A home is one of our most personal expressions. It is where everyday life unfolds; where we gather with family and friends, mark the seasons and surround ourselves with the things that matter most.
While we often think about how a home looks, it is the feeling it creates that stays with us. A comfortable chair by the window, favourite books on a shelf, or a vase of flowers gathered from the garden. These quiet details shape the feeling of home far more deeply than decoration alone.
In a world of endless inspiration and ever-changing trends, it is easy to lose sight of what we are naturally drawn to. Yet the most memorable and enduring homes rarely begin with a particular style. Instead, they start by understanding how we want to live.
How you want to live
Take time to consider what home means to you and how you want to live, reflecting on your values, the rhythms of everyday life and the atmosphere you hope to create. This becomes a quiet compass for every decision that follows, helping to shape spaces that feel personal rather than assembled.
A meaningful home is created through observation, instinct and thoughtful choices made over time. In turn, it quietly supports the life lived within it.
Discover your own story
Enduring homes are rarely shaped by emulating another. Instead, seek inspiration everywhere, allowing your taste to develop gradually through curiosity and observation. Visit museums, galleries and houses, read books, walk through gardens and travel when you can. Pay attention to the natural world and the beauty of everyday places.
Collect photographs, postcards, paint samples, fabrics, magazine clippings, anything that quietly resonates with you. Gather them together on a physical mood board and live with it for a while. Over time, patterns begin to emerge. Certain colours, textures and landscapes appear again and again, revealing a visual language that is uniquely your own. Often, this is where the story of your home quietly begins.
Gather thoughtfully
The homes that stay with us are seldom those with the most. They are the ones shaped by things that carry meaning, chosen with thought and care. A painting discovered on holiday, favourite ceramics, well-loved books, or shells collected on coastal walks.
Pieces gathered over time bring warmth, character and a sense of continuity. Together they tell the story of a life rather than following a trend.
Leave space
One of the qualities I notice most in homes I admire is not simply what they contain, but the space around them. Light, balance, proportion, space which allow both the home and the objects within it to breathe.
Restraint often creates more atmosphere than abundance. When every object has room to breathe, we notice and appreciate it more. Choose fewer things, but choose them well.
Allow your home to evolve slowly
A meaningful home is never truly finished, it changes as we do. Pieces are moved around and collections grow slowly. Favourite objects gather their own patina through daily life.
Rather than rushing towards a finished result, allow your home to evolve naturally, one thoughtful decision at a time. Like a garden, it becomes richer with every passing season. The most enduring homes are those that have been allowed to unfold, reflecting not a single moment, but a life being lived.
A quieter way of creating a home
When our homes reflect our values, support the way we live and are filled with things we genuinely love, they become far more than beautiful spaces. They become places that comfort, restore and quietly enrich everyday life.
Ultimately, the most meaningful homes are not those that follow trends or perfectly recreate someone else’s vision. They are the homes that tell our personal story through thoughtful decisions made with care over time.
Home Consultations
Home Consultations are a natural extension of the studio, bringing together experience of sourcing antiques, shaping collections and helping people create homes with simplicity and character.
Whether you are rethinking a single room, planning a whole house or simply feeling unsure where to begin, together we explore how your home can better reflect the way you want to live.
If you would like to learn more about working together, you can explore our Studio practice here.
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A Love of Books at Home
In an era dominated by digital media, the physicality of books adds a tangible element to our homes and helps to create warm and personal spaces. While they impart colour and form to a home, the appeal of books goes far beyond the aesthetic. Books serve as a window into our lives, reflecting interests, values and personality. They touch us on an emotional level, evoking memories and transporting us to a different time and place. Reading is both withdrawing from the world and entering it differently. Books are bridges between times and people, they provide opportunities to expand our horizons, let our imaginations roam, and encourage new ideas to flourish.
Whether arranged on shelves and tables, stacked in piles, or placed individually, books convey a sense of lived-in comfort to a space. Paired with other decorative objects such as a lamp, candle or vase of flowers, they instantly make spaces feel more balanced and inviting. Books also invite us to pause and take a moment for ourself, to get lost in tactile pages, words and imagery, helping us to relax and reset.
Preserve a love of books and the timeless practice of reading in your home by surrounding yourself with an abundance of books that inspire, inform and resonate. Even a small reading nook, with a cosy armchair and soft blanket, can become a sanctuary for quiet reflection, a haven where time slowly unfolds.
For centuries, people have curated and displayed meaningful collections of books that inspire, inform and bring joy. Whether chosen for their literary value, visual appeal, or simply the comfort they bring, books deserve a place in any well-loved home.
A house without books is like a room without windows.
– Heinrich Mann –
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At Home with Vicolo Via Mameli
At Home with is an ongoing journal series exploring the homes of thoughtful creatives. Through conversations and photography, we discover what home means to them, the values that shape the way they live, and the details that make each home unique. Though every story is different, home is always at the core.
For our next story, we travel to the heart of the Italian countryside to visit Nicola and Ryan of Vicolo Via Mameli at their rural farmhouse. Guided by the philosophy that less is more, their home and store reflect a thoughtful curation of pieces—each one carefully chosen to create a warm, inviting sense of home. We hope you enjoy this latest feature with Nicola and Ryan, set amidst the beauty of the rolling Umbrian hills.
Tell us a little about yourselves and your background.
We’re Nicola and Ryan, the team behind Vicolo Via Mameli. I (Nicola) grew up in the Italian Alps. Growing up on a farm I lived closely connected to nature from an early age – every free time after school I was helping my family on the farm and observing nature. My studies and early work were rooted in nature, geography and after that in fashion and retail, but I’ve always had a hands-on approach, learning as much from experience as from formal education.
Ryan is originally from a small town in upstate New York, US, and has always been fascinated by objects with soul—things that carry history and purpose, his background is in architecture, creative direction and visual storytelling. Growing up in the woods, he was constantly outside in nature and surrounded by dirt roads and forests. He studied and worked in creative fields, and his eye for detail and love for authentic, everyday beauty shapes everything we do together. Our paths crossed in Milan, and our shared passion for nature first and foremost, and for timeless design and slow living led us to create both a life and a business together.
Where do you call home and what is it like?
Home for us is a farmhouse in the Umbrian countryside that we purchased in 2020. It is surrounded by olive trees, rolling hills and is a lively agricultural area. It’s a peaceful, slightly wild place where we can slow down, be creative, and connect with nature. The house is a mix of old objects and dried flowers, filled with pieces we’ve collected over the years—antiques, handmade textiles, and objects with stories.
What does home mean to you?
For us, home is our sanctuary. It’s a space where we can recharge, experiment, and simply be ourselves. It’s about comfort, authenticity, and being surrounded by the things and people (and our two cats) that we love!
