After showing us around her antique-filled flat in a mews street in Brockley, south-east London, hairstylist Cyndia Harvey shares her house style.

How would you describe the interiors of your house?
A dance, a rhythm, a physical output of a space in my mind.

If you could only save one thing, what would it be?
Having been somewhat itinerant for most of my life I believe more in letting go than holding on.

What was the last thing you bought for the house?
Plants.

They
just don’t survive here for very long. I’m not sure if it’s me or the
conditions in my flat. My space is bright but only pockets of direct sunlight
beams through – a beautiful etendue but a plant killer.

Top three coffee table books?
Rotimi Fani-Kayode Photographs, Malick Sidibé: Chemises, Gordon Parks: Collected Works

If money was no object, what changes would you make?
I’d buy the flat above me so I could have really tall ceilings and a mezzanine. But that’s just a thought; I have what I need.

You’re having people over for dinner: what do you cook?
Endless possibilities…

My love
language is definitely food and I’m very extra with it. I have multiple paella
pans, multiple tajine pots and I could go on. I love making foods from all over
the world with the methods and tools as would be used locally.

What does a Sunday here look like?
After my morning routine (which can sometimes be as simple as prolonging that dream state just before you’re fully alert), I start the day off with music, always.

My partner lives for music. We make breakfast with a few interval moments of a dance routine. We eat, listen to Sunday Sermon by @janayathefuture and other words that feed you. The sentiment of Sunday for me is a day of no expectations and sometimes my Sunday happens on a Tuesday.

What are the best things about the neighbourhood?
The abundance of green space that circles my flat and my proximity to some of the best Jamaican food in South London.

Across
London there are many vibrant Jamaican communities and the wiser I get with age
the more I yearn to feel closer to home. A really good oxtail, rice and peas
meal for me is like being in my grandad’s arms… lasting comfort.

How long will you be here for?
I have no imminent plans to move.

I’m a
south London girl through and through. Many of my closest friends live nearby,
some of whom I’ve been friends with since I was 11 years old. I have my
community here, personally and externally. It’s reassuringly familiar and I
like that.