Q&A with Zoie Kingsvery Coe of Kid & Coe
Zoie Kingsbery Coe, a mom of 2 (Luca, 7.5 and India Rose, 4) is the founder of Kid & Coe, a family travel website offering child-friendly places to stay around the world. Described by Conde Nast Traveller as offering high-spec pads for children and their entourage, the company is built on the tenet of both simplifying and inspiring family travel. She is based in New York City and spends her summers in London and Ibiza.
If you are planning family travel, then Kid & Coe is the only way to go!
What I love most about being a mom it the absolute undying love for those little creatures that you have and if you let them, the lessons that they teach you. Every single day I think I should be writing down the things they say like “I want to be a flying unicorn!” or “Do all grown ups fall in love?”. Their way of looking at the world gives you a beautiful perspective. They bring with them a real family unity. They do make a partnership difficult, but if you can get through the hard part they make your relationship stronger and that’s beautiful.
I did breastfeed both of my children for the good part of a year. That period of my life is such a blur but I remember lots of strapless summer hippy dresses for my summer girl and oversized button downs for my fall baby.
{Has it changed?} I would say yes to a degree, but I’ve never really been a fussy dresser - I’m not super girly and tend towards classic, well made things with a twist. I definitely wear less heels, unless I’m having a night out with my friends or my husband. I would also say I’m less bothered with having lots of choices and happier to just have my go-to’s that I know are made well and I don’t have to think too much about it.
My Mom-On-The-Go outfit is typically Zara or Acne jeans, chunky boots or Golden Goose sneakers and anything by Thakoon.
Color Block Midi Skirt - Go anywhere and can be dressed up or down
Floral Shirtdress - I Heart Shirtdresses and love a funky pattern
Patio Dress - Perfect Ibiza dress
Drop Waist Dress - Classic french twist
Blazer - Blazers pull everything together
Chambray Jumpsuit - I love anything chambray
Romper - Cute for a night out dancing
Sequin Lip Sweater - I love a good knit
Blue Cableknit Sweater - Chunky cableknit-yes please
Dot Sweater - Great pattern blocking and neutral to wear with patterns
{Tell us more about Kid & Coe} The company has been running since October 2013 but this idea did take some time in the making. Wind it back a few years, and my husband, our baby and I were traveling the world (my husband is an international musician) and we were finding that hotels that had served us incredibly well in the days when we were child-free, were no longer working for us as a family. I found it a lot of effort to find properties that were truly child-friendly and suitable, and during the course of our travels, started to draw together a list of those that worked, and how to go about it.
Over time, that list was hotly prized by my friends, and so the idea was born. I drew together a team, partly in New York City and partly in London and began to work with concepts and ideas to bring it together. It’s been a lot of work - anyone who works in a start up would second that - but it’s so great to see it in action and hear from families who we have helped.
On a good day, I wake an hour before the kids and catch up with my London team and get a jump on emails. My kids get picked up around 7:40am so we have an inevitable rush just before then.
I then try and throw in a gym session. Working out is a really great business idea, I have a chance to clear my mind, really focus, and propel myself into the work day, which could bring anything from investor meetings to web development work, marketing strategy and host conversations.
As both my children are at school now and as my husband’s schedule is flexible, when he is home with us he’s a very hands on dad and takes them to a lot of their activities. We all try and convene for family dinner as much as possible and when they are in bed, I check into my emails a little too, although I wish I didn’t!
The have-it-all question is valid because we all want it! I don’t think anyone truly believes that they have it right. For my part, I believe in being 100% present in what I’m doing - that means that when I’m at work, I’m there and committing to it completely; when I’m having a chat with India Rose, I’m not also checking my iPhone for emails, and when I’m with my husband, we’re not multitasking, we’re trying to give each other attention. That’s my best tip!
mother: empathetic
traveler: adventurous
business owner: determined
friend: loyal
Bedtime Story: My Many Colored Days-Dr. Seuss
Lullaby: Bedtime with the Beatles
Vacation Spot: Ibiza
Restaurant: Il Buco-NYC
Children’s Brand: Jcrew, Mini Boden & Zara
I wish I had known to trust my instincts more, that everything I needed to know how to do would become apparent to me, like all the mommas that came before me. While I’m free-spirited, I also like things to be just so, and I spent far too much time reading and trying to be “perfect”. Childhood goes way too fast, and your way is the right way.
Embrace the chaos.
