Charlene Prempeh: Why More Space Isn’t the Key to a Happier Home

Matt Gibberd visits writer and creative consultant Charlene Prempeh at her home in North London.

Charlene is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a creative studio that champions Black culture. She’s a columnist for the Financial Times, and curator of an upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum called The Nue Black Aesthetic.

Charlene grew up in a small council house in Canning Town that was, in her words, "teeming with people". She was the youngest of four children, raised by a single mother, with cousins, friends and members of the Ghanaian community constantly coming and going.

In this conversation, we talk about how that crowded childhood left her with a love of solitude. We explore why she doesn't believe that more space necessarily makes a happier home, and how, despite having very little money growing up, the dinner table always felt like a place of abundance.

We also discuss why she found herself shape-shifting when she arrived at Oxford University, the importance of books and beautiful objects, and what it means to be truly at home with yourself.

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