How would you describe your aesthetic and style?
Our style is rooted in Italian and American traditions—simple, honest, and creative. We love natural materials, muted colours, and objects that feel lived-in and loved, where the patina and age of an object is left to tell its story. There’s always a balance between function and beauty, and we never shy away from a bit of imperfection.
Which is your favourite space in your home and why?
The kitchen is the heart of our home. It’s where we cook, talk, dream up new ideas, and gather with friends. It’s also where we spend most of the winter feeding the wood burning stove that heats the entire house. The big table is always in use, whether for meals, work, or our early morning coffee.
How do you choose what to bring in to your home?
We’re both quite selective, but every piece is usually functional, made from natural materials and has a quiet elegance to it. Everything in our home has to feel right – beautiful, useful, and made to last. We avoid trends, preferring objects with a story, a sense of craft, and a purpose.
Where do you find inspiration for your home?
Inspiration comes from everywhere, but mostly nature. Then of course we love to travel when we can, visit antique markets on the weekends, and be inspired by the artisans we meet. We’re also inspired by books, films, and the changing seasons in Umbria.
Who do you most admire for their sense of style, ethos and aesthetics?
We admire people who live and create with intention – artisans, designers, and anyone who values authenticity over perfection.
American Shakers, Italian craftspeople, Virginia Woolf and Leonard’s Garden.
We love celebrating and sharing stories of home and place from those we admire. Our hope is that these stories may offer you inspiration or new ideas for making a beautiful home. Explore more stories here on our journal, with more to follow!
At Home with The Cook’s Atelier
At Home with is an ongoing journal series exploring the homes of thoughtful creatives. Through conversations and photography, we discover what home means to them, the values that shape the way they live, and the details that make each home unique. Though every story is different, home is always at the core.
Our next story brings us to a small village near Beaune in the Burgandy region of France where we are delighted to visit the Cook’s Atelier family at their idyllic countryside home, the Woodland House. The Cook’s Atelier is a renowned French cooking school and culinary boutique, founded in 2008 which intertwines work and family. Dedicated to teaching classic French techniques, they celebrate seasonal ingredients, and inspiring meaningful connections through cooking. The Cook’s Atelier welcome food lovers from around the world to experience the beauty of Burgundy and the art of French cuisine.
The Woodland House, the family home is a historic stone property dating back to the 1800s that once served as a walnut mill. Sympathetically restored with natural materials and local brocante finds, it retains its authentic French charm and rich character. The interiors have been furnished slowly over time and reflect the families appreciation for timeless pieces which last and have a story. Similarly, the outdoor spaces have been thoughtfully considered and offer special areas for guests to gather and share memorable moments around the table, enjoying local food and wine.
The Cook’s Atelier have lovingly created a warm and inviting family home that feels deeply personal and in harmony with its natural surroundings. Step inside this special woodland house and enjoy their beautiful images and thoughts about home.
Tell us a little about yourselves and your background.
We are Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini, the mother-daughter duo and co-founders of The Cook’s Atelier, a French cooking school, culinary boutique and wine shop in the heart of Burgundy, France. The Cook’s Atelier was an idea years in the making – one that involved lots of brainstorming and countless glasses of wine. We started with no formal business plan, just a strong gut instinct to create a place that we would love, and hoped that others would, too. We wanted to create a convivial gathering place where we could share our love of food and wine with other home cooks from around the world.
Where do you call home and what is it like?
The Cook’s Atelier (our cooking school) is located in Beaune. The family house where Kendall, Laurent and the three grandchildren live, is just a short drive south from Beaune along the route des Grands Crus. This property is an extension of our Atelier in Beaune and is lovingly referred to as The Woodland House. A beautiful example of simplicity in nature, the entire property, which is now back to its original state as it was 200 years ago, is a haven for wildlife in the area as well as a little ecosystem in its own right. In addition to our cook’s garden, we’ve added bee hives, a hen house and a proper greenhouse just next to the forest garden.
What does home mean to you?
To us, home means a place to create space for the beautiful things and moments that bring us happiness.
How would you describe your aesthetic and style?
The Woodland House kitchen feels like the yin to the yang of our Atelier teaching kitchen in Beaune. While the school is very white and bright, the family house is moody and natural, with a similarly clean style but a seamless connection to the outdoors. Both of our kitchens are filled with really great energy and are a welcoming place for family as well as the guests who come visit us from around the world. You won’t find plastic items in our kitchens as we prefer to use wooden spoons and cutting boards and pots and pans that can last a lifetime. There are always fresh herbs just picked from the garden orfrom the marketstored in glass jars like fresh flowers and plenty of candlelight to create a warm and inviting space. (Note, our third kitchen aka the Barn Kitchen is currently being renovated at the Woodland House and will be ready for use in spring 2025).
Which is your favourite space in your home and why?
For us, the kitchen is the very most important part of the house; we believe wholeheartedly in the adage that the kitchen is the heart of the home. We’ve designed our kitchens very intentionally, so that the things we use are just where we need them, when we need them. How we store things both at The Cook’s Atelier and at home lends a streamlined aesthetic that makes us enjoy every moment we spend cooking. The point is that it’s not necessary to have a grandiose kitchen or dining room, but that you do need to make your space warm, well organized, welcoming, and functional for the whole family. It starts with having a place for everything, which you can do no matter where you live, and no matter how much space you have.
How do you choose what to bring in to your home?
We are a family of collectors. We love to search for beautiful as well as useful items such as vintage copper pots and pans, French creamware, a mix of vintage cutlery and monogrammed linens. All of these little details make a meal all the more special because you are using the things that you love.
Where do you find inspiration for your home?
We call the Woodland House “the inside outside house,” because between the kids, the dog, three cats, the chickens, and our guests, the doors seem to never close, and our yard simply becomes an extension of the house. Everything about it is beautiful, but almost nothing about it is perfect. It allows us to live with one foot outdoors, in a place where we can enjoy picking wild asparagus from the forest and washing our potatoes in the stream and leaning on good neighbors to teach us the rhythm and skill of beekeeping. The Woodland House lives the way we live—seasonally and exuberantly, and sometimes with a bit of a mess. Every Friday during our Seasonal Burgundy Masterclass five-day program, we invite guests there to help us cook lunch, often turning a whole chicken on the indoor fireplace’s rotisserie, and then we enjoy it al fresco on the terrace outside the barn. The house came with a cozy French version of hygge, and treating guests to an afternoon at the Woodland House gives us a chance to share the joy we find in living there.
Who do you most admire for their sense of style, ethos and aesthetics?
