- Date published: 01.30.25
- Category: Home Tours
- Author: Arabella Peterson
Lizzy Hadfield’s Hackney Terrace Is a Book-Lover’s Dream
Step inside the fashion blogger's East London home, where every corner tells a story.
Editor's Note
Far from being a solitary pursuit, it’s through reading that Lizzy Hadfield connects with people. In her Hackney home, it’s the expansive bookshelf that starts the conversation at parties, while her book club Buffy’s hosts meetups between London and New York, the two cities in which the fashion influencer splits her time.
Every inch of Lizzy’s space is a testament to her impeccable style – from her effortlessly curated wardrobe to her collection of sentimental artwork and cozy Cacao-clad bedroom. For the first chapter of The Makers this year, we couldn’t think of a better story to tell.
We hope you love it as much as we do,
Genevieve Rosen-Biller, Co‑Founder, Bed Threads.
As the saying goes, “A house is not a home.” And while Lizzy Hadfield’s character-filled Victorian terrace is charming on its own, it’s the soul and personality she has instilled in the space that makes it truly special. “Lived in – that’s how I want my home to feel,” she says. “Homes are meant to be relaxing. They're there to have great experiences in.” True to her vision, in just three years, she has lovingly transformed her Hackney residence into a warm and inviting home.
Lizzy began blogging over a decade ago, sharing her outfits, daily life, and musings – establishing herself as a pioneer in digital fashion. With a portfolio of creative projects and high-profile collaborations to her name, she has cemented her status as one of the most influential tastemakers in the UK, the US, and beyond.
Hailing from Leeds, Lizzy now calls East London home, having made her way there via Manchester. She also spends half the year in New York City. For her, the key to a great neighborhood is simple: “A vibrant community, independent shops, and great pubs.” Splitting her time between London, where she owns her first home, and Manhattan, where she rents an apartment, she moves between two of the world's buzziest metropolitan centers, embracing their distinct energies. “In New York, you feel like you are in a city all the time… whereas Hackney, it's more like a village, so you can forget that you're in one of the biggest cities in the world.”
“I still always refer to London as home, and I don't know if that will ever not be the case. I truly pinch myself every day – I know it sounds so cheesy – but I love being able to go between both places so much, to have somewhere that feels like home in both cities. I just love it.”
A connoisseur of understated dressing, Lizzy brings the same refined taste to her home as she does to her wardrobe. She describes her fashion choices as “effortless, quite minimal, slightly masculine, but hopefully elegant.” When it comes to interiors, she takes a similar approach: “I prefer a minimal color palette – white walls, nice wooden floors, and classic character. And then, carefully curated ‘stuff’ everywhere.”
“I'm practical in that way, which also ties into how I dress. I think when you look comfortable, you naturally look more chic, and it’s the same with a home – when it’s practical, it reflects who you are and makes sense for the way you live in it. It doesn’t feel like you’re trying to create a show home.”
I just want people to feel safe and comfortable in my home.
- Lizzy Hadfield
“There's something I really like about bringing together different textures,” she continues. “Like different shades of wood, when everything doesn’t quite match. It’s a bit thrown together, but it works. I love adding colors with bedding, throws and cushions. It's so nice to play around and make things feel fresh and different without having to change your furniture.”
“I love the living room and the kitchen most of all. I actually spend the most time in the kitchen. It's like the centre of gravity, it’s unbelievable. I can't resist its pull. No matter how much time I spend trying to relocate myself to the dining table to sit and work, I will inevitably find myself back in the kitchen by the end of the day. There's something really nice about being that close to the kettle. Basically, I want to be where the tea and books are – they're like magnets.”
It’s no surprise that she’s a voracious reader, having co-authored a book herself, Things You Can't Ask Yer Mom, alongside friend and collaborator Lindsey Holland. With her quintessentially down-to-earth demeanour, Lizzy offers readers honest perspectives on some of life’s more awkward situations that, as you may have guessed, are too taboo to discuss over tea with your mum.
This knack for making people feel at ease translates to her latest endeavor – Buffy’s, a book club she launched last April. “I alternate meetups in both London and New York. They're great; we vote on which book to read and have little WhatsApp groups going. It's been a really nice way to connect with lots of like-minded people.”
You only need to glance into her living room to see how this passion for literature permeates her home. A wall-length, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf hosts a treasure trove of eclectic titles. “I love going to other people's homes when there's loads of things I want to look at, where every little corner tells a story. I think that’s why I like books in the home so much,” she says.
You might assume that creating somewhere to keep her prized library was a painstakingly planned process, but she approached it with the same ease and intuition that runs through the rest of her home. “It was actually such a slapdash thing, I just had some books that I needed to put somewhere. I didn’t overthink what the width of the shelves was going to be and all of those things that I feel could have bogged me down if I’d given it too much thought,” she says. “Over time it's just evolved and has become the centrepiece of the home. I love rearranging the shelves, that’s what I love so much about books in a home, visually. You can make a shelf look so different all the time.”
“When I have people over, the bookshelf is always a great conversation starter. At parties, so many guests end up standing in front of it, saying, ‘Lizzy, have you read this book?’ or ‘Can I borrow this one?’ There are so many moments for a conversation to begin just from looking at a bookshelf.”
Whether it’s through the online and offline communities she’s created or in her home, fostering a welcoming atmosphere seems to be second nature for Lizzy – and the key to setting that tone is simpler than you might think. “Look, I'm not super, super clean and tidy,” she laughs. “I try to run a tight ship… ish, but you can keep your shoes on if you want, you don’t have to use a coaster. I don’t want to have one of those houses where you feel like you can't sit on the sofa.”
“I just want people to feel safe and comfortable in my home. This house has been like a heartbreak hotel, honestly. The number of heart-to-hearts it’s seen – mine, my friends'. I hope there's really something to be said for that, to be the place where people can go when they're down. There have been some tears shed in this house. Happy tears, too! Memories have certainly been made.”
Another feature of the living room that instills a sentimental feeling is the framed collection of memories hanging above the sofa. “My dad passed away a long time ago, and he had all these keepsakes throughout his life – phone bills, receipts from the pub, an old passport application. He was a writer, and he had amazing handwriting, so there are lots of notes, pages from books he was writing at some point,” she says.
“A few years ago, I decided to put them all together in a collage and had it framed. I love having these found items that tell a story. It’s quite intimate having people in your home with these things. If someone asks me about it, I get to tell that story, and it feels really lovely. It’s nice to have visual reminders of someone that aren’t necessarily photos.”
Lizzy has taken her time curating her home, allowing her personal style to evolve naturally within the space. “I didn’t go into curating this home with a design ethos in mind; I just followed how I felt. I’ve built it up over the last three years, and I’ve enjoyed doing it slowly. I am quite considerate when it comes to choosing things I love and won’t get bored of – trusting my own taste is everything.”
Shop Lizzy's Home
Credits
Photography by Vicki Adamson
Styling by Hannah Simmons
Video by Hayden5
