Meet our columnist: Caroline Rowland, Patchwork Harmony

Caroline Rowland, one of our new columnists for In The Moment magazine, is an interiors and lifestyle blogger at Patchwork Harmony, Editor of @91magazine and author of The Shopkeeper's Home

What’s your daily routine?

It's quite varied, and mostly revolves around my daughter's childcare hours. We are usually up early, between 6-7am, and when she's at nursery, we get ready quickly and I drop her to nursery at 8am. Then I'm back home to get cracking on some work. It depends what I have going on, I'm usually juggling various things at any one time. I might be working on my own publication 91 Magazine - commissioning features, editing, planning - it involves a LOT of emails! Or I might be doing some freelance writing or blogging. Other days I am shooting pictures for my own blog Patchwork Harmony. I love how varied my work is. Then I rush back to pick my daughter up from nursery. Later, once she's in bed, I either do a bit more work, or I relax with my husband, having dinner with a glass of wine and something on Netflix!

What’s your simple pleasure?

When we get the chance to take a few days away, I love to potter around a new town, discovering lovely independent shops and cafes, treating myself to something nice, followed by a walk (preferably on a beach!) with an ice cream.

Who inspires you?

I couldn't pinpoint one person. I am inspired by lots of people, and these are generally other creatives. People who are doing what they love, taking their own path in life and making things happen for themselves.

What are you most proud of?

Again, it's hard to pinpoint one thing - in my personal life, becoming a mum and navigating the first few years of that is definitely something to be proud of! Career-wise, I think writing my book The Shopkeepers Home and launching my own magazine are probably the two things I'm most proud of.

What’s something about you most people wouldn’t guess?

I'm really good at the limbo, it's my party trick at weddings!

What are you not great at?

I'm not the best at cooking. My hubby is great and tends to do most of it in our house. I enjoy baking though, when I get the time.

What’s your most treasured possession?

I have a tiny vintage tin that I bought at Spitalfields market in London, which says on it 'Keep This For My Sake'. We had our wedding rings in it when we got married.

What’s your ambition?

To continue doing what I'm doing, and hopefully get better and better at it! I would love to write another book.

What’s your current focus in your work?

We recently moved to a new house; it has five bedrooms so is a lot bigger than our previous two-bed flat. We are slowly doing it up and I am documenting the process over on my blog.

What’s next on your to-do list?

There is so much to do in our house; we've already renovated one of the bedrooms into my office space, the living room, the downstairs bathroom and we've put an en-suite in the loft. So next it will probably be our daughter's room, or I'm quite keen to get cracking on the kitchen.

What’s exciting you about interiors at the moment?

I love that there are infinite places to source things for your home. There are so many fabulous indie sellers and shops on the internet, that I can literally lose hours engrossed in discovering new things online! I like to mix things I've bought from independent shops with high street finds and vintage. I've also been loving the trend for houseplants - I've been adding more and more to my home; they are more than just a decorative element, as they obviously take a bit of looking after, so I've been learning lots about plant care along the way.

**What will you be covering in your columns for In The Moment?**

I will be talking about all things home and living-related. A lot will be inspired by what I am doing in my own home and the things that are currently inspiring me.

What’s your top tip for living in the moment?

Try to look back over the past few weeks every now and then and appreciate the good things. I started a new blog series recently called A Month of Lovely, where I list the things that have made my past month lovely. This can be tiny things like a beautiful bunch of flowers I've had, or something bigger, like some new work I've taken on. It helps me to appreciate what is going on in my life right now, rather than striving for the perfect life all the time. It's the little things that make the every day special. I've been trying to encourage others to share images on Instagram using the hashtag #amonthoflovely too.

What’s your next adventure?

I'm not sure I can call it an adventure, but I'm looking forward to a week away in the South of France with my extended family next week! I'm definitely in need of some R&R!

You can find Caroline’s column in each issue of In The Moment, and read more of her adventures on her blog, Patchwork Harmony and on Instagram at @patchworkhrmy