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February
C o ntents
VOLUME 76 NUMBER 2. PHOTOGRAPHS: MARTIN MORRELL; PAUL MASSEY. COVER STORIES ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN COLOUR
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ON THE COVER The open-plan sitting room and kitchen of a former whaler’s cottage in Sydney (pages 92-101), photographed by Maree Homer
29 OUTSIDE INTERESTS Clare Foster’s February garden diary; plus her round-up of products to improve your composting, and smart garden-tool bags
51 DESIGN IDEAS It can be easy to fall back on a minimalist style when it comes to decorating a bathroom, but as Rumer Neill shows, it is the ideal space in which to be bold
08 FROM THE EDITOR
INSIDER
34 OUT AND ABOUT Laura Normanton’s best buys; plus Belle Rice talks to a member of The List, our online directory of design
58 ON DECORATING Interior designer Clare Gaskin offers her advice on using pattern in successful combinations
11 SHOPPING Ruth Sleightholme unearths ceramics handmade by independent studio potters based all over the UK
38 ART SCENE Emily Tobin visits the pared-back London studio of artist Idris Khan and suggests artworks to purchase
60 PROFILE Louise O’Bryan talks to the designer Brooke Copp-Barton about her renovation of an Arts and Crafts house that reflects her love of eclectic, timeless interiors
17 NOTEBOOK Gabby Deeming shows us what has caught her eye this month
43 BOOKS Studies of the lives and work of Anni and Josef Albers, the Bloomsbury Group and key figures in the Polish Arts and Crafts movement; plus reviving The Fife Arms hotel
23 WISE BUYS Rémy Mishon gets a handle on storage baskets for £65 and under 25 NEWS AND VIEWS New collections of carefully sourced organic linen from de Le Cuona and traceable bedding from Woolroom; plus the latest designer collaborations
D E C O R AT I N G 47 SWATCH Gabby Deeming lines up customisable, off-the-peg doors and handles to create wardrobes with individual style
LIFESTYLE 67 PRACTISING WHAT THEY PREACH Sophie and Chris Miller have ensured sustainability is at the heart of their vintage lighting business Skinflint, and their cottage in west Cornwall is a treasure trove of reclaimed furniture and upcycled materials. By Ros Byam Shaw e HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 3
February contents continued P
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76 HIGH AND MIGHTY A once dated mansion-block f lat is now a stylish setting for the art collection of its Latin American owners. By Elizabeth Metcalfe 84 HEIR FORCE Toby Jones and his father, the influential interior decorator Chester, collaborated on the renovation of this Oxfordshire house. By Elfreda Pownall 92 COLOUR CODES A cottage in Sydney has been transformed by Australian interior designer Lisa Burdus into a vibrant, comfortable home. By David Nicholls 102 PERFECTLY IMPERFECT After falling in love with this Chelsea cottage, American decorator Remy Renzullo enhanced its character with a bohemian mix of antique finds. By Liz Elliot 4 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
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108 ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL Each area of the open-plan main room in this London f lat has its own atmosphere, thanks to the inventive details introduced by Beata Heuman. By Fiona McCarthy 114 THE SHAPE OF THINGS This stylish garden in Rutland features sculptural earthworks, reflective pools, mature trees and panoramic views. By Kendra Wilson 118 GOING WITH THE GRAIN Concluding her crafts series, Clare Foster visits the workshop of carpenter Olly Hill
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135 TASTE NOTES Blanche Vaughan’s seasonal tips for cooks and food lovers 136 ASK A LOCAL An insider guide to Ludlow by furniture designer Rupert Bevan 138 SUNNY DELIGHTS Emma Love explores the idyllic Greek island of Sifnos 140 LITTLE GEM David Nicholls stays at L’Agnata di De André on Sardinia
EV ERY IS SU E 142 STOCKISTS
122 HOME TURF Clare Foster explains how she created her glorious cottage garden
F O O D & T R AV E L 129 MADE FOR SHARING Chef Asma Khan suggests delicious Indian dishes ideal for serving together at a family feast
143 SOURCEBOOK Laura Normanton focuses on the latest lighting designs 146 SUBSCRIPTIONS How to subscribe 160 LAST WORD Sophie Dahl considers her long relationship with wallpaper m
EVA NEMETH; MICHAEL SINCLAIR
EDIT: INTERIORS, GARDENS, STORIES
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CONTRIBUTORS TOBY JONES | Interior designer Following in the footsteps of his father, celebrated interior designer Chester Jones, Toby started his design education early. He recalls visiting his father’s projects from the age of 10 with his mother, the carpet designer Sandy Jones, and learning about Chinese, Middle Eastern and Classical influences on furniture and textiles. This appreciation of the history of design continues to influence his work. Alongside his brother Ben, Toby recently took over his father’s studio, which designed the Oxfordshire house featured from page 84. His favourite aspect of this project is the hall and ‘the light it borrows from the floor above’. In addition to his father, Toby cites Hugh Leslie and Philippa Devas as the designers from whom he has learned the most.
When you are not working, where might we find you? ‘Perhaps walking round a gallery. Or ice skating with my children.’
KENDRA WILSON | Writer While attending a creative-writing course with the late Malcolm Bradbury as part of her BA at the University of East Anglia, Kendra decided she did not want to pursue a career in journalism. To this day, she maintains she finds conveying her impressions in words excruciatingly difficult, which is not evident in her piece on a garden in Rutland in this issue (from page 114). Kendra became a garden writer after she moved to rural Leicestershire and got involved as a gardener and volunteer at some of Northamptonshire’s wonderful historic gardens – Coton Manor, Kelmarsh Hall and Cottesbrooke Hall. This led to her becoming a correspondent for the US website Gardenista and deciding that garden writing was, in fact, her calling.
Who has most inspired your work and taste? ‘My mother, who subscribed to House & Garden and Vogue during the Seventies and Eighties.’
WORDS: CHRISTABEL CHUBB. PHOTOGRAPHS: HOWARD SOOLEY (WILSON); STUART HENDRY (MORRELL)
MARTIN MORRELL | Photographer ‘I try to convey a sense of place, a visceral reaction to my surroundings,’ says Martin. For this issue, he photographed the Chelsea cottage of interior designer Remy Renzullo (from page 102), which is the first house he has shot for House & Garden. Having begun training as an architect, Martin changed tack when a photographer friend introduced him to the wonders of black and white film in 1994. Martin’s awardwinning fashion, interiors and celebrity photography has been featured in publications such as T: The New York Times Style Magazine and Daylesford’s Seed Magazine. He cites the Tuscan home of Italian architect and designer Vincenzo De Cotiis as one of the most amazing places that his career has taken him to: ‘It is jaw-droppingly beautiful.’
Whom do you follow on Instagram at the moment? ‘@colinking. And @houseandgardenuk – of course’ m
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PA TO THE EDITOR/EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Christabel Chubb DEPUTY FEATURES EDITOR Elizabeth Metcalfe FEATURES ASSISTANT Rumer Neill
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DEPUTY DECORATION EDITOR Ruth Sleightholme DECORATION STYLIST Rémy Mishon EDITOR-AT-LARGE Liz Elliot GARDEN EDITOR Clare Foster TRAVEL EDITOR Pamela Goodman FOOD EDITOR Blanche Vaughan DEPUTY CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Sue Gilkes SENIOR SUB-EDITOR Sophie Devlin DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR Joshua Monaghan ART EDITOR Eva Farrington PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Owen Gale CONSULTANT EDITOR Susan Crewe CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Lavinia Bolton, Sophie Dahl, Virginia Fraser, Matilda Goad, Fiona Golfar, Rita Konig, Nonie Niesewand, Elizabeth Rees-Jones, Aude de la Conté (France) DIGITAL EDITOR Emily Senior DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR Virginia Clark DIGITAL FEATURES WRITER Charlotte McCaughan-Hawes EDITOR, THE LIST Belle Rice EDITOR-AT-LARGE, THE LIST Charlotte Richmond DIGITAL COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Malcolm Attwells DIGITAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Helen Placito CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THE CALICO CLUB Emily Tobin EVENTS AND MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANT, THE CALICO CLUB Davey Hunter-Jones DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATION AND RIGHTS Harriet Wilson EDITORIAL BUSINESS MANAGER Jessica Borges SYNDICATION ENQUIRIES syndication@condenast.co.uk
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E M M A R E D M AY N E PUBLISHING DIRECTOR PA TO THE PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Freya Hill ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Sophie Catto ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS EUROPE Christopher Daunt, Alexandra Bernard ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTORS Georgina Penney, Marina Connolly ACCOUNT DIRECTORS Lorna Clansey-Gramer, Nichole Mika DIGITAL SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Sayna Blackshaw SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGERS Olivia McHugh, Olivia Capaldi ACCOUNT MANAGER Olivia Barnes HEAD OF SPECIAL PROJECTS Melinda Chandler ART DIRECTOR Joan Hecktermann ART EDITORS Richard Sanapo, Rebecca Gordon-Watkins SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Arta Ghanbari PROJECT COORDINATOR/COPYWRITER Christie Berry EVENTS COORDINATOR Freya Hill US OFFICE Nichole Mika (00 44 20 7152 3838; nichole.mika@condenast.co.uk) MIDDLE EAST Sudarshna Rathore (00 971 444 757 60; sudarshna@iasmedia.com) FAR EAST & ASIA PACIFIC Amy Lok (00 852 3910 6384; amy@asianimedia.com) INDIAN OFFICE Rachna Gulati (00 91 11 2373 0869; rachna.gulati@mediascope.in) GROUP PROPERTY DIRECTOR Fiona Forsyth EXECUTIVE EDITOR Laura Normanton CLASSIFIED DIRECTOR Shelagh Crofts SENIOR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Lucy Hrynkiewicz-Sudnik CLASSIFIED SALES EXECUTIVES Ellie Waite, Emily Repetti RESEARCH EXECUTIVE, MEDIA RESEARCH Lauren Hays Wheeler SENIOR DATA MANAGER Tim Westcott MARKETING MANAGER Ella Simpson CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Richard Kingerlee NEWSTRADE MARKETING MANAGER Olivia Streatfield SUBSCRIPTIONS DIRECTOR Patrick Foilleret CREATIVE DESIGN MANAGER Anthea Denning DIRECT MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGERS Brittany Mills, Lucy Rogers-Coltman SUBSCRIPTIONS & EVENTS ASSISTANT Emma Murphy ASSISTANT PROMOTIONS AND MARKETING MANAGER Claudia Long COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Emily Hallie SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY EXECUTIVE Sophie McKeesick PR MANAGER Sophie Mitchell PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Sarah Jenson COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER Xenia Dilnot SENIOR PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Dawn Crosby PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Lucy Zini COMMERCIAL, PAPER & DISPLAY PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Martin MacMillan CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Sabine Vandenbroucke HEAD OF FINANCE Daisy Tam HR DIRECTOR Hazel McIntyre CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Simon Gresham Jones
M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R ALBERT READ
Fabric background: ‘Josephine’ (cinnamon & teal), linen, from Nicole Fabre Designs
FROM THE EDITOR
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helpful. ‘It’s a lot more relaxing and true to human nature to spend time in a space that isn’t just one thing,’ she says, discussing her work on a flat that includes perhaps an unlikely combination of a dynamic circus print on a black background set against a delicate floral wallpaper (from page 108). Elsewhere in this February issue, Toby Jones mixes gentle florals, bold geometrics and strongly patterned rugs in a house in Oxfordshire (from page 84). It is always good to be reminded when, like me, you are pushing around small samples of fabrics or wallpaper, that a perfectly balanced scheme on your desk can feel too safe – even flat – writ large. While pattern may be a theme in this issue, there is much more besides. We’ve persuaded our garden editor Clare Foster to reveal her own garden in all its flower-filled glory (from page 122). Furniture maker Rupert Bevan divulges where he likes to shop and eat in Shropshire (from page 136) and chef Asma Khan provides us with the means to cook up a delicious Indian feast (from page 129). Meanwhile, I’m quietly in awe of Chris and Sophie Miller, who chucked in everything to move to Cornwall and now live the most wholesome and sustainable of lifestyles while also running a successful business selling reclaimed lighting (from page 67). Oh, to be beside the sea m
DEAN HEARNE
s I write this, I’ve been busy thinking about ideas for my own house and it has made me consider what draws me to specific fabrics or wallpapers. Some patterns very quickly become so popular (the perils of Instagram, perhaps) that they feel too much of a cliché and I find myself steering clear at all costs – however lovely they might be. Other designs have been used plentifully over the decades and their time may have come, gone and come back again, but I still want to use them. Why is this? On our back page, in her column this month (page 160), Sophie Dahl muses on which of today’s wallpaper designs we shall all be falling in love with again and again – and will still be loved in 100 years’ time. As interior designer Clare Gaskin points out on page 58, different patterns mean different things to different people. The fabric bordering this page brings a flood of nostalgia for me. Not only is Nicole Fabre’s ‘Josephine’ extremely pretty, but I first saw an iteration of it in a house of a great friend of my husband’s, long before Nicole had made it possible for us to buy it by the metre. We have had many happy weekends staying in that house and in that bedroom, and I had never seen the fabric anywhere else. So it was with huge delight that I learnt that Nicole is now producing this pattern – a block print from late-18th-century Philadelphia – and has recoloured and enhanced it in her typically sensitive yet elegant way. When choosing fabrics and colours for a room, I found the advice of Beata Heuman reassuring and
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Throwing shapes RUTH SLEIGHTHOLME unearths ceramics handmade by independent studio potters based all over the UK PHOTOGRAPHS KRISTY NOBLE
FROM LEFT ‘Dashes & Dots’ flecked stoneware cups, £12 each; and dish, £18, all from Chupinka Pottery. Glazed stoneware ‘Black Scallop Vase’, £45, from Hannah Bould Ceramics. Cornish clay ‘Stoneware Lamp Base’, by Isatu Hyde, with ‘Suminigashi Marbled Paper Lampshade’, by Sarah Amatt, £250, from Studio Artificer. Stoneware ‘Beetle Glaze Everyday Bowls’, £30 each, from Rebecca Proctor. ‘Mudbelly Vessel No 9’ glazed stoneware ceramic vase, by Phoebe Collings-James, £240, from Ssōne e
HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 11
INSIDER | SHOPPING
ABOVE FROM LEFT Ceramic ‘Found Form: Angled’ (with holes), £450; and ‘Found Form: Disc’ (white stone), £300; both from Jane Cairns. White clay ‘Continuous Forms’, from £50 each, from Carolyn Marr. Ceramic ‘Grey Sculpture 1’, £220, from Haar East Ceramics. Stoneware and porcelain ‘Oyster Shell Vase with Bronze Base’, £210, from Chloé Rosetta Bell ABOVE RIGHT FROM TOP ‘Stoneware Plates’ (pink and white), from £16 each, from Wait and See Ceramics. ‘Porcelain Vessel’, by Lily Pearmain, £185, from M.A.H. Terracotta ‘Dancing Lady Vase’, £190, from Charlotte McLeish. Porcelain ‘Pink Blush Moon Jar’, £120, from Jill Ford. Terracotta ‘Decorative Flasks’, £65 each, from Graham Hudson Ceramics. ‘Coiled Stoneware Pot’, £120, from Janet Barnes. ‘Smoke-fired Clay Vase’, £90, from Laura Hancock Ceramics RIGHT FROM LEFT ‘Pleomorph’ stoneware vases (grey, black), from £210 each, from Abid Javed. Stoneware ‘Pestle & Mortar’ (light), £58, from EF Davies e
12 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
Winter Sale. N OW O N
www.cphart.co.uk | 0345 600 1950
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FROM TOP ‘Stoneware Chargers’ (also on bottom shelf), £110 each, from Winchcombe Pottery. ‘Pit-fired Stoneware Pots’, from £20 each, from Fangfoss Pottery. ‘Black Grid Abstraction’ stoneware sculpture, by Daniel Reynolds, £4,200, from M.A.H. Oxidised stoneware ‘Architectural Vase’, by Sally Madge, £160, from A New Tribe. ‘Loutrophorus’ stoneware vase, £350, from Krokalia. ‘Vortices’ black and white clay agateware bowl, £60, from Suzan Kemp Ceramics. Black clay and porcelain ‘Bottle Vases I’ (on floor), £200 for set of three, from Crown Works Pottery. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page m
14 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
E den
By Makoto Kagoshima x Chariots on Fire
INSIDER | SHOPPING
‘Colantonio Drape Wallpaper’, from $45 a square foot, from F Taylor
Clay tiles, from left: ‘Grid 04’ (darkroom), ‘Grid Line’ and ‘Grid 04’, all £6 a tile, from Bert & May
French flax linen ‘Licorice Gingham Pillowcase Set’, by Society of Wanderers, £69 a pair, from Antipodream
‘Clervaux’ brass lantern, £1,920, from Jamb
GABBY DEEMING shows us what has caught her eye this month
GIORGIO BENNI; JOHN HAMMOND
Natural white oak ‘Palma Cabinet’, £16,998, from Kelly Wearstler
Wool-mix cable ‘Kylix Bowl’, $450; ‘Amphora’ wool-mix cable vase, $650; both from F Taylor e
HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 17
INSIDER | SHOPPING
Glazed ceramic ‘Gold Cup Plate’, by John Derian, £140, from Astier de Villatte Oak and brass ‘Apadana Armless Chair’, covered in cotton/polyester velvet (midnight green), £795 including fabric, from Oka
‘Moorish Maze’ (pale celadon), by Rapture & Wright, linen, £132 a metre, from The Fabric Collective
Vitreous china ‘Edwardian 61cm Basin with Standard Pedestal’ (alaska blue), £798, from Burlington
Beechwood ‘Aurora Footstool’, covered in ‘Dolce Dots’ (panna cotta), cotton, £470 including fabric with skirt trim as seen, from Ceraudo Hand-painted mirror (orange blue), by Amy Balfour x Wicklewood, £750, from Wicklewood e
18 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
JULIE ANSIAU; HENLEY BAILEY; JONATHAN BOND; STARR DIGITAL
‘Botanical Studies’ aged tea paper wallcovering, by Michael S Smith, from £1,956 for a 300 x 91.5cm panel, from de Gournay ‘Linen Quilt’ (mustard/natural), £348 for a single, from Once Milano
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Borosilicate glass ‘Volute Candle Holders’ (green), around £43.75 each; stearin wax ‘Volute Candles’ (sky, teal), around £13.85 a pair; all from Maison Balzac Poplar and bird’s eye maple veneer ‘Bamboo Bed’, from $6,795 for a single, from Bunny Williams Home
Cast bronze ‘Bay Leaf Fire Screen’, £7,800, from John Lyle Design
Earthenware clay, shellac and metal leaf ‘Shell Sconce Light’, by James Rigler, 75 x 56 x 15cm £4,000, from The New Craftsmen
White clay with iron and copper pigment tableware (from top), ‘Blue Dinner Luncheon Plate’, $1,300 for six; ‘Blue Salad Plate’, $1,200 for six; ‘Blue Dessert Plate’, $1,200 for six; and ‘Blue Dinner Plate/Charger’, $1,400 for six; all from Casa Gusto
‘Sword Dance’ silk noil, French linen and silk ribbon cushion, £250, from Caitlin Hinshelwood. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page m
20 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
OWEN RICHARDS
‘Clémentine’ (from left: blue, green), linen/ cotton, €65 a metre, from Claire de Quénetain
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WISE BUYS
Storage baskets RÉMY MISHON gets a handle on designs costing £65 and under
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FOR SUPPLIERS’ DETAILS, SEE STOCKISTS PAGE
1 Bulrush and plastic ‘Sene Laundry Basket’ (white/black), 65 x 35cm diameter, from £61, from Afro Art. 2 ‘Medium Rectangular Red Jute Basket’, 30 x 38 x 26cm, £56, from Maison Bengal. 3 Galvanised steel wire and plastic ‘Gold Storage Basket’, 45 x 45cm diameter, £55, from Milagros. 4 Wicker ‘Echidna Planter’, 33 x 34 x 32cm, £38, from Conservatory Archives. 5 ‘Large Rattan Storage Basket’, 23 x 32cm, £24.99, from H&M Home. 6 ‘Clio’ cotton-mix storage basket, 37 x 37cm diameter, £25, from Habitat. 7 ‘Elephant Rattan Storage Basket’, 56 x 31 x 33cm, £65, from Oliver Bonas. 8 Seagrass ‘Rainbow Stripe Basket’, 38 x 33cm diameter, £46, from Anthropologie m
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news and views By ELIZABETH METCALFE
Material search
Fabric brand de Le Cuona has launched a new collection of six carefully sourced linens, which are organic and fully traceable
JAKE CURTIS
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or Bernie de Le Cuona, who founded her eponymous fabric brand in 1992, the natural world has always been at the heart of what she does. ‘I grew up on a farm and have always been very aware of our environment,’ says the South African-born designer, who moved to England shortly before launching the company, which offers wool, cashmere, silk, linen and alpaca blends. Bernie works with a handful of small mills across Europe – many in Belgium and France, where the best flax comes from – and has garnered a loyal following for her stonewashed linens, understated cotton velvets and woven paisleys over the past 29 years. Although Bernie has always worked closely with the mills, she began to question the traceability of her fabrics a couple of years ago. ‘I have seen the environmental damage caused when chemicals are used in the production of fabrics and I decided to investigate our supply chain,’ she explains. ‘I realised it was impossible to trace every step of the process and track down exactly where the materials were coming from.’ Her solution is Pure, a collection of six 100 per cent organic linens, which recently launched after two years in the making. All soft pinks, creams and greys, the collection is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), ensuring that every stage of the production is organic and rigorously ‘Pure 5’ linen in checked. ‘It has been a huge undertaking,’ vintage watercolour, says Bernie, who not only had to track down lime fresco and GOTS-certified mills, flax farmers, dyers chalk parchment and weavers for the fabrics, but also change all her packaging and labelling for FSC-approved options. Bernie could find only two mills in Europe that were GOTScertified and willing to produce linens for interiors. ‘The fashion industry is ahead of us when it comes to organic alternatives and, since only one per cent of the world’s linen is organic, there is
