Falling for Fall

I say long-awaited as we generally go away in June when things are less travelled, and the temperatures are more palatable for our Scottish and Icelandic ancestry. 

So, buckle up, pay attention and I’ll try to download all of the past six weeks into one easily digestible journal.

My Holidays

I tend not to post about my trip when I am away as I really do relish switching off and getting into the flow of where I am visiting instead of into the constantly changing algorithm that is social media. 

We had a wonderful time in both Amsterdam and Cape Town. Cape Town was the nucleus of our trip as all was based around a dear friend’s wedding in Stellenbosch (which was so very special and so very lovely). 

Having never visited Amsterdam before we opted to break up our trip by flying there first, spending a couple of nights and then taking the 11-hour flight down to Cape Town.

In Amsterdam the weather was much like Toronto, warm verging on hot, but thankfully not overly busy as by mid-August all the European and British kids are back in school. 

I loved the pace of life in Amsterdam and being in a city that literally floats on water and where you are more likely to be mowed down by a bike than you are by a car. 

Cars are in the minority for sure and foot and cycle traffic are by far the way to commute. We took architectural walking tours, visited museums and ate delicious food everywhere we went. 

In Cape Town it was still officially winter, but nearing the end, for the first few days everything felt somewhat upside down, August was winter, and the south side of the street was shady whilst the north was sunny. 

Cape Town is polarizing – there is beauty and kindness and poverty and hope in equal servings. There are penguins, tigers, lions and possibly bears (all a short drive away). 

It’s a place I am drawn to go back to, to learn and explore more as what I saw heightened my senses and is still with me – from my now multiple times a day fresh Rooibos tea to my stacked hand-woven bracelets made by a small women’s collective and the gorgeous woven bath linens I now use at home. 

The gardens here are divine, even in winter, which truthfully felt like the perfect climate to me.  From The Botanical Gardens, the grounds at the Norval Foundation (shown above) and the exquisite Babylonstoren there was so much green and gorgeousness all at the base of Table Mountain. 

Now Table Mountain we did not get to climb, but I did climb (crawl up) Lion’s Head. I was told that it was ”little steep at the start but then levelled off to a gentle stroll” they omitted to mention the part about climbing steel vertical ladders and wall staples……… The only gentle bit was the top which was flat and where I stayed on my knees and prayed I’d make it back down in one piece. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and all that……

Being told things (namely walks and hikes) are simpler than they are, seems to be a common thing when we travel, it has happened multiple times and yet we still believe the person, whom we’ve never met before, is telling us the truth. Maybe they are all Olympians, and the problem simply lies with us. 

We came home via Amsterdam and had three nights there, where the temps were even warmer than before, and it encouraged us to meander at a gentle pace and savor the last few days of our time away. 

I met with a few vendors – one who has the most delicious hardware, which is going to appear in a project soon. Presented in an unlacquered brass finish in that beautifully European scale and fit. 

I am besotted with the paint colour above called Canal Green. It’s a heritage paint colour and one of only a handful that the heritage houses facing the canal are allowed to use. I love the glossy finish, it’s as reflective as the water the buildings overlook. It’s a little like Farrow & Ball Studio Green but this one is deeper, maybe more like Down Pipe…………I am trying to find something similar here!!

Holidays are great, they recharge, can take you out of your comfort zone but they also broaden your horizon and teach you so much about yourself. Not once on that ”stroll” did I ever consider turning around. 

What I Read

I am an avid reader, there are always at least two books on my nightstand with others primed and ready close by. If I don’t have something new to read, I will reread something I have and love. I always need to read at night.

The books I read whilst away were the most perfect synchronistic combination – one I selected, and one was for my book club. 

I started my trip with the weightiest book I have read in a long time – A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, first published in 1995. This book was for my book club and there were so many parallels between it and the conflicting feelings I had in Cape Town that I could barely put it down.  

It tells the poignant story through the eyes of four main characters set in India. Two are bound by the caste they were born into – which they can’t escape no matter how much they try to change the trajectory they are on, one bound simply by being a widowed female and the other comes from a middle-class family and he can really go and do as he wishes but he doesn’t. 

