In Bed With Zenn – Shelby Van Zwol

Introducing Shelby & Aspen Van Zwol.

Boss Lady of Chain Social, Career Girl Era Founder and most importantly, Mum to Aspen.

We caught up with Shelby recently and her delightful little girl, Aspen. We spoke all things motivation, night time rituals for her and Aspen and of course, her epic travel plans this year!

Insta: @shelbyvanzwol | @chainsocial

Well, I always joke to my husband that I’ll be a dermatologist in my “next” career. I’m obsessed with skin, skincare and all things skin health. So I definitely would have ended up in the medical/skin industry if I wasn’t such a creative soul! I am secretly working on something exciting in this space as we speak!

Ohhhh this is such a hard one as there have been so many defining moments. I think being able to treat my team to special experiences would be a highlight… Flying them to a Hayman Island holiday for boujee Christmas parties!

I get asked this often, and to be honest, I’d always say my mum. She’s just fierce, independent and inspiring yet nurturing, gentle and supportive. All qualities I aspire to have and emulate for my daughter. 

I love new challenges (and I get bored easily!) so working in marketing is the perfect outlet for me in this regard. No day is ever the same – with a rolling list of clients, we face new challenges, launches and campaigns. This allows me to push creative boundaries and drive some really exciting growth for our brands. In turn this is my ~drug~ and what keeps me motivated from day to day. 

I can’t take the credit for this! My wonderful interior designer Sally Caroline had spec’d this bed to match into Aspen’s gorgeous ‘big girl’ bedroom alongside the custom joinery. I then worked with Hannah at Zenn to select the perfect fabrics and bed linen, which I am obsessed with! 

My personality is confident and bold – as is my home – yet somehow when people visit they say it feels so homely. I like to believe the combination of unique stone surfaces, antique finds and custom-made furniture pieces delivers on my love for all-things colour and texture, which in turn create such a brilliant home environment. 

For me I love a deep soak in the bath and binge-watching MAFS – good for the soul! For Aspy, she loves her showers with mum, getting her bunnies ready for bed (she is so nurturing) and then reading books / telling stories from her day. Oh and picking her favourite pjs! She loves to ‘surprise’ us with how she can get dressed every night – we still act surprised even though this has been going on nightly for six plus months!

2024 will be on the calmer side for us (well compared to 2023 anyway!) We have a family holiday to Fiji planned for May, Greece in June and then back to the Maldives in January (Soneva Jani, our favourite place on earth). Holidays truly make me the best version of myself as I fully switch off from the digital world I live in 24-7. Making memories and experiencing the world with my family is my favourite thing and I never take it for granted. 

Controversial but to move house, haha! We have big dreams for our forever home by the beach and I’m excited to get this process started in late 2024, early 2025. My wish list is crazy, just like me. 

Shop the Look:

Aspen’s Bed
Bed: Custom Curved Bed in King Single
Fabric: Platinum - James Dunlop - Avalon by Zinc - Porcelain
Contact Us for a Custom Quote

Shelby’s Bed
Bed: Custom made
Fabric: Davina Cotton
Contact Us for a Custom Quote

Side Tables: Zenn Design X Christopher Blank Day Sleeper Side Tables in Zenn White Wash
Zenn Design x Christopher Blank Kip Side Tables in Zenn White Wash

Image Credits
Linen:

Abode Tulum Quilt Cover, Pewter 
Abode Citi Linen White Sheet Set
Abode Hungarian 650 Down Quilt, Classic

Wall Lights Master Bedroom: Rostrato wall sconces by Fabio Ltd

Wall Light Aspen's Bedroom: Anna Charlesworth Flower Wall Light