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PERIODLIVING BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE

HOMES

MARCH 2018

O DECORATING O GARDENS O ANTIQUES & VINTAGE O RENOVATION

Country charm

KITCHEN INSPIRATION

Advice for creating your dream design

48 pages of beautiful period homes filled with creative ideas

Garden

FRESH

Grow your own organic fruits and vegetables

TIMBER BEAMS

How to preserve their time-worn character

SHOP FOR...

RANGE COOKERS DESKS STONE FLOORS CUSHIONS ANTIQUE BATHS

SELECTION

Decorate with textural materials in a neutral palette for an inviting, elegant scheme

Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd

Editor’s Letter

his time of year is so full of hope and optimism. The dark days of winter are finally over, and spring is so close you can almost detect its sweet, fresh scent in the air. I love watching the garden and surrounding landscape slowly come back to life, and the accompanying influx of birds, bees and butterflies. With nature’s revival comes my own renewal of enthusiasm for living, and I feel empowered to revisit old pastimes, and discover some new ones, too.

Since my husband and I bought our house two years ago, we have been very slowly working on the garden, and last summer invested in quite a few new plants – with mixed success. This year, however, I would really like to take things to the next level and have a go at growing my own produce. I’m a keen cook and imagine using my own lovingly cultivated crops would give me a great sense of satisfaction. That’s not to say I’ve never tried it before – in our last home we inherited a greenhouse in which we grew tomatoes (a success until we went on holiday and didn’t make any arrangements for watering…), basil (fairly successful) and peppers (total fail). And on a patch of land behind it we planted a large amount of potatoes, which looked fabulous until we examined them a little closer and realised they were all riddled with wireworm. I was so disappointed that I didn’t bother trying again! However, this month’s feature on growing your own organic fruit and veg (page 123) has given me just the push I needed to give it another go. Check back with me in a few months, and I’ll let you know how I’ve got on, and in the meantime I’d love you to tweet me @melanieshome with your own successes and failures – along with any sage advice for a novice.

Hobbies aside, regular readers will know that my main focus for this year is redesigning my kitchen, and as soon as the days get longer and lighter I’m hoping to kick things off. However, a number of costly issues have already presented themselves that are making me worry I might not be able to fulfil my goal before the year is out. I could just replace the old units with a like-for-like design, but unless I solve the bigger issues with the space, I don’t think I’ll ever be truly happy with it. The kitchen is such a major part of the house, and once it’s finished I can’t see us doing it again, as we’ll probably have moved on by the time it’s eventually worn out. If you’re planning to update your own kitchen, take a look at our guide on page 99, where along with design inspiration, we offer advice on getting it right, from the overall space to the finishing touches.

Finally, this month I’m happy to tell you that Period Living is supporting a brand new craft show, Made by Hand, Cheltenham, where you will discover around 100 talented designer-makers. Turn to page 28 for a preview of the show and to find out how you can win free tickets. Enjoy!

Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living Period Living 3

PERIODLIVING

Future PLC, Units 1 & 2, Sugarbrook Court, Aston Road, Bromsgrove B60 3EX EDITORIAL Editor Melanie Griffiths Content Editor Rachel Crow Chief Content Sub Editor Emily Hawkes Homes Content Editor Karen Darlow Style Editor Pippa Blenkinsop Contributions by Michelle Guy Email periodliving@futurenet.com ART Head of Art Billy Peel Senior Art Editor Emily Smith Designer Karen Lawson ADVERTISING Media packs are available on request Print & Digital Sales Director Jackie Sanders 01527 834426 jackie.sanders@futurenet.com Print & Digital Sales Manager Rebecca Vincze 01527 834415 rebecca.vincze@futurenet.com Classified Sales Manager Emma Farrington 01527 834445 emma.farrington@futurenet.com INTERNATIONAL Period Living is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities International Licensing Director Matt Ellis matt.ellis@futurenet.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Email enquiries contact@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Orderline and enquiries +44 (0)888 888 8888 Online orders and enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Head of Subscriptions Sharon Todd CIRCULATION Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers PRODUCTION Head of Production Mark Constance Production Manager Frances Twentyman Advertising Production Manager Jo Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Digital Production Executive Nicholas Robertson Production Assistant Aimee Bradley Davies DIGITAL Digital Manager Tom Burbridge Email Delivery Manager Alison Nash Web Operations Manager Laura Sturgess Senior Web Editor Lindsey Davis Video Producer Matt Gibbs Social Media Editor Sarah Handley MANAGEMENT Managing Director Aaron Asadi Commercial & Events Director Nick Noble Director of Content & Product Development Michael Holmes Editorial Director Jason Orme Art and Design Director Ross Andrews Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham

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119 17

CONTENTS Cover Photograph Colin Poole

47

Decorating & shopping

11 17 19 20 22

March journal We round up the latest interiors offerings, news and exhibitions Muted marbles Embrace the markings of natural stone with our pick of new pieces ON THE COVER

Bold cushions Inject colour and pattern with this season’s decorative designs ON THE COVER

Writing desks Make working from home a more pleasurable pastime with these stylish furnishings ON THE COVER Natural decorating Mix natural materials and neutral tones for a bright, welcoming feel

ON THE COVER

Range cookers Our pick of the latest and best statement designs

Features

28 31 137 162

Celebrating British craft A preview of Cheltenham’s Made by Hand fair Made in Britain We discover the art of tile making and decorating at Douglas Watson’s studio A healthy appetite Gizzi Erskine shares some tasty recipes for both nourishing the body and feeding the soul Hotels with history These grand establishments are must-stays for heritage hunters

48 121

Homes

36

11

48 58 69 99

76 87

19

New beginnings Full of classic country charm, the Ellershaws’ 19th century cottage is as splendid as its rural setting The forever home In next to no time Abi Campbell transformed a tired Victorian terrace into a stunning home with a nod to New England style

107 113 115

Cottage industry The Bells sensitively updated a 17th century cottage in order to strike their own work/life balance Happy ever after This Swedish gem is packed with ideas for using reclaimed pieces to create a characterful home ON THE COVER

Full of surprises Sarah and Jeremy Colebrooke have lovingly renovated a 16th century farmhouse to create a bright family home A family tradition Brimming with antiques and collectibles, this townhouse oozes eclectic English style

ON THE COVER 10 of the best stone floors From reclaimed originals to man-made tiles, we round up the latest designs for period homes ON THE COVER

The reclaimer Nick Cowen from Antique Bathrooms of Ivybridge shares advice for buying salvaged baths ON THE COVER Home health check Property expert Roger Hunt advises on timber beams

Gardens

119 121 123 128

Garden journal A round up of the latest products for your garden The eco-gardener Go green in the garden with these eco friendly buys ON THE COVER Grow your own organically Embrace the good life with our step by step guide to creating a plentiful fruit and veg plot

Natural heritage This listed Arts and Crafts garden shines in springtime

Advice & inspiration

95 99 128

House journal New products and expert advice for updating a period property ON THE COVER Kitchen inspiration Create your dream kitchen with our guide, from layout to finishes

Regulars

66 84 145

Next month A preview of the April issue Subscribe Subscribe to Period Living for ÂŁ39 and get a free Teapigs gift set Stockists Where to find all the suppliers featured in this issue

47

j

MARCH

l

Our pick of the latest interiors offerings, from fabrics and papers inspired by spring to decorative ceramics and shows not to miss

HERE’S TO MUMS Featuring a lovely pastel mix of David Austin roses, hand-tied with mint and lavender to complement their subtle fragrances, this resplendent Juliet bouquet from The Real Flower Company is a delight for the senses and makes the perfect gift for Mother’s Day, from £46.

CLASSIC REVIVAL

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Whether for a spot of blossom foraging or bird watching, it’s time to grab your wellies and a pretty straw bag, and head outside to be immersed in the delights of early spring.

That’s just what Lorna Syson did to prompt her latest wallpaper collection, which includes this Greenfinch design, priced £140 per roll.

Looking to welcome in spring with a beautifully styled seasonal table?

Relaunched in fresh shades, Burleigh’s classic Felicity tableware in Mulberry and Rose Pink, and Asiatic Pheasant in Dove Grey, are handcrafted and decorated, and ooze country charm.

From left: Asiatic Pheasant medium tankard jug in Dove Grey, £31; Felicity breakfast teacup and saucer in Mulberry, £28.50; and small teapot in Rose Pink, £55.

MIX AND MATCH

MINI TREND: GLOBAL GEOMETRICS

Renowned surface pattern designer Neisha Crosland is launching nine new tiles with a nod to the past. Taking inspiration from 15th-century Spanish earthenware to 17th-century Japanese motifs, and with 37 colourways available, the Floris collection offers plenty of scope for creating an eclectic patchwork. Priced from £9 to £46.80 per tile at De Ferranti.

