Childrenswear doesn’t get much more charming than La Coqueta. So it’s no wonder then that the London home of its founder, Celia Muñoz, is just as inviting. The gorgeous mother of five – Flavia, 8, Lucas, 7, Siena, 5, Bosco, 4, and Hugo, 3 – is superwoman. Five children, a growing business and the most delightful collection of wallpapered rooms we’ve ever seen, she’s clearly nailed this whole motherhood thing. We want her secrets...
Growing up, Muñoz always wanted to replicate her own childhood (she comes from a large Spanish family herself and cherishes the memories of long summers spent in her French grandparents’ home playing with her siblings and cousins) so a big family was always the plan. “I feel I am achieving this. Being with my family makes me happy, safe and fulfilled,” she says. So how does she do it? “I following a fairly military routine. We plan ahead a lot although we live very spontaneously, just with a very organised schedule that allows us to fit everything in and dedicate time to each other. We don’t know anything else and it really works for us,” says Muñoz. A trained psychologist, Muñoz stopped working after her first daughter Flavia arrived in 2008 and went back to university to do an MSc in Mental Health. At the same time, she hatched a business plan for La Coqueta. It took over three years to finish the business plan, during which time more bambinos arrived. “Once all my children were born and my business concept was properly developed I decided to open my shop and test all of my hypothesis and lack of retail experience. Thankfully it has all worked out!”. La Coqueta’s flagship store is located in London’s Hampstead and is filled with the most divine children’s clothes. We caught up with Muñoz to get a peek inside her beautiful home and find out her secrets (she’s tidy at home, messy in the office), what it’s like mothering five kids, who her role models are and her recent collaboration with House of Hackney… Go to www.lacoquetakids.com
I am very particular when it comes to my routine...
It is fairly strict and there is little room for change unless necessary but we all feel very spontaneous when going through it. For us having a family of five young children is a dream we’ve always had however in order to manage our family in an enjoyable way we need structure. This routine is very detailed and we (together with our children) always know what is happening when, even the sequence of it. In this way we are able to plan better, fit in all the things we wish and need to do. We find we actually make time for ourselves and my husband and I feel very proud of this. Doing all the monthly cooking during a weekend and freezing it all was an idea we discovered very early on and that has allowed us to have more time to do other things. We also plan all of our date nights ahead, we go to bed early from Sunday to Thursday, and we wake up early. Our life is fairly simple, a combination of work, close friends and family. There’s little space at the moment for anything else.
The best advice I’ve been given about motherhood is…
A happy mum means a happy child, in whichever shape or form. Do what is right for you and your family, independently of what others think. Stay true to your instinct and judgement.
My childhood in Spain was very happy…
I feel my parents always got their priorities right and talked to us a lot about things that are truly important, in a non-superficial way. I was extremely close to my parents and siblings as well as my grandparents and numerous first cousins. I spent very long summers in my French grandparents’ home spending time playing with my cousins. My mother felt very strongly about not having too many toys so we learned how to entertain ourselves quickly. A couple of sticks and chalk would suffice and I try to do the same with my own children so that they use their imagination and creativity to live and enjoy things. It’s so much harder to do this nowadays!
I have always adored beautiful childrenswear because I was surrounded by it...
I grew up in a place where people paid a lot of attention to it and my love for it was reinforced the day I had my first daughter Flavia and through her I had lots of fun developing my taste and knowledge. I find this love for children’s clothes has been strengthen by me having children as all I create and dream about, they can wear.
I am a psychologist by training and I worked in headhunting specialising in healthcare and biotech companies during my twenties…
I stopped working when I had my daughter Flavia and I went back to university while having my other children to do an MSc in Mental Health. I was at the same time developing my business plan for La Coqueta. The research behind it took over three years which worked perfectly well while I was having my children who are very close in age. Once all my children were born and my business concept was properly developed I decided to open my shop and test all of my hypothesis and lack of retail experience. Thankfully it has all worked out!
La Coqueta uses shapes that are traditional and that lots of people my age would have grown up with but we add a very contemporary twist through the use of strong colour contrast in fabrics, accessories and styling it differently…
Our aesthetic is very chic yet very wearable so that children can play around and get messy without mums having to worry about the clothes getting damaged. You can wash them as easily as a T-shirt, they just happen to look a lot nicer!
I have been a big fan of House of Hackney for a long time and it was like a dream come true when the founders approached me to work on a collaboration…
We have a very similar aesthetic by playing with the traditional and contemporary but yet we are very different. Stylistically we are very aligned and I admire their business concept greatly.
I opened my store in London in March 2013 and it feels like home because I decorated it with the help of my mother and grandmother…
We all share similar aesthetics and it was so much fun to do it this way. I like white, English wallpapers, splashes of colours. My house, in particular my children’s bedrooms look very much like my shop (without the till). In fact quite often my children will get to see their own toys in the shop and vice versa. I treat and care for it like my own home, like one more bedroom and I like to move things around to change it regularly.
