So how did we get here?

 Well, in fact we've been online a few months now, and I say we, it's actually me day to day, supported wholeheartedly by my husband and a group of unshakeable and loyal friends and clients.

After 18 months of planning and research, and a lot of letting go of old habits, it felt that now was the right time to start telling the story of Lüks. Here I will let you know what I am up to and what's coming next, alongside insights into my producers, the history of the products that I source and curate and how you can get the most out of them. I am striving as a business to be as ethical and environmentally friendly as I can, and that is a process which I will also keep you updated on.

So how did it all start...well as a cliche, when I think on it. I had been working in advertising for over 16 years, both as part of the agency world and also within my own business and I was exhausted, I loved the people that I worked with and the opportunities it afforded me, I just had nothing left to give them. Long hours commuting from Brighton to London on projects that no longer excited me - coupled with health issues, stress and anxiety had left me completely wrung out, something needed to give before I did.

I had, for some time been interested in Interior Design, as David (my husband) will attest, there was always a project of some shape or form going on in our house (there still is), so I decided to enrol in a distance learning diploma, with visions of becoming a home stylist, or Nick Knowles right hand woman.

Lit up by this potential career changing decision and slight delusions of grandeur, we went on a family holiday to Kalkan on the Turkish mediterranean coast. Staying in the peaceful mountains of Islamlar with frequent visits down to the sea was exactly what I needed. Kalkan is a magical place full of Turkish charm, narrow cobbled streets and roof top restaurants that nestle snuggly against the harbour, which is filled with wooden sailing boats, ready and waiting to take you out to explore the coastline. Glorious sunshine, fabulous food and the unfaltering hospitality  - I can wholeheartedly recommend a visit

And here is where it happened - my sun-bed epiphany, in between chasing the kids to the pontoon and (finally) getting around to reading Shantaram I noticed most of the locals and several tourists with what looked to be very thin towels in a myriad of gorgeous colours and patterns. Whilst they were obviously beach towels they were also using them as scarves, wraps and sarongs as they wended their way up to the restaurants for lunch and folding them neatly, sometimes two or three at a time into their rucksacks and beach bags as they packed up for the evening.

What struck me first was how beautiful they were and that it almost seemed a shame to use them for drying, and secondly was just how useful they could be, both in and out of the home. With my mind whizzing there was only one thing to do - go shopping to find them.

And that we did, with my ever-willing mother-in-law Di with me, we sauntered up into town to find a beautiful linen shop tucked away on one of the side streets offering a plethora of fabric, colour and design. Overwhelmed with buyers panic and giddy at discovering they came in blankets too I spent an hour curating my first range of samples - seriously, how easy was this going to be...honestly I had no idea what I was starting there in that store, with my Turkish being nowhere good enough to enter a conversation about wholesale, distribution and shipping and knowing nothing at that point about the history and workmanship of these products we simply paid tourist prices and returned to the villa to contemplate my next move...