Meet Amelia and Michèle…
Michèle
The story of how we got here and the why has already been told. Back in 2010 there was this mad, crazy idea of selling all and buying a complete ruin in the South of France. An adventure beckoned. Ten years on the ruin has been transformed into a boutique B&B where I live, work and relax with my husband, Kevin, closely supervised by Barney our chocolate Labrador and our flock of chickens.
The fragrances here almost overwhelm, particularly in the Spring and Summer, making this the perfect playground to explore all things sensory. Creating products for our clients felt a natural next step. After several years of renovating and transforming the ruins and the land where we live I felt in need of a new adventure that somehow consolidated and captured all that I am.
When I am not pottering in my atelier workshop I love those hours in my gardens, going for long walks, discovering ancient sleepy villages hiding in the hills and valleys around where we live, talking to the locals who have lived here for generations and finding out their culinary and apothecary secrets. A gourmande at heart means the kitchen is my alternative creating space to my atelier. I LOVE food, the sourcing, the preparing, the socialising, the eating….and of course the wine too. Who wouldn’t in this part of France? Apéro hour is a custom I’ve adopted all too easily!
And of course, yes, yes, YES of course ….at the heart of all I do and all that I am… my family, my friends, my community. Always. I am the sum of many things, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a creative curious perfectionist and an occasional hermit!
Amelia
Since the arrival of Elizabeth in 2015, followed swiftly by James in 2016, life has been dominated by nursery rhymes, finger painting, games and playing chase. It was last year the restlessness began to kick in, and I was feeling that itch to ‘do more’. Michele and I have always shared many similar interests, so it felt like a natural partnership when she asked me to come on board and help build Sensory Philosophy into what it is today.
Of course, life at the moment is changing by the day. Ben is now working at home full time, and I’m doing my best to homeschool Elizabeth, which is made extra challenging by little James who tries to wrestle us at every moment! I manage to find precious moments to escape on my road bike or go jogging in our local nature reserve. Exercise has always been my preferred way to unwind, find headspace, and anyone who knows me will understand how important to me this is. In between all of this is where I connect, create, learn and rest!