At Home With… Chloe From C.A.R.

In this feature we ask an artist to bring us “Through The Keyhole” of their personal living space and let us what it’s like at ‘Chez Artist’…

This time around, we get a voyeuristic glimpse into the domestic set up of Chloe Raunet, who as her solo live project C.A.R. will be taking to the Ransom Note stage at Alfresco Festival in May. Her lo-fi, DIY and dark electro disco has been released on Kill The DJ and Les Disques De La Mort and she has been honing her live sets with performances in London and Manchester, resplendent in boiler suit as she owns the stage. The London based French Canadian talks recipes, pets and precious things to us:

Share with us your favourite recipe. What is the go to meal, or perfect romantic fine-dining experience for yourselves? How did this recipe come about and any tips for our readers?

Straight in with the recipe, eh? I’m not much of a foodie but… One of my favourite snacks is roasted baby artichoke. You take off the outer leaves, trim and massage them with a mix of olive oil & fresh lemon. Place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with sea salt, a crack of freshly ground pepper, dry chillies & roast em in the oven at 200 degrees til they’re brown & crispy. I serve them with homemade aioli. I always do my own mayo and always use Burford Brown eggs. Once you’ve tried them golden yolks there’s no going back.

What’s your favourite room in your home and why?

I like the whole house. Different rooms for different moods, you know? But I guess the studio – it’s filled with all my stuff, it’s where the creative juices flow (pah!) & it’s where I spend most of my time. 

What’s in your fridge right now? How often do you clean it?

There are three of us living here & I’m guessing the fridge is filled with the usual veg, cheese, mystery meat (I’m vegetarian – don’t pay attention to flesh), jars of god knows what … I couldn’t really tell you exactly but now you’ve brought it up, I should probably go shopping. Don’t think there’s enough to make dinner. We’ll give it clean every few weeks, not in a disciplined way, but when it gets a bit whiffy you know?

How would you describe the decor in your home? 

Personal, cluttered & lived-in.

Are you handy at DIY or do you get someone in?

DIY? We’ve had a lot of building works the past few years. My landlord’s a pal. He lives up North now but is renovating the flat downstairs and is around a lot, so whenever things need fixing he’s pretty good at sorting it out. In saying that, we try to keep on top of smaller bits.

What do you eat for breakfast?

Without fail, 2 thinly sliced, well toasted pieces of rye bread, spread with butter with marmite, a large glass of tap water & a cup of black coffee. I’m a creature of habit. 

Do you have a nutri-bullet? Have you ever used it? If so, any health boosting juices you would recommend?

I don’t have a nutri-bullet but there is a juicer in the house which my flatmate & his girlfriend use. Apparently anything green is the way to go – celery, spinach, broccoli, Granny Smith, avocado (and from what I’ve been told, you’re not waste the stone – grate it in to get some extra antioxidants). But this is hear-say. Can’t say I’ve ever used it myself. 

Who is your neighbour? What do they do? If you’ve not talked to them… maybe now would be a good opportunity to. 

My neighbour on one side is a Scottish indie-star. On the other, a bassoonist for the London Philharmonic. I know them both & tell myself it’s good to be sandwiched between musicians. Not like I make a lot of noise, but I do work from home & knowing they know the score makes me a little less self-conscious when I draw myself outta the cans. 

Have you ever locked yourself out? What did you do?    

I locked myself out just the other day. Thankfully my flatmate doesn’t work too far and I was able to walk round & collect his. One of my friends has a set too, just in case, although she’s been in LA for the past 3 months. If everyone was out of town, I’d probably have to get out back via the neighbours and try to climb through a window. Not sure which one though, as we tend to leave the house pretty secure. Worst case, I’d camp out at a pal’s til someone got home, but I’d be stressing over the cats. I’m making myself anxious thinking about this. I think I should leave another set with someone. 

Bath or shower?

Shower. 100%. I get bored in the bath. 

Has your neighbour ever seen you naked, accidentally or on purpose?

Not the next door ones but I’m sure the folk across the yard have. I walk around my room naked all the time.

Do you eat your dinner at the table or on your lap? 

I’m known to do both. Depends on who’s around and what’s on telly. 

Do you have a local shop or are you a supermarket whore like the rest of us?

Mostly a supermarket whore. Or Ridley Road. And at least once a week I head up Stoke Newington to buy bread & if we have dinner guests I’ll go to the good green grocers, grown-up me and all. 

Is there a piece of art or ornament that holds particularly fond memories for you, from childhood or travels perhaps?

