At the heart of this legacy is Gillian: an Edinburgh graduate in physiology and pharmacology turned custodian of brand and customer experience. With a keen eye for beauty, practicality and purpose, she guides Tusting’s 21st-century chapter while staying deeply attuned to its time-honoured roots.
Here, she steps briefly away from the bustle of business to share the five personal possessions she would find life poorer without.
My Miniature Swiss Army Penknife
I grew up on a hill farm in Scotland and I think that dealing with any eventuality in the moment is in my DNA; a penknife companion is a habit I can't break. I periodically lose it, but always get another just the same, and I keep it on my keyring for when I need a knife, scissors, screwdriver or file, which is surprisingly often. Of course, nowadays, I have to remember to leave it behind if I fly anywhere!
My iPhone
I know I'm not alone in this! It is my personal assistant, life saver, life recorder and timekeeper. It works very hard and I am hideously wedded to it, and yet I also cannot give up on my decades old Filofax. (I like to manage my risk exposure!)
My Handbag
Well, of course, it's obvious that I would use a Tusting handbag, and I have bench tested pretty much all of them (hard). My current love is this gorgeously comfy, velvety beauty, the Alice Tote. It is everything I think a bag should be: aesthetically enviable and very good at its job.
Our Dining Table
This was unashamedly inspired by the table our friend and design collaborator, India Hicks, has in her house in Oxfordshire. I hunted down the old mill factory cast iron legs on eBay and commissioned our brilliant nephew Joe, who is a cabinetmaker, to make the giant oak top for it. It sits absolutely in the centre of our home, and life there revolves around it perfectly.
The Art in My Home Office
My daughter Alice is a talented artist, and I chose three of her horse racing images to grace the walls when we finally gave ourselves a dedicated space for working at home. I couldn't really choose a favourite, but this one has a sense of speed and competition that I love. Horses have always been a huge part of my life, and the emotional protection and energy they give me is somehow wrapped up in this picture.
