From London to Oxfordshire: Has Moving to the Countryside Changed My Designs?

When people hear that I’ve swapped London for the Oxfordshire countryside, one of the first things they ask is whether it’s changed where I find inspiration.

The honest answer?

Not really.

It’s certainly changed the view from my studio window, but the way I look at the world hasn’t changed at all.

A Love of Nature That Started Long Before the Move

Like many people, I’ve probably watched one too many episodes of Escape to the Country! The countryside has always felt like somewhere I naturally belonged, even though I grew up in suburban Warwickshire.

Some of my happiest childhood memories are of woodland walks, exploring the outdoors and family holidays surrounded by nature. Later, when I was living in London, my husband and I escaped to the countryside whenever we could. Camping became our favourite way to switch off, and we even spent our honeymoon at Dandelion Hideaway in Leicestershire, where the beautiful bluebell woods would later inspire one of my favourite designs.

Moving to Oxfordshire didn’t suddenly make me fall in love with nature.

It simply brought me closer to it every day.

A New Studio and a New Chapter

One of the biggest changes has been creating my new garden studio.

After years of working from Cockpit Arts in Deptford, then a small studio in our rented home, followed by several years with my warehouse in Wales handling dispatch, everything has finally come home.

Now I design, pack orders and run my business from a studio just a few steps from the house. It feels like the beginning of a new chapter, giving me the flexibility to balance family life while continuing to grow the business.

I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors for open studio events, Christmas shopping days and click-and-collect, and over the coming months I’m hoping to make the garden just as inspiring as the studio itself.

Inspiration Doesn’t Only Live in the Countryside

People often assume all of my designs come from country walks.

Some certainly do.

The Meadow collection was inspired by family walks through wildflower meadows in Devon. Bluebell takes me straight back to those peaceful woods in Leicestershire, while my Great Tit design is rooted in childhood memories of birds nesting just outside my bedroom window.

But some of my favourite collections could never have existed without London.

Living in the city taught me that nature has an incredible way of appearing where you least expect it.

What London Taught Me

One of my Buddleia designs was inspired by the plants growing alongside railway tracks during my daily commute. Their bursts of colour amongst brick, concrete and steel always caught my eye.

Spring Ivy came from an overgrown garden I used to walk past between Brockley and Deptford while out with Jenkins. It wasn’t perfectly maintained, but the ivy was alive with blue tits darting in and out, creating a little oasis of wildlife in the middle of the city.

My Hydrangea design wasn’t inspired by a grand country garden either. Instead, it came from wandering the streets of Penzance, where huge hydrangeas spilled over garden walls, softening every corner with colour.

Those moments reminded me that inspiration isn’t always found in spectacular places. Often it’s hidden in everyday moments, if we simply slow down enough to notice.

Looking a Little More Closely

Perhaps that’s the biggest gift the countryside has given me.

Not different inspiration.

Just more opportunities to pause.

Instead of rushing between trains, I notice changing hedgerows.

Instead of walking past planted borders, I watch the seasons unfold outside my studio window.

But the curiosity itself—that habit of looking closely—was something London taught me.

Nature Is Everywhere

So, has moving to the countryside changed my designs?

Yes… and no.

The landscapes around me have changed, but my inspiration has always come from noticing the small things.

Whether it’s a robin hopping through the garden, buddleia growing beside railway tracks, ivy climbing an old wall or wildflowers dancing in a meadow, every design begins with a moment that makes me stop and look a little closer.

I don’t think inspiration belongs to the town or the countryside.

I think it belongs to anyone willing to notice it.