Frankie Bridge: 'My decorating style is a more minimal, but I love colourful art'
My Happy Home: Presenter and singer Frankie Bridge talks to House Beautiful about her bargain West Elm table, a lockdown decorating faux pas and her secret hidden room.
Frankie, 35, rose to fame as a member of girlband The Saturdays, after starting her music career at age 12 in S Club Juniors alongside Rochelle Humes. After 12 top ten hits, including their first number-one single What About Us, and three top-selling albums, The Saturdays disbanded in 2014.
The presenter went on to compete in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 and joined Loose Women as a full-time panelist in 2021. She entered the I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle and finished in third place.
Frankie also co-wrote her debut children's book The Munchy Trunks with Ella's Kitchen in July 2020 then a year later published Grow: Motherhood, mental health & me, a book about her experiences of mental health after a breakdown at the age of 21.
Most recently, Frankie launched a shoppable platform, Faves, where she curates her favourite high street edits across fashion and beauty.
Frankie married former footballer Wayne Bridge in 2014, 10 months after the couple welcomed their first son, Parker. Their second son was born in August 2015. Frankie lives in Surrey with Wayne, 43, her sons and two poodles Leah and Turbo.
What makes you happy at home?
FB: Being on the sofa watching a movie with the boys, the dogs, and Wayne. Most days, we're all in different rooms, doing different things so it's nice when everyone gets together and has a little snuggle.
Home is my safe space, the place I go to be completely myself, relaxed and shut off from the rest of the world. We previously built a house then moved out of that and bought our current place in Surrey, which was supposed to be a proper turnkey house. We weren't going to do anything to it but it's had a little refresh over time because my [interior] style has changed. I now prefer a more minimalist thing. Now the kids are a bit older, I can get away with it!
Tell us about your childhood home...
FB: My childhood home was in Upminster, Essex. My mum and dad moved from East London out to Essex and did loads of work to it. It was the house where all my friends would hang out. It was on the way to and from the station to the school and if we went on a night out my friends were always allowed back to mine. We had a conservatory so after a certain time we were allowed to hang out there with our mates. There was an open house policy.
What is your favourite room in the house?
FB: My content room where I shoot Faves. It's the freshest, newest room and just off the kitchen. The door looks like the rest of the kitchen cabinets so it's like a secret room! I like it because when I'm working I still feel part of the business of the household. It's also decorated how I'd like the rest of the house to be decorated — really light, fresh and calming.
When you get home, what's the first thing you do?
FB: Take my make-up off and put on my pyjamas. I've got a drawer full!
What would we find on your bedside table?
FB: A book that I'm meant to be reading but never get around to reading, a pot of Elizabeth Arden lip balm — it's the last thing I put on at night and if it's not there, I genuinely get stressed out - I have loads of hand moisturisers and foot creams that I'm meant to do every night and never do. I also have an LED mask, which I actually always remember to do!
Describe your decorating style
FB: My decorating style is a more minimal, lighter style. Whereas before everything was quite grey, I'm in the process of slowly redoing parts of each room to create a calmer feel. When the kids were younger I couldn't have that because that means a lot of lightness mixed with a lot of dirty hands.
Our last house had no colour then when we moved I said, 'We're really young! We should have some colour. It'll make things more fun!'. I got a blue sofa, then after about six months I hated it! I've realised that, for me, big colour is not a thing, but if the walls and everything else is neutral, I love a bit of colour through art. We have a lot of Mr. Brainwash [a pseudonym for Thierry Guetta] and The Connor Brothers so that's all quite bright.
Where do you shop for the best homewares?
FB: I shop at Zara Home for main things but I also get a lot of crockery from Next or Sainsbury's — stuff that I don't mind too much if it gets chipped. With kids, there's just no point!
What's your biggest home bargain?
FB: A little side table I bought from West Elm for the content room. It looks like heavy stone but it's not. It was £35 quid. Cheap as chips but looks amazing.
And what's your biggest extravagance?
FB: Our Maker&Son sofa. I had my eye on one for ages then by the time I got around to ordering one, all their prices had gone up because of Brexit! They come around in a van so you can try out the sofa in the van and look at all the different material samples. For me, it was the perfect way to pick a sofa.
It's a really deep L-shaped sofa with big poofs so you can almost make it into a big bed. We chose a neutral linen material, which was probably not the best thing with two dogs and two kids but I didn't want to compromise anymore! I wanted our sofa to look nice and feel nice! I want it to look nice and feel lovely.
Then two years ago we redid two of our main bathrooms and that was probably the most I've ever spent on anything. It actually hurt, but it was worth it.
Have you ever had a decorating disaster?
FB: Wayne is not a handyman and in lockdown tried to put up a piece of art in our hallway. The first hole he made in the wall went straight through a wire and cut off all our electricity. I thought it was funny because it was very on brand for us! We tried to be good and try our hand at something then failed straight away!
What is the design trend you're least likely to follow?
FB: Anything super busy. I love to look at houses like Lily Allen's that are so full of personality and have loads of things in and loads of patterns and colours. I'd love to have a house where people walk in and think, 'I know this is Frank's house' but after a few weeks, that [style] would kill me.
Tell us about the view outside your window
FB: From the window in my study I can see fields with horses in. They're not my horses! I love it because I get to look at them every day and there's something really calming about them. We have lots of trees and greenery outside so it's nice and peaceful — until the kids are in it!
What is your favourite object from your travels?
FB: A bowl I bought in Namibia when I went there for Sport Relief. On the way home, we all got really drunk in the airport and I went into one of the local shops with Grimmy [DJ Nick Grimshaw] and copied anything he bought. I keep the bowl in the hallway for my keys and it reminds me of that whole trip.
If you could have a snoop around anyone's house, whose would it be and why?
FB: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher's barn conversion in LA. Although I don't live in one, I love a barn conversion and theirs looks insane. I love them two as well!
Head over to @Favestheedit where Frankie curates her favourite high street edits across fashion and beauty.
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