Personally I also think houses look nicest and most personal when they are given a chance to evolve over time. If you've already stuffed it full of ornaments etc it can't avoid looking like a showroom. I wonder if her house actually feels homely.
I agree with your summary and would like to give some balance to the criticism (that I'm very much part of) - yes she came from money but she does give a good platform to underrepresented groups and she's not just lying on her back being fed grapes all day when 7 months preggo like I would love to do - she certainly shifts her weight around and makes herself usefulTo be fair: about her redecorating the new place and how much everything appears to cost--Pandy and her ilk certainly do not pay retail prices. She has friends who are interior designers and she gets the 40 percent off price that the interior designers pay to Scalamandre etc ("to the trade" explanation when you see that in shelter mags).
And on another point, one newspaper or magazine interviewer did mention how fluent she was in discussing social-media numbers and visitors to her web page, and on the podcast she has also made a few comments that tell us she has some impressive digital skills. And she said that when they began PanDolly she did all the brand negotiation deals, or maybe that was for the High Low. She said that they pursued sponsors and by they I mean she and I imagine that cut-glass accent DOES work miracles when cold-calling.
Summarizing: Pandora is very Type A and knows her way around $$$. It would be great to be born on third base like her and be the granddaughter of Prince Philip's friend Baron Asda of Buxton but I know I can work on my own personal-finance skills and practice some things and get better.
True on the house price, I was rounding up (slightly)!haha tbf, so we can not be accused of falsehoods, the house was actually £1.4M so I suppose with all the changes and labour maybe closer to 1.5M in total. Are the tiles seriously £25 each?? It strook me that they don't even go with the cupboards
this just proves how insanely out of touch she is, in what world is a £300 lamp the economic option!? I don't bregudge people with money spending it on things they like, but she just has no clue what is normal for most people... if she did she would have said something like "i know this is expensive, but a cheaper option would be..." or somethingI will never forget the article about her house describing Pooky lights as a money-saving option. The average cost of one of their floor lamps is £300! That is only a money-saving option if your kitchen chairs cost £700 each, and your (gifted) rugs cost over £1k each.
The whole tone of that article was about how savvy she is with saving money while still decorating beautifully (not my own opinion). I’m not one of those who gets angry at someone buying expensive things - people spend what they can afford and clearly she can afford it. It’s the idea that she’s so clever with decorating “on a budget” that is beyond ridiculous.
Actually, I do wonder if Pandora is so convinced she’s an everywoman because, although she’s clearly incredibly rich compared to the rest of us, she must be moving in circles where they’ve never even heard of High Street stores?
This reminds me of an (I think) MP in Australia claiming the reason millenials couldn't buy houses was because of spending money on avocado toastI remember an early episode of the podcast before Pandora had bought the house... She said she was saving up to buy a house so had cancelled her New York Times subscription... If that's all it takes to get a 1.5m house I should really cancel my own NYT subscription
tbf Queen's park has some rough bits, although I remember going there about 7 years ago and honestly sometimes I was shook!She has referred to her neighbourhood like it’s some rough part of North London a few times on the podcast, when she lives in the Queens Park side of Kensal Green. Which, as someone has already pointed out, is where the, ahem, moneyed elite head to when they’ve outgrown their Notting Hill flats and want to start a family.
£25 per tile is quite something!
I have to agree. As much as it makes my eyes water her background and privilege, she does a lot more than many people in that position. They both do use their podcast to offer women in less privileged positions a platform. They promote female charities and that’s worth something. Not sure if anyone listened to Otegha on their author special last week, but it was an uncomfortable feeling that she was talking directly to them, saying that kind of activism was not enough. Not sure how to word it exactly but I think Pandora did well, she didn’t seem to let it affect the interview.I agree with your summary and would like to give some balance to the criticism (that I'm very much part of) - yes she came from money but she does give a good platform to underrepresented groups and she's not just lying on her back being fed grapes all day when 7 months preggo like I would love to do - she certainly shifts her weight around and makes herself useful
I also agree that they’ve done a lot with their platform and walk the walk as well as talking the talk. For years now they’ve featured WOC and have not participated in all white panels etc (I haven’t fact checked this but I remember them mentioning it on a podcast literally years ago and being impressed as it was quite a new idea at the time and way more progressive than other white people). They do annoy me at times but they certainly have been thinking about these issues for a long time and I don’t think any of what they’re doing is performative.I have to agree. As much as it makes my eyes water her background and privilege, she does a lot more than many people in that position. They both do use their podcast to offer women in less privileged positions a platform. They promote female charities and that’s worth something. Not sure if anyone listened to Otegha on their author special last week, but it was an uncomfortable feeling that she was talking directly to them, saying that kind of activism was not enough. Not sure how to word it exactly but I think Pandora did well, she didn’t seem to let it affect the interview.