We have been long time admirers of Tricia Foley. We love her style which is un-cluttered, simple and very approachable. We love her mix of vintage and her clean, simplistic style as well as her encouragement that money is not essential to have a beautiful home. Simple spring flowers from the market with the appropriate amount of candlelight always makes a house into a home.
This journal story has been shared to coincide with the release of the Cook’s Ateliers second cookbook, French at Heart, which celebrates home cooking through a treasury of recipes, photographs and stories. The recipe below is an extract from this beautiful book which delivers more than 100 go-to recipes and shows how to create simple, joyous family meals around your own table, in whatever place you call home.
We love celebrating and sharing stories of home and place from those we admire. Our hope is that these stories may offer you inspiration or new ideas for making a beautiful home. Explore more stories of home here on our journal, with more to follow!
The table is far more than a piece of furniture. It is a place of nourishment, ritual, and connection, an anchor within the home and a reason to come together. Around it, conversations unfold and ideas are shared. It shapes our daily rhythms and the relationships we build around it. There is a quiet power in the table, and in our ability to create one that brings us joy.
Crafting atmosphere through details
The beauty of a table lies in its details,whether you are celebrating a special occasion, or simply embracing the everyday. Taking pride in setting a table that feels warm and inviting helps to foster a joyful and memorable experience. With just a few carefully chosen elements — linens, tableware, natural details and candlelight, the look and feel of a table can be completely transformed. These thoughtful details ignite the senses, create ambience, and invite people to slow down and savour the moment.
Linens
The addition of a table cloth and napkins immediately elevates a table and creates a sense of occasion, reminding us that time spent with others deserves special attention. Choose linens that are versatile and timeless, rather than trend-led, pieces that can move easily through seasons and occasions.
White linens offer a calm, elegant foundation and a perfect blank canvas for layering. Character can be added through colour, pattern, and texture, as well as through the way napkins are folded or styled. Draped loosely, tied with ribbon or twine, or finished with a sprig from the garden, these small gestures allow the table to feel considered yet relaxed.
Tableware
Ceramics, glassware and cutlery play a powerful role in how a table feels, making even the humblest meals look and feel special. Whether plain or patterned, old or new, matching or mixed, pieces chosen with intention tend to find harmony when brought together.
White plates remain endlessly versatile, offering uniformity while showing food to its best advantage. For a more colourful table, selecting pieces within a limited palette helps create balance and cohesion — often just two core colours are enough. Vintage and antique tableware adds depth and individuality through patina, charm, and a sense of history. Whatever your style, collect pieces with longevity that reflect your aesthetic and invite daily use.
Natural Details
Nature offers endless inspiration for the table. Flowers, foliage, and seasonal produce bring colour, texture, and scent, transforming even the simplest setting. Arrangements should feel gathered rather than formal — loose, natural compositions that sit low on the table and allow conversation to flow.
Small vases filled with garden flowers or greenery are just as pleasing as larger arrangements. Bowls of seasonal fruit or vegetables can also be woven into the table, creating a sense of abundance and ease. Clementines, lemons, grapes, or figs introduce rich colour and texture, while cake stands or pedestals add gentle height and visual interest.
For a thoughtful finishing touch, consider personalising each place setting with natural details or hand-written name cards, a small expressions of care that make guests feel truly welcome.
Candlelight & Ambience
Ambience is perhaps the most important element of a beautiful table. Lighting and sound set the tone for the entire experience, shaping how guests feel as much as how the table looks.
Candlelight has a unique ability to soften a space. Tea lights scattered along the table add warmth and sparkle, while slender dinner candles bring a sense of elegance. Soft ivory candles are timeless and versatile, while coloured candles can subtly echo tones in linens, tableware, or flowers.
When dining indoors, consider the wider room lighting too. Dimming overhead lights, or switching them off entirely, and introducing lamps around the space creates a more intimate glow. Gentle background music completes the atmosphere, engaging the senses while leaving room for easy conversation.
Food & Drink
Thoughtful preparation allows gatherings to feel relaxed and generous. Planning ahead means less time in the kitchen and more time at the table. Simple, well-made dishes prepared in advance often create the most ease, especially when served beautifully.
Sharing food is at the heart of welcoming hospitality. Encourage guests to help themselves with bowls of olives or nuts, a self-service drinks tray, or a table laid with platters to share. Bread, generous dishes, and food served family-style feel abundant and inviting, allowing everyone to eat as they please and helping the host stay present and connected.
In a world that moves quickly, small, thoughtful details have the power to slow time and deepen connection. Few pleasures are greater than gathering around a table with the people we care about, sharing food, conversation, and memories.
The way we set a table goes beyond aesthetics. It is an expression of care for others, for craftsmanship, and for the beauty of everyday life. Embrace the space you have, whatever its size, and choose pieces that bring you joy.
We hope this journal post inspires you to create beautiful, welcoming tables in your home, whether for daily suppers or special celebrations. Discover our collection of tableware to enhance your table and explore further inspiration in our Pinterest galleries.
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A Slow Approach to Decorating
Slow decorating is an approach of taking time to let a home evolve gradually and thoughtfully, in accordance with needs, values and personal style. It is about creating a home that feels authentic and enduring. When we allow ourselves the time to decorate and layer our homes slowly and mindfully, and consider what we truly need, we can create spaces that reflect us and the life we want to unfold within them.
Principles of slow decorating:
(1.) Invest time
Take time to consider how you use your home, as well as how you want it to look and feel. Plan and gather inspiration intentionally to help hone your personal style and vision before rushing in. Having clarity, helps to increase your focus and simplifies decision making. You can then iterate and refine your spaces slowly over time as your home and life evolve. Accept that the essence of ‘slow’ means homes are never quite finished, and eliminate pressure to rush the process. Valuable things take time to unfold and if you allow your home to emerge slowly, you are more likely to end up with spaces that have greater resonance and longevity.
(2.) Repurpose & reuse
Find ways to use what you already have, taking time to repurpose things or move them around to refresh your home and create different arrangements and layouts. Slow decorating encourages incorporating antiques and buying used but quality items. These pieces add warmth and character and help to create spaces that instantly feel unique, lived in and comfortable. There is something special about creating a home with vintage and antique pieces, each object has a past, and by choosing it you can weave it into your own story.
(3.) Prioritise quality over quantity
Purchase items for your home with care and intention, opting for things that are considered, well made and beautiful, rather than being driven by trends. Purchasing mindfully and adopting the ethos of buying less but better, reduces rash decisions and purchasing mistakes. As a result, this is more cost efficient over time and treads more softly on the earth. Don’t feel the need to fill every room, sometimes the space you leave is just as important as the things you put in .
