When Kristine Brown was on maternity leave, rather than sit around the house watching re-runs of Days of Our Lives, she decide to launch The Scent of Home, a beautiful collection of highly concentrated, 100% soy, coconut and almond oil wax candles. Made from only the freshest, natural ingredients, The Scent of Home burns clean, allowing you to enjoy the unique fragrances such as Black Lily Flower, Antique Gardenia and Danish Vanilla Bean.
We caught up with Kristine to find out how she balances her work for The Scent of Home with her role as a mother and wife, and manages to squeeze in a little exercise while she’s at it!
5:45am: Wake up. Morning run with Gus (our beloved Samoyed) or KX Pilates (I’m a huge fan of the Upside sports collection).
6:30am: First Coffee (double espresso). I follow the caffeine hit with some study / research into developing Scent of Home. At the moment I’m focussed on farming methods for soy bean plantations. Respond to emails / confirm appointments etc.
7:30am: Ava (3) & Helena (2) wake up and our family breakfast begins. Preserving that special time at the beginning of each day is important to me and my husband, Nathan. The girls are still developing their tastebuds and so I usually have a chuckle when I ask if they seriously want to eat what I’m having for breakfast (quinoa porridge with milk).
9:00am: Drop Ava at Kindergarten. Today Helena stays with me for the morning and so whilst en route to the office I we’re locked into a family conference call with Mum & my sister, co-ordinating schedules and catch-up times together.
9:30am: Office (and coffee time) with my brother to discuss various updates ranging from warehouse deliveries to production schedules at our SOH lab in Melbourne. In the midst of pouring new candles, every day is a new discovery and today it’s all about Night Jasmine. In between pouring sessions (we’re very hands on with our approach) we’re testing new scents to measure burning times, fragrance throws and melting pool details. We’re all about precision – and we love it!
10:00am: Email catch-ups and more replies in between crayon talk and some creative down-time with Helena (she actually has her own work desk at our showroom. We like our girls to nurture their inner artist!).
12:00pm: Lunch Date with Nathan (my beloved husband) and a quick farewell kiss and cuddle for Helena. Timeout with Gus (our famed office canine) as we head out for a walk.
12:30pm: Focus time on wax development. At SOH we like to experiment time and time again until we get it right and so there is always a lot of exploring innovative new options and this is a part of the business that keeps my curiosity in check. I’m constantly learning and this week I’m continuing to discover new formula’s relating to black wax ingredients.
1:30pm: Showroom appointments with stockists, listening to feedback etc. Each and every one of our stockists represents a step forward for us and so we like to take as much of a personal approach as possible. At the end of the day, we’re working towards making SOH a lifestyle brand with the right products and importantly, the right presence with stockist availability so this is always a pleasurable part of the brand development, connecting and listening to feedback concerning all of our energy and efforts.
3.00pm: Conference call with our perfumer: we’re currently finalising details for our 2015 line-up of signature scents and conversing over fragrance trends in the market.
4:00pm: A quick run to the South Melbourne Market to see what I can create for dinner that evening. We’re big foodies in our home and so tonight I’m creating. Rockling for dinner accompanied by Pomegranate & Barley salad. Its a feast for the senses! Bonus revelation: preparing a meal each evening is relaxing for me and helps me to wind down from the pace of a busy day.
4:30pm: Pick Ava up from Kindergarten and then head to the Park to meet Nathan and Helena for some family time together.
5:30pm: Start preparing dinner for my family. The ritual begins with the lighting of a our new Petitgrain candle, naturally!
7:30pm: Story time with my little ladies before wishing them sweet dreams and tucking them into bed for the night.
8:00pm: My favourite time of the day: opening a bottle of wine with my beloved Nathan as we discuss our days – and the ones that shall follow. Life – and love – is truly beautiful.
———————————————————-