January 11, 2022

a love for all things home

By Bianca Martino
a love for all things home

All my life all I've ever wanted was to be a wife and mom and to raise my family in a home that is not only beautiful, but full of GRACE, love and peace.

Growing up I had the privilege to spend many summers in Europe and I have always been inspired by the Provence lifestyle and culture: a simple, beautiful home filled with the table at the heart of it all where families come together to rest. An intention to enjoy life, even in the most mundane moment. To elevate everyday tasks and chores.

When I was 13 years old I stayed at a simple, rustic farmhouse on a vineyard owned by dear friends of my grandparents in Provence. Mornings were spent enjoying breakfast on the patio, days were spent visiting the market, cooking and baking. Evenings were spent around the table, enjoying delicious and simple food, good wine, heartfelt conversation and laughter. One evening my grandmother and I walked through the lavender fields to swim in their pool. As I floated on my back, completely at peace....surrounded by lavender and intoxicated by their scent and the smell of their small vineyard, I decided not only that this was exactly the life I wanted to lead and the culture I wanted in my home, but that one day I would have a business and I'd name it With Lavender and Grace.

My intention with WLG has always been to create a space that honors these things. To not only offer inspired and beautiful home decor, but to support moms like me who share my desire to fill their homes with beauty, JOY and peace, even in the mundane. 

By the Grace of God, around 5 years ago our pillow covers took off like wildfire. Since then, we've been so preoccupied with production and keeping up with demand for our product.... somewhere along the line it seemed as though we lost our original vision.

After a difficult year for us (for business and personal), we decided the time had come to get back to our original intent. This year has been incredibly hard on so many of us, and I can't help but believe so many of the difficulties we're seeing in our culture are the ramifications of forgetting exactly what I want to preserve and honor: the importance of home. 

While home decor remains to be a huge passion of mine, I do not believe you need to redecorate your home every month, nor do I have any desire to keep up with social media trends. I'm a firm believer that a peaceful home is one that is filled with things that you treasure most and that make you happy. We'll continue to offer beautiful, carefully curated pillow covers and our prayer is that these will be investment pieces you'll cherish for many seasons to come. I'll also be sharing decor content here on the blog.

I truly believe that the key to JOY in the everyday, is to elevate everyday tasks. We'll be offering products that help you to slow down and enjoy the beauty and blessing of the moment (regardless of how mundane that moment may be). For years I've also made my own cleaning and self care products using clean, natural ingredients and I cannot wait to share this with you here on the blog (more coming end of February!)

I wholeheartedly believe that the table is the center of the home. It's a place that allows you to focus on the truly important things in life: family and friends with a side of delicious food and good conversations. We'll be sharing our favorite (mostly healthy) recipes, and continue to offer our product offering for the table and kitchen. 

A healthy home is a peaceful home. I've had seasons where I've struggled with my health and have learned quite a bit.... the hard way. I believe in making your health and wellness a priority, and I believe that all of us should be empowered with the knowledge of natural remedies and holistic protocols to support their families. I also believe that extremes are never healthy and that the key to living a healthy life is to enjoy life. I'm a huge advocate for living a life in moderation and allowing for grace. This is something we'll be diving into come the end of February and I can't wait to share everything with you!

Thank you for being here, dear friend. Not only do I pray you'll stay around for 2022, I pray you'll be blessed with all that we have to offer.