BF NEWS

In Conversation With The Feed

16th November 2022

The time for celebration is very nearly upon us! Thanksgiving feasts with family and special evening's spent around a dining table with good friends and good food. As we look forward to these celebrations over the festive season, we would like to give back and support the wonderful work of The Feed.

The Feed is a social enterprise based in Norwich with a mission to motivate change in people to prevent poverty, hunger and homelessness through various community projects. To support these life changing projects and services, we are donating 10% of profits made on the Ando Dining Edit between Monday 21st to Monday 28th November directly to The Feed.

Shop the Ando Dining Edit and receive 30% off

We met with Chris from The Feed to chat more about their mission, how our donation will help the community, and ways in which you can support The Feed going forwards.

How did The Feed come about?

The Feed, previously known as Leap, opened in 2008 as a social enterprise with its roots in helping vulnerable people in Norwich, particularly those sleeping rough. We helped people out of homelessness by providing them with training in a commercial kitchen, encouraging them and giving them the practical skills to move forwards towards employment. In 2018 The Feed opened its first cafe on Prince of Wales Road and despite the challenges of the Covid Pandemic, we went on to open four more cafes and our social supermarket through 2021 and 2022. Our cafes and our catering business serve delicious homemade food and also generate most of our income. This enables us to help fund our work supporting our community.

What is the mission behind The Feed?

Our ultimate mission is to prevent poverty, hunger and homelessness in Norwich. Passionate about food and people, we run cafes and a catering enterprise which produce delicious homemade food to generate much of our income and in turn help us achieve this mission.

The cafes are safe spaces where we help people who have faced, or are facing, barriers to employment such as homelessness, substance misuse, a history of offending and learning difficulties by improving their mental health. Everything we do works towards our vision of ‘a community free from poverty’.

What projects are you currently running?

At the heart of our work, amongst other projects including our Bloom and Nourish programmes, is our Supported Work Experience programme. This is how our clients learn new skills, build their confidence and motivation, and develop new positive routines so that they can move forward into employment.

This 10 week programme provides supported work experience within our cafes for adults who face barriers of employment with an aim to help build their self esteem in a positive working environment, as well as give them practical, transferrable skills for the workplace.

The donation from Birdie Fortescue will go towards funding a clients journey through this programme.

How can people support The Feed?

We have just launched our Christmas hampers, containing great Norfolk produce. Each hamper sold supports us in our mission and they make fore great gifts! You can order your hamper here.
Visit our cafes and help fund our projects! We serve delicious homemade food, made by clients within our programme.
Volunteers are an important part of our team at The Feed. There are a range of rewarding roles to suit the time commitment you can make. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Read more about our roles here.
We aim to generate much of our income from the delicious food we sell in our cafes and by catering for events. This means we don't run a big programme of fundraising events ourselves, however, keep an eye on our social media accounts and the news section on this website as we have one or two irons in the fire! Of course if you have a fundraising challenge you are planning and would like to support us we'd be delighted. We use the JustGiving platform for fundraising, link here.

Can you share a design tip that you think every home owner should know?

As a designer, so many people come to me because they struggle to know how to put colours together. The result can be either a clinical room (through fear of using colour and therefore avoiding it) or, at the other end of the spectrum, a chaotic room that feels disjointed because too many colours have been thrown into the mix. Pinterest and paint retailer websites are such useful resources to find colour palettes and pairings – the hard work is done for you.

What key elements do you believe are essential
for a well-designed interior?

Flow! Having a common thread that runs through your home so that every room feels connected is key to me. The other element that I consider critical is a well thought out layout. Having clear zones in large open plan spaces, positioning furniture appropriately and not overloading a space with furniture and decor is also important.

Who are your biggest influences and inspirations in the design world or on social media?

I am constantly being inspired – both in the real world and the digital world! I tend to find that my inspirations and influences are less from specific individuals but more from the places I visit. I love to travel and I know my personal style, use of colour and pattern have been influenced by time I’ve spent travelling in Europe, Africa and South America. Some of my favourite content creators on Instagram are @jackkinsey, @nicolahuthwaite and @patriciarodi but I could
also name hundreds more!

What is your favourite homeware piece?

Another tricky question to answer! I have an obsession with art prints and I think they’re a very easy and affordable way to bring personality and interest into a room.. I have a house full of them! However, I love investing in characterful pieces of furniture that carry a wow factor and provide a real focal point in a room. I bought a gold ornate antique mirror many years ago and it is definitely my favourite item.

How would you describe your design style?

I find it very hard to describe my design style because I am drawn to so many different things. What unites every room in my home though is the use of rich colour and natural materials. I love décor that has character, texture and depth and tend to steer away from sleek, contemporary, minimalist styling.

What is your favourite room in your home and why?

My kitchen has to be my favourite room in our home because it is a space we dreamt about long before it
became a reality. When we bought our house it needed a complete renovation. We lived with a dark, scruffy kitchen with cabinet doors falling off their hinges for 5 years before we were in the position to be able to rip it out and knock down structural walls. It is now a lovely, bright spacious area and definitely the heart of our home!

What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to choosing home decor?

Cushions! I seem to have an addiction to buying them! I think soft furnishings provide such an easy way to refresh
room and experiment with patterns and prints.

If you could swap homes with any celebrity for a
week, whose home would you choose and why?

My dream home would be a hacienda bursting with charm in the Spanish hills; I’d gladly swap homes with any celebrity who has one of those!

Do you have a favourite design trend from the
past that you wish would make a comeback?

Well, because of my obsession with colour, I secretly hope that colourful bathroom suites will come back with a bang and we’ll all be lusting after avocado coloured toilets and baths again but I’m not confident this will happen!

What are your future goals and projects you’re excited about?

I set up my interior design business at the start of 2023 and I haven’t looked back. I am so passionate about interiors and helping my clients find happiness in their homes. So, my goal is to keep growing my business. It is also my dream to launch my own homeware range but life is far too busy right now for me to do anything about this!

What is your favourite way to spend time off, a long weekend or a holiday destination?

I love being in nature and feel most relaxed when I’m on a beach or walking through a forest so renting an Airbnb in a remote location (preferably somewhere with sunshine!) is my favourite way to spend time off.

Can you tell us about why you chose the Pavilion Headboard for your bedroom and give us a brief overview of your styling process?

I fell in love with the Pavilion Headboard as soon as I saw it. I think it’s important for every room to have a focal point and it makes sense that it should be the bed in a bedroom. The Pavilion Headboard is such a unique, detailed and beautiful design and I think it has a real ‘wow’ factor. I love weaving nature throughout my home so I was drawn to the green colourway and the use of rattan. I recently painted the room yellow but didn’t want it to feel too overpowering or childish. I think the sage green helps to offset / tone down the yellow. I then added plants and other touches of green and pink florals to create a cohesive, nature inspired scheme.

Your favourite Birdie Fortescue piece you’ve got your eye on next?

I have several pieces on my wish list at the moment, including the Twisted Floor Lamps and various cushions – there are so many beautiful prints!

By incorporating the Pavilion Headboard into her guest bedroom redesign, Becks showcases her expertise in effortlessly blending style with functionality. Her thoughtful selection of accessories and soft furnishings, along with her keen attention to detail, continues to inspire her followers with fresh ideas on how to elevate their home design. Becks’ approach highlights the transformative power of well-chosen design elements, why not follow @the_interior_lens for more inspiration and updates mastering the art of home decor.

You can find more information on her website here.