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BEAUTIFUL OLD HOMES

DECOR ATING & SHOPPING

GARDEN ANTIQUES INSPIRATION & VINTAGE

RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE

PERIODLIVING BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE

Country charm

Homes to inspire – from a Tudor farmhouse to a former coach house

FEBRUARY 2022

Romantic

florals

Decorate with enchanting fabrics and wallpapers

GARDEN DELIGHTS Plant a host of golden daffodils

RESTORE AND REPAIR WOODEN FLOORING

EXPERT GUIDE TO BUYING AN ANTIQUE DESK

Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd

Editor’s Letter

appy homes are those that make us feel nurtured and relaxed. Whether through decorating with an uplifting colour palette; using soft textures to create a cosy environment; or surrounding ourselves with beautiful pieces that make our hearts sing, these considered design choices have a positive effect on well-being and create a sense of truly being ‘home’. What’s so special about period properties is that they come ready-imbued with character and history, making them feel warm and lived in. So when investing in new designs, rather than going against the grain, use your instincts to make thoughtful choices that will enhance that feeling and add to your home’s story. Instead of buying all the latest trend-led designs, a harmonious mix of old and new will complement the house beautifully – celebrating its individuality and showing how it has evolved over time.

The room that is most often at the heart of design plans is the kitchen. It is a space that is steeped in nostalgia, and it’s vital to embrace that, yet it must also be fit for 21st-century life.

To help you get the right balance, content editor Holly Reaney explains the art of creating a vintage-inspired scheme that combines timeless aesthetics with modern functionality (page 117).

Not only highlighting the best examples, she explores how using craft-led designs and vintage pieces is also a more sustainable approach that will result in a space you’ll love for years to come.

Elsewhere this issue, we’re starting to make plans for the garden. Nature will soon begin to stir from its winter slumber, and one of the first signs of spring is the daffodil, bringing a ray of sunshine that reassures us brighter days are ahead. PL’s gardening expert Leigh Clapp takes a look at this joyful bulb flower, and the best ways to grow it (page 143).

Meanwhile, National Trust head gardener Rosie Fyles shares the secrets of Georgian gardens, and how to recreate their elegant style on a domestic scale (page 136).

Whatever your plans for your home and garden this year, why not let Period Living help you get the best out of it? For a limited time, you can save 50 per cent on an annual subscription and get the magazine delivered straight to your door (page 54). Enjoy the issue!

Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living

Period Living 3

Decorating & shopping

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Homes

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Journal We round up the latest interiors offerings and news

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Coloured glassware

Decorate with dark florals Create bold and romantic interiors that embrace nature’s moodier side

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Ceiling roses Add period grandeur to your home with these elegant designs

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Be inspired by Holly Armour’s idyllic 16th-century home

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Bring jewel tones to your home with these beautiful creations

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Pretty in pink

Features

Taking stock Having downsized, Amyta and Jamie Warde-Aldam have created a home full of family heirlooms

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A military operation This elegant townhouse behind Britain’s last Georgian barracks has become a characterful home

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Instant attraction Inspired by her home’s history, Isobel James’ former coach house is brimming with industrial charm

Made in Britain We visit artist Maude Smith’s home, which is full of her joyful creations and tools of her craft

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Artist’s inspiration We share the winner and our favourite runners-up from last year’s Garden Art Competition

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Antiques journal Discover the latest antiques trends and hear collectors’ stories

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Decorative details Marc Allum delves into the world of antique desks

127

Recipes Celebrate French flavours with these Parisian-inspired bakes

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149

Heritage highlights Be enchanted by the remnants of some of the country’s most atmospheric buildings

41

Cover Photograph Polly Eltes

Period Living 7

136

143 Advice & inspiration

93

Gardens

133

House journal New products and expert advice for improving a period home

101

Expert Roger Hunt advises on repairing your wooden floors

105

Guide to buying windows Find the best designs for your home, plus maintenance tips

113

Garden journal

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The latest garden products, and horticultural advice

136

Health check

Regulars

Gardens in time National Trust head gardener Rosie Fyles looks at Georgian garden design

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How to grow daffodils

We share our readers’ letters and photographs

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Vintage kitchen designs Embrace charm and nostalgia to create a timeless kitchen full of heritage treasures

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In the picture Discover all the wonders of Beatrix Potter’s world in a new exhibition

Be inspired by this stunning renovation work-in-progress

117

Subscription offer Subscribe to Period Living for just £28.50 and save 50 per cent

Easy and reliable, these spring flowers will bring golden beauty into your garden

Project journal

Your journal

Readers’ letters, projects and views on the magazine

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DIY INSPIRATION I just wanted to say how impressed I was with Imogen and Tom Stead’s renovation project, in the November issue.

I was especially taken with their work on the front façade (above and below) – it was a gift to both the neighbours and the local environment. Nona Ridley

After reading about Imogen and Tom’s home (left), we wanted to share the story of our own renovation.

In 2017, following a family bereavement, we were able to purchase a Grade II*-listed cottage (right and below). Dating back to 1650, it had been empty for over two years and was an ex-housing association property. As a result, it needed a lot of TLC to restore its original beauty. We reconfigured the upstairs floorplan, replaced the kitchen, painted over purple walls, opened up and cleaned up the fireplace, and removed a 1980s gas fire – and that was just the start. The wonky timbers meant the bedroom floor was sloped, so our carpenter made stilts for one side of the bed to level it. The work took three months, and we now have a beautiful holiday home, named ‘Charlie’s Cottage’ in honour of the relative who left us the money that made it all possible. Rachel and Shaun Greetham This month’s star letter writer receives a bottle of The Secret Garden Distillery’s Apothecary Rose gin, worth £35.95.

Crafted using 100 per cent natural ingredients, the gin combines hints of Turkish delight with brown sugar notes for a delicious G&T

COTTAGE CHARM I recently bought a small 17th-century Grade II-listed cottage, and my daughters purchased me a subscription to Period Living to get ideas. However, you never seem to show ideas for very small cottages. I would be able to fit my whole cottage in the living room of some of the lovely houses you feature.

Some smaller cottage ideas would be welcome! Sarah Baldwin Editor’s reply: Thank you for writing in – we try to include all types and sizes of period homes, and have some lovely cottage-inspired features planned for future issues.

Get in touch: periodliving@futurenet.com

@periodlivingmagazine

@PeriodLivingMag

@period_living Period Living 11

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Discover new ideas for decorating, beautiful design collaborations and craft-led pieces

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Annie Sloan has collaborated with the Royal Horticultural Society to launch a range of botanical-inspired decoupage papers. A popular craft in the Victorian era, decoupage traditionally involves decorating objects and furniture with paper cut-outs, before sealing the design with as many as 40 layers of varnish. However, Annie’s new papers are ready to be cut out, arranged and stuck down with just two coats of special adhesive, making it easy to create your own personalised designs for walls and furniture. This RHS Songbird design costs £11.95, and the adhesive is £8.95.

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News

Samson lamp, £260, with Dia.35cm drum shade in Botanical Flora, £68

Stucco lamp in Turquoise, £104, with Dia.30cm straight empire shade in Hera Plume in Jade, £63

Milo lamp in White, £104, with Dia.20cm empire shade in Quill in Bloomer, £42

Ted lamp, £91, with Dia.35cm straight empire shade in Poppy Meadowfield in Jade, £74

LIGHT & SHADE Lighting designer Pooky has collaborated with heritage British brand Liberty to launch a stunning new collection of lampshades. Delving into the legendary Liberty print archive, 10 classic designs were chosen and reinterpreted in fresh new colours. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, each shade is made to mix, match and pair with Pooky’s collection of floor, table and wall lamps.

MINI TREND PAINTED CANDLES Style a romantic dining table this Valentine’s Day with the addition of beautifully decorated candles.

Leopard print candles, £25 for 2, Rockett St George

Lacquered twist candle in Sage, £24 for 6, Rebecca Udall

Large handpainted Wisteria candle, £100, Bable FROM THE ARCHIVE Featuring large-scale stylised florals, flamboyant scrolled leaves and pomegranates, Damaskus is a new wallpaper

by Totty Lowther inspired by a 19th-century silk damask.

Discovered by Totty in a textile dealership in London, the cloth originally came from a pair of curtains, which once hung in a Mallorcan castle before being sold in Christie’s.

Totty has scaled up and recoloured the design in colours inspired by Levantine flowers, fruits and patinas, and has had it printed on grass cloth and parchment. £200 per roll.

Mixed three-colour striped candle, £25.95 for 6, Ad&i

News ONCE UPON A TIME A specialist in handpainted and hand-embroidered wallcoverings, Fromental has woven Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit illustrations into a whimsical chinoiserie landscape, fusing 18th-century exoticism with British Victorian heritage. Designed to spark the imagination, but to equally look beautiful and elegant in a period home, the wallcovering is priced at £292 per 3m panel. ‘It’s a charming marriage of decorative arts, with 18th-century historical precedent meeting some of England’s most beloved children’s illustrations,’ says Lizzie Deshayes, co-founder and design director at Fromental. ‘We have not changed our chinoiserie style, nor have we changed the handwriting of Peter Rabbit as drawn by Beatrix Potter, yet somehow they seamlessly work together.’

Prints depicting (clockwise from top left) Prothonotary Warblers, Barn Owls, and Yellow Billed Cuckoo

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ing natur v r e e s b Comprising four volumes

published between 1827 and 1838, Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a landmark book featuring 435 spectacular hand-coloured ornithological prints. It was the culmination of Audubon’s ambition to paint every bird species in North America, and as the prints were life-sized, was printed on paper almost a metre long. In celebration of the artistry and legacy of the book, the National Museum of Scotland will this month open Audubon’s Birds of America, showcasing 46 unbound prints from the museum’s collection, as well as a rare bound volume of the book, on loan from the Mitchell Library. 12 February – 8 May 2022, adults £10; concession £7.50-8.50; children free.

Images (Audubon’s Birds of America) © National Museums Scotland

BLISS IN A BOX If you love to fill your home with fragrance and the cosy glow of flickering candlelight, then why not get a candle subscription box straight to your door?

Based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, The Botanical Candle Co ethically produces hand-poured soy wax candles based around unfussy natural fragrances.

Each month it puts together special subscription packages for candle lovers across the country.

Choose from its Soy Wax Melt boxes, £17.95, and Ultimate Candle subscription box, £29 (right), to the Collaboration box, £34, which includes candles, homeware, stationery and treats - all available delivered monthly or bi-monthly. The scents and style of the candles are changed each month to reflect the seasons, giving the perfect aroma for every mood and time of year.

SUSTAINABLE STUFF British design brand House of Hackney has partnered with The Woolkeepers initiative, to ensure its cushions will be filled only with wool from sustainable sources. The initiative supports farmers, as the wool is purchased at a fair price, enabling them to focus on animal welfare and good agricultural practices. You will even be able to trace the provenance of your cushion filling by scanning a QR code.

Earth Girl large velvet cushion, £195

Camelot Stripe jacquard frill cushion in Sapphire and Jadeite, £165 Andastra large velvet cushion in Almandine, £195

WINTER WONDERS Handmade by Scottish printmaker Kate Millbank, this hanging solstice owl decoration is guaranteed to brighten up grey winter days. Screenprinted onto FSC birchwood ply from Kate’s linocut design, the owls are available in either white or midnight blue, and come with or without additional sun, moon and star shapes, from £22.

an revi t t va a R Wicker furniture l is having a moment and inspired by the traditional craft, interior designer Louise Roe has launched Sharland England. Offering sustainably sourced handcrafted rattan pieces, as well as lovingly reupholstered antiques and hand-made cushions, the collection is inspired by her childhood growing up in the English countryside, and is designed to bring warmth and nostalgia to the home. Discover chairs, sideboards and bedside tables to trays and plant pots.

Pinet plant pot, from £75

Grace bedside table, £350 Hadley tray, £175

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Swid console table, £450

Shopping Turquoise speckled vase, from £48, House of Flora Mosser Glass 12” cake plate in Jade, £85, The Hambledon

Crystal tumbler in Raspberry, £42, Joanna Wood

Pols Potten mixed cuttings wine glasses, £150 for a set of 6, Amara Royal Brierley Harris Ink Blue tall spirit decanter, £150, Dartington Crystal

Bright Splash glass tumbler, £15, Not on the High Street

A touch of glass

Totem Lozenge pendant light, £2,450, Curiousa & Curiousa

Bring lustrous jewel tones to your home with a dazzling array of glassware that spans the colour spectrum

Gabriella Murano glass carafe in Pale Blue, £89, Rebecca Udall

Glass jug in Clear/Amber/ Pink, £45, Spicer & Wood

Rovzen glass lamp base in Green, £165, Birdie Fortescue

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Anna + Nina, glass candle holder in Southern Sun Orange, £34.95, Liberty

Small Lisboa glass shade in Turquoise, £90, with Drake wood and brass wall fitting, £48, Pooky

Handblown twist glass bon bon dish in Burgundy, £45, Montes & Clark

Green glass bud vases, £13 for a set of 3, The Nest Homeware

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Midnight garden Create bold and romantic interiors that embrace nature’s dark side by decorating with moody floral prints NIGHT BLOOMS Alive with dancing foxgloves and hollyhocks that twinkle in the twilight, this stunning Midnight Garden mural wallpaper by Flora Roberts for Hamilton Weston would make a magical feature wall in a living room. Based on Flora’s handpainted artwork, the design takes inspiration from the Impressionist painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent.

Price on request.

Image (this page) styling Sally Denning, photograph Polly Wreford

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Decorating

FOLKSY FLORALS Dark florals are often grand and flamboyant – think 17th-century Dutch flower paintings. These can work well in large townhouses where they have room to shine, but in more rural properties why not go for a smallerscale folksy print? Inspired by the design heritage of Transylvania, Mind the Gap’s Zabola wallpaper features milfoil, bluebells and various local wildflowers from the Carpathian forests. £175 for 3 rolls (W5.2xL3m).

rom dramatic oversized blooms to delicate handpainted garden flowers, dark floral prints are guaranteed to bring romance and glamour to your interior. If you dare to be different, papering wall-to-wall in botanical designs will create instant period drama, which is a brilliant look for occasional and entertaining spaces where you can afford to be more experimental.

To soften the look, pair papers with painted panelling and window treatments in plain fabrics. For restful spaces like bedrooms and for schemes that are a little easier to live with, consider introducing dark floral fabrics through upholstery, curtains and blinds. Alternatively, for a quick and easy way to channel the trend, try adding in accessories such as lampshades and cushions.

When decorating with floral prints in dark colours, it’s important to consider the scale of a design. Largescale prints will make a real impact, while a ditsy repeat or elegant, sinuous design will bring a more relaxed feel.

VELVET CRUSH Above right: Buying a sofa is a big investment so it’s easy to see why so many people play it safe with plain colours; however, if you dare to be different, then using a bold print on a sofa can make a spectacular focal point. Featuring sculptural shapes of lupins, ferns and strawberries, this Strawberry Fields fabric in Autumn Conker, by Parker & Jules at The Fabric Collective, is available in both velvet and linen – we think the velvet, £141.90 per m, really makes the print stand out and brings added luxury to a living room.

ROCK & ROLL GLAMOUR Below right: Moody botanicals needn’t just be reserved for living spaces and bedrooms – if you love bold prints, then why not decorate the kitchen with dark floral prints for a quirky look? Taken from a 1937 archive document, Hollyhocks is one of Sanderson’s signature floral fabrics, which has been newly released as a beautiful surface-printed wallpaper for its One Sixty anniversary collection and recoloured in this dramatic Copper/Rhodera colourway, £105 per roll.

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Decorating

MIDNIGHT MEADOW Predominately used for evening entertaining, dining rooms are the perfect space for decorating with dark wallpapers as they help to create an intimate atmosphere for a dinner party. Featuring a jumble of meadow flowers, this pretty Fearne Cotton Hope and Bloom wallpaper in Navy, £99 per roll from Woodchip & Magnolia, is guaranteed to turn heads while adding a whimsical softness.

TWO-TONE DRAMA Above left: Wallpapers with large-scale blooms bring so much wow factor to interiors. Featuring upscaled white peonies set against a contrasting black background, this beautiful Paeonia design, £109 per roll from Harlequin, makes large blousy blooms the real stars of the show; try it in rooms with tall ceilings to bring a more intimate feel.

MAKE A SPLASH Above right: Introducing prints through furniture and accessories is an easy way to channel moody florals. Bring a touch of period drama to a luxurious bathroom with a traditional screen covered in a dark, romantic floral print. For a similar design, try Allure by Graham & Brown, £65 per roll.

HEDGEROW DELIGHTS Right: For a vintage-inspired bedroom with atmosphere, combine traditional wood panelling with a romantic hedgerow-inspired print set on a dark background. Calming, elegant and celebrating the beauty of nature, Boråstapeter’s Sångfåglar wallpaper, £66 per roll, features dainty songbirds and butterflies among mulberry branches and sweet mock orange blossom on a softened black backdrop. Pick out a shade from the paper for other elements of your scheme, like how the mild olive tone of the songbirds has been replicated here on the panelling, door and frame.