Our house is filled with art & ornaments & my studio walls are plastered with the most personal. Choosing one would be hard, but I guess if I had to, my giant Russian Dolls hold a lot of significance. There’re not many walls big enough to hold them, so they’re currently hanging in the guest / laundry room. My mum’s best friend / my surrogate dad, is an artist in Canada. Years ago I was living in Hackney Road and he send over an envelope filled with printed A4 sheets I had to assemble like a jigsaw. He called it DIY, disposable art but I loved the finished result so much, I ended up mounting it all on foam board & have been lugging it around ever since. Some of the corners are coming up but to me, it adds to the piece. I also find it somewhat telling that the one thing so clearly intended as temporary, is the object I’ve tried hardest to preserve.  

Animals. We love cats here at R$N, but just love people with pets. Is there a special furry/ feathered/ scaly creature in your life, tell us a little about them?

Is there ever. Could warn you not to get me started on the cats but seeing as you’ve asked specifically…  We have two. Petit A is a bengal tabby cross who is so full of character it fills me with wonder. He’s really vocal, a total attention whore & everyone on our street knows him. When he was younger he used to roam a bit further and we’d hear stories of him wandering into Argos or hanging out at parties up the road. These days, he chills nearer home. He has us well-trained. Different miaows let us know he wants to drink from the tap, go outside or is looking for his ‘doux-doux’ … I’ll spare you details of the latter. 

The other cat is Rudi. He’s my Maine Coon & he’s absolutely gorgeous. When the second of my rescue kitties died over New Year’s 2014, I decided I’d splash out on a pedigree & after lots of research, chose a breeder in the Isle of Wight. I made two separate visits – one to check her out in person & meet a very young Rudi, and a second to bring him home. He’s super attached, follows me around everywhere & I love him to bits. When it comes to other people though, he’s a bit unsure. It took my flatmate months to break the ice. He only recently started popping into his room for a quick hello. Me on the other hand, I sleep all scrunched up in the foetal position whilst he’s at the foot of the bed. They’re pretty big animals and I wouldn’t swap him for the world. 

What’s the worst state your home has been left in after a party?

I’ve grown out of trashing the places I live (or living with folk who trash). We don’t do parties here. 

What’s your most annoying habit as a room mate if indeed you do have a room mate?

I have no annoying habits. I am a model human being, undeniably perfect in every way. 

What’s the worst room-mate you’ve ever had?

Bar the odd mad, bulimic Swedish girl or thieving house-guest, I’ve been pretty lucky over the years. I guess the worst woulda been back when I was around 13, living in a big squatted mansion in Vancouver (you wouldn’t find those these days). Before we moved in it was used as an old-folks home & officially, there were 14 of us living there, each with our own rooms. I was lucky in that mine had a wee sink and toilet, but I think there were only a couple bathrooms. I moved in cause my ex-boyfriend’s sister lived there. Shortly after I arrived, not only did he move in but his alcoholic, agoraphobic dad set up camp in the boiler room … It was pretty bleak. The ex-boyfriend would make a habit of making sure I knew who he was coming home with & would burst into my room like a lunatic if I happened to be with someone. And the dad would spend all day & night drinking whisky & clattering away on his typewriter. He was working on a screenplay and it was gonna make him and the 'ex' millions. It got to the point where he wouldn’t even come out to use the toilet and sometimes the smells would waft up through the pipes. So would the screams. I was too young and stupid to understand what was really going on, but sometimes they would wake me up in the night. We also had an illegal Puerto Rican immigrant living in a closet in the basement. He was lovely and 'cause he managed to get a single bed in there (dunno how – I remember it taking up every last corner), we all used to pile in & hotbox it. 

Is there a view from your window, balcony, front door, terrace? Can you share that with us? Who do you look for coming along the street.

We’re spoilt for views. The one I gaze out most is from the studio. There’s also the one the bedroom & kitchen, but I like looking out into the street and watching Petit A do his thing.

Pick 6 dinner party guests from history, real or fictional to invite to your home? 

Jenny Diski, Cookie Mueller, Dolly Parton, Zaha Hadid, Mary Beard & Mauricio Cattelan (both my flatmates are male – he’d be outnumbered but not alone)

Do you know the name of your postman?

Sam.

Where do you listen to music in the home and what’s the set up?

We have lovely JBL L100 Century speakers in the front room. I normally just plug in my computer or listen upstairs in the studio. 

What would you change about your home?

I’d de-clutter it. We’re all too busy being creative & things have a tendency to pile up. Every few months there’s a bit of a cull but it doesn’t take long to build back up again.  

Anything else we’ve missed about your home you’d like to discuss?

Closed curtain’s make me feel anxious. We have a large hedge semi-obstructing the view but being a street peerer myself, I have no qualms about folk seeing in. 

C. A. R. are appearing live on the Ransom Note stage at Alfresco Festival on 28th May 2016, full info and tickets can be found HERE.

Follow C. A. R. on Facebook HERE.