Gifting

Money can’t buy you love. And yet…

Well, the new year is well and truly underway, and the calendar’s first opportunity for heartfelt gift-giving is upon us once again. 

Whether you’re a seasoned romantic or simply erring on the side of caution (which is, let’s be honest, always sensible when it comes to matters of the heart), Valentine’s Day has long been a chance to demonstrate your affection via the medium of gifting. 

Finding the Right Instrument

Think of Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings score, where the violin gently weaves through “Concerning Hobbits,” painting an idyllic portrait of Middle-earth. Or Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” from The Mission, where the violin’s melancholic rise is nothing short of transcendental.

The Scent of The Season

Lingering in a stocking, waiting under the tree, or an early gift for a private moment. A scent is personal, a fragrance is meaningful, a present for the season that creates memories with every wear.

The Beauty Under The Tree

Sublimely luxurious skincare is a moment to savour, and nothing says this more than the EviDens De Beauté Essentials Collection. Comprising their most cherished pieces, you can expect ultra-nourishing formulas for supreme skin quality.

Taking stock, hanging stockings

The festive season arrives more swiftly with every passing year, the world revolves at the same speed and yet the spin revs higher as each calendar page turns. It’s important not to lose sight of what is important in these winter months, moments of reflection and sentiments of gratitude are significant to share with our friends, our family and also with ourselves, for making it through another 365 days is no mean feat. 

Carried by the summer breeze

Scent carries our memories like music, a single note bringing waves of unexpected nostalgia. For some, remembrance can bring olfactory hallucination, the two notions having become intricately linked. A moment, a touch, a conversation, a friendship or a love…  waves of beautiful, visceral emotion. Here, summer is an anthology of stories, each told by scent. Taking a mind-clearing walk on the clifftops, the waves crash below, the birds kettle high above. You brush past clary sage, eucalyptus and lavender growing wild. The ocean air fills your lungs. You notice how sea-soaked branches grasp the rocks aside your path. As your mind wanders back to your day ahead, you replace a…

A gardener’s diary, the summer edit

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Now, whilst I might swap out ‘library’ for thoughtfully curated wine rack’, I do agree with the former. But, I am suddenly acutely aware as the summer has finally entered centre stage with a fanfare that my garden, once a luscious frequented space adorned with touches of soft furnishings and wildlife-enticing plants, is a far cry from being sundowner ready. My desk-based afternoon daydreams involve planning abundant herb-filled planters for the perfect capsule kitchen garden, filling every gap with the intricate blooms of David Austin roses and lining every wall for heady scent with ‘Gold Flame’ Honeysuckle…

Bentley Beyond, The Collection. For the journey.

Driving a car you love is so much more than the ‘a’ to ‘b’. It’s the feel of the steering wheel moving from under your palm, the resistance of the accelerator beneath your sole or the slick movement of the gearbox. Sometimes it’s the thrill you get when the mechanic tells you that against all odds, your pernickety classic car flew through its MOT. It’s the bond you feel and the memories you create together over the miles.

Portable Xmas Tree by D.S. & Durga

The stocking of desire

Somehow, once again, we’ve whipped through weeks and flown through the months, and that fateful day of festive excitement, adoration-showing and gift-sharing is once more upon us.

Goldfield & Banks, Ingenious Ginger

A gift for every moment

The perfect gift doesn’t need to be seasonal. The occasion might be a birthday, a win at the office, or maybe a moment of self-care. Whichever way, we are here for your inspiration.

In the Name of the Fathers

Father’s Day was never a big deal in my family. I always assumed that my dad was the kind of man, like many of his generation, who shied from the spotlight of attention and felt uncomfortable with any notion of having a day wherein he could sit back, relax and be showered with gifts.

What the heart wants

This year, let’s do away with the predictable and the kitsch, and leave the acres of saccharine and heart-hugging bears on the shelves. From the fascinating to the flavoursome, the flirtatious to the finessed, these gifts are sure to set hearts racing this February. 

Miller Harris, Rose Silence Eau De Parfum

The rules of The Stocking

In the Lake household, the Christmas Stocking is a sacred artefact. Everyone sleeping on the night of Santa’s rooftop landing meets the morning with a stocking; children, adults and guests alike. They are a festive staple and personally, my favourite part of the morning.

Edinburgh Skincare Gentlemens Gift Box

Naughty or Nice

Let’s elevate the art of gifting for Christmas 2022, and seek out items which encapsulate the essence of finesse for our nearest and dearest. We’re here to celebrate bespoke and small-batch producers. Let’s hear it for the independents, the pioneers, and those crafting the precious, the thoughtful, the unforgettable.

The Beautiful Gift

Is there one remaining gap under the tree? Are you running out of ideas for that last little beauty present?
Take a look at our quick guide to last-minute stocking fillers and small gifts. 

Dunhill Desire Black

Scents of Style

It’s the final adornment before an evening well-lived. Finding a signature scent amongst the abundance of musky, floral, citrus or even woodsy notes is a time-honoured tradition amongst the many perfume counters and white-glove perfumeries across Europe.