Image (above right) Katya de Grunwald

PERSONAL TOUCH Left: For a subtle nod to the dark botanical trend, try decorating the back of a display cabinet. Handpainted with a bespoke design by Devol’s in-house artist Rosie, this beautiful piece would bring unique style to a kitchen or living room. Prices for the Curiosity cupboard start at £1,980.

Decorating

Creative spirit Maude Smith’s home reflects her many artistic passions. Whether designing, painting, upcycling or sewing, she is surrounded by her joyful creations and the tools of her craft Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Polly Eltes

Made in Britain

This image: When Maude moved into the townhouse in Stockwell seven years ago this garden wall was bare, uninspiring brick, so she painted it white and, with a friend, worked from the bottom up to paint the entire wall in foliage and climbers. She also painted the patio chairs Opposite: Appliqué work commissioned by a client; she often creates similar pieces as wedding gifts

ere it possible to have built her home from recycled materials and interesting finds, Maude Smith would have done so in a heartbeat. Instead she settled for decorating and furnishing the Victorian townhouse in Stockwell – which she shares with two others – with treasured finds, handmade soft furnishings and painted pre-loved furniture, which has not only saved them a small fortune, but also created a unique place to call home.

Few houses have kitchen units with doors made from corks and seashells, brightly coloured handpainted tiles covering the bathroom walls and the owner’s own-design wallpaper on the hall, stairs and landing. Yet Maude’s imaginative home is a homage to all things handmade and creative – a full-scale version of the wonderful handcrafted products that she sells through her online store, Maude Made (maudesmith.com).

She is a set designer, magazine stylist, painter, children’s book illustrator, embroiderer and dress-maker who, from dawn till dusk, spends every spare minute creating a bucolic world of nostalgia. She is so full of ideas and inspiration that she cannot work fast enough to recycle, upcycle and invent in her handmade haven.

‘My ambition was to be a dress designer and the painting was just for fun,’ says Maude. ‘At first it was just murals and furniture, and then people started commissioning pieces. As more and more clients came on board I found the furniture painting took over the dressmaking and the whole thing evolved from there.’

Now she works for an interiors magazine, styling photo shoots, while spending all of her spare time creating lovely things for her home, 30 Period Living

her customers and her online shop. In fact, she can scarcely remember a time when she was not ‘getting creative’. As a child she would make fairy tale houses and spaceships from cardboard boxes. As a teenager she made her own clothes.

She studied textiles at art college and then went on to work for a variety of creative companies, including a textiles studio in Brighton and a cloth house in Soho. She worked briefly as an art teacher and an art therapist. Though she is now often working on interiors shoots, she spends just as much time at home, finding new ways to bring joy into people’s lives with her own brand of folk-inspired household items.

Never a day goes by when Maude isn’t designing or creating something new and inventive – from patchwork quilts made using recycled scraps of material to salvaged battered furniture from skips and salerooms, which she paints in glorious colours and patterns. Maude’s inspiration comes from many sources. She loves William Morris in all his guises; the Arts and Crafts movement; the tapestries, architecture and heavy furniture of the Middle Ages; and the continuity of Folk Art down the generations.

She is also determined to promote a lifestyle that flies in the face of mass production and disposable consumerism. ‘I am always amazed by the things people throw away,’ she says. ‘I remember my grandmother – who had lived through the war – would rarely throw anything away, whether it was food, fabric or furniture.

She would always make do and mend rather than buy new. I’ve inherited that passion for craft-based things and it’s become something of a compulsion. I get huge satisfaction from the process of making things that are beautiful, unique and long-lasting. We often take everyday things for granted but a hand-printed card or a handcrafted piece of crockery should be appreciated as a thing of beauty.’

Maude’s creative journey has brought with it a greater appreciation of nature and the countryside and much of her work is nature-based. ‘There are so many beautiful aspects to nature in the flowers, plants and animals that surround us, that I have this urge to capture them in drawings and paintings to preserve them,’ she says. ‘Nature is so fleeting, but by pressing and drying plants and flowers, or painting and drawing them, it prolongs the time in which we can enjoy their beauty.’

Maude is a firm believer in the therapeutic qualities of creativity and she admits that there

Clockwise from top left: Maude works on an appliqué commission (see previous page), an ornamental needlework using scraps of fabric; her housemates and friends chipped in to paint their own tiles for the bathroom, which has become an eclectic showcase of birds, butterflies, beetles and flowers. The curtains were picked up at a car-boot sale and adapted for the window; nothing escapes the Maude Smith touch. As well as gluing corks across all the unit doors in the kitchen, she also rings the changes with pebble-covered wall units and a broken crockery ‘splashback’. Even the plates and bowls were created to her own design – something she plans to develop in the coming months; Maude’s teatowels, available online, are inspired by the flora and fauna of the countryside; she uses tester pots of emulsion to create pictures of birds, flowers and animals.

This woodpecker will eventually find its way onto a wall tile; Maude found this small chair at a car-boot sale and took it home for a revamp; she still makes her own clothes, including these beautiful dresses; handpainted ceramic tiles feature in almost every room of the house, creating colourful corners with depictions of birds and flowers. They cost £10 each to buy

Clockwise from top left: Maude found these curtains ‘on the street’ and modified them to fit her bedroom window. The desk and shelves almost bow under her collection of fabric remnants, pine cones, conkers, feathers, wallpaper scraps and books. ‘I am definitely a hoarder,’ she says. ‘I collect all kinds of weird and wonderful things’; an early example of Maude’s appliqué work; painted ivy and ribbons trail across these cupboard doors on the landing; the little paper dolls’ houses are another of Maude’s creative inventions and occupy these alcove shelves along with dress patterns and framed embroidery work; even the stairs have been spiced up with Maude’s handiwork. She designed this story-telling wallpaper for her final project at Edinburgh College of Art

are times when it has helped her to stave off loneliness and kept her focused through difficult periods. Such is her addiction to making and creating that she can be found sewing and embroidering almost anywhere. ‘I often embroider in a car or on the train,’ she says. ‘And while I’m out and about I am always on the look-out for scraps of this and that, or other people’s throwaway items. We live close to Covent Garden Flower Market in Vauxhall so I sometimes rescue flowers that are imperfect and have been thrown in the bin at the end of the morning. They often have a bit of life left in them so I take them home and dry them.’ Hence her basement kitchen is festooned with dried hydrangeas and a restored 1930s fireplace – found at a Yorkshire antiques market – is half-buried under dried hops.

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Maude’s recycling ethic extends into every corner of her life. Old copies of the Financial Times are transformed into paper stencils pinned onto the front of shelves, and broken pots are smashed a little bit more and then glued to walls or door fronts to bring texture, colour and fun into otherwise mundane parts of the house. It is easier to list the things Maude doesn’t turn her hand to, than it is to list her creative ideas, and her work is becoming well known among those who want to introduce individuality and sustainability into their homes.

‘There is a growing awareness of the need to change the way we shop and the way we live,’ says Maude. ‘We can learn a lot from the past in terms of making do and mending. With a bit of imagination we can all reduce our waste by reinventing things we might otherwise throw away.’

Art Competition

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inspiration While the weather outside is cold and bleak, we turn our minds back to the glory of summer and announce the winner of Period Living’s Garden Art Competition

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So while it may be cold and gloomy in the garden, this winning artwork is bound to brighten your day, along with the runners-up gallery. Hopefully, they’ll inspire you to pick up a paintbrush or needle – or perhaps they’ll encourage you to reach for the shovel, and realise your own gardening dreams.

WINNER MAGNOLIA & TULIPS BY EVE KEMP-GEE ‘I was inspired by my beautiful garden and the glorious Welsh countryside beyond. When I look out of my window, I am lucky enough to see flora and fauna in abundance.

The magnolia, I call May Queen as it is fabulous at that time of year.’

Feature Holly Reaney

ast June, we launched a Garden Art competition and invited readers to capture the beauty of their outdoor space in an art form of their choice. We were inundated with impressive entries, from pretty watercolours to vivid mixedmedia creations; the skill and creativity of our readers always amazes us.

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MY CORNISH GARDEN BY PAMELA FREEBORN ‘I love spending time in my garden; it is a place where I can unwind and just enjoy nature. I have loved gradually adding to it each year and I am trying to provide different habitats for all our wild creatures.’

COTTAGE GARDEN FLOWERS BY AMY NIELD ‘This painting was inspired by a jug of flowers that I picked from our cottage garden and placed on the lawn, which is full of clover for all of the insects.

When thinking about the composition of this piece, our resident blackbird came to see what was going on, so I thought it would be rude to leave him out.’

MY GARDEN BY DONNA HIRONS ‘This is a pen and watercolour picture of my mid-terrace garden. I have only just started using watercolours so it felt like a bit of a risk, but I enjoyed the process and am really happy with the finished result.’

THE SUMMERHOUSE BY ELISE WALKER ‘This is the beautiful summerhouse in my parents’ garden. During the pandemic it came into its own as it provided us with a space to meet up for a coffee and a chat. Surrounded by nature, a visit to the summerhouse quickly began to feel like a mini holiday.’

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Art Competition

THE MEADOW BY CHRISSIE MARKHAM ‘This is an abstract painting of my meadow garden from our house in France. I used oils along with a collage of fabrics, pressed flowers from the meadow and embroidery, to capture its magic. I love letting the meadow grow as it’s a beautiful natural habitat for all the visiting insects.’

FULL OF NEW DISCOVERIES

BY EMMA WILLS ‘We only moved house a few weeks ago and this is my new garden. It’s been very exciting to see the cherry and apple trees blossoming, and I can’t wait to find out what else is going to emerge.

I started painting and sketching every day during the first lockdown and was very inspired by Period Living’s house portrait competition.

In fact, I gave a couple of house portraits to neighbours and, as a result, I was then asked to design and paint Christmas cards and a teatowel to raise funds for our village hall repairs.’

OUR GARDEN BY NICOLA HARDMAN ‘We have spent the past four years transforming our garden from a dark overgrown jungle to a space for all the family.

There is still so much to do but the artwork depicts my favourite areas, from the Wendy house, which was made by my late uncle almost 30 years ago, to the wildflower area in the paddock. We are also lucky to have stunning views of the Tor in Helmshore, Lancashire, which never fails to take my breath away.’

FAMILY GARDEN BY LOUISE INCHLEY ‘I live with my husband Andrew and seven-year-old son Milo, and we have been renovating both our period home and its garden. We painted the fence black to provide a backdrop that lifts the different greens of the acer trees, ferns and wisteria.

The flamingo watering can was a recent birthday gift from my niece as she knows I’m flamingo mad and Milo loves to water the pots. The Buddha statue was a Mother’s Day gift from Milo and is a lovely focal point to the garden.’

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GARDENER’S GIFT BY GRACIE WHITTER ‘My name is Lindsey Whitter and I want to share the painting that my daughter Gracie did of our garden for her dad’s birthday. She used pen and ink and watercolour, and captured everything from the home office with its living roof to the seedlings on the patio.’

GLAZED BEAUTY BY RACHEL BROOKE Above: ‘At the age of 50, I was recently made redundant due to Covid, so I saw this as a chance to start making fused glass – something I had dreamed of for many years. It’s a huge learning curve but it’s exciting to see what comes out of the kiln. This piece reflects our beautiful delphiniums. Last March we had no garden, just a worksite, but we have since managed to create some beautiful beds.’

POTTED HISTORY BY BARBARA SHAW Left: ‘I recently moved house and brought 130 different potted plants with me. It took just six weeks to transform my tiny garden from a sad, empty space into one full of joy, colour and scent. I created my artwork from scraps of fabric hand-stitched together in layers. From a distance the picture looks like an impressionist painting, while close up all the different textures and details can be seen.’

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The overall winner will receive £1,500 worth of outdoor furniture from Bridgman, which has been providing luxury furniture since 1997. All of its dining and lounging furniture features unique fully waterproof and virtually stain-proof cushions – ideal for the unpredictable British weather and even the odd wine spill. Requiring very little maintenance, this furniture can stay outside in all weathers and is guaranteed for up to 10 years.

FEATHERED FRIENDS BY LAUREN HOMAN ‘This is my four beautiful feathered girls doing pest control in our garden, looking back towards the house. The chickens are so characterful and they love to be wherever you are in the garden.’

38 Period Living

Suffolk Farmhouse

PRETTY IN PINK Holly Armour made a timely move to the countryside with her family and has spent the past two years refurbishing every room of their idyllic 16th-century home Words Annette Warren | Photographs Clive Nichols

Set in rolling countryside, the traditional Suffolk-pink farmhouse dates back to the 16th century with later additions. Mike Wye offers a good colour range of limewashes for period homes

The drawing room feels cosy and inviting with its original timbers.

Holly chose a velvet fabric from Linwood to cover a Lancaster sofa from Alstons. For a similar throw and cushions, try Birdie Fortescue. The coffee table is from Oka and the rugs are from The Rug & Carpet Studio.

The bookcase and Chinese cabinet are antiques. On the wall hangs a portrait of Holly by artist Nicky Brown

Suffolk Farmhouse

aking the decision to relocate from London to her native Suffolk was one of the best moves Holly Armour has ever made, enabling her to raise her family in the countryside.

‘I feel so lucky that my husband Harry and I were able to find this house, before the pandemic struck, in 2019,’ she says. ‘We started making enquiries and discovered that the house had been “quietly” marketed; as soon as we viewed the property we fell in love with it.’

Their Suffolk-pink farmhouse in the heart of Constable country lies at the end of a long tree-lined drive, fringed with daffodils in spring.

Sheep graze in an adjacent paddock and the pastoral scene is uninterrupted by modern life.

‘Suffolk pink is the traditional colour of painted, rendered houses in the area. In times gone by the paint would have been mixed with pigs’ blood and limewash,’ reveals Holly.

Originally part of the Sir Joshua Rowley estate, the timber-frame farmhouse dates from the 16th century. ‘There have been numerous alterations over the past 200 years, namely a Victorian wing to the north end of the house, a 1950s addition to the rear, covering what used to be a courtyard, and finally a further extension in 2011 to the north end,’ explains Holly.

Within two years the couple have managed to redecorate the entire house. ‘Lockdown allowed me the time to really focus on what I wanted to do with the interiors,’ says Holly. ‘My sister and I sat for hours poring over fabrics and putting together moodboards.’ The result is a stylish mix of old and new, marrying together eclectic modern art and fabrics with antique furniture and accessories.

There are pops of colour in every room with neutral walls allowing the furnishings and artwork to shine. In the drawing room, mismatched sofas sit either side of a fireplace with a smart brass fender. ‘The fender was already here, but I had it re-covered,’ says Holly. It is hard to believe that this room was only put together in a few weeks.

The established feel of the décor is completed with antique family pieces, such as a beautiful glass-fronted bookcase and two matching dining 44 Period Living

chairs placed either side of the fireplace. Quirky touches are everywhere, from an intricately embroidered Suzani throw on the sofa to antique china on the mantelpiece and art collected by the couple over the years.

Instead of replacing the existing kitchen, Holly and Harry decided to keep it and refresh it to their own tastes. ‘It was so well made by a local joinery company that it would have been silly to change it, so we repainted it in the palest green, to reflect the greens of the garden outside,’ says Holly. The tiles behind the Aga were commissioned by a family friend, Somerset-based potter Nicola Werner, who is also responsible for various other pieces in the kitchen including jugs and vases.

An ecclesiastical brick arch leads from the kitchen to a double-height dining and living area, which the couple refer to as the ‘garden room’ due to the stunning floor-to-ceiling arched glazing.

The light-filled space is dominated by an antique kilim in jewel tones that are reflected throughout the décor in the choice of furnishings.

Upstairs, the master bedroom is a haven of calm. French doors open onto a Juliet balcony overlooking the garden room. The pale-blue and white theme is warmed with antique furniture and soft blue and cream curtains. In contrast, Holly’s light-drenched dressing room is a symphony of pink. Guest bedrooms are simply furnished with a mix of family pieces, antique finds and modern art.

‘I tracked down many of the antiques at auction, and most were inexpensive; I really enjoy finding pieces,’ says Holly. Some of the art is by her mother, Elizabeth Alston, who champions the Suffolkbased bi-annual art exhibition, the BrushStroke Festival of Art, held in aid of local charity Success After Stroke, which promotes arts and crafts-led rehabilitation workshops for stroke victims.

The three acres of established garden surrounding the house are an ongoing project for Holly, who is making subtle changes to suit the needs of her growing family. ‘The previous owners were keen gardeners and the garden is testament to their hard work,’ she says. A potager and cutting garden are currently in the planning stages and 250 trees have been planted in the wildflower meadow. ‘We are keen to encourage a wildlife habitat and have planted 25 varieties of native trees, which were donated by the Sicon Foundation, whose aim is to reduce carbon emissions throughout Suffolk,’ she adds. Holly has also introduced honeybees to the garden with the help of Stour Valley Apiaries.

Inspired by her new home, Holly is planning her next venture, which will incorporate her love of art, antiques and interiors. Based in a converted stables in the grounds, Far From the Madding Crowd Events will offer workshops and courses focused on interiors, gardens and country living.

