January 2026
Festive Recovery
Christmas and New Year at Inchyra were everything they should be - the house full, family up from the south and in from New York, the particular kind of happy chaos that only descends when everyone is under the same roof at once. And then, as tends to happen after a fortnight of that particular joy, I succumbed to one of those wretched colds that simply refuses to shift. Vitamin C in industrial quantities, and onwards.
The cure, as it turned out, was snow. We headed to the mountains for a week's skiing - to a village I am quite reluctant to name, it felt such a discovery. The snow had fallen hard for three days before we arrived, and then the sun came out and stayed for the entire week. It was exactly what was needed: cold air, long runs, and the complete switch off that the mountains seem to produce. Les Carroz was a revelation - utterly beautiful forested mountains, deep snow and I'm not sure we queued for a lift once.
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Design Destination London
Back to the UK, and straight into the industry's January rhythm. My London showroom, LineUp, was a supporting brand for Design Destination London - a private, invitation-only event that brings American interior designers and architects over for an immersive few days with British makers, with showroom visits, studio tours, and the kind of conversations that only happen when people travel specifically to have them.
As a showroom dedicated entirely to British brands, it felt particularly fitting: here were designers who had crossed the Atlantic expressly to discover the best of British talent, and we had a roomful of it to show them. It was a pleasure to be part of it, and a reminder of how warmly the American design community engages with what we make on this side of the Atlantic.
And then the Decorative Fair at Battersea, which is always - without fail - an absolute joy. Antiques, paintings, extraordinary textiles, dealers who really know their subject - an event that really isn't replicated anywhere else. I come away every year with my eye recalibrated and my notebook full. If you haven't been, go.
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And then back home to Scotland. The Byre (the barn wedding venue we run at Inchyra) closes for a while each winter - a necessary pause for maintenance, for the quiet work that can only happen when the weddings stop. This year the weather was unusually cooperative and the team made good use of it. There is something deeply satisfying about buildings properly looked after.
January, in its way, set the tone for the year: full of people, full of possibility, and with just enough stillness at the end of it to draw breath.
Much love
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