Ep. 337: London Living with Simon Upton

How to Decorate

Simon Upton, celebrated as one of the world's leading interior photographers, has spent the past 25 years capturing the work of the foremost interior designers. His work has been featured in The World of Interiors, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Vogue, House and Garden and more. In 2021, he published his first book, New York Interiors, and in September, he released his second book, London Living. In our conversation with Simon, he talks about the process behind his beautiful mastery of sharing the story of each homeowner, and the uniqueness of the different homes and stories that the spaces had to tell. Simon talks about the difference in his photography for London Living vs. an editorial magazine shoot, and why it was important to him to tell an honest story of London through his eyes.

What You’ll Here On This Episode:

• How Simon got into interior photography.
• The importance of strong visuals in storytelling.
• Simon’s process for the homes and rooms he featured in London Living.
• Simon’s passion for scouting new locations and building relationships with those new friends.
• Were the rooms styled?
• Tips for getting the most out of your lighting for a photography shoot, and why it may be a good thing that it’s overcast!
• The importance of passion in making a house feel like a home.
• His Zen approach to appreciating and enjoying homes but not coveting them.
• Learning to embrace your own individual style.
• A tease for his next book in the making.

Also Mentioned:

• Ballard Designs
• Simon Upton
• London Living
• @simonupton

Please send in your questions and decorating dilemmas to [e-mail] so we can answer them on our next episode!