Nick Ede is best known as a popular culture expert and TV presenter. He's the go-to guy for all things brand, style and celebrity. Earlier this month we had the pleasure of speaking to Nick about his style inspiration and the fabulous things he's currently working on. One of his big projects is renovating his new home in Rye, East Sussex - a project we've been working on with him, bringing some Funky Chunky Furniture style to the spaces.
Nick, we know that our readers would love to find out more about you! Can you think of the best 5 words that describe you? Fun, Friendly, Fashionable, Compassionate, Passionate
We know that you are originally from Scotland, would you be able to tell us more about your background and how you have found yourself where you are in your career today? I love Scotland and although I don’t sound it I certainly retain the Scottish character which is passionate and a never say never attitude. I started my career wanting to work in fashion so I went to Glasgow School of Art. But, after a year, I decided to go to drama school as I loved performing. I spent three years refining my craft as an actor and I loved it. Then I came to London thinking that I'd immediately become a star! Then I realised it's not quite like that! So, I then worked as an usher, a waiter, and in a ticket booking office. I got to see every show in the West End on a regular basis which I loved. Unfortunately, after a year in London, my mother passed away suddenly and I went home to Edinburgh for a year. Once I had sorted myself out I decided to go back to the big smoke but this time I was a different person with a different focus. I wanted to raise awareness for charity and for stroke in particular. I didn’t think anyone knew about stroke and I wanted to inform everyone about it. I hosted an event called a Night with Nick and I doorstepped celebs I knew that lived near me! The event went really well and it started my charity campaigning off in a big way. So, next stop was a job at an internet startup called lastminute.com, where I was head of entertainment and I loved it. I then decided I wanted to pursue my passion for communications so I got a job as a runner at a TV company and then worked my way up. I was offered a hosting job on a daily show on Sky One called the Russell Grant Show and from there I went on to host on ITV Lorraine, Sky One's Project Catwalk and many more shows.
What would you say has been your biggest achievement and why? I think still being in the TV and presenting industry 20 years on has been a big achievement for me!
You are known to many as a philanthropist and charity activist. Could you tell us a bit about your charity, StyleForStroke? How did this come about, and why it is so important to you? My mother passed away from a stroke and I decided to put all my passion into educating people on what stroke is. I set up Style for Stroke as a way of educating people in a cool way, by creating stylish slogan tees that are fashionable and wearable with purpose. We have had so much support from some of the biggest stars in the world including Kelly Osbourne, Eva Longoria Baston and Brooklyn Beckham to name but a few. For me, it's not about the money raised, it’s the awareness that’s most important.
Alongside this you’re also the founder of thefashionrun, which we think is a great idea! Could you tell us more about this amazing concept and what it aims to achieve? A few years ago I was walking with my friend at the Olympic Park and I said to her, wouldn’t it be great to do a run but one that’s fashion-focused rather than nasty sportswear and bibs! During the first lockdown, I decided to put it out there and I created the fashion run. It was a big success and I hope to do it this year too and then as a real race in 2022 – we had lots of charities we supported including MTV Staying Alive and AKT Charity.
As charity work is so important to you, we know that you will be looking into what you can do next. What do you think your next challenge will be? Next year I hope that the fashion run will become an actual event which will be a big challenge. I am working on a TV format for good that I hope will be picked up by a network as I'm passionate about helping others and change.
You’re part of a new radio station, Charitable Radio, hosting Sunday Lunch with Nick Ede. Can you tell us a bit more about your radio show, what can we expect? I love my radio show it’s a mix of some very interesting everyday charity campaigners and celebrities talking about their charity work and some really fun music. I have always wanted to host a radio show and to have one that focused on good causes is perfect and I love it.
We’re sure you’ve got some great guests lined up for your radio show, who can we look forward to hearing in the next few weeks? Yes, we have some fabulous guests coming up and I am excited to share some names coming including Sinitta, Kelle Bryan, Alexandra Burke and Kelly Osbourne to name but a few. We've already had Dame Arlene Phillips and Nancy Sorrell and so many more to come.
You've just moved out of London to Rye in East Sussex. It's a great opportunity to put your design stamp on the home. The thing we love most about interiors is how inspiration can come from anywhere! When you’re redesigning your home where do you get your inspiration from? Well, I love interiors and I love colour, my husband Drew isn't so passionate about my colour choices. Now we have the new home we are going to go for a mixed aesthetic that will include heavy woods from Funky Chunky Furniture and light colours with an industrial and traditional mix.
