Julienne Guffain: A Few Of My Favourite Things

I think my workspace is a pretty solid reflection of what’s going on inside my head… stuff everywhere.

I’m a wannabe hermit, a lifelong homebody, so I tend to fill my space with everything and anything that makes me happy and keeps me occupied – so I never have to leave. 

And aside from my work battle station, there isn’t much in my space that screams ‘audiophile’. 

It’s more of a hodgepodge of random objects that simply make me smile.

The Cats

The first thing you need to know about me is I am a crazy cat lady – loud and proud for the people in the back! 

My middle name was taken from my parents’ cat, Lady Alexandra, so there was no hope for me from birth. 

Needless to say, I was raised by crazy cat people. 

Though it's probably more accurate to say crazy animal people, as there was nothing that wasn't ‘allowed’ to be a pet in my house growing up. 

We had birds, lizards, snakes, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, mice, turtles… it was a zoo, and it was a dream!

Now I just have my two royal babies, Twig and Daza. 

They’re Bengal mixes and more like dogs than cats – they play fetch with a frisbee (and bring it back) and they can sit on command. 

They’re also my shadows, so if you’ve been on Zoom with me, you’ve met the kids. 

The cat book and tarot cards were gifts from friends over the years who just get me.

The Skulls

I grew up with these skulls. Dark, I know! 

My dad studied zoology and I studied anthropology/archaeology alongside film at university, so we have a shared love of anything to do with animals, fossils or nature.

We had a huge bookshelf of encyclopaedias and reference books (yes, I’m that old), and whenever we found a weird bug or unknown bird, he’d grab a book and we’d flip through it together until we could identify the species. 

I still keep a bird reference book on my patio and identify all the birds that come to the feeder – despite how quickly my phone could do it.

When I bought my house, my dad gifted me the skulls, and it finally started to feel like home. 

The tiny lizard fossil is the newest addition. 

I found him myself, in perfect condition, and knew he had to come home and join the collection.

The Taíno God

My family is proudly Puerto Rican, which makes me proudly Puerto Rican, and also very curious about the Indigenous Taínos. 

Taíno mythology has many deities and figures, and this is one of Cacique Marocael, who is said to have once guarded a sacred cave. 

However, Marocael showed up late to work one day, and so the gods turned him to stone. 

This might explain why I have to be ten minutes early to any appointment.

The Stained Glass

My mum – aside from her role as queen of the universe – is a very talented hobbyist stained-glass maker. 

Her love language is making you a piece of stained glass. 

She made this one for our new house, and it hangs in a really high window that catches the sun above the trees and streams colours across our walls. 

It brings me immense joy and light to my life (pun intended).