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WORDS ALICE JEFFERY PHOTOGRAPHY SOFIE DELAUW AT THE CURIOUS EATER
The daughter of a diplomat, Emiko
Davies has lived abroad for more than
half her life. After finding love in Florence
– the place she happens to feel most at
home, having also spent time in China
and the USA – she’s set down roots in
a charming hilltop Tuscan village with
her husband and two daughters.
WHAT MAKES A PLACE FEEL
LIKE HOME?
When I fi rst came to Florence,
I immediately felt at home, like I belonged
here. My fi rst apartment was a shoebox.
The bed was actually a sofa and it was
basically in the kitchen. It was so small but
it was a one-minute walk to Ponte Vecchio
and I could hear church bells ringing
every hour. Even though it was just me
and my suitcase, it really felt like home.
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU LOVE
TO HAVE IN YOUR HOME?
One of the things that I really love to
have around are my photographs. When
I take photos, I try to immediately print
out the ones I love and frame them so
they don’t get lost in the thousands on
my phone. I think they’re the fi rst thing
I would save if there was a fi re. I would
grab those photos off the wall and run
out the door.
HOW HAS TRAVEL SHAPED
YOUR HOME?
I like to get a little memento from any
trip I take. Often I’m traveling with just
a carry-on bag and don’t have a lot of
space, but I’ve managed to get quite
creative to fit things in. I love to collect
everyday objects – glasses from our
honeymoon in Morocco, coffee cups from
Puglia and my breakfast bowl from Sicily
– because each time we use them,
I immediately get transported back to
that trip. Half of my family are Japanese
and when we travel there, I always try to
bring back kitchen tools that I couldn’t
fi nd here in Italy. My mum also sent me
a noren (traditional Japanese curtain) for
my doorway as a reminder of her home
and my grandmother’s home; they always
had one hanging from their kitchen doors.
“A good knife is literally
the only kitchen tool you
really need.” MIYABI
‘5000 FC’ Chef Knife 20cm
21147390, $624.95.
“I love wooden chopping
boards that make beautiful
platters for my favourite
kind of shared eating.”
PEER SORENSEN Round
Chopping Board 52cm x
40.5cm 20130702, $72.95.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT
KITCHEN?
Up until last year I had always been in
very tiny Florentine apartments with
narrow kitchens that you could barely
fit two people in. So I’ve always tried
to keep everything quite minimal, just
the essentials on the bench. Now that
we’ve moved into a bigger space, where
I designed the kitchen to be exactly how
I needed it, one of the things I love most
is having a wide counter and stovetop.
My husband and I often like to cook
together, and even though we might only
use two of the burners, it means there’s
more space for us to be cooking side
by side or having the girls help and be
curious about what’s going on.
WHY IS THE KITCHEN YOUR
FAVOURITE ROOM?
If it were up to me, the house would be
just this room. It’s my workspace, the
meeting point for our family and where
everything happens. I write, test
recipes and take photographs
for my cookbooks here.
“A versatile pan is so
important – a good one
will become a family
heirloom that will treat you
well for generations.”
LE CREUSET ‘Signature’
2-in-1 Pan 24478101, $470.
the
kitchen
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“The fi rst appliance we
bought for our new home
was a De’Longhi coffee
machine. I’d say we can’t
function without it.”
DE’LONGHI ‘EC9155MB
La Specialista Arte Manual
Pump’ Coffee Machine
24476397, $799.
“This cast iron pan gets such a workout
in my kitchen. I love that it can go from
the stovetop straight into the oven.”
LODGE Cast Iron Fry Pan 26cm
22572599, $104.95.
“I always have salt sitting
out on my counter – I love
this open one for easy
access.” LE CREUSET
Salt Pig 24586682, $50.
DAV I D J O N E S . C O M
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