Design Notes Archive

Cutter Brooks

Cutter Brooks

We recently featured Amanda Brook's Cotswolds boot room and she's back on our radar again - so soon! The American ex-pat with legendary style has just opened a charming shop in Stow-on-the-Wold and it’s bursting with all the things we love: potted porcelain flowers by Vladimir Kanevsky; marbleized pottery by La Tuile à Loup; rattan pedestals by Atelier Vime; Cabana tableware from Martina Mondadori Sartoga; plus a tightly curated selection of fashion of course. No surprise given that Brooks worked as fashion director for Barneys New York, one of the State’s most prestigious department stores, before decamping to the English countryside with her husband, artist Christopher Brooks.

The new shop, called Cutter Brooks en hommage to her maiden and married names, will have e-commerce enabled by mid-month but do try to visit in person. There’s nothing like discovering treasures first hand in a setting as lovely as this, and there are plans to add a tiny café in the back garden as well. While you’re in the neighbourhood, Daylesford organic farm is just up the road and full of treats. Not only do they have the most wonderful selection of foods and housewares, there’s also a cookery school and loads of floristry workshops to partake in over the summer.

Make a weekend of it and stay at one of the areas idyllic retreats. Soho Farmhouse has taken center stage as of late but we there are plenty of heritage gems to consider as well. Barnsley House has the most picturesque landscaping and we also have a soft spot for Thyme, a hamlet of 17th century cottages that’s been converted into a luxury boutique hotel at Southrop Manor Estate. For history buffs, a visit to Blenheim Palace isn’t too far off either. Everything is within about 30 kilometers from each other so it’s an easy destination for your first summer minibreak.   

Photos © Andy Sewell, Oberto Gili