Monthly Archives: September 2014

Rosie & Twine, Flower Delivery

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Usually I trek to Columbia Road on Sunday mornings to peruse and choose floral decoration for my flat. Last week however I experienced a much easier service. Rosie, founder of Rosie & Twine delivered a beautiful bunch of flowers to my door, complete with care instructions. My bouquet was an eclectic mix of dark reds and pale purples with a touch of white, delicate and fresh flowers some of which I didn’t recognise. Rosie later told me the bunch consisted of Agapanthus, Scabiosa, Dahlia, Alstromeria and a few anemones, all British grown.

Rosie & Twine is a unique ‘Flowers by Subscription’ service that focuses on delivering largely British flowers beautifully and efficiently. With every bunch £1 is donated to the ‘Friends of the Honey Bee’. The heart of the business model is the subscription process – understanding that we all deserve lovely flowers yet don’t have the time to source the best, Rosie has created a very simple, easy to manage subscription process.

The idea developed from a lifetime love of flowers. Rosie & Twine is passionate about championing British produce and keeping the majority of cut flowers British to decrease the amount we import from all over the globe. Growing up in the countryside, Rosie’s family kept bees and grew to admire them. Bees in this country have suffered dramatically over the past fifty years due to a decline in pollen rich plants and the use of fertilisers and chemicals. We need to increase the biodiversity of plants and flowers available to bees and we can raise awareness by working with the Friends of the Honey Bee campaign through donations from every bunch. If we look after them they will in turn look after us.

The service initially launches in all SW postcodes with a plan to expand, Rosie is happy to deliver further afield so do get in touch. She heads over to the Flower Market to get all the flowers for the day’s delivery. Each week there will be two new bunches on offer, so you can either make your own choice or you can leave it down to Rosie’s creativity.

Deliveries take place between 1pm and 6pm, Tuesdays to Fridays. You can choose your delivery day when you subscribe and add in any special delivery requests. You can manage your account online so if you want to skip a week or month or would like to cancel, it will be easy. If you want to send a gift, you can order flowers as a one-off or even buy a tailored gift subscription.

Deliveries officially begin in November 2014 but Rosie is already open for business so pop over to her website and get floral.

Find out more here: www.rosieandtwine.com

Hot on the Highstreet Week 227

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Tomorrow is your last chance to own a piece from Rag and Bone‘s special personalised collection. Rag & Bone’s Fall 2014 fifties-inspired bowling shirts, varsity jackets and hoodies, appeared on the runway back in February personalised with each model’s name. To celebrate fashion week the designer brand made the pieces available for a customisation of your own in several different styles for ladies and gents. The range doesn’t come cheap ranging from £300-£600 for your own unique piece. My favourite is the “Challenge” varsity jacket, available in the Sloane Street store until the end of the month only.  The styles can be embroidered to a max of seven letters, so get yourself down there quick and pick your best retro nickname for your personalisation.

More information here.

Mercer Hotel, Barcelona

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The Mercer Hotel is tucked away in the atmospheric and historic gothic quarter of Barcelona. Away from the main tourist streets, there is a luxurious sense of calm and cool inside and around the grand building. The discreet and efficient reception desk staff ensured a speedy check-in and we were encouraged to speak to the well informed concierge who kindly checked all the places we were interested in visiting.

The rooms here are stylish and minimalist, design-led and blissfully comfortable. We were upgraded to an immaculate Junior Suite, room 104 to be precise, overlooking the indoor terrace of orange trees, a blissful retreat from the hot, busy Barcelona streets with a tranquil lounge area in which to sit and read your favourite book. The bedroom is spacious and indulgent, a smart four-poster bed with the softest white sheets and techy bedside lamps that illuminate with a special hand gesture. The wooden floor is homely but chic and matches the ‘relaxed luxury’ style of the room. The bathroom was my favourite, with infinitely more light than the rest of the suite, I could fully appreciate the décor. All white and smooth with a single red rose to scent the air. A glazed rain-effect shower and deep designer bath tub are heavenly alongside the fragrant Molton Brown miniatures and complimentary bath bomb.

If you’ve exhausted the local sightseeing, the rooftop terrace bar and pool is heaven on a hot day and the restaurant downstairs serves seasonal fine food. Each of the communal spaces at Mercer has an individual character – think atmospheric lighting, fresh flower bouquets, intelligent books, intriguing artwork… there is always something new to discover and admire. I noticed when wandering along the corridors that there is even a special fragrance in the air. It seems like an odd thing to say, but the hotel smelt delicious.

We ate breakfast in the courtyard, an oasis with the blue sky above and green plants all around. The table was immaculately set with white tablecloth, garden flowers, pretty crockery, bowls of fruit and a basket of freshly baked pastries. There was plenty of more extravagant hot dishes on offer but we found the array adequate along with a cappuccino and orange juice. It was as delicious as it was dainty.

I couldn’t bear to tear myself away from the Mercer Hotel, a beautifully serene and sophisticated place in the heart of buzzing Barcelona, it is the perfect city escape.

Book a stay at The Mercer Hotel here: www.mercerhotel.com

Many thanks to the Barcelona Tourist Board for their help with this trip, more information here.