My Favourite Things - December 2025

In my family, the week between Christmas and New Year's is when we forgo obligations, deadlines, routines. Time seems to stay still, or stretch magically, and we fill it with frosty walks, eating delicious leftovers, listening to music, watching movies, and reading books. We catch up with friends from various corners of the world, and we generally do things that may seem a waste of time.

This year, as I finally have the luxury of more time to myself, and space for accumulating more books, I decided to treat myself to some titles I craved for a while. Out of a nice pile of them, these are my three favorites:

"The Cottage Garden" by Claus Dalby

Some garden books are full of beautiful images, and that's about it. This book is different - I read it from cover to cover. I made notes, marked pages with PostIts, perused, soaked in the information, made long lists of plants for my own garden. I loved the human stories, and the gardeners' passion that somehow justified my own obsession of the subject. And the images are amazing too!

"Robert Kime" by Alastair Langlands

One of my favorite designers, Robert Kime was involved in so many projects, including a few times for King Charles. Every project was tailored to the needs of a client, but somehow the unique designer's stamp is on each one of them. The book compiles a few of these projects, including some spaces that he designed for himself. One thing that always strikes me is that his spaces always look lived in, without pretense, there never seems to be the "staged" element in them. As well as his use of color, and not being afraid of it. It's another book that will remain on top of my coffee table for constant inspiration.

"My Paris Kitchen" by David Lebovitz

I first encountered David Lebovitz on Instagram. After that I started reading his blog on Substack. His easy to read style and a subtle sense of humor that I came to appreciate in his blog, I also found in this book. Along with not only a trove of recipes, but little stories of his new life in France. I know I will be trying out the recipes in the coming months, chuckling along the way. Another book with a human touch, thank you!

With this little article of favorite things, I am wishing you all the joy and happiness in the coming Year 2026!