At AJOSEPO, life often moves at full speed. Between campaign shoots, creative direction, interviews, strategy meetings and building a jewellery brand for modern professional women, it can sometimes feel like we are moving at a hundred miles per hour. But one thing we are becoming increasingly intentional about is carving out moments of softness and enjoyment in between the chaos. We strongly believe that irrespective of the industry you work in, creating a life that feels fulfilling outside of work is equally as important as ambition itself.
And this long weekend felt like the perfect example of that balance. It was a mixture of work, creativity, travel, good food, great coffee, countryside escapes, luxury hotels and a little bit of shopping in London. In other words: very AJOSEPO-coded.
Here are some highlights from the weekend that we thought were worth sharing.
On Saturday, we had the pleasure of filming a new episode of The Spotlight Series at our East London studio with Dr Joyce Omatseye. The conversation was thoughtful, insightful and deeply engaging — exactly the kind of dialogue we love creating through the series. We spoke about women’s health, education, leadership and building spaces that genuinely support women. It is an episode we genuinely cannot wait to share. In the meantime, we highly recommend checking out Dr Joyce’s platform, Aranini Health, which is doing incredibly important work around women’s health and education.
Before filming, we stopped by one of our favourite local spots in West London, Kuro Bakery, for coffee and pastries. If you ever find yourself in Notting Hill and are looking for one of the best bakeries and coffee spots in London, run here immediately. The pastries are consistently excellent, the coffee is superb, and the atmosphere feels very much like the kind of quiet neighbourhood luxury we love.
On Sunday, we escaped London for a quick trip to Cambridge and Norfolk to avoid the heatwave that had completely taken over the city.
Cambridge remains one of our favourite places in England. Beyond its historical and architectural significance, it is simply one of the prettiest cities in the country. There is something about the calmness of Cambridge that reminds us so much of Gothenburg — a Swedish city we absolutely adore for its understated beauty, slower pace and thoughtful design culture. If you are planning a visit to Cambridge, one addition we would now make to our existing city guide is breakfast or brunch at Hot Numbers Coffee on Mill Road. The food here is genuinely excellent. In particular, the pancakes with vegan bacon and coffee were some of the best we have had anywhere in the UK. The atmosphere also feels very local, creative and relaxed — the kind of café you accidentally spend three hours in without noticing. There are also a couple of brilliant vintage stores nearby that are worth visiting if you appreciate true vintage pieces rather than overly curated resale shops pretending to be vintage.
As for Norfolk, we are going to be honest: we found it slightly underwhelming. Perhaps Norfolk is best experienced as a countryside retreat rather than a city-style getaway. While it certainly has charm and beautiful rural landscapes, there was not a huge amount happening culturally in the areas we visited. Having said that, if you do find yourself in this part of England, we would definitely recommend stopping by Norwich, particularly for its vintage shopping scene, which was surprisingly good.
Monday was intentionally slower. We spent the morning having brunch at Six Senses London at The Whiteley, and honestly, this may quietly become one of our favourite luxury hotels in London. We have such a nostalgic connection to this part of West London because we used to visit The Whiteley years ago, when it was primarily known for high-street shopping. Seeing it transformed into an elevated luxury residential and hospitality destination feels incredibly surreal — but also completely deserved. The transformation itself is stunning. The hotel feels like an oasis tucked away from the intensity of London life. Calm, beautifully designed and deeply relaxing. The food and drinks were excellent, and the staff were genuinely warm and welcoming throughout. We would strongly recommend visiting before the rest of London inevitably catches on.
Afterwards, we made a quick stop at Harrods for some shopping at Byredo. And truthfully, the main reason we now shop at the Harrods outpost rather than one of the standalone boutiques is because MJ — our favourite Byredo sales manager — now works there. If you are looking for luxury perfumes, skincare or genuinely exceptional customer service in London, ask for MJ specifically. The service she provides is honestly some of the best we have experienced in luxury retail: thoughtful, personalised, warm and incredibly knowledgeable. The kind of experience that actually makes shopping feel enjoyable again.
As much as we love building AJOSEPO, weekends like this remind us that inspiration often comes from moments outside of work, too — conversations with inspiring people, discovering beautiful spaces, eating great food, travelling through England, and finding small moments of stillness in between everything else. And honestly, we think there is luxury in that too.