If you had to describe your design aesthetic in 3 words, what would they be and why? Bold, eyecatching, comfortable. I like to have key pieces for the eye to enjoy but I do want the home to feel homely and warm.
There are so many fabulous interior designers right now, would you say you have a particular favourite and why? I am lucky enough to be very good friends with Lee Broom who is one of the most brilliant contemporary designers out there. I love his work and his products too, he is the lighting king. Martyn Lawrence Bullard is also a friend and his work is big, bold and ultra glamourous. The two mixed are my perfect designers.
Image Credit: leebrom.com
Image Credit: @MartynBullard
For anyone right now, moving in a pandemic might seem like a crazy idea! Why is now the right time for you? Well, I think living in a one-bedroom flat in the centre of London during a pandemic will make you or break you and we decided that the world has changed forever and quality of life is the most important. We decided to look at various places from Brighton to Guildford, but decided on Rye as it's so beautiful and near the sea and only an hour away on the train to London.
Moving home is right up there with one of the most stressful things you can do. But how have you found it and do you have any tips for anyone else moving in a pandemic? To be honest, I haven't found it that stressful, I think it's been a relief! We had loads of problems with the mortgage and losing a few of the properties we wanted, but we found a dream home and knew when we set foot in it that we would love it.
You’ve been living in Hackney for some time now, with your new home based in Sussex. Why have you decided to ditch the city for a country lifestyle? I think the idea was about space and also clean air. I've lived in London for 25 years and I think that we decided that during the pandemic it was time to move and luckily we did it as now the whole of the UK are moving.
So many people are now buying houses with a transformation project in mind, would you say your new home needs renovating or is it more of a turn key property? No, we need to renovate in a big way and we are so excited about it. The house is a lovely Victorian terrace house and has so many rooms, we want the theme to be exciting and glamourous of course. We cannot wait to renovate it!
We would really like to know more about the ideas that you have for your new home, do you have a vision of what you would like it to look like and any style inspiration that you could talk to us about? We are going to have a mix of styles but we want it to be comfortable. We are looking at companies like Made and Funky Chunky Furniture for our big pieces and then Lick and Frenchie paints for the decoration. I love lights, so I will be looking out for some fabulous lighting options. We are going to strip the carpets and have varnished wood floors and even have a walk-in wardrobe which will be fabulous. Our downstairs bathroom will be a homage to Hollywood, my favourite place and where we got married.
We also hear that you’re a bit of a fan of Funky Chunky Furniture! What do you like about us? Oh, I love the mix of wood and metal and I love the fact that you can choose the wood and the legs and really personalise the furniture to how you want it to be.
Our furniture collections range from really rustic, country farmhouse right through to Scandi-inspired and industrial designs. Which style is your favourite, and why? I like Scandi but for our home we like the country farmhouse feel – I've always wanted a big wooden dining table and when I saw the brilliant range Funky Chunky Furniture have I immediately knew we had found the right company.
Accessories provide the finishing touch to any room, and we have carefully curated all of ours to complement our solid wood furniture and wooden shelving. Can you tell us what your favourite accessory is of ours and where/how you would use it to style that space? I love the planters which are fabulous for any garden. We have a garden that doesn’t have grass so having the planters makes the space really stylish and works well with the stone.
You have mentioned to us that you are working on an exciting new project – the Hello Magazine Show with Andrea Mclean. Tell us all about it and how it came about! Andrea and I have known each other since she was presenting the weather on Lorraine and I was an expert, which was many years ago. We love shopping and decided we wanted to get Britain shopping again on the high street and so Hello! High Street Hits was born.
Could you tell us what can viewers expect from the show? Andrea will weekly be showing the best clothes to buy on the high street exclusively to Hello Magazine. I will be giving my top five best products that are great value for money and also totally on-trend.
We know that you will be really excited for the show, what are you most looking forward to? I love filming and Andrea and I have a great rapport so I think it'll be a fun show and hard work!
Of course, we want to watch it, can you tell us where and when viewers can find it? If you go to hellomagazine.com, you will find it there and it is on weekly. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us Nick! Funky Chunky Furniture has gifted Nick with an Ouseburn Desk and Armstrong Dining Table and Benches, as part of his new renovation project. You can find Nick on Twitter or Facebook at @nickede, or to follow his home renovation journey find him on Instagram at @drewandnickonthecobbles. To find out more about the Fashion Run, you can follow on Instagram at @thefashionrun and you can find the Charitable Radio at www.charitable.radio or @charitable.radio
