By The Green Parent
04th February 2023
In 2020 I launched my design studio Our Kindred Design Collective, a space I could grow as a designer and embrace new motherhood, hand in hand. As a family unit we are nomadic; we haven’t yet found a place where we want to lay down permanent roots.
We currently rent the bottom floor of an old co-op building, our previous home was once a post office with a doorstep worn by the feet of the patrons and before that, we lived a disused textile mill. We seem drawn to places of history that tell a tale, enjoying adding to the stories that these buildings have lived through, before we move on.
Nomadic life has its joys, but can also be difficult, especially with children. Staying somewhere for a few years rather than choosing one long-term residence means that we have to provide familiarity in other ways. I studied interior architecture and have a deep understanding of how the environment we live in affects our wellbeing, mood, and quality of life. We try to curate each space we live in, in a familiar way, always incorporating elements of the Danish concept of hygge.
PLEASURE IN SIMPLE THINGS
We are slow-living advocates and find comfort and pleasure in small, slow, and simple things. We are drawn to the countryside, the slow, comforting lullabies of the patchwork hills, and the tender embrace of a deep valley. Our home is an organically formed place, it tells a story with second-hand furniture and decor, with soft, warm textiles and a soothing neutral palette. We like to think the inside of our home is a representation of what is beyond our door, the colours and tranquility of a vast sheet of moorland, long soft grass, and hues of cream, green, amber, and brown.
We are lucky that our current home has magnificent high ceilings, hardwood floors, and a handcrafted pine kitchen, all of which make a perfect canvas. A friend of ours said, ‘Since I’m stuck in a magnolia-painted rental I shall live my interior design dreams vicariously through your gorgeous home’. This made us smile; our home is also rented but that shouldn’t hold you back from having a beautifully curated home.
I left home when I was 17, moving in with a friend and starting my renting adventures. Since then there have been many magnolia walls, dark grey carpets, and kitchen units held together by a single screw, yet how you fill and craft the home is what gives it that sparkle.
“We embrace slow living and the art of living with less”
THE ART OF LIVING WITH LESS
We embrace slow living and the art of living with less, or using our spaces more intentionally. We understand the benefits of living smaller, more minimally, with key organisational traits, however we also find joy in objects, we crave things that make us nostalgic, or sentimental. We like to keep things tidy, but with a two-year-old, we accept that there is always a dusting of toys and books across our floors. We often find a train in our sock drawer or a stuffed animal wedged down the side of the sofa.
Our favourite homes are always the ones that provide us with a broad open space, here we have a large open plan living kitchen area, which is where we spend our days, evenings, and sometimes nights. This is where the design magic happens, running my business and looking out of the windows as I type and nurse the baby. In the evenings we cook together, Marlow’s toy kitchen propped against the back of the kitchen units as he chops away with his wooden knife all whilst we chat to Matt sat on the sofa with Flynn.
Togetherness is essential to us, sometimes we camp out in the living room, filling it with cushions and blankets, watching movies until we drift off holding one another. The open space is also loved by our oldest son, who dances to music and runs in circles, making the most of the large hardwood floor.
GETTING COSY DURING THE HOLIDAYS
At Christmas we put family, quality time, good food and shared joy at the forefront of our priority list but still, somehow we struggle to slow down and soak up the season. However, turning down the noise is essential for us. We often associate Christmas with hibernation, getting cosied up next to each other on the sofa, curtains drawn and the twinkling fairy lights sending us to sleep.
We add small festive items to our collection each year and decorate with them when the time is right. Starting from scratch, our collection now consists of second-hand decorations, homemade salt dough tree ornaments, handmade stockings, foraged pinecones, and much more. We love decorating our space together, erecting the tree, and getting out the festive drinking glasses; for me, us, this season is important. It is the glue of many families. It is a time that we welcome comfort, relaxation, and love.
Christmas is a feeling, it’s an atmosphere; we consider all the senses as we embrace the season. We load the diffuser up with essential oils that are rich with scents of orange and nutmeg. There’s always a blanket to hand; we fill a basket with them and bring all the furniture into the room a little more, so the chairs are hugging and our family is close. We are passionate about crafting traditions with our young boys.”
Follow Charlie and Matt’s journey at @our.kindred on Instagram and at ourkindred.co.uk.