Suffolk Farmhouse

THE STORY Owners Holly and Harry Armour live here with their children, Coco and Arthur. Holly, a former marketing executive at Pooky Lighting, plans to run interiors courses and workshops from a converted stables in the grounds (farfromthemaddingcrowd.co.uk) Property A Suffolk farmhouse originating from the 16th century and with additions made in Victorian times, in the 1950s and more recently in 2011.

It is set in three acres of beautifully landscaped gardens with various outbuildings What they did The house was structurally sound when the couple bought it, but Holly has worked through each room, decorating and furnishing it in a sympathetic style and adding contemporary touches

Clockwise from top: The blue sofa in the drawing room is covered in fabric

by J Brown. It’s topped with a Suzani throw by Birdie Fortescue. Cushions and green sofa, as before. The classic feel of the room, with curtains by Kate Forman, is countered by a leopard-print upholstered coffee table. The artwork was collected by Holly and Harry over the years, all framed by local framer Jo Hollis;

the boot room is decorated with Morris & Co’s Fruit wallpaper. A Victorian umbrella stand found at Mander Auctioneers sits beneath an antique mirror and sconces from Kept London; the entrance hall is dominated by an inglenook fireplace. The rug is from The Rug & Carpet Studio, and the chair is antique. A Fermoie lampshade sits on an inherited lamp stand; Holly researching her interiors events Period Living 45

Suffolk Farmhouse

Left: An ecclesiastical brick arch connects the kitchen to the dining area. The bespoke cabinets, made by local joiners, Lavenham Joinery, were inherited from the previous owners. Holly painted them in Artichoke by Paint & Paper Library.

The ikat lampshade and base are both by Pooky Lighting, and the wheel-back chair is antique Above: The splashback tiles above the Aga were handpainted by Dorset-based potter Nicola Werner Right: Holly’s favourite room, the larder is painted in Farrow & Ball House White. The red gingham fabric is from Tinsmiths, made into a curtain by The Curtain Exchange

Left: Stunning floor-to-ceiling arched glazing mirrors the shape of the gable end of the ‘garden room’ Right: Inside, Holly painted the walls white to create a neutral backdrop for a huge kilim from The Rug & Carpet Studio. She picked out its colours for the other furnishings, including a loveseat from Alstons and an inherited cupboard painted in Edward Bulmer’s Rose Pink. Holly sourced the farmhouse table from Ebay. Above hangs a circular brass chandelier made by a local blacksmith Below: Artworks by Charlie Billingham and Adam Shield hang above a walnut sideboard that Holly found on Selling Antiques. Tiffany lights were sourced from Mander Auctioneers and the lamp and lampshade from Snape Maltings

48 Period Living

Suffolk Farmhouse

Right: In the master bedroom, a pair of denim shirts painted by artist Patricia Price complement the blue upholstered bed from Sofa.com.

The bed is dressed with cushions from Wicklewood and a throw from Cologne & Cotton. Pooky wall lights add a pretty yet practical detail above antique side tables from antiques dealer EW Cousins. The chandelier is by Jim Lawrence Below: An understated colour scheme in the guest bedroom makes a focal point of the original timber beams. A painting by local artist Jo Hollis sits above the bed with bedlinen from Cologne & Cotton and cushions by Chelsea Textiles. An antique chest of drawers from the Long Melford Antiques Centre adds warmth to the scheme and is paired with a mirror from Pooky

Suffolk Farmhouse

Above left: An elegant roll-top is the key feature of the guest bathroom; for similar try Albion Bath Co. Holly added a vintage touch with antique shelves from Instagram dealer Gather & Garner and blinds made from Kate Forman’s Octavia fabric

by The Curtain Exchange Above right: A family tapestry is proudly displayed on the landing Left: In the dressing room, Holly enhanced the pink detailing of Charlotte Gaisford’s Amazing Mandarins DP wallpaper by painting the fitted wardrobes in Rhubarb from Paint & Paper Library. A bespoke lumbar cushion by designer Katy Takla sits on an Indonesian bench that originally belonged to Holly’s mother. Above are a pair of elegant wall sconces from Pato Interiors

Period Living 51

Symmetry is the defining feature of the eaves bedroom. Two wrought-iron beds from The Original Bedstead Company are dressed in bedlinen from The White Company and paired with Katy Takla cushions and woollen blankets from The British Blanket Company. Above each bed hangs Chinese wall art from a local antiques warehouse and, arranged in a mirror image display on the antique table, are a pair of Fermoie lampshades on bases from Pooky

52 Period Living

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Period Living 55

TAKING STOCK Having downsized to a smaller property on the family estate, Amynta and Jamie Warde-Aldam worked to transform it into a grand space, full of family heirlooms Words Heather Dixon | Photographs James Balston

Renovated Country Home Portraits of Jamie’s Quaker ancestors gaze across the elegant drawing room, which features furniture brought with the couple from the main house. The chair and chaise are paired with pink cushions made from Starched & Crumpled’s antique Lyon silk and tapestry cushions embroidered by Amynta

THE STORY Owners Amynta WardeAldam is a designer and lives here with her husband, Jamie, a writer. The couple have two grown-up children, Digby and Grace Property A five-bedroom detached house. It was built in 1790 on a country estate in the north of England for the estate’s head forester What they did Stripped out and replaced the dated kitchen and bathrooms and then decorated throughout

Above: In the drawing room, Amynta has echoed the colours in the bespoke Healey Monkey wallpaper by Charlotte Gaisford in the soft furnishings. She brought the antique sofa and stool with her from the main house and has dressed them with cushions collected over the years, including some by Susi Bellamy. Third-generation antique curtains complete the room 58 Period Living

Above right: Amynta in the library.

The room is filled with some of the antique books that came from the main house and is a lovely placed to relax Right: The late 18th-century stone house was originally built for the forester on the estate.

However, with only five bedrooms, rather than the main house’s ten, the characterful home was the perfect fit for Amynta and Jamie

Renovated Country Home

mynta and Jamie faced an unusual challenge when they downsized from a large country home, that had been in the family for generations, into a property a quarter of the size.

‘We decided to move out of the main house, so we could run it as a very special location for weddings,’ says Amynta. ‘We were just rattling around in that house and the move meant we would remain on the estate, which we love, in a home that was infinitely more suitable on a practical level. We were keen to bring with us all the beautiful family paintings, books and favourite pieces of furniture, but it presented a huge challenge. It was an exercise in editing.’

Before they could even start the process of moving everything across, however, they had to bring the former head forester’s house up to date. It had been rented out for 20 years and the kitchen and bathrooms were so dated they needed stripping out and refitting before Amynta and Jamie could start on the decorating.

‘I can live in a house that’s upside-down, but not without a decent bathroom,’ says Amynta.

‘I was also keen to soften the edges of the interior.

During the late 1980s the house was modernised in ways that were fashionable at the time but were quite harsh around the edges; it didn’t really work with the period of the property.’

Amynta achieved this in two stages: first by having all the wooden floors painted in British Colour Standard’s Dove Grey to create continuity throughout the entire house. She then turned to her friend, wallpaper designer Charlotte Gaisford, to reproduce the special wallpapers that adorned the walls of the main house so that the shades of greys, greens and pinks would unify the interior and the furniture they were moving from one place to another. Antique rugs, rather than carpets, have also helped to ‘open up’ the house and take the eye through the property.

Amynta then installed picture rails at door height to make the low ceilings seem higher and to provide a continuous run for family paintings that would be hung on chains. ‘I tend to hang paintings quite low and everything else sits around them.’

She bases this design on Aristotle’s principle of the Golden Mean, which strives for balance between two extremes by focusing on the middle ground.

‘It creates a better balance and relationship between the wall and the paintings,’ she says.

The house was structurally sound, so Amnyta and Jamie didn’t have to do any major building work, but it still took six months to get the property to the point where they were able to move in.

They also had to sort their way through several generations of accumulated possessions and family treasures, selecting the many valued portraits, historic journals, books and antiques that would move with them from the 10-bedroom main house.

‘It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done. When our children, Digby and Grace, moved away from home the main house was far too big for just the two of us,’ says Amynta. ‘I have always loved the forester’s house and it’s ideal for the two of us.’

Amynta’s eye for design once again came into its own when she began to bring the furniture together, creating rooms with symmetry and balance in which the smaller elements – such as glassware and porcelain – are displayed in proportionate groups.

‘I like colour continuity throughout the house because it pulls everything together, even though each room has its own style and identity,’ says Amynta. ‘Some things work very naturally together while others take more thought and planning. I like to have things on walls, like bookcases and mirrors, but it takes work to create a balance between spaces that are busy and yet calm at the same time. I am absolutely not a minimalist, but I like to keep things in well-considered groups.’

Although they had most of the furniture they needed, Amynta still bought a dining table and chairs to work in the refitted kitchen along with various bookshelves and additional rugs.

‘I have always loved period properties and antiques,’ says Amynta. ‘I was born and raised in Edinburgh, surrounded by Georgian faded splendour, and my parents bought a lot of beautiful furniture – some of which we have in this house.

We moved here in 2018 and there are still a few things we want to do – I would particularly like to make some improvements to the conservatory – but they are projects for the future. For now we are just very happy to enjoy what we have.’

Period Living 59

The light, open kitchen is a sociable space featuring locally sourced units, an Aga inset into an original fireplace and a modern dining table with multi-coloured chairs from Angel & Boho. Amynta created a moodboard for this room orientated around pink and crystal. She brought the vision to life with Farrow & Ball’s Middleton Pink on the walls and an open shelf displaying her collection of crystal glass bowls and decanters

60 Period Living

Renovated Country Home

Period Living 61

Clockwise from top left: Amynta’s cosy study is full of charm. The portrait over the desk is of a Victorian painter’s daughter and the walls are papered in Ottoman Dream by Charlotte Gaisford; the toile de Jouy blinds bring pops of colour, as do the scatter cushions made with fabric from Starched & Crumpled; this family armchair in the library was recovered in yellow baby cord from Amynta’s children’s clothing business; framed prints of William Hogarth’s Marriage-A-la-Mode fill the wall in the entrance hall, which also features a pretty French bench that Amynta bought on Portobello Road Right: The house is full of books and these Maison du Monde bookshelves, which are painted in British Colour Standard’s Beryl Blue and Neyron Rose, contain just a small selection. An Arlo & Jacob sofa adds pretty pattern to this colourful room 62 Period Living

Renovated Country Home

Renovated Country Home

Left: This pink guest room features Charlotte Gaisford wallpaper and a quilt from Ibbi Direct. The portrait on the wall is of Jamie’s grandmother Clockwise from top left: The guest bathroom is decorated in bold Healey Monkey wallpaper by Charlotte Gaisford. Amynta always loved the splashback over the basin and brought it with her from the main house; she likes to combine modern with antique, hence the Ikea shelves and Maison du Monde painted headboard teamed with a French Edwardian bed and antique wardrobe. The quilt is from Ibbi Direct; in Jamie’s dressing room, an antique sofa creates an interesting focal point. The antique bed and walls are painted in British Colour Standard’s Nettle Grey and the curtains are from Jean Monro; daughter Grace may have left home a long time ago but her bedroom has never lost its fresh light-filled look thanks to the antique French bed, Jean Monro chintz on the chair and blind, and an Ikea rug Period Living 65

A MILITARY OPERATION Sharon and Gavin Hunt rescued an elegant townhouse behind the last remaining, working Georgian barracks in Britain Words Alison Gibb | Photographs Douglas Gibb

Right and above: Although a recent addition, the kitchen has been given a Victorian country feel with handmade freestanding cabinetry from Something Different in Bishop Auckland. The drawers are made from vintage crates. Sharon found the floor tiles in a reclamation yard, and the splashback tiles behind the Rangemaster cooker are from Tiles Direct. The traditional school-style radiator is from Best Heating Far left: The kitchen tap is made from copper piping, and the worktop is recycled oak Left: Sharon collects Georgian and Victorian kitchenalia including old tins, Willow china and copper pans.

The pan storage is a 1930s teak kitchen shelf from a church sale

66 Period Living

Georgian Townhouse

haron decided at the age of 17, that she wanted to restore a Georgian townhouse in Berwick. She was studying art at the time in Middlesbrough and was a great admirer of the artist LS Lowry, who holidayed in Berwick every year. ‘I actually wrote my ambition down in a diary that I found recently,’ she says. Though she did not actually visit the town until she was 40, Sharon maintained a fascination with the place and Lowry’s work for all that time. ‘He stayed in the Castle Hotel regularly, and he often paid for meals and drinks with drawings,’ she explains. ‘He was a much-loved regular customer, but the staff did not foresee his future fame and most of his work was discarded.’

Sharon and her husband Gavin bought the house in 2014 and moved in and married in 2015, celebrating with a 1920s-themed wedding. ‘We lived in one room upstairs for the best part of three years, with our four cats, a microwave, a TV and a kettle,’ she says. ‘There was little in the way of heating or hot water at times, but we both travelled a lot for work and relied on family, friends and hotels for modern comforts.’

Sharon project managed the whole thing. ‘I wanted to be part of it and learn as much as I could about restoration techniques. I did a lot myself,’ she adds. There were highs and lows, but as time went by Sharon found tradespeople who loved old buildings and who were determined to get things right. It was stressful and cold at times and it was a long haul, but overall, it was really enjoyable.

‘You need to think about why you are doing it when problems arise and focus on the end goal,’ she says. ‘You can do more than you think you can.’

Sharon has collected antiques since she was a child and wanted to create a backdrop for her treasures. She and Gavin both love social history.

‘I read biographies avidly and love watching period dramas such as Downton Abbey and Brideshead Revisited for decorating inspiration.

I am a regular visitor to all the local stately homes and love to just soak up all the stories and details surrounding the houses,’ she adds.

The couple have created different styles in all the rooms: the dining room is military themed.

This was Gavin’s idea as the house was built to 68 Period Living

accommodate officers for the adjacent barracks, which is the last Georgian barracks still in use. ‘We are both very interested in military history and being able to hear the sound of the soldiers marching and watch them through the window completes the look perfectly,’ she says. ‘The bathroom is Edwardian in style, and the drawing room is Victorian, so every era is covered.’

Sharon suspects that her next home might be even older, giving her more scope to collect furniture and homeware from other eras. Many of her finds are from an antiques dealer near Durham, called Something Different, who also offers bespoke cabinetry. ‘I went in looking for some furniture and was delighted to discover they made kitchens to order. I wanted something really different – completely unfitted and slightly distressed – and they’ve done exactly what I wanted,’ she says. ‘Nothing in the kitchen matches; everything is made from salvaged wood, often from pieces of furniture that are beyond repair. I absolutely love the drawers made from old vegetable crates.’

Sharon’s dream kitchen was fitted into an extension, added by the couple in 2020, with French doors opening out to the garden. When the house was first built, there would have been no need for such an extension – the property was larger then, and included the house next door.

It was divided in two in 1860, and the servants’ quarters, one for men and one for women, were at the top of the house.

Sharon would love to write up the history of the house and has been studying the deeds and the local censuses over the years. ‘It is amazing how much you can find out about the different households who lived here over the centuries.

At one point, the house had four servants for instance,’ she adds. ‘Once that is complete, I think it might be time for us to move on to save and restore another historic home.’

Top right: The Georgian house was originally built to accommodate officers in the adjacent barracks Bottom left: In the Victorian era, the property was extended to the rear, and Sharon and Gavin added a further extension in 2020. The garden was a waste ground, so they have landscaped it themselves, including laying the patio and building stone walls Bottom right: The newly extended kitchen has French doors opening onto the garden. As the room is so well insulated, it doesn’t get cold enough to justify a real wood-burner, so the couple use an electric stove.

Victorian hall settles provide seating at the George III dining table

Georgian Townhouse

THE STORY Owners Sharon works as a lead advanced nurse practitioner and Gavin works as an IT consultant.

They have four cats, Big Dennis, Buster Keaton, Oscar Wilde and Gustave Dore Property The house is Grade II listed and was built in 1760, in Berwick-upon-Tweed. A Victorian section was added at the back in 1860. There are two bedrooms, one with an en suite, and the

second-floor original Victorian bathroom has been turned into two dressing rooms What they did The couple have renovated throughout the house, rewiring, replastering, and replacing the heating and flooring. They restored original features such as plasterwork, interior and exterior doors and working fireplaces, and added a kitchen and bathroom extension in 2020

70 Period Living

Georgian Townhouse

Opposite: Sharon and Gavin were aiming for a ‘gentleman’s club’ feel in the dining room, with leather club chairs from Barker & Stonehouse.

They hired carpenter Grant Laidlaw to fit the panelling, which is made from hand-chiselled MDF for an authentic finish. All the walls, woodwork and fireplace are painted in Hedgerow

by Laura Ashley. Sharon sourced the Edwardian overmantel mirror from Ebay, as well as the curtains, which were originally fitted in a stately home. The light is a restored Victorian brass candelabra Left: The dining table and chairs were bought at Alisha’s Attic, and originate from the Trevelyan estate in Northumberland. Sharon found the Victorian reproduction candelabras in a box containing pictures she bought at an auction. The framed screen print depicts Napoleon on a horse, and was bought on Ebay for £50 Below: The sideboard is a 1920s reproduction of a Georgian design, and the carver chair is part of a set sourced from a vicarage. The flags are original military ones from WWII and the Victorian oil painting is of the young Duke of Wellington, bought for just £70 at a closing-down sale

The panelling in the hallway was rescued from a church demolition.