incredible demand,’ she explains. She has already reserved the next two flax crops and hopes the new collection will sell well. The fact that orders were coming in just two days after its launch is a positive sign. ‘It’s the most difficult collection I’ve ever done, with lockdown preventing mill visits, but it is totally worth it,’ says Bernie, who is currently trialling organic wool, silk and alpaca. The second Pure collection will launch later this spring. ‘I believe we have a responsibility to make changes to our industry and I hope others will follow.’ From £144 a metre. delecuona.com e HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 25
INSIDER | NEWS
S u p pl y an d de ma nd
FROM LEFT Jack Bibbings and Matthew Hensby. Matthew at work using traditional hand tools. Lime wood ‘Scalloped Bench’, from £1,400
Since it was founded in 2008, Woolroom has championed natural British wool, which is chemical-free, biodegradable and hypoallergenic. The company specialises in British-sourced wool duvets, mattresses and pillows. Now, it has launched a new range of traceable bedding, which allows customers to find out which farm and flock the wool has come from. Woolroom has also pledged to pay farmers pre-pandemic prices for wool. From £45.99 for a pillow. thewoolroom.com
Introducing: Bibbings & Hensby
‘The pieces we make celebrate the marks left by the hand tools we use,’ says the designermaker Matthew Hensby. In 2019, Matthew co-founded furniture brand Bibbings & Hensby with Jack Bibbings, creating pieces that offer a contemporary take on vernacular designs, such as stick-back chairs and milking stools. The duo met while studying furniture making in London in 2017 and set up their own studio in a former stable block in Limehouse, E14. Predominantly using English woods, such as oak, lime and ash, they avoid mechanised techniques in favour of traditional tools – from the curved axe-like adze to travishers that are used to shape chair seats. Matthew and Jack have recently been working on their first bed, an asymmetrical design in English oak. ‘The joinery is on a much larger scale than a cabinet and we have had to be incredibly precise,’ Jack says. bibbings-hensby.co.uk
Maximalist design brand House of Hackney has joined forces with Axminster Carpets on a series of wool rugs, runners and wall-to-wall carpets. The range includes four of House of Hackney’s existing designs – floral ‘Artemis’, leopard print ‘Wild Card’, William Morris-inspired ‘Blackthorn’ and the tiger-adorned ‘Saber’ (above) – which have been upscaled and reimagined in new colours. Every rug and carpet is woven on the same loom at Axminster Carpets’ factory in Devon, using a palette of nine coloured yarns. Rugs cost from £2,250. houseofhackney.com 26 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
FAY E T O O G O O D X H E M Following a wave of collaborations with designers including Max Lamb and Philippe Malouin, Swedish furniture brand Hem has now teamed up with Faye Toogood on a quilted upholstered armchair. The ‘Puffy Lounge Chair’, pictured here, is the first design for the Puffy Seating Collection, which will be added to in the coming months. With a tubular steel frame, the quilted, duvet-like seat comes upholstered in cotton-mix canvas or leather. ‘The idea is to emphasise the two almost contradictory ideas at play in the furniture,’ says Faye. From €1,599. hem.com m
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EVA NEMETH; GAP PHOTOS/GEOFF KIDD
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t may be counterintuitive to get out into the garden at this time of year, but I make it my mission to notice every new green shoot that emerges. Euphorbias are gearing up to flower, their heads like sea horses, ready to unfurl. A carpet of Crocus tommasinianus pops up overnight underneath the willow, followed closely by Narcissus ‘February Gold’ to make me blink awake after the long winter. Hellebores are starting to bloom under the espalier apples, and I pick their bowed blooms and put them on display by floating them in a decorative bowl filled with water. The main job of the month – usually done towards the end of February – is to cut back all the perennials and grasses in the flower borders. I work through methodically using hand shears, enjoying the physical workout and appreciating the light on my face. The brutal chop leaves the borders looking a bit short-back-and-sides, but it is amazing how much the new growth will accelerate over the next few weeks. In mid February, I order seed potatoes and leave them to chit in a cool room, arranging them in egg boxes or wooden trays with the ‘eyes’ uppermost. The shoots will emerge from these eyes and, when they are a few centimetres long in mid March, the potatoes can go into the ground. I return to the same trusty varieties most years: ‘Orla’, a first early (potatoes that mature fastest, at 12-14 weeks) and ‘Nicola’, a second early that consistently produces a good yield of tasty, uniformly sized potatoes. Indoors, I might start sowing a few early seeds, perhaps sweet peas or hardy perennials such as Dianthus carthusianorum or Digitalis grandiflora, which will flower the same year if you sow them early enough. Start these off in seed trays on windowsills and move them to an unheated greenhouse or cold frame as soon as they have germinated (as long as the weather is not super cold). It is so uplifting to see the new shoots appear and know that spring is around the corner.
THIS MONTH’S G A R D E N TA S K S Make an early sowing of sweet peas. Sow hardy perennials, such as echinaceas, dianthus and verbena. Chit potatoes in a cool, light room. Prune winter-f lowering shrubs that have finished blooming. Cut back perennials and grasses. Remove dead material from evergreen grasses. Prune wisteria. e
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INSIDER | NEWS
Box clever Lacewing’s ‘Easy-Load Wooden Compost Bin’ has removable slats that make loading and unloading straightforward. The f lat-pack pine composter comes in four sizes, from £39.99 to £79.99. primrose.co.uk
Compost caddy All-Green has a huge selection of kitchen compost caddies in metal, ceramic or recycled plastic. This ‘Cream Metal Compost Pail’ with a removable liner costs £19.99. all-green.co.uk
A FINE MESS Once you have made your own compost, it may need sieving – especially if you are using it in a potting mix. This galvanised steel ‘Wheelbarrow Mounted Dirt Sieve’ has been designed to fit over the top of a wheelbarrow, so that you can transport the sieved compost to wherever you need it. It costs £34 from Manufactum. manufactum.co.uk
Focus on : COMPOSTING Making your own compost is one of the most fundamental steps towards a sustainable garden. From composters and worm bins to garden sieves, here are the products that will help you to get started
Hardworking worms
Active addition
ADDING THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS All you need is a balanced mixture of nitrogen-rich green vegetable matter and carbonrich woody material, plus enough moisture and oxygen, and nature will do the rest. 30 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
Containing millions of beneficial microbes, Microbz’s chemical-free ‘Compost Activator’ helps to accelerate the natural breakdown of the organic materials in your compost heap, increasing oxygen and reducing odour. It is available in two sizes: £6.95 for 1 litre and £14.95 for 5 litres. microbz.co.uk
Urbalive’s ‘Worm Composter’ comes with three trays and can be used indoors or outdoors. Available in four colours, it costs £159.95 with a starter kit, which includes worms, a bedding block and a guide to composting. wigglywigglers.co.uk
Three garden-tool bags
[1] ‘Blue Ticking Gardener’s Tool Bag’, £29.95. sophieconran.com
[2] Canvas and jute ‘Gardener’s Pail’, £34. carriercompany.co.uk
[3] ‘Canvas Gardening Bag’, £59. worm.co.uk
WINTER’S BLOOM
ANDREW MONTGOMERY
Throughout February, the National Garden Scheme celebrates its Snowdrop Festival with 95 gardens open for booked visits. Among the gardens are several owned by snowdrop experts, including Knowle Hill Farm in Kent, Pembury House in Sussex and Higher Cherubeer in Devon (pictured). This has more than 400 snowdrop varieties, as well as a National Collection of cyclamen, and will be open on February 5, 12 and 20. Entry £5. Visit ngs.org.uk to find a garden near you and for updates m
For further information T 020 7225 9180 E personalshopping@dcch.co.uk
design centre LONDON
www.dcch.co.uk
OUT AND ABOUT
Latest launches… chic showrooms… hot buys… LAURA NORMANTON takes note
Bowood blue
Rosendale Design’s ‘Tub Chair’ can be customised with any fabric. It is shown here in stained and polished walnut – one of a range of finish options – with a brass swivel base; from £3,950 excluding fabric. 020 7190 9691; rosendaledesign.com
Colefax and Fowler’s iconic ‘Bowood’ wallpaper now also comes in four new colourways. This soft blue/ grey version is ideal for anyone wanting to create a more neutral look, while retaining the prettiness of the original pattern. It costs £68 for a 10-metre roll. 020 8874 6484; colefax.com
Soft spot
Cabinet reshuffle
New to Armani/Casa, these ‘Paprika’ cushions come in two sizes. They cost £261 for 40cm square and £225 for 20 x 40cm, including feather padding. 020 7079 1930; armani.com/casa
Founded more than 40 years ago, Clive Christian Furniture Co creates bespoke fitted kitchens for clients all over the world. Designed by Heather Hungeling, this one features its ‘Architectural’ cabinets. Kitchens from £100,000. clivechristianfurniture.com e
Grab a chair
Llama drama I can see this sweet ‘Llama’ linen trim from Samuel & Sons on a cushion or blind in a child’s room. Available in prussian blue as well as natural, it is £110 a metre. 020 7351 5153; samuelandsons.com
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PHOTOGRAPHS: JOSHUA MONAGHAN; © HEATHER HUNGELING. LAURA WEARS A ‘KASIA BLOUSE’ AND ‘LE JOGGING PANTS’, FROM ANNA MASON (ANNAMASONLONDON.CO.UK). HAIR AND MAKE-UP BY CLOVER WOOTTON
Laura with Jasper at Chelsea Textiles, SW1, wearing a blouse and trousers from Anna Mason
WINTER
SALE
HANDMADE IN THE UK VIRTUAL HOME VISITS SHOWROOMS NATIONWIDE Request a free brochure 0800 389 6938 harveyjones.com
Ends 31st January
INSIDER | NEWS
Designer insight
Check it out Kemble is a new collection of checks and stripes in washable cotton from Romo. In 18 colours – from bold hues like serandite and celadon to neutrals – the fabrics cost £35 a metre. Seen here is ‘Kemble’ with a cushion in ‘Elmer’ – both in charcoal. romo.com
CASSANDRA CROUCH The garden designer and member of The List talks to Belle Rice about her career change and the key elements of the contemporary landscapes she creates
Bed head The Headboard Workshop offers a choice of over 50 designs and 150 fabrics; from £259 for a single. You can also supply your own fabric. This is the company’s ‘Samson’, in Linwood’s seagreen ‘Kami’ with ‘Omega’ velvet trim in biscuit. theheadboardworkshop.co.uk
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fell in love with gardening when I moved house; it was the first property we had bought with a garden. I loved the experience of designing the outdoor space so much, it inspired me to change career. Having completed a course at Capel Manor College, I knew I wanted to set up my own business, though it was a steep learning curve. One of my former colleagues at Tommy Hilfiger gave me my first commission, working on the garden of a large barn conversion. It was a challenge, but I threw myself into it. Today, I tend to work on strongly structured gardens and contemporary layouts, with softer planting to break up the edges. I like to work with bespoke designs, such as water features, pergolas and furniture, which means I can be much more creative. thelist.houseandgarden.com/ service/cassandra-crouch-garden-design
Royal treatment Cole & Son’s latest wallpaper collection, Historic Royal Palaces, Great Masters, celebrates the people who have shaped the UK’s six royal palaces. My favourite, ‘Verdure Tapestry’, is inspired by a 17thcentury work at Kensington Palace, W8, and is available on a paper ground or silk ground (above). It costs £2,750 a 7-metre roll and the bespoke silk panels start at £785 a linear metre. cole-and-son.com 36 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
Visit The List today to find a design professional near you. Or perhaps you are a design professional and would like to join The List? Sign up now to be a part of it. Call 020 7152 3639, or email belle.rice@condenast.co.uk m
Artists in their studio
IDRIS KHAN
Emily Tobin visits the pared-back space in which the artist creates multi-layered works inspired by music and language
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PHOTOGRAPHS JOSHUA MONAGHAN
was a suburban lad from Birmingham who moved to London,’ says Idris Khan, explaining how spending six months in the Sussex countryside during lockdown was a deviation from an otherwise urban life. He describes it as a time of ‘intense looking’. And those observations have made their way into his latest body of work – a series of paintings created using watercolour and oil stick, layered onto sheet music for Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – a visual expression of a tumultuous year. Drawing inspiration from music is not unusual for Idris. His mother, a nurse, was a keen pianist, and hearing her play was part of the fabric of his formative years. Rhythm and tempo feed into his practice, which is concerned with rendering time and cumulative experience in physical form. Language is as important; he is currently reading Philip Larkin’s poetry. Though words provide a starting point and something to respond to, they are layered and abstracted until they become a jumble of marks and the meaning is eradicated. Idris uses stamps to produce these works, printing and printing until the sentences fade across the surface like contrails from a plane. ‘Sometimes I use Arabic,’ he says. ‘Not only is it a beautiful language, but I was also raised a Muslim so it’s a nod to my upbringing.’ Idris works from a studio in north London, part of a large complex he shares with his wife, the artist Annie Morris, a team of assistants and a small dog called Pencil. His space is arguably a little more pared back than Annie’s and, when I visit, is hung with vast cerulean canvases. He is known for monochromatic works, but has more recently moved towards colour, which, he concedes, may have something to do with Annie, who revels in kaleidoscopic shades. He is currently busy working towards a mid-career retrospective at Milwaukee Art Museum. Idris’s next show at Victoria Miro, N1, is on January 27-March 6. victoriamiro.com e TOP FROM LEFT Idris’s Glass Painting, which is a work in progress. A pile of his studio stamps. OPPOSITE Idris with Pencil, in his airy north London studio 38 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
art scene Edited by EMILY TOBIN
HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 39
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INSIDER | ART
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BUYING ART With all of us spending more time at home, it is an ideal moment to consider adding to your collection
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1 FRENCH MID-CENTURY OIL PAINTING 55 x 65cm including bespoke painted wooden frame, £695. etalage.co.uk 2 JOANA GALEGO Family Talk, oil on canvas, 80 x 60cm, £3,000. alephcontemporary.com 3 DAVID MURPHY X (thirty-first), casein paint on paper, 76 x 56cm (framed), £5,000. almazevi.com 4 ETHAN COOK Gaza, hand-woven cotton and linen, 73.7 x 81.3cm (framed), $13,000. miergallery.com 5 LEO ROBINSON The Fall of Eden, watercolour, pencil and collage on paper, 40.3 x 79.5cm, £2,592. tiwani.co.uk m
STU DIO K ITCHEN DESIGN by CHAR LI E SMALLBONE
The Metallics Collection 4b Ledbury Mews North Notting Hill London W11 2AF 020 7566 6794
ledburystudio.com
BEST PRICES ON
ANDSOTOBED.CO.UK | 0808 144 4343
words and pictures By SOPHIE DEVLIN
YOU N G P O L AN D EDITED BY JULIA GRIFFIN AND ANDRZEJ SZCZERSKI (LUND HUMPHRIES, £40)
YOUNG PREDICTION (HOMAGE TO THE SQUARE) BY JOSEF ALBERS AND INTERSECTING BY ANNI ALBERS © 2020 THE JOSEF AND ANNI ALBERS FOUNDATION/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/DACS, LONDON, PHOTOGRAPHED BY TIM NIGHSWANDER/IMAGING4ART. PORTRAIT OF JOSEF AND ANNI ALBERS © 2020 THE JOSEF AND ANNI ALBERS FOUNDATION/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/DACS, LONDON
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Josef Albers, Young Prediction (Homage to the Square), oil on masonite, 1954. Josef and Anni c1935. Anni Albers, Intersecting, cotton and rayon, 1962
ANNI & JOSEF ALBERS: EQUAL AND UNEQUAL
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By Nicholas Fox Weber (Phaidon, £100)
herishing functional elegance, decrying fussiness and frivolity, and exhorting generations of students to see with fresh, untutored eyes, Anni and Josef Albers had a transformational effect on art and design in the 20th century. She was from a wealthy Jewish family in Berlin that had pragmatically converted en masse to Protestantism, he a penniless Westphalian from the wrong side of the tracks, 11 years her senior. Josef and Anni met at the Bauhaus in 1922, where he championed her admission to the revolutionary German art school. They would remain united – teasing, appreciating and inspiring one another – until Josef ’s death in 1976. While Anni had her own career as a weaver and textile designer, it was Josef ’s teaching that determined their passage through the world. In 1933, when the Bauhaus masters closed the school rather than bend their curriculum to Nazi demands, Josef accepted a post at the experimental Black Mountain College in North Carolina. This unconventional establishment was foundational to the art of its time, with students including Ruth Asawa and Robert Rauschenberg. The composer John Cage, choreographer Merce Cunningham, painter Jacob Lawrence and polymath Richard Buckminster Fuller were all in its creative orbit. On trips to Mexico, the Albers were able to indulge their passion for pre-Hispanic art and crafts. This biography is a testament to how restraint and integrity might generate unexpectedly uplifting and joyous results. Nicholas Fox Weber knew his subjects, and presents them with goodhumoured affection while still acknowledging their idiosyncrasies. He is also a firm myth-buster. There are mischievous anecdotes – including aesthetic horror at curled butter and a Laura Ashley frock – though nothing so frivolous as gossip. The calm and orderly, yet colourful design, with artworks and photographs interwoven with short insightful texts, is a tribute in itself to the Albers’ belief that you could do more with less. Hettie Judah is the author of Lives of the Artists: Frida Kahlo (Laurence King, £12.99)
This beautifully illustrated book, co-produced by the William Morris Gallery, E17, ahead of an exhibition this autumn, places the artist and designer Stanisław Wyspianski at the centre of the finde-siècle Polish Arts and Crafts movement. Like Morris, Wyspianski was a polymath and medievalist who drew inspiration from the natural world. Meanwhile, his contemporary Stanisław Witkiewicz revived and reshaped vernacular craftsmanship in a modern idiom known as Zakopane Style. Politically aligned with the fight for Polish unity and independence, these designers and their peers sought to express a sense of national identity. SD T H E FI F E AR M S BY DOMINIC BRADBURY (PHAIDON, £90)
‘The revitalisation of The Fife Arms has been a true labour of love,’ explains Dominic Bradbury. Indeed, when Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth bought this Highlands hotel in Braemar in 2014, it was a rather down-at-heel pitstop. Under the watchful eye of interior designer Russell Sage, as well as many local craftspeople, it has since been transformed into a space rich with history and designed with a wry sense of humour. The book examines the enviable art collection, delves into the hotel’s relationship with fashion – Elsa Schiaparelli was a regular visitor to Braemar – and celebrates the many hands that were involved in this project. Emily Tobin T HE B LO OM S BU RY LO O K BY WENDY HITCHMOUGH (YALE, £30)
Drawing on family photo albums, painted portraits and lesser-known works, such as textiles and clothing made by the Omega Workshops in London, this is an ‘in-depth study of how the famed Bloomsbury Group expressed their liberal philosophies and collective identity in visual form’. A former curator of Charleston in Sussex, Wendy Hitchmough considers ‘the ways in which Bloomsbury selffashioned a visual identity that consolidated and promoted its position as an influential group of radicals’. In their bohemian dress as well as in their artistic and literary output, Vanessa Bell, Virginia Woolf, Duncan Grant and their collaborators constructed narratives of individuality and belonging. SD m HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 43
SOFAS . BEDS . CHAIRS www.love-your-home.co.uk
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D E C O R AT I N G S WA T C H | D E S I G N I D E A S | O N D E C O R A T I N G | P R O F I L E
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Built-in joinery can be costly, but there are plenty of customisable off-the-peg options to create a wardrobe with individual style. GABBY DEEMING shows eight combinations of doors, paint colours and hardware 1 MDF ‘J Groove Oak Insert Door’, £175, from Shaker Doors; painted in ‘Sky Blue’ and ‘Invisible Green’, both £41 for 1 litre water-based eggshell, from Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. 2 MDF ‘Bella Open Framed Door’, £175.25, from Doors Sincerely; painted in ‘Snow White’, ‘Skimmed Milk White’ and ‘Railings’, all £27 for 750ml estate eggshell, from Farrow & Ball. Steel ‘Sarson Blackened Simple Knob’, £8 for small, from Rowen & Wren. Curtains in ‘Natacha’ (beige), by Décors Barbares, cotton, £256 a metre, from Tissus d’Hélène. 3 ‘Riva Extreme HDF’ panel, £430.80 for 250 x 120cm, from Arnold Laver; painted in ‘Maritime’, £31 for 1 litre wood & metal gloss paint, from Mylands. ‘Brass Bow Handle’, £45, from Beata Heuman. 4 Pine ‘Louvre Door’ (661326), £79.14, from Wenban-Smith; painted in ‘16 V 05’, £32 for 1 litre intelligent eggshell, from Little Greene. ‘Balls Wood’ wood handle (painted), €11, from Superfront e ILLUSTRATIONS GRZEGORZ MAGIEROWSKI