Give your home a new angle with statement accessories that capture abstract prints from ethnic cultures

Mayan lamp, £175, Oka

North salad bowl, £45, Habitat

From the archive Zulu (top) and Chiku red embroidered cushions, both £25, Linea at House of Fraser

Baskets, £275 for the pair, Out There Interiors

12 Period Living

Introducing Library, the latest fabric collection from Blendworth Interiors. Inspired by its rich archive of textiles and artwork dating back almost 100 years, the collection comprises 11 designs, beautifully redrawn and transferred onto tinted velvets, bleached and scoured cottons, linens and tapestry cloths. Celebrating the brand’s enduring passion for pattern and colour, the fabrics range from delicate florals and bold botanicals to subtle paisleys and modernised Arts and Crafts designs, such as this Rodbourn print in Paradise Blue, £100 per metre.

News

TALENT SPOT S

ing chicke r p ‘Late one afternoon,

n

‘As a child, I remember the beautiful handpainted china passed down by my great grandmother. It always came out on special occasions, and is tied up with happy family memories. Much of it was accidentally smashed one Christmas, but I kept the fragments thinking that one day I could use it to make something special,’ says mosaic artist Emily Lawlor of China Jack Mosaics, about the happy accident that spurred her artistic career. Having studied archaeology, followed by a role in conservation with the National Trust, it was only later, after a degree in public art and design at Chelsea Art College, that she discovered her passion for mosaics. Having worked on many large scale projects she is now enjoying creating smaller pieces. ‘I love nature and am fascinated by birds, particularly swallows,’ she says. ‘When I find a beautiful piece of old china I immediately see how the patterns will make feathers or bodies.

I’m also inspired by the makers’ marks; I love to use these as much as the patterns themselves.’

on the north of Swaledale, I rounded a bend on the lane. Ahead of me was a Cold Comfort Farm-like smallholding, all ramshackle. Perching in the leafless branches of a damson tree, sharply silhouetted against the sky, a flock of roosting bantams left me with an image that became the starting point for Bantam Bough,’ says artist Mark Hearld of his latest fabric design. Hand-screen printed in the UK onto a heavyweight oyster linen, the design is perfect for cushions, curtains and upholstery. Available in four colourways: (from top) Cinnamon, Crimson, Quince and Swedish Blue, all priced £66 per metre at St Jude’s.

See Emily’s work on show this March at Made

by Hand, Cheltenham.

Priced from £40 to £105 (chinajackmosaics.com)

This month, don’t miss Cheltenham’s first Made by Hand fair. Launched in association with Bovey Tracey’s esteemed Contemporary Craft Festival, prepare to be inspired by the work of around 100 makers and artisans in disciplines from textiles to stained glass. See page 28 for a full preview Period Living 13

SHOW TIME

Found in the fields … is the title of landscape painter and printmaker Carry Akroyd’s forthcoming solo exhibition at The Jerram Gallery, Dorset. Running from 24 March 11 April, it will showcase around 40 paintings and drawings, alongside the artist’s set of 16 beautiful hand drawn lithographs, which incorporate texts from 19th century poet John Clare.

PL loves this beautiful Startled Hare print. Prices from £145 to £2,750.

MY VINTAGE WORLD Mikki Towler, owner of The Antique Kitchen, shares her passion for old kitchenalia

What appeals to you about old things?

Everything! Who wants an item that everyone else has? I just love antiques their individuality; the warmth and history they bring to a room. If you start a collection, it’s great fun searching for items. I collect Victorian white banded kitchen storage jars and am always on the hunt for ones I don’t have. They look lovely in my kitchen and are very useful, too. Best of all, they are a great investment.

Why kitchen antiques in particular?

The kitchen is my favourite room and when I started selling 27 years ago, antiques for the kitchen were the most affordable.

I love early tins, treen, white ironstone and advertising pieces. Being a dealer I can swap and change my kitchen pieces, and I continually upgrade.

What’s your most memorable find?

I’ve had many unforgettable finds over the years, but not so many recently as the bargains aren’t about like they used to be.

My best find was at an evening auction and funnily enough wasn’t for the kitchen!

14 Period Living

Standing at the back was a Victorian castiron lion and unicorn – both were covered in white gloss paint, but they were a perfect pair; the unicorn even had her horn, which is often missing. I got them for the ‘huge’ sum of £26. I then hand-stripped them and now they’re worth at least £1,500.

What advice do you have for buying kitchenalia?

Buy quality. Avoid badly stained or broken pieces, because they won’t ever be an investment, but don’t let a hairline crack or small chip spoil the pleasure of adding to your collection. Be wary of reproductions, as there are many on the market at the moment; for example, white ironstone slabs are now being made from original moulds.

If an item is too good to be true, it usually is.

Choose a reputable dealer to guarantee items are original. Most of all, have fun!

Above: Mikki’s collection of Victorian storage jars Below: A Victorian cast-iron unicorn and lion picked up

by Mikki for a bargain price

Images (top left, from top) John Klimo, 20th century, Happy Birthday Vivien Leigh, signed, titled and inscribed Best Wishes/John Klimo, gouache and oil pastel on paper, c 1953; Vivien Leigh, Getty Images; Louis Valtat (1869-1952), Les Anemones, signed with initials, oil on canvas

Step back in time to see how the glamorous film stars of yesteryear lived in a special room set exhibition of the Vivien Leigh collection. Taking place at Haynes Fine Art’s London gallery from 8–31 March, expect to see furniture, paintings and decorative pieces that once graced the homes of the Oscar and Tony Award winning actress and her husband Sir Laurence Olivier.

Shopping Black vanilla scented candle, £22, Star by Julien Macdonald at Debenhams Pink marbled encaustic tiles, £7 each, Bert & May Marble dressing table mirror, £125, Oliver Bonas

Magnus pendant with natural marble effect, £84, Där Lighting Rumjana pale marbleeffect wall clock, £56, Out There Interiors

MUTED MARBLES

Selham pitcher vase, £35, Mood Collections

Strike the balance between contemporary cool and classic elegance with the latest crop of subtly veined marble accessories Marble Floral mesh bracelet strap watch in Rose Gold, £92, Olivia Burton Era wallpaper collection of Marble Murals, £299.95 per panel, Galerie Wallcoverings

Herbert table lamp in White, £190, with 30cm Empire printed linen ikat shade in Black Zig Zag, £60, Pooky

Marble-effect cushion, £10, JD Williams Home

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Marble melamine tray, £16, Audenza BlissHome grey marble mug, £7, John Lewis

Pink marble cushion, £14.99, Homesense

Pia marbled ceramic storage jars, £64, Perch & Parrow Period Living 17

Shopping Floral wreath cushion, £50, Laura Ashley Chihuahua kilim cushion, £56, Yonder Living Jaipur diamond cushion, £185, Jonathan Adler Milan pure wool cushion in orange/turquoise, £45, Bronte By Moon

Chusho embroidered blush/lime cushion, £75, Also Home

Green Crescent chevron cushion, £19.50, Marks & Spencer

PILLOW TALK

Shake Your Pom Poms blush cushion, £38, The French Bedroom Company

Add colour and texture to your scheme with this spring showcase of cushions, from quirky prints and beautiful weaves to embroidered designs Floral tabby cat cushion, £40, Pignut Bluebell Walk cushion, from £63, Helen Hallam

Pomegranate print cushion, £15, Linea Hot Tropics at House of Fraser

Square multicoloured pom pom cushion, £33, Raj Tent Club

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Fish tassel cushion, £14, Sainsbury’s Home

Tropical Leaves velvet cushion, £45, Celina Machado at Lemon Made

Giradon Coral cushion, £95, Designers Guild Pelican cushion, £6, George Home Period Living 19

Hoxton industrial metal and wood desk, £310, Alexander & Pearl

Holborn solid pine and pine veneer bureau chest desk, £1,789, Willis & Gambier

Bonavento oak veneered desk, £435, Perch & Parrow

Desk notes

My writing desk in Ash, £1,190, Urban Avenue

Berkshire large reclaimed wood desk in Stucco White, £795, Barker & Stonehouse

Pull up a chair and make working from home a joy with our pick of stylish and practical desks perfect for a period property Bradshaw oak-frame desk, £179, Loft Collection at Marks & Spencer

Sand-blasted mango wood Nordic desk, £595, Graham & Green

Balmoral chestnut three-drawer desk, £775, Laura Ashley

Island Breeze three-drawer desk in Moondust Grey with Victorian oak top, £579, The Painted Furniture Company

Shanxi elm desk with drawers, £995, Shimu

Cosimo desk, £2,295, Oka

Blotter desk, £595, Loaf

20 Period Living

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Huxley desk in solid pine, £325, Next Home

Britain’s period homes offer an enduring reminder of the country’s heritage crafts and natural resources. Often built from the stone or clay upon which they stand, they are bound with the landscape and help to define the identity of each region – so how better to decorate them than with schemes inspired by the colours and textures of nature? Furnishings handcrafted from stone, timber, rattan and leather, combined with textiles in wool, cotton, jute and other organic fibres, offer quality and attractive finishes inimitable by man-made materials, and are perfectly attuned to the unique charm of a period property. The broad spectrum of neutral, earthy shades they conjure up offers rich inspiration for creating a soothing scheme. From creamy limestone shades and the oaty tones of untreated linen, to the greyish-browns of weathered oak and warm earthenware ochres, neutral shades can be as captivating as colour.

