In an effort to find some sunshine this summer, one half of the Pepper & Ink team enjoyed a mini escape to Lisbon last weekend.  Such a great city, amazing food, friendly throughout and wall to wall blue skies which was a definite boost to morale.  During our stay, we made a beeline to visit Comporta on the coast which is about an hour south of Lisbon - its been on our hit list for a while and it didn't disappoint. What a gem and we could not rate it high enough - a mini fix of retail in Comporta itself, great beach cafes on the coast and amazing scenery with rice fields, sand dunes and the Atlantic all in the mix.  

On our return, we dropped into Quinta da Comporta which is about 10kms further down the coast.  WOW ! An instant interiors fix - stunning design overlooking the rice fields and minutes from the beach - counting down the days till we return. 

Definitely one to recommend for a reboot - serenely calm, inspiring & beautifully put together.  See you in Portugal !

We were thrilled to host a cookery demo with Alex Edgecombe from The Little Pickle, Gloucestershire earlier this month - inspiring summer recipes and great to see our kitchenware put to such good use.  Bring on the sunshine, summer entertaining looks set to be much more fun this year.

Do watch out for The Little Pickle's Supper Club - we can personally vouch that this is a really talented team.  We are big fans of a pop-up and these supper clubs are well worth a look.

As a family, we have spent many a happy holiday in the Scottish Highlands and in particular, just outside a small village called Braemar.  The scenery is truly stunning and while you have to be prepared to face the potential of four seasons in one day weather wise, its yet to deter us and we are always all so excited to escape north as and when we can.  

The excitement reached another level this Christmas when we were all able to enjoy  the long anticipated opening of the new hotel, The Fife Arms.  After a lengthy refurb, we were not left disappointed and are so thrilled to have this new gem on our holiday doorstep.  Owned by Manuela and Iwan Wirth( the team behind Hauser & Wirth in Bruton) , this hotel has been given more than a kiss of life - they have brought to the Highlands a show stopping venue of art and scultpure.  It really does have the wow factor - Russel Sage have been the team behind the interiors and there can be no doubt that what they have created is quite unique.  

Braemar has always been our hidden gem and it is genuinely exciting to see it now officially on the map and achieve such a glowing review in the latest CONDE NAST Traveller magazine (April 2019).  The summer hols can't come soon enough !

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While we may focus on the ‘added extras’ at Pepper & Ink Home, we always have huge admiration for those who have the talent and flair to bring it all together in larger schemes.  One such interior team is Camilla Bellord Interiors, now based in the Cotswolds.  This dynamic husband and wife team Tom & Camilla, have an amazing eye for design and whose style is both timeless and elegant. Their projects speak volumes and we are thrilled that this interior team are now on our doorstep.  We strongly recommend that you take a look, be it for a potential  project or for their beautifully curated boutique shop online.  This is definitely a team to watch ………

A little background ….

Camilla originally trained at the prestigious KLC School of Design in Chelsea, graduating with honours in 2002. This quickly led to Camilla being snapped up by Lifestyles Interiors, part of the exclusive Northacre Property Development Group. Camilla then went on to work with renowned studios, with Martin Hulbert at Fox Linton Associates in London and Federica Palacios Design in Geneva.  Projects have included show apartments at Kings Chelsea, a town house in Cadogan Square, the Grand Park Hotel and ski chalets in Gstaad.  Camilla’s work has been featured in a number of renowned international publications including the Andrew Martin Interior Design Review and French Elle Decoration.

Tom has over 20 years of commercial marketing and property development experience. In partnership with some of the world’s largest brands including Coca-Cola, McDonalds, RBS and Guinness, Tom has led in the creation and implementation of some of the most intricate commercial programmes in world sport; such as FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro, Six Nations and Ryder Cup Golf to name but a few. He has not only gained a wealth of senior management experience through these partnerships, as well as subsequent property ventures, but has developed “Best in Class” practice for client servicing.

An insight into how their own interiors company began ….

After seven years in Switzerland, Tom and Camilla returned to live in the UK with their three young boys, and this was the catalyst to creating their own design studio. Camilla Bellord Interiors was established in 2016 and is a family fun business with the aim of providing a complete interior design from concept to completion. The interior design studio specialises in luxury residential projects both locally and internationally. It aims to create timeless interiors infused with an eclectic elegance, which redefine space aesthetically but always with functionality in mind. The company prides itself on meticulous attention to detail and utmost of discretion, leading to many clients coming back.

Camilla Bellord Interiors Boutique…..

In addition to the design studio, an exclusive online boutique was launched in 2017 offering art, accessories and furniture. The pieces are personally selected from the finest and most trusted artisans from all over the globe and offer a unique access to Camilla’s little black book of interior design. It continues to grow from strength to strength and is used by discerning private clients, as well as other design professionals. 

A few Styling top tips from those in the know ……. 

We always recommend developing a neutural background to ensure a space flows. This can then be injected with a clients personality, whether it be a statement wall colour, furniture, accessories or artwork.

• We love Little Greene for both neutral and punctuation paint colours; one of our favourites is Pompeiian Ash from their new Green collection in collaboration with the National Trust. 
• We adore Ian Mankin’s range of beautiful linen and ticking fabrics, which are sure to stand the test of time.
• The saying goes that "it’s all in the detail "and Samuel & Sons supply the most inspiring range of trims from hand stitched linen to studded leathers which ensure the perfect finishing touch to a scheme. 
• We also absolutely love Pepper & Ink’s Navy Splatter Platter. It is the perfect serving plate for all manner of delicious family suppers, especially our family favourite - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s tabula kisir, a fabulous herby and spicy bulgur wheat.

A little insight into life behind the scenes ……

We have recently moved to the Cotswolds and have already made some wonderful discoveries. Tom and I love nothing more than to grab a coffee and browse at Daylesford Organic Farm, birthday sups at The Feathered Nest in Nether Westcote and Sunday lunch at The Kings Head in Bledington. As for our boys, Ollie, Max & Benji, they love nothing more than running across the Manor House Lawns next to rhinos and zebra at the Cotswold Wildlife Park, demolishing some warm lardy cake at Huffkins in Stow; as well as spending their pocket money at the Buford Garden Company toy shop, complete with kids movie snug and outside play area. We’ll keep you posted on our travels!

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After a seriously fun Christmas break with family & friends, we are now turning our attention to some exciting plans for P&I Home for the year ahead.  Officially recharged, raring to go and enjoying a little oasis of calm now that school is back ! We hope to inspire you in 2019 with some brilliant new products, interior aspirations and to share with you some top tips we find along the way.  Watch this space, 2019 promises to be a winner ....

Tory & Caroline x