What is ‘a year in the Cotswolds’?
Hello and welcome! I’m new here and learning as I go, but this should be fun.
A Year in the Cotswolds began as a daydream. For years, I imagined a house with tall sash windows, stone walls, tall ceilings, and an overgrown walled garden. I finally convinced my family this was the best idea ever so the enthusiastic house search began. Four years, countless miles, and more than a few detours later, we found it (fingers crossed): a slightly crumbling but thoroughly beautiful Georgian manor house, tucked away in a small Cotswolds village.
This Substack is where I’m sharing the next part of the story—moving to somewhere completely new, restoring a historic home on a limited budget, and navigating the quirks and quiet joys of village living.
You can expect a blend of the practical and the whimsical: garden plans and renovation updates, interiors inspiration, everyday musings, and reflections on what it means to build a home—layer by imperfect layer.
Why substack?
After years of writing on Instagram (@shnordic) and recently launching a Youtube channel, I realised there were stories I wanted to tell that didn’t quite fit those formats—more personal, more detailed, less polished-for-the-feed. Substack feels like the right place for that: part blog, part newsletter, part cosy corner of the internet.
What You’ll Find Here
Whether you’re a fellow interiors enthusiast, garden dreamer, or just someone craving a slower kind of content, this space is for you.
• Free newsletters with notes from the week, seasonal finds, and gentle inspiration
• Behind-the-scenes posts on restoring our crumbling house—from lighting plans and layout woes to sourcing vintage treasures
• Garden diaries as we try (and sometimes fail) to tame the wilderness and grow something beautiful
• Design musings on creating a home that feels both meaningful and lived-in
• Life in the Cotswolds—the oddities, the rituals, and the sheer joy of a slower pace
• Creative inspiration from books, places, people, and the quiet moments in between
“I’ve always loved everything Nordic—the serenity, the simplicity, the sense of calm it brings. Being here feels like that same peaceful space. Susanna’s perspective and guidance are exactly what I need as I explore my own style and creativity in this season of life. Her posts inspire me to see my home differently—and give me the confidence to make it truly mine.”
Claire K.
A Bit About Me
I grew up in a small village in southwest Finland, the eldest of three children, where my love for calm, Nordic spaces first began. After earning a master’s degree in neurobiology and starting a PhD, I decided I needed a bit more adventure in my life. So, I packed my bags and headed to New York City for a research assistant job in a lab studying the genetics of schizophrenia. I lived my best SNTC life in a shoebox-sized room in Gramercy Park, sharing it with two other girls and the occasional cockroach.
A spontaneous trip to Antigua changed everything. I met my now-husband (along with his entire extended family, but that’s a story for another time), and soon after, I found myself living in London and working in pharmaceutical research.
Ten years ago, I left my corporate job to pursue something more creative. These days, I work as a a stylist, writer, content creator, and online educator, and I feel incredibly lucky to call it my job.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me enjoying slow Sundays with my family, painting, listening to podcasts, reading obsessively, drinking far too much coffee, or laughing loudly at something probably quite silly. I also believe that saying yes to things that scare me makes life far more interesting (and mistakes far less terrifying).
I live in Bath (until our move) with my husband (aka Mr Nordic), our two children, our cocker spaniel puppy Laila, and Ebba, our beautiful—but perpetually grumpy—grey cat.
“I’m drawn to Susanna’s beautiful aesthetic and thoughtful approach to design. Watching the early stages of her Georgian house journey feels like being part of something special—there’s inspiration in every step, and I can’t wait to see it all come to life.”
Julie H.
Join Me on the Journey
FREE
🕊 Free subscribers receive occasional notes from me—seasonal thoughts, simple joys, what I’m reading, wearing, eating or planting, and glimpses into life as we settle in. Think of it like a letter from a friend, tucked into your inbox.
But if you’re looking for a bit more…
PAID (£6/month or £60/year) get full access to:
Sign up to get full access to my weekly newsletter, the full newsletter archive, the ability to comment and to chat. This will also be the place to see more of behind-the-scenes snippets about the house move, my design plans for the house and garden, settling into our new home and navigating the joys (and undoubtedly chaos) of restoration a crumbling big old Georgian manor house.
Every post is sent directly to your inbox, or if you prefer you can read them here on the Substack app.
• The complete archive of past posts
• All my newsletters about all the things mentioned above
• In-depth posts on interiors, design planning and styling tips
• Garden progress reports and planting ideas
• Creative inspiration and personal essays I don’t share anywhere else
• Access to subscriber-only chat threads
• Occasional downloadable resources and digital gifts
• Priority access to future design events and retreats
And you’d be supporting my work. These posts take a lot of time to create, and I hope they bring value to you - subscribing will help me keep sharing.
Does that sound like your kind of thing? If it does, just hit the button below—I’d love to have you join me on this adventure!
Start here:
