It’s always interesting for us to reflect back on what we’ve been drawn to when we come to write these roundups. Each time, an eclectic mixed bag of things we have gathered along our way. We hope you will enjoy delving into our latest collection.
Scotland is a place we find ourselves wanting to return to again and again. Over the summer we visited Kailzie Gardens with it’s beautiful walled garden and greenhouses. We saw the most gorgeous fuchsia's, though being a natural environment, what is on display within the grounds depends on the season. We think that’s part of the beauty of it though - there is always something new to discover. Neidpath Castle is not far down the road and worth a visit too. For its long history and incredible views, it’s well worth seeing.
In keeping with the travel theme, we learned about Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Elmely describes itself as “a family run farm with a long-term vision to restore nature and a commitment to the sustainability of the landscape and land”. You can go for the day or stay overnight in one of their huts, cabins or tents. A truly beautiful place to visit if you are craving a break from city life, want to reconnect with nature, or both.
Having the space to think deeply is important to us, and we’ve been doing a lot of that lately.
Isn’t it funny how some thoughts or ideas really grab hold of you? We try to keep an open mind and are constantly seeking new perspectives and areas to explore. A couple of months ago Gillian Anderson shared some wise words on Instagram stories and they’ve really stuck with us. We dug a little deeper and found that she’d co-authored a book with Jennifer Nadel: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere. We’ve been listening to the audio version in our cabin while on cloth packing duty. Dr Nicole Lepera’s episode on the Whole30 podcast (Setting Boundaries and Navigating the Feel-Bads) has been on too. Boundaries are something that many of us find difficult and this episode is the right balance of exploring the ideas and offering practical advice to implement change.
Machine by Susan Steinberg and the thought-provoking beautiful words of ‘quiet poet’, Nayyirah Waheed have been on our reading list as well.
Mount Athos green olives with garlic. You can never go wrong with this classic combination.
Ever-inspired by the dreamy lifestyle and beautiful creations of Rachel Saunders and her team, over the last few weeks we have been getting our hands dirty playing with clay. You can do a lot with hand building techniques using air dry clay - think small bowls, miniature abstract sculptures or a paperweight. With it being easy to spend so much time on our screens, it’s been good to do something different with our hands and tap into the mood-boosting benefits of play too.
Pioneering women have been a repeating theme of late. A couple you might want to look up: Constance Spry who is currently being celebrated at The Garden Museum in London (until 26 September) and Rowena Cade. We stumbled on an image of a woman reading whilst perched on a wheelbarrow while scrolling socials, which piqued our curiosity. It turned out to be Rowena Cade taking a break from working on her construction site to create the Minack Theatre on the Cornish coast. You can read more of her story here.
Interesting lighting, or more specifically lamps, have been a prominent feature in our saved folders - from modernist vintage styles with squiggly bases to the ever-popular Murano glass mushroom shapes to paper lanterns. Is it possible to live in a house lit purely by lamps? We think, yes.
As appreciators of good design, art and reading, we are always drawn to vintage art books. The colours, the layouts, the slightly strange covers. Second-hand shops in British seaside towns, we’ve been told, are secret gems for finding interesting vintage books with obscure titles.
As always, if you've got anything to share, do get in touch. We’d love to hear about your finds.
