Have you ever dreamed of bidding adieu to the daily grind and moving to the countryside? That is exactly what Amanda Brooks did in 2012 when she and her family left Manhattan for Fairgreen Farm, a 17th century Cotswolds farm that has been in her husband’s family for generations. Amanda, a former socialite and fashion director for Barneys New York, began chronicling her idyllic new life on Instagram, and she quickly developed a loyal following.
In her new book, Farm from Home, Amanda says “Before moving to England and simultaneously discovering the miracle of Instagram, I wasn’t aware of how many people had the same inclination that I had had, whether it was to simplify their responsibilities to live a more peaceful life, or to make it easier to focus on family or animals or nature. And then once I acted on that notion, it was as though I had become the guinea pig, the subject of the experiment. How is it? everyone wanted to know.”
These questions were answered when her family’s one-year sabbatical turned into a permanent stay. In addition to her popular new book, Amanda recently opened Cutter Brooks in a 16th-century building in Stow-on-the-Wold. The charming new boutique contains home goods, fashion, and gifts carefully curated by Amanda to represent her English country life.
Cutter Brooks also offers British customers products they won’t find elsewhere with inventory largely from continental Europe and the United States. Treasures include porcelain flowers by Vladimir Kanevsky, exclusive tableware designed by Cabana Magazine and from La Tuile à Loup, Zojara linens, Scanlon Apparati paper goods, Astier de Villatte ceramics, Atelier Vime wicker furniture, antique quilts, pressed botanicals, vintage wool sweaters, scrunchies made from vintage Hermes and Liberty silk scarfs, Florentine nightgowns from Loretta Caponi, Buly 1803 beauty products, and Amanda’s own homemade jams.
Let’s take a glimpse inside Amanda’s world!
Photo by Chris Floyd via Farm from Home, courtesy Penguin Random House
Photo by Amanda Brooks via Farm from Home, courtesy Penguin Random House
Photo by Amanda Brooks via Farm from Home, courtesy Penguin Random House
Photo by Amanda Brooks via Farm from Home, courtesy Penguin Random House
Architectural Digest
Cutter Brooks will soon be available to shop online, but in the meantime, additional information can be found @cutterbrooksshop. You can also follow @amandacbrooks on Instagram, and Amanda’s new book, Farm from Home: A Year of Stories, Pictures, and Recipes from a City Girl in the Country, is available via Amazon. She is also the author of Always Pack a Party Dress: And Other Lessons Learned From a (Half) Life in Fashion and I Love Your Style: How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style.
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Looks idyllic.
I so enjoy your blog. I’ve had a life long love affair with interior design and exterior design. But when my son was born and we moved to a very rural area ( terrible depression the first year) . I decided to be a stay at home wife and mother. I was a city girl who liked to shop and eat out not at fast food places. Sorry I can’t call them restaurants. Now I had to learn to cook food my husband would eat. As my son got older I began to do a little design projects. When you start with family and you don’t charge for your work. You begin to get calls. I was at Jane’s the other day and wow it is beautiful and she told me you don’t charge for your services. Could you come to my. ……
Well you get the message. Because I’m a people pleaser or was. I never charged a thing. With much driving and money spent. Now I’ve had a big change of direction at 62 and a major hearing loss. I’m going through a divorce after 46yrs of marriage, My son my only child died at the age of 39 of a heart attack and I had to say goodbye to my little angel Miss Mattie a 3lb teacup yorkie about 3 months ago. Sad around my house Oh yeah. But I know what my son would and has said to me. Stop feeling sorry for yourself the only person that’s stopping you from getting on with your life is you. And reading about Amanda Brooks her story’s not mine but her life went a direction she’d never gone before. And reading this lit a fire under me. Thank you for the inspiration in her story. You never know when one word can start a life in the right direction. Keep it up.
Dear Laura,
As the mother of an only child… and a teacup Chihuahua… your story breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies for your loss, I cannot imagine the unbearable pain you must be going through. It pleases me to hear that Amanda’s story was an inspiration to you, and I wish you the absolute best for your new adventure. Thank you for following my blog and for taking the time to write. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Xx,
Andrea
The Glam Pad
I remember this feature in Architecture Digest and fell in love with the photos. Your blog “humanized” her home and life. Well done.