Spring has sprung, and in the spirit of the renewed energy of this season, it’s been an activity-packed month both at home and at work. My weekends have been spent with the children going to National Trust properties; both for the opportunity to enjoy spring blooms and blossoms, and for product design and development, taking inspiration from architecture and interiors of the past.
Most recently we paid a visit to Anne Boleyn’s childhood home of Hever Castle. In this opulent setting French style furniture abounds, including ornate French cabinets, bedroom chests of drawers and indulgent chaises longues – magnifique!
At the children’s school we were treated to a Mother’s Day presentation of daffodils, cards, chocolates and songs, as well as an adorable Easter bonnet parade! To my delight, the children have been learning about French Easter traditions at school. Did you know the Easter bunny doesn't exist, and instead Easter is announced by the ringing of bells?
At home, we are waking the garden up for summer with the obligatory spring pressure wash, lawn mow and sewing of spring seeds. In addition to the job of puppy-proofing the whole place for our impending new addition, Noodles, a little blue whippet.
The office girls are as excited as my children for the new member of the family, and the FB team. Lola may have some competition as the star of photo shoots!
Our forthcoming project is to redecorate the family bathroom with the new personalised royalcore wallpaper we designed with Elizabeth Ockford. We think we’re going to opt for our wedding date as the personalised text within the beautiful ribbon swag.
Looking ahead to Easter, we will be taking a trip to Barcelona. I’m looking forwards to a spot of cosmopolitan sunshine and an injection of Gaudi, Picasso and Dali culture, as well as maybe a sangria on the beach. And of course, a ramble down La Rambla.
Two things I have been most excited about at work have been the huge photo shoot – we have not one, not two, but SIX beautiful new beds to launch – and our re-brand. You may have noticed a fresher look and feel across our website and socials, including our new logo. We hope you love it as much as we do.
The week before the shoot was spent trawling through antique fairs and treasure trove markets to find unique props to use on set. My favourite piece that we found was a handmade ruffled floral lampshade in a corset-like shape. I am very tempted to hang it in our bedroom above our French chest of drawers.
We have also found time to relax together this month. It’s been a great start to the year for French Bedroom, and to celebrate the team’s hard work we had a très French cheese and wine party, complete with games, laughter and rose.
With so many vegans in the office, we were delighted to receive a vegan cheese bundle from Applewood Cheese, and even held a blindfolded taste test to see who could spot the difference! (Hint: It was a closer call than you might think!)
Enjoy browsing our discoveries for this month, hopefully with an Easter hot cross bun, smothered in butter.
SUNDAY DISCOVERIES
Sunday discoveries are our favourite, as it gives us the opportunity to share all the wonderful hidden gems we love – so you can love them too!
WEAR
We adore Reformation’s dresses for women, made in super flattering silhouettes that work for whatever event is on your calendar.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything they do, using fabrics such as TENCEL from Eucalyptus trees, rayon from wood pulp, and natural linen from flax plants.
This blue beauty reminds us so much of the floral damask fabric from our new Love In Idleness Reversible Upholstered Bed.
EAT
We recently sampled some of Applewood’s Smoky Vegan Cheese, and the girls can’t get enough of it! It’s a delicious, smooth and creamy smoky cheese alternative and tastes great melted on toast, on pizza, on a jacket potato or in a toasty.
Bonus – it also contains added calcium and vitamin B12.
BRUNCH WITH... ALICE
This Sunday we are chatting with our new friend and self-confessed ‘white addict’ Alice from @homeonthehey. We love her fresh styling and can’t wait to get to know her better.
Describe your perfect Sunday
My perfect Sunday would be a lie in past my usual 5am starts, a lazy breakfast in bed reading magazines and looking at Instagram looking for ideas for my next projects.
At the weekend I usually take my dog Poppy for a longer walk on the beach or to the local park. As all cavalier owners know, they can be a little lazy and so we usually stop for coffee somewhere on the way back.
Sundays are for relaxing, so I usually enjoy pottering around at home before enjoying something nice for dinner and some guilty pleasure viewing on the tv!
What’s your preferred sleeping position?
I’ve always been a side sleeper, especially if Poppy is on the bed. Then I’m usually on the side, and on the edge!
How do you take your coffee?
I take my coffee from the French cafetière with a just a splash of milk, the stronger the better!
Which book have you read the most?
My favourite book has always been “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. I fell in love with it at school, and every few years I will re-read it.
What’s your go-to guilty pleasure?
My most guilty pleasure is indulging in a plate of French macarons… and a junky series on Netflix!
BLOG POST OMNIBUS
As always, we have been busy bringing you our favourite blog topics this month. We spoke about How to create a bedroom sanctuary, listed our must-haves for fresh spring interiors, and answered all your questions about our revolutionary new luxury bed with a reversible headboard.
