Another summer to an end. And what a good one it was. I had so many weeks off, necessary time off.

The past four years I have come back to work in August, more tired than I was when I left Stockholm late June. It has been totally self-inflicted though;  be it setting up a pop up summer shop, handling trade requests, chasing lost shipments and driving to the nearest postal office 20 minutes away at 8 am every morning to post online orders. But I honestly don’t think you can do it any other way. Those first years with a new business there is no pause button, you have to work all the time in order to stay in business. For me it was never the amount of work that bothered me, I like working. It was the (and to some extent still is) the fact that I had to wear all the hats and do everything myself, be involved in everything and be ultimately responsible for all decisions. That has been draining in a way I cannot begin to describe and is something every entrepreneur and business owner can relate to. It can also be very lonely, don’t be fooled by the shiny façade. Instagram and social media are no truth tellers, that’s for sure. There is no way around it, in order to one day be able to delegate and grow you must know all aspects of your business. I am finally at a place where I have two brilliant employees that I adore and a small team of advisors that keep things afloat without me having to be involved in everything. I can let go and it is truly the best feeling. Especially the aspects of the business that I don’t like. If you’re a fellow creative you can guess what those are.

We had a start-up meeting last week and I sat down having plans, new routines and a schedule for fall presented to me. I wanted to cry happy tears. My employees Sara and Anna are about to go away on their first solo work trip. I realized that this is a meeting where I am redundant, they both know much more than I do in this matter and I trust them fully. This is huge and I couldn’t be more proud of them.

This summer Erik and I traveled to Milan to see Arcade Fire, the band that set everything off for us. The first time we met we started talking about music and he asked what music I was into. I named Arcade Fire and by the look on his face I knew that was a good answer. We saw them at Radio City Music Hall in NYC on our  second date and now we got to see them again, 17 years down the line. It was really special. Also, LOVE Milan.

Pelle went away for three weeks to confirmation and sailing camp. Saying goodbye to him was harder than I had expected. It dawned on me for the first time that we really only have our children on loan. In three years’ time he will be 18 and start his own, adult life. His childhood is almost over and that hit me hard. When he finally came home again we all went to Portugal for a week and I fell in love in Lisbon. We do this every summer, go away for one week just the five of us and it is my favorite week of the year. 

So what’s up for us this fall?  Well, we are moving our whole fabric inventory to a third party logistics firm. This will enable smoother and faster shipping to all our customers and clients and it’s something we look very much forward to. Our lovely factory is situated very remotely way up north which often adds two days in shipping. This is something we have wanted to change for some time now and we finally tracked down the perfect partner for that. Sara and I are traveling to London for an exciting meeting and we will be launching a collab with Dusty Deco and a small capsule cushion collection in time for the holidays. We’re also launching three new colorways soon! Anna-Lisa in Rust and Karin’s Dress in Coco might be my favorites to date. Other than that we will focus on fine tuning what we do and make sure we supply the best service possible to you all.

I have found (fingers crossed) a space to use as my very own atelier and studio. A place where I can solely focus on being creative and draw/paint without any specific project in mind. Maybe it results in a new fabric or wallpaper, maybe not. It has become very clear that I can’t do this in our office or at home. In the office and shop there is always some business or administrative topic to be tended to. We are after all a small team, constantly talking to and checking things with each other. At home I just end up emptying the dishwasher and picking up stray socks around the house. I need my own space. Without computer, colleagues and customers. I think I might have found it and I am so excited.

Right now I’m at home writing this. The whole family is at Erik’s family archipelago house and it’s just me and Dixie at home. I’m sitting on my couch with my feet up on the coffee table and my gin sour to my right listening to classical music. This is special, I am so rarely alone and I am truly enjoying every second. It’s quiet in the house and I can hear the crickets through the open terrace door. Next to me I have a pile of new coffee table books, books we will hopefully start selling in the shop soon. I want to be able to share my personal favorites with you. The pictures and words that make my heart beat a little faster, the creative work and the homes that speak to me and inspire me every day. Books I come back to again and again.

Thank you for following along, it means more to me than I can express. I have poured my heart and soul into this business and the fact that we’re still around four years in is all thanks to you. Thank you.

Love Cathy