Some of you may know that I have a house out in the countryside in the North of France called La Bruyere, and that I let out on air B&B. When I go there myself it so far has mostly involved us doing a lot of DIY, and when that is done, there's always keeping up with garden maintenance! But I also have my own holidays there too when it's not booked up. :-)  It seems to have become Hannah Turner world over there and it holds a really special place in my heart.

I'm writing this after just coming back from a wonderful time there with friends and family (10 of us managed to make it over!) and I thought I'd reflect on how having this space has had a hugely positive impact on my life and my work. Here's a picture of us all having fun playing boules on the driveway.

What makes La Bruyere great is that in this part of the country, brocantes and vide greniers (antique shops and car boot sales) are plentiful and I try to visit one every time I'm in France. I get there early to snap up the bargains, and I use what I find there to create a space in the house that reflects my individual taste. This is maybe a bit niche and not for everyone, I love a bit of granny chic or granny core as it's now called! Animal inspired art is my favourite and if I see anything like that at a car boot sale or brocante I often buy it if its cheap. I have a multitude of lamp bases that take the shapes of red squirrels and wild boars, alongside woodpecker door knockers and deer and owl ornaments all dotted about the place. I've got a penchant for french 60s tapestries which I've been collecting around the house and they're plentiful in these brocantes. See one featured below, hanging above the bed in the gîte attic bedroom. A beautiful tree full of birds, perfectly reflecting what is happening outside!

All of these feed into my work and inspire designs or new animals to create, but they also reflect the animals that we get in the garden and so I like to think that the house comes across as my interpretation of the whole surrounding area. The garden is now so full of flowers that I can make bouquets for every bedroom! Bringing the outside in is something that I hope I promote well through my work. The flying ducks were inspired by the mallards on our lake, and so far I've made red squirrels, wild boars, hedgehogs and now badgers- all things that I've seen scampering or running about the land.

So today I am back at my desk in Westwood, looking at my photos to do some social media (neglected) and reflecting on our holiday. The weather was 50% crap but we still had fun, and I'm already looking at ferry crossings back as we still have a few tasks to complete in the gite (the annexe on the property) to get it ready for bookings...

If you would ever like to stay at La Bruyere, you can find the main house here and the gite here. We've worked really hard to make it as magical a stay as possible and have received some absolutely lovely feedback from guests.