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DECORATING | SWATCH
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1 ‘E004’ MDF door, £215.69, from Jali; painted in ‘Arsenic’, £27 for 750ml estate eggshell, from Farrow & Ball. Ceramic ‘Raised Design Door Knob’, £3.99 a pair, from Zara Home. 2 MDF ‘Arts and Crafts Door’, £181, from JMF Doors; painted in ‘Craftsman’s White’ and ‘Red Barn’, both £42 for 2.5 litres eggshell, from Craig & Rose. ‘TFM033’ brass drawer knob, £5.20, from The Foundryman. 3 MDF ‘Victorian Door’, £181, from JMF Doors; handpainted in ‘Delft Meadow’, from £400, by Tess Newall. Antiqued brass ‘Ainsworth Pull Handle’, £18, from Jim Lawrence. 4 MDF ‘Willow Cottage Door’, £84.05, from Doors2Size; painted in ‘Invisible Green’, £34 for 1 litre traditional oil gloss, from Little Greene. Steel ‘Mezzaluna Metal Pull Handle’ (tarnished copper), £13.99, from Dowsing & Reynolds. All single door sizes are around 220 x 65cm, unless otherwise stated. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page m 48 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
SALE NOW ON
TRULY UNIQUE KITCHENS THAT DEFY CONVENTION E XT REM E -D E S IGN . CO.U K 02 0 33 6 9 6 02 9
FOR THE FULL TETRAD EXPERIENCE PLEASE CONTACT OUR PREMIER STOCKISTS LISTED BELOW Aberdeen Archibalds • Aberdeen Gillies • Aberdeen Sterling Furniture • Abingdon Lee Longlands • Accrington Taskers of Accrington • Banbury Bennetts • Banchory Taylors • Bangor Caprice • Barnstaple Padfields • Barrow-in-Furness Stollers • Bath TR Hayes • Battersea, London Barker & Stonehouse • Beverley Alexander Ellis Furniture Emporium • Birmingham Lee Longlands • Bo’ness Belgica • Boston Sack Store • Brighouse Websters Furniture • Burton upon Trent Haynes Furnishings • Cardiff Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins • Carlisle Vaseys • Chesterfield Brampton House Furnishers • Clitheroe Shackletons Home & Garden • Colchester Hatfields of Colchester • Crickhowell, Wales Webbs of Crickhowell • Darlington Barker & Stonehouse • Derby Lee Longlands • Dundee Gillies • Dundee Sterling • Dunfermline Thomsons World of Furniture • Dumfries Barbours • Ealing, London Brentham Furniture • Edinburgh Martin & Frost • Elgin Anderson & England • Exeter Stoneman & Bowker • Gateshead Barker & Stonehouse • Glasgow Forrest Furnishing • Glasgow Sterling Furniture • Grimsby AW Robinson Furniture • Guernsey Scope Furnishing • Guildford Barker & Stonehouse • Harrogate Smiths: The Rink • Haverfordwest Furniture Directory• Hedge End Bradbeers • Holt Bakers and Larners • Hove Barker & Stonehouse • Hull Barker & Stonehouse • Inverness Gillies • Inverness Sterling Furniture • Inverurie Andersons • Isle of Wight Bayliss & Booth • Kilmarnock Tannahills • Knaresborough Barker & Stonehouse • Leamington Spa Whartons • Leeds Barker & Stonehouse • Leicester Langtons • Lincoln GH Shaw • Llanidloes Hafren Furnishers • Macclesfield Arighi Bianchi • Malvern Rhubarb Home • Market Harborough Furniture Loft • Montrose Buicks • Nelson Pendle Village Mill • Newcastle Barker & Stonehouse • Northants, Heart of the Shires Texture Interiors • Northants, Towcester, Texture Interiors • Norwich Jarrolds • Nottingham Barker & Stonehouse • Perth Gillies • Rainham G Lukehurst • Ringwood Furlong Furniture • Salisbury Mylor & Mawes • Sheffield Ponsford • Shrewsbury Cousins Furniture • Solihull Whartons • Southsea Design House • Stamford Stamford Garden Centre • Stratford-uponAvon Home of the Sofa • Street and Weston-Super-Mare Living Homes • Swansea Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins • Teeside Barker & Stonehouse • Tewkesbury Pavilion Broadway • Tillicoultry Sterling Furniture • Tunbridge Wells Hoopers • Waltham Cross Fishpools • Winchester Design House • Windsor WJ Daniel • Worcester Holloways Home & Garden Furniture • Yeovil The Old Creamery • York Browns
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DECORATING | DESIGN IDEAS
In this project by Beata Heuman, her studio used Béton Ciré –a specially developed waterproof micro-concrete paste – in an earthy red hue to create a terracotta effect
Design ideas
FOR THE DECORATED BATHROOM
SIMON BROWN
It can be all too easy to fall back on a contemporary, minimalist style when it comes to decorating bathrooms. But as RUMER NEILL shows here, the bathroom is the perfect space in which to experiment with bold ideas e
HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 51
DECORATING | DESIGN IDEAS
The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the house, and provides a brilliant opportunity to have fun with design and play with colour and pattern. Think beyond the functional and make it a decorated space [1] In this scheme with shades of green and white, plain tiles balance the f loral wallpaper. ‘Prismatics’ tiles (willow), from Johnson Tiles. ‘Japanese Floral’ wallpaper, from Curious Egg. ‘La Chapelle Console Basin’, from Lefroy Brooks. For similar bath, try CP Hart. Designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman. studio-cmp.com [2] Patterns and panelling bring character to this small space. Ceiling in ‘Apple Smiles II’; woodwork in ‘Stone V’; both from Paint & Paper Library. ‘Strawberry Tree’ wallpaper, from Cole & Son. Blind in ‘Grosgrain’ (picnic green), by Kravet, from GP & J Baker. ‘Marlborough Cloakroom Basin’, from West One Bathrooms. Designed by Laura Stephens. laurastephens.co.uk [3] A combination of rich tones creates an intimate effect. Roughplastered walls in ‘Tanner’s Brown’, from Farrow & Ball. Ceiling in ‘Sitwell Red’, from Konig Colours. Mirror, from Gallery Direct. Similar basin, marble ‘Kasos Round Decorative Vessel', by Kallista, from West One Bathrooms. ‘Penny’ mosaic f loor tiles (bronze), from Ann Sacks. Designed by Studio Duggan. studioduggan.com [4] Pretty prints in delicate patterns are anchored by dark-painted panelling. Woodwork in ‘Salvador’, from Paint & Paper Library. ‘Sunburst’ wallpaper (green), from Robert Kime. Curtains in ‘Sari’ linen, from Raoul Textiles. For similar basin, try Drummonds. Designed by Caroline Holdaway. carolineholdaway.com e
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ALEXANDER JAMES; STEPHAN JULLIARD; PAUL MASSEY; CHRIS SNOOK
DECORATING | DESIGN IDEAS
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DECORATING | DESIGN IDEAS
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DECORATING | DESIGN IDEAS
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Although it can be tempting to keep a bathroom pared-back with just the essential elements, the space has the potential to be furnished like any other room in the house. Adding a mix of furniture and accessories will give it character
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[1] The painted exterior of an antique bath picks up on the rich tones of vintage accessories. For similar bath, try Drummonds; painted in ‘Charlotte’s Locks’, from Farrow & Ball. For similar wooden cabinet, try Societique. For similar vintage poster, try Tomkinson Churcher. Designed by Guy Tobin. @guytobin2
PAUL MASSEY; ERIC PIASECKI/OTTO; MICHAEL SINCLAIR
[2] A glazed cupboard is an elegant option for storing towels and other bathroom essentials. For similar antique wooden cabinet, try Vinterior. Walls in ‘Quartz Grey’, from Dulux. ‘Fireclay Deco’ bath, from The Water Monopoly. Designed by Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay. henrifitzwilliamlay.com [3] Floorboards painted in a chequerboard pattern make a bold statement. Panelling in ‘All White’, from Farrow & Ball. ‘Candide’ bath, from Waterworks. ‘La Chapelle Basin with Pedestal’, from Lefroy Brooks. Architecture by Gil Schafer; designed by Rita Konig. gpschafer.com | ritakonig.com [4] Panelling painted in a toning shade offsets intricate wallpaper. ‘St Abbs’ wallpaper, from Robert Kime. Panelling in ‘Jonquil’, from Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. ‘Aquila’ light, from Pooky. ‘Edwardian 800mm Basin’ with ‘Regal Pedestal’, from Burlington. Chair covered in ‘Daisy Chintz’, from Lewis & Wood. Cushion in ‘Lynxia’, from Robert Kime. ‘Antique Gold’ sisal, from Crucial Trading. Designed by Carlos Sánchez-García. carlosgarciainteriors.com e HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 55
DECORATING | DESIGN IDEAS
nearly didn’t have time to write about baths this evening, because – as usual – I was having a bath. I love a shower in the morning, but nothing beats a bath at night. There isn’t anything more relaxing before bed than lying in a hot bath, listening to Radio 4 (as long as it is not the news). I don’t think I could live in a house without a bath. The golden rule of any bath is that it must be made of cast iron. Accept no substitute. Though cold to start with, the iron draws out the heat of the water and stores it, acting as its own radiator. Freestanding baths look beautiful, especially against panelling or in front of a window but are, in a sense, less practical than a built-in bath with a nice, easy-to-clean surround and plenty of places for the shampoo. No bath should ever be shaped like a slipper or an egg – those shapes should be reserved for slippers, or eggs. In some projects, we are lucky enough to have original old castiron baths, or clients who want to buy them. For new, my normal specification is good old Aston Matthews, or Drummonds if something lavish and Edwardian-esque is required. Above all, go for as large a size as you can in the room available: a long, deep soak is the ultimate luxury.’ benpentreath.com ‘Willow Boughs’ wallpaper, by Morris & Co, from Sanderson Design Group. ‘Astonian Novara’ bath, from Aston Matthews. Marble surround, from Marble City . ‘SC6’ tap, by Vola, from CP Hart. Kilim, from The Rug Store 56 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
IN DEFENCE OF CARPET I N T H E B AT H R O O M By Jane Ormsby Gore
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n the bathroom, carpet is very much out of fashion, but I absolutely love it. It brings warmth and comfort to the space, elevating a bathroom to a room in its own right. It’s also far more friendly on bare feet. I put this carpet into my bathroom [pictured] 19 years ago and haven’t changed it since. It is stair carpet, which is hard-wearing, so isn’t marked by splashes from the bath or wet feet. If you want to use carpet but are anxious about getting water on it, I suggest placing the bath on a slab of slate, which you can then run the carpet around. However, water shouldn’t mark a well-made carpet – I recommend Gerratts Carpet Planners, who can source and supply anything you want. And as long as you’re careful with any bath oils you use and give the carpet a good vacuum regularly, there won’t be a problem with cleanliness. While carpet in the bathroom is admittedly less practical for families with young children, who tend to splash more vigorously than adults, it can often be a far safer choice underfoot than slippery tiles. Carpet also looks wonderful when it is combined with antiques, which can sometimes appear rather austere in a bathroom with a wooden f loor.’ jrdesign.org Walls in ‘Old White’, from Farrow & Ball. Antique mirror, from FE Anderson & Son. Antique table, from John Read Antiques. Armchair, covered in linen by London Antique Upholstery m
PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL MASSEY; MARTIN MORRELL. FOR SUPPLIERS’ DETAILS, SEE STOCKISTS PAGE
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SPLISH SPLASH, I L OV E A B AT H By Ben Pentreath
ALDERLEY EDGE ESHER
tomhowley.co.uk
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Interior designer
CLARE GASKIN
on
USING PATTERN ILLUSTRATION ALEXIS BRUCHON
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cream fabric that from a distance looked plain, but was in fact self-patterned with a faint Greek key design. This linked it to the other geometric patterns in the room without being too obvious, or f ighting to be the focus. It also ref lected a way of investing in a pattern that will not date quickly and that can be incorporated into another scheme at a later time. Where you decide to use pattern makes a big difference, too. For example, a gentler way of using pattern on curtains or blinds is to introduce it on borders or panels, rather than as the main fabric. I like a patterned lining, which makes the view from outside more interesting. Likewise, upholstery: a bold-patterned occasional chair can act as a sculptural artwork. When you find a must-have fabric but discover it’s too expensive or delicate to use for full upholstery on a sofa or armchair, consider making a feature of it on the outer areas (the back and sides), which receive less wear – with a contrasting and more durable plain for the inside back and seat. I cannot imagine a space that doesn’t have some pattern. My advice would be to embrace it, study what it is that you are drawn to and then bring it into your home. Avoid the big trends and go with something that you really love – it will have a far better chance of standing the test of time. In that way, designing with pattern can be a bit like shopping for clothes. For many, pattern may mean adding a few cushions, or having a bold wallpaper in a downstairs loo. And that’s great. But I like to encourage clients to think about being a little braver, going bigger and bolder – and taking them on that journey is one of my favourite things about being an interior designer m claregaskin.com
PHOTOGRAPH: DEAN HEARNE. ALEXIS BRUCHON IS REPRESENTED BY ARTIST PARTNERS
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attern is something that excites me – I think that it always has. I studied History of Art and Architecture at the University of Manchester, and I had an inspiring teacher who opened my eyes and showed me how even the application of paint can create patterns. She taught me to notice the patterns that surround us in life. This interest began to give my everyday travels new meaning – I’m forever looking up, taking a moment to consider what is before me. Why, then, can it feel like such a big and scary decision to incorporate pattern in our homes? I think many of us find comfort in what we perceive to be safe and that often means plain (and neutral in colour). That’s understandable, as decorating your home is an investment – and not every investor is prepared to go high risk. Patterns can bequeath an energy to a space. Getting to know our clients at the start of a project informs us on how best to design for them and reflect their lives, interests and desires. Often, there will be hints of what pattern means to them. For some, stripes might have a connection with the formal (think tailored suits or school uniforms). When designing rooms in this category, I have frequently turned to Farrow & Ball’s wallpaper collections (farrow-ball.com). Its ‘Plain Stripe’ wallpaper comes in a range of fantastic colours, from more neutral tones through to stronger shades. For others, stripes may conjure up a big-top circus tent. Among my saved images on Instagram is the redand-white-striped bedroom that the interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard created for Tommy Hilfiger’s son – a great example of the fun that can be had with this theme. I love working where stand-out statements can be made. For a project dedicated to a father’s wish to have a fun space for himself and his teenage children, I commissioned the graffiti artist CEPT to turn a games room into a scene of intergalactic battles, with depictions from Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Even in this house, there was a need for some more moderate uses of pattern: iguanas on a black-on-black wallpaper from Timorous Beasties (timorous beasties.com) are subtly highlighted by the cloakroom lighting. Such a bold scheme may not be for everyone, so I often make use of patterns that don’t involve being brave with colour at the same time. In another project, we upholstered a bespoke sofa in
DECORATING | PROFILE DESIGNER PROFILE
BROOKE COPP-BARTON
LOUISE O’BRYAN talks to the designer about her renovation of an Arts and Crafts house that reflects her love of timeless, eclectic interiors
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PHOTOGRAPHS SOPHIA SPRING
s first projects go, renovating this beautiful Grade II-listed Arts and Crafts house in west London for her friends was an impressive start for the interior designer Brooke Copp-Barton, who launched her practice three years ago. Not only was this project her big break, but it also cemented her passion for transforming period homes with a fearless mix of colours, patterns and styles to create a refined yet relaxed look. ‘My ideal project is renovating an old property that has tons of original features in need of some love and attention,’ says Brooke. Jumping head first into this project, Brooke’s brief was to restore the damaged period features and return the grand house to its former glory with as much charm and authenticity as possible. Original chimneypieces were reinstated with newly fabricated wooden surrounds; vintage and antique furniture was paired with contemporary bespoke sofas and tables; and rich colours and lively patterns were layered throughout to create a fresh feel. Having previously worked in advertising, Brooke craved a more hands-on creative role. In 2011, she took some time out from her career to have a family and, during this period, she reevaluated what she wanted to do. Having successfully renovated a couple of her own homes, she decided to turn what had previously been a hobby into something more substantial. She embarked on a part-time course at KLC School of Design, building up her skills and experience through internships and freelance work, including some time spent at Nicola Harding & Co. ‘It was an invaluable and informative experience, learning from the best,’ says Brooke. Primarily working on residential projects, she is currently converting an old Cotswold farmhouse and several outbuildings into individual homes. ‘My practice is compact and nimble, with just me and my assistant, allowing us to be completely hands-on,’ she explains. ‘I am inspired by the period from the turn of the 20th century through to the Bauhaus and mid-century modern design. Eileen Gray is a particular visionary for me – her lacquer work, her furniture design and, later on, her architecture.’ Brooke’s confidence in combining colour, pattern and materials is no doubt what draws her clients. Take, for example, the muted pink banquette she had made for this Arts and Crafts house, which sits under vibrant green window frames and a bold blind in a Vanderhurd fabric. ‘I love filling houses with unusual colour combinations, surprising fabrics and bespoke pieces – but it’s also important to reflect the family who lives there,’ she says. Brooke has showcased the owners’ art collection in the sitting room above the mid-century sideboard and marine-blue sofa. ‘My aim is to highlight the essence of a space and allow the owners to enjoy the wonderful quirks of their home.’ brookecoppbarton.com e
SITTING ROOM (opposite and above) Brooke often takes inspiration from classic design – here, the ‘Bolle’ pendant light from Gallotti & Radice has a mid-century look. A bespoke sofa is covered in ‘Sibton Marine’ linen velvet from Claremont. The sideboard is from Fiona McDonald. KITCHEN/DINING ROOM (below) The tongue-andgroove panelling is painted in ‘Setting Plaster’ and the walls in ‘Vert De Terre’, both from Farrow & Ball. Skinflint supplied the vintage wall lights. Dining chairs from Vinterior are teamed with a bespoke table and banquette
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DECORATING | PROFILE
BEDROOM (above) The walls are painted in ‘Oval Room Blue’ and the woodwork in ‘Inchyra Blue’, both from Farrow & Ball. Cushions from Penny Worrall and a yellow bedcover from Soho Home complement the bespoke headboard and footstool. BATHROOM (above right and below) The bath is from Drench. Brooke chose ‘Green Santona’ tiles for the shower and ‘Blue Siham’ tiles for the basin splashback, both from Bert & May. The vanity unit is an Arts and Crafts cabinet converted by Vanity Flair
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Five of Brooke’s latest discoveries
1 I really want to use the new printed fabrics by A Rum Fellow for George Spencer Designs – pictured here is ‘Brakka’, one of my favourites. I’ve been a fan of the company’s rugs and hand-woven textiles for some time and can’t wait to get my hands on this new print collection. georgespencer.com 2 Penny Worrall’s handmade cushions, created from vintage textiles, are my go-to accessory. They are made with love, and it is wonderful how the old fabrics lend warmth and personality to a scheme. pennyworrall.com 3 Tallboy Interiors is my favourite recent antiques discovery and I’ve been desperately trying to place this simply stunning 20th-century burr walnut coffee table in a scheme. tallboyinteriors.co.uk 4 I have had my eye on the ‘Moreau Armchair’ from Pinch for a little while. I love its curved shape and extra-large width – I think it would be so comfy to curl up on in front of a fire. Again, I have been a fan of the company’s products for some time and I used its ‘Anders Light’ in a recent project. pinchdesign.com 5 Fiona McDonald’s shop on Fulham Palace Road, SW6, is a treasure trove of mid-century furniture that I love going to. I never fail to find something to fall in love with. fionamcdonald.com m
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THIS PAGE A pair of elegant ‘Darius’ lamps flank a custom-made bed which is set against striking panelling made by a plaster artist to reflect wood. A bespoke sofa and armchairs with chic curved lines are arranged around a coffee table with a Brazilian rosewood base and brass accents. OPPOSITE Company founders Janine and Gideon Stone
THE BRIEF
THE RESPONSE
The bedroom should be a haven – a room of our own, in which we can close the door on all of life’s stresses, demands and expectations. It should reflect our taste, desires and sense of comfort, inviting us to relax and unwind at the end of each day. While far from being just a functional space to lay one’s head, the bedroom can often be overlooked in interiors schemes as many invest much of their focus and energy on the kitchen and living areas. With this in mind, House & Garden tasked the interior design studio Janine Stone with creating a bedroom sanctuary with a characterful, contemporary scheme that feels original and distinctive, yet personal and lived in.
