Moving to a new home...
Before Christmas, I moved the business into its very own studio within a place called Thatcham House. Truth be told, I'd had my eye on this place since last January and had dreamed that one day I'd have a nosey at one of the office rooms... I didn't actually think I'd be packing my last Christmas orders in it!
So fast forward to end of October, following a not so great weekend at home (house littered with work and a guilty feeling mummy/business owner I decided that I owed it to myself, Mr Periwinke and Eliza to find somewhere for Periwinkle and Clay to live and to get our family home back to create some separation between work and home.
So here is Periwinkle and Clay's new home - or 'mummy's castle' as Eliza likes to call it because of the tower! I love 'mummy's castle'!!
In 1951 was modernised into 3 flats. Within a few years Mr Zornow acquired the house, built himself a detached house nearby and continued to let the house as flats. During the early 1960's Mr Zornow erected more houses around Thatcham House. By the 1970's Thatcham House had deteriorated so much that the flats were vacated and a closing order placed on the property in 1980. By 1988 Mr Zornow had developed Thatcham House into offices, 25 in total.... one of which is suite 3 and now home to Periwinkle and Clay!It's quite a building isn't it? tucked away behind a school you wouldn't even know it was there.... it was built in about 1869 for a vicar of Thatcham from 1866 until 1889. The house originally contained 30 rooms. The true use of the tower is unknown; however,it is almost the same height as the tower of St. Mary's Church in Thatcham.
See the room (3rd left from the right) above a hedge... that's my new studio! I get to look out over the gardens - just lovely...
The carpets were a bit grotty and smelly and it needed a lick of fresh paint.... but fast forward to now and it's freshly painted, freshly floored long room of Ikea and Periwinkle and Clay goodness! I honestly had no idea quite how much 'stuff' I had squirrelled away at home - in the loft, in two bedrooms, in the garage, the dining room and Kitchen - I really had packed a lot in! so it's really refreshing and very exciting to see everything out in shelves - which I'm slowly organising.
Since New Year’s I’ve been unpacking, tidying, organising, building and trying to make sure I’m using the space effectively. I've done a lot to a long box of a room already and at some
Since New Year’s I’ve been unpacking, tidying, organising, building and trying to make sure I’m using the space effectively. I've done a lot to a long box of a room already and at some point, I'll share some photos with you. The latest addition just last weekend has been a packing table, seriously can't tell you what a game changer that will be!
There’s still lots of improvements to make but it’s already so, so much better than running the business from home – I’m able to be a lot more efficient with my time which means you'll get your orders hopefully sooner as I improve. But it’s also meant we’ve got loads of space back at home and can actually relax when I'm home and enjoy family time which I'm starting to realise is very precious indeed.
So watch this space for more and I promise studio photos are to come - perhaps even a video or a Facebook/Instgram live tour!...
Claire xx
