Living Like You're In A Nancy Meyers Movie.
My top tips for living an elevated life and romaticising the mundane moments in our everyday.
Good Morning and happy Monday! Today’s newsletter was highly requested after I touched on this topic last week, which I am so pleased about, because romanticising life is something that I have been obsessed with for pretty much as long as I can remember.
Firstly, if you are not familiar with this term, let me break it down for you. Romanticising life is based around making the mundane, ordinary moments throughout your everyday that little bit special. It can also be known as a form of mindfulness and a way to connect and have gratitude to the things around you, the moments of joy and people that you love.
The first port of call for living an elevated life in your everyday is to hone in on the senses - touch, sight, sound, smell and taste. Whatever activity I am doing in the back of mind I am always aware of these 5 elements. For example, as I am writing this I am currently sat in my office (which you are probably all too familiar with from my socials) so let’s touch on those 5 points.
Touch - For me this often relates to textiles, what I am wearing, blankets and upholstery. Today I am shamefully wearing my activewear set from this mornings pilates class with a cashmere jumper chucked over the top… and my mini uggs for cosiness.
Sight - These are the elements that create the ambiance. A candle burning, a small bouquet of fresh flowers and books for inspiration.
Sound - I am listening to a gorgeous playlist on Spotify, one of my absolute favourite soundtracks to days at home.
Smell - The Jo Loves Pomelo diffuser in my office creates such a fresh, citrusy scent to my office.
Taste - I will often have a multitude of drinks cluttering up my desk, today’s line up is a peppermint tea and a diet coke, for context its 3pm and the peppermint has been sat there since this morning haha!
As you can see all of these elements are the perfect recipe to creating a visually pleasing, inspiring, calming yet productive work environment and yes, they are definitely not essential but spark joy in a harmless way.
Elevating the mundane moments in life has really allowed me to stop and slow down. I always find I am rushing to get this done as quick as possible and in as little time. But the practice of setting up a nice space, before beginning a task I find just really grounds me. Here are some the things I do to make mundane tasks that feel a little bit like I am living in a Nancy Meyers movie.
Cooking Dinner
“What shall we have for dinner” is a phrase I find myself saying way too much. To elevate my cooking experience I always write a list of meals and make sure I have all the ingredients and things I need to cook. Trying new recipes is always a lovely way to switch off too. My kitchen will always be lit by lamps, a candle burning, I will sometimes set the table (most of the time we eat on the sofa oops), a good playlist in the background and a ‘special’ evening drink to enjoy whilst I cook. When Jack gets home from work we will sit and chat about our day. His job is usually clearing up after me and doing the dishwasher (which really makes cooking sooo much better haha!)
Getting Ready For Bed
The turndown service is something I really look forward to as bedtime approaches. Once I have finished work for the day I tend to do this next before cooking dinner as it gets me into my unwind state. Take all the cushions off the bed, plump up the bed and spritz with a sleep mist. Turn the bedside lamps on and put on fresh pyjamas or loungewear and go through my skincare routine. Once I get in bed I will use my beauty gadgets, chat with Jack, we might watch tv or I will read my book for an hour before going to sleep. Another top tip is make your bedside table feel like a hotel I love having a hand cream, flowers and a photo frame on mine, but you could have tissues, an alarm clock etc… My top draw is filled with lip balms, night creams, my LED mask, books, note pad and pen, sleep mists, calming roller balls - the ingredients fo the perfect night sleep.
The First Hour In The Morning
Probably one of my favourite times of the day. I love waking up early, it always feels like I have so much time to do all the little rituals I enjoy. Usually I will make the bed and get out for fresh air first thing to go for a walk or do a pilates class at home. Make a morning drink this varies for me it can be a peppermint tea, matcha or an iced coffee. I will always get ready listening to a podcast with the window open. These little things in the morning just make me feel calm and ready to tackle the day.
Doing The Laundry (ugh!)
Okay, here me out, we all hate doing the laundry and why is there so much of it all the time! I find I actually don’t mind doing it when my airing cupboard is organised and beautifully neat and the draw I keep my detergents in is displayed in jars and ‘aesthetically pleasing’. Sometimes spending a bit of extra time making your cupboards and storage areas tidy with baskets or jars adds to the experience.
Before I end this weeks newsletter I just want to caveat by saying I definitely don’t always do these things. It is very likely that if you came round on a random Wednesday night I will be sat on the sofa, eating a bowl of pasta, watching Master Chef. With a messy kitchen, dirty dishes on the side, a mountain of washing that needs to be put away and maybe I didn’t even make the bed that morning. But hey, that’s just the realities of life.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and do stay in touch I would love to know if you implement any of these elements into your daily routines.
Lots of love, L xx
ON MY MIND THIS WEEK…
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COMING UP THIS WEEK…
I have a new vlog coming this week over on YT with some gorgeous Spring outfits, and some moments from a lovely weekend at home. Also make sure you are following me over on TikTok I am absolutely loving the app and sharing a lot more romanticising life and everyday inspiration.
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I love love love this post, Lauren. It’s taken me a long time to appreciate the value in romanticizing my life and loving the little moments. You’re so right about how much being organized and intentional creates such satisfaction.
I think I’ve mentioned we’re building a country home and creating beautiful ways to organize is top of mind for me right now. I love all your inspo shots. Very inspiring.
Really really loved this post, living a life more aligned with the Nancy Meyers aesthetic is something I’m consciously trying to curate for myself, not just because I love the way it looks but because I love the way it makes me feel. I already look forward to introducing your tips into my routines! x