I love staying at the Bowery Hotel NYC

 I love being in New York, the inspiration is endless and the energy is very addictive. The Bowery is my favorite hotel when I’m in town. It’s in the heart of the Lower East Side, and it has a delightfully lived-in feel to it, almost like a gentleman’s club with its armchairs and rugs. The Gemma Trattoria does great dinners, you could almost imagine you are in Italy and the crumbed veal chops are amazing (you can even order in for room service if you don’t fancy getting amongst it). If you want to explore the area, you can grab a bike and take a leisurely ride around the neighborhood, and when you come back and need a little refreshment you can enjoy a drink on the outside terrace. It’s like my home away from home. More NYC tips are on their way. x

Chelsea Flea Market

The hunt for curiosities is a never-ending quest, and my favorite

place to hunt in New York is the Chelsea Flea Markets. It’s filled to

 overflowing with trinkets and treasures, junk and jewels. Some of these

things might end up in one of my stores. I always like to put a

 nostalgic touch to the interiors with old photos or books, pretty

 picture frames or gorgeous glassware or they might become inspiration

for details in my next collection. The great thing is you just don’t

 know where the hunt could lead you. And it’s all about the journey.

Keepsakes Book launch

You'll have to excuse me for a little nepotism, but I must share with you my sister Fran's new book, Keepsakes. Fran is an artist and lives in New Zealand, and while I'm always proud of her and amazed at what she can do, this book is something really special. She has collected recipes from our family‹our mother, great aunts and grandmothers and assembled them in a whimsical and nostalgic manner. Each page is a collage that she has painstakingly put together and then photographed, so it literally is a work of art that you can have on your book shelf or, preferably, on your coffee table. It's reminiscent of the cobbled-together cookbooks and magazine cuttings that our mothers and grandmothers might have hidden in their kitchen cupboard. 

We had a little soirée at my Paddington store last week with family and friends to celebrate, which was a great evening and there was a lot of love in the room for Fran. Keepsakes would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift, and hopefully it will become a keepsake for many years to come.

Fran and I at the Launch of 'keepsakes'