The first thing you notice when you step into the Scottish home of Marie McDonald and her partner, Paul Kennedy, is the sheer abundance of personality. Every wall is covered, head-to-toe, with collections – from paintings and prints, to embroidered silks and intricate Chinese cork dioramas – while every shelf and sideboard holds vintage glass, ceramics and lamps. This is not a collection built from a checklist, but one formed by instinct, a love of craftsmanship, and decades of seeking out antiques and 20th-century design.
Unsurprisingly, Marie has been collecting for as long as she can remember. Her earliest memory is not of a treasured toy or day trip, but of being given a set of glass birds by an aunt on her 7th birthday. ‘I found them so delicate and beautiful, and I still add to the collection whenever I spot one in a charity shop,’ she says. From there, her passion grew. ‘In my teens I was a punk, then a New Romantic. I loved anything a bit different and was always rummaging through jumble sales for clothes, looking for something unusual,’ she says.
Vintage fashion soon led back to vintage homewares, flea-market finds, and objects with interesting shapes, patterns and stories. ‘For me, it’s never about value or trends – it’s about the thrill of finding something special and giving it a home,’ she says. ‘I don’t really plan my collections, they just seem to happen. Once I fall in love with something, I can’t stop at one.’
‘We have slowly replaced things with pieces we love; wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always enjoyed having a unique home and creating it on very little money’
When Marie met Paul, her passion for collecting was already firmly part of her life. Both divorced, with children from previous relationships, they were looking for a home that could bring their families together and had enough character to reflect their shared love of older properties. Built in 1898, their four-bedroom Victorian terrace in the coastal town of Stonehaven was full of period charm. ‘There was original cornicing and a beautiful encaustic tiled vestibule – all things that make my heart skip a beat,’ says Marie.
The house needed no major renovation, but the neutral decor didn’t suit their personalities. ‘Everything was cream – the walls, floors, even the blinds. It was clean and tidy but completely soulless,’ Marie recalls. Instead of rushing to completely redecorate, she began layering the rooms gradually with pieces they both loved, letting their collections shape the feel of each space. Paul’s extensive record collection soon found its place in the living room, alongside Marie’s own stash of singles, forming the soundtrack to their evenings.
What followed was a slow and heartfelt transformation, built not through big makeovers, but through careful collecting. ‘We didn’t renovate,’ says Marie. ‘We just slowly replaced things with pieces we love. Wherever I’ve lived over the years, I’ve always enjoyed having a unique home and creating it on very little money,’ she adds. Mid-century furniture became a natural foundation - affordable, beautifully made and timeless in style. ‘You get far better quality buying vintage than buying new,’ says Marie. ‘And the style works with all periods.’
‘Every piece means something to me. It might remind me of a loved one, a day spent rummaging in a charity shop, or a road trip where we found something special’
Over time, Marie’s finds – sourced everywhere from charity shops and flea markets to Facebook Marketplace and during road trips in the couple’s vintage motorhome – have given each room its own personality. ‘I never go out looking for anything specific,’ says Marie. ‘If I see something I love, it comes home with me, and somehow it always finds its place. I still get such a thrill when I come across something that adds to one of my collections. Recently I found a matching 1960s glass jug to go with a set of glasses I’ve had for years, and it made my day.’
For Marie, collecting has always been second nature, and her home is a reflection of that instinct – layered, characterful and full of meaning. ‘Every piece means something to me,’ she says. ‘It might remind me of a loved one, a day spent rummaging in a charity shop, or a road trip where we found something special. Sometimes it’s a lamp that Paul has brought back to life, or a vase that makes me smile every time I walk past it.’
With so many treasures, space can be tight. ‘You do have to manoeuvre carefully sometimes,’ laughs Marie. ‘Paul is convinced that one day I’ll run out of room, but I always find space for one more thing.’ Living alongside these finds brings the couple daily joy. ‘Our home feels deeply personal and ever evolving,’ she adds. ‘It’s a celebration of craftsmanship, nostalgia and the pleasure of finding beauty in the everyday.’
