At home with…Claire Kenny
What makes a house feel like home? In “At Home With…,” I explore this question with fellow business owners and public figures, uncovering the unique ways they shape their spaces. Through a shared set of questions, each guest reveals what’s important to them—from treasured items to thoughtful design choices that reflect their lives and values.
Today, I’m thrilled to feature company founder, writer and content creator, Claire Kenny. Step inside as Claire shares her style, her inspirations, and the details that make her home a true reflection of who she is…
Copywriter, communications professional and content creator, Claire Kenny
Claire is a company founder, writer and content creator. She has 25+ years of experience as a commercial copywriter and communications professional and is also a content creator - you can find her on Insta @my40pluslife.me
Let’s get Claire’s perspective on what makes a house a home…
Tell me a little bit about your home and who you share it with?
I live in a modern townhouse facing onto a park and with a bowling club, cricket pitch and football pitch at the back. There's a beautiful canal just five minutes away on foot. I also have the most wonderful neighbours who I've become great friends with and we all socialise together. While this is of course lovely, it's not good for my liver as we're fond of impromptu kitchen parties. I share my home with my daughter, and my very lazy rescue greyhound Ozzy.
Claire’s Living room is her favourite place to sit and watch the wildlife in her garden.
What is your favourite spot in your home and why?
Definitely my living room, it's on the first floor with a lovely outlook. I have two huge trees directly outside and being able to look at the multiple birds, and sometimes squirrels, at eye level is so lovely. I also love sitting at my tiny bistro table in the garden. The garden is tiny but I love sitting out for a coffee first thing when it's warm enough, and once again, gazing at the trees!
Do you have any family heirlooms, or items inspired by your family history in your home?
My favourite possessions are notes on real paper, which is probably a nod to my career as a writer. I have one my Dad passed me at a family party many years ago, and one my daughter gave me as a gift when she was tiny that's hung on my wardrobe door. The Sagittarius compact was my Mum's present to me on my thirtieth birthday - it's so precious to me. I also have these precious photos - the lady on the right is my Grandma. As well as being elegant, beautiful and the loveliest person, she was a voracious reader and I think I inherited my love of reading and writing from her.
Claire’s most treasured possessions are personal hand-written notes, family photographs, and her Sagittarius compact.
Do you have any quirky or unusual items?
I'm known for being very spiritual so I have quite a collection of crystals, all of which are precious to me for different reasons. My moldavite is tiny and not exactly aesthetic (there are only limited resources left that are ethically sourced), but it's packed a PROPER punch when manifesting!
What is the oldest thing in your house?
Me!
What is the last thing you bought for your house?
I bought a beautiful labradorite crystal for my hallway. These are lovely stones for protection and grounding. I love the sentiment behind the protection part, which is why it's in my hallway, and the idea that it keeps the entrance to my home energetically clear! The grey is also quite unusual as labradorite is typically much darker. It's also my favourite colour.
What colours have you used in your home and what inspired those choices?
I used to be very monochromatic and not want any colour in my home at all, but for some reason since moving here everything has become much softer and I've fallen for pink. My interiors style has always been very moody and sultry with black as a base, but I love black floral patterns so I've gone for a black and pink feature wall in my living room. I was planning on black and green florals for my bedroom feature wall but I surprised myself by going for a beautiful multi-coloured print featuring exotic birds. Mixed with dark grey walls and moody floral bedding it actually looks nicely random and not too 'matchy'.
Claire has combined beautiful prints and bold colours in her bedroom.
A well-designed home doesn’t only look great, it works on a practical level, and makes life easier for those who live there. Are there any life-enhancing, practical design features in your home?
If money were no object my home would be full of them, but unfortunately it was incredibly poorly designed and I bought it more for the location than the features! There is no airing cupboard or pantry, or nowhere to put my vacuum cleaner, sweeping brush etc. One redeeming feature is the spare room, which has storage built into an entire wall. Without that it would probably be chaos!
If money were no object, where would you live and what would your home be like?
I'd definitely live in North Yorkshire, possibly York or Richmond, and my home would be a Georgian townhouse. I also love Woodlesford in Leeds. My interiors taste would remain the same but the design would certainly be different! I love the idea of a kitchen diner with a squashy sofa, and a more formal sitting room with a fire. I'd also love a dedicated office space.
Nest and Flourish Interiors is known for creating accessible and inclusive spaces, can you describe what makes you feel welcome and comfortable in a space?
I'm pretty laid back generally speaking, so it's not that difficult to make me feel welcome. I also think accessibility is about ensuring people have a positive experience of a space no matter what their needs are. So, for example, ensuring a space is easy for a person with disabilities to navigate is equally as important as how it looks.
And what puts you off and makes you want to leave a space?
A person's home is so personal to them and if their home makes them happy, who am I to criticise. But playing devil's advocate, clutter and not nice smells aren't a winner. And maybe harsh lighting! I'm from the era when the 'big light' was on all the time and nobody owned lamps or lit candles. But now I'm almost fifty I need all the help I can get!
What makes a house a home in your eyes?
Personal touches that tell you about the people who live there. It's less about the décor and more about the other touches people use to express themselves. The photos on the side table in a jumble of different frames, the half-finished jigsaw on the work surface, the plants or flowers in the vase on the sideboard... The smell is another factor - I love my candles and melts and think they can transform how a home feels - not just how it smells.
Tell me about your business, what you do, where you do it, who you help, and how people can contact you?
Through my business Write for You, I help my clients tell their stories to their target audience, making it really easy for them in the process. It's all about getting to the core message of people, products and services quickly, setting them out in a way that's crisp, clear, concise and inspires action. But it's also about empowering people to take up space in their field by helping them with their personal brand and their confidence.
There's no typical week, but recent projects have included ghost-writing a book on reducing usage of devices for children, editing a factual book on the history of Motown for an internationally-known performer, strategy writing for the NHS, and copywriting for a major beauty brand. I also offer career support, including a CV and cover letter service, and I'm the PR for a forthcoming comedy film set in Yorkshire.
You can find my website at www.writeforyou.site/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/claire-kenny-85ab4ba/
Insta: @my40pluslife.me
Facebook: www.facebook.com/My40pluslife.me
Many thanks to Claire for allowing us a peek inside her home. If you would like to be featured in the Nest and Flourish “At home with blog…” email Kim Heslip kim@nestandflourish.co.uk.
Nest and Flourish Interiors, founded by interior designer and former nurse Kim Heslip, specialises in creating beautiful, accessible, and inclusive spaces that promote dignity, independence, and wellbeing.
With 20 years of nursing experience, Kim understands the transformative power of supportive environments and designs homes and workspaces that promote long term health and wellbeing, and cater to health needs, disabilities, and different neurotypes.
Based in Yorkshire, Nest and Flourish Interiors provides tailored, one-to-one design services across Leeds, York, Harrogate, and beyond.
Contact Kim to discover how she can help you create a thoughtfully designed space that works for everyone who uses it.