My guest today is Eleanor Cording-Booth, an interiors writer whose work you’ve probably come across in publications such as House & Garden, British Vogue, Cabana Magazine and the Evening Standard. On Instagram and Substack, she’s known as A Considered Space, where she shares everything from beautifully written personal essays to impeccable design and fashion edits, her “All Things Considered” recommendations, travel tips, and so much more.
She’s also a good friend of mine, and someone I admire enormously—not just for her exquisite taste and unique sense of style, but for her razor-sharp wit, self-deprecating humour, and, as a fellow neurodivergent gal, her ability to see the world in such an interesting way.
When we first sat down to record this episode almost a year ago, we talked about all of those things. But since then, Eleanor’s life has taken a completely unexpected turn.
As she entered a new year and a new decade, she found herself navigating the sudden end of her eleven-year relationship. Not long after turning forty and getting engaged, she became unexpectedly single, having to leave not only her beloved Barbican flat but also London—the city she’d called home for years—and move back in with her family in suburban South Yorkshire.
Now, if you’re thinking this is a sad story... think again.
In this episode, Eleanor shares how she went from feeling like she’d lost everything in one fell swoop—and genuinely wondering whether she’d ever recover—to rediscovering herself with a renewed sense of confidence, energy and excitement for what’s next.
One of the things that struck me most about our conversation was hearing Eleanor describe how she was able to move forward perhaps more quickly than even she expected, because she wasn’t carrying anger or resentment with her. I found that such a refreshing perspective, and one that stayed with me long after we stopped recording.
It’s also why we both felt it was important to re-record this episode. The conversation we had a year ago was lovely, but this one felt more honest, more timely and, ultimately, much more meaningful. It’s about starting over, letting go of the life you thought you’d have, and discovering that sometimes what feels like the end can quietly become the beginning of something even better.
If you enjoy this conversation—or if it resonates with you in any way—I would be so grateful if you could spare a minute to support the show by following Spilling Tea, leaving a rating or review, or sharing the episode with someone who might need to hear it.
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