22 Period Living

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop Images (clockwise from top left) Suta jute flatweave rug, £300, Habitat; Alem wool/cotton-mix rug, £320, Also Home; Unit flatweave wool and flax pile rug in Beige, from £410, and Tres wool/cotton-mix flatweave rug in Beige, from £1,640, both Woven

NATURAL ELEMENTS

Decorating

Refined yet rustic, this beautiful scheme brings together a plethora of natural textures and neutral shades. Little Greene’s Brooke House wallpaper in Cinder is tempered with cabinets painted in its Grey Moss, and a fireplace in Serpentine, while a handcrafted Scandinavian-style dining set in blonde timber gives a contemporary edge. To finish, woven linens and lustrous copper pans add layers of texture, while vintage earthenware jars and jelly moulds make decorative displays, along with sculptural dried hogweed. Wallpaper, £99 per roll; paint from £42 for 2.5ltrs of Absolute matt emulsion

Bare plastered walls make a fittingly rustic backdrop for a new country scheme. Clarke & Clarke’s Heritage range – a co-ordinating collection of linens, from textural plains and herringbone weaves to floral designs with a Jacobean feel – combines perfectly for a classic cottage look. Available in soft shades from blush to dove grey, the fabrics cost £42 per metre

Decorating

Frome armchair in Selvaggio tan leather, £799; alpaca throw in Charcoal, £195. On shelves, from top, left to right: Water Hyacinth placemats, £25 for a set of six; copper pot, £8; marble board, £40; stoneware lantern in cream, £25; marble bird, £25; oak stacking tray, £25; marble utensil pot, £35; True Grace paraffin wax dining candles, £3 each; Squashed vase, £27; oak linen insert frame, £22; oak scoop frame in Putty, £25; Compton table lamp in grey, £85; chunky weave wool-blend rug, £680; willow basket, £30, all the Croft collection at John Lewis

From warm honeyed hues to cool pebble grey and creamy putty shades, a tranquil and balanced scheme of tinted neutrals allows the sought-after original features of a period home to really shine Period Living 25

In the world of interiors, pale needn’t mean plain – there are plenty of ways to add interest and drama without using vivid colour.

Here, a kitchen wall roughly painted to mid height in a slate grey makes for a contemporary take on the classic dado and a great backdrop for rustic furniture. Display lustrous glazed stoneware in a subtle array of muted tones – Murmur’s range creates a pretty and practical addition to a lonely kitchen corner, from £9 for a dipping bowl

Just as a calm mind allows us to notice simple pleasures that may otherwise be overlooked, a pared-back palette helps us see the beautiful textures and forms of vintage and handcrafted objects 26 Period Living

Decorating For a more serene look suited to a bedroom, trade in rustic textures for a delicate yet decorative take on a natural theme. Showcasing Morris & Co’s iconic Strawberry Thief design refreshed in a two-tone pebble colourway, Bedeck’s latest bedlinen is ornate without being overpowering. £120 for a double duvet cover and £25 for an Oxford pillowcase

CELEBRATING BRITISH DESIGN TALENT This March, around 100 of the UK’s finest independent designer-makers will be heading to Cheltenham for a brand new craft show. Discover all the details and don’t miss your chance to win free tickets

Period Living is delighted to be supporting Made by Hand, Cheltenham, the new designer-maker fair from the organisers of multi-award-winning events such as Made by Hand, Cardiff, and The Contemporary Craft Festival. Taking place on the weekend of 10-11 March 2018, the new fair will be held at the iconic Cheltenham Town Hall, in the heart of the Cotswolds.

You will discover an exceptional, handpicked selection of around 100 award-winning makers from all over the UK, selling directly to the public. The highly skilled collection includes jewellers, potters, furniture makers, textile artists, glassmakers, wood workers and many more. Made by Hand prides itself on giving modern designer-makers a wider platform, showing how their products can fit seamlessly into our modern lives.

Made by Hand, Cheltenham also offers a range of workshops exploring various materials and techniques. With the fair scheduled in the run up to one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the fair has responded to the theme. Expect to find life-size horses made from willow by Katherine Miles of Artisan Willow Sculptures, and a Fascinator workshop with Denise Innes from the British School of Millinery.

Made by Hand also welcomes children and adults of all ages to come along and try their hand at the wide range of exciting craft activities, or watch the different craft demonstrations by some of the UK’s most prestigious makers.

Opening times are Saturday 10 March, 10-5pm, and Sunday 11 March, 10am-4pm.

Adult daily tickets cost £6 (concessions £5). Alternatively, buy an adult weekend ticket for £11 (concessions £9). Accompanied children under 18 go free.

WIN FREE TICKETS PL has teamed up with Made by Hand, Cheltenham to offer a free pair of weekend tickets, worth £22 each, to five lucky readers.

To enter the prize draw and view terms and conditions, visit realhomes.com.

BEST IN SHOW… Don’t miss Period Living’s pick of exhibitors at Made by Hand, Cheltenham.

Top row, from left: Jewellery by Caroline Reynolds; handwoven accessories by Rhian Wyman; embroidered wildlife by Emma Gatehouse; jewellery

by Emily Thatcher. Second row: Enamel on copper artwork by Janine Partington; needle felted dogs by Heartfelt dogs; handmade furniture by Takahashi McGil; textiles by Katie Wallis. Third row: Illustrated homeware by Jeff Josephine; art by Kerry Day; silverware by Brett Payne; mosaic

by China Jack. Fourth row: Textile animals by Karen Suzuki; leather goods by Catherine Edwards; print by Karoline Rerrie; ceramics by Justine Allison. Bottom row: Ceramics by Penny Little; homeware by Grace & Favour; ceramics by Linda Bristow; knitted accessories by Lauren Aston Made by Hand, Cheltenham is produced in association with The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, New Brewery Arts, Cirencester, The Cheltenham Trust, Period Living, Hereford College of Arts, Qetty Bang Bang, madebyhandonline.com and craft&design.net 28 Period Living

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Made in Britain

A TILER’S TALE From a converted barn studio nestled in rural Oxfordshire, Douglas Watson is perfecting traditional techniques to create beautiful bespoke designs Words AndrÊa Childs | Photographs Jeremy Phillips

Period Living 31

ow upon row of intricately drawn and painted tiles line the walls of Douglas Watson’s studio. Like the pages of an illustrated book or illuminated manuscript, each one tells a story – the shepherdess holding her crook; a 17th-century battleship with pennants flying; brightly coloured Birds of Paradise, each feather rendered in lifelike detail. ‘Right now, I’m working on designs inspired by the medieval papal palace in Avignon,’ Douglas says. ‘It’s part of the joy of my work that I can take a traditional pattern and put my own character into it, creating a tile that’s quirky and individual, and Clockwise from top left: Both the equestrian and looks wonderful in a home today.’ leaf tiles are from a Douglas has been creating handmade, hand-painted ceramic tiles selection of hundreds since 1976. ‘I’d completed a degree in Art History and was earning of designs in Douglas’ my living as an abstract artist, but I wanted an additional source of studio; ‘People tell us steadier income,’ he explains. ‘That’s when I came across the idea of they’ve looked for the perfect tile for years, then painting tiles.’ Unlike the contemporary style of his paintings, Douglas they walk in and can’t turned to history to inspire his new creative venture. ‘I spent a lot believe they have so many of time looking at books and visiting the Victoria & Albert Museum, designs to choose from’, researching traditional tile-making and decorative techniques. I was says Douglas; ancient Greek figure in a matt inspired by the work of Portuguese artisans and traditional delft fresco finish; these designs,’ he says. ‘I soon realised I felt more comfortable with the popular scallop-shaped idea of hand-cutting and painting the tiles than with mechanical tiles are beautifully hand production; it just seemed easier to sit down and paint than to set glazed; Douglas designs up for screen-printing. And I wanted to keep my work bespoke.’ all of the tiles himself, working on a pattern for His sideline soon became a full-time job, and Douglas went on up to 40 hours until they to work with stone and tile companies Paris Ceramics and Attica are perfected; by spinning before establishing his current studio in Henley, Oxfordshire, in the tile on this revolving 2000. Reproductions and reinterpretations of delft and other 16thstand it creates a perfect and 17th-century patterns are still a mainstay of the business, but circle around this stunning stag; Douglas displays his customers come for more contemporary styles, too. The studio’s tiles in an on-site gallery; scallop-shaped tiles shimmer like a mermaid’s tail, while the graphic once dried, the tiles are triangles of Harlequin hint at Douglas’ continuing passion for ‘biscuit’ fired for the first contemporary art (he still paints and exhibits his work). It’s not just time, at around 1,000°C single tiles, either: Douglas creates glazed panels in which multiple ³ for 20 hours 32 Period Living

tiles are decorated to form a larger image. It takes 30 to 40 hours of drawing to finish a design. He works on paper, using a computer only to help visualise the design in situ and present it to a client.