It is redwood dating from the 1760s, and gives a nod to the house’s Georgian roots. Indian Khalia sandstone flooring from a local builders’ merchants adds an elegant feel. The grandfather clock was an Ebay find, the Victorian kitchen bell was £5 from a car-boot sale, and the 19th-century chair is originally from a vicarage in Darlington. The pendant light is from Sharon’s favourite antiques shop, Something Different

72 Period Living

Georgian Townhouse Sharon restored the original Georgian fireplace in the drawing room by recreating the marble effect that the Victorians would have added. The sofas are from a French salon suite, a roccoco-style reproduction, made in the 1920s in South Africa; Sharon bought them online from a furniture dealer in Normandy and had them recovered. She bought the antique Persian rug in a warehouse closingdown sale for just £27. The damask curtains are from Dunelm, the chest is a Victorian butcher’s salting box, and the pendant light was another Ebay find. The walls are painted in Biscuit by Farrow & Ball

Above: The master bedroom was originally the servants’ quarters.

Sharon hand-stripped the Georgian panelling beneath the window. The bed is from Barker & Stonehouse, with bedlinen from John Lewis & Partners and a quilt from Marks & Spencer. The damask curtains are from Dunelm, the vintage hats were birthday gifts to Gavin from friends, and the globe is a 1940s papier mâché design Right: The cast-iron bath was added to the house in the Victorian era, and is carefully positioned to have a view of the town hall clock.

It’s fitted with a Lefroy Brooks mixer tap, which was a bargain find on Ebay. The Victorian towels are from Alisha’s Attic, and the mahogany French marble-topped side table was sourced for just £30

74 Period Living

The yellow bricks, Crittall windows, new slate roof and original hay loft ladder all reflect the property’s industrial heritage.

Cobbles were found under the floor and relaid in the courtyard. The balcony was made

by Forging Matters

INSTANT ATTRACTION Isobel James found inspiration from across the generations when she renovated a former coach house in Surrey Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Penny Wincer

Former Coach House Isobel in the kitchen with Belle, the neighbour’s beagle and Isobel’s walking partner. A skylight from Rooflights & Glazing pulls light into the space.

Isobel turned the cabinet doors round, and added antique pull handles and

granite worktops from Granite & Marble to create the look she wanted. She cleaned the exposed warm bricks on the back wall and painted the adjacent wall in blackboard paint.

The storage shelves are British Rail luggage racks

THE STORY Owner Isobel James is a freelance interior designer (assisbyilj.co.uk), landlord and property manager.

She lives with Gilbert, her ginger Tom cat Property A late 19th-century, two-bedroom former coach house on the Surrey border. It was last used as offices for a graphic design company. Isobel bought the property in 2011 and moved in two years later What she did Isobel worked with an architect to remodel the space, creating an open-plan living area on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the second floor. The building work took a year to complete

unchtime shopping took on a whole new meaning when Isobel James stepped out of the office and came back with… an office.

‘I viewed it the week before, during a ten-minute whistle-stop tour with a group of other potential buyers,’ says Isobel. ‘A week later I went out for a sandwich and returned to work with a new home.’

The house had been bought at auction and Isobel went £20,000 over her self-imposed limit in a moment of determination, knowing it would involve a major renovation to transform the former coach house from an office and workshop into an open-plan family home.

Although the house is not listed, the façade is protected so any external alterations required planning permission. Isobel also needed consent to change its purpose from commercial to domestic.

Having done this she enlisted the help of an architect to design a spacious open-plan living area, plus a cloakroom and utility, on the ground floor and add two bedrooms – one en suite – with a study on the first floor. The major sticking point, however, was the windows and amenity space.

Isobel wanted to lower the height and it took months of ‘toing and froing’ to get permission and reposition and replace the windows with double-glazed Crittall alternatives. The building work took a further year to complete.

‘It was a radical renovation and the building was taken back to a shell,’ says Isobel, who comes from a family of landlords and auction hunters.

The former coach house needed a new roof, new floors, rewiring, replumbing, a steel structure to create the first-floor rooms, the remodelling of a side return and new windows. An organic treatment removed exterior paint to expose the beautiful warm brick underneath and the builders took out hundreds of cobble stones, found buried under concrete, to be reused in the courtyard. Beams were installed in the open roof area and two extra conservation skylights were fitted to flood the upper floor with natural light.

‘My aim was always to restore sympathetically to the building and replace the character that had been ripped out by the previous commercial use,’ says Isobel. That commercial past helped Isobel to shape the property’s residential future by influencing 78 Period Living

a combination of styles – including industrial, Art Deco and experimental. She also drew on her experience in creative retail to introduce clever design details, such as a frosted acrylic loft hatch to draw light into the main bedroom.

‘I asked the same company to produce the balustrade templates in acrylic, which were needed to overcome the minimal design. I used a sustainable recycled acrylic, Greencast, which has a good range of colours,’ says Isobel.

‘The staircase was another major challenge.

Initially the architect recommended a spiral staircase but at the very last minute we realised it wouldn’t fit between the new steel beams – luckily, with no millimetres to spare, the staircase maker was able to fit a return staircase and I designed the balustrade myself.’

Isobel furnished the house with an eclectic mix of furniture bought at auctions and car-boot sales, inherited items, and her own recycled pieces.

‘I love hunting for treasures,’ she says. ‘When I was growing up I loved weekend trips to the brocantes in France. For me it’s about creating something that I love. It’s fun to be able to build on something and find your own “red thread”.’

The ground floor is open but divided into comfortable living areas, including the kitchen, which features a salvaged British Rail luggage rack and a sitting area dominated by Isobel’s self-designed prototype rocking chair, made of plywood and jute. The bedrooms feature more of Isobel’s handiwork in the wooden shutters, which she made from timber planks.

‘My interior design and sourcing business is entwined with my home,’ she says. ‘I like to be resourceful, reusing whatever I can. It’s good to have a starting point and I knew I wanted to use a large 17th-century oak dining table that had been stored in my mother’s summerhouse for nearly a decade. It was just by chance that the office chairs, which had been left in the property, worked with it to create the soft industrial look I was going for.’

Although the house is just 100m2, Isobel has made use of every inch, using light and height to emphasise space and adding lots of storage ideas, which are often lacking in modern homes.

‘It’s a really easy house to style,’ says Isobel. ‘I love the combination of different eras and the way everything just works together. Everything has its own story. It’s what makes my home unique.’

Former Coach House

Top: Isobel had to press hard to get planning permission to lower the window level and add these Crittall doors, both from Clement Windows Above: A display of inherited childhood toys from Isobel’s father Right: Isobel designed the staircase and balustrade herself, and had the balustrade made by Forging Matters, who also made the exterior balcony. Though barely visible, the Perspex panels were a building regulations requirement as the gaps exceeded 100mm

Former Coach House The antique dining table was integral to the interior design for the space and is paired with office chairs, which were left in the building. Isobel added two striking pewter pendant lamps from TK Maxx above the table and completed the dining area with a large antique rug and leather armchair

Period Living 81

Right: In the guest bedroom, a signed Lowry print hangs over the bed. Isobel made the headboard with Sanderson fabric. The Art Deco lights were bought in a car-boot sale and Isobel had an ironmonger realise her design for cast-iron holders Below right: The bird mirror is a love/hate auction find Below: Isobel had the walls curved in the master bedroom when the upper floor was created, and kept the loft space open to let in as much light as possible. The grey feature wall is painted in Dulux’s Urban Obsession and the ladder was bought at a salvage yard in Kent. Isobel made the canvas at her work in Onward Display, to cover a TV above the antique drawers, and she made the shutters from timber planks. The bedding is from Zara and the rug is antique

82 Period Living

News from the antiques and vintage world, from fairs to collectors’ stories

SENT WITH LOVE

Feature Alice Roberton Images (The Packhouse) Lorna Robinson, (sweetheart cushions) Instagram @alantique, (David Parr House) Howard Rice digital

TALKING SHOP

Set within a 400-year-old Grade II-listed exhop kiln in Runfold, Surrey, shopping destination The Packhouse offers a wonderful mix of old and new for the home and garden. It also has two characterful places to eat: The Hive, a log cabin takeaway, and Art Deco-inspired restaurant The Palm House. With over 60 traders displaying their wares in inviting room sets, we advise you treat yourself to a few hours here. (packhouse.com)

EXPLORE DAVID PARR HOUSE Discover the hidden delights of David Parr House – an ordinary Cambridge terraced property with an outstanding Arts and Crafts interior of handpainted wall decorations, gothic carvings and stained-glass panels. The former home of David Parr, a working-class painter employed for many years by the decorative arts company F.R. Leach & Sons, it was passed onto his granddaughter Elsie Palmer and later saved and put into charitable trust. Choose from a physical tour, a personal guided online 3D tour or an on-demand tour.

To book visit davidparrhouse.org.

A love token from a wounded British soldier to his beloved, the ‘sweetheart cushion’ is the ultimate romantic gesture, not to mention a precious piece of WWI history. During the war, wounded, shell-shocked and convalescing soldiers were given making kits of fabrics, pins, beads, ribbons, general sewing items and other crafting ephemera to make a pincushion to send home. The main aim was to help focus their minds on those they loved by way of post-trauma therapy. Attaching a representation of his regiment, each soldier’s piece is a snapshot of a deeply personal journey.

‘Many antiques will never show their backstory, but sweetheart cushions provide a beautiful entry point for research into the individual, the regiment and its military history,’ says Alan Brice, antiques collector and seller. (etsy.com/uk/shop/ alantiqueuk)

Top: WWI Sweetheart Cushion sent from the Royal Irish Regiment, which was disbanded after the partition of Ireland in 1922 Above: 1880s Scots Guards Campaign cushion from Suakin (now Sudan), Sevastopol (Crimea), and Tel-ElKebir (Egypt) – unusually not a heart shape Left: Queen Mary’s Own Regiment WWI sweetheart cushion Period Living 85

Clockwise from top left: The central closed larger 1960s ring heart was Mucize’s first ever piece, inherited from her late mother’s collection; this rare Art Deco 1930s orange marbled oval Bakelite ring box with original velvet and silk interior is Mucize’s collection highlight; variety of boxes, from Victorian through to 1950s; German-made celluloid egg boxes lined in original silk with shop names printed on fabric, made for the English jeweller W. Wright Ltd

MEET THE COLLECTOR JEWELLERY BOXES MUCIZE COPSEY What I collect: I predominantly collect early English antique and vintage ring boxes from the late 19th century to the Art Deco era. Typically, the early boxes have tooled leather and velvet exteriors, while later Art Deco boxes are usually made from Bakelite. I have recently started collecting celluloid – another early plastic – egg-shaped pieces too.

I prefer boxes to have their original advertising interiors as this tells me so much about a box’s history.

Why I collect: I have been a passionate collector of antique jewellery for many years and started my primary box collection around seven years ago.

I love the thrill of hunting down rare coloured and shaped Bakelite pieces.

My first two boxes came from my late mother’s collection; I believe her love for jewellery left its mark on me. I have always found the jewellery box to be almost as exciting as the object inside it.

How I collect: Ring boxes are becoming increasingly hard to source at antiques fairs and fleamarkets, so nowadays 86 Period Living

most of my finds come from online auction and shopping sites. If I’m lucky, my followers on Instagram (@doyoulikemyring) sometimes get in touch and offer me pieces.

I currently have around 80 ring boxes and 45 various other types ranging from trinket, multi-tiered and chest boxes. Prices vary depending on the period, colour, shape and material of a piece. A matt cream or brown Bakelite box could cost as little as £25 whereas a Victorian heart-shaped velvet box with its original interior and association to a London jeweller could cost more than £200.

My collection highlight: I often find myself trying to pick out a favourite box from my Edwardian glass-fronted cabinet, but each time a different piece jumps out at me. The array of colours and textures on display are truly delightful – I consider each one to be a little work of art. At the moment, an oval orange marbled box with all of its original interior is pulling on my heartstrings.

THROUGH THE GENERATIONS Antiques dealer and owner of Coastal Antiques, John Williams tells us about his most treasured heirloom I love this early balloon-shaped delft vase, dating from 1680. It’s a large piece measuring 40cm high by 35cm wide with pronounced ribbing and mythical beasts depicted on it.

In Victorian times, my lifelong friend’s great-grandfather Charles was the head gardener for Palladian mansion Wrotham Park which, in 1883, suffered a terrible fire. Charles nobly helped to empty the burning house of its valuables and was given the delft vase as a thank you. It stayed in his family until it was passed onto me a few years ago by my friend. Even though it suffered damage in the fire, it is still a rare and beautiful object, and something that I truly treasure.

FUN OF THE FAIR After a two-year hiatus, Arthur Swallow Fairs’ Vintage Flea Market is back with its wonderful mix of all things old and affordable. A fully indoor event held at Lincolnshire Showground, this vibrant Sunday flea is the perfect place for young collectors to spend their pocket-money and for more seasoned buyers to make an investment. Upcoming dates: 16 January and 13 February; visit asfairs.com for more details. Alternatively, if you fancy shopping from the comfort of home, then check out its Instagram fairs taking place on @asfairs, 29 January and 26 February.

ART FOR A SONG Affordable art is in high demand, and vintage and antique paintings are the go-to for creating an interesting interior. These three trusted sellers offer up quality and affordability in equal measure RELIC INTERIORS offers 18th- and

19th-century English and continental portraiture and 19th-century English landscapes. The owner says: ‘My mission is to provide quality pieces that fit almost any budget because I believe everyone should be able to bring a museum-quality piece of art to their home without breaking the bank.’

Prices start from £200. relicinteriors.com HUTT specialises in rare and one-off

pieces, from 19th-century portraits to 20th-century modernist and abstract art. The owner says: ‘I think so many are intimidated by the art world when really it is open to all of us. I encourage everyone to start a collection, fill their walls with art and see how rewarding it can be.’

Prices start from £150. huttdecor.com

Collection of 19th-century English and European portraits, from £200, Relic Interiors Far left: Oil on board by Igge Karlsson, painted 1959, £280 Left: Oil on canvas

by Paavo AirolaI, circa 1950s, £360, both from Hutt

ST DECORATIVE ANTIQUES offers

original moody landscapes and florals with a focus on timeworn oil paintings. The owners say: ‘Creating a unique interior on an affordable budget is so achievable with vintage and antique art. Whether through colour, texture, composition or frame, a piece of art will add an intimate and personal element.’

Prices start from £75. stdecorativeantiques.com

Large French signed oil on canvas. Some wear and tear and unframed. £95, St Decorative Antiques

Small mid-century French Floral with artist’s initials.

With a great patina and rustic frame, £90, St Decorative Antiques

A glimpse of a French village and bridge, signed Michel Sole with authentication certificate, £145, St Decorative Antiques

Left: Vintage French Louis XV-style ladies’ writing desk, £1,350, 1stDibs; Right: Victorian French oak ladies’ bureau, £795, Vinterior

19th-century Chippendale-style burl walnut partners’ writing desk, £13,886, 1stDibs

Aquick study Discover the appeal of desks through the ages, with Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum lder generations – myself included – will remember the archetypal school desk with its lift-up lid and inkwell. Generations of school children grew up with them, each adding their mark to the often heavily graffitied educational workhorses, not forgetting the chewing gum that was usually stuck underneath! With the advent of the biro the inkwells had long become redundant but the desks continued in use for decades.

I often see them for sale and I think it’s safe

O 88 Period Living

to say that people view them with a sense of nostalgia. They are also an upcycling favourite for children’s bedrooms and playrooms.

The word ‘desk’ comes from the medieval Latin word desca, which quite literally means ‘table to write on’. Although unproven we can assume that desks of some sort may have existed since ancient times, but in the mid to late medieval period we know that furniture was ascribed definitive uses by virtue of small design implementations, such as compartments in a drawer to house quills, sealing wax and utensils.

Antiques

American late-19th-century walnut, burr walnut and ebonised Wooton desk, sold for £10,625, Bonhams

From left: Small Georgian revival inlaid burr walnut bureau desk writing table, £995, Prior & Willis; 19th-century Dutch marquetry bureau abattant secretaire desk, £2,995, Prior & Willis; Queen Anne burr walnut secretaire kneehole desk, circa 1715, sold for £16,900, Millington Adams

Left: Swedish Gustavian bureau, circa 1810, £7,946, Authentic Provence; 1970s Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson oak desk, £8,382, Panamo Period Living 89

Form and function Table-top desks or portable writing slopes were an early example of the need for a defined form of furniture. Often known as scribes’ or clerks’ desks, these were used throughout history and particularly popularised through literature in the 18th and 19th centuries – in the works of Dickens, for example. Taking the table-top version and merely producing it with legs was an easy jump in terms of redefining a desk for different situations, which of course, there are many.

