Pamela Anderson is on the quest for real beauty, now more than ever.
Pamela Anderson au naturelle, looking chic and nonchalant as she makes herself at home in her London hotel after the British Fashion Awards.
You’re now living in the house in Canada where you spent much of your childhood with your grandparents. What prompted this return – to Vancouver Island, and to this house in particular?
Like a moth to a flame, I needed to go home to the place it all started, full circle… Unfinished business? I had some demons to face, some life to unravel and history to look at from an adult point of view. It hasn’t been easy, but rewarding. The trees on my property have known me since birth. A vortex… it’s a place I always came home to refuel. I sink my toes in the ocean and breathe. My hair has grown a foot since I returned, like roots of a tree. I feel very connected… and in the right place.
Is the renovation on the house definitely complete? Or are you tempted to keep changing things?
The property is telling me what to build, and I’m open to change. There are reasons for road blocks… it just means there is a better way around, or turn back. I truly listen to my heart. I’m not an educated designer or landscape architect, but my homes have always been beautiful, inspired… imperfect, unpretentious. That’s the dance: to not fall into the trappings of trends or other people's ideas of what’s ‘chic’. I never thought I’d have the chance or the resources to create my dream home, though it’s ever changing – this is our family property and it should reflect our personalities. It’s a challenge, and now my boys are very involved. I’ve let go of the reins and I cant tell you what a relief it is… to trust, to let go. The mysterious world is my happy place… I feel protected, loved and kind of ‘in the zone’.
Do you have animals with you where you live now? Did you have any pets when you were a child?
I’ve always had ‘pets’, animals all around me… misfits. As a child I had an orange tabby cat that walked sideways, a bird with a broken wing. I used to try to catch rats by the tail to say hello. (I caught one just once and felt horrible, as the rat kept running and I still had the tail in my hand.) I played in the grass with gardner snakes, danced with butterflies… We had lots of ferrel cats around. My first dog was named Lobo, my father’s dog – he was half wolf. I have three dogs living with me right now: Lucky, Lola and Zubisoubisou. They have a lot of freedom – I have created acres of safe space, and they roam… An animal should never feel contained. My dogs are very proud, protective and funny. I’m the worst dog trainer… I don’t like anyone to have to act a certain way to get a certain thing.
You’ve lived in California and France before. Is there anything about your previous homes that you miss?
Our Malibu Colony home was like living in a piece of jewellery: sustainable ‘non-conflict’ teak, rounded burled walls, memories of childhood at the beach… I was very inspired by Lautner, and it had a bit of an Ando-style concrete element in poured forms… I was just learning about architecture, doing photo shoots in all these magnificent houses, and I wondered how I could apply some elements – within my budget (ha!). I was way over my head, and the day I sold it was a huge relief. Living in the south of France was a journey, and I guess I brought a lot of inspiration home with me to Canada, from the picnic lifestyle of the Côte d’Azur to Provençal gardens and poetry… along with a broken heart. A good time for art projects… construction, writing… It saved me… a metaphor. A broken heart is the first point of awakening, shedding… self-consoling, searching… a gift.
What’s on your bedside table?
A blown glass water bottle; first editions of Under a Glass Bell by Anaïs Nin and The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Any More by Tennessee Williams; my glasses; a lamp; an oyster shell; rose massage oil (Roseravished by Coco de Mer). I keep a note book and pens in the drawer to write dreams.