(4.) Cultivate patience
Be willing to have patience and wait for key pieces that resonate and are right for your home. When you take time to source, you can build an environment that feels cohesive and purposeful, that truly reflects you. Be prepared to look everywhere from online marketplaces to flea markets and antique shops and remember that small details make a real difference. The best interiors are those that gently gain their layers and continue to evolve naturally and slowly.
(5.) Create emotional connections
Take time to collect meaningful and personal objects such as travel mementos, art or family heirlooms which resonate, reflect your values and foster an authentic connection to your home. By weaving these items thoughtfully into your spaces, you are not just decorating, but crafting a home that holds emotional value and tells your unique story.
(6.) Make space for change
A home is not static. It needs to be flexible in how it is used, able to accommodate the changing needs, activities and stages of our lives. Rather than being designed around a fixed idea of how a home should look or be used, it can make space for life to happen, giving us room to live and breathe, move things around, gather people, work and rest. Spaces can take on different purposes over time, and objects can find new places and uses as life evolves.
The most meaningful homes never feel entirely finished. They remain open to change, growth and new experiences. A home is alive with the people who inhabit it, and its story continues to unfold through the everyday moments that take place within it.
Slow decorating is ultimately about giving a home the time and space to become your own. It is about making thoughtful choices, living with what you have, allowing things to evolve and resisting pressure to have everything figured out at once. The result is not a home that is perfectly finished, but one that feels considered, personal and lived in. A home that reflects the people within it and has room for the life that happens there.
Like a garden, a home is never truly finished. It grows and changes with us, gathering memories, meaning and stories along the way.
The feature below from the April 2025 issue of Homes & Antiques magazine includes our thoughts about slow decorating.
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Thoughts on Home Lighting
Adding layers slowly to a home to reflect individual style and personality is what transforms a house into a unique space. Lighting is one of the key elements in the fabric of our interiors, both in terms of form and function. It has a huge impact on the overall look and feel of our spaces and can have a profound effect on how we live in our homes. Illuminating spaces thoughtfully and strategically can bring each room to life, add comfort and atmosphere, and enable us to perform our daily tasks efficiently.
Whether you have a new build, renovation or are refreshing areas of your home, taking time to consider the functionality of your spaces, and planning how you want your home to look and feel is a good place to start. Consider how natural light can be harnessed throughout your home whether through decorating, simplifying window dressings or using mirrors to amplify light. Natural light is a beautiful and important resource in any home, and how you use, shape and optimise it can make or break an interior.
Home lighting should enhance the best assets of a home both functionally and aesthetically, serving a purpose appropriate to the room’s functionality, as well as having decorative appeal. Planning carefully what additional lighting is needed in each room is key to maximising the lighting in your home and anchoring and elevating the whole space. The ever-changing nature of light in houses through times of day and seasons, can benefit from the flexibility of dimmable lighting. Different occasions call for different moods, and dimmers allow for scenes to be set in an instant.
While we often start with overhead lighting, the merits of other sources for task and mood lighting in our homes should not be overlooked. To optimise light and atmosphere, layering different light sources and levels adds depth and visual interest, while offering versatility and flexibility. Consider floors, ceilings, walls and surfaces and aim to create moments with your lighting to illuminate different areas and work with the purpose of the room. Layering lighting across the home with floor lamps, table lamps and wall lights, as well as pendants (ideally with dimmers), helps to create mood and bring spaces to life. Lighting can be subtle and low key, softly illuminating a room, or be used to amplify spaces and act as a visual statement or focal point. Integrating different lighting types brings an instant feeling of thoughtfulness and dimension, so cultivating this layered scheme is vital.
When selecting lighting for a home, looking for a unifying element—whether style, shape, colour, or material can tie each room together. This creates a visual thread and a sense of continuity, making interiors feel more balanced and harmonious.
The importance of light quality should also be considered. Choosing the right light bulbs, consistent in colour temperature and appropriate in brightness can have a big impact on mood and functionality. Warmer tones bring cosiness, while cooler tones offer clarity for tasks. Matching these across spaces helps maintain a cohesive atmosphere.
With thoughtful choices, lighting becomes more than illumination, it becomes a design element that ties your whole home together. Invest in pieces you love that bring personality, texture, and character to a home and always consider scale and proportion to ensure lighting is balanced and complements the space.
Vintage lighting is an affordable and sustainable choice, with a carbon footprint that is far lower than buying newly made pieces. With its brilliant spectrum of design styles, it adds instant appeal and creates unique and interesting interiors. From original antique chandeliers to vintage wall lights, what makes these pieces so special is not only the quality of the materials and craftsmanship, but the wonderful character created by the gentle passing of time. Consider converting and repurposing pieces to create one of a kind lamp bases, and dress with handmade or reclaimed shades to create a distinctive look. Unique and beautiful lighting can also act as a focal point, anchoring a space and creating impact. When chosen well, these pieces can travel with you through a lifetime of houses.
Candlelight is a simple and inexpensive way to add ambience and create a calm and relaxing feeling in your home. From scented candles or tapers, to a scattering of tea lights, twinkling candlelight creates cosiness and adds an extra glow to all areas of the home across the seasons.
Lighting sets the mood of a home and is instrumental in creating atmosphere and visibility. It is a vital element that takes time and consideration to get right so it is always worth investing time in thoughtful planning. As with all areas of home decorating, be patient and prepared to wait for the right pieces. Mix heights, shapes, styles, and periods but always avoid trends, staying true to your own style and values. Allowing a home to evolve over time is what gives it personality, depth, and charm.
You can also find a small curation of lighting in our online store, each piece carefully sourced one piece at a time and thoughtfully restored to bring immersive moments of comfort and calm to your home. For further lighting inspiration browse our Pinterestgallery.
Light is the first essential. Light stimulates, nourishes, preserves.
– Wilkie Collins –
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Travel Inspiration
Stepping away from our everyday lives to travel and experience new places and spaces is not only good for the soul, but offers fresh insights and inspiration for our interiors. Home is a rich tapestry with fragments of life that are pieced together through the objects that fill it, each bound up with memories and stories behind their discovery.
No matter where our journeying takes us, there are myriad ways to weave reminisces of travel into our homes and carve out unique spaces and personal style. Ideas gathered from landscapes, architecture, museums or found objects can all inform our interiors and capture the essence of travel experiences. Inspiration need not result in grand transformations, the addition of simple ideas can enrich our homes and remind us of past adventures.
The joy of new places is the sensory experiences they bestow – new languages, sights, climate, flavours and scents. Having aspects of the experience and memory reflected in our interior, can make us smile and transport us back. Inspiration can come from anywhere – explore, hunt, gather, and take photos to capture details which can be incorporated into your home and life.
