Hello, and welcome to the home of The Tiny Department Store. Here you will find my weekly newsletter where I share the behind the scenes of setting up a small business and working towards making my dream of opening a concept store a reality. Without premises or a large budget I have created possibly the world’s tiniest department store, measuring just the dimensions of the wooden box on the front of my shiny blue bicycle. The Tiny Department Store will pop up once a month with a new theme and a limited edition range of products that constantly evolve. I will also give you a peek inside my world, sharing snippets of my daily life, travels and inspirations. I would love you to join me on this journey.
Some weeks are harder than others to find a creative spark and this week was one of those. Half term, relentless rain and outgrown wellington boots. We had exhausted the boardgames and lego, so the very moment the sun made a fleeting appearance we jumped in the car for a change of scenery and to save my dwindling sanity. I thought about not writing at all, but on a whim decided to check my drafts folder.
Home to a collection of incomplete and untidy offerings, the folder resembles a messy bedside drawer. Lists, quotes not yet explored, questions to ponder, recipes, a song lyric or two and the very beginnings of a love letter.
Words and thoughts scattered the page like a jumble of twigs waiting patiently to be woven into a neat and tidy nest. Not yet fully realised but full of potential, my scrappy love letter tentatively raised her hand, asking politely to be finished…so here goes.
Today I share with you my unrequited love for Leanne Ford.
I can’t quite pin point when I first discovered Leanne Ford, but do know that it was quite early on in my Californian era. I somehow stumbled upon one of her shows and inhaled every episode in a matter of days. For the uninitiated, Leanne Ford is an interior designer with a very distinct aesthetic. She is a creative maven, a storyteller and a rebel. She oozes cool, makes me want to have a fringe again (‘bangs’ for the Americans among you) and is one of those women that has the un-done, low key effortless style that I can only dream of.
At this point I should probably share a few images to pique your appetite and illustrate my point.
Ford finds beauty in the things that others would toss, she embraces imperfection and thrives on breaking the rules. In her tv series which she shares with her brother Steve, she is persistent in her vision which he doesn’t always share from the outset but she never fails to win him over. She paints literally everything, stains walls with coffee and has a penchant for up-cycling garden planters into sinks. She makes enormous lights from cardboard packaging, mixes old with new and strives to embrace the history and imperfections in the homes that she redesigns.
Leanne loves to work with artisans and makers, so much so that she has created her own quartlerly magazine Feel Free that explores how creative people live and work. It is beautifully curated and is a refreshing find in the increasingly barren world of paper publications. I am working on a piece to pitch as part of my year of collaboration. I will keep you posted!
You can also own a piece of Leanne Ford’s creativity from her collection for Crate and Barrel. She has designed lighting, furniture and tableware so even if your budget is shoestring thin, a little like my own, you can have a tiny taste in the form of a bowl, a wonky ceramic plate or one of the recently launched stripy jugs.
As a dedicated rule follower, Leanne gives me the permission slip to paint a sofa, doodle on the wall, embrace the process, celebrate the mistakes and just have a god damn go. She is bold, brave and encouraging. Her trade mark ‘easy breezy’ attitude is a literal breath of fresh air and I am an unapologetic fan girl!
Ten pieces of advice that I have gleaned from Leanne Ford:
Texture + Vintage + Nature + Books + Art = Soul
Oversized is always better
Embrace imperfection
Layers and layers and layers
If in doubt paint it white
Go treasure hunting
Break the rules
Enjoy the journey
Add collections of shells, pebbles and branches
A vintage disco ball makes any room better
*I have been searching for a vintage disco ball for this very reason
I doubt this love letter will ever find its way to LF, but I hope that I have won some of you over. She certainly inspired so much of my own creative journey with The Tiny Department Store. Please jump into the comments section if you want any more LF inspo, in case you hadn’t realised this infatuation runs deep!
One final thing that I forgot to mention is that Leanne loves a quote, so I will leave you with my favourite three:
Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can
Don’t quit your daydream
You didn’t come this far to only come this far
Until next week
Kate x
Another perfect letter, you always inspire me. I’m currently reading Lessons in Chemistry which you mentioned last week 💕
Loved the quotes