For many of us this year has been characterized by a fundamental need to redefine our idea of home. With this in mind, the collection of art that reminds us of our heritage has brought a sense of comfort and belonging to our everyday lives. And no other brand does heritage quite like Fiona’s Notes . We spoke with Fiona D., founder of the black-owned homeware label, about what makes her happy and the cultural inspiration behind her eponymous brand. 

Why did you decide to start the brand?

During the first national lockdown, whilst my freelance work as a designer was on hold I reverted back to my ‘lost hobbies’. One of which was drawing/sketching as it has always been a frustration of mine, when looking for location prints for the home – they were always of the same places and of a similar vibe.

What is your brand's overarching mission?

The collection started with the Antigua print which is an illustration of a quaint little house that we fell in love with on our travels around the island. I guess, in creating these illustrations I hope to remind us all that there really is beauty in the less celebrated places around the World. For more selfish reasons, it was also about having prints on the walls at home that meant more to me and my families personally coming from Caribbean heritage. I have regular requests from people asking where their island is? – so I hope to continue to grow the collection further and have a complete catalogue of all of the Caribbean Islands. If I could visit them too, that would be a bonus!

Do you have a daily ritual you can’t live without?

Coffee!!! I fought the Coffee ritual for so long as I actually hate the smell of strong coffee. In fact, I’m not sure you can actually call my coffee, ‘coffee’. It’s basically warm milk ☺ Once all of my morning duties like getting the children up and ready for school; and squeezing in a quick workout is out of the way, sitting down with a nice milky coffee is a must for me to ease into the day and catch up on emails.

"Elegant, timeless and delicate."

- Fiona D.

What does luxury mean to you?

For me, Luxury is about quality, longevity, and something that gives you a warm/happy feeling every time you see or use it. This understanding of luxury has been engrained in me from a very young age. My last living Grandmother has a wardrobe full of luxurious items that she literally bought decades ago.

You can find our curated collection of art prints by Fiona's Notes and more in our Homeware section.

 The Yard + Parish Editors