In a moment of perfect timing, when we briefed Janine Stone, her team was already well underway with a project in Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square that embraced all our requirements. Set in a newbuild development, this striking bedroom belongs to a client for whom the interiors studio had already designed a number of homes for and knows very well. In typical Janine Stone fashion, the elegant scheme is full of sleek bespoke designs – some of which are so subtle and well integrated that it would be easy to assume they were already part of the existing features of the apartment. As most newbuilds often have the same layout and features, it can be particularly
challenging to make them feel original and personal. Fortunately, this is a design dilemma in which Janine Stone has plenty of experience, so the team knew just what to do. By including one-off designs in the choice of furniture, finishes and fixtures, it was able to pull off a truly original scheme that feels special and considered. The design studio often employs one of the many craftspeople and specialists in its little black book to create one-of-a-kind furnishings and architectural features for its projects – and this bedroom is no exception. Upon entering the room, one of the elements that immediately catches the eye is the wall panelling custom-made by a French plaster artist to reflect wood. With its
HOUSE & GARDEN PARTNERSHIP
CREATIVE RE SPONSE House & Garden sets a brief for interior design company Janine Stone to devise schemes for different rooms. This month, we look at the studio’s stylish concept for a bedroom TEXT ARTA GHANBARI | PHOTOGRAPHS JANINE STONE
mesmerising patterns, this background introduces a distinctive look to the room while adding a layer of warmth to the space. From here, the eye moves to the bedside tables in Canaletto walnut and maple, before taking in the bespoke bed designed by Janine Stone, who imaginatively incorporated a geometric stepped head-board reminiscent of Art Deco skyscrapers in New York. Meanwhile hanging over the room is a cluster of ‘clouds’ crafted in brass with a perforated glass sphere, which encapsulate the dreamy mood of the scheme perfectly, transporting its residents beyond the four walls of the bedroom. The circular shape of the pendant lights is echoed in the rosewood and brass coffee
table below, which almost appears to float over the carpet on its handsome base. Paired with the curvaceous geometric forms, the mixture of natural materials, soft textures and warm hues helps to create an inviting, deeply comfortable sanctuary and eases the boxiness of the architecture. Rich-hued rosewood with its beautiful grain – seen on the coffee table and chest of drawers, contrasts with the pearl and ivory tones of the carpet, desk and furniture upholstery. Janine Stone’s effortlessly chic interiors come alive through the details, and a good case in point are the elegant, flowing curtains made from silk sheer and wool, which have been applied with a Japanese-style
technique to depict cloud forms within the pattern of the fabric that allows light to gently shine through. Composed like a fine artwork, the design of this bedroom is ingrained with subtle symbolisms, gently bringing to the mind of its viewer those places of comfort and tranquility where we feel most ourselves m
TO LEARN MORE Visit houseandgarden.co.uk/article/janinestone-modern-bedroom. Janine Stone is an award-winning interior architecture and project management company specialising in luxury residential and commercial projects. To discuss your design requirement, call 020 7349 8888 or visit janinestone.com
PAUL MASSEY
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LIFESTYLE Practising what they preach SOPHIE and CHRIS MILLER have ensured sustainability is at the heart of their vintage lighting business Skinflint, and their 18th-century cottage in west Cornwall is a treasure trove of reclaimed furniture and upcycled materials TEXT ROS BYAM SHAW | PHOTOGRAPHS MICHAEL SINCLAIR
Chris and Sophie with their children, Maddie and Isaac, on one of their favourite beaches, which is just a half-hour bike ride from home
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Chris with one of his top-bar beehives. His collection of salvaged clocks hangs in the office. Sophie working on a headdress for the Red Rebel Brigade, an international performance artivist troupe. Maddie in the kitchen with Labrador Lucca. Pan the cat in the main bedroom. BELOW Vintage industrial lights f lank the granite fireplace in the sitting room. OPPOSITE Chris in the kitchen, with GECoRAY lights
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n December 2004, Sophie and Chris Miller treated themselves to a ‘special holiday’ in Sri Lanka. They had been together for seven years, but not yet had children. After staying in a cabana on the beach, the couple moved inland on Christmas Eve, as the cabanas were fully booked. On Boxing Day, the tsunami struck with a devastating force that made headlines all round the world. ‘If we had stayed on the beach, we almost certainly would not have survived,’ says Chris. ‘We did what we could to help before we left the country.’ Back in London, they returned to their previous lives and their f lat in Streatham, with Sophie working as a freelance art director on ‘low-budget movies, TV police dramas and adverts’, and Chris as a lighting consultant on domestic and commercial projects. ‘Life went back to normal, but it felt different,’ he explains. ‘The tsunami had changed everything. It was a catalyst and made us reassess – we realised that every day counts, because it could be your last.’ As the pair mulled over what was most important to them, various ideas surfaced. The one that stuck was a move to Cornwall, a place they both loved. Falmouth, with its renowned art college, seemed a good location. ‘We bought a little townhouse, threw all the cards up in the air and arrived with a six-month-old baby and no work, but a bit of spare cash from the sale of our London flat,’ says Sophie. ‘It was a magical time.’ Over the course of that year, they started to pick up work, Sophie teaching art, Chris lecturing at Falmouth University and also using his skills as a lighting consultant, ‘mostly on local second homes’. A commission to provide vintage lighting for a large house in Primrose Hill proved the next turning point. ‘We travelled all over the country sourcing old lights from factories, warehouses and hospitals, then had to find people with the skills to refurbish them. At that stage it occurred to us that this was something we could do full time,’ says Chris. That was in 2009. Today their company Skinflint is the major supplier of vintage lights in the UK, with a stock of several thousand dating from the Twenties to the Seventies. Its clients range from retail chains, fashionable restaurants and bars, to house owners who love the concept and aesthetic of beautifully engineered fittings with history. The choice is e
LIFESTYLE
The emphasis of the company is on rescue and refurbishment: ‘Sometimes we have to beg to be allowed to remove lights before a building is demolished’
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extraordinary: how about wall lights from the runway of an RAF airfield, pendants converted from Fifties traffic lights that once patrolled the highways of the American Midwest, or a floor lamp that shone on theatre stars of the Sixties? Russian surgical lamps make ideal reading lights, as do machinists’ lights from a Polish factory. At the more delicate end, Holophane lamps, often used in churches, have interiors that glitter with reflective mercury glass, while Seventies Czech glass shades – from grand houses and hotels – come in an array of sparkly textures. Company HQ is an old grain warehouse on the banks of the estuary in Penryn. Ranks of domed white glass, bobbly globes and metal-rimmed bulkheads line up on salvaged orange metal shelving, and a newly arrived pallet is stacked with chunky green enamel shades like giant pixie hats. In a workshop overlooking trees and masts, product development engineer Rosy Seal is assembling the components of a metal pendant and giving each piece a final polish. ‘We try not to over-restore,’ says Chris. ‘Thanks to local businesses serving the yacht industry, we have metal polishers, people who do the rewiring, testers and small engineering companies that can make missing components – all within a 10-kilometre radius.’ The focus of the company is on rescue and refurbishment. ‘Sometimes we have to beg to be allowed to remove lights before a building is demolished. The waste can be heartbreaking,’ explains Chris. ‘We are passionate about recycling and now offer to buy back our lighting with a 50 per cent credit towards any future purchases, which is particularly relevant to retail outlets that often like to change their look on an annual basis. Our sourcing trips are carefully planned to allow us to visit as many locations as possible on a loop. And if we have to go to Europe, we go by train. As a company we aim to be carbon neutral by 2025.’ This same ethos of sustainability threads through every aspect of the Millers’ lives. When they moved out of Falmouth in 2012, they set about updating a traditional 18th-century cottage in an isolated part of west Cornwall, with an acre of garden and a further acre of woodland. Building work included excavating the floors, which were on three different levels due to later extensions, and fitting heavy-duty loft insulation, solar panels and a biomass boiler. The kitchen has a wall of glass doors onto the garden and a small forest of pot plants. It opens into the sitting room, in which the original, rough-hewn granite fireplace is the focus. Next door is Chris’s office, where two walls are filled by some of his collection of salvaged clocks, and beyond is a big room in which Sophie and their 15-year-old daughter Maddie paint, print, and sew. Everything possible – not just the lighting – is recycled and second-hand, from the iroko flooring, which came from a gym, to the furniture, including Chris’s oak desk, which is ex-Ministry of Defence. ‘We pass on or share whatever we can,’ says Sophie. ‘And we’re part of the local repair-café network and the Library of Things, which lends out everything from tools to kitchen equipment, and encourages people to save money and help the environment by borrowing rather than buying stuff.’ Clothes, too, are bought second-hand and often adapted and reworked by Sophie, sometimes with the addition of a printed slogan – today’s cardigan says ‘frugality’. Creativity is another thread. Sophie studied at Central Saint Martins and she brings her artistic sensibility to all aspects of Skinflint. Alongside her work for the company, she has an ongoing commitment to various causes, from the plight of refugees to climate change. She has e
OPPOSITE Sophie and Chris with Adam Wiseman of Clayworks, which creates interior natural wall finishes. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Chris and Matt Jones, one of the product development engineers, in the warehouse. Rosy Seal assembles a metal pendant. Sophie and Chris in the office with his clocks. ‘I have a bit of a thing about not wasting time,’ he says
LIFESTYLE
designed and made protest costumes for Extinction Rebellion, as well as taking part in demonstrations: ‘There’s a powerful link – a synergy – between my work at Skinflint and my activism. We keep on consuming, when we should be saving, re-using and minimising waste. And all the while, the Arctic ice is melting faster than ever before – we’re on track for 4°C of global warming, at which point life on earth will no longer be sustainable.’ The children are home-educated with a local group – Isaac, who is 12, is a computer whizz, and Maddie is training to be a trapeze artist and already performing with an act called Vagabond Circus. Chris keeps bees and Sophie grows vegetables. It could all come across as a bit preachy, but does not, partly because of their warmth and humour. Instead it is inspiring – particularly because they so obviously enjoy life. ‘It’s a great place to live and a great way to live,’ says Chris. ‘We have f lexibility at work and a really good team. In summer, we cycle to our favourite beach about half an hour away as often as we can to swim, surf, barbecue or just take the dog for a walk. And do a bit of beach cleaning.’ Of course m Skinflint: skinflintdesign.com
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Chris and Sophie in the warehouse of the cotton-spinning Swan Lane Mills in Bolton – the enamel pendant shades salvaged from here are now in Skinflint’s Industrial Heritage Collection. Embellished with brick swans, the last of the three mills designed by Stott and Sons was built in 1914. Sophie and Chris in the polishing workshop near the Skinflint HQ
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F rom COLOUR CODE S Pa ge 92
MAREE HOMER
In the sitting room of a 19th-century former whaler’s cottage in North Sydney, the stair runner made from Sinclair Till’s ‘Peacock’ natural coir was the starting point for a colourful scheme by designer Lisa Burdus. The portrait is by Sylvie Dewey
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FAMILY ROOM (both pages) The painting Contemplativo by Cuban artist José Bedia fills the wall above a ‘Family’ sofa from Atelier Ellis. The chaise longue was designed with Ensemblier and upholstered in a raspberry mohair velvet by Holly Hunt. A coffee table with a terrazzo top from The Future Perfect sits on a striking Fifties hand-knotted Anatolian kilim. Sourced from Pontone Gallery in Chelsea, a painting by US artist Malcolm Liepke is displayed above a textured wooden cabinet by Studioilse and Zanat
TEXT ELIZABETH METCALFE PHOTOGRAPHS PAUL MASSEY LOCATIONS EDITOR EMILY TOBIN
HIGH AND MIGHTY A dated flat in a Chelsea mansion block has been transformed, allowing its elegantly proportioned rooms to provide a stylish setting for the art collection of its Latin American owners
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SITTING ROOM Walls painted in ‘Faded Blossom’ by Atelier Ellis were the starting point for this scheme. Paintings by Chilean artist Nicolás Radic hang on either side of the chimneypiece. The rug dates from c1910 and is attributed to Charles Voysey. A vintage piece seen on 1stdibs was the inspiration for the sofa, which was designed by Kitesgrove with Ensemblier, and is upholstered in Clementine Oliver’s duck-egg ‘Angus’ wool. ‘Opera’ dining chairs from Soane are paired with a c1815 mahogany and rosewood dining table
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t is hard to imagine now, with its fourmetre-high rooms and elegant proportions, but when the designer Sophie Elborne first entered this Chelsea flat five years ago, she was greeted by low ceilings and clumsily divided rooms. ‘Thankfully, the bones were good,’ says Sophie, who at the time headed up the design team at Kitesgrove, an interiors and project management practice based on King’s Road, SW3. Occupying the first floor of an earlyVictorian, red-brick mansion block close to Royal Hospital Chelsea, the two-bedroom flat was bought in 2015 by its Latin American owners, whose main home is in Florida. ‘We’d lived in London in the Nineties and always loved this area,’ says the wife. The pair, who visit London regularly, called on Kitesgrove to overhaul the space to create a comfortable, elegant pied-à-terre. Apart from the palatial sitting room – the star of the space, with an enormous floor-to-ceiling bay window looking onto the leafy gardens below – many of the rooms had been compromised over the years and little had been done for several decades. ‘We were keen for there to be as much light as possible,’ explains the wife. Working with Studio McLeod, a west London-based architectural practice that specialises in the remodelling
of houses, Kitesgrove set about reinstating the Victorian proportions and maximising the space available. The first task involved doubling the height of the low hall ceiling by extending into the loft space above and creating a rather majestic dome shape. ‘We wanted to give a sense of the grandeur to come,’ explains Sophie. Two of the smaller rooms to the right of the hall, which originally housed the poky kitchen and a study, became a generously proportioned bedroom, with its own small sitting area, while a bespoke Shaker-style kitchen by Teddy Edwards has taken the place of what was a bedroom. Again, the ceiling height was increased by stealing space from the loft, while still leaving room to conceal water tanks. Muddled architectural details were replaced throughout with elegant architraves and cornices to reflect the earlyVictorian aesthetic of the building. Construction work in a shared mansion block is never without its complications, which resulted in the project taking three years to finish. An unexpected positive, however, was that this time frame allowed the decoration of the space to evolve more naturally than it might have done. ‘We collected bits and pieces slowly,’ says Sophie, who, in spite of the challenges posed by a time difference, developed a great shorthand with the owners over email. ‘Our aim was to establish a peaceful and natural shell, within which we could layer different colours and pattern and create a really
HALL (top left) The antique giltwood mirror is from James McWhirter. Based on a Kitesgrove design, the console table was custom made by Poisedale with ebonised oak legs, brass feet and a Rossa Navona honed marble top. KITCHEN (top right and opposite) Shaker-style kitchen units by Teddy Edwards, with bronze handles by Joseph Giles, are complemented by Zellige wall tiles from Mosaic del Sur
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MAIN BEDROOM The walls are covered in Donghia’s textured ‘Oasis’ fabric in sky. A bespoke headboard, designed with Ensemblier, is upholstered in a Lelièvre blue cotton velvet and trimmed with a Holland & Sherry wool. The Chelsea Textiles bedside table holds a lamp from M Charpentier Antiques featuring part of a balustrade reclaimed from a French chateau
comfortable space,’ she explains. As such, the backdrop throughout is neutral: many of the walls have been painted in shades of white, and the floors – with the exception of the blue lias limestone slabs in the kitchen – have been laid with multi-width fumed-oak boards. Often, the starting point for a room’s decoration was the owners’ collection of Latin American art, which, Sophie explains, ‘provided a nostalgic anchor’. A vast painting by the abstract Cuban artist José Bedia, initially earmarked for the bedroom, found a home on one of the walls in the family room. Its pinky-grey tones informed the palette for the space, which finds form through a Fifties Anatolian kilim, a contemporary terrazzo-topped coffee table and a pair of antique Howard & Sons armchairs. In the main bedroom, a portrait – one of the owners’ favourites – by the Cuban artist Miguel Padura set the tone for the room. ‘I love how it seems as though the lady in the painting is looking out onto the park,’ says the wife. ‘We wanted to bring out its blues,’ Sophie adds, gesturing to the Donghia ‘Oasis’ fabric in sky on the walls, the inky-blue velvet headboard and a Holland & Sherry rug. ‘We were after a look that felt a bit more eclectic than our house in the States, but still very English,’ explains the wife. Some pieces were created bespoke, including the sofa in the sitting room and the bed headboards, which Kitesgrove designed in collaboration with Ensemblier. Other items,
such as the Cuban mahogany and rosewood dining table in the sitting room, were found on sourcing trips, when the owners made a point of timing their visits to London to coincide with antique fairs. ‘It was so helpful seeing pieces together in the flesh,’ says Sophie, who has now set up her own studio, Atelier Elborne. With a background in fine art, Sophie – who still undertakes work for Kitesgrove on a consultancy basis – regularly produces exquisite drawings of the projects she is involved with. The scheme for the sitting room was based around a pale pink paint – ‘Faded Blossom’ by Cassandra Ellis of Atelier Ellis – which was chosen to counterbalance the cool east light. Two paintings by the contemporary Chilean artist Nicolás Radic, positioned on either side of the chimneypiece, provide a good foil for the pale colour. The large rug, attributed to the Arts and Crafts designer Charles Voysey, was the result of a painstaking hunt to find an antique piece that would fit the proportions of the room. ‘Thirty rugs later and we came across this beautiful raspberry-andgreen-toned one at Keshishian Carpets on Pimlico Road,’ recalls Sophie. ‘Although it wasn’t intentional, the whole room could have been inspired by the colours of Albert Bridge just round the corner’ m Kitesgrove: kitesgrove.com Studio McLeod: studiomcleod.com
MAIN BEDROOM (top left) An armchair from Atelier Ellis sits beside a portrait by Miguel Padura – a favourite piece from the owners’ collection. The rug is from Holland & Sherry. SPARE ROOM (top right) Built-in joinery by Teddy Edwards was painted in Marston & Langinger’s ‘Fence Green’. The sofa is from Kingcome Sofas and the curtain fabric is ‘Wild Thing’ linen in copper by Lewis & Wood
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Heir force
The dynamics of a family business can be complicated, especially when the time comes to hand it on, but interior decorator Chester Jones and his son Toby have managed a seamless transition as evidenced by their collaboration on this 19th-century house in Oxfordshire TEXT ELFREDA POWNALL | PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON BROWN | LOCATIONS EDITOR LIZ ELLIOT
DRAWING ROOM (both pages) Two rugs from Afridi Gallery mark out different areas within this room. On one side, a Bijar kilim is teamed with a kilim-covered 17th-century chair and paintings by Ivon Hitchens and Patrick Heron, among others. On the other side, an Oushak rug tones with a custom-made sofa – one of a pair – upholstered in Alton-Brooke’s ‘Prelle Toile Barbare’. The 20th-century tole table is from Howe. Tissus d’Hélène’s ‘Amalfi Stripe’ was used for the blinds
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DRAWING ROOM A second custom-made sofa faces a chimneypiece from Jamb with two spoonback chairs, also designed by Chester Jones, on either side. The painting is by Sandra Blow. STUDY Curtains and pelmets in Claremont’s ‘Daisy’ print fabric frame a view of the garden. The 18th-century sofa is upholstered in a specially woven blue striped fabric by David Humphries. A mid-century armchair is covered in ‘Hedgehog’ printed linen by Neisha Crosland. The Swedish mid-century rug is from Afridi Gallery
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CHESTER has always championed the MIXING OF ERAS in a room – here, Toby shows how well it can be done
HALL A series of Oushak runners lines this long central corridor. Two faience ceramic lions f lank a green neo-classical console. The lantern is from Charles Edwards. DINING ROOM The walls are painted in ‘French Sienna’ by Rose of Jericho. Sandy Jones designed the rug and the curtains are made from suzanis from Robert Kime. KITCHEN Plain English units are teamed with a Carrara marble splashback. The ‘Santa Lucia’ chairs were designed by Herbert Hirche for Richard Lampert
