Bertie behind Bertie

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some truly unique places in my life. Some of my adventures have been for holidays, some for research and most recently for work. I’ve been living in Asia for the past two years and it’s been an explosion of culture, creation and realisation. My first two hours at my new home in Guangzhou, China were spent decorating my tiny bedroom in a heavily populated high riser apartment which had an unsettling odour and unfamiliar textures, colours, fabrics, tiles, lights. The newness of my surroundings was exciting but also scary. My brain automatically went into auto pilot to ‘fix’ and enhance my bedroom. Instead of unpacking pants, passport and a pack of hobnobs I had smuggled in, I reached for candle. My mum has always gifted me candles every time I’ve moved home in UK or across the world. The same scent, the same candle. Every home whether it be a house in North London or a high rise in China, by lighting the candle, I felt home.

I sat on the rock hard bed in my tiny room with bars on the windows, cold tiles under my feet and looked out of the window at the tranquil Pearl River. I was just starting my journey and of course was anxious about if I would survive through the language, culinary delights, transport horror stories, incredible landscape, dynamic people and wrangled with myself if I’d be able to deliver professionally. The aroma floated throughout the room and transported my mind to another place; a sense of ‘you’re ok’. And to be honest - that mind set never changed.

The power of feeling a sense of home within you can give you a foundation to take on any experience. I’m able to achieve this with a candle and reminding myself who I am. bertie and british was unintentionally sparked at this point in my life and now I want to breathe life into unexpected places, give old rooms new life and gift those who use bertie and british products a moment to enjoy their surroundings and themselves. Your home is a reflection of your mind; make it a fabulous place.