Traditional English styles are varied and the usual historical suspects, such as Thomas Chippendale, have left an important legacy in shaping designs and fashions. But that legacy gives us endless choices and a small Queen Anne walnut kneehole desk may be worth £8,000 to a connoisseur of period furniture and, conversely, be deemed completely unsuitable by someone who is looking for a practical solution for their office. Form and function are therefore important and antique Campaign furniture gives us a very specific example of how this works in practice. Having to be both compact and broken down easily for transport around ‘the Empire’, they were most often made in teak or mahogany. Campaign desks are very collectable and an English example from the mid 19th century might easily cost £2,000-£3,000.

Changing fashions Variations on the definition of a desk include the escritoire, which was actually a cabinet with a fold-down front upon which to write, concealing an arrangement of drawers and cubby holes.

Continental examples can be particularly ornate and I personally like architectural Swedish and French models from the early 19th century made in burr woods and birch. The interiors are often very impressive, complete with secret compartments.

Terms tend to get muddled and they are also referred to as bureaus and secretaires, which in fact, covers a whole range of different designs.

Values vary but a good mahogany French secretaire with a marble top can be generally purchased at auction for around £1,000. However, with the advent of the computer and a decline in furniture prices, ‘PCs not fitting on them’ became the stock in trade excuse for a general decrease in value.

This issue seemed to particularly filter down into the ‘brown furniture markets’, which largely regarded these lovely pieces of furniture as redundant. This was very true of the traditional English Georgian bureau, which became so cheap at auction they were difficult to sell. Luckily, this seems to have changed a little and may be due to people using smaller laptops and portable computing equipment. There are exceptions to the rule, but a typical 18th-century mahogany bureau with a sloping front can still be purchased at auction for as little as £100-£200.

Of course, in the case of such bureaus, fashion is also a factor and it might be that you would prefer a more ostentatious Louis XV-style desk or writing 90 Period Living

Large Victorian mahogany cylinder bureau desk from the Master’s Lodge at Trinity College, Cambridge, £1,495, sold by Prior & Willis

table with boulle inlay and fancy ormolu mounts.

The majority will be of later manufacture, mostly 19th and 20th century, but nonetheless they are impressive. Whether you prefer the plainer lines of Louis XVI or even Napoleon III, French desks or writing tables (often called bureau plats or cartonniers) are plentiful in the auction and retail sectors. Given the large variety of different designs, the word ‘desk’ is generally assumed to apply when there are banks of drawers down each side, but its use in general parlance covers a whole multitude of designs.

Desks from the Victorian and Edwardian epochs are plentiful and this is due to the increased need for office utilitarian furniture and the mass movement of people from the countryside to urban settings. Styles can range from plain oak office pedestal desks with Rexine inset tops (faux leather) to the very decorative inlaid domestic examples, which range in style from a Davenport to kidney-shaped models. You don’t have to search too hard to find plenty on sale.

Design icons So the desk, in its infinite varieties, can signify many things. The Resolute Desk in the oval office of the White House might symbolise power, but its history is one of friendship and co-operation. It was gifted to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 from Queen Victoria, and was fashioned from the timbers of HMS Resolute, which was abandoned in the Arctic while searching for the lost Franklin expedition. The Americans found, repaired and returned the ship as a gesture of goodwill and when she was decommissioned in 1879, Victoria had the desk made as a gift. It is of course priceless.

Yet in the 19th century the Americans also led the way in office furniture design with huge confections such as the Wooton desk, patented

by William S. Wooton in circa 1870. This fold-out monster of a ‘secretary’ desk catered for just about every office eventuality, replete with more pigeon holes and drawers for the huge amounts of paper that were generated, than any rival design. They

Antiques

Buying antique desks – what to look for BE CAREFUL when buying at auction. Restoration

can be expensive so if you’re bidding on antique pieces be sure that the things that matter work effectively, like drawers. Old desks have often taken heavy traffic, particularly if they have been unloved in an office. If all the drawer runners are worn out, or the locks are broken and the finish is chipped and shabby, you might want to take stock before taking the plunge.

1960s Danish Omann Jun freestanding teak writing desk, sold for £2,310, 1stDibs

don’t come up for auction very often but there are several for sale on the internet at around £10,000.

Desks have naturally attracted the attention of designers throughout history. The 20th century was a particularly fertile period for such design, with Scandinavian countries producing many classic examples. I currently sit in my office at a post-war Danish teak desk. Designs by the likes of Arne Vodder, Gunnar Nielsen and Omann Jun are just a few of the many sleek and stylish 1950s and 1960s examples that can be found online in the region of £1,000-£2,000. On the other hand you could purchase a licensed replica of an iconic Corbusier or Pierre Jeanneret writing table or desk and this will tug more heavily at your purse strings. If you prefer something more traditional, then perhaps a handmade oak desk from the studios of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson might fit the bill. Current values are around £6,000£10,000 in a retail situation.

I’m a big supporter of repurposing and using items outside of their original environments. The 20th century saw a more diverse array of designs championing the use of different materials such as tubular metal and plastics. All-metal desks made for architects’ offices, tough factory environments and workshops have become a favourite. Often painted in spray-textured finishes such as green and blue with heavy linoleum inset tops, they can be very stylish when put into a mid-century domestic interior. French metal desks are among the most striking and values tend to start at £300£400, depending on condition and configuration.

However, although repurposing is obviously very valid, make sure you know what you are buying as I often see pieces in the marketplace that are labelled as desks but actually started life as dressing tables. Desks have always been more commercially viable and it’s not unusual for people to remove mirrors and backs from old dressing tables and to inset the tops with leather.

Remember also, that a desk doesn’t have to be confined to an office – it can be a central part of a domestic interior and the hub of the house.

DESKS ARE TYPICALLY INSET with leather tops but

they are often stained, scratched and shabby. You can have these professionally replaced but you can also buy off-the-shelf gilt-tooled leather insets and fit them yourself.

WITH MORE PEOPLE WORKING FROM HOME and trends

set to remain that way, a greater number of people have had to designate space to work from and this can involve fitting in a desk. Of course, there are plenty of modern high-street, flat-pack work stations and desks which can be crammed into a spare room, but take time to think about your environment and introduce some style. Working in a family environment might also be difficult but use a desk as a multi-functional piece and don’t be scared to go antique. Mix and match for a more sustainable approach.

A DESK CAN BE A PSYCHOLOGICALLY potent piece

of furniture. It can signify wealth, success and creativity – but negativity too, particularly in a work environment. My own very 1970s vision of banking and high-powered company officials comes to mind, with the cliché of powerful men sitting behind their large Georgian-style mahogany desks inset with green or red leather tops – and firing more lowly workers! With major advances in office design and office politics, styles have changed and, now much less fashionable, old antique-style ‘power desks’ often appear at auction for very little money.

MAKE SURE YOU PICK A CHAIR that suits your desk.

Pairing the two elements stylistically might need a compromise. Ensure the height and leg space are good for you. Constantly sitting in a poor position at the wrong height is all too easy to fall into. This is a common problem with antique items, which are not always ergonomically designed. Choose what’s right for you.

Period Living 91

Discover the latest products to improve your period home and pick up top tips from industry experts

Let i t

sh

e in

Add a touch of glamour to rooms with high ceilings, or create a showstopping focal point above a dining table with the new Rhapsody 12-light chandelier, £2,400 from Där Lighting.

With its eight stepped layers of crystal and warm bronze frame, the light takes inspiration from Art Deco designs and comes with three metres of cord and matching bronze chain, meaning that it can be adjusted to best fit wherever you choose to display it.

STILL STANDING Freestanding kitchens are enduringly popular for their ability to create a relaxed and homely style that feels authentic in a period property.

Inspired by Georgian sculleries and pantries, Huckleberry’s new Unfitted range makes it simple to get the look, as the pieces are all designed to complement each other and the collection can be accrued over time.

Available primed or painted, the furniture is priced from £1,344 for a wall cabinet.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF…

Feature Holly Reaney Illustration Sarah Overs

THE PANTRY The word pantry comes from the old French word paneterie, originating from the word for bread, pain. As its name suggests, the medieval pantry was a dedicated room to store bread along with vegetables and fruit, while meat, milk and cheese was stored separately in a cold room called the larder, also sometimes referred to as a ‘cold pantry’. In smaller houses, the pantry would feature a stone shelf which would be used as a larder to keep perishable items cool.

By the Victorian era, the pantry had developed into a space to store tableware, prepare vegetables and to clean up, while food was stored in the aptly named storeroom. Larger houses would have multiple pantries and a scullery each serving a specific role.

The invention of the fridge in the 1910s saw the walls of pantries and larders knocked down to create a larger kitchen, and by the 1960s they were considered obsolete. Somewhat surprisingly, however, recent years have seen the resurgence of the pantry – whether as a dedicated room or as an all-encompassing cupboard.

This likely follows the desire for kitchens to also serve as living spaces and the growing trend for freestanding kitchen designs.

Period Living 93

WORDS OF WISDOM Barrie Cutchie, design director at BC Designs, discusses the key considerations when buying a freestanding bath How do you choose the right design?

For an on-trend bath, there is a wide choice of shapely freestanding designs available to give your scheme wow factor. The style and design of a freestanding bath are very much down to personal choice and it depends what you like and what works for you and your home.

Don’t be scared to get into the baths in the showroom – just like when buying a mattress, you will want to test it out and make sure you find it comfortable, or you won’t enjoy using it once it is fitted.

Where is the best place to position my bath?

If you are using the services of a bathroom designer, they will have the expertise to help you choose the best position for your freestanding bath. Depending on the size and shape of the room, there may only be one sensible location or there may be several different possibilities.

Take a look at the window in the room – often, this is an awkward place to fit washbasins or WCs, so could your bath go underneath it?

If you have an alcove, corner or a feature wall, carefully positioning your freestanding bath can set off the space beautifully. If you are lucky enough to have a large space to work with, then placing it in the middle of the room is a great option.

Another factor to consider when choosing the position of your bath is the location of plumbing and pipework. While you can move it, doing so will significantly add to your overall bill.

Will I need to reinforce the floor?

If you’re in doubt about the strength of your floor, it is best to get the opinion of a structural engineer, who can advise as to whether it would benefit from being reinforced.

You also need to calculate the weight of your new bath. As well as when empty, you need to take into consideration its weight when it is full of water and you, or a family member, is in it as well.

Which taps should I opt for?

There are three types of bath mixer taps: floor-mounted, deck-mounted, or wall-mounted. The majority of freestanding baths won’t have pre-drilled holes so you can decide what works best for you.

Wall-mounted taps are installed through the bathroom wall so are only an option if your bath isn’t in the middle of the room.

Alternatively, deck-mounted taps are installed to the side of your bath and floor-mounted taps directly from the floor.

Deck-mounted taps are the most cost-effective option, and you can choose to have them fitted at the end of the bath or in the middle – these are particularly great if you have children as it will mean no one is arguing about who has the tap end!

k’s co Coo m pa While period

n io n

homes are all about celebrating the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t embrace the latest technology. Smeg’s new Omnichef combines a traditional oven, steam oven and microwave in one device, removing the need for multiple appliances. The functions can be used independently or combined to offer an impressive reduction in cooking times of up to 70 per cent. It can roast a chicken in half an hour, and baked or roast potatoes in just 20 minutes – meaning you can spend less time cooking and more time relaxing.

Period Living 95

Ask the expert

painting a window, Q When should you paint slightly onto the edge of the glass?

Most definitely. You should paint all coats a couple of millimetres onto the glass beyond the putty line rather than just following it. By coming slightly onto the glazing you fully protect the putty from the weather and prevent rainwater penetration around the glass.

The use of precision edge masking tape or a glass scraper can help you to achieve a neat finish.

I use a dehumidifier QShould to help keep a slightly damp room dry in an old house?

Dehumidifiers are designed to reduce and maintain humidity levels. They can provide an effective way of extracting excessive dampness from old buildings long disused, flooded or recently repaired, but only when they are used

in conjunction with air heaters and air movement.

However, where you have condensation problems the permanent use of such devices is a poor substitute for efficient heating coupled with adequate ventilation and air movement.

Dehumidifiers are not silent, need a permanent drain and are visually intrusive. Simple lifestyle changes that lower humidity and/or keep surface temperatures above the dew point will usually provide a more practical and less expensive long-term solution than dehumidifiers.

Similarly, whole-house ventilation systems, which can have a role in controlling condensation, should not be seen as the automatic answer in old buildings. Their installation can entail significant harm to the historic fabric of the home. type of peg should I Q What use when repairing an old timber frame?

Pegs should be cut from oak that is as dry as possible so that they do not shrink and should be ‘baked’ in an oven before use. They must be tapered and rounded at the entry end but left square at the projecting end unless they are to be flush with the surface of the timber they are holding. Firmly tap the pegs in, then do the same on completion and, if possible, again after one to two years. Never use secondhand pegs for repairs.

If you have a renovation question for Douglas, please email periodliving@ futurenet.com *

96 Period Living

*We do our best to answer all queries, but cannot guarantee a response Images (top) Polly Eltes; (bottom) Julia Currie

Douglas Kent, technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), answers your renovation queries

Advertorial

Feel the glow Update your old fire or stove with the latest sustainable designs by Stovax Heating Group

E

fficiency is key when it comes to heating your home, and while atmospheric, older stoves or open fireplaces are highly inefficient and very polluting. Therefore, if you are relying on one of these older systems, it is time to bring your fireplace up to date with a more sustainable model. However, modernisation doesn’t mean you have to compromise the heritage charm of your home. Stovax Heating Group offers its favourite options that combine period character with modern technology.

For more information visit stovax.com Above: HUNTINGDON 30 Available as both a dedicated wood-burner and a multi-fuel stove, the Huntingdon 30 from Stovax is an Ecodesign appliance with a traditional cast-iron aesthetic. This stove can be selected with either the charming tracery door for a nod to gothic styling, or with a clear door for a wide view of the flames. Priced from £1,359.

Above: COUNTY 3 A neat and compact multi-fuel stove, Stovax’s County 3 offers a country charm that makes it perfectly suited to a variety of homes and interior styles. This stove is Ecodesign compliant, making it a great solution for updating old fireplaces and bringing in new technology.

Priced from £845.

Below: REFLEX 75T A period style with a modern twist, Gazco’s Reflex 75T gas fire has been designed to fit within a standard 36-inch chimney breast, which allows you to enjoy an open fire aesthetic with all the modern capabilities of gas – including app control. Pair it with a stone surround for a classic look.

Priced from £4,809.

Below: SHERATON 5 If you are looking for an elegant and graceful update to an old wood-burner or open fire, consider Stovax’s Sheraton 5 design. This high-efficiency wood-burning stove has a beautiful, timeless charm with detailing that’s suited to both modern and period homes.

Priced from £1,449.

Right: MARLBOROUGH 2 A boot room or garden building can often require instant, localised heat. For this job, the Marlborough 2 electric stove from Gazco is perfect – simply requiring connection to the mains, it offers instant heat at the touch of a button.

Priced from £1,139.

Period Living 97

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Period Living 99

Renovation

HOME MAINTENANCE

Wooden floors A desirable feature in an old property, original wood flooring adds character and a unique feel, but it can deteriorate over time, requiring care and repair Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook

M Illustrations Sarah Overs

inimal intervention is usually the key to preserving the patina of age that contributes to the characterful surface of wooden floors. Even so, the wear and tear of everyday life and damage from rot and beetle infestation can take its toll.

Some old floors benefit from sanding and refinishing to bring back the beauty of the wood. In other cases, repairs to the subfloor structure might be required.

How to repair Before doing work to a floor, it’s important to establish whether it is structurally sound. ‘The floorboards are rarely the problem but sometimes

they need to be lifted so the subfloor and joists can be repaired,’ says Ivaylo Asenov of Alpha Floor Sanding.

‘We assess the moisture levels and check for woodworm, and if the wood is too badly damaged, we cut it away and replace it. Then we start the sanding process and choose a finish.’

Lifting floorboards requires care, especially if they’re tongued and grooved or secretly nailed. ‘If you’re taking up an old floor you will always need some spare boards because they can be brittle and some are going to split,’ warns Andy Walker of Artisan Timber & Flooring.

Most old floors will have gaps between the boards. Ivaylo explains

that there are two main ways to solve these. ‘For gaps up to 4mm, you can fill them with sawdust mixed with resin.

We use the sawdust from the same floor so we can match the colour. For larger gaps, reclaimed wood slithers can be glued and hammered in.’

Unlike floorboards, parquet flooring is generally laid directly on screed but, as with old floorboards, it was likely originally installed at a time when houses had no central heating. ‘The moisture content in the wood would have been a lot higher, so when heating is installed the humidity in the house drops drastically and the blocks shrink and become loose. Often you can take the blocks up, clean them Period Living 101

Left: Smaller gaps between floorboards can often be filled with a mix of sawdust and resin Right: Original parquet floors can often be taken up, cleaned and relaid

and relay them,’ says John Walsh of John Walsh Flooringman. Before relaying the blocks, the screed must be checked. ‘The blocks won’t stick to a dusty surface,’ warns John. ‘If the screed has blown and it’s powdery, it means re-screeding the whole floor; screed can’t be spot repaired.’

