In this 'Favorites By' series we sit down with inspiring moms who share their favorite pieces for every room in the home. And for the first one, we asked Demi Wilkes.
Demi Wilkes designs spaces that feel like something, timeless, considered, made to be lived in. As co-founder of Studio 105, she works between Amsterdam & Barcelona, and has used The Archive Store pieces in her projects for years. And five months ago, her little one Bobbie Nino arrived. Scroll down and read about the pieces she'd genuinely choose herself, and about what it's like to be the person who designs beautiful homes for others, now navigating her own.
What surprised you most about yourself as a new mother?
"What surprised me most is how relaxed I've become. By nature I'm an overthinker and a perfectionist. I expected to approach motherhood in a very controlled way, on top of everything. In reality, I feel a lot of calm. I go with what the day brings much more easily. It helps enormously to have a good support network around you. The saying 'it takes a village' is really true."
The nursery
Calm starts with the foundation
Ask Demi what the biggest mistake is in a nursery and she doesn't hesitate for a second. Too many small things. A baby room collects objects naturally, toys, books, a changing table, and before you know it, the room feels restless. As a designer, she sees it constantly. As a mother, she now experiences it firsthand.
What's your golden rule when styling a baby's room?
"Paint the whole room, including the ceiling and the woodwork, so that everything reads as one quiet whole. Choose a generous rug that anchors all the furniture. And invest in good blackout curtains. When that foundation is right, the room finds its own calm."
Nursery favorites
The things you use every single day
For Bobbie's room, Demi's own pick is simple: one strong light on the dresser. The Red Mushroom Light. It looks good, but more importantly, it works. Every nappy change, every dressing moment, Bobbie's eyes go straight to it. "Apart from looking incredibly cosy, it's the best distraction for Bobbie when I'm changing or dressing him. I can imagine him enjoying it for years" she says.
And the linen fitted sheets from Hazel & George turned out to be her most-used purchase. "I have several of them." The different sizes make them endlessly versatile: the cot, the changing cushion. They wash well, they feel good, and after a few months they still look exactly the same. The kind of thing you quietly buy again before the first one is even worn out.
14K GOLD
The most personal favorite
Demi doesn't wear much jewelry. But everything she wears matters to her. Her engagement ring. The chain from her grandmother, given to her at sixteen. And now also the golden necklace with Bobbie's initial."I'm proud of it and I never take it off. It stays beautiful even in the shower, even in the sun."
On whether Demi thinks about jewelry differently now: "I have a vintage watch from my grandmother, it was the birth gift for my mother when my brother was born. I hope my children will want to wear the things that are precious to me."
Shop the edit
Demi's Favorites
These are the pieces already in Demi's home, on her dresser, in the living, and used in many of her interior design projects. Shop her favorites below.
The living room
The room that changes most
Here's the thing nobody tells you: it's not the nursery that changes most when a baby arrives. It's the living room. The box, the play mat, the rocker, the high chair, it all lands in the space where you actually live.
Which room in the home changes most when a baby arrives, and how do you approach that as a designer?
"Young children want to play close to their parents, not in their own room. We always integrate a child's corner into the furniture from the very start of a design, with enough storage for toys. That way the living room still feels like a calm, grown-up space in the evening, when the children are in bed.''
The goal, she says, is a room that works for playing during the day and feels entirely adult again by evening. One well-chosen object instead of ten small ones. A basket that closes, a corner with a purpose: all simple ideas, but they make all the difference.
Life in Barcelona
Living outside
One of the reasons Demi and her husband Mick moved to Barcelona was simple: the weather. The ability to live outside, and with Bobbie, that's become even more true.
What does a regular day look like for you in Barcelona?
"Our evening ritual is sacred. We give him a bath together and it's my favourite moment of the day. He absolutely loves it. In the weekends we go to the beach or walk in the hills above the city. Thanks to the beautiful weather, we live mostly outside, one of the reasons we moved here."
She lives near Turó Park, a small park with a lot of green and children playing. In the neighborhood: good coffee, good food, and the kind of easy, slow Saturdays that make you understand why families never leave.
Her favorite spots in Barcelona
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Coffee & juice
Boost · Calm
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Restaurants & terraces
Café Turo · Café de Paris · Bar Milagros · Colmado Wilmot
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Must-visit
Fundació Joan Miró · Barcelona Pool House · Club Shanghai
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To eat
Akiro · Parking Pizza