There are many beautiful countries and cultures across the world to visit and explore, although inevitably compromised by constraints of time and money. Where travel isn’t possible, inspiration for your home can also be gleaned through other sources such as film and television, books and nature. Collect ideas and pieces that move you and speak of your story and memories, whether from across the globe, or your local environment, to help create personal and unique home spaces.
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At Home with Rachel Brennen
At Home with is an ongoing journal series exploring the homes of thoughtful creatives. Through conversations and photography, we discover what home means to them, the values that shape the way they live, and the details that make each home unique. Though every story is different, home is always at the core.
Our next story brings us to the tiny hilltop village of Bonnieux, Provence where we visit Rachel Baker at her beautiful home, Maison Aumône. Surrounded by ancient cobbled streets, rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves, this provencal home is steeped in history and has been lovingly restored and curated to capture its humble past.
Rachel draws inspiration from nature in both her work and home and has built connections to the outside world by layering in natural materials and elements. Original features including old stone walls and wooden beams combine with local brocante finds and unique furnishings, to create a home which exudes character and warmth. Maison Aumône and its surroundings offer an immersive experience for all the senses, a place to embrace a mindful, slower pace of life and cultivate rest and deep connection.
Rachel’s spaces are simple, rustic and nurturing and we do hope you enjoy her wonderful story of home.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I am a nutrition and lifestyle practitioner, writer, stylist, recipe creator and food photographer. Drawing inspiration from nature and the changing seasons, I create recipes using plant-powered ingredients, along with an evolving and ever-expanding library of wellness resources that I share via the 3 Sources Membership, an online wellness platform that aims to support others to live more optimally using my mind, body, nutrition philosophy interwoven with seasonal rhythms, rituals, classes, and more. This year I also launched À La Carte Club, an ever-expanding digital library of approachable plant-powered recipes to help inspire others to put nutrient-rich, seasonal food on the table.
Where do you call home and what is it like?
Originally from Bath, England, I now call a hilltop village in Provence, France, home. Built around the 13th century, the building was once used as a hospice for the poor. Something about its story and history really spoke to my heart and inspired and motivated my vision to preserve its original simplicity. The back of the house is built into the rock with a vaulted stone troglodyte, or cave dwelling, which was transformed into an atelier where I dry herbs and blend preparations for my apothecary and, most recently, an area to dye natural linen with plants and roots foraged from the natural surroundings throughout the changing seasons. I am learning the craft of natural dyeing and what it’s teaching me (besides the final result or the beauty of the colours), is to pay attention to nature, to the seasons changing, to the plants around me, and to their properties and the chemistry behind them. It’s also an exercise in patience that involves washing, fixing, gathering plants, extracting pigments, failing or succeeding, becoming more organised, telling stories, being environmentally responsible, and thinking sustainably.
What does home mean to you?
For me, home is a place of deep nourishment, re-connection and restoration – a place to recalibrate, rest, and revive – a shelter from the busyness of modern day life.
How would you describe your aesthetic and style?
An authentic, natural home is important to me and I am drawn to objects with utility and a story. Earthy colours and textures, inspired by nature, along with fresh and dried botanicals, old pottery, and antique linens form the basis of much of my styling.
Which is your favourite space in your home and why?
Fondly known as ‘Chambre de Luca’ during the second phase of the renovation, it’s a small room that connects to the main bedroom by a pair of antique doors, partially glazed at the top. In the morning and late afternoon the light changes and the rising and setting of the sun is captured and framed in the tiny window above the bed. When Luca, our grandson, comes to stay, he sleeps in this room, close to us as we sleep. It’s a special room and one I now write in each morning as the light streams in.
How do you choose what to bring into your home?
By staying true to the story and poetry of the space. It takes time and energy sourcing the right objects and pieces for a home, but staying aligned to the vision of what home truly means and how I want to move within it helps me to stay clear on the choices I make.
Where do you find inspiration for your home?
Nature is my biggest source of inspiration, but often one object, painting, or textile piece will inspire how a small vignette or a whole room will come together. Living in Provence is a constant source of inspiration from the many brocantes and vide greniers in the area, to the people who choose to live here and embrace a slower, more authentic way of living.
Who do you most admire for their sense of style, ethos and aesthetics?
My great grandmother had a wonderful sense of style and her home was a place of refuge; a wonderful mix of dark wood, sepia photos and post-war make do and mend. As a young girl, I have vivid memories of the greengage trees in the orchard, but most especially the jars of jam lined up in her pantry, each one secured with a circle of waxed paper and a rubber band that could only be reached with the aid of some old wooden steps. I can remember picking up windfallen fruit beneath the tree in the orchard, filling my pockets, and hers. I love how the seasons can root me to a sense of place or a sense of time where I explore memories, nostalgia, and meaning. A sense of place, of time – of a journey – is vital for me and this filters into much of my creative work.
Rachel’s beautiful hilltop home in Provence is available to hire. Learn more on her website andinstagram and subscribe to her newsletter to be notified when new dates are released.
Bringing flowers and foliage into the home enhances the look and feel of our environment and softens the boundaries between inside and out. Whether large or small, fresh or dried, these natural elements offer a rich multi-sensory experience that can be enjoyed in every room. Arrangements need not be elaborate, often it is the simplest compositions that feel the most special – bringing warmth, colour and texture to any corner. Discover a sense of calm and joy in the creative process and reconnect with the beauty of nature and the gentle rhythms of the changing seasons in your home spaces.
Ideas for arranging and displaying flowers & foliage at home:
G a t h e r
There is an abundance in the natural world, from what we grow intentionally to what grows naturally. Flowers and foliage can be gathered from our surroundings or sourced from local flower markets, florists or shops. Whilst it is a treat to buy flowers when budget allows, foraging offers a rich alternative throughout the seasons. Keep a pair of secateurs in your glove box and stay curious—observe what’s growing along country lanes, woodland paths, and even roadsides. Remember to forage responsibly, taking only a little, and never too much from any one plant.
Wildflowers, grasses, branches, and even overlooked weeds can all become beautiful elements in your arrangements. With just a few essentials like secateurs, floral tape, chicken wire, and flower frogs—alongside a collection of vessels, you will be well-equipped to experiment and refine your compositions. There is beauty to be found in simplicity, and great joy in discovering what nature offers, season by season.
P r e p a r e
Once you have gathered branches and blooms, take time to prepare each stem with care. Trim the ends at an angle – this increases the surface area and improves water absorption. Remove any leaves or side branches that would sit below the waterline in your vase, as submerged foliage can break down and promote bacteria, shortening the life of an arrangement. Where possible keep arrangements away from direct sunlight, radiators, or anything that gets too warm.