The most common way of preparing the surface of a wooden floor for finishing is sanding. ‘When we sand the floor, we start with a rough-grit paper, then a medium and then a fine,’ explains John. ‘We go through the grits until we close the grain down enough to make it a smooth surface. It’s very important to go through all the grits properly to avoid sanding marks.

Never sand across the grain; always sand with the board and avoid stopping while the sander is going – if you do you’ll make a hole in the wood.’

It’s worth remembering that professional sanding companies use sanders fitted with dust extraction equipment, so consequently very little dust escapes. Hired machines tend to result in more mess.

Staining a floor can add richness and helps to hide marks. ‘Always test a stain on a small area first,’ advises Andy. ‘There can be pitfalls; you may get traces of chemicals in the wood that make it look blotchy, but you won’t know until you start.’

When it comes to adding a finish, John emphasises the importance of building up the coats thinly. ‘Don’t put too much on,’ he says. ‘We tend to use water-based lacquers that look like beeswax and give a natural finish. Water-based finishes tend not to colour the wood as much as solvent-based products.’

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How to maintain and clean Don’t obsessively mop wooden floors, advises John. ‘If you keep mopping the floor, the moisture will soak in.

Instead, you should use a compatible wood cleaner. Before refinishing a floor, it’s important to remove cleaning and other residues. They can cause contamination and result in the new finish failing. Ensure the new finish is the same type of product, either oil or water-based.’

Andy suggests that it’s easier to get rid of scratches with an oiled floor than a lacquered floor. ‘Matt lacquers are very forgiving on scratches; the shinier the floor, the more noticeable scratches will be. There are wax repair kits that can be used to fill scratches to a certain extent and some companies offer lacquer repair kits.’

‘Fit a good doormat to catch grit and debris,’ recommends John. ‘This should be rubber backed to avoid the moisture from shoes going through the mat and blackening the wood.’

In addition, Ivaylo suggests using felt pads under every item of furniture to prevent scratching the floor.

How to replace ‘If we can save a floor that’s been there for hundreds of years, then we do,’ says Ivaylo. ‘We don’t want to be the people who end up destroying it.’

If buying new or reclaimed flooring, getting the match right is essential, emphasises John. ‘If you’re trying to match, take a sample board but sand a small area first so you can clearly see the wood. Thickness and the other dimensions are also important. You can always cut down planks if they are slightly oversized.’

Andy says that it doesn’t generally matter how battered the board is as long as there is sufficient wood to sand it down. ‘You usually take off about 1mm when sanding but, with heavily distressed boards, it may need to be more. A structural board must still be thicker than 18mm after sanding.’

Useful contacts ALPHA FLOOR SANDING - complete

floor renovation. Tel: 020 3026 0377; alpha-floorsanding.co.uk ARTISAN TIMBER & FLOORING - supply, fitting and renovation. Tel: 01296 631208; artisantimberandflooring.co.uk DRAUGHTEX - floorboard gap filler.

Tel: 0800 433 4282; draughtex.co.uk FIDDES -floor finishing products.

Tel: 029 2034 0323; fiddes.co.uk JOHN WALSH FLOORINGMAN - wood floor renovation. Tel: 01686 412089; flooringman.co.uk THE NATURAL WOOD FLOOR COMPANY quality wood flooring. Tel: 020 8871 9771; naturalwoodfloor.co.uk OSMO - natural finishing products.

Tel: 01296 481220; osmouk.com PARQUET PARQUET - reclaimed parquet.

Tel: 01507 313470; parquet-parquet.co.uk SAICOS COATING SYSTEMS - wood finishes.

Tel: 01904 427029; hjrdistribution.co.uk STOPGAP - draughtproofing system.

Tel: 029 2021 3736; stopgaps.com

Window Design Box-weighted six-overnine Accoya sash windows in Westbury White, £3,360 per window, Westbury Windows & Joinery

In the frame Windows are integral to the character of a period property so, when replacing, it’s important to invest in authentic designs. Find the best fit with our guide Feature Holly Reaney

R

egarded as the eyes of a house, the right windows have the power to instantly transform an exterior. However, just as choosing the right design can uplift your home, an insensitive solution has an equally negative impact. Therefore, when it comes to replacing your windows, authenticity is key.

Original windows, if still intact, are gems that should be preserved, as they possess a unique personality. Even if you think your original windows are beyond saving – perhaps because they have succumbed to heavy rot or warping – then it is still worth enlisting expert help, as more often than not it is possible to restore them.

Specialist companies such as The Sash Window Workshop and Ventrolla are able to do amazing work to conserve and protect original windows.

Repairs will also come at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new – expect to pay around £500 per window, in comparison to over £1,000 each for a sensitive replacement.

Unfortunately, many period homes aren’t lucky enough to have the originals still intact.

Postwar renovation projects saw the desire to improve efficiency and achieve a modern look at a low cost take precedent over preserving our built heritage. As a result, many period properties still have inauthentic uPVC windows that were installed in this period. If this is the case with your home, then replacing incongruous designs with sensitive alternatives will not only transform its appearance, but can also add value.

Which window style will suit my home?

Replacing inappropriate windows can seem like a daunting prospect, as it’s important to choose a design that complements your home’s era and architectural style. ‘Look at similar properties on your street to identify the designs that are specific to your area. You can also look up historic records – Historic England is a good source of information,’ advises Tom Wright, managing director at George Barnsdale. ‘Also research styles for the period the house was built in – this is a good general approach, especially for glazing bar patterns, types of glazing, and window and door profiles. Companies that specialise in timber windows and doors have a lot of knowledge, too, so be sure to ask for advice.’

Do I need planning permission?

If you are planning to replace inauthentic windows or fit like-for-like designs, then in the majority of cases planning permission is not necessary.

The exceptions are for designated areas, such as Conservation Areas, where the new designs must be as close to the originals as possible, and for listed homes, which will need listed building consent. Additionally, all new windows must be compliant with the building regulations, and the installer must be registered with FENSA. Once the work is complete, the installer should send you a FENSA certificate, which you will need should you sell the property in the future.

106 Period Living

Right: Georgianstyle six-oversix Accoya sash window, from £2,000 per window in original sashes, Bath Bespoke

Below: Painswick timber alternative windows, prices on application, Residence 9

Window Design

Below: W20 arched steel windows for a converted tithe barn located in a conservation village, prices on application, Crittall

Above: EB20 thermally efficient steel windows set in wooden subframe, prices on application, Clement Window Group

Left: Bottle-top casement windows with top lights in Accoya with pre-antiqued lead bars, prices on application, Timbawood Period Living 107

Window Design

Which material is best?

Due to their durability and elegance, hardwoods like oak are highly desirable for new windows.

However, they are some of the most expensive options, with costs upwards of £350 per m2.

Offering a similar look to hardwood, especially when painted, softwood windows come at a price point between £200 to £350 per m2. However, they will need replacing after around 30 years.

Modified timbers are quickly becoming the preferred choice by window manufacturers and are praised for their superior strength and rot resistance. Accoya, the most popular of the modified timbers, is 60 per cent stronger than hardwood with a lifespan of around 80 years.

Despite its affordability and efficiency, uPVC should be treated with caution. There are some companies who make high-quality ‘timber alternative’ designs with a more authentic look, but these are expensive compared to standard uPVC. Lightweight and minimalist, aluminium is a great choice for large windows or glazed walls on extensions, especially when they are going to be paired with patio doors. While they are long lasting, they will need to have their spray-paint or powder-coat finish reapplied during their lifetime to keep them looking their best.

Steel is a low-maintenance and highly durable option. If galvanised and painted, steel windows

Above: Traditional bronze casement windows with leaded lights and kiln-distorted glass, from £320 per fixed casement, Architectural Bronze Casements

Below: Engineered European redwood flush casement window finished in cream with astragal glazing bars, prices on application, Timber Windows

Period Living 109

will often outlast the building into which they are installed, making them a very cost-effective choice.

For a more luxury look, bronze is a beautiful material for window construction that will bring a sophisticated look to your home. Due to its high price tag, bronze is a long-term investment but with regular maintenance, the windows will last for several hundred years.

What are the glazing options?

Right: Flush casements and cottage casements in Farrow & Ball White Tie, prices on application, Jack Brunsdon & Son Left: Bespoke historic flush engineered softwood and putty glazed casement windows, from around £840 each, George Barnsdale

Glazing is as important as the frames. ‘The majority of new windows manufactured and installed today are double glazed. This means that the window has two panes of glass, often separated by argon or krypton gas, which helps to form an insulating barrier,’ explains Richard Dollar, managing director of The Sash Window Workshop. ‘Double glazing will normally be approved in Conservation Areas, assuming the property is not also listed.’

In listed homes or those with original single glazing, secondary glazing is a worthwhile consideration as it will improve a window’s efficiency without compromising its integrity.

‘Secondary glazing involves installing an additional window internally in front of the existing window,’ adds Richard. ‘New single glazing is primarily used on listed buildings to replace windows that need to be made “like for like”, with the new windows being identical to the original windows. They will often also be glazed with historic glass for added authenticity.’

Do I need to have trickle vents?

This depends on whether your existing windows already have trickle vents – a small opening at the top that provides natural ventilation. If they do, then the replacements must also have them, but if not, then replacement windows do not necessarily have to have them either. Fortunately, it is possible to include them discreetly; for example, by fitting the vents into the head of a sash window box.

Right: Two-overtwo timber sash Accoya windows painted in white, complete new sash windows start at £2,500, The Sash Window Workshop

110 Period Living

Kitchen Design

Vintage REVIVAL Embrace the charm of nostalgic designs and create a timeless kitchen full of heritage treasures

Image Lexi Ribar; design Midland Architecture

Feature Holly Reaney

C

reating the perfect vintage kitchen is all about uniting two worlds: the beauty of the past and the practicality of the present day. A vital step to achieving the look, says Helen Parker, creative director at Devol, ‘is realising that vintage style is about longevity, soul and the patience to see things evolving.’

Vintage design has seen a resurgence in recent years, not only for its charming aesthetic but also as a highly sustainable way to furnish your home.

An increased backlash against mass production has fuelled this trend and while people often come to vintage from an environmental standpoint, they stay for the character that antique and reclaimed furniture and accessories bring into their home.

Illuminating the past Above: Lighting is a crucial factor when designing any room, but it is particularly important in the kitchen, where you must balance focused task lighting with general ambience. Mixing wall lights that offer downward task lighting with pretty pendants that provide broader illumination is the best way to achieve this. There are lots of different vintage lighting designs available that will imbue your home with a heritage feel; however, if buying an antique fitting, be sure to do so from a reputable company that restores reclaimed lights to modernday safety requirements. Skinflint, who provided the vintage Czech pendants above the sink in this kitchen, offers a wide range of restored lights.

Period Living 117

Mix and match Above: A vintage kitchen is one that is warm and welcoming, and a large table with plenty of chairs all dressed with cushions is a great way to achieve this. ‘You want to create the impression that a room has evolved over time by mixing and matching fabrics, furnishings and tableware. This gives the sense of a collection built up over time rather than being instantly created,’ says Rachel Rose, head of interior design at Susie Watson Designs. ‘Also take into consideration the paint colour chosen – a light colour with undertones of green is a great backdrop to complement lots of pattern in the fabrics, as it is neutral but warmer than any shade of white.’ Round dining table, from £1,475; Gustavian dining chair, £395; embroidered cushions, from £65, all Susie Watson Designs.

Setting the scene Right: A key aspect of vintage kitchen design is accessorising. Keep the essential elements classic in style to create an elegant backdrop against which vintage trinkets can really shine. Here, understated Shaker cabinetry, a fluted butler’s sink and aged brass hardware are the perfect foil for vintage furniture, fabrics and accessories. Prices for Devol’s Real Shaker kitchen start from £12,000.

118 Period Living

Kitchen Design

Image (this page) Polly Eltes

Original character Above: Embrace period features, such as timber beams, and celebrate the warmth and charm they bring to the kitchen. In this nostalgic design, the characterful original timbers have been highlighted with a reclaimed mantel over the Aga, wooden worktops, and antique Windsor chairs. Timeless Shaker cabinetry has been painted in Farrow &

Ball’s Stiffkey Blue, and quarry floor tiles add a rustic touch. To keep the space bright, walls have been painted in a pale warm grey – Slate II from Paint & Paper Library – and the small cottage window has been kept treatment free to maximise natural light. For a similar vintage-style tablecloth, try a block-printed design from Cologne & Cotton.

Period Living 119

Best dressed A dresser is a must-have for any vintage kitchen.

Combining cupboards and shelves offers valuable storage while also leaving a space to display beloved heirlooms and vintage finds. Painted in Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black, this 10-foot-long dresser was constructed from reclaimed Welsh pine floorboards.

Kitchen Design

Nostalgic motifs Above: The kitchen splashback presents a perfect opportunity to add character to your kitchen.

Reclaimed tiles will create an authentic distressed look, while new designs inspired by heritage motifs will give your kitchen a hint of nostalgia.

Telling the story of the past, these Dyrham Dairy tiles, £1.52 each from Ca’Pietra’s National Trust collection, were inspired by original delft designs discovered on the walls of Dyrham Park’s Victorian kitchens and basement, and have been reimagined as a new range of ceramic tiles.

Repurposed pieces

Image (left) Julie Currie

Right: The beauty of creating a vintage kitchen is that you are not restricted by the parameters of contemporary kitchen design. In this kitchen, a vintage shop counter serves as additional workspace, bringing creativity and charm, and is perfectly complemented by the cream and wooden tones of the British Standard cupboards, from £535. The lived-in aesthetic is further enhanced by the generous farmhouse table and chairs, a mainstay of any vintage kitchen design as it doubles as both a dining space and preparation area – serving the same function as islands do in modern kitchens.

Warm hearted Above: A range cooker is the mainstay of any vintage kitchen. For the most part, original appliances are best avoided as they will be inefficient and potentially dangerous. However, a restored vintage cooker, with modern electrics and safety certifications, is an option, and is usually cheaper than buying new. Alternatively, there are lots of new vintage-inspired range cooker designs that have the signature enamelled exterior and covered hot-plates.

Antique charm Right: When curating your look, think about the tonality of materials. With solid floors and lots of cabinetry, the kitchen can feel quite cold, the antithesis of the welcoming ambience that a vintage scheme seeks to provide. ‘Matching dark antique woods with light cabinetry is a great way to add depth to your kitchen colour scheme, whereby those warm, richer accents contrast against cool neutral tones,’ says George Miller, home designer at Neptune. ‘A great example would be including a vintage dresser or larder cabinet in a modern kitchen. This will create a stylish contemporary feel with a hint of traditional country.’ Suffolk 6ft dresser, £3,675, Neptune.

122 Period Living

Kitchen Design Old meets new

Image (left) Polly Eltes; (below) Richard Hill; (far right) Kasia Fiszer

Left: Creating a modern vintage look is all about balancing older elements with newer details.

Sleek sage cabinetry, marble surfaces and chrome hardware wouldn’t look out of place in a more contemporary setting, but when combined with a reclaimed wooden butcher’s block, open shelving, shiplap ceiling and aged wooden floor, they take on a more vintage look. ‘Continue the feel by displaying fresh herbs, greenery, mismatched dishes and plant pots on open shelves,’ advise Jen and Mar, co-founders of Interior Fox.

Practically perfect Above: Once a mainstay of traditional kitchen design, pantries fell out of favour in the 1960s following the invention of the fridge-freezer.

However, there has been a recent resurgence in pantries being reintroduced into kitchens.

A walk-in pantry is the dream. Build wall-to-wall shelves and dress with vintage tins, baskets and other retro finds. Enhance the homely aesthetic by adding a printed curtain, which also disguises the more practical tins and packages.

Meadow sweet Left: Chintzy florals are one of the defining features of a vintage kitchen, however they must be used wisely. This neat Roman blind offers a stylish take on tradition, adding rustic charm and colour to the scheme. Coupled with a linen ticking curtain on the cupboard underneath, it works to give the kitchen a softer look. While there are countless vintage-inspired prints available, consider upcycling vintage curtains or a tablecloth to create your own unique blind at a fraction of the cost of buying new.

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From the earth Left: Having been used as a floor covering for centuries, terracotta brings with it a rich colour and warmth that is the perfect complement to other vintage kitchen ideas. Evoking old-world Mediterranean style, these terracotta tiles, £45 per m2 at Floors of Stone, are crafted from clay and full of unique character. Opt for tiles that have hand-finished edges as this will give them a slightly aged appearance. It’s worth noting, however, that unfinished terracotta is very porous, so it is vital that it is sealed before being used in the kitchen. Select pre-sealed tiles or protect them with an impregnating seal to ensure a hardwearing finish that is resistant to staining and spills.

