I’m currently in Shropshire house hunting, it’s been a long day and if I’m honest I’m tired both mentally and emotionally. I don’t know about you but I find change both exciting and nerve racking at the same time. At the moment I feel very much in the middle of that – making a big life change, whilst also gently reshaping Willow & Hen.
For me , a home has always been more about a feeling than anything else, and if I’m honest I haven’t quite had that feeling since I sold my barn in 2024.
I know as soon as I walk into the right property I’ll feel it straight away. I’ll start imagining where to put my furniture, how I will feel waking up the first morning and most importantly where the Christmas Tree will stand.
This in-between period, not quite having a place to call home has been harder than I expected, but it has also given me space to think about what I really want – not just from a house but from life, and from Willow & Hen.
Homes can feel unsettled for so many reasons.
As much as I loved my barn, there came a time when it no longer felt right for me. Life had shifted – fire a few years earlier, a relationship that had come to an end – and slowly it began to feel as though I no longer quite fitted there. Like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
In the end, I knew something needed to change.
So I made the decision to sell and move temporarily into my parents annex. That was meant to be a short step but here I am 18 months later – a little longer than planned, but perhaps exactly the time needed.
And now feels like the right moment to begin again.
Any life change can feel scary and this is where Willow & Hen has found its place again for me.
– lighting a candle each evening whether I’m eating supper or working at the kitchen table
– fresh flowers in my favourite vase
– quiet evenings on the sofa with Bertie and a cosy throw
– time outside, especially when everything feels a little overwhelming.
and returning to creativity – arranging flowers, testing candle scents, making something with my hands.
These small things don’t change everything, but they do soften the edges of change. They create moments of calm, even when life feels uncertain.
And perhaps that’s really at the heart of what Willow & Hen is becoming.
Not just objects for the home, but small, thoughtful pieces that help create a feeling – a sense of calm, of comfort, of coming back to yourself.
Because whilst change can feel frightening, there is something even more unsettling about staying somewhere that no longer feels like you.
So for now, I’m trying to embrace this season for what it is – a time of transition, of re-imagining, of quietly building something new.
And if there’s one thing I’m learning, it’s this:
Sometimes, when life throws you a curveball, creating a space that feels just a little calmer is enough
Sue x
Willow & Hen
