Seatmates: Lucy Williams
On the places that turned her heartbreak into healing, the product she always smuggles home from the U.S., and the islands that influenced her signature style
This interview is part of Seatmates, a Window Seat series where tastemakers, travelers, and creatives share how they move through the world—what they pack, where they stay, and the travel rituals that shape their lives.
If you’ve ever saved a dream destination to your camera roll, there’s a good chance
got there first. As one of my personal favorite creators for years now, she’s been a constant source of inspiration for everything from personal style to interiors, but it’s her travels that have truly earned my trust. When Lucy co-signs a destination or a hotel, I know it’s going to be good; she has an uncanny ability to discover places before they hit the mainstream, and I’ve come to rely on her discernment when planning my own getaways.Read on to learn what common practice she’ll never do on a plane, which hotel brand she dreams of making her default, and the surprisingly low-lift ritual that helps her reset after every long-haul flight.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a content creator, stylist, and brand consultant, and I live in London with my husband and our dog Finn. I’ve been based in London for 15 years now, but I grew up on a farm in a very rural part of England, and while so much of my childhood was incredibly privileged, travel wasn’t a big part of my life growing up. Our summers were spent in Wales, we spent a week skiing every other year, and we went to visit family in South Africa once.
When I was in Sixth Form, I had the opportunity to do a school trip to Ecuador to climb Cotapaxi and travel for three weeks, which I jumped at and loved every moment of, even the really tough bits. Altitude sickness, white water rafting, visiting an orphanage, horse-riding through the desert, and visiting markets—I’d never experienced anything like it. Once I’d finished school, I went volunteering and backpacking for close to a year, and it was definitely those first tastes of adventurous travel that gave me the bug for it.
Is there a destination that ended up shaping your worldview or marking a major turning point in your life?
I’m lucky enough to have done quite a few trips and extended stays in East Africa, and I always leave feeling expanded and renewed. Looking back, I seem to have been heartbroken in this part of sub-Saharan Africa many times over the years: 18 years old in Uganda, 27 in Kenya, and 29 in Botswana. I will say, there really is nothing like looking up at the stars in the African bush to get over him. I did a lot of much-needed growing up and had so many life-changing experiences (the good, the bad, and the stupid) when I spent 4 months in Uganda, none of which I would wish away now. I even remember the regular burns and subsequent scars on my legs from boda bodas fondly!
In a full-circle moment, we ended up honeymooning in Tanzania, so I’ve officially broken the heartbreak cycle. The Samburu in Kenya and the Okavango Delta in Botswana, in particular, are such special places for being reminded just how incredible the planet is. I’m still yet to properly see a rhino in the wild, so that’s on my ‘one day’ list, as is Namibia and Mozambique to stay at Susurro.
Your travels seem to weave into everything that you do, from your style to your collaborations. How has travel influenced your design sensibilities, and are there any destinations that have shaped your creative POV in a lasting way?
My love for the Greek islands is well documented, and they’ve definitely played a big role in terms of inspiration. Often, when people come round to our house, they say our kitchen feels like a holiday home and notice that we have painted all our window frames in that pale, Greek blue. We have lots of souvenirs like evil eyes and ceramics dotted around too. I can see lots of Greece in various collections I’ve designed, from the ceramic candleware I did with Feldspar to the soon-to-launch rugs with Pelica House that feature Greek keys and primitive fish motifs, like the ones you’ll see drawn on the cobbled streets in Choras.
Both New York and L.A. have played huge roles in shaping my aesthetic, too. I spent lots of time there throughout my 20s, as my boyfriend at the time was a photographer who worked there a lot. It still holds such a special place in my heart, and I feel like I really came of age there in so many ways.
You also have such a thoughtful eye for interiors. Have any places directly inspired the kinds of objects you collect, or how you style your home?
I remember the first time I went to Copenhagen, and I was like ‘yep, this is what I like’. The Danes do interiors exactly how I like them: cosy and chic with just enough colour and a bit of folksiness here and there. I’m always inspired by the homes and stores there, and can definitely see how I brought that into designing our home in London. I remember going to the founders of Ganni’s house for dinner for the first time, and it really confirmed my love of pale blue and how to use it in a grown-up way. There’s a store in Copenhagen called The Apartment too—it’s expensive but great inspiration for that colourful, bohemian Scandi aesthetic. Plus, no one does breakfast and buns like the Danes either.