Embrace the organic nature of your materials—nothing in nature grows perfectly straight or symmetrical. Vary the stem lengths to create a more natural rhythm of colour, shape, and texture. Fill your container halfway with clean, lukewarm water, which offers better oxygen flow than cold. Refresh the water every few days and give stems a snip each time to allow them to drink up more water and keep the arrangement looking its best, for longer. For delicate flowers and foliage, a quick mist can keep them looking crisp and hydrated.
A r r a n g e
A beautiful arrangement often owes as much to restraint as it does to abundance. Consider the varieties of stems that you include and how they will work together. Whilst a mix of florals and foliage can look striking, so too can a single variety or colour palette, which can feel simple and abundant all at once.
It is also important to think about proportion in your arrangement. Allowing for more plant than vessel enables flowers to sit naturally in a vase. Experiment with varying heights and shapes of flowers and greenery to capture the essence of their beauty and achieve your desired composition.
Branches, whether fresh or dried have a wonderful sculptural quality and can form a simple yet impacting arrangement. Choose branches that have natural curves and movement rather than straight, upright stems. In order to highlight interesting shapes, less is always more when it comes to arranging branches, and there is beauty in the quiet moments, in the negative space.
When arranging, the vessel is just as important as the stems themselves. Consider the scale, shape and style of your container, as these elements will influence the overall silhouette and feeling of your display. Different vessels guide how flowers and foliage will sit within them, some encouraging a relaxed, loose arrangement, others lending a more structured, formal look.
Think about where your arrangement will live in your home, and let that inform your choice. Vases, bowls, jugs, and even baskets can all become beautiful floral vessels. Start with what you have—many household items can be adapted. If a container isn’t watertight, simply place a jam jar or glass inside to hold the water discreetly. Always ensure containers are clean, as lingering bacteria can quickly shorten the life of your flowers.
Sturdy flower frogs or chicken wire secured with floral tape can be used to support stems, especially when arranging in a shallow vessel. Flower frogs have been a functional and sustainable tool for centuries, dating back to the 14th century. Designed to give floral structures shape and stability, they sit at the bottom of a bowl or vase, offering holes or upright metal pins to hold stems in place. Available in a variety of styles, sizes, and materials, flower frogs can be adapted to suit different types of blooms and foliage. Whether you are creating a dense, textural composition or a more airy, minimal display, they help anchor your arrangement while allowing each stem to shine.
For small arrangements, bud vases are effortless to assemble and endlessly versatile. They offer a simple yet elegant way to bring beauty into any space and can be placed across the home whether on a table, mantel or window sill. Despite their size, bud vases have the power to transform a setting, whether grouped together for impact or placed individually for a quiet, thoughtful touch. They are also a wonderful way to make use of off-cuts, single stems, or smaller blooms that may not fit into larger arrangements. For visual contrast and interest, use a variety of sizes and with just a little consideration, even the most modest display can feel refined and full of character.
There is an infinite variety of flowers and foliage that can uplift the home – bringing scent, texture and colour to everyday spaces and creating beautiful focal points. From a single stem in a simple glass vessel, to an abundant bouquet of sculptural branches gathered from the garden, each arrangement holds its own beauty.
We hope this post may encourage you to look to the natural world for inspiration and capture the beauty of nature in your home throughout the year. For further inspiration, visit our journal, or browse our Pinterest gallery. You can also find a curation of beautiful and unique vessels for simple, natural arrangements in our online store.
Whenever your are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.
– Alice Walker –
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Creating a Calm Home
Calm is a rare commodity in the modern world amidst the constant barrage of images and voices emerging with the omnipresence of technology. The place we call home is the backdrop to our everyday lives where we can retreat from the fast paced, ever-changing world, recharge and find comfort. There are few places that have as strong an impact on our wellbeing as our homes. Creating spaces that instil a sense of calm can keep us and those around us grounded and transform how we feel and function everyday. There are many different approaches to creating a calm home but when our vision comes from how we want our space to make us feel, rather than just how it should look, we are most likely to achieve success.
Ideas for creating a calm home:
SIMPLIFY & ORGANISE
One of the key foundations to creating a calm and comforting home is to begin by defining our spaces, looking at what we already have and starting to intentionally edit, simplify and refine. Our external environment affects our inner environment and maintaining a sense of order is vital to creating a feeling of calm. Reducing visual noise by paring down an interior allows the intrinsic beauty of light, texture and shape to form the decoration and make it easier to relax and feel at ease. Creating one quiet and organised corner and building on from there is a good place to start. Resetting the house at the end of each day can induce clarity of thought and make a big difference to how our space feels and functions the following day.
Recycling, donating or selling what we no longer need in our home, and implementing simple systems, storage and routines to organise and manage what we wish to keep is key. This is an iterative process and one which may need to happen regularly in order to maintain a feeling of calm. Making more conscious and informed choices about what we bring into all areas of our home is also important. Each object should serve a purpose, whether for its beauty and visual interest or functionality, or indeed both.
Reducing what we have in our homes introduces negative space into our interiors which can help to enhance a feeling of serenity and calm. Every corner does not need to be filled in order to be beautiful. Rooms benefit from space to breathe, allowing the eye and mind to rest. Harmony lies in the balance between pieces in each room and the negative spaces around them. Being intentional about how we plan and furnish our home environment can really help with the feel, functionality and flow, and is key to creating a home that feels calm and peaceful.
NATURAL & NEUTRAL
The colours we select also have the power to enhance the feeling of our home interiors. Whilst vibrant, colourful spaces can be stimulating and dramatic, soft, muted and neutral tones are gently uplifting and can instead create a feeling of calm and inner peace. Simple, neutral colours have been used in interiors for as long as we have been decorating, they complement one other and envelop our surroundings with a sense of calm. While colour trends come and go, their enduring appeal continues to stand the test of time. Neutrals provide a versatile foundation for layering texture, pattern and other colours upon and allow for decorative schemes within our homes to evolve over time.
Similarly, the materials we choose for our home can also have a calming effect. Layering natural materials into a room instantly bestows warmth and comfort due to their soft, earthy organic tones and textures. Natural materials are versatile and wonderfully soothing and add texture and visual interest to our spaces. From wooden flooring or furniture to natural woven textiles, the more materials resemble what we encounter in nature, the more calming and comforting their effect can be. Natural materials are also hard wearing, get better with age and have a timeless quality.
Layering in natural elements such as plants and objects found in nature also bestows a sense of calm and balance in our home and foster a connection with the outside. Bunches of flowers, foliage or sculptural branches are wonderful ways to freshen our spaces, boost serenity and bring joy to our interiors. House plants are also visually interesting and can also benefit our emotional and physical wellbeing. The intrinsic beauty of natural details cannot be imitated by artificial means. They are often rich in personal association and evoke memories of time and place that go far beyond material value.