On a roll Right: Though wallpaper might not seem like the natural choice for a kitchen, the right design can transform your space. A bold floral print, like this heritageinspired Hykenham wallpaper in High Sea/Ginger, £99 per roll from Sanderson, might initially seem overwhelming, but the key to success is balance. The built-in cabinetry, window and floor-toceiling dresser provide an elegant foil to the bright print, while its rich tones and floral motifs bring warmth to the space. If using wallpaper in the kitchen, fit an upstand to the worktop to keep spills off your walls.

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Recipes

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Celebrate traditional French flavours and cuisine through these recipes inspired by Paris, the capital of romance

CO NF IT

OF E CO DO CIP E R N RA FOR TATOU ILLE: SEE NEXT PAGE

CONFIT OF COD ON RATATOUILLE SERVES 4 FOR THE FISH O 4 cod fillets (each approx 175g) O 2 red chilli peppers O 600ml olive oil O 3 bay leaves O 5cm piece of organic lemon peel O Sea salt O Smoked paprika FOR THE RATATOUILLE O 1 red sweet (bell) pepper O 1 yellow sweet (bell) pepper O 1 small courgette O ½ aubergine O 1 shallot O 2–3 garlic cloves O 6 tbsp olive oil O 2 tsp thyme leaves O Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. For the fish, preheat the oven to 100°C/210°F/Gas ½.

Rinse the cod fillets in cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Halve the chilli peppers lengthways. Put the oil, chilli halves, bay leaves and lemon peel into an ovenproof dish and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Lay the cod fillets in the hot oil – the oil must completely cover them. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, to make the ratatouille, clean the vegetables, and remove the seeds and dividing walls from the peppers. Cut the peppers, courgette and aubergine into about 1cm cubes. Peel and finely dice the shallot and garlic.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, and sauté the shallot, peppers, courgette and aubergine for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, season to taste with salt and paprika, and fry the contents of the pan for a further 2–3 minutes, until the vegetables are well browned and cooked through.

4. To serve, lift the cod fillets out of the oil, drain and arrange on plates with a little oil. Season the fish with the sea salt, black pepper and paprika, and serve with the ratatouille.

128 Period Living

PARISIAN ONION SOUP SERVES 4 O 750g brown onions O 3 tbsp butter O 2 tbsp flour 125ml dry white wine O Approx 1.5 ltrs beef stock O 1 bay leaf O 1 tbsp thyme leaves O 8–12 slices of baguette O 150g strong gruyère or Alpine cheese O Sea salt O Cayenne pepper O Freshly grated nutmeg

1. Peel the onions and cut into thin rings. Heat the butter in a large saucepan.

Over a low heat slowly

sweat the onions for about 15 minutes, until they are golden brown and soft, stirring occasionally.

2. Dust the onions with the flour and stir in.

Deglaze with the white wine. Add the stock, bay leaf and thyme. Bring the soup to the boil, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Season well with salt, cayenne pepper and nutmeg, and remove the bay leaf.

3. Briefly toast both sides of the baguette slices under the grill until they are golden brown. Preheat the oven to 250°C/fan 220°C/475°F/Gas 9.

Coarsely grate the cheese.

Spoon the soup into four heat-resistant soup bowls, lay the slices of toasted baguette on the soup and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in the oven for about 2 minutes until golden yellow, and serve immediately.

Recipes

COQ AU VIN BLANC SERVES 4 O 1 large poularde (fattened chicken), approx 1.5 kg, divided into eight pieces O 2 tbsp olive oil O 1 heaped tbsp plain flour O 1 bottle of dry white wine O 500ml chicken stock O 1 large onion O 1 large carrot O 100g celeriac O 10 sprigs of thyme O 2 bay leaves O 300g small bunched carrots O 250g small shallots O 100g streaky bacon O 200g small field mushrooms O 30g butter O 1–2 pinches of sugar O Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse the poularde pieces in cold water and pat until completely dry.

Heat the oil in a large roasting pan. Fry the poularde pieces – possibly in portions – all over for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Dust with the flour. Deglaze with a little of the wine, reduce, then pour in the remaining wine and the chicken stock, and bring to the boil. Peel and coarsely dice the onion, carrot and celeriac. Add the onion, carrot, celeriac, five sprigs of thyme and the bay leaf to the meat and stock, and season to

taste with salt and pepper.

Cook for 1 hour in a covered roasting pan over a low heat.

2. Meanwhile, wash the bunched carrots, leaving some of the leaves, and peel them. Lightly blanch the carrots in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes, then remove, rinse in cold water and drain. Peel the shallots. Cut the bacon into thin strips. Clean the mushrooms and rub dry with a dish towel. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry the shallots for about 8 minutes. Add the bacon and mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Season to taste with pepper, cover and keep warm.

3. Remove the poularde pieces from the sauce, cover and keep warm.

Pass the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve and into a saucepan, thoroughly squeezing out the residue in the sieve.

Pour the sauce and the mushroom mixture with stock into the roasting pan, bring to the boil and reduce slightly, until it is thick enough. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar. Add the poularde pieces and bunched carrots to the sauce, and heat for 5–10 minutes.

Serve garnished with leaves from the remaining sprigs of thyme.

BRIOCHES MAKES 20 O 42g

(1 cube) of fresh yeast O 550g plain flour O 75g sugar O 1¼ tsp salt O 1 tsp grated organic lemon zest O 4 cold eggs (medium) O 250g cold butter O 1 egg yolk O 2 tbsp milk Note: This recipe requires a non-fan-assisted oven.

1. The day before, finely crumble the yeast. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, lemon zest, eggs and

3 tbsp of cold water for 5 minutes in a food processor or using a hand-held mixer with a dough hook on a low setting. Cut the butter into small pieces and gradually knead it in. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes on a medium setting, until it looks silky and is elastic. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and leave the dough to rise in the fridge for at least 10 hours (or overnight).

2. The next day, thoroughly grease 20 brioche tins with butter. Briefly knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface, and then break off 20 portions, each weighing about 50g.

Roll each portion on a little flour to form a smooth ball.

Form 20 small balls from the remaining dough.

Put the large balls of dough in the tins, press a deep hole in the middle of each one and put a small ball in each hole. Cover

with a dish towel and leave to rise at room temperature for about 1½ hours, until the dough has risen to just below the edge of the tin.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Whisk the egg yolks and milk, and brush the brioches with the mixture. Bake in the oven for 18–20 minutes until golden yellow. Remove, briefly cool, then remove the brioches from their tins and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Recipes

TARTE TATIN SERVES 8–10 O Approx.

1.5kg tart apples (e.g. Cox’s Orange Pippin or Braeburn) O 150g sugar O 100g butter O 2 packs (each 280g) puff-pastry rounds (refrigerated) O 250g crème fraîche O 3 tbsp Calvados (apple brandy) O 1 tbsp mild honey

1. Peel and quarter the apples and remove their cores. Slowly melt the sugar in a tarte tatin or flameproof/ovenproof dish, 26cm in diameter, over a low heat until it caramelises and turns a pale brown colour. Stir in the butter

in small flakes, then remove the dish from the heat. Arrange the apple quarters upright and close together in the still-soft caramel. Return the dish to the heat and simmer the apples in the caramel for 10 minutes. This will evaporate some of the liquid and slightly caramelise the apples.

2. Meanwhile, take the puff pastry out of the fridge and bring to room temperature for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ 400°F/Gas 6. Lay the two pastry rounds on top of each other over the apples,

tucking the pastry edges between the edge of the dish and the apples.

Prick the pastry several times with a fork. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the pastry is light brown and crispy.

3. Stir the crème fraîche, Calvados and honey together in a bowl. Remove the dish from the oven, lay an inverted cake plate on top of the tarte and turn it out onto the plate.

Take care, as some of the hot juice may trickle out.

Cut the tarte tatin into slices and serve with the Calvados cream.

This is an edited extract from In Love with Paris

by Anne-Katrin Weber (Quadrille, £16.99).

Photography Julia Hoersch Period Living 131

Create the perfect winter garden, get spring plans underway, and look after your houseplants OOH LA LA! First created in Paris’ Latin Quarter in the 19th century, the Simona plant pot would have graced many French homes. Let it add a touch of chic to your garden room or summer house. From £29, The Future Kept.

Feature Rachel Crow

BOOK SHELF

In winter, our gardens are often at their most bare - yet the palette of winter plants is so varied that it is possible to create a haven of colour and scent. This is what Cedric Pollet demonstrates in Winter Gardens: Reinventing the Season (£20, Frances Lincoln).

Showcasing 20 spectacular gardens, the book illustrates the creative use of plants, capitalising on multi-coloured stems and bark, to result in planting spectacles that dazzle through the season.

ALL IN A ROW

You will start plotting out your vegetable garden soon, so make sure you’re armed with the tool for marking perfect lines for sowing seeds or planting plugs with this jute row marker with metal peg, £19.95, Graham & Green.

SIMPLE SOURCE It’s particularly important to provide water for birds and other wildlife during the coldest months, when natural supplies might be frozen. Made from sustainable materials and featuring small steps for birds and other pollinators to access the water safely, the Nature Oasis also doubles as a bath in the warmer months. £22, National Trust Shop.

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HOW TO CARE FOR HOUSEPLANTS IN WINTER During the winter months, houseplants’ growth rate slows significantly, and many enter a dormant state, so alter your care schedule to keep them happy. Unlike outdoor plants that respond to the seasons, indoor plants rely on us to provide the right levels of warmth, light, water and food as well as suitable air conditions.

WATER IN MODERATION During the winter, indoor

plants require far less watering – and indeed over-watering during the resting season can lead to rot. Watering requirements will vary on plant type, but generally twice a month or even less will be enough. Cacti and succulents may need no watering at all until spring.

The soil should be allowed to dry out fully before you water them again; a general rule of thumb is to always check the soil moisture by pushing in your finger down to the knuckle, to feel how dry it is below the top surface. Then only water as and when the plant requires it.

You should also make sure that plant pots have adequate drainage, so the houseplants do not sit in water, which can cause damage.

HOLD OFF ON FEEDING There is no need to feed

indoor plants during winter, and in fact doing so could cause problems - unused fertiliser can cause salt build-up and root burn or could upset the natural growth cycle of the plant.

CONTROL THE LIGHT As the days get shorter and

light levels decrease, move your houseplants into a position where they can receive maximum sunlight. Do, however, be careful of cold draughts coming from windows. Sensitivity to light will vary depending on the type of plant, and some indoor plants can be damaged from over exposure to direct sunlight, so be sure to research the light requirements of each plant.

CHECK THE TEMPERATURE Most houseplants do not

like fluctuating temperatures, so be mindful of extremes from radiators, fireplaces, windows and doors. Plants thrive in a consistent environment, so where possible position them away from areas that change frequently.

Top: Research the light levels required for each plant, as overexposure can cause damage Above left: Keep houseplants away from extremes of heat, such as radiators, and be careful of cold draughts from windows Above right: Houseplants with large smooth leaves will benefit from regular dusting Left: Group houseplants together to create a humid microclimate

THINK HUMIDITY Many indoor plants like cool, damp

conditions, but heating our homes during winter can create very dry conditions. Try grouping plants together to create a humid microclimate, as plants release water vapour as they transpire. You can also place your plants near a tray of water, and spray their leaves regularly with a mister.

KEEP ON TOP OF DUST A build-up of dust on the

leaves of houseplants can block their pores and also harbour pests, so it’s important to clean foliage regularly, particularly during winter.

Also remove damaged and diseased leaves.

136 Period Living

Image National Trust Images/David Noton

Gardens

Gardens in time Continuing our new feature series, National Trust head gardener Rosie Fyles looks at elements of Georgian garden design, and explains how we can incorporate these in our own gardens

Croome Court on the banks of the ‘river’ made at Croome Park, Worcestershire

Period Living 137

Above: Rosie Fyles in the garden at Ham House

Hallmarks of Georgian garden style O Informality – a layout and features guided by

simplicity, nature and pleasure.

O Quiet, rustic innocence – referred to as ‘Arcadia’.

Temples, grottos, follies and summerhouses acted as shelter and destination points, too.

O Views – framing garden views using plants and features, screening and drawing the eye to a specific focal point.

O Water – serpentine lakes designed to draw the eye, reflecting and intensifying the landscape.

The serpentine shaping extended to paths, leading the route through the landscape.

O ‘Moodscapes’ – areas planted to create different emotions using light and shade, foliage colour and vibrant flowering.

138 Period Living

Water, water, everywhere The mid 18th-century Croome, in Worcestershire, is one of the most innovative designed landscapes in Britain. Created by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, it uses water as one of its important components, with a 1.75-mile ‘river’ dug by hand in the 1750s and ’60s.

A pool or water feature can add an extra layer to the atmosphere of a garden. ‘Capability Brown’ loved water in the landscape and created many curving, serpentine lakes, often with a clump or island of trees at one end, to give the impression that the lake went on forever,’ says Katherine Alker, who looks after Croome’s landscape garden.

‘You could use a similar trick of perspective whereby your pond is wider from the viewpoint of your house’s window, then tapers away with planting concealing the endpoint,’ she suggests.

Borrowed views Croome also has a ha-ha, which keeps livestock out without the need for physical barriers like walls or fences, giving uninterrupted views. ‘You can recreate this idea on a smaller scale by making use of borrowed views,’ explains Katherine. ‘If there is an interesting tree in a neighbour’s garden, consider a lower hedge or planting to extend your view and avoid an abrupt “end” to your garden.’

Natural features Although there appears to be a natural simplicity to the Georgian garden and landscape, it is

Images National Trust Images/John Miller, /Andrew Butler and /Steve Franklin

D

on’t be daunted by the images of large, open, grand spaces – complementing even grander houses – that probably come to mind when you think of gardens from the Georgian era.

Their landscapes used nature – the pastoral idyll – as a guide, aiming to provide new vistas at every turn, so that a visitor was constantly delighted by the garden’s variety.

Drawing inspiration from a vast, famous garden can be overwhelming. It may feel challenging to successfully transfer ideas from the grandest scale to a more modest domestic space, but there are period techniques you can bring home.

Gardens

artificial, explains Katherine. ‘Georgian landscapes were highly man-made, but they recreated natural features. A simple idea you could apply is using curves and serpentine shapes. You don’t need to have straight edges to your borders and paths; curves and contours will give a more natural look.’

Shrubs for seasonal interest Shrubberies were much loved by gardeners in the Georgian era. ‘There was an English “mania” for American flowering shrubs and conifers,’ explains Andy Eddy, head gardener at Osterley Park and House, and an expert on Georgian planting and plants.

Inspired by the plants reaching the UK from the US eastern seaboard – many of them holding the species name ‘Virginia’ – Georgian gardeners could extend interest right through autumn with the colours these shrubs and trees added.

‘At home you can do this with some choice plants that give autumn interest,’ adds Andy.

‘Choosing the Carolina silverbell, Halesia carolina, would give you spring, as well as autumn colour, as would Sassafras albidum or Halesia monticola.’

‘Our Evergreen Shrubbery at Croome gives winter interest and is relatively low maintenance,’ says Katherine. ‘Try creating your own interesting bed with just evergreens – and it doesn’t have to be all conifers – to give different textures and moods, and to make more colourful parts of the garden feel all the brighter.’

Above left: The Robert Adam-designed semicircular Garden House at Osterley Park, London. Feature paths fan out past kidneyshaped beds planted with jewel-coloured flowering plants, giving the effect of jewels laid out on a piece of baize – represented here with grass. The beds feature old-fashioned

English plants in radiating rows, with the lowest plants at the front rising to the highest in the middle, creating a cone effect Top: Eye-catchers can draw you on to explore.

This glimpse of an urn at Kedleston, Derbyshire, encourages your eye around the landscape, but the same effect could be

achieved with an object such as a bird table, or a small seating area Above: The Wilderness Walk at Croome. Its shrubberies play with the contrasts between open and enclosed, and light and shade.

The darker areas were symbolically about ‘looking into the soul’ before then emerging into open, sunny areas Period Living 139

Gardens in the Georgian era weren’t all about the awe and grandeur of large landscapes designed by celebrated gardeners. Town gardens – perhaps the lesser told stories of the period – had their own qualities worth exploring.

A good example is Mompesson, a townhouse in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close. Its compact garden, complete with pergola, box domes and cones, is looked after in Georgian style.

‘While you might decide to have defined borders, try making the planting within them informal and naturalistic – even in a more formal shape,’ advises Colin Hayman, who has looked after the gardens in Cathedral Close for 25 years.

‘Experiment with the plants you choose, first creating a framework of perennials and then interplanting more freely. I doubt annual bedding was used. There would have been an emphasis on perennials and biennials, with people saving seed and growing from cuttings,’ Colin adds.

Meanwhile, the garden at Wordsworth House in Cumbria is packed with 18th-century varieties of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. Gardener Amanda Thackeray explains that in town gardens of the period, people would have interplanted ornamental plants, shrubs and roses with productive plants like herbs.

‘Georgian gardeners were very thrifty and resourceful – they might have had pretty flowers 140 Period Living

in their gardens but there would also be many useful plants,’ she says.

‘They were fond of plants with multiple uses.

