One of my favourite ‘aren’t kids weird’ stories is when a friend’s daughter asked Santa for some rice pudding and a warm blanket.
However, this week, as the temperatures have dropped and the sparkly joy of Christmas is long gone… I kind of know exactly what she means.
A beautiful blanket is an under appreciated thing. They add a warmth to any room, and the simple pleasure of adding a blanket to the bed or wrapping yourself up in one when reading is hard to beat.
Most years we spend Easter on the Isle of Skye in a thatched cottage. We explore, we walk, we eat, we walk some more, we fly kites, we walk some more, and then, usually on the penultimate day we do NOTHING. We snuggle, we chat and we read. This is a beautiful cosy thing to do, however the cherry on the top of the cake is that we do it under cashmere blankets from Ava Innes. We knew they were special, but then, we got to spend time with the founder to discover how they really are the epitome of quiet luxury.
Ava Innes is a gentle brand rooted in slow living, sustainability, and the next wave of Scottish woven heritage. They are based in Elgin in North East Scotland. They are a bedding and luxury cashmere company that specialises in bespoke orders. With access to some of the most sought after mills in Scotland, Ava Innes works directly with makers to create luxurious blankets made to order in the finest cashmere, merino, and soft wool.
Founder Joan Johnston has over 20 year’s senior experience working in the UK luxury textiles industry supplying brands such as Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Dunhill. Joan Johnston leveraged her expertise and passion for innovative product development and founded Ava Innes in 2019. Living and working between the sea and mountains, the extraordinary natural Scottish landscape is a constant influence on Joan’s desire to live better, to work with nature, and support traditional craftsmanship here in the UK.
Joan added: “We speak to many interior designers and individual customers who tell us how difficult it is to find luxurious extra large blankets and bed throws. For interior designers who are curating pieces with a specific style and space requirement, bespoke is often the only option for finding the right blanket.
“From custom sizing, to colour and pattern design, and special finishing touches such as embroidery or edging details – our relationships and decades of luxury fabric expertise mean anything is possible for our customers.”