SENSORY
Spaces which take our senses into account can also help to create calm at home, since what we see, hear and touch have an enormous impact on how we feel and think. A sensory home means considering and responding to all of our senses, immersing ourselves with elements that help to quieten the noise of daily life and stimulate our ability to re-center and focus our thoughts.
Optimising natural light and fresh air are essential to creating harmonious spaces and experiences at home. Opening doors and windows softens the boundaries between inside and out and can improve our mood, ignite our senses and increase productivity. Making the most of outside views can also be important in helping us feel inspired and grounded. Boosting natural light wherever possible and being conscious of reducing the blue light from devices in our lives can immediately elevate our mood.
Ambiance can be created through lighting, candles or diffusers which all add to a calming atmosphere. Minimising the number of ceiling lights, instead opting for wall lights, table and floor lamps creates a warm and inviting ambience. A calming scent is one of the quickest ways to bring nature into our home and promote comfort and relaxation. Plant essential oils, if sourced responsibly, are a healthy and sustainable way to gently fragrance the air and stimulate a positive sensory response. Using notes from nature can also help to promote sleep and relaxation.
Sound is another powerful tool in creating calm and restful spaces. Choosing music intentionally is a wonderful way to soothe the soul, set the pace and mood in our home and evoke contentment. Music brings a sense of comfort, routine and ritual whilst keeping you in the present moment. Ambient music is designed to relax the mind and allow it to roam while providing enough stimulation to register as inspiration.
Touch is also an important part of the sensory experience and engenders feelings of comfort and contentment. Textiles are a perfect way to introduce soft, tactile textures to a space. From upholstered furniture, to curtains, cushions, blankets and throws, textiles can be layered in to any area of the home.
Well worn and imperfect vintage pieces that have beautiful lived-in textures and character, often feels more warm and inviting than perfectly curated homes. Vintage pieces help to create a relaxed atmosphere where we can feel comfortable and at ease. Mixing authentic, timeless pieces from different eras and styles creates a dialogue of contrast and harmony. Similarly, incorporating a few personal and meaningful touches such as family photographs, art, books or pottery can also help to evoke happy memories and create a homely feel.
As the frenetic pace of modern living increases, the importance of creating a calm environment to retreat to where we can nuture mind, body and soul is paramount. Simplicity and thoughtfulness are key when it comes to creating a calm home. Simplifying our spaces, incorporating natural materials, daily routines, rituals and sensory experiences can contribute to the peace we feel in our homes and help us find balance in everyday life.
Taking time, honouring craftsmanship and listening to our own intuition over the noise of the trend cycle cannot be over stated. Having less but investing in quality and beauty is always the best, most authentic approach. When it looks and feels serene around us, we naturally feel calmer and more relaxed. A home which instils a sense of calm will comfort, inspire and nurture us everyday and provide a beautiful and restorative backdrop to everyday life.
We hope this journal story delivers a sense of peace and inspires you to create calm and comforting spaces in your home. For more inspiration, peruse our thoughtfully curated Pinterest gallery.
Space and light and order. These are the things men need just as they need bread or a place to sleep.
Le Corbusier | 1887 – 1965
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The Comfort of Candlelight
The centuries old tradition of lighting candles is imbued with beauty and reassurance and brings much warmth and calm to the home. Candles are often associated with autumn and winter, but we love to burn them all year round, immersing ourselves in the comforting illumination in every corner of the home. Carving small daily moments to slow down and embrace the ritual of lighting a candle can be grounding and meaningful amidst the busyness of everyday life.
Candles are one of the easiest and most affordable ways to make a home feel special whether for a gathering or just for everyday. There are endless styles, sizes and colours of both candles and holders available to suit any interior or occasion. Combining a mix of candles such as tapers, votives, pillar and tea lights can help to introduce ambient lighting and create a warm and welcoming feel throughout the home. Even the simplest jam jar or glass when paired with a tea-light can add a gentle luminosity to a space. Natural scented candles also add atmosphere to the home environment and can impact on how we feel. Scents can be changed with the seasons to suit different times of the year.
Every room in the home can benefit from a little candlelight. It is intrinsic to any tablescape and there is nothing more calming and atmospheric than enjoying a meal together around the gentle flicker of candles. Whilst traditional ivory and beeswax candles bring a natural touch to a table, coloured varieties can add small accents of colour.
Similarly candlelight is a wonderful addition to bathing spaces.The bathroom is a sanctuary within our home where we can slow down and ease tension. Taking time to create calming rituals such as lighting a candle can help to create a sense of structure and restore our equilibrium.
In the bedroom a gentle candle flame will give off a peaceful aura, and in the living room candles set on a mantelpiece or coffee table will add atmosphere to the space.
The soft glow of candlelight adds a sense of ease and calm to any space. Lighting a candle is an invitation to take a moment to slow down and set the tone within our home. Visit our store to discover our favourite vintage and hand crafted candle holders and taper candles to bestow a soft glow in your home across the seasons.
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At Home with Bee Osborn
At Home with is an ongoing journal series exploring the homes of thoughtful creatives. Through conversations and photography, we discover what home means to them, the values that shape the way they live, and the details that make each home unique. Though every story is different, home is always at the core.
Our next story brings us to a picturesque Cotswolds village where we visit interior designer Bee Osborn at her Oxfordshire home. The Old Bakery, Bee’s period cottage, dating from the 1500s is steeped in history and has been thoughtfully restored and curated throughout. Her signature style of natural materials and calm, neutral colour palettes has culminated in an elegant and inviting home that exudes warmth and comfort.
Bee’s sensitive approach to retaining original features and also introducing natural materials such as lime plaster and wooden cladding, adds character and interest to her home. Her spaces are not only aesthetically beautiful but also functional and enduring. Imbued with stories and memory markers of people and places that she loves, Bee’s home is a personal expression of her affinity with home.
We do hope that you enjoy Bee’s wonderful story of home.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I started buying and selling houses, as a means to support my two young daughters following a divorce. I was then asked to do the interior design on a friend’s houses, which started my journey. To help with my lack of confidence I trained at The Inchbald School of Design which then gave me the courage to set up my own business. I remember the fear though, when I was asked to do my first hotel project, but I’m so glad I overcame it as it not only made me grow so much as a person but also taught me so much about the importance of creating interiors ‘on time, on budget’.
Where do you call home and what is it like?
Home is definitely in my cottage in the Cotswolds by the fire, surrounded by my children. I have had quite a turbulent life and so tend to create interiors that are cosy and comforting.
What does home mean to you?
Home means a place that nurtures and restores.Somewhere safe where you can be yourself and relax.
