In addition to being an extraordinarily successful author and publisher, Helen Nicoll was an outstanding creator of domestic comfort. Wherever she was living – and in more than 30 years I visited her in seven homes – she established a special type of elegant cosiness; the fire lit, the cushions plumped up, and on the kitchen table hand-picked flowers and freshly baked bread.
We spent much time together in south-west Ireland, where Helen was absorbed in traditional crafts, but the same apparently timeless domestic quality was there in her London flat. In the middle of the busy lives of herself and her many friends, Helen's home was always a refuge of calm stability.
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