Marina Willer and Stuart Watson on ‘aimless’ creativity

During lockdown, Marina Willer and Stuart Watson turned their house into a home for painting, doodling, monster-making and music. Here they talk about being creative as a family, and why making work for pure pleasure is essential

“It’s been a lifesaver for us, doing creative analogue tasks to compensate for the screen time,” says Marina Willer, graphic designer, filmmaker and a partner at Pentagram’s London office. Creativity was a major part of her world long before Covid, but she says that during the UK’s lockdowns it took on an entirely new significance in her and her partner Stuart Watson’s home life.

Once quarantine hit, the pair say they transformed their house, getting rid of their two TVs, turning a spare bedroom into a music room for their twins, and installing huge art tables to encourage the entire family to start making things together.

“Lockdown has been very tough for everyone, but it also created the opportunity to change the way we do things and the framework,” says Willer. “Our house has changed so much … we started to use it in a different way by being there all the time and making things. We needed more creative spaces rather than TV spaces. I think the house is now a picture of how our lives have changed in the last year.”