Mindful Design for a Meaningful Home

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learnt over the past 18 months is just how vital the sanctuary of our home is to our well-being.  Mindful interior design has never been more relevant, but what is it and how do we create a meaningful home using its principles?

Artists and creative people will all understand when we say there is a direct emotional thread between them and their creations. That connection can often be felt by admirers of their work, but the crucial point here is that they get enormous satisfaction from simply creating.  It’s good for the soul, particularly when we create something that pleases others.  As interior designers it’s why we do what we do, our work directly benefits others.  We can all harness that sense of fulfilment by creating a beautiful home that truly connects with us, and whether you use a designer to help you or not, it’s achievable in many different ways.

When we look around our own interiors, we see many items that tell a story. Special pieces handmade by ourselves or a friend, the memory of the occasion they were bought or gifted, the sentimental link is vibrant.  Each and every one of them evokes an emotion that is both pleasing and soothing.  You feel you belong in that space.  Add to this books we love, colours that please us, a scent that evokes memories or moods and plants that enhance the living experience and home becomes so much more meaningful.  It takes time to develop the completeness of home, but if you’re mindful of what is important to you from the start, you will create an atmosphere that family and friends will treasure too. 

We can reach a much deeper level of meaningful home design by ensuring we select beautiful furniture and furnishings with sound provenance, natural materials, sustainably produced, or simply items that have been repurposed rather than going to landfills.  Knowing we’re not responsible for contributing to Global destruction should also help us to sleep more soundly.  Avoiding trend-led styles, and the “fast fashion” interiors that are constantly changing with a buy and throw away mentality, leads us to take a more thoughtful and purposeful approach to shopping. Investing in forever pieces that will last a decade, or more, if looked after is far more sustainable overall. Buy less but buy well.

Seeing so many retailers disappear from our high streets in the past few years had led us to look much more closely at the talented crafters and artisans who make on a smaller scale and within our shores. We are relying on homegrown designers, artists and furniture manufacturers more than ever to provide us with local, sustainable and well-made items, rather than pay the ever-rising costs of shipping and import duties and unnecessarily add to the worlds climate issue. 

We thought it might be nice to share a few of our favourite makers with you so that you too can join us in our intent to buy with more mindfulness and furnish our homes in a more meaningful way. Knowing where an item is made and who made it, is incredibly satisfying for the soul.

Take time to visit some of these genuinely gifted creators and embrace the wealth of creative genius we have in this country.

Charlotte Storrs

Charlotte Storrs Stoneware is a Dutch Potter creating beautiful ceramics directly from her studio in Oxfordshire.  We love the honesty of her designs, simple and functional. Charlotte uses a rustic clay and white glaze for a timeless appearance. Food stands out so well against the white ceramic.

Galvin Brothers

Galvin Brothers were founded by Matthew & Andrew Galvin, in 2012 as a new handcrafted furniture business, building upon their father’s 60-plus years of joinery and cabinet making experience. Their agenda is to create well-made furniture with simple forms and with an eye for detail — designed and manufactured with the best materials entirely in the UK using the best quality timbers, revisiting traditional techniques in modern ways.

George Smith

George Smith are British makers of luxury handcrafted upholstered furniture, founded in 1985. Over the years they have partnered with talented designers to create capsule collections, bringing to life their design aesthetic and ethos in a truly George Smith way. These varied and beautiful collections have added something extra special to their furniture catalogue. An emphasis is made on their impeccable craftsmanship, from using responsibly sourced kiln-dried hardwood to build the custom-made frames to the use of horsehair and duck feathers through traditional techniques, their pieces are built to last.

Original BTC

Original BTC was founded in 1990. Design, quality and attention to detail are at the forefront of the products they produce. Original BTC’s designs are iconic through the soft industrial styling, use of bone china shades and woven cotton braids (inspired by an iron’s cord in the 90’s). With their ceramics made at the heart of the British ceramics industry in Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham-based metalworks, and English Antique Glass, they truly as British made as you can get.