The Shift with Sam Baker

Paula Sutton on how age has liberated her and the rejuvenating power of dressing up


Listen Later

Today’s guest is former fashion journalist turned interiors blogger, Paula Sutton.


For twenty years Paula lived a typical busy busy busy 9-to-9 London life. But the birth of her third child made her question everything. Ditching her glamorous job, she and her husband and three kids decamped to rural Norfolk. There, jobless, cash-less and identity-less, she began documenting the boot-strapped doing up of their new house on Instagram, as Hill House Vintage.


And that might have been that until Paula posted a picture of herself picnicking in her gorgeous garden and found herself at the centre of a twitter storm.


Suddenly @HillHouseVintage had half a million followers and an enjoyable hobby had become a whole new career. Paula tells me about the twitter storm that upended her life, being an older black woman in the public eye, kicking the curse of “I used to be dot dot dot”, what vintage means to her, the rejuvenating power of dressing up, and why age has liberated her. 


• You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at Bookshop.org, including Hill House Vintage, the art of creating a joyful life by Paula Sutton, and the book that inspired this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too, by me!


The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Emily Sandford. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/review/follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on twitter @sambaker or instagram @theothersambaker.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Shift with Sam BakerBy sam baker

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

61 ratings


More shows like The Shift with Sam Baker

View all
Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

376 Listeners

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show by Liz Earle

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show

228 Listeners

Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware by Jessie Ware

Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware

1,602 Listeners

Happy Place by Fearne Cotton

Happy Place

1,095 Listeners

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day by Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

1,339 Listeners

White Wine Question Time by Stak

White Wine Question Time

114 Listeners

Changes with Annie Macmanus by Annie Macmanus

Changes with Annie Macmanus

95 Listeners

Postcards From Midlife by Lorraine Candy & Trish Halpin

Postcards From Midlife

147 Listeners

The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan by Spiritland Creative

The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan

280 Listeners

Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn by BBC Radio 4

Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn

84 Listeners

How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams by Kaye Adams

How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams

51 Listeners

Therapy Works by Julia Samuel

Therapy Works

49 Listeners

Off Air with Jane & Fi by The Times

Off Air with Jane & Fi

150 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

48 Listeners

Begin Again with Davina McCall by Begin Again

Begin Again with Davina McCall

443 Listeners