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rom Shakespeare to Succession, the tension between older and younger generations as power is transferred is the stuff of clashes and recriminations, tears and tantrums. But as Chester Jones, one of Britain’s greatest interior designers – and the recipient of House & Garden’s first Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 – hands over to his son Toby, life does not follow art. Chester, a man of strong views and vast design knowledge, is now 85 and is happy to relinquish the reins, while keeping a guiding eye on the progress of the firm. And, as Toby says, ‘I’ve been working for – and then with – my father for some 25 years.’ He, and his brother Ben, who works on the textiles side of the business, could not have had a better teacher or guide than Chester. This is evidenced by their collaboration on a project in Oxfordshire for a couple with three teenage children, who were moving from a larger house and wanted to stay in this part of the county. While the clients loved the modest charm of this early-19th-century cottage – and its private setting was ideal – they felt it was too small for the visits of their extended family, when they needed, on occasion, to accommodate 16 people. Chester had already decorated several houses for the family and Toby – working with the architect Christopher Smallwood and with some valuable input from his father – further enlarged the cottage by just under 50 per cent. Christopher also changed the orientation of the house, so the back door is now the front door. Chester designed a charming cottage porch, complete with a curvy zinc roof and pretty trelliswork. Open the door, though, and a vast space opens up, Tardis-like. A long corridor stretches ahead with, at its crux, a green Continental-style neoclassical console, guarded by a pair of huge 18th-century ceramic lions. ‘It is a real wow moment,’ says Toby. ‘The console comes from the clients’ previous house, but that enfilade is all Chester – it’s part of his genius.’ He has broken up the long corridor with a top-lit, barrel-vaulted space, defined by pilasters with simple capitals, with the imposing console at its centre. The double drawing room opposite is of similarly impressive dimensions, but is so cleverly arranged into seating areas that its atmosphere is one of calm and comfort. On one side, a beautiful Oushak carpet defines the space, with a pair of back-to-back sofas. One of these faces a mid-century metal table in the bay window, with
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HALL The staircase was designed by the architect Christopher Smallwood. EXTERIOR A sculpture by Antony Gormley stands in the meadow outside the house. MAIN BEDROOM This room has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, with lower panelled areas on either side. The walls are painted in Rose of Jericho’s ‘Verona Green’. ‘Calico’ print fabric from Claremont was used for the curtains and headboard. At the foot of the bed, a Japanese armour chest conceals a television
a handsome 18th-century mahogany secretaire to the side, which serves as a drinks cupboard. Chester has always championed the mixing of eras in a room and, here, Toby shows how well it can be done. The other sofa faces a Jamb chimneypiece with, above it, the panelling, curved ceiling and plasterwork of the original cottage. ‘We added the dado rail to create a contained space for pictures,’ explains Toby. And there are some marvellous pictures, including works by Patrick Heron and Ivon Hitchens in the other part of the room, where 17th-century chairs covered in antique kilims sit on an early-19thcentury Bihar kilim, which looks strikingly modern. These carpets came from Afridi Gallery, while some of the others are by Sandy Jones – Toby and Ben’s mother, and a celebrated rug designer. In the dining room, one of her rugs in shades of blue provides a cooling presence in a space that contains a vibrant painting by Gillian Ayres, curtains made from bright suzani panels and a sombre William Scott painting. The kitchen nearby, more subdued in colour, is another example of a mixing of styles. Around the walls are Plain English cupboards – painted a putty colour, with marble tops – and an Aga, while the central island is stainless steel by Bulthaup. At the far end of the corridor is the new staircase, designed by Christopher. On the floor above, the chimneypiece of the bedroom that was opened up to accommodate the stairs, remains in place on the landing. ‘We have kept all the little details,’ says Toby. ‘You don’t want to destroy the history of a place.’ In the main bedroom, a barrel vault was inserted into the ceiling, which gives the room extra height. Soft green walls and a monochrome fabric from Claremont on the headboard and curtains create a peaceful atmosphere. It is a beautiful room. According to Toby, ‘The definition of luxury is the ability to do the same activity in many different settings in the same house.’ One of the smallest rooms – the wife’s study – is particularly charming. It has a flouncy pelmet at two of the windows, a neat 18th-century sofa in blue ticking and, from the mid-century, an orange Swedish rug, a wickerwork-topped table and an armchair loose-covered in a striking Neisha Crosland fabric. Toby has designed a cottage with intimate private spaces such as this, but which can also calmly and luxuriously accommodate 16 when required. Chester Jones Ltd is in safe hands m Chester Jones: chesterjones.com Smallwood Architects: smallwoodarchitects.co.uk
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The main bedroom is PEACEFUL, with SOFT GREEN walls and MONOCHROME fabric
TEXT DAVID NICHOLLS | PHOTOGRAPHS MAREE HOMER
colour codes LOCATIONS EDITOR NICOLA LAWRENCE
A 19th-century former whaler’s cottage in North Sydney has been transformed by Australian interior designer Lisa Burdus into a vibrant, comfortable home with a nod to classic English country style 92 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
LOWER GROUND FLOOR SITTING AREA Lisa chose Dulux’s ‘Morocco’ paint for the textured walls. This shade of pink complements the owner’s Persian rug, vintage throws from The Cloth Shop and Kathryn Ireland’s ‘Safi Suzani’ linen in autumn on the custom-made ottoman. The ‘Banjo Sofas’ are from MCM House in Sydney
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KITCHEN The pink paint continues on the panelling and wall cupboards in the kitchen, part of the same open-plan space, while an island painted in Dulux’s ‘Green Gables’ offers a striking contrast. Emac and Lawton’s ‘Chelsea’ table lamp is paired with a pleated green silk shade from Samarkand Design
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he Australian interior designer Lisa Burdus is an unabashed Anglophile – at least when it comes to the art of decorating. ‘I love colour and I love that very English, layered look,’ she says. The houses that she designs are a testament to this. We are chatting over Zoom and she wiggles her fingers as though casting a spell: ‘I don’t know why, it just comes out of here like that.’ Take this 19th-century whaler’s cottage (‘very much my kind of architecture’, Lisa says) in North Sydney. The budget was not huge but, thrillingly for any designer, the client told her, ‘I want you to go to town with it – I want lots of colour and for it to be super comfortable. I’d like people to come here and just want to hang out.’ There was not much structural work to be done apart from the removal of a few walls on the ground floor to allow for the creation of a self-contained storey that can be closed off from the rest of the house. This alteration took the house from three bedrooms to two, but means that the client, who lives on her own, has the option to rent the space through Airbnb. A smart decision, this was among the bold choices that have transformed the cottage into an invitingly joyful-looking home. A runner made from Sinclair Till’s ‘Peacock’ natural coir was the starting point for a colour story that sees each of the three floors being given its own distinct identity. The dining and sitting areas swapped places on the lower-ground floor, which is painted an appealing muddy shade of pink. Lisa likes these murky tones, which she finds work well both in daylight and at night. ‘The client didn’t immediately get it when I presented the ideas, but she trusted me,’ she recalls. The existing kitchen units were kept and updated – the shiny white cupboard fronts replaced by Shaker-style ones painted either in the same muted pink or a vibrant shade of green. In the adjacent sitting area, a suzanicovered octagonal footstool stands on top of a Persian rug layered over some sisal. There are also pretty pleated HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 95
SITTING ROOM On the ground f loor, walls papered in Osborne & Little’s ‘Chroma’ in the apple colourway match woodwork painted in ‘Purslane’ from Dulux. Peter Meyer’s ‘Urban Weave’ blinds tone with ‘Tuscan Casina’ sisal matting from International Floorcoverings. Two French armchairs from Palace Trader Antiques have been re-covered in ‘Mini Weave’ by Susan Deliss. The two cane chairs by the window were sourced in Morocco and painted red
lampshades, a burnished metal chandelier and woven cane furniture. It is an open-plan space decorated a bit like an English country cottage, on a street lined with jacaranda and palm trees. What’s not to like? Green dominates the floor above – the one that can be cordoned off. Some of the walls are papered in Osborne & Little’s green ‘Chroma’ design, which has a slightly mottled surface. Its matt finish balances the sheen of the woodwork – including plenty of panelling – which is painted in a corresponding shade. Lisa chose a mustard colour to define the top f loor, which is where the owner has her bedroom. Accents of red are provided by fabrics by the likes of Robert Kime and Susan Deliss. Lisa, a huge admirer of both, is Australia’s exclusive stockist of Susan’s textile designs. Despite business ‘going swimmingly’ in Australia, Lisa took a decision last year to up sticks and move to England. ‘I’ve raised five kids, I’m single and I had always thought that, when the youngest finishes school, I’m going to go and live somewhere else,’ she says. ‘It was a personal challenge in a way – to drop myself on the other side of the world where I don’t know anyone. To walk into a pub and just start talking to people.’ Although we have not yet had the chance to meet in person, it is clear that Lisa is one of life’s true bon vivants. In July, she found a cottage to rent in an Oxfordshire village. She knew no one in the area but, by September, she was posting (very stylish) pictures on Instagram captioned: ‘Michaelmas supper with new friends in England.’ While keeping her Sydney office open, she plans to develop a UK arm of her interior-design studio. Considering the timing of this life-changing decision and the challenges she will face, I tell her that I think she is brave – and even slightly bonkers. ‘I know,’ she says with a laugh. ‘We’ll see. It’s not that I’ve come here to take on the British decorating scene or anything.’ I suspect, however, that word of her arrival will soon get out. It will be interesting to see what happens then m Lisa Burdus: lisaburdus.com 96 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
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BATHROOM The wallpaper is Soane’s ‘Scrolling Acanthus’ in sorolla red. Moroccan concrete tiles from Popham Design, in saffron and cream, are arranged in a chequerboard pattern. The ‘Hermitage Console’ vanity unit from Parisi is curtained with vintage fabric from The Cloth Shop. SPARE ROOM Layered textiles in this bedroom include curtains in Anaras from Namay Samay, a headboard in ‘Oldwick’ from Sister Parish, cushions in ‘Perseus’ from Classic Cloth and a custom-made quilt. EXTERIOR Built in the 19th century, the cottage has a quintessentially Australian corrugated metal roof. ENTRANCE HALL Walls in Dulux’s ‘Alluvial Inca’ create a warm background for the vintage painting and armchair, and a potted fiddle-leaf fig tree
E A C H O F T H E T H R E E F L O O R S WA S G I V E N I T S O W N D I S T I N C T C O L O U R I D E N T I T Y . G R E E N D O M I N AT E S T H E G R O U N D F L O O R , W H I C H CA N B E C L O S E D O F F F R O M T H E R E S T O F T H E H O U S E A S A S E L F - C O N TA I N E D U N I T, O F F E R I N G T H E O P T I O N T O R E N T I T O U T
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L I S A C H O S E A M U S TA R D C O L O U R T O DEFINE THE TOP FLOOR, WHICH IS WHERE T H E OW N E R H A S H E R B E D R O O M . FA B R I C S BY THE LIKES OF ROBERT KIME AND SUSAN DELISS ADD AC CENT S OF RICH RED MAIN BEDROOM (both pages) A headboard covered in a silk fabric from Liberty complements the owner’s patchwork quilt and Moroccan rug. The Emac & Lawton lamps have shades from Samarkand Design. A blind made from ‘Sintra’ embroidered linen by Baker Lifestyle echoes the stripes of the window-seat cushion in vintage fabric from The Cloth Shop. The rattan armchair is from Lincoln Brooks
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DRAWING ROOM Pale walls stripped back to the bare plaster provide a subtle backdrop for a Flemish tapestry, which Remy bought at auction – ‘I was drawn to its faded colours and the fact it was damaged appealed to me,’ he explains. An armchair found at auction in Yorkshire is covered in a Twenties English chintz; other vintage fabrics collected over the years have been used to create covers for the cushions on the sofa. An elegant Regency table stands on a mid-century carpet brought back from Morocco
Perfectly imperfect After falling in love with its textured walls and uneven floors, American decorator Remy Renzullo enhanced the character of this Chelsea cottage with a light touch and a bohemian mix of antique finds TEXT LIZ ELLIOT | PHOTOGRAPHS MARTIN MORRELL
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ABOVE FROM LEFT The ebonised table in the hall is from Alexander von Westenholz. A Napoleon III chair sits beside a Queen Anne table in the drawing room. BELOW FROM LEFT A drop-leaf dining table is teamed with 19th-century chairs. Curtained shelves provide storage below the granite kitchen countertop
ABOVE FROM LEFT 18th-century mezzotints hang beside an Arts and Crafts lamp from Robert Kime in the drawing room. The kitchen sink sits on an antique Austrian cabinet. BELOW FROM LEFT Remy at the dining table, set with Wedgwood china. A reverse-painted glass panel from Paris brightens the mantelpiece
SPARE ROOM Remy was inspired to create the feel of an ocean-liner cabin in this small space, where he has teamed an antique brass bed with a vintage floral bedcover and curtains from Michele Aragon in Paris. A tiny three-legged bobbin-leg table holds an Arts and Crafts lamp designed by WAS Benson BATHROOM (opposite, top) The Victorian bamboo table was a find from a London car-boot sale. An old piece of block-printed cotton from a flea market conceals the storage area below the basin. The painting is a copy of Lucian Freud’s portrait of his second wife Lady Caroline Blackwood, one of Remy’s favourite authors
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MAIN BEDROOM (below) Curtains in a vintage Venetian stripe frame a planter by Howard & Sons. An Arts and Crafts chair sits on a Bokhara rug
learly this has to be my house.’ This was the reaction of Remy Renzullo on first viewing the diminutive Chelsea cottage that was to become his home. Aged just 29, the American decorator has a select client list that is growing both in the States and here in the UK, to the point where he needed to establish a London base. Remy had been visiting the city for several years to source furniture and, two years ago, was just about to start a large project over here. Rather than stay in a B&B, he wanted to rent somewhere that would feel like home and decided on Chelsea, since it was quiet and by the river. ‘I looked at so many houses and could not get over the fact that behind those charming façades, they had all been renovated to within an inch of their lives, with the same airport furniture everywhere. I love rooms with a bit of history, rooms that have evolved over a long period of time, rooms that have been lived in for generations.’ He found this house online and, to his American eye, it seemed to come ‘straight from a Beatrix Potter film set’. Being a firm believer in first impressions, on seeing the rough plaster walls, uneven floors and tiny, narrow staircase, he knew this time capsule had to be his home. Brought up in rural Connecticut, Remy credits his mother as being his earliest design influence. His childhood home was filled with pieces of furniture she had collected, birds’ nests and pieces of fabric she loved. Everything was very natural – almost in the English country-house aesthetic. Her friends were all artists and dealers, and growing up in this relaxed, bohemian lifestyle, Remy learned to appreciate the beauty of things and not just their provenance. Remy has furnished the cottage from auctions and markets; the pieces are unique, imperfect and completely right for each room. This process took over a year, during which time he camped on the floor. It was not just the time it took to find the right pieces – the house, too, conspired against him, since he soon discovered that the staircase was so steep and narrow that it was almost impossible to get large items of furniture upstairs. A friend gave Remy an old sofa, but it was too big to make it to the first floor. Then he found a daybed that would have had to go through a window. This, too, was unsatisfactory and, in the end, he sourced at auction the tiniest sofa with a removable back, which solved the problem. So, after the debacle of the sofa, he decided that he would only buy large pieces if he could return them – and bought the iron bedstead in the main bedroom from John Lewis for £200. Remy took inspiration for the small spare room from the ocean liner the RMS Mauretania. The painted brass single bed was an auction find, and the matching curtains and bedcover come from Michele Aragon on rue Jacob in Paris – a dealer he particularly loves. Add in the Victorian tiny three-legged bobbin-leg table painted with ferns and you have all the appeal of an ocean-going cabin. The main bedroom is furnished with a 19th-century chair by Edward William Godwin – one of Remy’s favourite furniture makers – bought ‘for nothing’ at an auction in Yorkshire. The curtains were another Paris find and the planter is from Scotland. As a tribute to his mother’s early obsession, two large taxidermy birds preside over the room. The drawing room carpets come from Morocco – Remy found them at a dealer in a small town on the other side of the Atlas mountains from Marrakech, hanging on the wall in a filthy condition and covered in mud. ‘They obviously thought I was mad and I spent far more than they cost getting them home and cleaned – but they’ve proved to be perfect for the space,’ he says. A small drop-leaf table around which he can cram six people is central to the otherwise bare dining room and the kitchen with a butler’s sink positioned on an antique Austrian cabinet is simply finished with 19th-century plates on the plaster walls. As Remy says, these are rooms in which he did not need to do too much, but what he has done has been just right m Remy Renzullo: remyrenzullo.com HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 107
All for one, One for all TEXT FIONA McCARTHY | PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON BROWN
Each area of the open-plan main room in this small west London flat has its own distinct atmosphere, thanks to the inventive details introduced by interior designer Beata Heuman, who relished the creative challenge of making every inch count
SITTING ROOM (both pages) Custom pieces by Beata Heuman Studio include a TV cabinet decorated with Fornasetti’s ‘Nuvolette’ wallpaper from Cole & Son, the artwork above it and the mirror over the chimneypiece. One bespoke sofa is covered in Designs of the Time’s ‘Halian’ (YP15033) linen from John Boyd Textiles with a cushion in Beata Heuman’s ‘Marbleized Velvet’; the other sofa is in Lelièvre’s ‘Cosmos’ velvet in conifere with cushions in Nicky Haslam Design’s ‘Shutter Stripe’. Above it hangs a Surface View map, next to a ‘Belles Rives Bar Table’ by Rita Konig for The Lacquer Company HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 109
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or the young owners of this two-bedroom f lat on the ground f loor of an elegant, mid-19th-century stucco house in leafy west London, coming across it when they were looking for somewhere to buy was like discovering a diamond in the rough. ‘While the internal space might appear small on the f loor plan, it certainly doesn’t feel that way at all when you are living in it,’ the wife explains. This owes much to the ingenuity of Swedish-born, London-based interior designer Beata Heuman and her senior designer Fosca Mariani, whom the couple called on to renovate the flat when they bought it in late 2018. Balancing the challenges of redesigning such a small space within the restrictions of a Grade II-listed building amplified how important it was to make every inch count and Beata’s attention to detail became microscopic. ‘Details are always very important to us, but they matter even more in a small space, because everything is experienced so closely,’ she explains. The key was creating a sense of different areas and moods ‘so the owners didn’t get bored with the one main room they have’, she adds. Here, as the kitchen, dining space and sitting room converge as one, Beata and Fosca’s design scheme needed to satisfy the varied demands of cooking, relaxing, working and entertaining. The trick they used was to differentiate between the cooking and sitting areas – previously all found in the one space – by installing a U-shaped kitchen. This immediately created an additional surface on which to serve food or use as a bar. ‘It also provided a wall against which to place a banquette, which was something the owners really wanted,’ says Beata. Customised joinery also took advantage of the flat’s impressive ceiling heights and the flow
KITCHEN (top) Sleek cupboards designed by Beata Heuman Studio are complemented by brass handles, and a work surface and splashback in distinctive Cipollino Verde marble. The vintage kilim adds colour. SITTING ROOM (left) Bespoke cabinetry, which combines areas for storage and display, makes the most of the space, illuminated by ‘Scallop Wall Lights’ in nickel from Jim Lawrence. DINING AREA (opposite) The custom-made banquette, covered in ‘Heritage’ leather in mustard from Yarwood, and an oak and powder-coated brass table – both by Beata Heuman Studio – are teamed with ‘Vilda 3’ bentwood chairs by Gemla. The ‘Hackney’ floor lamp in a bronze finish is by J Randall Powers for Visual Comfort
