye
3 January 2021 • 6:00am
Rounded furniture brings a feeling of comfort and calm, as well as an artistic appeal and visual rhythm. Sofa, £2,295, coffee
table, £995, chair, £795,
and rug, £1,295, all Soho
Home (sohohome.com)
Credit: Soho Home
Go with the flow
Turn to ancient philosophies to help activate your inner Zen. The centuries-old practice of feng shui is centred around the belief that the specific arrangement of shapes can harness unseen energy. For example, try placing your desk in the centre of a room, or adjacent to a window, to stimulate productivity. ‘Avoid placing obstacles between the body and the point that your eye is drawn to,’ says architect Katie Robinson. ‘For example, I try not to put kitchen islands in a position that obstructs a through view from the