Ceramic artist Olivia Deblaere stems from the idyllic countryside of West Flanders in Belgium, but has certainly been able to call many places home through her extensive travel experiences. After gaining a passion and hobby in ceramics whilst living in London, Olivia saw the potential in starting her own business, and which eventually led her to move back to Belgium and open a studio dedicated to offering ceramic courses and housing her personal workspace, both of which have proven to be a success. When lockdown hit, Olivia embraced the opportunity to slow down, take advantage of the quieter and peaceful moments, and focus on changing the interiors of her studio to match her needs for future projects and plans.

Where is home for you?

I’ve been switching homes frequently over the last few years, from South-East Asia to the UK to Belgium. I mostly felt home quite quickly as to me home is not related to a specific place or city, but rather a state of mind, feeling and belonging of a place that gives you happiness, freedom and independence. A place where you can be yourself. At the moment, this is my home and studio in the countryside in Belgium, where I can find my true self and be creative.

What does your daily routine look like?

I am quite a chaotic person to be honest, but my first cup of coffee in the morning without any laptop or phone is a must. Truly the best moment of my day.

What’s the style of your home interiors?

Minimal with rustic elements of old vintage pieces. I love to collect pieces with a soul or story from local markets or collectors.

Where’s your favourite room/spot in your home and why?

That answer will always be my studio. To me it’s my safe messy place where I embrace the chaos and where my ideas come to life.

You’ve got a day to spend at home with no obligations or distractions. What would we find you doing?

I love to restore old furniture pieces and bring them back to life to its greater glory. It’s a whole process that can take a long time, but I love to spend my spare time on it. 

Lockdown caused everyone to spend more time at home than ever, which renewed everyone’s interest in their interiors and gardens. What design changes, if any, did you make to your home or wish you could have made to improve your home environment for this period?

I actually did not change any of my home’s interior, but I did completely change my studio to make it more efficient and cosy. I could endlessly change the interior of that place – no clue why, but I just love doing it.

What did you learn from spending so much time at home and what do you think we can all take away from this period?

My work is at home so for me nothing really changed, but I did take advantage of the calm moments that I now often miss. Days with no obligations or commitments and just see what the day brings. I just loved it! Now I try to slow down a bit as we tend to live too fast, but sometimes I find it hard to find that balance.

What exciting projects are you currently working on? What projects do you have in the pipeline?

I’m always working on different projects simultaneously as working on one project creates new projects and other ideas are coming alive. One of them is wall creations where I experiment with sand and minerals as textures. Very excited to share more of this soon.

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