This week in our Sunday Edition, we sit down with Natalie Hasseck, Creative Director at Rise & Fall, to explore her approach to design, the rhythms that anchor her days and the creative instincts that guide her work.
From the early-morning quiet that shapes her mindset, to the evolution of Rise & Fall’s visual language, to the small evening rituals that help her unwind, Natalie offers a thoughtful look into a life shaped by colour, craft and considered living.
A conversation rooted in materiality and modern wellbeing, reflecting the shared values at the heart of our partnership with Rise & Fall.
How do you usually start your mornings? Are there any rituals or habits that help you feel grounded or inspired for the day ahead?
Most mornings start with my cat climbing over to my side of the bed around 5am. She’s always first. Then the kids pile in. But those early cat cuddles are my favourite bit. Soft, quiet, calm before the chaos. The best possible way to start the day.
I’m also big on shower oils. There’s something about the oils mixing with the steam. I always use fragrance to set the tone for the day.
What does a typical day look like for you at Rise & Fall?
There’s really no such thing as a typical day, which is what I love about it. Some days I can’t believe I get to be creative for a living. Monday to Wednesday I’m usually with the product team, working on pieces for the year ahead. I’m still quite new to product development and completely obsessed. It feels like where I was always meant to be.
The level of detail, time and patience that goes into making a single product still amazes me. I’m in total awe of designers.
You’ve worked with incredible names like Mario Testino and brands such as Linda Farrow and Topshop. How have those experiences shaped the way you approach creative direction today?
I’ve worked across the full spectrum: high and low, heritage and new.
Some projects come with an identity that needs to be handled carefully, while others, like Rise & Fall, start as a blank slate where you’re building the DNA from the ground up.
Working across that range taught me to trust my eye and instincts, but also to look for what’s real beneath the surface. The best work always comes from truth. For me, creativity is just another way of telling it.
Since you joined Rise & Fall, how has the brand evolved in its visual language, product focus and the way it connects with its audience?
When I joined, Rise & Fall was best known for its bedlinen and cashmere — beautiful things, but quite contained. Since then, we’ve stretched the world a lot wider. The brand now feels more dimensional; less “perfect bedroom,” more “real life lived beautifully.” The visual language has sharpened, the tone has loosened, and the product range has expanded into pieces that build a wardrobe and a home. It’s all still rooted in quality and material truth, but it’s grown a personality: more confident, more sure of itself.
Is there a particular product range or campaign you’ve worked on recently that feels especially meaningful to you?
We just shot our first outerwear campaign, tied to our deeper message, Luxury But Liberated. We’d been sitting on that line for a while, but it’s hard to realise liberation when you’re shooting inside bedrooms and studios. Taking it outdoors changed everything. The movement, the space, the air — it felt like the idea finally came to life. And as always, it came down to the team. They bring so much care and creativity to every shoot. You can feel that energy in the work.
Rise & Fall create such beautiful bedding. When it comes to the process behind designing bedding, what’s your approach?
Materially better, always. For us, bedding starts and ends with quality: the feel, the weight, the fibres, the finish. Then it’s about the quiet design details that make a real difference, like the short side labels or the grippy elastic on our fitted sheets. We also think a lot about colour. Most people love classic white bedding, but we put the same care into every tone, finding shades that feel elevated, lived in and quietly luxurious.
Within your creative process, where do you find yourself consistently drawing inspiration from?
I collect old art, photography and interiors books. I need to look at them all the time to remind myself what my own taste is outside of Instagram.
It’s getting harder to stay true to yourself when the algorithm is constantly sending you visuals. The books are my palette cleanse. And colour is always where it starts for me. Most of my ideas begin with a colour I’ve fallen for, usually tied to a feeling I’m trying to convey.
Recovery and sleep are essential pillars at anatomē. After a demanding day, how do you prepare your mind and body for rest?
This will sound odd, but I love my commute home. I sit on the overground from West to East London and something about it completely switches me off. I’ve started making playlists again and listening to music, which helps me disconnect. I’d love to say my evenings are salt baths and journalling, but that’s just not me. The reality is kid chaos, laundry, a TV show on the couch while folding more laundry, then bed. I will not sleep without taking magnesium now, so there’s that.
Has your relationship with sleep and unwinding evolved over your career?
Less because of career, more because of becoming a parent. Once you’ve experienced a total lack of sleep, it becomes the most important thing in the world. I protect it, invest in it (magnesium, great sheets) and treat it as the foundation everything else depends on.
Finally, what does wellbeing mean to you at this stage of your life?
It’s all about the small wins.
Mornings are chaotic, but a quick spritz of the right fragrance helps me feel calm and grounded. There’s less time for long baths, but a really great shower oil gives me the same reset. Sleep is non-negotiable, but so is the occasional late night at a bar with a friend. Sometimes yoga, more often mum guilt, so we skip the class and all go for a long walk collecting sticks instead. Wellbeing for me now is about not being hard on myself.
It’s being softer, more forgiving, and remembering that good enough is usually good enough.