‘A lot of my work is made for private homes, and it might be a panel as a splashback behind the cooker or tiles for a bathroom,’ he explains.

‘Then there are jobs for restaurants and one off commissions.’ He recently completed a project for the King of Thailand (‘the scale of it was huge’) and has worked with the artist Yinka Shonibare MBE, devising tiles based on drawings by William Morris. ‘One of the most stressful jobs was creating glazed coats of arms for the boathouse at Dorney Lake, owned by Eton College and used as a venue during the London 2012 Olympics. The first version we made cracked so we had to redo them. They were finished the day before the first Olympic rowing event so it was hair raising waiting to see how they would come out of the kiln. Fortunately, they were perfect.’ It’s no surprise that his tiles appear in his own home décor. ‘I’m very interested in the Italian Renaissance, which inspired a design for our bathroom,’ he says. ‘Designing for myself gives me an opportunity to try things no one else has asked me to do.’

Douglas works with his wife, Janet, and a very small team, in a 2,000 square foot studio on a former farm. The old barn is divided into a display gallery, and areas for making and firing the tiles, painting and packing. But Douglas is happiest in his private studio, where he painstakingly plans each individual design. Each commission is sketched in pencil and then replicated in watercolour to show the pattern and proposed layout to the client. Glazes can be individually mixed for each project, so if he’s not busy over his sketchbook, he might be found mixing pigments to match a paint chart or creating an entirely bespoke shade to complement a room’s colour scheme.

The atmosphere in the main room is of contained energy and intense focus. ‘Making tiles is a labour intensive process, starting from the moment the bags of clay are delivered from Stoke on Trent,’ Douglas explains. The tiles are cut from clay, dried and then biscuit fired, ready for decorating. ‘We use the Majolica technique, which is how original delft tiles were made. The entire tile is either dipped, sprayed or painted with a background glaze, then once it’s dry, the design is painted onto it with ceramic pigments and oxides such as copper, manganese and iron materials that have been used for hundreds of years. When they are applied, the colours may look very different to the end result cobalt looks pink when it is painted on, for example, and turns an intense blue only once it has been fired so part of the skill is visualising how the finished tile will look. The background glaze acts almost like blotting paper, absorbing the applied design, so if we make a mistake in the pattern or the colour of the glaze, the entire tile has to be redone.’ It takes an average of 20 minutes to paint a tile, although it depends on the intricacy of the design. The tiles are then fired a second time, a process that fuses the colours and glazed background to create the finished tile. ‘The small size is a challenge that I enjoy; there are always surprises with the limited size and format. You can paint with broad or fine strokes and play with colour.’

His work focuses on the beauty of individual tiles, but Douglas has a bigger picture in mind when he thinks of the future. ‘My dream is to design an entire room glazed with tiles and panels, like you might see in a Renaissance palace,’ he says. ‘It would be spectacular!’

Visit Douglas’ website douglaswatsonstudio.co.uk and see his paintings at douglaswatson.co.uk.

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Clockwise from top left: Douglas’ wife Janet paints a tile, following the pattern transferred to the tile using a template; once cut, the tiles are left on racks to dry for three to four weeks, prior to firing; once painted, the tiles are fired a second time at around 1,020 – 1,100°C, for seven to eight hours.

This is when the colours develop their richness and shine; Ava carefully paints a decorative fish design using the Majolica technique, applying ceramic glaze to a biscuitfired tile. ‘Everyone has a different rhythm – some will work on the design in parts, others will complete an entire tile each time,’ says Douglas; tiny tile pieces are arranged on racks and fired in preparation for glazing; Kat passes the clay through this machine, which rolls and flattens it to create sheets that can be cut to size; delicate delft flower designs; Douglas and Janet employ a team of six local craftspeople to help make the tiles.

From left: Ava, Neil, Janet, Chris, Julia and Kat

ON THE WEB To discover more British designer-maker talent, visit periodliving.co.uk

Made in Britain

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PASSING THE BATON ith the growth of the business, Douglas has passed on his passion for the history and craft of tile decoration to a new generation. It can take up to two years to train them in these highly skilled techniques, until they are ready to follow in the footsteps of Renaissance craftsmen and delft designers. ‘The team are all local people with art training, and it’s a pleasure to see how much they enjoy the process of making – and, in turn, how that’s appreciated by our customers,’ he says. ‘Too many things are stamped out and made by machine, rather than by hand. It’s the human touch that’s important.’

Exposing the stone lintel and original brick fireplace has created a focal point in the restful living room, and a place for cocker spaniel Bella to enjoy the glow of the fire. ‘The panelling, window seats and bookcase really add to the period feel,’ says Rachel. Walls are painted in Old White and the panelling in Clunch, both Farrow & Ball. The Alberton armchair, leather footstool and Kingston sofa are all from Laura Ashley and the clock is from Newgate. For a similar stove, try Chesneys

Restored Georgian Cottage

NEW BEGINNINGS Rachel and David Ellershaw’s sensitive restoration of their Georgian home has changed the enterprising couple’s lives in more ways than they could have ever imagined Words Janet McMeekin | Photographs Jeremy Phillips

el and David Ellershaw lovingly restored o see lambs gambolling ds and trees bursting ouple can’t believe ant to even view this ‘When we first started ing back in 2009, in Barbon – the rew up,’ says Rachel. spectacular location at has become the Yorkshire Dales National Park. But I totally dismissed it because the cottage was way over our budget, clearly needed a lot of work and, since Barbon is extremely sought after, I assumed it would be instantly snapped up.’ Nearly 18 months on, as the property still languished on the market, Rachel’s mother suggested the pair take a look.

‘David and I have always been fans of Georgian homes and, from the moment we stepped inside, we were enchanted,’ says Rachel. ‘We loved the room proportions and realised there was a wealth of period features waiting to be restored.

‘The setting was breathtaking and, since David already had experience in the building industry, we felt that this was an incredible opportunity. The stumbling block was whether we could afford it.’

Luckily, when the Ellershaws made their offer, the vendors were open to negotiation. ‘David and I were already stretching ourselves, but we were desperate to buy,’ Rachel adds. ‘When our first offer was refused, we upped it by £1,000, which was all we could afford.’ This clinched the deal and, in August 2010, the couple were on the move.

For the first year, they saved hard and carefully planned their major renovation. ‘Even before any work started, I remember looking out at the gorgeous view and thinking how much I adored the cottage,’ says Rachel. ‘We just did a few minor repairs and patiently bided our time.’

In June 2011, the first stage of the project began.

‘Starting at the top, we worked down to give us more time to save for the structural work on the ground floor,’ explains Rachel. The avocado bathroom suite was replaced and the layout reconfigured to include 38 Period Living

a freestanding bath and shower. ‘The bathroom actually became a sanctuary since our cottage got a lot worse before getting better,’ says Rachel.

During 2012, the couple turned their attention to the bedrooms. ‘The guest room didn’t need much work; however, the master bedroom required more since we decided to reinstate the chimney. We had it swept, bought a fireplace from Ebay and painted that. We then fitted a cast-iron radiator, took up the old carpet and varnished the floorboards.’

Once the landing was decorated, it was time to tackle the ground floor. ‘The survey alluded to a solid floor in what was then the dining room,’ says Rachel. ‘We were ecstatic when we lifted the carpet and discovered huge Yorkstone flags underneath.

It was a delightful find and high point of the next, rather challenging, phase of work.’

This stage involved knocking down the wall between the cramped galley kitchen and former living room to create a spacious and bright openplan kitchen-diner. It also required pulling down much of the old lath and plaster ceiling. The wood-burning stove was moved into the inglenook fireplace in the new sitting room, and an Aga was installed in the kitchen.

Sash windows were fitted at the front of the cottage and a lean-to conservatory was knocked down. David helped his joiner friend Jonny Lawson to build a new conservatory. ‘It was major work,’ Rachel recalls. ‘Our home turned into a building site. I remember my mother being practically in tears when she saw how we were living, but we knew it would be worth the effort.

‘David juggled his graphic design job with working on our cottage at every available opportunity. And when more than one pair of hands was required, our friend Michael helped us.’

Gradually, as the downstairs rooms began to take shape, David suggested panelling the living room walls. ‘By this time, I was running out of steam and felt that painting the walls would be enough. In hindsight, I’m so glad that David stuck to his guns, as I love the panelling,’ says Rachel.

The exterior was repainted and Rachel’s father helped the couple landscape the garden.‘To enhance the symmetry of the cottage, we laid a cobblestone path, and planted lavender and bay trees.’

