After the birth of her second son in 2015, Fiona Galley switched from her in-house journalist role to a freelance one, contributing to titles such as Modern Gardens, Ideal Home Christmas, goodto.com, Candis and idealhome.co.uk. Before that, she was the Lifestyle Editor at Essentials magazine, where she wrote about everything from food and fashion to books and gardens, but home interiors were what gladdened her heart the most, and still do.
Her childhood passions – creative writing and constantly styling her bedroom – led her to an inevitable career in interiors journalism, which has spanned almost 20 years. That’s how long she’s been styling up her own home (as well as her friends!), writing about other peoples and trawling through interiors websites, be it to source a doppelganger of a designer lamp or to pull together a collection of on-trend rattan chairs. Her longevity in the field has earned her credence, particularly if you’re after savvy but chic brands and buys, styling tips and practical advice.
Ideal Home Truths
Where’s your happy place?
In bed! Accompanied, not by my husband (insert hands over eyes emoji here!) but by a mug of tea, cosy pyjamas, a scented candle and a pile of interior magazines.
What’s your home addiction?
I have two. The first is plants, because they are good for your mind as well as your interiors. Life is busy though, so they need to be almost-impossible-to-kill, so I invariably opt for the safe but stylish options, such as Snake Plants, Swiss Cheese Plants and Devil’s Ivy. The second is art – but not the spendy stuff - I’m talking purse-happy posters that can be framed and hung to add instant colour and charisma to a space.
What is your next home project?
Our box room has twice been a nursery but is now a spare room encompassing a day bed, chest of drawers and….a vacuum cleaner. When time’s on my side, I’ll be transforming it with some clever storage and a wow wallpaper, creating a room that will deliver on both pretty and practical levels.