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of light, which constantly filters through the fulllength windows. ‘With all that vertical volume, extending details like the artwork and bookshelves draws the eye upwards,’ says Beata. The rounded edges of the kitchen cupboards, the marble shower surround and the dining table – even the lip-curve of one of the bespoke sofas – also lend ‘subtle welcoming touches that make it feel easier and lighter to move around the space’. Colour has been added through furniture and art. Decorative vintage plates hung high above the picture rail add interest to the otherwise all-white space. The blue and green veins of the Cipollino Verde marble kitchen splashback almost resemble a painterly landscape. A vintage kilim in the kitchen doubles as discreet sound insulation. And a theatrical headboard in the main bedroom and the deep cerulean hue of the bathroom walls – satisfying the client’s desire for something unexpected, explains Fosca – all add personality and character. ‘Such contrast makes the total space feel all the more varied and interesting,’ says Beata. A layered and ‘slight nostalgic f lair’ – as Beata refers to it – runs constantly through her work. ‘It’s a lot more relaxing and true to human nature to spend time in a space that isn’t just one thing,’ she says of the mismatched side tables jostling alongside a Fornasetti-papered TV cabinet, a vibrant circus-print fabric pitted against a delicate Swedish floral wallpaper in a bedroom, and rich hues of mustard juxtaposed against emerald, teal against ruby red. ‘Adding a bit of everything into a space ensures that there are lots of different things to look at and the space can naturally evolve.’ The result is an elegant flat that resonates with ‘warmth and magic’, attest the owners. ‘After living here for over a year,’ says the wife, ‘we still have moments when a particular detail catches our eye and we stop to appreciate its beauty’ m Beata Heuman: beataheuman.com
SPARE ROOM (opposite) Mark Hearld’s ‘Cirque d’Hiver’ cotton from St Jude’s was used for the headboard and bedcover. ‘Selma’ wallpaper in mossa by Astrid & Rudolf on the walls and ceiling unifies the space. The ‘Hector Medium Pleat Wall Light’ is by Original BTC. BEDROOM (above right) A headboard designed by Beata Heuman Studio features the cotton ‘July Throw’ by James Daw from Slowdown Studio. It is f lanked by ‘Oban Rise and Fall Wall Lights’ from Vaughan. The cotton ‘Indian Cut-work Bedspread’ is from Howe. BATHROOM (right) A bespoke Carrara marble shower surround and vanity unit contrasts with walls in a dark blue gloss paint. Best Tile’s ‘Moroccan Encaustic Cement Pattern 06k’ tiles add decorative detail to the floor
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At the garden’s highest point, a spiralling earthwork and rolling double hedges of beech and copper beech enclose the landscape when visibility is low. Radiating from a square pool, a parterre of grasses and perennials is punctuated by ‘Shirofugen’ cherry trees
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The shape of things Sue and Richard Moffitt’s garden in Rutland is an expansive landscape of sculptural earthworks, reflective pools, mature trees and panoramic views TEXT KENDRA WILSON | PHOTOGRAPHS RICHARD BLOOM
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT A formal avenue of Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ with fiery red winter stems. A trio of silver birch trees, enclosed by beech hedging in the top corner of the parterre garden. Miscanthus sinensis ‘Ferner Osten’ provides winter structure and colour with striking silvery flower panicles on golden stems. The rose garden features trellis panels and wooden obelisks from The Garden Trellis Company. A vista from the rose garden across the swimming pond towards a geometrical sculpture by the Scottish artist James Parker. On the terrace at the back of the house, a majestic rill ends at a gurgling globe of dark slate, also by James
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erhaps it is because Sue and Richard Moffitt are from farming backgrounds that they are not daunted by space and scale. Having originally farmed in East Lothian, where they were used to big views, they headed south to Rutland 15 years ago and bought a five-acre plot of land. The house they built on it includes a tower; at the back, which faces south west, an indoor-outdoor kitchen leads to a terrace with a formal rill parallel to the wide façade. A panoramic view takes in allées, park trees and a vast, sunken lawn: cottagey it is not. On moving here, Sue trained in garden design, eventually setting up a landscaping company, M360 Design, with her brother-in-law David Moffitt. The sloping property, which is breezy rather than windy, had been hidden behind a heavy-handed belt of leylandii. Slowly, the couple uncovered a more thoughtful, older collection of trees. ‘Once we’d given them space to breathe, we found we had some fantastic specimens,’ Sue recalls. These included glorious oaks, blue Atlas cedars, multiple weeping trees, such as beech and willow, and a treasured walnut tree. They lend a sense of longevity to this garden, their shapes adding character in winter. Sue made good use of the heavy clay soil by sculpting it into landforms, following in the footsteps of landscape designers such as Kim Wilkie and Charles Jencks. At the garden’s highest point, a spiralling viewing mound looks out above the old beech hedges to rolling countryside in all directions. In this exposed top corner, inspired by photographs of Le Jardin Plume in northern France – an exercise in relaxed formality – Sue created a reflecting pool in the centre of a grassy parterre, which anchors the different moods and accentuates a sense of space by mirroring the open sky. Here she grows a range of tough, late-season perennials that can be left pretty much to themselves. In winter, tufty seed heads of persicaria and veronicastrum stand tall with plumes of miscanthus and calamagrostis, bolstered by diagonals of yew running across the larger parterre beds. This area combines with strong, living structure across the garden, including a formal avenue of Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’. Sculptures by the Scottish artist James Parker, made from curved dark slate – a water-gurgling globe at the end of the rill, a cone that cohabits with clipped evergreens by the pond – earn their keep when the garden is looking more sparse. Having met at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2015, Sue and James became friends, with Sue designing the planting round his stands at the Chelsea, Hampton Court and Chatsworth shows. This is a clever way of filling a large space. ‘Not only have we had great fun, but all the plants – grown specially for the shows by Hortus Loci – come back here,’ she says. A swimming pond at the lowest point of the garden has further rationalised the space. ‘We felt we had to flood some of the land, as we had so much to look after,’ Sue explains with a laugh. It was something of a compromise, since she wanted a pond that she could jump into and Richard ‘didn’t want to swim with frogs’. Instead, he swims with newts – the frogs preferring the stream in the bog garden, a few rocks away. Sue is the experimentalist here and Richard ‘more Versailles’. It is a good mix. During lockdown, they created a parkland, planting dozens of trees by the drive. Many of these will be tall, such as Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Spaethii’ and dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Planting large trees requires vision, as well as patience, and Sue has been advised by Mike Glover of Barcham Trees. The new arboretum sets the tone for a young cedar of Lebanon on the front lawn – like a sprightlier Christmas tree. ‘If you have space, plant one,’ says Sue. ‘And a walnut tree – its shape is fabulous’ m M360 Design: m360design.co.uk HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 117
G A R DE N CRAFTS SERIES PA RT T H R E E
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G OI NG WITH THE GRAIN
Concluding her series, CLARE FOSTER visits carpenter Olly Hill at his workshop on the Boconnoc Estate in Cornwall, where he has developed a range of beautifully crafted outdoor furniture, designed with longevity and sustainability in mind PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW MONTGOMERY
OPPOSITE Olly at Boconnoc with a ‘Lantic Love Bench’, one of the designs he produces in European oak. THIS PAGE Inside his workshop, a ‘Huers Chair’ is in progress, with half the steam-bent oak slats clamped in place
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very piece of oak furniture that comes out of Olly Hill’s workshop has been crafted with skill, integrity and rigorous attention to detail. Made using old, traditional techniques, his stylish, understated pieces are contemporary in feel yet have a certain nostalgia. ‘I like simple, ageless furniture you can develop a long-term relationship with,’ says Olly. ‘I make pieces that you can look at once, twice, three times and each time you notice something different. Sometimes, you look at a piece of furniture and know it’s been made by 20 people. I don’t want to just churn out arbitrary junk.’ Growing up in the Cornish seaside town of Looe, where his father was a fisherman, Olly was always making things as a child. ‘I made surfboards in my spare time, and it seemed the obvious route to go into carpentry and joinery when I left school,’ he says. After a four-year apprenticeship, he worked as a self-employed carpenter for 15 years before he set up Mena Woodwork + Design, making outdoor furniture, installations and – because he loved a challenge – ‘any other interesting projects in a slightly different way, so you have that other carpenters might turn down’. to be aware of the grain, any defects In 2014, he met Sam Ovens, an upand the moisture content,’ he says. ‘The OPPOSITE TOP ROW FROM LEFT and-coming local garden designer. wood has to be over-bent on the former, A finished ‘Huers Chair’, which is Olly’s When Sam asked him to collaborate because there will always be a certain most recent design. A collection of with him on his garden for the 2016 amount of spring-back.’ sheds and buildings around Boconnoc’s RHS Chelsea Garden Show, Olly jumped This attention to detail is carried old sawmill are used for storing timber. Olly steam bends pieces of oak in his at the chance. He produced Sam’s design through all Olly’s work. He uses tradihomemade steamer. MIDDLE ROW for a shadow cabin – a contemporary tional mortice and tenon joints in most FROM LEFT An old timber hoist at cedarwood structure made from open of his furniture, which allow the wood the sawmill. Olly carrying a ‘Lantic Love Bench’, with the sawmill in the slats of timber, which complemented to expand, contract and twist as it background. The old circular saw in the naturalistic planting scheme. Fired responds to the weather. For his benches the sawmill has been continuously in up by this challenge and inspired by the and tables, he makes more complex use since it was installed in the Thirties. direction that Sam’s work was taking, he dovetail joints: ‘I was watching a docuBOTTOM ROW FROM LEFT Timber from the Boconnoc Estate is left to decided to start designing his own range mentary about Hampton Court Palace season for up to two years. A sawmill of oak garden furniture. and they showed a 500-year-old table outbuilding. Olly named the ‘Dorothy ‘I enjoy working in oak,’ he says. ‘It’s with dovetail joints. The fact that it Sling Chair’ after his grandmother the most hard-wearing European wood still exists after all this time proves its and everything about it is good to work longevity and I knew it was the techwith. It is tactile, it has a beautiful grain nique I should be using.’ His outdoor and it weathers to a lovely silvery grey. It even smells good. And table is made from several parallel planks of wood that can see you are not having to ship it in from Asia – like other hardwood almost an inch of expansion across the grain when the wood – so it is a much more sustainable option.’ adapts to outdoor conditions. If dovetail joints are used, it allows The ‘Dorothy Sling Chair’, named after his grandmother, was the timber to move together in harmony. ‘You’re using the nature the first piece Olly launched. A modern take on the classic deckof the wood to your advantage,’ he explains. chair, it has an elongated oak frame and tough canvas sling that A true perfectionist, Olly may make several prototypes of a piece make it inviting and satisfying to stretch out into. ‘I love the simof furniture before he is satisfied, working from hand drawings plicity of a traditional deckchair as an object, but I’m always and always by eye. ‘You don’t get the same scale and proportion waiting for it to collapse, or to get my fingers caught in it. The on a computer; it just doesn’t translate,’ he says. When he is frame always seems the weak point to me, so I thought I would happy with the prototype, he makes a workshop rod – a full-size have a go at making my own. I wanted people to sit in it and to drawing on a piece of white-painted plywood that shows all the know exactly what to do,’ he explains. ‘You put your head back sections, lengths, widths and thicknesses of the finished piece. and you relax, just give in to it. I wanted it to be big, to command Every piece that Olly makes is unique, embracing the wood’s the space, not to be shy.’ individual blemishes and marking. ‘I like using wood with small His most recent design, the ‘Huers Chair’, features ergonomic, defects,’ he says. ‘You start noticing things like bird’s-eye knots steam-bent slats that are equally comfortable to sit on. Having and interesting colorations that occur when the tree takes up learned the art of steam-bending from a local boat builder who certain minerals, and they add to the character of the finished piece. used a tea urn as a steamer, Olly made his own steam box from an If things are too perfect, they’re not warm. I want each piece of old wallpaper steamer. Using special cuts of air-dried oak from furniture to have personality – it needs to make me smile’ m the Boconnoc Estate, he steams each slat for 15-20 minutes before bending them around steel formers. ‘Each piece of wood behaves Mena Woodwork + Design: menawoodwork.co.uk
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‘Everything about oak is good to work with. It is tactile, it has a beautiful grain and weathers to a lovely silvery grey – it even smells good’
HOME TURF
In just three years, our garden editor Clare Foster has created a glorious cottage garden that looks as though it has been there for much longer. Here, she describes how she has used plants as the core of her design PHOTOGRAPHS EVA NEMETH
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This large, curving border in the back garden was created from scratch in spring 2018. With the help of her family, Clare dug over the border, enriched the soil with compost and planted it with a mixture of grasses and herbaceous plants, carefully chosen to ensure interest in each season
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ABOVE Clare grows many plants from seed, including Ammi majus. Here, the lacy umbellifer flowers mingle with opium poppy seed heads. BELOW The lawn in the back garden is surrounded by wide f lowing borders with a small vegetable garden and greenhouse on the left
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ABOVE The back border in July, with magenta Penstemon ‘Garnet’, pale Scabiosa ochroleuca and tall spires of Verbascum chaixii ‘Album’ in a haze of Stipa gigantea. BELOW The front garden has looser planting, anchored around clipped spheres of silvery Teucrium fruticans
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The power plants have to change a mood or to create a sensory journey is extraordinary
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hen we moved to our village in Berkshire in November 2017, the garden around our cottage really was a blank canvas. There was not much planting – the back garden had been laid to lawn and the front garden was entirely covered in gravel, while a tall laurel hedge surrounded most of the garden, barricading us in and creating gloomy shade. We had moved in a hurry and I had torn myself away from my previous garden with reluctance, so I knew I had to start making this one immediately. Most people spend time creating the home they want indoors; for me, the house does not feel like home until I have put my stamp on the garden. I needed to sow seeds, get to work planting and surround myself with flowers – to soften the hard edges and to create a place that would make me feel happy. Within weeks, we had ripped out the laurel hedges at the front and side of the garden, bringing in more light and giving us at least a metre of additional space on each boundary. At the front, we put in a simple picket fence that would allow people to peer into the garden as they walked down the lane and sliced into the gravel with six brick-edged beds. At the back, we added a small kitchen garden with raised beds and a greenhouse, and a large, curving border to counteract the rectangular lawn. The structure completed, I began to plant in spring 2018. It is so exciting to use plants to completely transform a space. The power they have to change
a mood or atmosphere, to create a sensory journey or to link the building with its landscape is extraordinary – and even more thrilling is the vast melting pot of different species and varieties to dip into. The idea for the front was to have an unstructured, joyous cottage garden with a tumbling mix of bright f lowers and soft grasses I could cut from. I wanted things to self-seed in the gravel, so that the garden would almost design itself and, three years on, this is happening just as I planned. Dianthus carthusianorum, Digitalis grandiflora, white centranthrus, ammi, nigella and hollyhocks are making themselves at home, weaving around larger plants within an evergreen framework of domed Teucrium fruticans and Hebe rakaiensis. With a loose and naturalistic garden like this, the crucial thing is to edit: to take out the surplus seedlings along with the weeds, leaving just the right balance of artfully arranged plants. The back border had a more formal planting plan with a carefully considered seasonal flow. I began the thought process with the evergreen structure, trying to visualise the space in the middle of winter. Two groups of three box plants anchor the border, with three ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas and two enormous Euphorbia x pasteurii at either end. Then I added grasses, also prominent in winter: three Stipa gigantea, several gatherings of Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ and the odd Molinia caerulea ‘Transparent’. Finally came the plants I really love– from early tulips to the fanfare of asters and cosmos in autumn. I try to bring together plants that have different shapes and textures: the buttonlike flowers of Scabiosa ochroleuca against the dense clouds of Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, for example, or the upright spires of Verbascum chaixii ‘Album’ with the billowy plumes of Campanula lactiflora ‘Loddon Anna’. Now my garden makes me happy every day. New flowers appear all through the year to be examined in detail. The plants are alive with bees and butterflies. I sit and observe as I have my breakfast, deciding that I need to move that plant there, cut that one back, or add a dash of colour somewhere else. It is a dynamic, ever-changing landscape. Someone asked me the other day what would happen now that I had finished my garden – and the answer is that it most certainly is not finished, and probably never will be. And that is its joy m
Bud to Seed: budtoseed.co.uk
ABOVE Clare gathering flowers – although she doesn’t have space for a dedicated cutting garden, the borders are deep enough to pick from without making an impact. OPPOSITE Digitalis grandiflora is a key plant in the cottage garden scheme at the front of the house 126 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
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VILLAS
Don’t miss our edit of the best private retreats and hotels with villas around the world. Out with the March issue, on newsstands 4 February
F O O D A N D T R AV E L R E C I P E S | TA S T E N O T E S | S H R O P S H I R E | S I F N O S | S A R D I N I A
FOOD STYLING: JULIA AZZARELLO. PROP STYLING: TABITHA HAWKINS
Recipes by Asma Khan
Made for sharing FOOD & DRINKS EDITOR BLANCHE VAUGHAN | PHOTOGRAPHS NASSIMA ROTHACKER | WINE NOTES ANNE TUPKER MW
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n India, food has always been the centre of every celebration from festivals to marriages. My most precious memories involve family feasts for which the clan gathered around the table to celebrate. We did not have a tradition of plated food. Every meal had multiple dishes, which were all served at the same time to ensure that every item could be eaten together. I have picked dishes that have contrasting textures and flavours. The tangy tamarind base of the khatteh ande is a good contrast to the aromatic navratan korma, which brings a vibrancy to the table because of the colours of the vegetables. The zaffrani raan does not require a lot of attention once it is in the oven; this makes it possible to have a dish like the tali machi, which is made at the last minute and served hot. The chicken kabab with ginger and pickled onions adds an interesting texture to the meal and, finally, the coconut rice is the perfect accompaniment to all the dishes. e HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 129
FOOD & TRAVEL | RECIPES
6 large hardboiled eggs 6tbsp vegetable oil 2 medium onions, cut in half and thinly sliced ¾tsp garlic paste (crushed by hand or in a blender) 1tsp ginger paste (crushed in a blender or grated) ¾tsp turmeric powder ½tsp chilli powder 6tbsp tamarind extract (3tbsp if ready-made) 50g chopped coriander, plus a handful to garnish Pinch sugar (optional)
KHATTEH ANDE Boiled eggs in a tamarind gravy garnished with chopped coriander is a very pretty dish, which can be made in advance and reheated. It is also inexpensive and brings something unusual to the table. To make your own tamarind extract, break off a 5cm cube of dried tamarind and soak in 125ml of hot water. Once softened, pulp the tamarind and sieve out the seeds and stringy bits. Serves 6
1 Shell the hard-boiled eggs and make three shallow slits on the surface of each one. This will help the eggs absorb the tamarind gravy when they are added to the pot. Set aside. 2 Heat the oil in a deep saucepan on a medium to high heat. Add the sliced onions and stir until they start to turn a light caramel colour. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, then the turmeric and chilli powder, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for a further
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4-5 minutes until the raw smell of the garlic and ginger has gone. 3 Add the tamarind extract, 400ml water and some salt, then lower the heat to a simmer. Add the chopped coriander and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the boiled eggs and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes over a low heat. You can add a good pinch of sugar if you would like the dish to have a sweet and sour taste. Garnish with more coriander before serving.
