Romantic Reveries, Volume 23

The first signs of spring are here. The camelia is blooming, the clocks have changed, and the garden is slowly starting to wake up after what’s felt like one of the wettest winters I can remember. Daffodils feel even more intricately designed than in previous years, and the camelia tree is in full bloom. I find I appreciate flowers even more after cold and wet winters, how about you?

At home, I’m in the process of teaching the children how to cook. Our current favourite is a Waitrose recipe for kiwi and mascarpone tartlets. It’s an easy blend of mascarpone or Philadelphia with icing sugar, dolloped into a brandy snap or sweet pastry case and topped with a fruit of your choice. Even frozen berries work nicely. They taste delicious and are so easy they’ve even been mastered by Jacobi.

I’m looking forward to a London culture day with Layla, popping to The British Library or to one of our favourite haunts, the VA Museum. We can’t wait to visit the exciting new exhibition on Coco Chanel’s life and work when it opens in September. As an icon of French style, how could I not be a fan?

The Easter holidays are fast approaching, and we’re excited to go away as a family into the French alps. This will be a departure from tradition for us, as we often host at home. I always enjoy making the house feel cosy and welcoming for guests; dressing the French bed in the guest room with quilted blankets and soft linens, stocking the bedroom armoire with extra fluffy towels, and leaving fresh-cut flowers on the bedside. It won’t be an entirely non-traditional Easter, however - the children and I will still be recreating the Easter tree in the chalet!

Our brand-new bed linen is the perfect treat for Easter guests. The 400 thread count, pure cotton sateen feels smooth as silk on the skin, and has the texture of double cream. We’re proud to be working with a family run mill in Pakistan that has been producing textiles since 1954. They source cotton under the Better Cotton Initiative standard, ensuring that cotton communities in Pakistan survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Three beautiful designs are already on site, with two more on the way.

We were thrilled to host another book club recently, discussing The Vintage Shop of Second Chances by Libby Page. It’s such a heart-warming story and we were delighted to chat with another fabulous female author. I’ve had Libby’s books on my bookshelf (as well as using them for props on set) since 2009 so it was great to meet her in real life.

In the business, I have something exciting to reveal. We will be exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show later this year! It’s a dream come true for my team; we’re working on lots of ideas for our stand. My desk is currently one big mood board, so please write in and let us know if there is anything you’d like to see on our stand.

Finally, we’re delighted to be working with the award-winning designer, blogger, and influencer Kimberly from Swoon Worthy. Her candles are out-of-this-world gorgeous; she’s mastered the combination of dreamy scents and display-worthy packaging. These scents are the ideal gift for Easter – and kinder on the waistline than chocolate!

Now curl up on this Sunday morning, and enjoy our latest discoveries of hidden gems.

SUNDAY DISCOVERIES

WEAR

Sandro Paris

Sandro Paris has been producing iconic designs and a timeless aesthetic for over 30 years. They are both classic and modern.

We love their impeccable tailoring and use of premium materials, ensuring that their pieces are always in style.

This classic jacket in an elegant sage green and its nod to the Chanel style has our hearts aflutter.

SMELL

Swoon Worthy Scents

Swoon Worthy Scents by award-winning blogger Kimberly Duran create stylishly designed products with sustainability at their core.

They only use 100% plant-based wax, vegan-friendly dyes, premium fragrances and essential oil blends and eco-friendly packaging.

Sunday Morning is a satisfying, fresh fragrance of lemon, pine and jasmine. Let it be your companion on lazy weekends or for creating a calming ambiance in your home.

STRUT

Freya Rose Footwear

Freya Rose celebrates all that is pretty and feminine in an unapologetic way. She designs timeless, contemporary styles which can become heirloom pieces.

Not influenced by fast fashion, she prefers to invest in designs which last a lifetime. Sound familiar?

When Georgia recently attended an International Women’s Day event in London, she chose to channel her energy through some empowering (sparkly) shoes.

BRUNCH WITH... KIMBERLY

We meet up with award-winning designer, blogger, and influencer Kimberly from Swoon Worthy to discuss her perfect Sunday, and the significance of scent to her.

1. Describe your perfect Sunday

The day starts early. As I've gotten older, I've learned to love a quiet early morning more than a late night, so I relish waking up with the first glimmers of the sunshine coming through the windows. I put the coffee on, feed the animals (Meisha, our cat, is the first as she's always the noisiest!) My other half normally sleeps later than me but once he's up, we have an easy breakfast, shower and dress, get the pup's harness on and head out to the Welsh coast.

As this is the perfect Sunday, the sun is shining and it's warm enough to take our little vintage convertible out. A few hours to enjoy the sun, a walk along the coast to blow away any cobwebs and maybe a coffee and something to eat along with lots of people watching. We love trying new recipes to cook on a Sunday so we might pop into a Farmer's Market for fresh ingredients on the drive back home. I'll open the bottle of wine while my other half takes the lead cooking (I hate to admit it but he's a better cook than I am!)

Once we've enjoyed our meal and cleaned up, then I might spend an hour or so preparing for my week ahead. I like having a clear vision of my goals and I'll pack up any orders that have come in over the weekend ready for them to be picked up in the morning.

I might pop on a face mask or have a bit more of a thorough skincare routine on a Sunday too. Once that's complete, we'll curl up on the sofa and watch travel programmes to plan our next adventure before heading to bed!

2. What does ‘Me Time’ mean to you?

I'm someone who could easily fill every hour available working! We don't have children and I have my own businesses so I have to make sure I don't burn myself out. For me, 'me time' is time spent on things that energise my soul - things like meditation, journaling, and visualisation are things I know I benefit from, but I have to give myself permission to actually take the time to do them. It's about being a little bit selfish so that I can fill my cup again to help others; we can't pour from an empty cup.

3. What’s your preferred sleeping position?

I'm like a doner kabab when I sleep, forever turning! I can sleep on either side, on my back or on my stomach and I will quite happily fall asleep. Is that weird?! I have no real preference!

4. How do you relax and unwind after a busy day?

I do love to read and just get lost in a book. I don't give myself enough time to read so I've challenged myself to read a book a month this year - so far I've read Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid in January and Infamous by Lex Croucher in February and I just started Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, which is my book for March.

5. Scent is obviously very important to you. What are your favourite aromas, and what memories or feelings do they trigger?

Oh there are just so many of them! In fact, every single fragrance in the Swoon Worthy Scents range is inspired by a memory or event. I think my favourites are quite earthy, musty green scents because our house was in the middle of a forest and so it reminds me of my childhood playing amongst the trees and building forts in the woods.

Woodsmoke is another one, it reminds me of a time when I lived in Wisconsin, there was always a group of us who would go up to a friend's lake house at the weekend and in the day, we'd go fishing or sailing on the lake and then in the evening, everyone would pitch in to help cook and we would all sit around the campfire in the evenings - it always reminds me of simple pleasures and good times.