Cabin Casting Collaboration: ReCabins, St Albans
After a luxurious stay in beautiful Norfolk, Pinto and I continued our botanical grand tour and headed south to St Albans where our next casting adventure lay ahead. Situated a short drive from the picturesque town of St Albans lies the stunning ReCabin in the middle of a private, peaceful 8 acre meadow. Although close to many amenities and only 45 minutes from London, as I meandered through the meadow on my approach to the cabin I felt immediately at peace and absorbed in the natural surrounding. The blackened wood cabin is surrounded by a deck which looks over the rolling countryside surrounding the cabin. Stepping inside I was greeted with a serene, stylish and thoughtfully curated interior complete with my absolute favourite Foresso worktop. The stained ply walls, mustard and raspberry striped upholstery, huge comfortable bed, neutral colour palette and beautiful wooden sliding door leading to the bathroom have been artfully combined by a skilled eye. And this all makes sense when you learn the founders of ReCabin, Monica and Luke, own and run a sustainable interior design studio in London. On researching the cabin further I was impressed to learn they partnered with a not for profit sustainable modular build system, U Build. The cabin has been designed in such a way that the whole structure can be dismantled without creating any waste and reused poor reconfigured for a second life. The cabin is powered by solar panels, including the indulgent outdoor onsen bath which I made good use of for both a cosy star lit bath in the evenings, and then an invigorating cold plunge the morning after.
Normally I go off for a wee adventure during my stays and explore either a local national trust property or garden but I felt so peaceful and at ease in the cabin that I spent my time between casting reading in the sunshine during the day and cosying up with a log fire and my book in the evening. Monica and Luke’s purpose in setting up the cabin was an altruistic one, and they sought to create a space which would help others who, like themselves, need to reconnect with themselves, their loved ones and parts of their life that feel neglected. And I truly felt myself slow down and be present in the cabin, something I normally struggle to do. There is a magic to the meadow and watching the red kites hovering over the nearby woodland and the neighbouring horses amble around the field was a tonic during what has been a super busy year.
The king sized bed felt palatial and opening the curtains and watching the clouds pass by through the huge cabin window with a cup of coffee was a truly grounding, relaxing way to start the day. I would love to return and see the meadow in its full glory during the summer months but there was still plenty to work with and after a wander through the meadow I picked a bunch of flowers and weeds to take back to my temporary meadow studio. I created a set of miniatures intaglios using some achillea, clover, ragwort and grasses id picked earlier that morning. I then moved onto creating a piece for the cabin as a memory of my stay and I’m excited to see it up in the cabin once it’s dried. I was treated to some spectacular sunsets, one of which I spent in the dreamy onsen and the other I watched as my outdoor fire pit crackled away. I had a proper Girl Scout moment as I whipped up a sausage, charred brocolli and lettuce feast outside which I duly ate by starlight to the sound of owls hooting in the woods nearby. Pinto was in his element too, a sunny deck to bask on outside during the day and a cosy log burning fire to cosy up next too in the evenings - a daschund dream! He also absolutely loved laying in bed and surveying his meadow kingdom - safe to say neither of us wanted to leave and it was with a heavy, but fulfilled and happy, heart that we packed up and headed back to Edinburgh and Dave. I cannot recommend a stay at ReCabins more highlight, it’s a truly relaxing, peaceful, restful and stylish place to coorie down in and reset.
I was also very kindly gifted a pari of waterproof ankle boots by the team at Merry People which were perfect for early morning flower gathering in a dew soaked meadow. They haven’t left my feet since and I have been using them to keep my feet cosy and dry after sea swims and to walk Pinto in the snow, rain and wind. Check out the full range of their stylish, comfortable wellies here.
This was my sixth collaborative stay I have been lucky enough to experience as part of my casting grand tour of the UK, inspired by my love of Grand Tour intaglio collections which I learned more about through the eyes of Wedgewood at a recent trip to Stoke on Trent which energised my passion for this project. Back in the 18th century small plaster intaglios were amassed by the young aristocratic men on their European travels, which would often be mounted into cases or books and displayed in fashionable interiors back home. These collections acted as souvenirs of a year long adventure in Europe in addition to being a reminder of the inspiring artworks and decorative pieces they had come across during their travels.
These stays are part of my aim is to undertake my own Grand Tour of the UK this year, and also take some female ownership of a tradition which was almost entirely undertaken by men back in the day, and create a visual record of the flora and fauna of Britain by capturing a moment in the seasonal life of the landscape around the cabins I am staying in around the country. You can check out my other cabin adventures on this blog and if you know, or own, a cabin and would like to take part in my grand tour (and get a free artwork made on site in your cabin) please get in touch.
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