Blogger Spotlight: Lobster & Swan
Jeska Hearne is the blogger behind one of the UK’s original lifestyle blogs, Lobster & Swan. Since 2007, she has captivated her audience with her distinctive and creative style and shown thousands of readers how to design a space filled only with things that bring you joy. When she’s not helping others make their lives and surroundings a happier place, Jeska and her husband co-run The Future Kept – a successful online sustainable lifestyle shop.
1. What inspired you to start Lobster & Swan?
Back in 2007, when we were renovating our first home, I discovered blogging – it was relatively new and I stumbled upon a beautiful blog from the US and then met people from all over the world doing amazing things and sharing them. I have been interiors obsessed since college when I spent all my spare money on Elle Decoration and World of Interiors magazines, so when I later discovered this creative blogging community, I thought it would be fun to share my interiors inspiration and our decorating process with other like-minded creatives. I started Lobster & Swan and was one of the first UK lifestyle blogs in the great global mix.
2. Which post on your blog most encapsulates you and why?
I have a series of posts that are called Picture Postcards from the Weekend and they usually capture all the little things that I notice and make me happy from everyday life and weekend adventures.
3. Which post do you wish received more love and why?
This is not really something I think about. Sometimes all the comments and dialogue a post inspires are over on the corresponding Instagram image; I guess people feel it is easier to chat and engage there. Sometimes I would like the commentary over on the blog, but times are changing and I am at peace with that.
4. What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
Fitting it all in! I don’t find any aspect of blogging particularly challenging. I am a pretty chilled out blogger and write about whatever feels right on the day I am posting. I have no schedule and can post daily or once a month, but fitting everything in I would like to share around running our online store and freelance styling and photography collaborations is the toughest challenge. No complaints though – I love that every day is different!
5. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a blogger?
Follow your heart and do what is right for you. I’m a long-term rebel without a cause – I don’t do rules!
6. Share a couple of your favourite blogs. Why do you like them?
I love Green Kitchen Stories – the travel inspired recipes and food styling are constant mealtime inspiration for us. For lifestyle, I am besotted with all the magic that is created and shared over at Pia Jane Bijkerk’s blog – I have followed her journey from an Amsterdam houseboat all the way back to her home in Australia.
7. Can you tell us about a product you’ve owned forever and why it’s important to you?
I have owned my office chair for as long as I can remember; it is an old antique pine dining chair and was the one I used to sit on when I lived at home – we got our own grown-up chairs when we were big enough to sit at the dinner table on our own – so my sister and I have one each and they are slightly different styles. It is a sturdy beauty and I still sit on it every day when I am working at home.
8. What is important to you when you’re buying homeware/decor?
Items that are beautiful and functional, well-made and not too trend driven. I like things that are not so in-fashion so that they will never be out of favour! But I like things that would have been popular once – we have a lot of vintage and antique pieces in our home.
9. Can you tell us about the last time something broke and disappointed you?
Our kettle broke and we took months to choose a new one – we boiled water on the hob for an age before we settled on one that was a good buy for functionality – except the glass window broke and now we need to replace it again. We are now after a great long-lasting one that has no fancy things that can go wrong, and I am thinking of a stove top one. We really don’t like electrical appliances around here. We don’t have a TV, speakers or proper stereo, no microwave and we only recently got a toaster because we haven’t had a kitchen for eight months due to renovating. The UK weather is not always great for fireside toast making, but the toaster will be free-cycled when we move into the new kitchen!
10. What vision do you have for Lobster & Swan over the next 10 years?
Ooh, not sure! I just meander along sharing whatever catches my eye or beautiful places I have visited, so I don’t have any grand plans. Hopefully more travel and a bit more time for creative projects. We have a ton of renovation and exciting garden building plans to share over the next year and then who knows?!