They are all put together and the outcomes for all are not as they would have ever wanted for themselves or for each other. It’s over 700 pages long and I will read it again and possibly again. It’s a story of friendship and love and the barriers that are faced to simply be.

The second book I read is The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, this was talked about at a gathering with my neighbours one evening and given as we were going to Holland, I thought it was meant to be. 

The book has nothing to do with Holland as I quickly learned, it tells a story through the lens of a boy, about him and his sister and follows them through their childhood all the way to their fifties. They have an incredible bond, stronger than any other relationship in their lives and I was reading this during the return leg of our trip in Amsterdam. 

I knew a little bit about Vincent Van Gogh, but during the guided tour of the Van Gogh Museum I learned all about him and his relationship with his brother Theo. Theo gave Vincent half his salary for most of his life to allow him to paint. They were devoted and after Vincent’s untimely death, Theo passed a year later from a broken heart. 

Their brotherly bond was one of such unison, similar in some ways to the siblings in The Dutch House. I loved the book, it’s the tale of a family with an absentee mother and a father although there in person for part of the book, is emotionally absent. It’s a page turner!!

So that’s how I spent the last half of August. September has come in like a rush of adrenaline and I’m loving it all.

Press & Publicity

My episode on the Behind the Build podcast aired in early September. I mentioned that this was coming in last month’s journal, but I didn’t have a date, nor had I heard it.

Jonathan – friend and Chief of Project Development at Walden Homes is the genius behind the podcast. Every week he features architects, designers and builders and gets behind the scenes on how we each founded and run our studios and what we love to do, what makes us tick and lessons we have learned. 

Jonathan and I laugh a lot, its generally what we do and what we have done for the past six years, we share a very similar sense of humour and frequently send each other Instagram posts that we then try to outdo the other one by finding something even funnier. 

We laugh all the way through the episode, but in between the giggles I speak frankly about my studio’s ethos and what I want for my team and my clients. I can’t support one or excel with one and fail in the other. The two relationships to me need to be in balance with everyone feeling nurtured and heard and supported. 

Working in residential design isn’t for everyone, it’s all emotion and you need to play a strong supporting role. Give it a listen and let me know your thoughts, our episode should really be called Behind the Giggles!!! Thank you, Jonathan, for having the brilliant idea of airing the podcast during the week my studio turned 20 and thank you for coming out to celebrate with us all. 

In Print

We are delighted to be featured in the new beautiful book Living Room published by Assouline. 

The book was spearheaded by the talented team at The Design Leadership Network and features living rooms from many of its members.

We are so proud to be on the pages and to have our beautiful townhouse renovation featured.

Learn more about the book here! And see the project here.

Studio Collection

Several new collections have arrived in our shop – our latest blankets from Scotland which are a winning combination of wool and cashmere and are edged with a lovely blanket stitch. 

Available in two different colours Dundee and Edinburgh. Dundee is shown about in our Scottish inspired flat lay and yes there is a bowl of crisps!

The colours were inspired were a trip to Dundee in back in 2022 which is where the photo of me below is taken, on the terrace and the V&A Museum overlooking the River Tay. 

My niece has started university in Dundee, and I now have another excuse to go there when I am next home.

We also have the most gorgeous brushes and dustpans to elevate your laundry room to the next level. Practical but also lovely as wall art which is how we have ours in the studio.

Shelter Magazine

Our anniversary issue of Shelter magazine dropped in early September. It can be downloaded from our website home page. This is our third issue of Shelter and seeing as all coincided with our 20th Anniversary I talk at depth about items and traits that I feel are timeless.

We feature both the bustling neighbourhood of Hillcrest Village in St Clair West and also my hometown of Edinburgh as well as a host of events that are happening in and around Toronto this fall. 

Our next issue will be a condensed holiday issue with our coveted gift guide – this will correspond with our holiday Studio Collection open house – more info on this to follow in an upcoming journal. 

October brings a flurry of activity on projects as we are on the home stretch on several with completion and installations scheduled for the end of this year. Next month we will have a video of a recently completed en-suite bathroom project – which is truly divine and we will also take a before and after look at our clients son’s bedroom.

Warmest,