ELLENBOROUGH PARK HOTEL

ELLENBOROUGH PARK DINING ROOM

RANGE ROVING AROUND THE COUNTRY

  We stayed in fabulous Ellenborough Park in Cheltenham Spa and drove the sheep dotted, rolling green, hilly terrain in a Vouge Edition Land Rover, visiting charming villages, castles and palaces.  Breakfast served on freshly pressed linen, china by the Queen’s designer and formal attention from Sandro, our Italian maitre d, began each day.  It could not have been more pleasant.  But I noticed I was most impressed by the simple things, like yogurt served in ceramic jars and water in glass bottles instead of plastic.  And the bald, old, tire swing in the front “yard” overlooking the manor and the Cheltenham Horse Track, brought immense joy to husband, daughter and me.

TIRE SWING AT ELLENBOROUGH PARK

LA FERMIERE YOGURT IN CERAMIC JARS

Visiting stone clad, charming villages and cities with their fine cathedrals,  manors, historical treasures, castles, palaces and more palaces was, of course, delightful, even surreal. But it was the little things like the candy shop displays, glimpses of a dragon or two and the way the sun glowed against the buildings, warming us at the end of a chilly day that  felt like slices of heaven cake.

BLENHEIM PALACE

GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

CLIVEDEN

FANCY SWEETS

WHAT A DISPLAY

WHIMISICAL DRAGONS

THE SUN ON THE GLORIOUS CRESCENT IN BATH 

So the lesson is, at home or away, look out for the small things that make you smile.  They are the truest luxuries in your life.  Of course if you have the miles or can afford it, going first class doesn’t suck either!

VIRGIN UPPER CLASS- FULL RECLINE BABY!

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Unlike the Westweek event a few weeks ago, which completely neglected any greenspeak, Veranda celebrated the dynamic eco duo from the Q Collection, awarding them with one of their four coveted awards for the Art of Design. 

Each winner and all the panelists championed the green cause, one even defined luxury as a clean glass of water.  Again and again they reminded us that respect for the planet’s resources and healthy built environments go hand in hand with luxury, something our firm has been touting for over a decade.  The slides of their projects were breath taking and entertaining, especially the image of Kid Rock’s bedroom which looked nothing like I thought it would.  It was originally designed as a love nest for him and Pamela Anderson and apparently they were quite taken by a trip to St. Lucia.  Windsor Smith intelligently spoke about redesigning the way we use space, sharing plans on her new Mandeville Canyon equestrian compound. I wanna be Windsor when I grow up!

Dedar and Kneedler Fauchere held the reception.  As always the fabrics, flowers and food were scrumptious.  My favorites were the chocolate dipped macaroons.  Because an HGTV camera was following me around filming a day in my life, I received extra attention and a special, little interview from Carolyn Englefield, Veranda’s Editor At Large.  Fun fun fun.

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