FOOD & TRAVEL | RECIPES
900g skinless chicken thigh fillets 2 lemons, juice ¾tsp sugar 1½tsp garlic paste (crushed by hand or in a blender) 2tsp ginger paste (crushed in a blender or grated) 1tsp chilli powder 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 300g well drained pickled shallots or onions (homemade or from a jar) 6tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
CHICKEN KABAB Although the kabab originated in the Middle East, it travelled to India through trade. Historically, kabab is meat cut up and grilled over a fire, but this kabab can be cooked under a grill. It can be served with salad and pitta or naan, and it also goes well with a moist pulao such as the coconut rice (see recipe overleaf). This dish requires marinating for several hours and should be prepared in advance. Serves 6-8
1 Cut the chicken into even-sized pieces – around 2.5cm cubes. Combine
2 Heat the grill on high. (This kabab can also be cooked on a barbecue.)
the lemon juice, sugar, garlic paste, ginger paste and chilli powder and marinate the chicken in this mixture for 4 hours. If there is no time to marinate, a minimum of half an hour can make a difference.
Thread the kabab onto 6 to 8 skewers, alternating the chicken pieces with ginger slices and pickled onions. Grill for around 5 minutes on each side, basting the meat with ghee or oil, so it cooks evenly. e
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FOOD & TRAVEL | RECIPES
For the lamb 2.5kg leg of lamb 8 cloves garlic, crushed 1¼tsp chilli powder 400ml Greek or full-fat yogurt 1tsp saffron strands 400ml tepid water 40g butter, melted For the rice 400g basmati rice 4tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 large bay leaf 4 green cardamom pods 2 cloves 2.5cm piece cassia bark ½tsp black mustard seeds 3 fresh green chillies, whole 800ml coconut milk 1tsp fried cashew nuts, to serve
ZAFFRANI RAAN WITH COCONUT RICE
No feast is complete without a show-stopper dish taking pride of place in the middle of the table. This leg of lamb with its saffron-tinged meat will make an attractive centrepiece. You should marinate the lamb for 4 hours or overnight, then bring to room temperature before cooking. This basmati rice is cooked with garam masala spices, coconut milk and whole green chillies, then garnished with fried onions. Serves 6-8
1 Make a couple of incisions on both sides of the lamb. Mix the garlic, chilli powder and yogurt with 2tsp salt and 1tsp freshly ground black pepper, rub on the lamb and leave to marinate for a few hours. Meanwhile, soak the saffron in tepid water for 2 hours. 2 Remove the leg of lamb and make 5 or 6 further incisions. Add half the saffron water to the marinade and then rub into the lamb, reserving some marinade to rub in later. Leave the lamb to marinate for at least another 2 hours and overnight if possible. 3 Heat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/mark 6. Transfer the lamb to a large aluminium foil sheet in a baking tray. Pour the melted butter over the lamb, followed by the remaining saffron water. Wrap the lamb in foil and cook for 1 hour. 132 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
4 After an hour, open the foil and baste the lamb with the juices, then re-cover and cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove the foil and coat the meat with the remaining marinade. Cook for 20 minutes more, then rest for 20 minutes in a warm place before carving. 5 For the rice Rinse the rice, then soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until it is caramelised and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on a plate. 6 To the remaining oil add the bay leaf, spices and fresh chillies. Stir in the drained rice, then add 1¼tsp salt and the coconut milk. 7 Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until cooked. Stir the rice gently using a fork. Garnish with the cashew nuts and onions before serving.
FOOD & TRAVEL | RECIPES
1kg mixed vegetables (see below), cut into evenly sized pieces 6tbsp vegetable oil 2.5cm piece cassia bark 2 green cardamom pods 1 clove 1 large bay leaf 2 large onions, cut in half and thinly sliced 1tbsp garlic paste (crushed by hand or in a blender) 2tbsp ginger paste (crushed in a blender or grated) 2tsp ground coriander 1tsp chilli powder ½tsp sugar 250g Greek yogurt 400ml thick coconut milk 2tbsp ground almonds
NAVRATAN KORMA
Navratan is a traditional South Asian style of gem setting based on nine different precious stones. This korma is made up of nine colourful vegetables. Try red, yellow and orange peppers, aubergine, courgettes, baby sweetcorn, mange tout, cabbage and spinach. Or you could parboil some carrots, parsnips, potatoes, french beans and pumpkin, then add red pepper, peas, sweetcorn and sprouting broccoli. Serves 6
1 Prepare all the vegetables and set aside on a tray. This is a great way to use up odd vegetables from your fridge. 2 Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over medium high heat. Fry the cassia bark, cardamom, clove and bay leaf, then immediately add the sliced onions. Fry until light brown. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, and stir for 1 minute. Then add the coriander, chilli powder, sugar and 2tsp salt, and stir for 2 minutes.
3 Add the yogurt, lower the heat to medium and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add all the vegetables and stir. If the vegetables start to get stuck, add a little water. When they are cooked, add the coconut milk and ground almonds, and stir until the gravy thickens. Season to taste before serving. The korma goes very well with a rice pulao, such as coconut rice (see recipe opposite), and is a great accompaniment for meat or fish. e
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FOOD & TRAVEL | RECIPES
4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large fresh green chilli, minced 1½tsp turmeric powder 3tsp ground coriander 6tbsp vinegar 8 fillets haddock (or any firm white fish), cut into 2.5cm-wide strips Vegetable oil, to shallow fry Chilli flakes, to serve (optional) 2 limes, cut into wedges, to serve
TALI MACHI This spiced fried fish should be eaten freshly cooked. If there are young children present, or guests who are not able to eat chillies, you can replace the fresh green chilli with finely chopped herbs such as parsley. This dish requires 20 minutes of marinating. Serves 6-8
1 Make a paste of the garlic, fresh chilli, turmeric and coriander with the vinegar and 2tsp salt. Marinate the fish for 20 minutes. 2 Heat about 2cm oil in a non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat. Shallow fry the fish in it, a few pieces at a time. The fish
will spit and crackle when you put it into the oil, so keep a safe distance. Set aside while you cook the remaining pieces. 3 When all the fish is cooked, sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve with lime wedges alongside.
Wine notes from Anne Tupker MW Having paired wine with Asma Khan’s Indian dishes in the January 2020 issue of House & Garden, I’d like to explore beer as a low-alcohol alternative. The sweetness in the following beers will balance the heat of the spices. Leffe Blond Ale (0 per cent ABV) provides a soothing counterpoint with a hint of bitter orange (£1.10 for 330ml; ocado.com). Brooklyn Special Effects (0.4 per cent) is smooth and malty (£1.25 for 330ml; waitrose. com). Lucky Saint unfiltered low-alcohol lager (0.5 per cent) is mellow and biscuity, with a citrus finish (£1.80 for 330ml; sainsburys.co.uk). Big Drop Paradiso Citra IPA (0.5 per cent) is drier, offering citrus fruit and an enticing bitterness (£1.99 for 330ml; honestbrew.co.uk). If alcohol is not an issue, I recommend the fruity, spicy Saison (6.5 per cent) from Brasserie Dupont in Belgium (£5.99 for 75cl; virginwines.co.uk) m 134 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
FOOD & TRAVEL | NEWS
Taste Notes
OUR FOOD EDITOR BLANCHE VAUGHAN SHARES HER NEWS AND TIPS FOR FOOD LOVERS, INCLUDING A SEASONAL RECIPE
True brew Blighty Booch’s kombucha is made from organic Chinese tea, from the mountains of Hunan, and Welsh water – hence the company’s self-proclaimed meeting of ‘two ancient dragons’. Flavours include Nettle & Rosehip, Cherry and Ginger. A mixed case of six 300ml bottles costs £22. blightybooch.com
ROAST BEETROOT WITH LEMON TAHINI SAUCE AND TOASTED SEEDS
6 medium raw beetroot, scrubbed 3tbsp olive oil For the dressing 3tbsp tahini 1tbsp lemon juice 1tbsp cider vinegar 1tsp honey For the toasted seeds 2tsp cumin seeds 2tbsp sunflower seeds 2tbsp pumpkin seeds 1tbsp soy sauce To serve Small bunch coriander, chopped Handful pomegranate seeds Serves 6
NASSIMA ROTHACKER
1 Heat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/mark 4. Put the unpeeled beetroot into a baking dish. Coat with 1tbsp of the olive oil and some salt, and cover with aluminium foil. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until completely cooked (a skewer should slide through the flesh easily). Set aside to cool. 2 For the dressing, mix together all the ingredients, adding enough water to make it a pourable consistency. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Stir in 1tbsp olive oil. 3 Cut the beetroot into wedges, peeling off any tough skin if necessary. 4 Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds. Toast for a few seconds before adding the other seeds. After about 30 seconds – when they just start to colour – add the remaining 1tbsp olive oil and the soy sauce. Stir vigorously to coat everything. Remove from the heat. 5 To serve, arrange the beetroot wedges on a serving platter. Add the dressing and mix well. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander, the pomegranate seeds and the toasted seeds. Serve warm.
WA T E R M A R K
Finally there is a water filter smart enough to bring to the table. Soma’s pitcher-style jug with an oak handle holds more than two litres; the filter lasts for 180 litres, removing unpleasant flavours and chemicals from tap water. It costs £49 and, for every purchase, Soma makes a donation to Charity: Water. johnlewis.com
Top of the crop Sally Clarke’s own-label olive oil is produced from the groves of the Corsini family’s estate and has the grassy characteristics of the best Tuscan olives. A drizzle makes all the difference to grilled fish, cooked vegetables or dressing. The 2020 harvest is available from Clarke’s shops or online; £24.75 for 750ml. sallyclarke.com m HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 135
FOOD & TRAVEL | DESIGNER HAUNTS
ask a local
Ludlow
FURNITURE DESIGNER RUPERT BEVAN SHARES HIS INSIDER TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS HISTORIC SHROPSHIRE MARKET TOWN PHOTOGRAPHS DEAN HEARNE
DON’T MISS In Ludlow itself, the beautifully preserved medieval castle (ludlow castle.com) is top of my list of must-sees. The town also has a great open-air market every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, offering fresh produce, books and local crafts, and, on the first and third Sunday of every month, an antiques and collectables fair. For lovely walks, head to Church Stretton golf course. I play golf very rarely, but come here instead for the wonderful views of the Long Mynd and Caradoc Hill.
ACCOMMODATION Twenty minutes outside Ludlow, and just across the border into Herefordshire, The Lion at Leintwardine (thelionleintwardine. co.uk) is idyllically situated on the banks of the River Teme, with a lovely waterfront garden beside the village’s picturesque 18thcentury sandstone bridge. The pub belongs to friends of ours and has recently been refurbished. There are eight extremely comfortable bedrooms and a great restaurant (very popular with locals, particularly for lunch at weekends), which serves only locally sourced food. Double rooms cost from £110, B&B. 136 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
ANTICLOCKWISE FROM TOP Rupert in his studio. The medieval castle dominates the skyline. A bedroom at The Lion at Leintwardine. The open-air market. Originally a Norman fortress, the castle was abandoned in 1689. The Lion has a charming waterfront garden
SHOPPING Alex Barter (formerly of Great Western Studios in London) and Adam Withington (who used to work in the watch department at Sotheby’s) are behind Black Bough (blackbough.co.uk), which sells a wonderfully curated collection of vintage watches as well as what I call ‘cool stuff’ – such as homeware, books and stationery. Down the road at 55 Mill Street, Nina Hely-Hutchinson, who previously worked as a conservator at Hampton Court Palace, runs a brilliant antique shop (55millstreet.com), with three floors of furniture and vintage clothes. Gallery 131, located opposite the excellent health-food shop on Corve Street, sells an interesting selection of mid-century art, furniture, glass and pottery, while the leather designer Matt Fothergill (mattfothergill.com) sells handmade quality leather goods at his shop – from bags, wallets and purses to gilets, belts and leather aprons. He will also restore leather goods. The best bookshop in town is Castle Bookshop (castlebookshopludlow.co.uk), overlooking the market square. The shop opened in 1949 and is an excellent source of maps and books covering the local area.
FOOD AND DRINK CSons at The Green Cafe (thegreencafe.co.uk) is my favourite place to eat in Ludlow – right on the river and with a waterside terrace. Lunch and supper menus here are all about simple, unpretentious British food, and breakfast, coffee, tea and cake are on offer, too. The Smokehouse Deli & Cicchetti’s Bar on Broad Street (angel-ludlow.co.uk/cicchetti.html) is a Ludlow institution, serving tapas-style pastries and antipasti sourced directly from Italy. It is a tiny, cosy place but with the best coffee around. Just outside the town, we shop regularly at the Ludlow Farmshop (ludlowfarmshop.co.uk), which offers an incredible range of produce, all grown or made locally. The cheese counter and the butcher are truly excellent m
ANTICLOCKWISE FROM TOP Ludlow Farmshop sells a wide variety of local produce. Adam Withington, co-founder of vintage watch emporium Black Bough. CSons at The Green Cafe serves classic, unpretentious British food. Church Stretton golf course offers impressive views of the surrounding hills. Antique furniture and homeware at 55 Mill Street, which also sells vintage clothing. For mid-century designs, including art and ceramics, visit Gallery 131
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FOOD & TRAVEL | GREECE
Sunny delights EMMA LOVE IMMERSES HERSELF IN THE TASTES AND SIGHTS OF SIFNOS, A LOW-KEY GREEK ISLAND GEM WITH A THRIVING CULINARY SCENE
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chickpea tostadas at Omega3, where the casual vibe belies the fact that this is the most innovative fish restaurant on Sifnos (Tom Hanks and Bono are both fans). My favourite spots for a swim, though, are the fishing village of Faros, which has two gorgeous bays, one empty but for a line of cedar trees along the sand, and Vathi, which is bigger but equally lovely. It is here that we learn about the island’s tradition of producing pottery (including the casserole dishes used for cooking meat and stews), which dates back to the early Cycladic period. These days there are only 19 workshops. One of the oldest is Atsonios, a family pottery that began in 1870 and is now run by Antonis and his wife Maria. When we arrive, rows of clay bowls are drying in the sunshine, and inside the shelves are stacked with colourful plates and pots. Antonis shows us the old wood-fired kiln (now used to store oversized urns) while Maria hands out homemade biscotti. It is a gesture that seems typical of the ‘filotimo’ (there is no direct translation but it roughly means ‘friend and honourable’) code we encounter, from the woman in Cheronissos bringing a thank-you cake to a fisherman who helped her when she got into trouble swimming, to the café owner in Platis Gialos running along the beach to give someone money back when they overpaid and, on our last evening in Apollonia, the couple in Botzi Bar who insist on giving us a lift back to our hotel when none of the island’s 10 taxis is available. As we leave the bar, I notice a hand-drawn sign outside that says, ‘Sifnos is a beautiful place… the only problem is that time is passing so fast and I want more and more…’ I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Ways and Means Emma Love visited Greece as a guest of Scott Dunn (020 3733 4040; scottdunn.com). A seven-night trip, with two nights at Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens and five nights at Verina Astra on Sifnos, costs from £1,800 per person, B&B, based on two sharing, including flights, private transfers and ferry tickets m
4CORNERS IMAGES/GIOVANNI SIMEONE; ALAMY STOCK PHOTO/GEORGE ATSAMETAKIS; CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER/DAVID LOFTUS
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unchtime in Cheronissos, a sleepy, horseshoe-shaped harbour on the northern tip of Sifnos, and the blue wooden tables at the waterfront fish taverna of the same name are full. On the menu today is just-caught bream and mackerel, which we pick out from an ice-packed tray, then eat grilled with an olive-oil-drizzled Greek salad. Such simple yet delicious feasts are a major part of the appeal of this Cyclades island, a two-and-a-half-hour ferry crossing from Athens, which has a reputation as a standout culinary destination. In part, this stems from its being the birthplace of the influential early-20thcentury chef Nikolaos Tselementes, who wrote the first cookbook in Greece (before that, recipes were passed on by word of mouth). But the island’s renown is also backed up by an abundance of fresh produce – wild caper plants grow through the cracks of stone walls at the side of the road; there are clusters of olive trees in car parks; and a great meal is almost guaranteed at any of the unassuming tavernas. Restaurant-hopping in a rental car (vital for those wanting to explore) is easy: the island is only nine miles long and there are just a handful of empty, winding roads between the terraced hillsides and arid mountains, all leading to whitewashed villages or blissfully quiet bays. Our clifftop hotel, Verina Astra, is situated in Poulati, a 10-minute drive from the capital, Apollonia. Fourteen low-rise, sea-facing rooms and suites all have a similar rustic-luxe aesthetic with distressed floorboards, white rope Balinese lampshades and earthy-hued linens. It feels understated and laidback, in keeping with Sifnos’s low-key vibe. Tree-trunk-frame daybeds, wicker umbrellas and loungers with grey and white striped cushions are arranged round the infinity pool, and in the restaurant, Mediterraneaninspired dishes served up on the candlelit terrace – pasta with beef-tail ragu, sea bass with beluga lentils – are sublime. Even the tomatoes at breakfast, grown on the hotel’s own vegetable plot, are amazingly sweet; the secret to the cooking, we are told, is roasting them in rosemary and salt. Late one afternoon, we hike down the hill to the blue-domed church below. A left turn leads to a small cove where a handful of swimmers clamber over rocks to cool off in turquoise water; to the right, the path follows the coast round to Kastro (a 30-minute walk), an ancient village perched above the sea where labyrinthine streets are surrounded by citadel walls, and steps lead down to the Church of the Seven Martyrs on its rocky islet. After the walk, a Mamos beer at Dolci cocktail bar overlooking Seralia beach is our reward. Another place best visited as the sun dips is Artemonas, an impossibly pretty village, where pink bougainvillea climbs up white walls and terracotta pots decorate flat roofs. We make a beeline for the courtyard of Mosaico restaurant, tucking into eggplant saganaki and shrimps from the Aegean. Days can be spent beach-hopping, too. Platis Gialos in the south is the most developed, worth a visit if only for sharing plates of crayfish orzo and
Between terraced hillsides and arid mountains, winding roads lead to whitewashed villages or quiet bays OPPOSITE A bedroom at clifftop hotel Verina Astra. THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT Traditional Greek dishes are served at Sifnos’s many tavernas. Boats in the harbour in the fishing port of Cheronissos, close to the island’s northernmost tip. In Kastro, the island’s ancient former capital, the whitewashed houses are typical of Cycladic architecture. They overlook the blue-domed Church of the Seven Martyrs on a rocky islet below
FOOD & TRAVEL | ITALY
little gems
L’Agnata di De André TUCKED AWAY IN THE LESS-VISITED INTERIOR OF SARDINIA, DAVID NICHOLLS DISCOVERS AN UNPRETENTIOUS COUNTRY-HOUSE HOTEL IN GLORIOUS SURROUNDINGS
I
t is a shame that so many visitors to Sardinia forgo exploring the interior of the island in favour of its coastlines. Beaches with turquoise water and sparkling sand have long drawn tourists to this island, from the jet-set glamour of the Costa Smeralda to the simpler charm of Alghero. But, as is often the case, the road less travelled can be a far more rewarding one. One reason to drag yourself a mere hour’s drive from these destinations is the opportunity to stay at the remarkable L’Agnata di De André, which is about 10 minutes by car from the pretty hilltop town of Tempio Pausania, in the north of the island. Once the country house of the Genoese singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André and his wife Dori Ghezzi, it was converted into a hotel by Dori and the family after De André’s death in 1999. The guest house can be found at the bottom of a narrow, winding road flanked by cork oak and yellow-blossomed, jasmine-scented Mount Etna broom. The basin of this valley is lush and green – more so than much of the rugged granitedefined landscape of inner Sardinia. As first impressions go, it is hard to beat L’Agnata di De André. You emerge from a grapevine-canopied pathway to the spectacular sight of a handsome 19th-century farmhouse completely enveloped in vines; the leaves flutter in the breeze, making the house look magical and almost alive. The green of the exterior blends into the lawn and the surrounding verdant woodland. There are just two rooms in the farmhouse, with a further eight in a newer (also vine-clad) building next to the pool. Let’s get some caveats out of the way. The hotel will not win any awards for interior decoration or ingenious conveniences: the thread count of the bed linen might not bear scrutiny and those who rate hotels on their posh, nickable toiletries will be disappointed. Rather, the rooms are comfortable and practical, with handsome brown furniture in which to decant your suitcase, mismatched fabrics and a hotchpotch of fleamarket – or mercatino delle pulci – artworks on the walls. Aperitivos are enjoyed on the front lawn and dinners – of hearty Sardinian fare – are eaten by candlelight on the back lawn, with De André’s folky, Dylan-esque tunes playing in the background. Expect a set menu with no shortage of meat (the suckling pig is melt in the mouth). My Italian partner, a vegetarian, delighted in the discovery of a pasta he had not encountered before: tasty Sardinian stuffed pockets called culurgiones. The best thing about this hotel is its atmosphere, which owes no small debt to the estate – large enough for woodland rambles and utterly peaceful. Credit should also be given to general manager Gianni Monteduro. I discovered L’Agnata by chance in 2018 and it was the first destination my partner and I booked after the initial Covid-19 lockdown of 2020. A four-night break here, with day trips to wineries and archaeological sites, was the perfect way to ease ourselves back into international travel.
