Natalia Vodianova talks personal taste: Part Two

The Russian model concludes her list of likes with the view from her Paris balcony, Chelsea Clinton’s It’s Your World and the best burger in LA

My style icon is my grandmother. At 86 she is beautifully groomed; she wears pearls, gloves, her red hair in a chignon and always red lipstick.

An object I would never part with is my Mulberry agenda, which I have had for the past 11 years. I travel a lot and constantly lose things, but this agenda is where my whole life is and I have never lost it. It holds a lot of memories for me because when I started using it I led a very different lifestyle to the one I lead today. From £275; www.mulberry.com.

Dover Street Market, Mayfair | Image: Courtesy of Dover Street Market

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Rothko; his paintings are very beautiful and peaceful and I love how he uses colour.

The best souvenir I’ve brought home is a 17th-century five-rouble coin from the time of Catherine the Great; I bought it in Rostov for my son Lucas. He collects coins and was so happy.

My favourite room in my house is our living room, which is where we find ourselves in the evening. It has a Yamaha grand piano, which my boyfriend Antoine and the children play while my youngest, Maxim [18 months], dances around. We have nice shaggy rugs in off-white and burnt orange and it’s very cosy.

If I didn’t live in Paris, the city I would live in is LA, by the sea in Venice Beach. We’d cycle down the bike paths to Santa Monica and take the children to Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park; they have so much fun but it makes me feel a bit ill these days. We would eat in my favourite sushi restaurant, Sushi Park, and go to Baby Bea’s Bakeshop where you can make your own cakes. I also love shopping for the kids at Fred Segal. It’s become a bit of a tradition that on the way in from the airport I stop at In-N-Out Burger; I’m not normally a burger girl but it is my must-have in LA. Baby Bea’s Bakeshop, 311 S Robertson Boulevard, Beverly Hills (+1424-249 3362; www.babybeasbakeshop.com). Fred Segal, 8100 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles (+1323-651 4129; www.fredsegal.com). In-N-Out Burger, 9149 S Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles (+1800-786 1000; www.in-n-out.com). Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia (+1661-255 4100; www.sixflags.com/magicmountain). Sushi Park, 8539 Sunset Boulevard 20, West Hollywood (+1310-652 0523).

Vodianova’s Mulberry agenda, from £275 | Image: Léa Crespi

The beauty staples I’m never without are Guerlain’s Lingerie de Peau BB Cream SPF 30, which is not as thick as a foundation but covers up my imperfections, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Beach Stick bronzer in Formentera; my skin can look grey-ish, especially in winter, so I use this for a bit of colour. I also eat a lot of beetroot, which is great for the skin. Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick, £30; www.charlottetilbury.com. Guerlain Lingerie de Peau BB Cream SPF 30, £35.50 for 40ml; www.feelunique.com.

The last meal that truly impressed me was actually just a dessert – ice cream from the department store Gum in Moscow. Ice cream is a big part of my life and at Gum it’s more milky than creamy, with a hint of vanilla essence. It brings back happy childhood memories. Red Square 3, Moscow 101000 (+7495-788 4343; www.gum.ru).

The site that inspires me is the view from the balcony of my home in Paris. It looks onto the gardens of Les Invalides on the left and the Grand and Petit Palais and the Alexander III Bridge on the right. It’s like we have this huge garden and it always makes me feel incredibly happy.

The people I rely on for wellbeing are my dance teacher Laura at The Nathalie Gustine Dance School in Paris; I don’t have a personal trainer and I hate the gym, but I go to jazz-dance classes to relieve stress. And in Moscow I nearly always go to Expedicia, a tiny Siberian banya; you get scrubbed with black soap and whipped with birch branches. It’s not painful, just incredibly rejuvenating. It also has an amazing Siberian café upstairs serving things like wild boar. Ecole de Danse Nathalie Gustine, 16 Rue Dupleix, 75015 Paris (+331-4734 1241). Expedicia Banya, Pevcheskiy Pereulok 6, Moscow (+7495-775 6075; www.expedicia-banya.com).

The 17th-century five-rouble coin that Vodianova bought for her son Lucas | Image: Léa Crespi

The last music I downloaded was a single called Do Not Be Silent by Russian singer-songwriter Díma Bilán, which is dedicated to the parents of children with special needs. I came up with the idea for the video, which stars a little girl with Down’s syndrome and it’s been a huge hit in Russia. Other than that I don’t download music because I don’t have time to listen to it.

The books on my bedside table are Chelsea Clinton’s It’s Your World, a children’s book I actually bought for Lucas, and a book called MuMu by Ivan Turgenev. It’s another one I bought for Lucas, but the translation from Russian into English was so painful that I’m now planning to find a translator to do a better job.

If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city, I’d chooseLondon’s Mayfair because of all the great shops in just one area. I love Dover Street Market – there are so many brands in one place, including some I can’t get easy access to like Azzedine Alaïa and Rick Owens. I shop at Loro Piana for staple pieces and Vanessa Bruno for activewear, and I go to Buccellati to dream at the jewellery. London is also so good at department stores; I love Fortnum & Mason’s packaging and wonderful Christmas decorations. Buccellati, 33A Albemarle Street (020-7629 5616; www.buccellati.com). Dover Street Market, 17-18 Dover Street (020-7518 0680; london.doverstreetmarket.com). Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly (020-7734 8040; www.fortnumandmason.com). Loro Piana, 157 New Bond Street (020-7499 9300; www.loropiana.com). Vanessa Bruno, 1A Grafton Street (020-7499 7838; www.vanessabruno.com).

If I weren’t doing what I do, I would be a teacher or teaching assistant. My success as a model has allowed me to give back. But if I’d had a higher education, I would have wanted to teach.

Natalia Vodianova’s Fabulous Fund Fair in aid of the Naked Heart Foundationis at Old Billingsgate Market on February 20 2016.