As we prepare to close the doors on 2023 and gaze ahead to a new year filled with exciting challenges, we reflect on a busy time at French Bedroom HQ, both for our business and for the team in their personal lives.
2023 saw the expansion of our team and with this, the expansion of our workspace. During peak season, we packed up and moved to a bigger, more suited office space that we can now proudly call the House of French Bedroom. Adapting to a new office during our busiest time of year wasn’t without its challenges, but we can’t wait to put our unique stamp on this fantastic new space. We have created a mood board of colours and textures that embody our brand and can’t wait to see them come to life – the moodboard even includes a bed for lunchtime mindful moments for the team!
With hard work, comes time to unwind and celebrate. To see in the party season, Team FB headed into Brighton for dinner in The Salt Room’s private dining room. Continuing with the theme of special occasions, the end of November saw two incredible celebrations for us:
We were blessed to have had a French Bedroom wedding! Tom, our Customer Experience Manager, and his beautiful bride, Angel, tied the knot in a breathtaking ceremony. Their winter wedding was followed by a magical honeymoon in Lapland, complete with reindeer and snowmobiles. We wish Tom and Angel a long and loving marriage and are so grateful to them for allowing us to be part of their special day.
I was announced Woman of The Year at Contentsquare’s Digital Experience Awards. To be in a room surrounded by so many inspirational figures was truly inspiring.
To celebrate the end of the Christmas term we took the children to London to enjoy the Christmas sights, lights and delights. Making the most of the opportunity to spend quality time as a family, we stayed at The Dilly and ice skated at Somerset House, complete with cheese fondu, visited Dominion Theatre to see Elf the Musical, enjoyed a meal in Chinatown, and no festive trip to London is complete without nipping in to Fortnum & Mason and The Burlington Arcade to marvel at their incredible seasonal decorations.
When I can embrace a moment of calm, cooking is often how I unwind. Recently, batch cooking has been key to feeding our busy family when time has been limited in the evenings. One of my go-to batch cooks is lasagne - a firm family favourite in our house and perfect for cold winter evenings and a great lunch for busy working days.
As we edge closer to the New Year, we are pleased to have signed off our magazine adverts for the start of 2024 and (I may be biased but) I think they’re our best yet! A special mention goes to Elle, our Creative Lead, who has worked tirelessly to design and finalise these upcoming campaigns. Look out for French Bedroom in Living Etc, House & Garden and Homes & Gardens, amongst a wealth of other interiors-focused magazines.
As a company, we have always seen the importance in providing help to those who may need it. One of the many ways we offer our support is by encouraging the team to dedicate one of their working days per year to spending time with a charity of their choice. One of the charities we have been working closely with is Brighton-based Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, an incredible team who support young people in the community during their time of need, with a focus on mental wellbeing and difficult cancer treatments.
If you are able, please do consider donating to Rockinghorse via their website.
As you rest over Christmas and New Year, I hope you can embrace a moment of calm to take stock and reflect, before turning the page onto the next chapter. Well done this year, it’s not been an easy one.
With love and very warmest wishes to you all,
Merry Christmas x
Inspiration
The Avenue Blanc French bed offers the perfect pairing of elegance and practicality. Expertly crafted and purposeful, the design features elements of Gustavian style, giving the bed cachet and French refinement aplenty. The bed is hand-carved from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests.
As elegant as it is practical, the Avenue Blanc Petite Bedside Table is masterpiece of tapered columns, carved detailing, and practical storage; the top is bordered on three sides by a gently sloping edge to safeguard precious items. The single drawer presents fluted detailing, and a lower shelf provides additional storage.
The Avenue Blanc Chest of Drawers is beautifully painted in a finish of mildly distressed artisanal patina of pure white. It features fluted detailing on the top drawer, intentionally a shallower depth to allow easy access to everyday items such as intimates and hosiery. Two further drawers feature scalloped inset corner detailing, providing contrast to the fluted drawer front. Finally, tapered legs lend a feminine edge to this chest of drawers. The three drawers each have recycled metal handles.
Brunch With Anna Blakey
We caught up with Anna, one half of interior design duo AB Design and Interiors, to learn more about how they started, the meaning behind their Truffles & Ruffles Club and to see what the New Year holds.
We love that you are two friends who have turned their passion and knowledge into a business. How was the journey to where you are now?
Annie and I have known each other since we were 15!! Introduced by our parents very much against our will. We both come from a creative background, Annie in the arts and myself in architecture. We came together when we were both at a crossroads and I was looking for a business partner to join my interiors business. It has been the most wonderful journey, and we adore working together, although we don’t work on the same project. We very much tend to look after our own clients but come together as a sounding board for each other and collaborative design brainstorming sessions. We find it is much easier for our clients to only be working with one point of contact.
Since the start of the year, we have been growing our Truffles and Ruffles Club… ‘Under one roof and around one table’.
Truffles and Ruffles events bridge talent, conversation and ideas to make every occasion a gateway to a growing list of contacts and a rich community of artists, designers, interiors enthusiasts, journalists, photographers and more. The incredibly talented Lou Souza joins us at each of these events to capture the afternoon on camera - Lou's eye for detail allows her to create the most incredible photographs.
Annie and I have redefined what it means to network. Our events always have one aim at heart: this is old fashioned, in-person fun, where like-minded creatives unite without the use of screens and passwords and leave feeling inspired and part of a growing, dependable community. Everyone who attends a Truffles and Ruffles event is connected for life.
What are the most important things to consider when designing a space?
When it comes to designing a space, it is very important to consider the use - be it multifunctional, the light - from dawn to dusk, and always think of a house as whole so everything flows from one space to another.
To date, do you have a favourite project? If so, please do tell us about it!
Having always said our jobs are predominantly in London, my two favourite projects to date have been a farmhouse in Kent and a cottage in Wiltshire where I was able to bring my love of colour and pattern into both properties and to make a gorgeous forever home for both our clients.
What does 2024 hold for Anna & Annie?
We are very excited about what 2024 brings, to continue to grow our Truffles and Ruffles community and working on various collaborations following the success of them in 2023 and therefore growing our portfolio of what we offer and more into the world of interior stylists.
