The Yarn | My Country Life

For Robin Lucas, the boundaries between gardening, drawing and design blur into one seamless way of living — an inspiring, quietly comforting rhythm that shapes his days in rural Lancashire.

Creativity has never been a choice for Robin but rather an instinct. He grew up moving between pencil lines and flowerbeds, drawn equally to precision and to watching something take root. His grandfather’s garden - “full of wonderful and unusual plants” — was his first studio. And at twelve, a copy of The Well-Tempered Garden set him on a path he’s followed ever since. “Being outside kept me sane,” he says simply. “Gardening has saved me more than once.”

Having studied Biology at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, Robin spent time at the World of Interiors magazine and country house antiques dealers, Jamb, before establishing his own studio focusing primarily on illustration and design.

“I’ve always found escape and fulfilment in creating and nurturing,” he says, recalling a seaside childhood on the Isle of Wight, drifting between sketchbooks, a rambling garden and the pull of the shoreline.

After a long run of client commissions, Robin’s now painting purely for pleasure. The timing feels right: gentler light, softer colours — “romantic,” he says — the sort that make you slow down and enjoy both subject and process. Lucas has worked with major fashion, hospitality and luxury names, but he remains especially loyal to the first. “Orlebar Brown took a chance on me. I’ll always be grateful.”

“Gardening and painting are the same to me — you work until it feels just right.”

A perfect day depends entirely on the backdrop. At home in North Lancashire, it begins with a walk in the Yorkshire Dales and ends with a pint and pie at the Queen’s Arms in Litton, before returning to the centuries-old mill he shares with his partner — a place that feels “ancient, wild and deeply grounding.” Evenings mean preparing food, lighting fires and welcoming friends.

Travel is essential, according to Robin — for perspective, inspiration and the pleasure of returning home. In Tunisia, where he often escapes, there’s the drive to the deserted Roman hilltown of Dougga, a picnic in the Temple of Juno Caelestis with tortoises wandering past, and dinner at Le Golfe in La Marsa, the Bay of Tunis shimmering in the background. Octopus carpaccio, orange-blossom brûlée, warm air, no soundtrack needed.

Nature remains his deepest source of inspiration, approached with both an artist’s eye and a biologist’s curiosity. “Noticing is everything — the first snowdrop, the light across the fells, birdsong. Even in a city, something is always happening if you pay attention.”

“A good interior isn’t curated — it’s collected.”

This instinct to observe spills into what he brings home: fossils, natural-history specimens, books. His earliest finds still live in his “museum” — an old shed behind the greenhouse that sounds equal parts childhood dream and adult sanctuary. So what makes a house a home? “Good food, books, music, a fire and friends.”

Robin’s personal style is much the same: practical day to day, with a genuine love of dressing up when the moment presents itself. Country life means wellies, moleskins and serious outerwear, though he does have a favourite: “The William Crabtree Winter chinos — beautifully cut.”

While winter may not be his favourite season, hosting is. “I’m excited to have friends and family fill the house,” Robin says of the festive season — a celebration of everything he creates, collects and grows.

Visit the online store

Our winter edition of The Yarn is out now in our London and Cotswolds stores. Our third edition celebrates the season and we're delighted to chat to two of my favourite customers in this edition - Robin Lucas and Will Fisher from Jamb interiors.

Both have wonderful stories to tell about their past and present and how they bring style into the everyday and we loved photographing them in their worlds, wearing William Crabtree. We also look at how the humble pub has raised the bar - both in the city and country (with two of our faves conveniently located close to our stores); and spotlight local Cotswolds artists that adorn the walls in Stow-on-the-Wold.

We hope you enjoy your copy which will be shipped with every order and of course, available in store… while stocks last.

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