I am tidy in my home, very messy in my office...
It’s an organised chaos but I get slightly embarrassed when others see it. All of our children are being raised to be quite independent which makes life a lot easier for them and for us as parents. They all do their own bed, tidy up their bedrooms, prepare their clothes for the following day and do quite a lot of house chores. If you are part of a big family, you just need to help! They are at an age where they love helping so it’s fairly easy for the time being. I know things will change. We also have help at home so that our house is cleaned regularly but my children know very well that this person is there to help me, not to serve them.
I think you are born creative but it may not always be channelled in the same way...
I think skills can be learned and allow your creativity to evolve. It certainly was like that for me. Passion for what you do is essential. In my opinion it is what sparks creativity.
I have two favourite social media platforms...
Instagram because I enjoy looking at beautiful images that are carefully curated and Snapchat. I enjoy the silliness and spontaneity of it.
I train between four and five days a week for 40 minutes every day...
I wake up at 5:55am from Monday to Friday, train until 6:45am and then wake up all of my children, prepare breakfast and do the school run. I think being healthy is very important, more so when you have a family. I find it a responsibility to take care of myself. We eat very healthily without being obsessed about it and through the wonderful Jamie Oliver, Ella Woodward and Calgary Avansino we have found wonderful creative ways of feeding my children spinach smoothies every morning. I love my weekend treats from Skye McAlpine. Having a healthy lifestyle is important to me and my family but nobody says no to a piece of cake or creamy cheese from time to time!
I have limited time and in the mornings when my husband is travelling I have no other help so I don't think about my beauty routine too much…
I need 15 minutes to have a shower and get dressed. Four minutes for my beauty routine and makeup. I do love using nice creams and products that I get at my local SpaceNK. I love my Nars Dragon Girl lipstick and I adore my scent (which I apply liberally!) Yves Saint Laurent La Collection Yvresse.
I have four role models…
My mother, J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons, Frida Kahlo and Amal Clooney. I think these are totally amazing women in their own way.
My mother taught me from a young age to cultivate and work on my own internal garden (as she used to call it)…
Water it every day and beautiful flowers will come out. Learn how to find happiness in order to project it towards others. On motherhood she told me that I should go with the flow and do what I think is right for my family and myself. Listen to advice but make your own informed decisions that work best for you. She was so right!
I like French aesthetics when it comes to my home…
Although I am Spanish, I have a French mother and 50% of me grew up surrounded by French language and culture all in very typical Spanish surroundings in my hometown Granada. My home has a good combination between antiques and more contemporary things. I like mixing up a Bertoia Diamond chair with an XVIII century French clock or drawings made by my children. I like my house to be a reflection of my life (family, travel, work and love for things that we think are beautiful, not because of their economic value but because of what they mean to us). This could be a huge shell picked up in Belice to a postcard with the face of a dog sent to me by my great grandmother when I was seven years old for my birthday. I grew up in a house where there were lots of French antiques and my French grandparents and parents ensured that from a very young age I learned how to respect furniture and appreciate it. There’s something very charming about sitting on a chair that is 300 years old!
I love the fact that London offers so much choice for schools, entertainment, food and urban landscapes…
One moment you are in the heart of Hampstead Heath and then you walk into busy Central London from there. I love the fact that London is so multicultural and I think this is particularly enriching for children. I have learned quite a lot from other cultures through my own children at school!
I rarely carry a handbag when I’m with my children but when I go to work you would find…
My iPhone, three red Nars Dragon girl lipsticks (I’m obsessed with it and need backups if I lose one!), Fisherman’s Friend (Honey & Lemon), old receipts that I never get to throw away, a little note/sketchbook to write things I see, feel and like, 10 pens ( I tend to lose them all the time) and a little pocket with 12 pictures of my husband (one for every year we’ve known each other for) and passport pictures of my children when they were babies.
Celia’s little list of loves:
Deliciously Ella and Calgary Avansino’s cookbooks for breakfast. I love the fact that I can feed my children lots of vegetables and they love it. By Terry’s Tea To Tan which makes me look more tanned. London is not particularly sunny and I need to feel I am in a hot warm country. It looks extremely natural and healthy. A book I just finished reading, Entre Costuras. I love reading about stories of other women. Les Misérables in musical. I love the lyrics. I read the book when I was 15 and I have seen the musical at least 10 times. Gardening with my children in our veggie garden, I find it so relaxing and fun. Decorating my home because I love changing it so much. I am particularly fond of Bastien Halard and Frederic Mechiche’s interior design work. Looking for nice vintage pieces. I love going to Phoenix On Golborne or Atomic Antiques in Shoreditch. Discovering a new restaurant in London with my husband on a Friday night. I just love spending time with him and chatting for hours. Travelling off the beaten track with my family somewhere totally different to where we live. Discovering new music through my children’s taste. I find it a good way to connect with the current trends (music wise), although I’m a big fan of the music I grew up with.