North Nest Staging has been a long time coming, in fact, "eternity" just about covers it.

Born in the swinging sixties to a no-nonsense, working-class family in Leeds, the message was clear: do something practical, secure, and preferably with a pension.

"Follow your passion" wasn’t exactly dinner table advice - being an artist wasn’t a career, it was a hobby. Good jobs involved shorthand, American Tan tights, and maybe a bank counter.

Despite the practical pressures, I had a stubborn streak. I was offered a place at Jacob Kramer Art College, but in a twist of fate (and perhaps some teenage restlessness), I opted instead for a hairdressing apprenticeship with a top chain. I spent the next few years mastering scissors, colour, and bad behaviour.

Fast forward nearly five decades, and I’ve lived in 21 homes (yes, really) and worn just as many hats: property investor, yoga teacher, care worker, nutritionist, private chef… and yes, I finally circled back to art college for a foundation course, only to discover I wasn’t the next Barbara Hepworth.

And that’s okay.

Because while the roles changed, one passion remained constant: homes. Designing them, styling them, breathing life into them. Creating beauty and flow wherever I lived and making it look easy.

North Nest Staging is the culmination of everything I’ve learned (and lived). A business built not just on taste and talent, but experience, instinct, and love for spaces that tell a story. It’s taken a while, but I’m finally getting paid to do what I love — and it was worth the wait.