Our Founder Talks About Her Inspiration | Gilly Nicolson

Travelling is one of my favourite pursuits. I was brought up lucky enough to be taken on some incredible family holidays to exotic destinations like Tobago, Venezuela and The Philippines. My father always told me to look for inspiration overseas and I remember one holiday, as a teenager travelling through Arizona with them and sketching designs inspired by the Navajo Indians….designs which, at the tender age of 15, I dreamed of incorporating into a shop design one day! 

This Summer, my husband and I had a few days in the beautiful French ski resort of Val D’Isere. Having visited many times during the Winter, I was immediately hooked on all the resort has to offer during the warmer months too. We were there for a big running race over the mountains – a long term dream of mine that didn’t disappoint. But it is absolutely one of my favourite places for interior inspiration too. We stayed in ‘Le Blizzard’, an exquisite hotel in traditional Savoie style, with cosy living spaces and a superb Clarins spa (especially post-run!). Cow hide unsurprisingly features heavily in chalet interiors but I loved the way it was used here to create zones in the bedroom and frame a small desk area.