9TH APRIL 2018
If you didn’t hear me the first 50 million times I mentioned it, Ali and I recently moved house. We bought our first home together almost 4 years ago to the day and it was our happy, cosy home for many years.
Just after we got engaged in 2016, Ali became self employed which meant our beautiful little house was occupied and in use around the clock. I remember shooting a campaign for Pandora where we had photographers and assistants in our house all at once, there were lights, cameras and cats everywhere, the sofas were up on their ends and it was in that moment that I knew we had completely out grown our space.
It is just under 2 months since we got the keys to our new house and I’m still not entirely sure I can believe it’s ours.
Throughout my teens I experienced a long period of time where I was unsettled. I had no base and no where I comfortably called home which is what I attribute to my disinterest in travelling during that time. All I wanted was somewhere that felt like home and it wasn’t until I became a home owner that I truly felt that. This house is my dream and has given me a new lease of life when it comes to every day living, I’ve felt myself thrive in my new environment in ways I’ve never experienced before
From our mid terraced first home to our light and airy forever home, it has always been our mission to create a space which we take pleasure in and whilst the latter is going to take a little longer than the former did, we are excited for the journey ahead. With our first home it was about maximising on light and space where we could so naturally, we painted the whole place white and kept the colour palette neutral, delicate shades with lots of big mirrors and storage areas. When we would tell people that in actual fact the house had very small windows and an even smaller sq ft, the shock on their face told us we had achieved our goal.
Since moving into the new home this feeling of luxury is something we want to create with a lot more freedom, we are no longer limited by the size of the property with regards to colours and palettes, meaning we can be a little bit more adventurous (I hope, please don’t hold me to that).
From this Luxe Housekeeping was born, a space within my blog to share the journey with you all, the tips and tricks I learn along the way from spring cleaning essentials to furniture faux pas. I’m trying not to make a rod for my own back with this one, so whether this will be a regular feature or a mini series is undecided (ah, the beauty of having a blog, I make the damn rules) but whatever it does become, hopefully you will find some nuggets of wisdom in amongst my ramblings, If not I can promise some pretty pictures of everything a long the way.
So here’s to a new chapter for Lydiaelisemillen.com I would love to know the kind of content you would like to see from Luxe Housekeeping so please do let me know in the comments below.
Ready for an afternoon in the early Autumn sunshine on horseback
Ad outfit
Leggings @lemieuxproductsofficial
Top @gymshark
Blazer Lydia Millen x @karen_millen
Earrings @astridandmiyu
Boots @amazonfashioneu
Gloves @hollandcooperclothing
Ad When the turn of the seasons encourages you to wrap up in classic clothing from the beautiful British brand that is @lkbennettlondon , retreat to a cosy, country hotel and hunker down for afternoon tea with your husband. Use LYDIALKB20 for 20% off until 28th October #WearingLKB paid partnership
I had so many messages about my work from home outfit last week I thought I’d share it complete with accessories
Ad Outfit
Jumper @goelia_official
Trousers @lkbennettlondon
Shoes @emmylondonofficial
Jacket @marcelalondon_
Fragrance @diorbeauty La Colle Noire
Can you guess where I’m off to for afternoon tea?
Ad Outfit
Coat @lkbennettlondon
Dress @aavelleofficial
Hat & boots @hollandcooperclothing
Fragrance @penhaligons_london
Tights @wolford
The Autumn Equinox has arrived and as the nights draw in there’s so many opportunities to reconnect with nature.
Hosting a very special breakfast for my girls in honour of @princestrust and @thebrilliantbreakfast to raise money to help young women turn their lives around through work, education and training. A donation of £5 can enable a woman to simply travel to an interview which could go on to change her life forever so I would absolutely love it if you would join me in hosting your own Brilliant Breakfast between the 9th and 15th October, whether it’s simply coffee with a close friend, or encouraging your entire office to get involved, the funds raised will go towards helping young women, aged 11-30 create better futures for themselves.
And thank you to my angel @hello.petal.flowers for giving her time and creative flare to bring my vision for the breakfast to life, of course you don’t have to go with florals like me, but if that’s something you enjoy this is the perfect opportunity to throw a lovely breakfast with your girlfriends with a cause that will help so many other women, front and centre!
Ad Because being old fashioned is always fashionable
Such an honour to drive to @goodwoodrevival with the @astonmartin team in the iconic DB5 to celebrate 110 years of the brand and 60 years of the DB5.
Outfit
Dress @dior
Hat @aavelleofficial
Gloves @cornelia_james
Jewellery @garrard
Can you advise where you bought the gorgeous pink peony door garland from – it’s amazing!,