Fresh and Clean: A London Chef Lives the Way She Cooks - Remodelista
London chef, stylist, and vegetarian cookbook author Anna Jones wants to change the way we eat. Photography by Jonathan Gooch for Remodelista. In her recently published first cookbook, A Modern Way to Eat, Jones, one of Jamie Oliver’s original apprentices at his restaurant Fifteen, offers nourishing, tasty, and quick recipes for people with busy lifestyles. Anna Jones in the spot where she spends most of her time. “I like to think that the way I work with flavor is reflected in how I put my house together,” Jones says. Jones layers the room with textiles and patterns. “What I love the most about this particular design is how the light comes through in the morning, casting star patterns and shapes on the walls.” For complete privacy, large panels of painted MDF with brass piano hinges can be pulled across the window like shutters. “In the winter we use our woodburning stove every day; it’s one of my favorite things in the house,” says Jones. Artist/designer (and across-the-street neighbor) Russell Bamber built much of the cabinetry in Jones’s house, including the interior shutters and the kitchen cabinets. Jones’s music corner is situated in what was formerly the rear sitting room. The wall between the front and rear sitting rooms was removed to create one large living room. A portable Crosley record player sits on a yellow Formica-topped desk from the Ardingly Antiques Fair, one of Jones’s favorite places for sourcing props. A panel of striped frosted glass replaced a door; it draws light from the hallway into the living room. In the entry hall, Jones created a pegboard radiator cover. Plywood cabinets by Russell Bamber lend the kitchen a casual and organic feel. A set of knives are stored on a magnetic rack next to the sink for easy access. The wood dining table can seat as many as 15; it came from the Ardingly Antiques Fair. “Most days, the table doubles as my desk while I try out new recipes,” Jones says. A Modern Way to Eat, published by Fourth Estate and with photography by Brian Ferry, is shown here open to one of her favorite holiday recipes, Seeded Pistachio and Squash Galette. The ground floor bathroom’s curtain is lace that Jones purchased from Chappelle Rouge and dyed herself. In the bedroom, plywood shelves on wood brackets are built into a niche (note the Remodelista book on the second shelf). The French bed frame was an end-of-the day bargain from the Ardingly Antiques Fair. “I like keeping my clothes on show,” Jones says. “I am a big fan of mixing pre-loved furniture with new things,” says Jones of her flea market dresser. In the office upstairs, Jones looks out onto the the courtyard of a converted Victorian school. Anna Jones’s Victorian is similar to many of the houses in the East End of London. Remodelista friend Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks is a big fan of Anna Jones; check out Heidi Swanson’s Travel Kit in our Style Council post.