If you’ve spent any time at Machina Marchmont, you might have spotted a regular in the corner with an iPad and an oat flat white, quietly capturing the life of the cafe. That's Shirley Hottier: a French illustrator, former architect, and the creative force behind our latest limited edition merchandise collaboration.

We sat down with Shirley to chat about her journey from Berlin to Edinburgh, how architecture still influences her art, and why Marchmont feels like a stroke of luck.

Shirley’s story reads a bit like a European travelogue that finally found its anchor in Scotland. Originally from France, she was living in Berlin when she met a Scotsman with a yearning for home. After a rainy stint in Glasgow and five years in London, a pandemic-era move brought them to Edinburgh in 2021. "We haven’t left since," she says. "We absolutely love it."

For Shirley, Marchmont is a "stroke of luck" - a little urban village where the neighbours are warm and the architecture is stunning. When she isn’t at Machina, you might find her at the Roseneath Street Oxfam hunting for French books for her children or grabbing a dry mango from Green Leaf. It is this deep connection to local life, from the spring blossom on Warrender Park Road to the unique community spirit of Halloween, that informs her work. "It’s one of those rare evenings that reminds you exactly why you love where you live."

Before Shirley was winning the FAB Prize for her illustrations, she spent years in the world of architecture. While she's traded physical blueprints for digital ones, that structural eye has never quite left her. "I think my architect friends would agree on this: once you’ve learned about design and how to look at it, it never leaves you," Shirley explains. Her work is a blend of architectural precision and playful storytelling, citing influences like Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Gaudí, and collectives like raumlabor. "They are all playful, storytelling inspirations for my work," she adds.

Shirley’s process is a mix of late-night inspiration and observational sketches. "My head is constantly full of images. When I close my eyes at night, I see combinations of colours that I sometimes have to draw immediately," she says. When working on a commission, she begins by scribbling rough ideas, pushing them further to find a wittier or more fun angle. "I find that leaving an illustration to rest for a day and coming back to it is often a great idea. Nothing beats a pair of fresh eyes!" Her biggest inspiration remains the people around her. Shirley often takes photos of real-life situations she finds interesting to use in her work. As she warns with a smile: "Beware, you might end up being illustrated!"

When we talked about Shirley's illustrations for Machina's limited-edition range, she wanted to capture the balance between the cafe's modern design and its convivial atmosphere. "Because I am a regular at Machina, I already had a sense of the place and of the lovely people who work and go there," she says. "I wanted to find the best way to reflect that community in my artwork while keeping it simple and fun!" 

Meet Shirley: quick fire questions

Morning light or Golden hour? "Oh, I am definitely not a morning person, so golden hour all the way! Ideas come to me mostly in the evening and I can work for hours without realising I should actually go to bed… which is probably why I'm not a morning person!"

A tidy desk or a creative mess? "A tidy desk. I am messy but I usually need to tidy my working place before feeling I can start working and focus."

Pencils or pixels? "Pixels! I sit down with my iPad and work on it at the end of the day. It suits my lifestyle perfectly. Also, I have two small kids and they've stolen and scattered my pencils all over the flat. Who knows where they are now…"

The city or the sea? "Living in Edinburgh, I can say that a city by the sea is the best!"

Fave order at Machina Marchmont? "Oat Flat White with a jamaretti or a chocolate brownie I usually share with my husband. That usually makes my day!"

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Join us on 13th May, 6 - 7:30pm at Machina Marchmont for the official launch of the Shirley Hottier x Machina collection. We’ll have a short artist talk with Shirley, live classical guitar from Douglas MacGregor, and the first chance to shop the limited edition range! Free tickets are available here.