Celebrating our shared love of bold florals and pretty decor, we've partnered with New Zealand lifestyle store (and longtime stockist) Small Acorns to create a limited edition collection for Mother's Day, Pansies. Symbolising love and admiration, pansies honour cherished memories and sentimental moments with the important people in our lives.
We sat down with Amanda, founder of Small Acorns to chat about how this special collaboration came about and what it means to her.
"I've just always loved pansies. To me they seem such a hopeful little flower and I love their cheerful little faces. "
We didn't think anyone could be more flower-obsessed than Bonnie, but it appears she has met her match! Not surprisingly, an absolutely beautiful collaboration has emerged out of both of your love for all things floral, launching just in time for Mother's Day. Tell us a bit more about how the collaboration came about. What was your inspiration?
You're right I think I am as flower obsessed as Bonnie, a commonality that I recognised the very first time I met her years ago. Bonnie's beautiful designs and the hand painted, handmade nature of her collections are very special and have always set her apart from anyone else. And the fact that her designs often or always feature flowers and nature only makes them all the more appealing to me, my team and our customers. So when it came to working together on a collaboration, (what a dream) the mood board that we put together featured a mix of some of our favourite Bonnie And Neil floral designs from across the years and some of my photographic images of flowers. Pansies and dahlias were obvious favourites of mine and apparently Bonnie's too.
We adore your choice of pansies as the hero throughout the collection. Do they hold a special meaning or memory for you?
I've just always loved pansies. To me they seem such a hopeful little flower and I love their cheerful little faces. There isn't a pansy or a viola that I don't love. I've been growing dahlias for at least 15 years, while most people still considered them a nanna flower and long before they became as fashionable as they now are. So, a table linen collection featuring both pansies and dahlias is the ultimate for me.
"I've always joked that I would spend my last dollar on either coffee or flowers. I cannot imagine not having flowers in my home or around me each day in some way. "
Where did your love of flowers come from and has this been passed down to your family?
I've always joked that I would spend my last dollar on either coffee or flowers. I cannot imagine not having flowers in my home or around me each day in some way. That doesn't mean they have to be grand or fancy - just a single bloom or a snippet of greenery is enough sometimes. Flowers transform a space, and give it some soul and life. A pansy or two is perfect! A tiny living thread.
I think my grandmother is the one who encouraged my love of flowers. She was an amazing gardener, and always brought me a bunch of the most fragrant freesias picked from her garden for my birthday.
My love of flowers has definitely been passed to my two girls, who both love a little vase of flowers beside their bed. Although I'm not sure either of them have the gardening gene just yet! My husband tries hard but concedes that he still can't name a single flower from our garden correctly! But he does appreciate my floral efforts around our home.
You designed this collection with Mother's Day in mind, how do you plan to enjoy the day this year?
My family are a little spread out this Mother's Day but I hope that some or most of us can get together for a lovely relaxed lunch or dinner. Maybe someone else will cook or we might even get a takeaway from our favourite Malaysian restaurant. So long as we are together that's the main thing. I'll just be happy to potter around, take the favourite daughter (Maude the dog 😉) for a walk, and perhaps check on my garden, weather permitting!
Which is your favourite piece from the collection and how will you style it?
How can you ask me to choose a favourite piece when I love them all? I'm a huge fan of lovely get togethers with family and friends where we all gather around a beautifully set table for a shared meal and lots of great conversation and laughter. Setting a gorgeous table for dinner is one of my favourite things to do! So I guess a beautiful pansy tablecloth is a must for me. And of course the napkins. I love them so much. And they will mix so beautifully with all my other Bonnie And Neil napkins and table linen.
Photography and Styling by Small Acorns