Could not agree more. Although what is YMMV?I also agree that they’ve done a lot with their platform and walk the walk as well as talking the talk. For years now they’ve featured WOC and have not participated in all white panels etc (I haven’t fact checked this but I remember them mentioning it on a podcast literally years ago and being impressed as it was quite a new idea at the time and way more progressive than other white people). They do annoy me at times but they certainly have been thinking about these issues for a long time and I don’t think any of what they’re doing is performative.
I think Otegha is quite good friends with them in real life, particularly Dolly, I didn’t get the sense that what she was saying was aimed at them in particular but YMMV.
I do think they’re aware of their privilege and do reference it a lot so some of the criticism in this threads seems unwarranted. I don’t think pandora does position herself as an everywoman but she does downplay it -she seems to accept general middle class wealth privilege but not that she’s probably from a more elite background. But I can kind of sympathise with that view - if you already have the privilege of not ever having to worry about money and you’ve acknowledged that, does the extent to which you don’t have to worry really matter?
generally agree they have lost their way quite a bit. They seem so intent now on proving that they’re intellectual heavyweights when they were so much more interesting doing what they do best which is just light hearted cultural commentary. I also thought Ghosts was bloody awful even though I really wanted to like it! Dolly is a brilliant writer but unfortunately a distinctly average at best novelist.
YMMV - your mileage may vary!Could not agree more. Although what is YMMV?
Also definitely agree with this- I think it used to feel less formal and polished which made it more funI’m with you on the their principles and sharing their platform (which is not insignificant in terms of numbers) with authors of different backgrounds. They have always done this and I remember Reni Eddo Lodge being on right at the beginning. I’ve just had a look through the episode descriptions and (without re-listening to them all) I feel they used to tackle weightier subjects than they do now. I’m wondering if they are victims of their own success in someways - you know in the way that pop stars who started off in one way (less commercial) end up being a watered down version of what they once were? I wonder if there’s an element of them being cautious about expressing their take on certain events in society for fear of repercussion? I wouldn’t blame them if that was the case to be honest - social media can be an awful place. I imagine if Pandora was to read the comments on here about her background and see that her parents house had been discussed and looked at on google earth it would make her feel extremely uncomfortable and anxious. I know I felt uncomfortable with that part of the discussion. Saying that I did pass comment on her kitchen tiles and feel a bit bad about that (I know it’s only her kitchenthat she has showcased in magazines etc).
I guess my point is that there could be a number of factors contributing to this recent losing of their way. Global pandemic, significant changes in general awareness across society around racism, sexism (to name just two). Fear of being cancelled - look at Clemmie Hooper. I’m going to go back and listen to a few earlier episodes I think and try and put my finger on it.
Where can you see the before pictures?What I find baffling is they completed on the house in late December, when she was 7 months pregnant, and her daughter was born on March 1. So she decided to totally make over an already updated, gorgeous house (seriously - the before pictures are far better than after in most cases) in 2 months while heavily pregnant, just because... she couldn't bear to not live in a house without this much animal print?
And yes, claimed 'bargains' aside (some antiques from that notoriously bargainous location... Portobello Market, and £126 Pooky pendant lights which, sorry if I don't consider that a bargain, but when you need six of them is there really any argument?), she must have saved up a fortune to redecorate the whole place to her taste in 2 months. Somehow I don't think cancelling your NYT subscription = Farrow & Ball paint throughout, Scalamandré and Christian Lacroix wallpaper, custom-made curtains with designer fabrics everywhere, custom framing of all her posters and prints, £3.5k on a rug plus other Conran Shop rugs, new sofa amongst other large furniture, custom dining table, over a grand on dining chairs, £25 per tile kitchen tiling, vases being sent from New York, custom mural on the garden wall, and everything else. She says it came in under budget but I'd love to know what the budget was!
Can't share the link without doxxing her, but I came across the listing on google.Where can you see the before pictures?
I agree, I thought it sounded like she was in a mood with pandora and panda pops kept trying to smooth it over. In my mind (based on nothing) Dolly is in lockdown 2.0 with her new beau. She’s sore about something pandora has done and has the shits with the podcast.Dolly seemed to be a bit over it in the most recent episode. I think she has no interest in discussing tv shows how
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