There’s no doubt that tenacity and hard work have paid huge dividends for this couple, who are justifiably proud of their charming home. ‘Our labour-of-love project has altered the course of our lives completely,’ says Rachel. ‘Apart from owning a home we adore, it has inspired David to launch a property renovation company. Right from the start, he had a good customer base of folk in Barbon who’d watched our cottage being transformed and, over the years, David’s business has gone from strength-to-strength, which is just wonderful.’

Restored Georgian Cottage

Left: Jonny Lawson, of JBL Joinery, rebuilt the conservatory, with help from David. The couple chose Gothic arched windows to further enhance the character of the cottage.

‘Our neighbour, Graham Dalzell, generously gave us the bog oak flooring, which was left over from a renovation he’d done on a house in Aberdeen’ says Rachel. The table and chairs are from a local garden centre and the cushion is from Laura Ashley. The skirting is painted in Mole’s Breath and the tongue-and-groove panelling in Purbeck Stone, both Farrow & Ball Below: With its new conservatory, painted exterior and landscaped garden, the cottage is now an inviting home

THE STORY Owners Rachel Ellershaw, a support worker, and her husband David, who runs Ellershaw Property Renovation, live here with Bella, their cocker spaniel Property A two-bedroom terraced cottage in Barbon, South Cumbria, built in 1800 What they did The couple removed a wall between the old kitchen and living room to create an openplan kitchen-diner. They rewired, had new sash windows fitted, added a conservatory, redecorated, and reinstated fireplaces upstairs and downstairs Period Living 39

An exposed wooden beam bears the marks of the cottage’s long history.

‘Although we love the Yorkstone flags, we bought a rug to make it feel cosier underfoot,’ says Rachel. The herringbone rug is from Alternative Flooring, and the sunburst mirror and pendant lights are from Laura Ashley. Rachel’s friend Rachel Thornton did the artwork in the kitchen. The front door is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mole’s Breath

Restored Georgian Cottage

Above: The couple chose granite worktops from Westmorland Stone to tie in with the black flue and top of the reconditioned Aga, from Range Exchange. The kitchen units are from Staley Stonework Left: Lacewing Green crackle glaze tiles, from the Contemporary Classics range by Marlborough Tiles, and a Roman blind in Harvest Hare, in Dawn Grey, by Mark Hearld from St Jude’s, inject extra rural charm into this spacious kitchen. David’s friend Michael Balchin helped fit the units and worktops. The tablecloth is from Susie Watson Designs Right: ‘We’ve upcycled the dining furniture which used to belong to my parents,’ says Rachel

Restored Georgian Cottage

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Above: The master bedroom has magnificent views across farmland.

Walls are painted in Light Blue, by Farrow & Ball, the curtains are made up in Shalini Linen in Rose by Susie Watson Designs, and the bed is from Laura Ashley. The heart on the wall is from Maison by Emma Jane. When it came to varnishing the original floorboards, local firm Woodbridge & Mounsey’s hand-mixed varnish came into its own, says Rachel Right: A bargain find on Ebay, the pretty bedroom fireplace cost just £16. The chair was sourced from GB Antiques, the cushion is from Susie Watson Designs, and the ceiling light is from Laura Ashley

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Restored Georgian Cottage

Above: A demi-lune console from GB Antiques is an elegant choice for the landing, which features a practical carpet from Alternative Flooring’s Sisal Metallics range.

The lamp is from Laura Ashley Left: The new-look bathroom is a luxurious retreat, with its tongue-and-groove walls, and a freestanding bath and fittings from Bathstore. The walls are painted in Pointing, and the panelling in Castle Gray, both Farrow & Ball

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Shopping

THE HEAT IS ON

Feature Andréa Childs

Featuring bespoke colours to built-in wok burners, the latest range cookers are raising temperatures in the kitchen

Top row: Three-oven dual-control range, with colour-matching service, from £11,020, Aga; cast-iron 990 four-door range in Dusky Violet, from £6,878, Esse; TR4110 110cm range in Pastel Green, £2,629, Smeg; Rangemaster Classic Deluxe 100 dual-fuel range in Cranberry, £1,669, John Lewis. Middle row: Delphi induction range, with Colourange colour-matching finish, from £3,499, Britannia; HR 1956 dual-fuel range, from £17,499, Miele; Steel Oxford 100 range in Le Creuset Mineral Blue, £3,702, Bradshaw Luxury; Classic Macon range in Rose Quartz, from £4,420, Lacanche. Bottom row: Dual-fuel 90cm range, from £1,199.99, Fisher & Paykel; Richmond 1100Ei four-oven induction range in Soho Green, £1,799, Stoves; 100 Series range in Dove Grey, from £7,390, Everhot; 600 Series combined range and boiler in Dark Blue, from £6,845, Rayburn Period Living 47

Above left: Abi designed the wall panelling, which was made by GP Carpentry and painted in Fired Earth’s Tempest. The desk was bought at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair; displayed above it are a selection of quirky Hugo Guinness lino-cut prints from John Derian Above: More Hugo Guinness prints hang over a Shakerstyle bench bought for £100 online and re-covered with French linen. The unusual wall light fittings are from Soho Home

Left: The original fireplace had been boarded up, so was rebuilt by Fireplace Restoration in Surrey. The leather tub chair is from La Belle Étoffe, the kilim rug is from The Rug Store, and the red A letter, part of an old American gas station sign, is from Etsy Right: Abi updated the exterior of her Victorian home with a zinc porch and door painted in Fired Earth’s Storm. A neat fence, and shutters from The New England Shutter Company, complete the look

Updated Victorian Terrace

THE FOREVER HOME After buying a period cottage as a ‘stopgap’ home, Abi Campbell then fell head over heels in love with it Words Heather Dixon | Photographs Matt Clayton

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THE STORY Owner Abi Campbell is a photographer and travel writer.

She lives here with 11-year-old Jemima and 13-year-old Ellis, and their Russian Blue cat, Luna Property A three-bedroom Victorian worker’s cottage in Cobham, Kent What she did Abi updated the plumbing, electrics, kitchen, bathroom and floors, decorated throughout and added wall panelling

ell’s modest home d away from the five bedroom she once had in on but she couldn’t appier. The Victorian cottage is half ch now she has put ‘blue period’. rmed the property esign ideas, antique furniture and French style panelling. It took just three months to modernise the dated interior in a whirlwind renovation project, which involved stripping her new home back to a shell and redesigning every room.

‘The house really had been well loved by the previous owners, but the décor was dated, the rooms were used very differently to the way they are now, and it felt generally dark and cramped,’ says Abi. ‘I was on a mission to maximise the space.’

The property had already been extended, so the first thing Abi did was work out how she could use the space more efficiently for her own needs.

By removing doors, moving the dining room from the front of the house to the back – next to the kitchen – and redesigning the kitchen and bathroom layouts, she quickly created a better flow.

‘I wanted the house to draw you in and have a sense of purpose,’ she says. ‘Although it’s small I wanted it to feel light and spacious, without losing its relaxed sense of homeliness and comfort.’

She began by stripping out all the interior fixtures and fittings and taking it back to a shell.

Having renovated houses before, she knew it made practical and financial sense to do everything in one go, and get it finished before moving in, so she set herself a strict timescale and managed everything, from the sourcing of building materials to the commissioning of tradespeople and interior design.

‘I threw myself into it and became obsessive about detail, spending hours researching everything to get exactly what I wanted,’ says Abi. ‘As I’m a photographer, I understand the importance of light, so I am particularly passionate about getting the lighting right in my home. I sourced most of my fittings through Etsy and drew up a lighting 50 Period Living

plan very early on, because I believe it is the most important part of the house. Lighting creates atmosphere, so I don’t give up until I find what I’m looking for, and if I can’t find what I’m looking for I have it made.’

The house was rewired and new floors laid, including aged-style floorboards throughout.

The kitchen is small and had been full of cupboards on all sides, including the walls, which made it ‘look like a cupboard’, so Abi gave Charlie Kingham of Marylebone carte blanche to create a kitchen that would open up the small space.

Choosing paint colours was a challenge, and it took 82 samples to find the right shade of blue, inspired by a house she had stayed at in Iceland.

‘I call it my blue period,’ she laughs. ‘Even my cat is a Russian Blue. Every room has a shade of it somewhere, but all the woodwork is white to create contrast. Blue is difficult to get right so I painted samples onto paper plates and stuck them on the walls to see how the shades worked in various lights and in different rooms.’

To keep the rooms looking as high as possible, Abi removed the coving and had panelling made out of MDF, which, when painted, creates a lovely period feature. She likes to mix and match furniture and accessories from all periods, including lots of modern art, which adorns the walls in every room, as well as antiques, upcycled furniture and contemporary design ideas.

‘I put all the experience and ideas I’ve gathered from previous projects into this, to create something that is very mixed, but mainly Scandi or New England style,’ explains Abi. ‘A lot of my inspiration came from the late designer Annabel Evans – including the painted panelling and well-worn furniture. I really admired her so this is my take on her style.’

