Instagram Nikki Reed

We walked to the garden with shears in hand, and harvested vegetables we placed into a wicker basket for our dinner that was just a few minutes away from being prepared. It was our last night at the castle, @chateauderaymontpierre , and we all laughed, shared stories about our mutual love of growing food and how sad we were to be leaving this little slice of heaven tucked into the hills of the Swiss Jura. Someone mentioned what a beautiful place this would be to write a book, and my mind wandered into a vision of what it might be like to -one day- live a life where I have that kind of time on my hands, and how lovely it would be to do that in a cozy nook right here in this very castle. I pictured a rainy day, a hot cup of tea and a few weeks of nothing but my new friends here who have left such an impression on my soul. One woman in particular kept coming to mind. She, in every way, embodied the beauty of this special region with her gentle warmth and vibrant personality. “Her character belongs to this place.” Words shared by Timon that made me take out my notebook. It was the perfect way to describe her. So much about this region has reawakened my love for the culture of a place built on family, farming, integrity and shared experience. Something about these mountains gives life to a kind of connection and authenticity that has stayed with me since I lived here many many years ago, and one I will continue to return to. From the early morning French lessons taught over breakfast with fresh squeezed apricot juice from the land, to the freshly built fermentation room, to the newborn baby cow born just hours after we arrived and the gorgeous architecture that held centuries of stories within its walls, everything about this place is a fairytale🌿@jura3lacs @myswitzerland

Last night I found an old cell phone hidden in a drawer. The first thought that popped into my brain was how unbelievably light I felt holding that tiny little phone- a phone with only a few apps installed and a screen so small it doesn’t suck you in. It took of all 5 seconds for me to realize how much I missed my tiny phone. These new heavy devices come with such a heavy addiction to all they have to offer. I opened the camera roll and noticed I only had about 150 videos on that phone, instead of the 4,000 I have now, because life wasn’t about documenting every single moment, it was about living. And when we were living, pre-mega-tech, we were lighter, just like our phones. In that moment I realized I am craving a tech DOWNGRADE. I don’t want to be sucked into a money making siphon telling me I need a bigger faster more capable device upgrade every two years, only to find myself staring down for longer and longer periods of time. I don’t want to “belong” to my phone. It’s easy to get lost in them, especially when work depends on it. Crazy thought, could work become… more efficient we had tech boundaries that forced us to set periods of time for work instead of working around the clock 24/7, using this little computer in our hands to update spreadsheets, Shopify, edit shoots, check the stock market, return emails, return texts, without any “stop time?” And then there’s the… scrolling. The ever present illusion that I’m educating myself because I’m watching videos about health, or growing food, or living off grid. It’s painful to reflect in this way. As with all things we as humans get addicted to, we find every reason why we “need this thing” to make it ok. But I know when we get quiet, most of us feel the same way. We miss life pre “such smart” phones. When quiet moments were filled with thought, when we touched pages of a book more than we typed on our phones, and when we didn’t escape from reality through distraction. Looks like I will be going back to my 3 fav words once again this year; the one’s I have had on repeat for quite some time. “Less”, “smaller”, “simpler”. Back to the OG phone I go…Last photo/video from my tiny phone camera roll circa 2014…🤍

I’d like to think I sat on a horse before I learned how to walk. As I think back on my earliest memories, I vividly remember the smell of my grandmother’s barn. I collected duck eggs in rubber boots, mucked stalls holding rakes that towered over me, held bundles of hay like they were gold and climbed railings to feed my grandmother’s horses when no one was looking. All I wanted was to be around horses, to hear the sound of a carrot crunching, or the smell of alfalfa. And while it wasn’t always easy, my parents would make the long drive to her house on weekends so I could wrap my arms around a white Arabian horse who I loved with all my heart. My grandmother was an artist and a horsewoman, and she would proudly claim those two titles above all else. She was a collector of Navajo jewelry, sheered her llamas and made the most beautiful scarves, and had fierce style that no one could replicate. Her nails were always painted, her signature turquoise rings on every finger, with lips that were a permanent shade of red even on the back of a horse. She was one of a kind, and I was enamored by her connection to New Mexico, her stories about Ghost Ranch and her wild spirit. She was a horsewoman through + through, and while her training may have been in a more conservative way of riding and showing, her heart lived in the wild mountains of Taos, riding bareback in the moonlight with Georgia O’Keeffe. I’ve had dreams of what it would have been like to be there at that time, and I spent my formative years following in her footsteps, visiting those very mountains. This Western Collection embodies all of those things. It is a feeling, the very feeling my grandmother evoked when she rode through the mountains in her poncho with her long earrings and red lips. It is a place where legacy, luxury and craftsmanship live, riding through the mountains of Taos with her wild spirit on full display. At the heart of Bayou, we are a brand that creates heirloom pieces, that are meant to be passed down through generations. And while my grandmother’s rings live only in my memories, this collection was my way of recreating those moments so, in some small way, they can come to life again.

