10 Mins With Sally Faye

From fashion and style to her home interiors Sally Faye rocks all black everything.

A fashion and beauty illustrator, Instagrammer (@sally_faye) and author of All Black Everything - an illustrated guide on how to wear black, the last year has been huge for Sally Faye.

Living in beautiful Shrewsbury, Sally Faye was kind enough to invite us to her stunning Georgian Property that she and her partner, James, bought as a disused office three years ago which they have carefully restored and made their own. A stunning home that spreads over five floors, it's not hard to tell who lives there with plenty of black accents, style and beautiful illustrations.

So as lovers of the dark side, we stopped by to visit the lovely Sally Faye to find out more about her renovation process, her business and her favourite Rockett St George Products.

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1. Let’s start at the very beginning. Tell us about yourself?

I’m Sally Faye, a full-time illustrator from the UK that works predominantly in fashion & beauty. I have a growing passion for interiors that has developed over the past few years while we have been renovating our Georgian townhouse, a love for fashion and a wardrobe that is 95% black.

I am also the author of All Black Everything - an illustrated guide on how to wear back, my first book which was released at the end of last year.

 

2. You are a fashion and beauty illustrator. Has this always been your career goal? What originally inspired your exciting career choice?

I have always wanted to be able to draw every day. It’s the only thing I felt confident in when I was growing up and I’ve always loved getting creative. My degree is actually in printed textiles for fashion and it was during my second year that I really fell in love with fashion illustration.

 

Modern Black & Brass Pendulum Clock £90.00, Unframed Abstract Standing Lady Sketch Drawing Art Print - Femininity £50.00

 

3. You’ve written your first book; ‘All Black Everything’ - congratulations! Tell us a little about the book and why you wrote it?

Thank you! All Black Everything is an illustrated guide on how to wear All Black 365 days of the year. It was illustrated and written by myself and designed and published by The Curious Agency.

I had wanted to create an illustrated book for a few years now so there’s been an idea niggling away for a while. The theme all black had crept in as my personal style evolved and my illustration style had become more recognisable. It seemed like quite a natural path to go down although it did take over a year to create.

 

4. It’s no secret that you love the colour black - we do too! Why do you think that it’s such a uniquely timeless and versatile colour?

It just never fails. It always makes you feel exactly how you want to whether that’s sexy, confident, classy or like a bad ass rock chick, I don’t think any other colour can do that.

 

Cute Cheetah Vase £120.00, Midas Bar Stool £145.00, Black Brown Terracotta Casserole Dish - Large £50.00, Ibride Animal Tray - Galerie De Portraits oval Tray - The Lovebirds £55.00, Carlos Face Vase £45.00, Amber Recycled Glass Storage Jar - Loot £16.00, Amber Recycled Glass Storage Jar - Stash £16.00, Amber Recycled Glass Storage Jar - Pills £16.00

 

5. Tell us about your home? What is it like? How have you incorporated sexy black into your home décor.

Our home is still a bit of a work in progress. It’s a Georgian townhouse that was built in 1830. We are three years into renovating it from offices back into a residential property. There was no kitchen or bathroom when we moved in, no central heating, layers and layers of wood chip, awful office carpets and strip lighting to remove. Now the important jobs are done we’re finally on to the fun part!

Black features in most of the rooms throughout the house. Our dressing room is the only room I felt brave enough to put black on the walls, everywhere else has accents of black whether it’s a lamp or velvet stool and there’s always a selection of black candles to burn.

 

Large Pink Faux Monstera House Plant £50.00, Peace Vase - Eyes Closed With Gold Lips £36.00, Peace Vase - Eyes Open With Gold Lips Vase £46.00

 

6. If you could have one piece of furniture or designer homeware item, what would it be?

A black four poster bed!

 

Grape Vine Velvet Cushion £55.00, Glorious Velvet Cushion - Khaki Green £32.00, Summer Flowers Velvet Cushion £55.00, Cotton Pom Pom Blanket 200x300cm - Black With Natural Pom Poms £145.00, Glass Side Table with Leather Detail £235.00, White Glass Globe Angled Floor Lamp With Marble Base £270.00, Modern Black & Brass Pendulum Clock £90.00, Rockett St George Scented Candle - After The Disco £34.00

 

7. Is there anything in your home that you would like to change or renovate this year?

We’ve got more work to do in the cellar and two rooms at the top of the house that need some TLC. Once all the messy work is complete I would love to get the decorators in as I’ve done all of the stripping and painting myself so far and as much as I find it really therapeutic it would be lovely to see everything finished off perfectly.

 

8. What should no home be without?

Greenery (real or faux). And a dog!

 

Yes Or No Glamourous Beaded Double Sided Cushion £120.00, Glorious Velvet Cushion - Slate Grey £22.00 (Similar Look), Sexy Blink Glamourous Beaded Cushion £95.00, Sexy Brass Legs Candle Holder £90.00, Bengal Black & Natural Cotton Rug £150.00, Faux Monstera Jungle Plant £36.00, Black Brown Terracotta Jug - Large £32.00, Rockett St George Sexy Snakeskin Velvet Cushion £35.00

 

9. What’s next for Sally Faye?

The print shop will be going live next month. I’ve also just started my #girlaboutfashion series of illustrations which has been really fun to work on and I can definitely see another book in the making.

 

Black Bamboo Chair With Velvet Seat Pad £160.00, Apothecary Style Brown Storage Bottle - Available in 3 Sizes From £8.00, Rockett St George Scented Candle - After The Disco £34.00

 

10. Finally, name three Rockett St George products that you love?

The Large Pink Faux Monstera House Plant, the Peace Vase - Eyes Closed With Gold Lips and Eyes Open With Gold Lips and the Pink Bubblegum Queen Portrait Canvas.

 

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Quick Fire Questions

1. I am happiest when… walking the dogs.
2. My favourite magazine is… it's probably not a magazine. My go-to for inspiration is Pinterest and Instagram.
3. My dream holiday would be… South of France.
4. My ideal day would be spent…. probably what we do on a Saturday. So get up have coffee, take the dogs out and then go out for breakfast with my partner.
5. My personal motto is… "Do what you love and do a lot of it" - Marc Jacobs.
6. My guilty pleasure is… George Ezra!
7. The last film I saw was… it was actually a TV series - the last episode of Game of Thrones.
8. My favourite book is… All Black Everything, of course... lol!
9. In five years’ time, I want to be… writing my second book.
10. The three things I can’t live without are… my dogs, my boyfriend and food.