Ways and Means
Rooms at L’Agnata di De André cost from about £180 (agnata.com) m 140 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
FROM ABOVE The vine-covered exterior of L’Agnata di De André’s main farmhouse – drinks and dinner are served in the garden. The rock-edged swimming pool
FOOD & TRAVEL | COMPASS
Near and far
FOR THOSE CONSIDERING FUTURE TRIPS, LAURA NORMANTON RECOMMENDS ONE-OF-A-KIND HOTELS IN ITALY AND THE MIDDLE EAST – FROM A FORMER MONASTERY ON THE AMALFI COAST TO A RED SEA RESORT IN JORDAN
L *VALID FROM JANUARY 6, 2021 TO APRIL 20, 2021, BLACKOUT DATES APPLY; STARTING PRICE BASED ON AN APRIL 19, 2021 DEPARTURE. **VILLA D’ESTE IS DUE TO REOPEN ON MARCH 4, 2021
ocated just outside Aqaba, on Jordan’s Red Sea coast, the Ayla resort is a great base from which to enjoy a desert adventure to Wadi Rum or the ancient city of Petra. This is a lush oasis, with creative architecture, lakes and pools, a links golf course and verdant gardens contrasting with the strikingly arid coastal setting. Accommodation options at the resort include 75 luxury apartments – ranging from one to three bedrooms – at Cloud7 Residence, and 286 rooms,
including 43 suites, at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla hotel (pictured above). The water-front development also has 15 restaurants, offering a wide choice of food styles, a variety of shops and a marina. In the centre of the resort, the private Gaya beach club combines St Tropez chic with Sardinian flair. Ayla is a great place to bookend a desert trip. Abercrombie & Kent (01242 547760; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers a seven-night trip to Jordan, including three nights at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla, from £2,470 per person, B&B, based on two people sharing, including flights and transfers.
H O LY G R O U N D
F A M I LY A D V E N T U R E
L AKESIDE LUXURY
A converted 17th-century monastery with some of the most dramatic views on Italy’s Amalfi coastline, Monastero Santa Rosa has just 20 rooms and suites. The family-run hotel is offering the Health & Hike Experience, incorporating a day’s guided hiking and treatments in the hotel’s award-winning spa. Elegant Resorts (01244 897514; elegantresorts. co.uk) offers seven nights from £1,985 per person, B&B, including flights and transfers.
The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is in the United Arab Emirates, two hours’ drive from Abu Dhabi. It is located in the world’s largest sand desert, the Rub’ al Khali, and guests can watch the sunrise, ride on camels to dine on the dunes or relax in the hotel hammam. Children can enjoy the recently updated kids’ club. Elegant Resorts offers seven nights from £2,175* per person, B&B, including flights and transfers.
Get a taste of old-school Italian elegance with a stay at Villa d’Este, on the shores of Lake Como. It was designed in the 16th century by Pellegrino Tibaldi as a private residence for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and converted into a hotel in 1873. Relax by the hotel’s floating pool on the lake, stroll through the 25-acre gardens, explore the lake by boat trip or take a trip to Milan, an hour’s drive away. Villa d’Este (villadeste.com) has rooms from £840, B&B** m HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 141
STO CKIST S Merchandise from these companies is featured editorially in this issue. Information is checked at the time of going to press, but House & Garden cannot guarantee that prices will not change or that items will be in stock at the time of publication
a | ABID JAVED abidjaved.org AFRO ART afroart.se A NEW TRIBE 07815 534545; anewtribe.co.uk ANN SACKS 020 3055 0802; annsacks.com ANTHROPOLOGIE 0800 0026 8476; anthropologie.eu ANTIPODREAM 07391 514622; antipodream.co.uk ARNOLD LAVER laver.co.uk ASTIER DE VILLATTE astierdevillatte.com ASTON MATTHEWS 020 7226 7220; astonmatthews.co.uk b | BEATA HEUMAN 020 8741 0102; beataheuman.com BERT & MAY 020 3744 0776; bertandmay.com BUNNY WILLIAMS HOME bunnywilliamshome.com BURLINGTON 01322 473222; burlingtonbathrooms.com c | CAITLIN HINSHELWOOD caitlinhinshelwood.co.uk CAROLYN MARR carolynmarr.co.uk CASA GUSTO getthegusto.com CERAUDO ceraudo.com CHARLOTTE MCLEISH CERAMICS charlottemcleishceramics.bigcartel.com CHLOÉ ROSETTA BELL 07713 881916; chloerosettabell.com CHUPINKA POTTERY 07837 187930; chupinkapottery.co.uk CLAIRE DE QUÉNETAIN 00 32 493 935 009; clairedequenetain.com COLE & SON 020 8442 8844; cole-and-son.com CONSERVATORY ARCHIVES conservatoryarchives.co.uk CP HART 0345 873 1100; cphart.co.uk CRAIG & ROSE craigandrose.com CROWN WORKS POTTERY crownworkspottery.com CRUCIAL TRADING 01562 743747; crucial-trading.com CURIOUS EGG 01738 621111; curiousegg.com d | DE GOURNAY 020 7352 9988; degournay.com DOORS SINCERELY 01795 432745; doors-sincerelyonline.co.uk DOORS2SIZE 01480 432700; doors2size.co.uk DOWSING & REYNOLDS 0113 819 9985; dowsingandreynolds.com DRUMMONDS 020 7376 4499; drummonds-uk.com DULUX 0333 222 7171; dulux.co.uk e | EDWARD BULMER NATURAL PAINT 01544 388535; edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk
EF DAVIES efdavies.com f | THE FABRIC COLLECTIVE 020 7384 2975; thefabriccollective.com FANGFOSS POTTERY 01759 368384; fangfosspottery.co.uk FARROW & BALL 01202 876141; farrow-ball.com FE ANDERSON & SON 01938 553340; feanderson-antiques.com FITCH & MCANDREW 07789 735398; fitchandmcandrew.co.uk THE FOUNDRYMAN 01789 290844; thefoundryman.com F TAYLOR ftaylor.co g | GALLERY DIRECT 01795 439159; gallerydirect.co.uk GP & J BAKER 020 7351 7760; gpjbaker.com GRAHAM HUDSON CERAMICS 01491 837756; grahamhudson-ceramics.co.uk h | H&M HOME hm.com HAAR EAST haar-east.com HABITAT 0844 499 1122; habitat.co.uk HANNAH BOULD hannahbould.com HUDSON CLAYPOTTER 01924 492507; hudsonclaypotter.co.uk j | JALI 01227 833333; jali.co.uk JAMB 020 7730 2122; jamb.co.uk JANE CAIRNS janecairns.co.uk JANET BARNES barnesandbarnesstudio.com JILL FORD jillford.com JIM LAWRENCE 01473 826685; jim-lawrence.co.uk JMF DOORS 0121 328 1643; jmfdoors.co.uk JOHN LYLE johnlyledesign.com JOHN READ ANTIQUES 07802 844891 JOHNSON TILES 01782 524000; johnson-tiles.com k | KELLY WEARSTLER kellywearstler.com KONIG COLOURS 01280 847166; konigcolours.co.uk KROKALIA krokalia.com l | LABOUR AND WAIT 020 7729 6253; labourandwait.co.uk LAURA HANCOCK CERAMICS 01388 604028; laurahancockceramics.co.uk LEFROY BROOKS 01992 708316; uk.lefroybrooks.com LEWIS & WOOD 020 7751 4554; lewisandwood.co.uk LITTLE GREENE 0845 880 5855; littlegreene.com LONDON ANTIQUE UPHOLSTERY 020 8542 3999 m | MAISON BALZAC maisonbalzac.com MAISON BENGAL 01394 411451; maisonbengal.co.uk
MARBLE CITY 020 8871 1191; marblecity.co.uk MILAGROS 020 7613 0876; milagros.co.uk MINOTTI 020 7323 3233; minottilondon.com MODERN ART HIRE 020 8880 7292; modernarthire.com MYLANDS 020 8670 9161; mylands.co.uk n | THE NEW CRAFTSMEN 020 7148 3190; thenewcraftsmen.com o | OKA 0844 815 7380; oka.com OLIVER BONAS 020 8974 0110; oliverbonas.com ONCE MILANO oncemilano.com p | PAINT & PAPER LIBRARY 020 7823 7755; paintandpaperlibrary.com POOKY 020 7351 3003; pooky.com r | RAOUL TEXTILES 020 7259 7280; raoultextiles.com REBECCA PROCTOR 07772 268528; rebeccaproctor.co.uk ROBERT KIME 020 7831 6066; robertkime.com ROBIN DALE-THOMAS robin-dalethomas.com ROWEN & WREN 01276 451077; rowenandwren.co.uk RUG STORE 020 8876 0070; rugstoreonline.co.uk s | SANDERSON DESIGN GROUP 020 3457 5862; sandersondesigngroup.com SHAKER DOORS 01865 849800; shakerdoors.co.uk SOCIETIQUE 07789 590708; societique.co.uk SSŌNE 020 7052 4169; ssone.com STUDIO ARTIFICER studioartificer.com SUPERFRONT superfront.com SUZAN KEMP CERAMICS 07765 331626; chezsuzanceramics.com t | TISSUS D’HÉLÈNE 020 7352 9977; tissusdhelene.co.uk TOMKINSON CHURCHER 07887 634268; tomkinsonchurcher.com v | VINTERIOR vinterior.co w | WAIT AND SEE CERAMICS; waitandseeceramics.co.uk THE WATER MONOPOLY 020 7624 2636; thewatermonopoly.com WATERWORKS 020 7384 4000; waterworks.com WENBAN SMITH wenbans.com WEST ONE BATHROOMS 0333 011 3333; westonebathrooms.com WICKLEWOOD 020 7460 6493; wicklewood.com WINCHCOMBE POTTERY 01242 602462; winchcombepottery.co.uk z | ZARA HOME 020 7432 0040; zarahome.com
Below are The List members who have appeared in this issue. Go to houseandgarden.co.uk/the-list to see their complete profiles BERT & MAY | BROOKE COPP-BARTON | CLARE GASKIN | EDWARD BULMER NATURAL PAINT | FIONA MCDONALD | JAMB | KITESGROVE | KROKALIA | LISA BURDUS PINCH | ROBERT KIME | RUPERT BEVAN | SAMARKAND DESIGN | SINCLAIR TILL m
142 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
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SOURCEBOOK Lighting
LAURA NORMANTON hand-picks the best and brightest designs, from practical desk lamps to decorative lanterns
TAKE THREE DESK LAMPS
G O T H I C R E V I VA L Seen here in antique silver, Collier Webb’s brass ‘Folly’ lamp base (£1,200) is based on a 19th-century Gothic design. collierwebb.com
FEELING BLUE New to India Jane, the ‘Magdalen’ hand-painted ceramic lamp base costs £170 and the silk shade costs £125. indiajane.co.uk
SLIM LINE
IN A GLAZE Porta Romana’s ceramic ‘Nina’ lamp is painted by hand. It costs £852; the ‘Tall Cylinder’ 16in-high shade is £230. portaromana.com
The ‘Horbury’ brass table lamp is an exclusive design by Julia Boston Antiques. It comes in gilt lacquer, verdigris (seen here), silver and bronze finishes, and costs £1,140 excluding shade. 020 7610 6783; juliaboston.com e
HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 143
SOURCEBOOK Lighting
B OX B E A M David Hunt Lighting has a big selection of outdoor lamps, including this wall-mounted ‘Truro’ box lantern with an antique pewter finish, clear glass frontage and edge piping details. It costs £234. 01295 672628; davidhuntlighting.co.uk
I N D U S T R Y S TA N DA R D Loaf has released an exclusive new collection of high-gloss enamelled steel ‘Coolicon Original Shade’ pendants, which once lit factories. They provide both ambient and task light and come in 12 colours, including yellow, seen here. The smaller size is £125. 020 3141 8300; loaf.com
FIVE OF THE BEST WALL LIGHTS
TRUE COLOUR
READING ROOM
ROCK SOLID
C R Y S TA L B A L L
GOLDEN AGE
‘Paola’ from Hector Finch combines polished brass and glass in one of six hues (seen here is marrone). The larger size is £816. hectorfinch.com
The adjustable ‘Flexi’ light from Soane, shown here in antique brass, now comes with a porcelain shade. £1,300 as seen. soane.com
Light diffuses through Cocovara’s rock crystal ‘Katz’ design to give a luxurious natural glow. It is £3,120. cocovara.co.uk
Villaverde’s ‘Nova’ light is made from Italian cut crystal with a brass frame. The smaller size costs £695. villaverdeltd.com
The ‘Walter’ wall light from Jamb’s Hanbury collection has a reeded bell shade and is seen here in antique brass; £696. jamb.co.uk
144 FEBRUARY 2021 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
IN FOCUS LIGHT SWITCHES
ONE OF A KIND The ‘Low Natural Braided Rattan Lampshade’ from Kagu Interiors is hand woven, so no two are exactly the same. Offering a soft light through the sides and a downward light through the base, it costs £90. kagu-interiors.co.uk NOW YOU SEE IT Forbes & Lomax is a pioneer of the ‘Invisible Lightswitch’. This is the one-gang version with nickel toggle, from £42. forbesandlomax.com
L I G H T- B U L B M O M E N T Made from concrete, the compact ‘Danvers’ table lamp from Garden Trading costs £25. 01993 845559; gardentrading.co.uk
MIKE COLEMAN; RICHARD FAIRCLOUGH; CHRIS CHADWICK; DAVID MALLOWS
BOLD AS BRASS British brand Corston has a range of switches in finishes such as antique brass. A ‘2G Toggle Switch’ like this costs from £49. corston.com
EAST BOUND
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
Based on an antique original, the new ‘Bamboo’ brass lantern from Vaughan has a Thirties feel. Handcrafted using the lost-wax casting technique, the brass structure has a warm patina that will age over time. The smaller of two sizes costs £792. 020 7349 4600; vaughandesigns.com
The ‘Lighthouse’ lantern from Charles Edwards shows the influence of Thirties French art deco style. The metal frame emphasises the semicircular glass panels that distribute light beautifully throughout the room, reminiscent of the optical effect seen in old lighthouses. Made of brass and finished in black bronze, it is suitable for indoor use or covered outdoor areas. The medium size seen here costs £2,484. 020 7736 8490; charlesedwards.com m
HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2021 145
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LAST WORD
Sophie
Dahl W
allpaper used to get me into trouble. Or, maybe I used to get into trouble around wallpaper. Either way, it calls me: a historic pass-the-parcel. I want to know what’s underneath, file it and get to the next layer. And then do it all over again. When I was a child, we used to stay with our longsuffering nanny, Maureen, at her mum and dad’s house in Edinburgh, for Hogmanay. My siblings and I, her four charges, were the gift that kept on giving, whatever the season. There were numerous boons to this situation: Maureen’s warm, devoted family, tins of Quality Street, frosty swims and stoic climbs up to Edinburgh Castle. But, best of all, at the end of a day filled with wholesome activities, was bedtime’s clandestine wallpaper pick. I shared a room with Maureen, and my brother and sister. At bedtime, goodnights were said; the little ones went straight to sleep. Maureen retreated downstairs to the grown-ups. I began to poke my hand beneath the bed and feel the enticing, pebbly scratch of the wallpaper. And pick off what was at first a little fleck, but became, over the course of the week, a bald, nuclear crater. When I saw it first in the unforgiving daylight, a wave of panic washed over me. But I covered it with a row of cushions and was congratulated on a f lair for interior design. I thought I’d got away with it. But then we changed the sheets. The crater was forensically exposed and, with it, a Fifties block print that had been covered by Seventies pebble. Underneath the block print, an accusing white wall was revealed to its bones. Maureen made a guttural yelp. I tried blanket denial. Nope, wasn’t me, don’t know how that mammoth hole got there, definitely another child, etc. But the evidence was damning. The gash was on the side of the bed I’d been sleeping. Maybe YOU did it in your sleep, I offered. Maybe it was a ghost? Maureen laughed, mirthlessly. I was banished to a mattress. After this, and a couple of other, isolated incidents, I became known as a wallpaper pillager. But I loved the mystery that lay in layers, locked into the wall. When I imagined adulthood, it wore wallpaper. Colefax and Fowler’s ‘Bowood’ was my pin-up, replete
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with roaring fire, rescue mutts and towers of books. If I was dreaming wildly, the paper was canary yellow De Gournay Chinoiserie – preferably in the bathroom. The Victorians shared my yen for wallpaper. Up until 1840, it was produced by hand, using block printing. With the industrial revolution came machines, which made it accessible and far more democratic. Twice, when renovating houses, I’ve come across a vivid stripe of this evolution – under layers of lining paper, a washed-out blue stretch of delphiniums in Paddington and, in our farmhouse bedroom, a riotous Thirties floral and geometric panel, which I carry, talismanic, in my wallet. Wallpaper carries a strong story of social history, a tangible tether to the past. The Victoria and Albert Museum hosts a fascinating archive of it and, looking through the collection, one is struck by its timelessness. More than 100 years on, Walter Crane’s designs feel as fresh as Neisha Crosland’s do today. And who in 2021 is making wallpaper that people will fall in love with again in 100 years’ time? If you’re looking for hand-blocked, there’s American company Les Indiennes and, in the UK, Marthe Armitage at Hamilton Weston. For old-school glamour and geometry, anything by Neisha Crosland, and for Palm Beach doyennes, Soane’s coral-hued ‘Seaweed Lace’. Colefax and Fowler has some enduringly enchanting papers, among which ‘Seraphina’ is a favourite of mine. Sheila Bridges’ ‘Harlem Toile de Jouy’ is bursting with joy and features in design museums across the globe. House of Hackney’s ‘Pluma’ conjures bohemian pinups. Emma J Shipley’s ‘Creatura’ for Anthropologie is a riot of mythical beasts and Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s ‘Sultan’s Palace’ for Cole & Son is equally escapist. Kathryn Ireland’s quilted fabrics make super-chic prints on walls. Then there are the brilliant artists who handpaint paper – Rosie Mennem, Tess Newall and Melissa White among them. I no longer pick wallpaper, but I still hanker for De Gournay (most recently the toucans and pink of its ‘Amazonia’ collaboration with Aquazzura). I wear shoes bearing the print instead. Old habits die hard m
MATT EASTON
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