Slow Living Stories: 100 Acres
Nestled amidst wild meadows and the gentle hush of the English countryside, we sat down with the founder of 100 Acres in her tranquil Cotswolds retreat. We spoke about her journey to bottling the essence of nature, the quiet rituals that inspire her every day, and the art of cultivating stillness, both in her products and her way of life.
Why 100 Acres? What's the idea and heart behind that whimsical name?
The whole idea is that we want you to feel like you are running naked through one hundred acres of English countryside. It's about trying to bring the outdoors into your every day life, so we try and bottle that feeling of being free and peaceful in nature. I've always loved the outdoors and I always will, so it's such a privilege to try and capture that for people.
How do you do that - capturing nature's beauty in a bottled product?
We use herbs, flowers, fruits, essences, resins and put that into our fragrance products: bath, body, home, candles, diffusers, that sort of thing. So all of our products have a perfume that we infuse into the all-natural product. That's a favourite part of my job, sitting there and thinking: "right, what do we want this to smell like?". I mean the brief is always that we want it to smell like a field or a garden, but really narrowing it down and trying to balance it into something that doesn't just smell like lavender or geranium but it turns into something that transports people away.
What sets 100 Acres apart from other fragrance or botanical brands?
We have a really strong vision for the brand and what the brand does for our customer. So we're not just a lovely handwash with someone's name on it, our handwash actually does something for you, it takes you somewhere, it makes you feel something. When you wash your hands, for example, for just like 10 seconds inhale the beautiful scents and we hope that for those 10 seconds you're transported away. We use all natural ingredients, everything is made in England, and the quality of our oils is unmatched in the industry.
What does 'stillness' mean to you?
I think stillness means enjoying the moment. For me, that involves getting outside. So, every day I try and go for a walk in the morning. It's so, kind of, boring and obvious, but it really brings you into the present and grounds you. Foraging as well is really lovely. Whatever the season we try and get outside and gather something and bring it inside to our desk or somewhere.
How do you see 100 Acres products fitting into a hygge lifestyle?
Hygge has a sense of comfort to it, doesn't it? For us, comfort definitely comes from being outdoors and bringing the outdoors into every day moments of stillness. So, I think that if you have a bubble bath, for example, with our bubble bath, it really allows you to just slow, down, chill and be at peace with the world. For us it's really about slowing down, being outside and doing small, every day, luxury things.
What do you see in the future for 100 Acres?
We are born in the English countryside, it's our favourite place in the world. Eventually one day there might be another collection, capturing the essence and scents of say Tuscany, or even Morocco or something like that, let's see!
Receive an exclusive 15% off your first order on 100acres.co.uk with the code HYDEANDHARE15
(valid until 31 December 2025, subject to change)
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