Angel Strawbridge Home Truths - discover what DIY jobs the designer always leaves to the experts

Working from home, with two young children, a dog, and a wedding and events business means we walk through the door sometimes 100 times a day! So it honestly depends on what’s happening at that moment! One thing is for sure though, I always wipe my feet.

It’s probably between 6pm and 8pm. That’s the time we put Arthur and Dorothy to bed. We have a routine of bath, bed, reading and chatting. Sometimes we may have a movie snuggled in bed together. 

And if the children are tired and fall asleep quickly, Dick and I will go and sit on the stairs of the Chateau and share a glass of port.

Oohh, there are a few…. It’s our Strawbridge Suite probably first, then the garden, which you would never have heard me say ten years ago! 

I also love having a cup of tea over at my mum and dad’s coach house, too.

A light and nothing else! However, the light sits on the bedside set of five drawers, which is full of hand creams, treasures, and important things that I do not want to go missing!

Flowers and foliage… they are everywhere. It’s a good job we have a cutting garden and lots of greenery around the place to keep us going.

A charity shop for sure. In France, there is an incredible shop called Emmaus, you will actually find me there weekly!

Anyone starting a new toilet roll without finishing the last!

It has to be home cooking and probably a roast dinner because it reminds me of going home to my mum and dad’s on a Sunday in my twenties.

It’s quite hard being perfect but if you were to ask my husband, he may say that I never clean my scrambled egg pan!

I actually love cleaning and organising. Honestly, growing up cleaning and re-organising my bedroom was one of my favourite things to do! And I still love it to this day. It’s instant and makes you feel organised!

Anything in the dark. Like putting the chickens and geese to bed in the winter!

A vacuum cleaner - as you can imagine, it gets a lot of action.

Every Friday, we all have a good clean and before every wedding or event all the windows get cleaned, but that can take a couple of days!

Both! Dick and I try everything… and will always give something a go, but you must know your limits. Jobs like plastering, tiling or roofing, we would much rather leave to the experts!

Both Dick and I love hosting. We must be doing something right as we have made a business from it!

It certainly did during Covid and for many of us, we are finding our new normal, but apart from everyone knowing how to use Zoom, I think we are nearly back to pre-Covid days!

Eucalyptus. We use it in every bouquet, button-hole and arrangement in the house!

I’ll let you know when I do!

Our bed! We have a really big one and we love to all snuggle down together and watch movies. It’s our favourite thing to do.