Ageless Style: Leslie Lord of Hostess of the Humble Bungalow on Thrifting, David Austin Roses, and the Art of Living Beautifully in Canada
If you’ve ever landed on a blog and felt instantly at home, like you’d pulled up a chair at a friend’s kitchen table, you’ll understand exactly what Leslie Lord has been creating at Hostess of the Humble Bungalow since 2009. A Victoria, British Columbia lifestyle blogger with a gift for finding beauty in the everyday, Leslie writes about slow living, thrift shopping, growing David Austin roses, and the art of gracious hospitality in an arts-and-crafts bungalow built in 1912. She is, in every sense, a woman who lives what she writes. I’ve long admired Leslie’s quiet, unhurried voice, which is rare in a content landscape that rewards loud and fast. When I invited her to join the Ageless Style Series, she said yes with the same gentle generosity that comes through in every post she writes. I think you’re going to love her. Pull up a chair and grab a cup of tea. Let’s chat about Ageless Style: Leslie Lord of Hostess of the Humble Bungalow on Thrifting, David Austin Roses, and the Art of Living Beautifully in Canada.
Ageless Style: Leslie Lord of Hostess of the Humble Bungalow on Thrifting, David Austin Roses, and the Art of Living Beautifully in Canada
Leslie, your blog Hostess of the Humble Bungalow has been a beloved destination for women seeking ageless style, thrift shopping inspiration, and slow-living ideas for years now. When you first started blogging, did you imagine it would grow into such a rich record of a life beautifully lived, or were you like many of us just making it up as you went?
When I started my blog Hostess of The Humble Bungalow in November of 2009, I had no idea where it would take me or how long I might be writing posts and here I am in 2026 still writing on the blog.
Blogging was relatively new to me in 2009. I was enjoying reading other people’s blogs and it looked like a fun hobby, a place where I could share personal experiences in a creative way. I suppose I was exploring this freedom of expression, and as you say, making it up as I went along.
The phrase “ageless style” gets used everywhere these days, but I feel like you actually embody it rather than just preach it. In your own words, what does dressing agelessly mean? Is it more about how clothes make you feel, or how they make the world see you?
Ageless Style is a bit hard to explain…to me it is one’s personal style which transitions seamlessly as we advance in age. For example, if you have a “basic style or uniform” you wear it as effortlessly at 30 as you do at 70. The style reflects your personal taste, socio and economic background in a timeless way that has evolved with very little tweaking over the years. Dressing agelessly is more about how the clothes make me feel…appropriate for the occasion, confident and that they are an honest reflection of my personal style.
You’ve been a longtime advocate of thrifting. When you walk into a thrift store or vintage shop, what are you actually looking for, and how do you train your eye to spot something truly special among all the riffraff?
Thrifting! It goes way back in my history, you could almost say it is in my DNA! My mom took us thrifting before thrifting was a “thing.” Mom was a thrifty homemaker who loved fashion and was a clever seamstress who could update and remake other people’s classic cast offs and make them look brand new. Over the many years of thrift shopping, I have trained and honed my eye to recognize quality items, and this goes beyond high end designer name brand pieces. When I go into a thrift store, I arrive with an open mind…and I take my time while I slowly peruse the stock and look at each item carefully. If you are in a hurry, you might just miss that treasure like the recent Burberry wool plaid scarf I found that was crammed into the Tee shirt rack in the men’s section!
I think of thrifting and growing David Austin roses as sort of kindred pursuits. Both ask you to be patient, to see potential that isn’t quite visible yet, to trust your instincts. Do you feel that connection between your garden and your wardrobe?
I’ve never thought about that connection…but with bare root roses one does need to have faith…faith in the soil and faith that the tender care and nurturing of the plant will help it get established and then in a few months you will be able to enjoy the blooms. With my wardrobe, I have been trusting that I know what I am doing and where I am headed! My goal has been to buy a few quality classic items that work together in a small carefully curated colour palette. Adding a few well-chosen accessories that will make the minimalist wardrobe work like a well-oiled machine! I feel comfortable and confident that I have achieved my goal.
Your love of David Austin roses drew me to your blog. Growing roses well takes specific knowledge and devotion. Can you walk us through what your rose garden looks like right now?
When we bought our home, I knew we wanted to grow a lush garden, so I joined the Victoria Horticultural Society and I met so many wonderful people in that group, one of whom forever changed my feelings about roses!
Vi was my mentor and she got me “hooked” on David Austin Roses…she was generous with her expertise and shared her triumphs and failures. She is responsible for my very serious rose habit…from 1 lone rose that bloomed and then has blossomed into 35 roses. Our garden is rather dormant at the moment, but the soil is freshly mulched, roses are pruned and they are currently leafing out ready to burst forth in bloom in late May and June and repeat bloom throughout the summer.
Graham Thomas Rose
Tell me about a thrift find that genuinely surprised you, something you almost walked away from, that turned out to be amazing. I want the full story: the moment you saw it, what made you hesitate, and what happened after you brought it home.
