Best known for her roles in legendary rom-coms like How to lose a guy in 10 days, Kate Hudson is perhaps not the most likely source of inspiration behind briksn.
But it's true. Well, sort of. Let me explain.
I was returning to London from a three-day hike along the South West Coast Path. Since I had 3 hours and 45 minutes to kill, and not enough signal to stream anything, I reverted to my downloaded podcasts. I saw an episode of "How to fail with Elizabeth Day: Kate Hudson" and pressed play.
I was struck when Kate simply said don’t be afraid of failing, it’ll only hold you back from doing what you truly want to do - in her case, releasing her first studio album.
It's hardly ground-breaking advice, cliché even, and I've probably heard it many times over in various forms over the years. But for some reason, squished on a Great Western Railway train back to London that day, it really hit me. I don't know if it was all the fresh air opening some new synapses, but I thought, "F*** it. What Have I Actually Got to Lose?" Not a guy, and plenty more than 10 days to get it done.
And so therein, I decided it was time. Time to launch what would be briksn - a new home decor store, featuring handmade products and curated items from other sellers.
It's a concept I'd been thinking of for a while. How to combine my love for creating products for the home with a way that also celebrates the work of others, too.
So, why "briksn"?
I had been playing around with a few names, before landing on briksn.
I always do my best thinking when I'm walking, and so it came as no surprise that the name presented itself to me on my evening dog-walk. I was admiring the burnt orange brickwork of a Victorian terrace, when the phrase "bricks 'n mortar" suddenly rushed through my head. It came with such palpable force, it's like the name almost popped out in front of me.
So briksn is indeed a play on the phrase bricks 'n mortar. Because once you've got the basics - walls, floor and a roof - briksn is where you find the pieces that take your place of refuge from structure to soul.
Our products range from the cutesy and sweet to utilitarian and edgy. Everything listed is something I genuinely love and would have in my house (many have indeed made their way into my own bricks 'n mortar).
So far, we have: MADE and CURATED. As the names suggest, MADE are products created in-house by me at briksn, while CURATED are products I've seen that I adore and think you will too. This approach also adds longevity and allows briksn to grow thoughtfully.
In the future, I'll be looking to expand to THRIFTED and GUEST ranges. So, stay tuned and thank you for joining me on the journey.
Hopefully I won't fail, but, in the wise words of Kate Hudson: there's really no such thing as failure.
— Francis Paynter
Founder, CEO, Chief Creator, Social Media Lead, Chief Sales Operator, Head of HR, etc etc.