Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am proud to be the founder of The Lavender House. We are a natural living lifestyle shop specialising in sustainable and environmentally ethical products.
We have a workshop based in Bedfordshire, where we grow, design, handmake and curate all our items. We are committed to being plastic free, palm oil free, SLS and paraben free. We are working towards being 100% zero waste and are nearly there.
I started The Lavender House in 2017 alongside the permanent job I already had, which for nearly twenty years took me all over the world as a member of Cabin Crew. As our family continued to grow I reduced my contract, so eventually I was flying for 3 weeks and was at home for 6 weeks.
Once all the children were of school age it seemed the right time to re-evaluate our family set up and invest time in something I was passionate about, and which sat comfortably with my views on life, wellbeing and the environment. How would I use those very quiet 6 weeks, with no one to mother between 9am and 3.30pm?
It was from here that The Lavender House grew, and it bridged the years since leaving university, where I had studied Art and Drama, to allow me to re-discover my creative side and to become engaged with it on a practical level.
I also realised my head was packed full of ideas influenced by my travels. I had witnessed, first hand and on a global level, the harmful side effects that come from communities who no longer connect with nature, and therefore no longer live in harmony with it.
Once I had acknowledged this, the natural progression was to start my own business where I could draw on what I had learnt and was passionate about. It would need to incorporate my love for gardening, natural living and appreciation of art, allowing a freedom to create whilst still being on time for the school run!
It was also fundamental that the work allowed me to engage within my local community, as well as an ever growing online one.
This all came together in The Lavender House. It’s a business that is inclusive to everyone, which I hope can inspire people to live a more natural lifestyle. And on top of all of that, it is also sociable, because I am definitely an individual who loves a good chat!
Fast forward to August 2020, after the Coronavirus pandemic hit and aviation came to a halt, resulting in redundancy. Thank goodness for The Lavender House!!! The chocks were swiftly lifted and we have been able to soar even higher ever since. Looking ahead, I am excited for the future of the business and how it develops now that my time and energy is 100% focused on bringing all that it has to offer to the world.