My most memorable thrift shop find was a pair of Heintz Art Metal bronze and sterling bookends. I found the pair under $10 and knew they were a steal of a deal! I did a bit of research on their value and took them to a well-known arts and crafts dealer’s shop in town and he gave me $500 cash on the spot…I ran across the street to the antique mall and bought a baroque strand of natural pearls! I wore those pearls proudly for years.
Your daily walks feel like such a grounding ritual in your life. What do you notice on a walk that most people would probably walk right past? And have years of walking mindfully changed how you see beauty everywhere and in your own home?
I am home recuperating from a hip replacement surgery and am thinking how lovely it will be to return to my daily walks! I think what opened up my eyes to the small snippets of beauty during these walks was the iPhone camera and the ease with which I could capture images, There are so many scenic walks here in Victoria along the waterfront, in local parks and open gardens that one can never tire of the opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty. I often think that we overlook moments of beauty and also what we classify as beautiful…in our home there is a lot of old growth Douglas fir wood paneling, and each panel is different and the grain is intricate and there is the patina of age. There are marks made by previous owners and imperfections that I am loathe to “fix” as they add character.
Cooking seems to be where so many of your worlds converge: your seasonal garden, the beautifully set table, the art of hospitality. Is your kitchen a quiet, meditative space for you, or does it only come alive when there are people to feed?
Cooking and preparing meals in The Humble Bungalow is usually a calm and meditative activity. Making soup for example, washing and chopping vegetables, sautéing them in our big red Le Creuset Dutch Oven. The scent of the simmering broth, the occasional stirring, all come together in a joyous healthy bowl of homemade goodness. We’ve hosted many years of family dinners…Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and Sunday Roast Beef Suppers.
I love and happily plan the menus, setting the table and watching the crowd devour and enjoy a simple meal. Hostessing is so much more than just providing the food…it is an honoured role that I have willingly taken on.
You live in Victoria, British Columbia, a city with its own personality and beauty. How much do you think your corner of the world has shaped your aesthetic? Would the Humble Bungalow look and feel the same somewhere else?
I was born and raised in Victoria BC and only left for a couple of years when my husband was studying in Vancouver, so it is a city that I have come to know well and watched many changes over 71 years. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.
Our Humble Bungalow was built in 1912 and has been occupied for many years. We researched all the former residents and noted very few significant structural changes, just what we refer to as “deep decorating.” We purchased it in 1982 with the intent for a complete restoration honouring the integrity of arts and crafts design and style of architecture.
Constance Spry Rose
When you think about the women who read your blog faithfully, that you are really connected to. What do you most want them to take away? Has there been a season — in your garden, your blog, or your life — that felt genuinely hard? And if so, what pulled you through it and what did it teach you about starting over or finding beauty again?
I am very grateful to women who read my blog and have made contact with me. I keep in touch with quite a few and we have made arrangements to meet up when they have been visiting Victoria. I want readers to know that I am not anything out of the ordinary. I’ve had some ups and downs like most people and have done my best to cope with these challenges in a quiet way. I’ve found strength by sitting in Nature, tending to my garden and focusing on home keeping.
I am a content woman who is living life in an old home surrounded by a vibrant garden grateful to have been blessed with family and good friends.
You’ve stayed true to a certain quietness and quality in your blog at a time when so much content is loud, fast, and disposable. Was that a conscious choice, or simply the only way you know how to write?
I write in a quiet way…just as I live.
If a woman in her mid-fifties is just beginning to find her own style, not the style she thinks she should have, but the one that’s actually hers, what’s the first thing you’d tell her? And what would you gently warn her away from?
I wouldn’t warn her about anything as those life lessons that she may experience are teaching tools.
If I was to give advice, which I rarely do, it might sound something like … slow down, listen, pay attention, take note and enjoy the journey.
Finally, paint me a picture of a perfect day in your world right now. If everything lines up just right. What does it look like from morning to evening?
Oh my goodness…I suppose I’d start the day after a restorative sleep. Wake up to a warm sunny day with a cup of fresh espresso, time to sit and count my blessings. Perhaps putter in my garden, pick a bouquet of roses. Go to a thrift shop and walk along the seafront. Meet a friend or friends for lunch or tea and then get together with the family and go out for dinner. Later I’d sit on the porch with my husband sipping a night cap before we head inside for bed taking note of and being grateful for the beautiful day that has been…
Jude the Obscure Rose
If you could give your younger self any words of advice, what would they be? Share your words to live by:
Leslie is a beautiful reminder that ageless style has nothing to do with fighting time and everything to do with settling more deeply into who you are. After 17 years of blogging about slow living, thrifting, David Austin roses, and the daily rituals that make an ordinary life feel rich, she hasn’t chased trends or changed her voice to suit an algorithm. She has simply kept writing, quietly, beautifully. The women who find her stay.
I hope you enjoyed reading Ageless Style: Leslie Lord of Hostess of the Humble Bungalow on Thrifting, David Austin Roses, and the Art of Living Beautifully in Canada. If you haven’t yet discovered Hostess of the Humble Bungalow, today is a very good day to start. I promise you’ll want to linger.