It took Abi just three months to get the house renovated and decorated ready to move in, always with the aim of moving again before long.‘I moved out of the city to be closer to the children’s school,’ she says. ‘The location of the cottage was ideal, but it was only ever meant to be a stopgap until I found something bigger – I hadn’t bargained on falling in love with it. A big house with all its trappings doesn’t make you happy. Less space means less cleaning and less responsibility. It also brings the family together. Unlike other houses I’ve lived in, I feel completely at home in this cottage – I can actually see myself being here for ever.’

Updated Victorian Terrace

Right: The original living room fireplace inspired the MDF panelling; Abi bought the old mirror above it at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair.

The glazed cabinet in the alcove is on loan from Abi’s sister and the Benny rug is from a market stall Below: Abi sits with cat Luna on a sofa she brought from her previous home and that once belonged to the late designer Annabel Evans, whose work inspired

the style of this house.

The artwork displayed on the living room walls is a mix of Charming Baker, Abi’s photography and antiques shop finds Below right: Abi painted the tongue-and-groove panelling white in order to maximise the light in the narrow staircase and hall.

The stairs themselves are engineered oak by Waxed Floors. The stairwell makes a good display space for more framed artwork

Above: The tiny kitchen has been redesigned with zinc worktops and dark brown units by cabinetmaker Charlie Kingham. Handmade bespoke wall tiles from Smink Things are given a touch of ‘chaos’ with an abstract feature wall Above right: Light fittings from Etsy complete the simple, Shaker-style dining room. The dresser was bought on Ebay to house Abi’s white crockery. The

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wooden butter paddle (just seen) is part of a collection Abi has built up from antiques fairs and auctions Right: Shallow cupboards and shelves instead of wall units make the small galley kitchen seem wider and lighter. The marble worktop is from HL Perfitt Opposite: The table was an Ebay find and the Shaker chairs were made by Devin Ulery for Custom Made and shipped from America. The sisal rug is from Ikea

Updated Victorian Terrace

Left: The original wall panelling in daughter Jemima’s room is painted in Flake White by Fired Earth. The bed was another Ebay find and is teamed with smaller furniture from Josephine Ryan Antiques Below: Industrial meets Shaker style in Ellis’ bedroom, with a cast-iron bed frame from Coast to Country and a cabinet from Ebay. The peg rails above the bed are from Soho Home

Right: White painted matchboard and Dutch design wallpaper from Tissus d’Hélène emphasise the soft light in the main bedroom. The Shaker pegs and bedside table were found on Ebay Below right: The desk in Jemima’s room was from The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair and the chair was an online find. Shelving was made by GP Carpentry.

The radio is a Cath Kidston design for Roberts

Above left: Abi designed her luxurious bathroom scheme around the exposed brick chimney breast and cast-iron fireplace. Period fittings from Catchpole & Rye are complemented with more contemporary handmade concrete floor tiles from Rockett St George. Try Zazzle for a similar anatomical print

Above: The vanity unit features an iron sink base from Ebay, a marble top made by HL Perfitt, and fittings by Catchpole & Rye. For similar wall lights, try Garden Trading’s Pimlico Left: A Crittall window-style shower screen adds an industrial edge to the eclectic look; for similar, try Room H2O. The Metro tiles are from Topps Tiles

COTTAGE INDUSTRY An idyllic country home on Edinburgh’s doorstep has been transformed to accommodate Kerry Bell and her family, and her craft workshops Words Alison Gibb | Photographs Douglas Gibb

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Georgian Semi Renovation

The kitchen has been doubled in size since the couple knocked down the wall to the dining room. Kerry lined the walls with tongue-andgroove panelling and designed the open shelving, adding wrought-iron hooks from Screwfix. Simple cream kitchen cabinets from Howdens are teamed with two inherited wooden dressers for additional storage.

The table is from Drum Farm Antiques and the chairs are from Holyrood Architectural Salvage Yard.

The collectable Stephen Pearce crockery was a wedding present

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ooking at their stone-built Georgian cottage in a quiet village, you might think Kerry and Thomas Bell had struck it exceptionally lucky when they found r from Edinburgh. The it has taken the pair quite et it looking this good. saw the cottage it was in poor condition. ‘It had been a council property for many years, and hadn’t been updated in the meantime,’ says Kerry. ‘Inside, it was a garish mixture of blue and yellow, and the living room and kitchen were tiny. But we loved the village, and we knew that with a little work, we could transform it into a lovely family home.’

They were newly married with a baby when they first moved in, so decided to live with it as it was for several years, initially just redecorating.

‘We wanted to focus on our young family and give the renovations some thought before we launched in with any big changes,’ says Kerry. ‘The house was perfectly habitable, the heating and plumbing were all in good working order, and it was really just the décor we wanted to tackle initially.’

Eventually they were ready to take on more significant improvements. ‘The living room was tiny,’ Kerry recalls. ‘As was typical in the Georgian period, the formal public rooms were upstairs.

The room that is now our bedroom has a beautiful fireplace with elegant windows on either side, overlooking the garden. This was obviously the original drawing room. The rooms downstairs were the kitchen and servants’ quarters.’

The couple enlarged the front room downstairs by removing a cupboard, and added a woodburning stove. ‘It is still quite small for a living room, but we do have a playroom as well,’ adds Kerry. They doubled the size of the kitchen by knocking down the wall between it and the dining room, and then lined the kitchen with tongueand-groove panelling. The kitchen now serves

60 Period Living

as another entertaining space and is the setting for Kerry’s candlemaking workshops - the big farmhouse table provides workspace for up to 10 participants at a time.

Kerry trained as an interior designer, so once the renovations were complete, she was happy to make the décor decisions. ‘Happily, Thomas and I have very similar tastes,’ she says. ‘I’ve opted for natural textures such as wood, linen and exposed stone, and I’ve chosen a palette of muted greys, olives and taupes.’ She and Thomas share a ‘less is more’ ethos and the result is rustic and peaceful.

The tranquillity of the village setting, hidden in a leafy dip in the countryside, is something else they both really appreciate. Being just on the edge of Edinburgh is an added bonus. ‘We really do have the best of both worlds,’ Kerry says. ‘The city centre is less than an hour away, yet driving home through the wooded landscape is so therapeutic – the sense of peace and privacy out here is all pervading.’

The pretty home’s simple style is ideal for family life, and for Kerry’s work, too. Her business is growing as her children grow up and she has more time to devote to it. ‘I am introducing a new course on making reed diffusers,’ she says. ‘I am passionate about fragrance blending and it’s lovely to see other people learning and enjoying the craft.’

As for the décor, Kerry isn’t planning any further changes for now. ‘We are all so busy with our different interests. I designed this house to be lived in; it is not a show home. So I am delaying phase three, complete with extravagant designer details for a few years yet.’

THE STORY Owners Kerry and Thomas Bell live here with daughters, Pippa, 11, Tessa, eight, and Eliza, five.

Kerry is a designer and runs candlemaking and fragrance workshops from her home (cantocandle.com). Thomas works for a marquee business Property A C-listed semidetached cottage, built just outside Edinburgh in 1752, with a kitchen extension added in 1850. There are four bedrooms What they did They knocked down walls in the living room and kitchen to enlarge the reception spaces, updated the bathroom, replaced floors and decorated throughout

Georgian Semi Renovation

Left: The cottage was built in 1752 in a quiet village not far from Edinburgh. The main reception rooms would have been upstairs in Georgian times, and the kitchen and servants’ quarters downstairs Above: Kerry in the kitchen, where she runs her candlemaking workshops Below: A cast-iron bath makes a quirky raised planter in the courtyard garden

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The chimneybreast wall in the living room has been exposed to reveal the stone. A woodburning stove by Morsø is flanked by an antique sewing machine table and, of course, several homemade candles.

The rug is from TK Maxx

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Georgian Semi Renovation

An inherited sofa is protected with throws from Bronte by Moon and the cushions are from TK Maxx. Tongueand-groove panelling is painted in Matchstick

by Farrow & Ball; Kerry added a handy shelf above for extra storage

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Exposed brick in the hallway adds another texture to the plentiful original features in this characterful cottage

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Georgian Semi Renovation

Above: The master bedroom features an upholstered headboard in a fabric from James Brindley. Dark wood bedside tables are topped with lamps from Jeffreys Interiors. The painting is by Alison Auldjo, the taupe throw is from John Lewis, the cushions are from TK Maxx, and the curtains are from Ikea Below: The elegant bureau includes useful storage for paperwork as well as a fold-down writing desk Right: Daughter Pippa’s bedroom has an eclectic look, with a Gothic-style headboard and Birdcage wallpaper from Graham & Brown. The dressing table was upcycled by a friend, who painted it in Parma Gray by Farrow & Ball

Period Living 65

Don’t miss the next issue of

PERIODLIVING OUT 22 FEBRUARY

Stunning real period homes O Grow a cut flower garden O Bedroom inspiration O Spring green decorating O Windows and doors

Photographs Jeremy Phillips, Olly Gordon, Douglas Gibb, André Reuter/House of Pictures, and Leigh Clapp

O

Swedish Country Cottage

HAPPY EVER AFTER After years away from her native Sweden, Lin Dunwin wanted a new base to relax and keep in touch with her Scandinavian roots. This pretty forest house, straight out of the pages of a fairy tale, proved the perfect place Words and styling Linda Dannvin/House of Pictures | Photographs Karin Foberg/House of Pictures

THE STORY Owner Lin Dunwin, an interior designer and owner of a boutique holiday cottage in Cornwall (miss-l.net), lives here Property A former smallholding in Vinala, Sweden, not far from the city of Örebro. It was built in 1929 and extended in 1950 What she did The house had been stripped of many of its original features, so Lin worked hard to restore it and reinstate a more characterful look

country home, a allholding in the s long-awaited as far win was concerned. en househunting for s since selling her ed abroad for most of important to maintain den. I love the outdoors most of all I appreciate the silence here. It is a total contrast to my life in London, where I used to work in a bank.’

