Right in the heart of London's Marylebone, in a converted pub, jewellery and ceramics designer, Anna Jewsbury has curated a calming, contemporary sanctuary where her family can escape the chaos of city life. We caught up with the artistic director of Completedworks on her brand vision, favourite artworks and what makes a house a home.

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Where do you live and how long have you lived here? 
I live in Marylebone. I moved into a flat around the corner from here in 2014 and then into this house in 2020.

How would you describe your home? 
Understated with a focus on interesting materials and textures, without letting anything be too overpowering. 

Do you share it with anyone - including pets? 
My husband, Hassan Damluji, and our two young children, Rafi and Maia. 

How did you go about furnishing the space? 
My approach was to fill the space with pieces that I loved and not worry too much about perfectly coordinating or overthinking anything. I also like when the interior isn’t static. I like to move things around and try new arrangements so that the space is always evolving.

What’s your favourite detail about your home?
My favourite room is the open plan living space. It has these huge windows across two sides of the room and I think the way the light comes in throughout the day is one of the reasons I fell in love with the house when I first saw it. It articulates different areas of the room at different times of the day. 

What was the last piece of art you bought, or ogled? 
A painting called Gestural Involvement With Others by Sian Costello.

Would you say your interior aesthetic and your design aesthetic are the same? 
I think the connection comes in that both are an expression of me, of how I’m feeling, just on a different scale. I was reading an article recently about the way writers use interior details to furnish us with insights into their characters. And I think that really sums it up. People’s personal spaces can reveal a lot about them. Maybe not so much the individual pieces but the way they bring it all together. 

With my interiors I’ve ended up with something quite raw, eclectic and unfussy with small deliberate details - I like it when you enter a room and your eyes want to dance around and wherever they land there is something interesting or beautiful to look at. With my collections, it’s a similar aim - I’m always trying to create something classic, and unfussy but with subversive undertones, something a little strange or left-of-centre. I think there is more longevity to approaching design in this way. 

What was your route into design and how did you begin Completedworks? 
I’ve always been obsessed with beautiful objects from a young age, but it was while I was studying Maths and Philosophy at university that I decided I wanted a platform to explore ideas that interested me, creating a new visual language and way of thinking. 

Working on a smaller scale, as you do with jewellery, has a certain intimacy to it. An idea may be all-encompassing, but by channelling it into a piece of jewellery, people get the opportunity to engage, question and form an emotional attachment to it. Now that we’ve added ceramics and glassware too, I’m enjoying the opportunity to experiment with similar themes but on a slightly larger scale. 

What’s the vision behind Completedworks and how would you describe the brand? 
The vision is to create beautiful and enduring pieces that we hope will ultimately change the cultural landscape in some small positive way. There’s always a consideration for materials at the forefront too - with each collection we’re working to prioritise recycled, upcycled and renewable materials across everything we do. 

In your opinion, what makes a house a home? 
I think a house becomes a home when it’s a space that you can feel calm and safe in. 

What is your favourite home away from home? 
Yorkshire, where I spent my childhood. I didn’t really appreciate it when I was younger but the landscape is so breathtaking. We used to go for walks in the hills around a reservoir and now when I go back I can get so much inspiration there. It’s a really calming environment, even though it can sometimes be quite hostile - on the moors little grows. The thing about nature is that you can never understand it at a fixed moment in time which I really love. Landscapes are fluid, water flows. 

What’s the most surprising thing we’d find if we looked in your closet? 
I have a Charles Jourdan briefcase that was my mum’s from the ‘80s. It’s still in perfect condition. I think I’ve only ever used it once or twice but I just love it as an object and like to imagine her walking around with it. 

What three people (living or passed) would be your dream dinner party guests? 
Georgia O’Keefe, Louise Bourgeois and Charlotte Perriand - each of these are strong independent women who were ahead of their time. 

What books do you have on your bookshelves? Any favourites? 
I’m currently working my way through Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, and re-reading my husband’s book The Responsible Globalist.

What do you always have in your fridge? 
Snacks for the kids, leftovers and various types of cheese. 

Favourite thing about your neighbourhood/where you live? 
There’s always something new to discover, whether it be at the antique stores around the corner, the latest exhibition at Lisson Gallery or Archive Bookstore - a tiny place filled with second-hand books. 

What’s your favourite restaurant and what do you eat there? 
Sushi Murasaki. Their miso aubergine is really special. 

Last thing you had delivered to your house/apartment? 
We just had a new bed frame delivered from Copenhagen, made from a Douglas Fir. I’d wanted it for so long so I’m really excited to unpack and install it - just need to find the time! 

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Photography: Jonathan Middleton
Words: Sophy Davis Russell
Styling: Sally Bottomley
Production: George Stead

 

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