How would you describe your aesthetic and style?
Calm & comfortable, neutral colours with loads of textures thrown in for added interest. I’m obsessed with lighting as it’s so mood evoking and tend to go for warm, pockets of light to create a cosy atmosphere.
Which is your favourite room in your home and why?
The bedroom in the old cottage because it’s so full of character and the reason for buying the cottage in the first place.However planning was so difficult regarding this room and it caused a huge amount of stress, so to see it completed now is a dream come true.
How do you choose what to bring into your home?
Things that really resonate with me, as a rule of thumb I never use things that are in fashion or on trend, but things I absolutely love, so they stand the test of time.
Where do you find inspiration for your home?
I am so curious and am always out and about.I find everything inspiring, from the bark of a tree, to details on joinery in a hotel bar, I take an incessant amont of photos!
Who do you most admire for their sense of style, ethos and aesthetics?
Carole Bamford as we have a similar style of neutral interiors, inspired by nature.I also love her ethos of ‘giving back’ and her attention to sustainabilty.
To see more of Bee’s design work, follow @osborninteriors or visit osborninteriors.com. Bee’s homes and projects are also featured in various publications including Create, by Ali Heath and At Home in the Cotswolds, by Katie Campbell.
Basket weaving is a time-honoured tradition that spans cultures and centuries. One of the world’s oldest crafts, predating even ceramics and textiles, basketry has long served a practical purpose, with people hand weaving grasses, rushes, vines and branches to create vessels for carrying and storing goods. The enduring appeal of baskets lies in their natural strength, beauty, and sustainability. Made from biodegradable fibres that are readily available and remarkably resilient, baskets continue to stand the test of time.
Beyond their function, baskets bring an organic elegance and tactile warmth to interior spaces. With their neutral tones and intricate weaves, they complement any home, from traditional to contemporary, minimalist to eclectic. Whether vintage or newly made, a well-placed basket blends seamlessly into any room, adding both charm and utility.
Baskets are endlessly adaptable. They tuck neatly under benches or beds, stack stylishly in cupboards, or stand alone as decorative features. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, they help organise, store, and display everyday essentials while simplifying daily life.
Using Baskets Around the Home
Hallway
Often the most overlooked space in the home, the hallway sets the tone for what lies beyond. Baskets can help bring order to this busy area by keeping keys, shoes, and bags neatly contained while adding a handcrafted, welcoming touch.
Living Room
A space to unwind and gather, the living room benefits from the calm order that baskets provide. Use them to store everything from books and magazines to children’s toys and throws. Baskets are also ideal for holding firewood and kindling, offering practical storage with rustic appeal.
Kitchen and Dining
As one of the most well-used areas in the home, organisation is allowing a kitchen to remain clean, functional and presentable. Baskets offer a beautiful alternative to plastic or metal containers, perfect for holding fruit, pantry items, linens or utensils. Their woven texture softens the many hard surfaces of the kitchen, bringing warmth and a lived-in feel.
Study
An organised work environment fosters better focus and workflow. Whatever the size of the space, baskets provide useful storage for all types of objects needed close at hand such as books, paperwork and small electronics and can be stored on a desk, open shelving or on the floor.
Bathroom
The bathroom benefits greatly from the natural materials and textures that baskets offer. Use larger styles for laundry and towels, while smaller baskets are perfect for toiletries or spare toilet rolls. Their handmade quality adds a softer, more relaxed atmosphere for our daily rituals to what is often a sterile space.
Bedroom
In bedrooms, baskets provide a perfect blend of form and function. They can hold spare cushions, throws, books or bedtime essentials, and fit effortlessly into cupboards, wardrobes or shelving—enhancing the room’s style while helping keep it organised.
Outside Spaces
Baskets are also useful outside of the home. Whether foraging for wildflowers, harvesting from the garden, or packing a picnic, a sturdy basket brings natural charm and practical ease to any outdoor activity. With their woven texture, baskets also make attractive planters for greenery.
Basketry is an enduring and sustainable craft which has always been a brilliant way of imparting texture and natural colour to a space. As useful as they are beautiful, baskets contribute a sense of harmony to a home and give our interiors a more human touch.
As lovers of natural materials and craft, baskets will always have a place in our home and store. Investing in a set of storage baskets is not just a practical storage solution, but a decorative one too. Discover our full collection online and bring the beauty of basketry into your home.
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A Seasonal Refresh at Home
There is an innate shift that comes with the onset of each new season, bringing with it a natural invitation to refresh our homes. A seasonal reset doesn’t require a complete overhaul or unnecessary spending. Often, it is the simplest changes that create the greatest impact. By adding layers as the cooler months approach, or stripping back as the days grow lighter, we can allow our interiors to move in harmony with the world outside.
Our homes are not static spaces; they are living environments that shape how we feel and function every day. When we take time to care for them intentionally, we create surroundings that support clarity, calm and wellbeing. A seasonal refresh is less about perfection and more about realignment, bringing our homes back into balance with the months ahead.
Ideas for a seasonal refresh at home:
Plan with purpose
Start by making a simple list, focusing on one room at a time. Breaking tasks into manageable steps prevents overwhelm and makes the process feel achievable and rewarding.
Create a ritual around it
Put on a favourite playlist, podcast or audiobook. Turning your refresh into a small ritual transforms it from a task into something enjoyable and restorative.
Simplify and create systems
Work methodically through each space. Be intentional with every item, clearing clutter, refining what remains, and creating simple storage systems that make everyday living easier.
Rethink what you already own
Before buying anything new, look at your home with fresh eyes. Rearranging furniture, or simply repurposing decorative pieces, can dramatically shift the feel of a room. A beautiful home doesn’t require a large budget, just creativity and perspective.
Introduce Natural Elements
Bring the outside in with seasonal flowers, gathered branches, or houseplants. Natural textures and organic forms instantly soften a space and reflect the beauty of the changing season.
Adjust the atmosphere
Small details can completely alter a room’s mood. Layer in books, ceramics, soft lighting or candles to create warmth and depth. As the seasons change, so too can the ambience of your home.
Be mindful with new additions
If you do choose to introduce something new, prioritise quality over quantity. Invest in pieces that are timeless, functional and thoughtfully made, items that will continue to serve and inspire for years to come.
Maintain with intention
A seasonal refresh is also an opportunity to reset habits. Be selective and intentional about what enters your home going forward. Curate your spaces consciously, ensuring each item has purpose or meaning.
With every new season comes the opportunity to begin again. By making small, intentional changes, we can create homes that feel aligned with both nature and our values and evolving needs.
A home that is cared for thoughtfully becomes more than a backdrop to daily life, it becomes a place that restores, nurtures and supports us through every seasonal shift.
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