Los Angeles is HOME. Home to our Founder and the beloved members of our team. Home to our little brand. Home to countless clients who we cherish. Home to the many dreams we have cultivated. To Bayou, Los Angeles is golden. She holds every kind of human with every kind of skill, passion and perspective. And beyond all else, she holds community. We are deeply saddened by the life changing fires that have left so many without homes, without schools, without their family member, or their pets, and without businesses. We are still processing the devastation and know that the winds are still not in our favor. But even in the midst of such chaos and grief, Los Angeles has shown up for each other in the way that she does, with all her strength and compassion and LOVE. As the days unfold, and the pieces of life’s puzzle are slowly put back together, we know that love is the only way. We will continue to share resources and ways to help members of the community tell their stories. For now, we want to thank all of you for showing up, with love, and asking how you can help. More soon, but in the meantime, please keep Los Angeles in your heart????Nikki + The Bayou With Love Team

Aspen you were short but so sweet! Thank you @thesnowlodgeaspen and @jaymacardoso for this incredible experience and oh so fun day watching my dear friends play a fierce game of snow polo while hot chocolate and hot toddies were served. (The horse world is very small :)!) I got to share some special moments and hugs with our incredible Bayou partners, and watch as Ian + Paul brought down the house with @brothersbondbourbon in the most magical setting. Big announcements coming soon! After spending the entire year dreaming up this special moment, I’m so excited for this new collection to launch and grateful to our Aspen family for all of the amazing collabs coming in 2025. See you in just a few weeks Aspen! Ps I am wearing the same dress from this event last year because… you know how I feel about rewearing and repurposing fashion and giving them a different personality each time! ????????@thesnowlodgeaspen @aspensnowpolo @stregisaspen @arhaus@kemosabe1990

There is an unexplainable connection, an energetic shift, a feeling that occurs when they know they have been saved. The nervous system resets with love, gentle touch, and a safe space to just be. Seeing the transformation of these babies is nothing short of miraculous. Barb, the work you are doing through @savinggraciefoundation_ is unparalleled. I have never seen better care or rehabilitation in any rescue effort ever. Thank you for choosing to love with your whole heart. It is an honor to know you. It is an honor to work with you and @blueskyauberge , and I cannot wait for all we will do together. Thank you for allowing me to be in your orbit✨

Happy Green Friday Week to our amazing Bayou community! Starting now, please enjoy 25% off sitewide with code GREEN2024. And yes, even our available engagement rings are included! For the entire week, our special offering will remain the same. So don’t wait to purchase what you love, as we are a small business and the offer is “while supplies last.” We cannot express enough how deeply we appreciate each and every one of you for your commitment to Bayou and shopping consciously. It brings us such joy being able to participate in moments and offerings that allow you to bring more ✨sparkle✨ into your lives! Lastly, as part of our ethos, with every order we will give back to offset 100 kgs of CO2 because of increased shipping during the holiday season. Thank you for being here with us…????Love,Nikki + The Bayou Team

Another inspiring @green4ema awards celebrating and highlighting the incredible work of our colleagues and peers for their commitment to the planet. Every year I leave this dinner full with feelings of hope for what is to come, with conversations fueled with so much passion and the desire for change so present. @quannah.rose I loved being able to stand beside you this evening as your documentary @badriverfilm won the award of the evening. So moved by you always…

Happy birthday Bayou! We wanted to celebrate alongside all of YOU with a special birthday celebration sale as a way to give thanks to our amazing community. We love and appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for growing with us. We have some very exciting things just around the corner, and none of it would be possible without your passion for our pieces with a story???? For the next 48 hours, enjoy 40% off of our birthday collection! Use code BDAYLOVE at checkout :)

Something about the seasons changing makes you feel so aware of time, and so alive. They come and go so fast, like the ebbs and flows of life. From vibrant to abscission to a rebirth of sorts. There is a rhythm. I used to want to hold on tight to it all, but now I’m learning to lean in to the changing seasons. What a metaphor for life isn’t it? This season is full. The young years are so precious, so hard, so fleeting. We don’t talk much about the middle of the night moments, the sick moments, the rocking chair moments, the scary moments, the moments of such raw growth that push you to the edge of what you knew about yourself. Everyone’s journey is different, but someone mentioned the word “lonely” when speaking about their experience with motherhood the other day and I thought it was really beautiful. How beautiful to normalize all aspects of motherhood without judgment or fear of perception. It wasn’t said in a negative way - she loved her life and her babies - it was said in a way that was simply a fact. Life looks different, and that is ok. It is the greatest joy, and the greatest miracle of life to grow life and raise tiny humans, and to do so with presence and purpose while also reshaping yourself is an honor. What no one tells you is that when you shepherd a soul into the world you also shepherd in a new part of yourself. It is a rebirth of sorts for the mother too. But the mornings look different. The evenings look different. The middle of the nights look different. Life looks…different. And as a society we are not setup to support the mother in her transition to this new life. How can we do better? How can we hold her in this season as we hold the child? Do we just need to talk about it more, and can we start here? To all you mamas out there, I am holding you, I see you, you are not alone ????????

For months, I had been trying to buy tickets to the @graciesfarmbluesky regenerative farm to table dinner at @blueskyauberge , but week after week it was sold out and for good reason! Then, with the perfect blend of luck and coincidence, the stars aligned and I was able to make it for the last dinner of the season, sharing the table with some of the most wonderful humans and getting to know my now hero Barbara who is the visionary behind it all. When I asked how this sanctuary turned hotel came to be, I was told the dream was to create a space where an appreciation of land came together with a shared love for animals. My dream. I spent three special days getting to know this unbelievable property, riding into the sunset on a gorgeous draft named Moose while holding hands with my brother, plunging myself (quite literally!) into 45 degree water pumped straight out of the creek topped with fresh ice, reuniting with my heart mule Ernie, and drinking too many cups of kambucha made with locally foraged elderflower, ashwaganda and turmeric made by Kabian who is also the beekeeper. This space is the perfect balance of ranch meets wellness, which might just be my favorite combination ever. I have a strong feeling this is only the beginning of my story with Barb and this beautiful place she has brought to life, and I am already dreaming of all the possibilities. Til next time @blueskyauberge ! ( @aubergeresorts what an honor it is to continue to collaborate with you )

Cowgirl things ????