Have you visited Petersham Nurseries in Richmond?
If you haven’t, please do; it’s totally wonderful.
Petersham nurseries is a cafe, a restaurant, a boutique and a garden centre all rolled into one. It is one of the prettiest venues in London and only 30 minutes by car from most of central London. A visit to Petersham Nurseries is like a day out in the English countryside without the long trek.
Yesterday was my daughter, Emily’s birthday and we celebrated with some of her friends. We had a long old lazy lunch in the prettiest environment I could imagine.
A plant and flower filled canopy covers the restaurant and the tables and chairs are an assortment of vintage French style pieces. The floor is natural gravel and floral vignettes dotted about draw the eye. Old armoires, filled with china and pottery break up the space and extravagant chandeliers overhead add an eclectic touch.
Petersham Nurseries has a restaurant and cafe.
I would opt for taking the time and staying as long as possible but equally tea in the cafe is pretty wonderful. Try the Victoria Sponge; sorry, not sorry.
The garden centre is heaven and the shop an undeniable temptation. We stayed so long it had closed by the time we all went home but it is the kind of shop you want an hour or more to explore and discover the nooks and crannies. There is everything from French antiques to porcelain and basket wear. If you are visiting London do make time; it’s a total treat.
Celebrating special occasions with your children and their friends is the best.
I wore a new dress (it’s tradition with my girls that a birthday and Christmas requires a special dress; silly, but one of those little idiosyncrasies we have come to follow) and one I would not normally wear. I deviated from my slim fit and neutral colour style to parade a colourful and embroidered dress from Vivetta. It’s a new brand from Milan, introduced by Avenue 32 and one I have admired from a distance for a while.
This dress was one of those I-am-not-so-sure-about-this numbers. This Vivetta dress has been on and off and in and out of the wardrobe multiple times. How fickle I am! I braved up yesterday, wore it and have never had so many compliments.
The moral of my story is to step out of the comfort zone from time to time.
Be set but not too set in our ways.
Trust our style but play with it; not only does it feel renewing to wear something different but also boosts the confidence.
The dress like mine has almost sold out now but watch out for Vivetta, it’s enough whimsy without too much.
A birthday, a great day out and a new dress; happy days. xv
Petersham Nurseries
Petersham Rd
Richmond TW10 7AB
London
+44 (0) 20 8940 5230
Vivetta
avenue 32 || luisaviaroma || farfetch || moda operandi
images, fiona m symington, petersham nurseries, time-out, divine floreal