Lin spotted the cottage on the internet in autumn 2011; it was not far from the Swedish city of Örebo. ‘I didn’t have time to view it so I sent my best friend instead,’ recalls Lin. ‘She and a friend photographed everything and sent me the pictures. I bought it without even seeing it, so when at last I put the key in the door, it felt amazing.’

Unfortunately, though, as with so many old houses, a lot of the property’s period details hadn’t survived its previous updates. ‘But you just have to roll up your sleeves and make the best of it,’ says Lin. And that’s exactly what she did, as she transformed the neglected little house into a cosy, relaxing retreat. Most of the skirting boards had been stripped away and the hallways upstairs and downstairs had been divided off with thin wooden boards. ‘There was nothing behind them, no insulation at all, and just a few old planks to keep the boards up,’ says Lin. ‘So I added insulation and used rough boards to wainscot the walls.’

Lin chose laminate flooring for the kitchen and set to work on the floors in the rest of the house, which were heavily varnished and made the house look like a mountain cabin. ‘I sanded and scrubbed them with soap until I got a lovely silvery finish.’

70 Period Living

New skirting and door frames were fitted to match the few original skirting boards and Lin sourced genuine Bakelite light switches and vintage-style flexes to bring back a more period look. Much to Lin’s delight, she discovered tongueand-groove panelling under the ceiling boards in every room in the house, apart from the living room. ‘I’ve papered the living room walls with old magazine and newspaper pages from the 1940s onwards, which I found when I knocked down an old garage,’ explains Lin. ‘I also used some English and Swedish magazines from 2011, as a lasting reminder of the year I began renovating the house.’

At every turn there are ingenious touches and inspiring money-saving solutions that Lin has come up with as she worked her way through the house.

She toned down the high-gloss kitchen cabinets with a pastel eggshell and added a floral curtain under the sink. ‘I couldn’t afford a new fridge so I painted that, too,’ adds Lin. ‘Just key it with sandpaper, paint with metal primer, then a topcoat and finish with a matt varnish or hard wax oil. I think the finished look is better than a bought one!’

The work in the kitchen didn’t stop there. Lin knocked down a wall to open up the space and bring the house closer to how it was when it was first built. ‘Then I painted the wood that I salvaged from the demolished garage and added Ikea brackets to create simple, inexpensive shelving.

‘There is so much you can do if you just let your imagination run wild,’ says Lin. ‘I renovated the cottage almost all alone, in 20 degrees below zero with only one tiny heater. It took time, hurt occasionally and I shed many tears in my solitude.

But now when I’m sitting in an armchair in front of the fire, I think “I made all this!”.’ A very happy ending indeed.

Swedish Country Cottage

Above: Lin has given the kitchen a new look on a budget, using junk-shop furniture and painting the Ikea high-gloss cabinets and fridge. The pendant lamps are from Garden Trading, and for similar slate-effect flooring, try Quick-Step Above left: The table and hanging oil lamp are antiques, and the table lamp is from Susie Watson Designs This image: The wood-burning stove was already there, but Lin made the glass-fronted log store from some windows she found at a fleamarket, adding new catches and hinges

The most striking feature of Lin’s living room is the ‘wallpaper’ – a selection of 1940s magazines mixed with more recent newspapers. The sofa is from Ilva in Denmark, the rug from Swedish department store Åhlens, and the armchair is from Ikea. Lin added castors to a vintage wooden crate and uses it as a coffee table.

The lamp and furry footstool were online auction buys

Swedish Country Cottage

Right: Determined to use every inch of the tiny house, Lin placed a prized antique chair at the top of the stairs, with a wooden box from Vadstena Antik Opposite: The guest room’s wallpaper posed a problem: Lin couldn’t find a painting that worked, ‘so I framed the paper with an old window instead.’ Try Jane Clayton for similar wallpaper. The duvet covers are from Lexington and the crocheted blanket from Lene Bjerre.

A tray table by Lena Alfram is topped with a child’s suitcase from a shop on London’s Columbia Road Below: Lin made a bed out of pallets with two doors as a bedhead, and turned a sturdy branch from the woods into a rustic curtain pole, as in the guest room. Vintage suitcases double as a bedside table and storage

Swedish Country Cottage

FULL OF SURPRISES Surrounded by beautiful woodland, Sarah and Jeremy Colebrooke’s 16th-century farmhouse has been renovated to bring in the light and reveal hidden period features Feature Ann Broad | Photography Colin Poole

Renovated Farmhouse

The kitchen-diner is the centrepiece of the house, full of natural light. The dresser is a family heirloom and displays cream and brown earthenware by the ceramicist Dylan Bowen.

A table from Ikea has been painted white and teamed with wishbone chairs from Cult Furniture. It is set with mugs and coasters by Nigel Turner, from a selection of homeware from Sarah’s business presentlocker.com, where you can also find similar cushion covers

ckens were living in the of space when Sarah and emy Colebrooke first saw eir farmhouse in Oxfordshire. was run-down, the flagstone or was very uneven, the house s damp, and it lacked warmth ah. ‘Despite all that, we could ould be transformed into a the feel of a French farmhouse, which was another attraction for us.’ The family were living in an Edwardian house in a village nearby and so were familiar with the location.

‘We wanted to stay in the area, and this house is perfect as it is only minutes away from main road links, but is nestled in its own woodland and farmland, making you think you are miles away from it all,’ says Sarah.

The family bought the house in 2010 and stayed in their previous home until the renovations were complete. In the summer of 2012, with all major work finished, they were able to move in.

‘Looking back over those two years, we realise just how big a task it was, but of course well worth all the effort.’ says Sarah. ‘We began the new design by stripping back to find some lovely original features: the large stone lintels on every floor and also all the stone fireplaces. We started at the top of the house, designing the children’s bedrooms, with their bathroom positioned in the middle. Then we continued working our way down through the house to the cellar. The farmhouse has a rare and beautiful stone spiral staircase, which had been partially blocked off by a previous owner, but we opened it right up, restoring it to its original state.’

Most internal walls in the farmhouse were exposed stone, but Sarah and Jeremy wanted a lighter feel and chose to plaster large areas throughout the house ready for painting. ‘We added rooflights, too, which have made a huge difference,’ says Sarah. The property has another surprising original feature – its own well, with water coming from a spring on the farm. ‘The water has a wonderful, pure taste,’ says Sarah.

The couple decided to keep the colours muted and soft to encourage flow from one room to another, adding a pop of colour where necessary to enliven a room and create a focal point. ‘We 78 Period Living

wanted to work with the house, deciding what we liked about its original features and highlighting them to maximum effect,’ explains Sarah. ‘Too many features can compete, so choosing the ones to enhance is important. For example, I painted most of the beams white to improve light and to give the ceilings the appearance of greater height.’

Sarah has successfully mixed new and old furniture around the house. ‘I think the best way to achieve a modern feel in a period property is to experiment with colour and not to be afraid of combining varying styles,’ she says. ‘Vintage and contemporary can look fantastic together.’

Buying secondhand and upcycling pieces of furniture is something Sarah enjoys. ‘I often buy vintage items from Ebay, and with a coat of paint or a new piece of fabric, give them a fresh look and get them back in use. I think the interior of a house looks more interesting with a collection of different styles,’ she adds. ‘We have just redecorated one of the guest rooms and I painted the existing chest of drawers and mirror. I am pleased with the results – they really enhance the room.’

It was her interest in interiors and home accessories for the farmhouse that inspired Sarah to start her own business. ‘My background is in nursing, but after having the children I decided to set up an online business to promote and sell artisan work. I joined forces with a friend, Fiona Hosking, and we started to sell beautiful items by craftspeople, designers and artists.’

The Colebrooke family are loving life in their Oxfordshire home. The sympathetically renovated interior has created the idyllic country lifestyle they were looking for. ‘We love the way this Frenchstyle farmhouse sits in the English countryside – low, bold and strong, relaxed and grand all at the same time,’ says Sarah. ‘It handles family life, come sunshine or snow, just handsomely.’

