Chloe Hill is the creative mind behind coolpretty.cool - one of those corners of the internet you open intending to scroll for a minute and stay for hours. Writing from Aotearoa, she moves gently between fashion, place, and the slow everyday; lately she's quietly launched notes from my garden, a Substack about exactly what it sounds like, and has just wrapped three years of studying Te Reo Māori. We sat down with Chloe to talk about sleep, flowers, language, and the small rituals that shape a good day.
What does the end of your day look like, any wind-down rituals you're loyal to?
We have a fifties light fixture in our bathroom I haven’t been able to find the right bulb for, so I’ve rounded up all the candles from around the house, and now my before bed ritual is lighting all of them and having a candlelit shower or bath. It’s so relaxing and restorative and now I never want to call an electrician to replace the light.
First thing you do when you wake up?
Fill my Moccamaster to the brim and make a huge pot of coffee. Then I sit on my big pink couch, which looks out towards the hills, and I watch the sun rise.
You've just wrapped three years of studying Te Reo Māori, what drew you in?
I lived in Sydney for close to 10 years and it was such a shock seeing how First Nations people were treated, it made me so passionate about wanting to learn and tautoko (support) the indigenous people of the land I call home. So as soon as I moved back I started to learn, not just the language but about the whole world view (te ao Māori) and the customs (tikanga). It has really changed me and my outlook on life, and made me appreciate this beautiful country more than I ever thought I could.
Aotearoa runs through so much of your work. Where do you send everyone who visits?
Te Wai Pounamu - The South Island! It’s so stunning down there, you can go from the beach to snowy mountains on the same day.
You've just finished Why We Sleep - we’re curious. What's one thing you're doing differently now?
I’m definitely a lot more aware of driving tired… I learnt that our driving is almost an impaired when we are exhausted as when we drink. Isn’t that wild! Sleep is so important to me and reading this book just made me more determined to prioritise it.
What's currently on your bedside table?
Kawakawa balm, Sans Ceuticals sleep mask, a huge glass of water and a silk hair cap which I usually forget to wear, but my curls are so happy when I do.
What's your relationship to getting dressed for bed? Do you treat it as a ritual, an afterthought, or something in between?
It definitely feels like a ritual, I don’t like to change into them too early as I really like the routine to signal my brain and body that it’s time to completely wind down. As soon as I slide them on I’m ready to snuggle into bed with a book.
As a mother, how does having a creative practice - whether that's gardening, writing, or getting dressed - help you feel like yourself?
Creativity is so important to me just in general, but even more so since becoming a mother — now life is filled with so many more mundane tasks, setting aside time for pursuits that bring joy feels all the more important. It brings me happiness and calm, which in turn means I’m a better parent. It also provides such a deep connection with my daughter as we can create together, and through me sharing my passions she’s able to see the importance of nurturing her own creativity.
Tell us about notes from my garden. What sparked it, and what's growing right now?
I always have urges to post long winded chats about compost and seeds on Instagram, but I was always aware that might be boring for people following me for fashion. So starting a substack this month has been fun. It was very spur of the moment and really just involves me voice dictating my thoughts while I have my morning coffee, so I definitely go off on a whim now and then. Right now I’m focused on nurturing my beautiful compost piles and appreciating all my direct sow seeds that are starting to sprout all over the place – Ammi Majus, Primula, Sweetpeas and so much more.
Photography by Chloe Hill