Holiday with Olive Loves Alfie 2016.
A capsule wardrobe mixing vintage pieces with contemporary favourites from Bobo Choses, Stella McCartney Kids, Nadadeloz, Bonnie Mob, Mini Rodini and Saltwater Sandals.
Photography Michelle Bracken, Styling Ashlyn Gibson, Model Zoe, on location in Santorini.
Last week we opened our doors at Olive Loves Alfie East to celebrate the launch of a new charity initiative from Mere Soeur - a colouring book for mamas called ‘The Art Of Motherhood’. East Village didn’t quite know what had hit it - Carrie’s tribe of hip, rad instagram Mamas had arrived from around the country. Our iconic mirror ball laden Silver Cross had never looked more at home surrounded by a sea of buggies. Victory Parade was the place to be as it morphed into a playground for the next gen. This wasn’t a regular Mama meet up - this was super charged and busting with goodness and sisterhood.
Carrie (25) is a self generating dynamo with a powerful aura. She also happens to be an absolute babe - to my mind she is a mischievous elfin biker with a crystal in one hand and a tattoo on the other. I love her for her honesty - her daily feed on Instagram is a riot that resonates with any self confessing “hardcore - this is tough” Mama. As funny as she is serious and as up as she is down Carrie is a breath of fresh air - I just wish that I had known her when Olive was the same age as River because motherhood can be a lonely place. Carrie has made it her business to reach out to other mums with the core belief that positivity, kindness to ourselves and strength in sisterhood can make a difference.
All proceeds from ‘The Art of Motherhood’ go to Home Start - one of the leading family support charities in the UK. You can buy it online from Mere Soeur or from Olive Loves Alfie East in East Village, Stratford E20.
Photographs by Sarah-Louise Kimmer.
Inspired by the families that I met whilst I was writing Creative Family Home and Creative Children’s Spaces I have sourced a range of children’s furniture that is available from Olive Loves Alfie East. The interior design of the store itself and the bespoke fittings showcase the creative interior design that is offered as a service through the store. For the next two months I am offering free 1 hour creative family home consultations in my East Village store. For details and to book an appointment please email ashlyn@olivelovesalfie.co.uk.
My approach to choosing children’s furniture is to buy pieces that encourage imaginative play and exploration. A bed isn’t just for sleeping in - it can be the base camp for childhood games. By day the wheels on the front of the R Toddler bed above turn it into a train or camper van ready for fantasy adventures. We have a limited number of R Toddler Beds that we are offering 10% discount on until the end of May that are ready to be despatched. Call 0203 5799 599 for shipping information and quote “Olive Loves Rafa” to receive the discount.
For older children I recommed the F Bunk or Teen Bed from Rafa kids. They can be used together in the same space and moved around in lots of configurations. If siblings end up with their own rooms both of the beds are cool enough to have lasting appeal right through their teens.
The R Toddler Bed £550
The Playhouse range from Kutikai is wonderfully inventive. The roof of the Playhouse Desk is the perfect angle for a drawing board and the chimney can simply be repurposed as a pen pot. A cut out window turns the underneath into the perfect den. The roof of the Playhouse Bed makes it a cosy place for sleeping and an exciting place for playing.
The Playhouse Toddler Bed £855
Olive Loves Alfie East holds stock of the Rafa Toddler Bed and if you visit the store you can see the Playhouse Desk. Items ordered take between 2 and 6 weeks for delivery.