THIS QUEEN BEE IS BUSY KEEPING THE BUZZ ALIVE
Laura Silverman meets a family whose three-storey house is a living shrine to all things apian
It is one thing to bring work home with you and another to furnish your home with constant reminders of your job. Yet Sarah Orecchia, founder of Unbeelievable Health, has done just that. Orecchia is on a mission to “save the bees” by raising awareness of their dying numbers through a range of health products; The Beehive, her family home in Notting Hill, west London, reflects her dedication. With a beehive light in the living room and a yellow coffee-maker in the kitchen, a cynic might find this three-storey house a bit gimmicky. But Orecchia and her husband, Emilio, appear genuinely passionate about their cause. The couple live with their two children, Elizabeth, 13, and Amelia, 11, and their terrier, Oscar. For the past 15 months, they have shuffled between this house, which they have just put up for sale, and a rented property nearby. “We’ve used both places for flexibility and space, guests and entertaining,” says Orecchia. “It’s been fun, but we now want everything under one roof.” Orecchia has spent much of her life between two places. At 19, she moved from Mississippi to London to study. She then met Emilio, who had a job in New York, and they lived between Britain and the US. It was the travelling that inspired Orecchia’s business plan. “I was looking for something that would stop us getting sick from all the flights, and propolis [a resin collected by honeybees] kept coming up,” she says. “I thought I’d develop a formula.” Orecchia wanted the business to have “a higher purpose”, and soon realised how well her proposal linked to the concern that bees were under threat from pesticides, disease and a decline in wild-flower meadows where they collect nectar and pollen. A range of products, she thought, would draw attention to bees’ plight, and she would give “a portion” to “bee causes”. Since 1900, more than 20 species of bee have vanished, and more than a quarter of the remaining 267 species are under threat. Friends of the Earth has recently created a Great British Bee app to allow users to track bee numbers. The health claims for bee propolis are, of course, hardly new. It is thought to be an antiinflammatory, and was used by the Greeks and Romans to heal wounds. But Unbeelievable Health, which was set up four years ago, is cashing in on a revival of interest in natural remedies and all things “bee”. Given its alleged benefits (Orecchia says her “wellness formula” can help with diets, 1National beekeeping beginners’ kit The perfect starter kit for budding beekeepers. From £387, thorne.co.uk 2Beehaus, the ultimate modern beehive, available in five colours to suit your garden or rooftop. £499, omlet.co.uk 3All- in-one beekeeper’s protective suit comes in an array of colours, including lilac and daffodil. Suits are also available for children. £85.94, paynesbeefarm. co.uk 4Electric smoker. Stainless steel smoker with battery-operated fan. £17.50, thorne.co.uk 5Collins Beekeeper’s Bible. A comprehensive beekeeping resource that covers all the essentials, including hive management. £30, foyles.co.uk colds, flu, hay fever, sports and exam stress) and its bee-friendly image, it’s no wonder that the Unbeelievable range has taken off. Even Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Pendleton are said to be fans. The most striking feature of Orecchia’s house is a 2ft high beehive light in the living room, bought at the Designersblock fair at the Southbank Centre about 10 years ago. “On the internet, there are tonnes of beehive chandeliers,” she says. “I thought, one could really go crazy with this. But then I don’t want to look like ‘crazy bee lady’. People could get the wrong idea.” Indeed. But many furnishings are more subtle. There are yellow flower pots (by Scheurich), a yellow coffee-maker (Gnali & Zani) and yellow cushions in most rooms (mainly because “yellow makes me happy”). There are also black armchairs (Knoll), honeycomb prints (eBay), a bee candle-holder (Beefayre), a honeypot decorated with bees (by a friend of Orecchia’s mother-in-law), and artfully scattered bee books (with yellow covers). The Beehive has charm, character and a peculiar precision about it. From Orecchia’s black and yellow outfit, which matches most of the furnishings, to the cover of a copy of Country Life on the table featuring the same breed of dog as Oscar, a Lucas terrier (the dog just happens to be honey coloured), it appears that disorder is for the outside world. Every room, including both bedrooms and bathrooms, is decorated in greys and beiges, albeit with a splash of yellow. From a corner sofa to a dozen baskets carefully placed on the living room shelves, the rooms are full of clean lines and clean shapes. The only personal elements on display are a set of photographs in the main room. But even these have a professional link: they are by Emilio’s mother, who takes pictures for a living. They might not be of bees, but they do have an “Orecchia feel” to them: a sense of surreal harmony. One is of a pig and cow on a farm in New York who liked “hanging out” so much, says Orecchia, that when they were separated, the pig “ran down the road to find the cow”. The photographs and the furnishings work so well in the house that it is easy to imagine a buyer wanting to purchase everything. “We’d consider it,” says Orecchia. “It would be fun to have a fresh start.” 40 Ossington Street, London W2 is for sale at £1,925,000 through Crayson (020 7221 1117; crayson.com)