THE STORY Owners Sarah and Jeremy Colebrooke live here with their children, Jack, 17, Olivia, 15, and Charlie, 13. They have two Dachshunds, Digger and Twiglet, and Cap, a Border collie. Jeremy works in the Biotech industry and Sarah co-runs an online homeware, gifts and accessories company, presentlocker.com Property A seven-bedroom detached stone-built farmhouse, set in 550 acres of farmland, with outstanding views across Oxfordshire What they did The couple spent two years stripping back the property to restore its original features. Opening up the unusual spiral stone staircase was a particular challenge. Interior walls were plastered, beams were painted and rooflights installed to add more light

Renovated Farmhouse

Above: The original flagstone floor had to be lifted and stored until the building was complete. It was then relaid two years later in the final stages of renovation. The kitchen cabinetry is from John Nicholls, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath, with a classic Aga fitted into a huge inglenook space. The modern bar stools are from Argos

Below left: Sarah in the garden with Border collie Cap and Dachshund Digger Below right: Sarah and Jeremy fell in love with the Oxfordshire farmhouse, even though it needed a lot of renovation work to make it habitable

Renovated Farmhouse

Soft, muted tones in the drawing room give a calm and comfortable feel. The glass cabinet was a vintage find; for similar, try The Old Pill Factory, and for a similar sofa, try Laura Ashley. The large mirror is from John Lewis, the hand-mounted deer antlers are from presentlocker.com, and the footstool is from Alison at Home

Above: The pale tones continue in Sarah and Jeremy’s elegant bedroom.

For a similar bed and bedside cabinets, try John Lewis. The throw and floor cushion are both from presentlocker.com.

For similar chairs, try The French Bedroom Company

Below left: Olivia’s bedroom has a nostalgic feel. The bed is from John Lewis, with bedlinen by Cath Kidston, the throw is from Jacaranda UK, and the rug is from Ikea Below: Simplicity is key in the bathroom, with a vintage chair and all-white accessories

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Free Teapigs gift set when you subscribe This month, when you subscribe to Period Living for just £39 you will also receive a Dachshund mug and Darjeeling Earl Grey tea gift pack*, worth £11.50 ABOUT YOUR FREE GIFT Made from fine bone china, this charming Dachshund mug features an exclusive illustration that makes it the perfect complement to Teapigs’ award-winning Darjeeling Earl Grey tea temples.

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Classic Townhouse

Full of character and style, townhouses also possess idiosyncrasies that can make interior design a challenge. Jack Laver Brister, who comes from a long line of antiques dealers, beautifully overcame every obstacle with his 18th-century home Words Ros Byam Shaw | Photographs Jan Baldwin Š Ryland Peters & Small

tion di

ily t m a f ra A

Left: Standing with your back to the fireplace, there is a view into the entrance hall, where a section of 19th-century French panelling with an integral mirror reflects the room, and the sitting room behind it. Jack and Richard have resisted the temptation to knock these rooms through, reasoning that they would lose precious wall space if they did. The matting rug is from Ikea

Left: Wreathed in wisteria, the front door with its canopied porch is more cottage than townhouse, even though the steps lead straight to the pavement.

The terrace of houses continues to the right of the front door, but ends abruptly to its left, where the adjoining house was demolished to give access to later buildings behind

Previous page: The back room is painted dark brown (Farrow & Ball’s London Clay) and furnished with a few of the mid-century modern pieces favoured by Richard. The red armchair on the right was one of many made to a design

by Lord Snowdon for the investiture of The Prince of Wales in 1969 and is, says Jack, very uncomfortable. The Poole Pottery vase on the table was bought at a car boot sale, and the large piece of David Hicks carpet was retrieved from a skip

Instagram unt, gardener ntiques dealer ver Brister calls radchap’. He ber exactly with this y,’ he says, a stuffy way.’ s house in the small market town of Frome, is furnished with antiques typical of the English country house, its sash windows hung with curtains in frayed silk damask and old glazed chintz. Jack collects 18th and early 19th century china, and has an eye for large portraits of the ancestral variety. There are Staffordshire dogs standing on the dining room mantelpiece, and geraniums on the windowsills.

What is less traditional is that this is the home of a man only just out of his twenties. If you were to meet Jack and his partner Richard Mawes in a pub, you might guess that they were going back to a flat in Stepney with Ikea shelves and a serious sound system. Richard admits to a liking for mid century modern, but Jack’s decorating heroes are John Fowler and David Mlinaric. They both love old houses. Richard is a conservation building surveyor, and Jack comes from a long line of West Country auctioneers and antiques dealers his parents have an antiques shop near Somerton. ³

Classic Townhouse

Although it is the same diminutive size as the back living room, the living room at the front retains the feel of a ‘best’ room, with its marbled fireplace, dado rail and cornice.

As well as several large pieces of antique furniture, it is home to some of Jack’s extensive collection of late 18th- and early 19th-century china, displayed on original fitted shelving to the right of the fireplace

‘We saw the particulars for this house online, more than a year before we bought it,’ says Richard. ‘It was our dream house – near the centre of town, and with all its period features.’ As is so often the case with dream houses, its price was slightly out of reach. But it didn’t sell, despite its charm, so when eventually they made an offer, it was accepted.

Before the previous owner modernised, the basement had been used as a lawnmower workshop, a fate that probably helped to preserve its old fittings. Jack and Richard were delighted to find the brackets with eyelets through which bell wires were still threaded in place in the ceilings. ‘It’s amazing to think that people in a house like this would have had a servant,’ says Jack. Other relics of a past when labour was plentiful and cheap are the brick copper water heater in the corner of the basement front room and, next to it, a cast-iron range, complete with its tap: ‘hot water and a washing machine – all mod cons’.

Richard and Jack use this room as a dining room, and the original scullery has been knocked through and is now the kitchen. On the floor above, the two reception rooms have fireplaces that seem disproportionately large. The front room, always the ‘best’ room, is further embellished by dado and picture rails. Up another flight of stairs and there is a bedroom at the front and a smaller bathroom at the back. Up again, and there is an attic bedroom. It’s ideal accommodation for two, 90 Period Living

but slightly cramped by modern standards for a family and children, plus servant.

Although the house retained much of its original fabric, some of the period atmosphere had been dampened by white paint and wall-to-wall carpeting.

The first thing they did on moving in was to ditch the carpet. Underneath, the floorboards prickled with nails and staples, and in some places were tacky with tar-like glue that had been used to stick down linoleum. There were also faded lines of wood stain marking out where, over the years, rugs had been placed. Nails, staples and tar had to go, but they left rug shadows. ‘I like that lived-in, worn look that reveals the history of a room,’ says Jack.

With his knowledge of antiques, Jack takes responsibility for furnishings – many of which he found by trawling through Ebay, and also at markets and from auctions. He is adept at spotting and rescuing things. The carved oak side table that has been converted to make a base for the bathroom washbasin was covered in thick white gloss paint and had been dumped in a recycling centre, and the piece of David Hicks carpet in the ground-floor back room was found in a skip.

Gardening, which is Jack’s work four days a week, has also proved decoratively fruitful. The yellow silk curtains in the bedroom were being thrown out by one of his clients because their leading edges had shredded due to sun damage.

Jack turned them and now the damaged edges ³

Above: The old pine table is almost the only piece of furniture that would once have been at home in this basement kitchen. Chairs are a selection of mismatched 18th-century dining chairs, and the low-hanging chandelier and silver candlesticks are far too grand for such a humble space.

Inappropriate though they are, the effect of this mix of the formal and informal, the rustic and the sophisticated, is charming

Classic Townhouse

The basement was originally two rooms, a kitchen at the front and a scullery at the back. These have been knocked into one and the scullery is now the kitchen. The room has one small, high window onto the rear courtyard. A strategically placed mirror propped in the rebate helps to reflect more light into the room

Above: This is the only room in the house with wallpaper: Raphael by Sandberg. ‘We thought we could allow ourselves to be a bit more wacky in here,’ says Jack. He found the carved oak base of the washbasin in a recycling centre, coated with thick white gloss paint.

He already had a piece of old marble, which was cut to fit the top Below: This first-floor bedroom is bigger than either reception room, as it spans the front of the house.

Richard chose the colour scheme, a soft pink for the walls (Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball), matched with a sludgy grey-green (Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back) for woodwork ‘to knock back the prettiness’.

The bed head and hangings are in vintage chintz by GP & J Baker, bought at auction. Through the door there is a view of the stairs leading up to the single attic bedroom, the decoration of which is currently a work in progress

hang like intricately slashed Tudor sleeves at the outer ends of the curtain pole.

Wear and tear is welcomed. Much of the china is cracked, chipped, or mended. ‘I couldn’t afford such nice stuff if I bought it perfect,’ says Jack. ