THE BOX EDIT Ashley & Helen share their journey on establishing their boutique

The Box Edit Boutique

shley & Helen opened The Box Edit Boutique at the beginning of 2020, which brought the latest fashion trends to Barry. They share their journey on bringing their vision to A life with Style of the City. Creating a must-have curated collection of clothing for the woman who appreciates good clothes and great quality, that’s our main goal! Before establishing The Box Edit Boutique, we both worked in London in design and buying & merchandising at head office level for several High Street retailers (including Warehouse, Miss Selfridge, Debenhams, All Saints and Coast). Using some of these key skills and our previous fashion experience has been instrumental when building the business during Covid 19. Sourcing the right pieces is paramount. We want each garment to have longevity and we are wanting to change people’s attitude to ‘fast fashion’, which is not good for landfills! We stock well established Danish brands as well as Independent labels and hold a Conscious Edit in our shipping container. Supporting labels based in the UK was always important to us, showcasing high-quality items which are ethically made from spare bedrooms and studios across Britain. This slow fashion process means there is as little waste as possible, again assisting in reducing landfills. Our Edit allows us to buy in small quantities and rerun popular lines quickly. We strive to source independent labels which are not widely available and of exceptional quality, adding statement pieces to your wardrobe that you will wear year after year. We are passionate about community and collaboration, which is why we wanted to create a small independent boutique, shopping small and shopping local is the future. Sourcing our collections during the pandemic was particularly tricky, without our fashion background it would have been a struggle; however, our knowledge of fabrications helped enormously when viewing ranges online and our skills in buying/merchandising were put to the test when logistics proved tricky in lockdown. We can honestly say we have pulled on every previous experience we have had to navigate the problems that arose in light of the pandemic. The location for our Box of Style was important to us- we both agreed that Barry was the place we wanted to open the boutique. There is an incredibly exciting vibe around Barry at the moment and it is definitely THE place to be and it feels that all eyes are on Barry. We both just love the Vale and specifically Barry! For more information, visit www. boxeditboutique.co.uk and follow us on Instagram @thebox.editboutique

INTERIORS

Celebrating 25 years of Castle Fine Art

he UK’s top retail art company, Castle Fine Art, is celebrating 25 years of success and will be marking its landmark anniversary with a look back on some of its finest artists T and collections. Over the last quarter of a century, Castle Fine Art has showcased a portfolio of limited-edition prints, original artworks and sculptures from the best contemporary artists around the world. First launched in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1995, the brand has gone on to establish itself as experts in the accessible art market and now boasts 40 prime high street locations across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and of course its art space in Cardiff’s biggest shopping centre, St David’s Dewi Sant. From exhibiting the work of exceptional contemporary artists to the specialist knowledge of its consultants, Castle Fine Art has built a strong reputation for offering clients exclusivity, the very best in customer service and an immersive shopping experience. Since its launch, the team has welcomed thousands of customers, including a host of celebrity clients, supported countless charities, seen their work featured in the national press, as well as displayed in homes and venues across the world. It has showcased an ever-expanding portfolio of limited-edition prints, original artworks and sculptures by cultural icons Bob Dylan, Billy Connolly and Ronnie Wood, as well as developed the careers of now globally collected artists such as Raphael Mazzucco,

Paul Kenton, Stuart McAlpine Miller and Nic Joly. Ian Weatherby-Blythe, Group Managing Director at Castle Fine Art, commented: “Despite it being a very difficult year for retail we are enormously proud to have maintained our strong position on the high street, and this success has been thanks not only to our amazing artists and staff but also our loyal customers. Over the last 25 years it has been wonderful to see our art transform the homes of our clients. “Working with some of the biggest names in the industry has been a real privilege, while nurturing the careers of so many homegrown artists and allowing them to be seen by a wider audience has been our honour. In our journey to make art accessible to everyone we have grown into the country’s leading retail art company, something every member of our team is rightly proud of.” If you’re a regular visitor to Castle Fine Art in St David’s Grand Arcade, you will undoubtedly be familiar with many of their amazingly talented artists. Here’s how they congratulated Castle on their silver anniversary…

RICHARD ROWAN

“25 years – happy birthday! It’s been a fantastic journey, and one that I never thought I would have been able to do. Fourteen very fast years have passed with Castle Fine Art and it’s taken me around the world and back again. I feel extremely lucky that I am able to do something like this and have so many people from Castle on the journey with me. Where next?” “Castle Fine Art has helped me beyond words. They’ve had faith in me when I’ve lost faith in myself. They know artists; they understand them and let them grow and support them in being the best they can be. Castle go beyond their role as a gallery, they are a family. “They believe in the importance of art like no other gallery I’ve worked with. Their publishing and print abilities are out of this world. Anything is possible with Castle: they believe in what they do, and they believe in you. It’s magical.”

JOHN MYATT

“Quite simply, it has been my great pleasure to work alongside the team at Castle Fine Art. It’s a rare privilege for any artist to be represented in so many galleries by so many enthusiastic and hardworking people. I have also enjoyed meeting collectors.

ROBERT OXLEY

“I’ve worked with Castle Fine Art for six years now, and it’s been great. Without sounding dramatic, they’ve saved my life. They put me on the map artistically and they’ve given me a sense of identity, which I’ll forever be thankful for. One of the most memorable times for me was right at the beginning of my career, and it was just seeing my work in print and on the website. People could go into the gallery and see them and I could say to my family, “Look

SCARLETT RAVEN

what I’ve achieved!”.”

EMMA LEONE PALMER

“It doesn’t feel like a business, it feels like a family. Everybody I’ve met loves what they do. I’ve been in galleries where they just stick your art on the wall, but Castle is so much more than that: it’s an experience. I love what I’m doing too, and the synergy of my vision and paintings with their attitude just seems to gel really well.” Castle Fine Art invites you to pop into the gallery the next time you’re passing, to meet the team, here more about their history and heritage, and get the inside track on what new artists and collections will soon form

part of their next chapter.

Castle Fine Art Grand Arcade, St David’s Dewi Sant Cardiff CF10 2ER

E: cardiff@castlefineart.com T: 02922 130 100

INTERIOR DESIGN Declutter your home

ust the thought of decluttering can be a daunting task. If so, then just start with small steps; allocate one hour of your time and do not be too ambitious. Try and make the task more pleasurable by playing your favourite music so that it becomes J a nicer experience. A well organised home can boost your wellbeing as you are creating a more relaxed and orderly space. Kitchen – Look at your worktops for clutter. Is there something that does not belong in the designated space? If there is something on the worktop you do not use on a daily basis should it be on view? Would it be better stored in a cupboard? The less you have on view, the easier it is to clean the space. Drawers and Cupboards – Group all the kitchen utensils and decide how often you use them. We all have our favourite knives so do we need all the others we never use? How many frying pans, saucepans and baking trays do we use on a regular basis? Interior design columnist Yvonne Jones has over 30 years of experience in interior design, having trained at the Royal College of Art and is founder of ‘Chameleon Interiors’ based in Pontcanna Cardiff. Yvonne regularly works for clients in London, Monaco, Italy and Spain. Her intricate eye for detail and design has seen her stay a consistent and trusted figure.

Crockery – get rid of chipped and mismatched items. Food cupboards – check all the sell by dates and items you never use. Do not replenish any items until you have run out. Bathrooms – empty your medicine cabinet and put back what you use regularly. Don’t let your bathroom cabinet become the ‘graveyard of unused products’. It’s better to invest in beautiful products you love and use them up completely before you buy more. Bedrooms – my best advice here is to make up your bed perfectly everyday. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. Just as a streamlined, stylish space is a must to help you rest and relax after a long day. Wardrobe space / storage – tackling this area can be a bit precious and maybe daunting so perhaps go through a drawer at a time. Put your clothes in category order, ie shirts, sweaters, dresses, etc. and consider streamlining even further into colours or summer and winter.

The key point is to allocate time and not to be too ambitious. Just a few hours work is cathartic and lends towards a less stressful, organised life.

FAMILY & EDUCATION