Gemma is one of our all time favourite interiors influencers, her instagram feed is guaranteed to bring some light to your day with her beautiful posts on @caffeineandcacti. Her home is GORGEOUS and truly a reflection of her love of pink and plants all under her unique boho meets scandi style. But more than that, Gemma's warm personality shines through on her instagram stories and we are obsessed with following her daily life from her dog Byron to what gin she is drinking that day. She keeps it super real and lets us in on her struggles as well as her highs. If you don't follow her yet, be sure to hop over and do it right now right here.
In the meantime, we loved getting to get more in depth with Gemma in this Coffee With.. interview. Enjoy!
We know you as an interiors instagrammer with a beautiful inspiring home. Tell us a little bit more about yourself
Hi Sallie! Thank you so much for having me! Well instagramming aside I am a student veterinary nurse by day. I live in Hampshire, in our 3 bed newbuild, with my husband and our rescue dog, Byron! I have a constant desire to travel the world and hope to emigrate to Australia in the near future!
What inspired you to start your Instagram account, @caffeineandcacti?
I have ALWAYS loved interiors and styling rooms for as long as I can remember and was forever rearranging and redecorating my childhood bedroom (much to my parents frustration!). So when I discovered a whole community of interior lovers on Instagram I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to share my home transformation with others and prove you can inject character into a newbuild! Instagram has also helped me manage my anxiety, by giving me something else to focus on and get lost in.
Anyone who follows you knows you LOVE a splash of pink but how would you describe your interior style?
Oh pink is wonderful isn’t it? Such a feel good colour! I would describe my interior style as a mix between Scandinavian and Bohemian. I adore the clean, minimalist design of Scandi but in contrary I crave the interest and textures that Boho brings! I like layering natural materials such as wood, rattan, marble and glass in my home and contrasting it with injections of pattern, such as the botanical wallpaper in my bedroom.
We know you are an Instagram girl at heart but where else do you get your ideas from for your interiors?
There is SO MUCH inspiration on Instagram, and it honestly is where most of my inspo comes from! But aside from Instagram and the obvious Pinterest, I find inspiration everywhere, from films, nature, shop windows, friends homes, fashion, and most recently the stunning Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel, its a pink and cacti heaven!
I am so obsessed by your bedroom décor, I love the way you wallpapered one wall and created a backdrop for your dressing table area. I may or may not have copied that in my own house! What is your favourite room in your house and why?
Ah thank you, I love that room too, it’s my own jungle sanctuary! But my current favourite room has be to my living room! I’ve recently revamped it with a splash of pink, even taking the paint up onto the ceiling to create a ‘zoned’ across one wall. Plus it’s where we spent most of our time relaxing and so it’s filled with all my favourite cushions and niknaks!
You’ve recently started your own Etsy shop selling your gorgeous macramé, tell us about that experience
I did! I started teaching myself the craft of macramé last year as I wanted to make all my own decor for our wedding, including a 5.5m long table running and a massive wedding arch! Plant hangers are one of my favourite things to make and when I shared some of my creations on Instagram I had so many compliments and lots of my followers encouraged me to open an Etsy shop, so I did! It’s been wonderful to have lots of support and seeing my pieces in their homes makes my heart so happy!
Do you have any tips for anyone starting out an interiors Instagram account?
If you’re thinking of starting your own account then absolutely go for it, what have you got to lose? Don’t feel intimidated by bigger accounts, they all started with zero followers too! Instagram is a visual platform and so taking the best photo you can is important, it doesn’t have to be with a fancy camera (I take all mine on my phone) but its best to take it in natural daylight. Instagram wants us to be social so engaging with your followers and replying to comments is a must! Niching your account will give your feed structure and show your followers what you’re about, be authentic and consistent, and have fun!
You are a gin fanatic (like me), so I have to ask, how do you make the best gin & tonic?
I’m glad to hear you’re a fellow gin love, Sallie! I have to say, a classic dry gin and tonic is where it’s at for me! My current go to at the moment is Sipsmiths London dry, with Fever Tree Elderflower tonic garnished with slithers of fresh cucumber; a light, refreshing and delicious drink for the summer!
What’s next for Caffeine & Cacti? (and Gemma!)
Oooh OK, well the revamping and redecorating never ends for us interior obsessives so there is PLENTY on the to interior do list! At the moment I’m upcycling my kitchen on a budget and next I want to lighten up my stairway and add a gallery wall! This isn’t our forever home so we won’t be making any ‘big’ changes here, we’ll wait until we’re settled in Australia and then go all out with our dream kitchen and bathroom! What’s next for me? Well I’m hoping to qualify as a Registered Veterinary Nurse by early next year, continue designing pieces for my Etsy shop and I want to see more of the world, Santorini is high on my bucket list!
What is your favourite Urbansize product?
Easily it has to be the Floating Scandi dressing table! I love the functional simplicity of it, and it’s sleek design! It would fit right into my home!
Thank you for sharing your tips with us Gemma :) It's been fab to get to know you better. Can't wait to see what the future holds for you, I can just imagine what that Australian home is going to look like!
