The Wind Down with Cath Kidston

This weekend, we're getting into bed with Cath Kidston MBE. A household name, often recognised for her quintessentially British homeware, fashion and iconic prints.

Since the departure from her eponymous label, Cath has been busy working on her latest venture as founder of C. Atherley – a natural botanical body care brand inspired by the geraniums that Cath grows in her greenhouse when she's taking some downtime.

We visited Cath (and her dog Gracie) in her home in Stroud to chat about all her favourite ways to unwind, what her perfect weekend looks like, and why bed is her favourite place.

What keeps you busy in the daytime?

All sorts of things! I spend the middle of the week in London where I go to my studio and work, with weekends down here near Stroud. We quite often have friends staying – a lot of dog walking, in the greenhouse… it’s always busy!

What do you love most about being the founder of a small business?

I really enjoy being able to get involved across the business, in all sorts of aspects. In my old business, for instance, I missed that kind of variety. I love getting my hands dirty and being a part of everything that’s going on.

It’s Friday evening and you’re ready to relax. What are you doing?

We often get a takeaway and watch the telly – definitely relaxing on a Friday!

Where is your favourite place to relax in your house?

The bed I think. There’s nothing better than bed. I mean, I like getting into the armchair and putting my feet up, but I’m definitely a bed person.

What helps you to unwind?

Spending time in my greenhouse and being out and about in nature. I’m not really a cook, I know lots of my friends who relax by cooking but that’s not really for me.

What does your perfect weekend look like?

Having good friends round. Or with my lovely stepdaughter - a big family weekend is always super nice.

Cath Kidston

What three things do you do before bed?

Clean my teeth. Clean my face. And look at my phone – which I always tell myself I won’t do!

How are you keeping cosy this winter?

I’ll be keeping cosy with log fires. We have a lot of ash trees here that we’ve had to cut down so we have lots of logs everywhere.

Describe your ultimate wind-down moment.

The ultimate wind-down moment is when you know you’re about to fall asleep. You turn your light off by the bed and you know you’re ready for a big sleep... That’s probably my favourite time of the day.

What does bed mean to you?

I like having really good quality sheets. I’d rather spend more money on my bed than my car – you spend more time in it!

Cath Kidston

Early bird or night owl?

Definitely an early bird.

My favourite relaxing scent is…

The scented geraniums in the summer, and I love those woody fragrances in the winter? So nice!

My comfort food is...

Baked potatoes with sour cream and that cheap supermarket caviar.

And drink?

I always drink hot water with lemon and ginger.

To relax, I listen to…

I listen to a lot of podcasts. There’s a history one called Empire that’s really interesting. And then I just listen to my music on shuffle.

The most comforting thing to watch is…

Old movies that you really love are great. Just recently I watched Catch Me If You Can again with Leonardo DiCaprio – it’s such a great film!

Bath or shower?

Bath.

One pillow or two?

Three!

Favourite thing to wear to bed?

Pyjamas.

What are you reading at the moment?

Nicky Haslam's book of interviews: ‘The Impatient Pen.’