For example, Good King Henry – Chenopodium bonus-henricus – also known as poor man’s asparagus, was used as a dye, to fatten hens, and the young stalks were eaten like broccoli; sweet cicely – Myrrhis odorata – was used to impart an aniseed flavour to stewing fruit; and chives could be eaten but also helped keep aphids at bay.’

You can follow this lead by looking for pollenrich cottage varieties, such as catmint, lavender and herbs like golden marjoram. Not only do they look beautiful and authentic, they will also help to encourage bumblebees and butterflies.

In terms of roses, old-fashioned scented varieties are good, sympathetic choices. Or, for an authentic feel but with the advantages of modern plant breeding – such as disease resistance – choose a repeat-flowering shrub rose.

Much like gardeners today, Georgian ‘hands-on’ gardeners tried different and new things. They were excited about introducing new plants; straight lines were curved; materials including brick and stone were reused and repurposed; lawns were labour intensive so were small, or perhaps omitted altogether; they borrowed views and looked beyond their boundaries. Planting was mixed, and not all of their ideas worked out.

Doesn’t that sound familiar?

Images National Trust Images/Marianne Majerus, /Val Corbett and /Tamsin Holmes

Georgian design on a smaller scale

Gardens

Essential elements O Georgian gardeners were keen on growing

fruit, especially apples. To maximise space, try training an espalier against a wall.

O Include some plants that are both useful and ornamental, such as herbs.

O Grow scented roses, either old-fashioned varieties or repeat-flowering shrub roses. Where space is tight, you could grow one in a pot or train up an obelisk.

O Plant simple, open cottage flowers and bulbs, especially tulips. Mompesson uses ‘Couleur Cardinal’ and, to lighten darker areas, ‘Maureen’.

O Use locally sourced gravel for paths.

Above left: Alliums at Mompesson House, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The elegant 18thcentury townhouse has a small but beautiful walled garden, filled with colour and texture Top: Lavender and rosemary create a feast for the senses, next to a decorative garden bench at Wordsworth House and Garden, located

in Cockermouth, Cumbria. The birthplace and childhood home of the poet, it was here that he learned his love of nature Right: The property also has a kitchen garden, filled with 18th-century varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Here, rustic supports have been put in place to grow beans

Above: Rose arches in June at Mottisfont, Hampshire. The walled rose garden is home to the National Collection of pre-1900 old-fashioned roses.

It’s well worth a visit for inspiration, although modern roses have been bred to be more disease resistant with longer flowering periods, making them a sympathetic choice Period Living 141

Daffodils

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Daffodils, also known by their botanical name narcissi, are easy and reliable spring-flowering bulbs that will return year after year with little fuss Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

flowering looking good, deadhead as the flowers go over to stop the spent blooms from detracting from the next flowering batch, but leave the leaves to recharge the bulbs for next year,’ she adds.

The best way to grow By selecting different varieties of daffodils you can have early to late flowering blooms to extend the spring show. As a bulbous perennial, they will keep coming back year after year and will slowly spread, so choose an area where you want them to naturalise. Scattering bulbs and planting where they fall will give you a natural look in lawns, meadows, on banks or in beds. Bold drifts give impact, clumps under trees with a cascade of blossom confetti look charming, or a pot or two by the door will give cheer every time you pass by the choice is vast. This is not a less is more flower.

Where to grow he sight of shimmering daffodils growing en masse, with their faces turned to the sun, is sure to lift your spirits as spring gets underway in the garden. Among the most recognisable perennial bulbs, daffodils and jonquils are the common names of the garden forms of the genus narcissus, which has over 50 species.

The word narcissus is derived from the Greek ‘narka’, meaning numbness, and probably relates to the poisonous nature of the bulbs and flowers.

Since the 19th century, classification and breeding has resulted in thousands of cultivars.

There is great diversity in the shapes and colours of narcissi, from the common yellows, to pastel pinks and white, with single, double and split corona forms. They are divided into 13 divisions, based mainly on flower form, such as trumpet, largecupped, double or split-corona, with more than 50 different species and 25,000 varieties.

Easy, fuss-free and with lots to choose from, with different varieties flowering from February through to May, and blooms lasting for six to eight weeks, daffodils are well worth adding to your spring palette. The dwarf varieties look charming lining paths or in containers, while at the other end of the scale are seas of giant daffodils with their golden nodding blooms.

When to plant Plant your daffodil bulbs in early autumn. Like all flowering bulbs, they need a cold period to develop their roots and get ready for spring. For a succession of different varieties that flower at different times, plant a series of bulbs from late August to early November.

‘September to October is the best time for planting narcissi, while the soil still has a bit of summer warmth. The flowering times are usually indicated on the packet or plant profiles,’ advises Becky Mealey, RHS horticultural advisor.

‘When mixing daffodils, check the flowering heights to avoid the taller cultivars swamping dwarf cultivars. To keep your successional 144 Period Living

It is important to take care where you plant your daffodils so that they don’t cross-pollinate and threaten the native British daffodil. Native and historic cultivar bulbs are well worth looking out for, and older varieties also naturalise best, making them ideal for areas where you’d like to create large drifts in grass.

All varieties prefer moderately fertile, welldrained slightly acidic soil, with most preferring sunny spots and others in light shade. They need plenty of sunlight to grow, are tough, but hate getting their feet wet so don’t let them bathe in water in soggy soils as they will rot.

How to grow from bulbs or seed Wear gloves when planting daffodils as the sap can irritate the skin. Always choose firm, large bulbs and plant them deep enough that they are not affected by temperature variations. The rule is generally to dig your holes three times as deep as the bulb is high, using a hand trowel or bulb planter. Plant deeper in lawns, at about 15cm.

Place the bulb at the bottom of the hole with its pointy end up, spaced about 10 to 12cm apart so they don’t compete for nutrients in the soil.

Most bulbs will produce one to three flowers the first spring. Daffodils spread by producing seed and pollen, which is dispersed giving rise to new flowers and also by the bulb dividing and cloning itself after about three to five years. You can lift and divide overcrowded clumps in late June or July, or in autumn and replant straight away.

If you want to try growing from seed, then rather than deadheading flowers, leave the seeds to ripen, sow them and then you will need to wait a few years before they flower.

Growing in containers Daffodils can be grown easily in containers, whether a single variety, layered for a succession of blooms, or lasagne planted with other bulbs that will flower at different times.

Drainage is key, as bulbs will rot if water logged.

Make sure the container you choose has drainage

Daffodils Gardens

Above: Daffodils’ nodding shape and their natural presence on riverbanks also relates to a tale in Greek mythology. Echo, a nymph, fell in love with the young Greek, Narcissus, only to be rebuffed and left broken-hearted. On hearing of this, Nemesis, the God of revenge, lured Narcissus to a pool of water.

The handsome Narcissus couldn’t resist looking at his reflection in the water, and leaned over for a closer look, whereupon he fell in and drowned, turning into the flower we know so well Right, clockwise from top left: In a small garden plant an array of mixed varieties in containers; flowering into April these pure white narcissi with soft yellow centres look lovely contrasted with frothy forget-menots; a pot of massed dwarf varieties makes a striking focal point; hyacinths, muscari and clumps of daffodils are attractive companions along a path

behind the seedpod, and then allowing the foliage to die down naturally.

Keep them moist during the growing season and feed after flowering with a low-nitrogen fertiliser for a good show next year. Daffodils will naturalise and get better year after year, making them great value bulbs to buy.

If cutting blooms for vase displays, the sap is toxic and can make other flowers wilt, so display them separately to other blooms, or put them in water on their own for 24 hours, and then mix with other flowers in a vase.

Trouble-shooting To help prevent narcissus fly, which can damage the bulb, keep the soil surface around the foliage well hoed. Make sure you remove and burn any bulbs that show signs of disease.

If your bulbs grow foliage but no flowers - known as ‘blindness’ - it could be a sign that they are overcrowded or are in too much shade, so dig them up within a month after flowering while the foliage is still green and try a better spot. Alternatively, it could be due to poor soil, which can be enriched with manure or compost.

Good companions

Above: Glowing clear lemon with a gold cup, Narcissus ‘Saint Keverne’ under the blossom of Prunus ‘Kursar’, a graceful small cherry tree

holes and is deep enough to accommodate the bulbs. Put some gravel or broken pieces of terracotta pots at the bottom, half-fill the pot with loamless, peat-free compost, and spread the bulbs evenly over the surface, pointy end up.

‘My top tip for planting bulbs in a pot is to plant them like the face of a clock, starting with 12, 6, 3 and 9 to get your display all evenly spaced and looking good on all sides,’ says Becky Mealey.

Space bulbs about 5cm apart, as they can be closer in a pot than in the ground to give a full look. Layering the same or different varieties, or other bulbs, two or even three layers, will prolong the display. Fill the pot with more compost and then top-dress with mulch. It is a good idea to raise your pots on bricks or pot feet to ensure free drainage and to let the air circulate.

Water well, but do not feed. Keep in a dark, cool spot for about 12 to 15 weeks or bury the pot in the ground, then move it into a sunny but cool place and water them. Once the leaves appear, move the container into direct sunlight but still in a cool spot, and water if dry. When the flowers fade, snip them off but let the foliage die down. You can get flowering for three years but it’s best to remove the bulbs from the pot and replant in the ground and make a fresh display for each spring.

How to care for daffodils Daffodils are extremely easy to care for and they will probably outlive most of us. In order to preserve the strength of the bulb, deadhead the spent blooms by nipping them off at the neck 146 Period Living

Daffodils combine beautifully with the first flush of the tulips, contrast dramatically with violet muscari, bright blue scilla or iridescent hyacinths, and look attractive popping up through spring bedding, such as polyanthus, bellis and erysimum.

Planting bulbs under deciduous trees is a natural choice. From glorious prunus and malus blossom to the range of magnolias, you are assured of a reliable and colourful display.

Combination ideas O Blocks

of daffodils filled in with flowering annuals or perennials covering the bare soil can be colour-themed to create a pretty display.

O Groundcovers also provide an attractive backdrop foil and give interest as the bulbs finish.

O Layering the bulbs will get the most use out of a space. The layering approach, or lasagne planting, is also ideal for containers.

O Orchestrate your display so that as bulbs fade in succession, annuals, perennials or shrubs come into play and cover the untidy foliage as it is left to naturally die back.

O Create a bulb meadow or jewelled section in the lawn with a succession of bulbs.

O Bulbs can be planted among deciduous shrubs so that in spring flowers show through the bare branches and then the dying foliage is covered by the newly emerging leaves.

Stockists SCAMP’S DAFFODILS – qualitydaffodils.com BLOMS BULBS – blomsbulbs.com BROADLEIGH BULBS – broadleighbulbs.co.uk DE JAGER – dejagger.co.uk PETER NYSSEN – peternyssen.com FARMER GRACY – farmergracy.co.uk

Daffodils RECOMMENDED VARIETIES

DALMANACH – large flowers with

DOUBLE BEAUTY – double-petalled, egg yolk

AIR CASTLE – delicate tones and

white petals and a pink centre

yellow ruffled centres, sweetly fragrant

pale yellow centre, late season

POETICUS – Pheasant’s Eye, last

ICE FOLLIES – delicate petals and

BRIDAL CROWN – loose clusters of

to bloom in May, highly fragrant

crimped large cups, sweetly fragrant

blooms, strongly fragrant

YELLOW CHEERFULNESS – long lasting,

JACK SNIPE – miniature variety, ideal for

BRITISH GAMBLE – early flowering

frilly blooms, highly fragrant

containers, thrives in part shade

with a large frilly trumpet Period Living 147

Out & About

Romantic ruins Far from being just old bricks, the remnants of derelict buildings offer windows into a bygone world. Be enchanted by some of the country’s most atmospheric places

Image ©National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

Feature Holly Reaney

East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire Reportedly haunted by several ghosts, East Riddlesden Hall has seen centuries of alterations and changes as different families took to the helm. The grand Starkie Wing (above) was added to the 17th-century hall in the early 18th century, but after decades of neglect, in 1905, it was deemed too perilous to leave standing. Today only a single wall remains, with the empty window frames offering views into the hall’s award-winning gardens. (nationaltrust.org.uk) Period Living 149

Legends swirl around the site of Tintagel Castle. While the ruins that are seen today are of a castle built by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century, it is the site’s Arthurian connections that have captured imaginations. Is supposedly the location that sparked the great legend, and Geoffrey of Monmouth, the 12th-century cleric, wrote in his mythological account of British history that it was here that Uther secretly met Igrain, and where they conceived the future King Arthur. (english-heritage.org.uk)

Coventry Cathedral, West Midlands Once one of the greatest churches in England, the remains of this 14th-century gothic cathedral stand as a reminder of the effects of war. Built in red sandstone, it was one of the largest parish churches in England and as a result was a target during the Coventry Blitz. Following its bombing, the decision was made to preserve the church’s remains rather than rebuild, keeping the bombedout shell as a memorial to those lost. Its modern counterpart was then erected in its shadow. (coventrycathedral.org.uk) 150 Period Living

Image Getty Images

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

Out & About

Anglesey Barracks, North Wales A relic of the modern age, this row of houses was once home to the quarrymen of Dinorwic. Erected in the shadows of the Snowdonia mountains and built from the slate their occupants quarried, Anglesey Barracks became derelict following condemnation in 1948. The quarry closed in 1969, but the abandoned houses remain, their floorplans still evident and able to be explored in an example of what life was like for thousands of quarry workers throughout Wales. (museum.wales/slate)

Rievaulx Abbey, York On 3 December 1538, Rievaulx Abbey closed its doors for the final time, like many monasteries throughout the country. Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries would forever change the British landscape, condemning some of the nation’s most majestic buildings to ruin. Founded in 1132, Rievaulx was the first Cistercian monastery in the north of England and while its beauty still remains today, it is surely nothing compared to the stunning spectacle the building once offered. (english-heritage.org.uk) Period Living 151

Once a fortress, Kilchurn Castle was built in the mid-1400s and contains the oldest surviving barracks in mainland Britain.

A garrison stronghold in 1689, it was used as an outpost for government soldiers during the Jacobite risings. However, a violent storm in 1760 saw the castle badly damaged, leading to its abandonment. An inspiring sight to behold, the ruins have inspired artists including J.M.W. Turner, who painted the castle during his early-19th-century tour of Scotland. (historicenvironment.scot)

Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire With white roses climbing up its exposed walls, the ruined banquet hall of Sudeley Castle merely hints at the grandeur of what once was. Built in 1469, while the castle was under the stewardship of Richard III, the hall was a space to impress and entertain. However, its beauty can only be imagined today, as it suffered partial destruction at the hands of Cromwell’s troops during the Civil War, reducing it to just two crumbling walls. (Reopening in March; sudeleycastle.co.uk) 152 Period Living

Image Getty Images

Kilchurn Castle, Scotland

Image ©National Trust Images/Clive Nichols

Out & About

Nymans, West Sussex A symphony of blossom and bulbs heralds the start of spring in Nymans garden, returning a sense of life to its towering ruins.

Built in 1928, its life as a grand Victorian home was short-lived as, in 1947, the house was engulfed in flames. Though it was partially rebuilt, the rationing of building materials meant a total rebuild was impossible. Today, the ruins have been absorbed into the garden, providing a hauntingly beautiful backdrop against which romantic planting shines. (nationaltrust.org.uk) Period Living 153

Don’t miss the next issue of

PERIODLIVING OUT 3 FEBRUARY

homes and gardens O Spring decorating inspiration O Rustic kitchens O Cottage front doors O Vintage bathrooms O Victorian garden design

Images Douglas Gibb, Peter Chatterton, Brent Darby, Malcolm Menzies, National Trust Images/Jemma Finch

O Beautiful

Period Living 161

Perfectly natural Discover all the wonders of Beatrix Potter’s world in a new exhibition opening this month ifelike and yet fanciful at the same time, the pictures in the familiar little books of our childhood were crafted by ‘a town mouse longing to be a country mouse,’ says Annemarie Bilclough, Frederick Warne curator of illustration at the V&A. A new interactive exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, follows the storyteller’s journey from her childhood home in London to her beloved Lake District farm, Hill Top. Her naturalistic illustrations of Peter Rabbit, Mrs TiggyWinkle and co began in the schoolroom, where young Beatrix sketched family pets and animals she saw on country holidays, later bringing them to life as characters in her books.

In partnership with the National Trust, the exhibition brings together over 240 of the author’s personal objects –

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162 Period Living

from letters and sketches she penned at age eight, to original artwork from her books. In the picture above, the tailor mice are working on a waistcoat Potter sketched on a visit to the V&A. The sketch, the waistcoat itself, and the finished artwork for The Tailor of Gloucester will all be on display.

Visitors can trace the full life story of this remarkable woman, her childhood, her interest in natural science; her almost accidental journey to becoming a best-selling author; and finally her longed-for move to the country, setting up home in the Lake District and focusing her attention on protecting the natural landscape.

Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature is at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 12 February 2022 – 8 January 2023

Words Karen Darlow Image The Mice at Work: Threading the Needle, The Tailor of Gloucester artwork, 1902. Watercolour, ink and gouache on paper © Tate

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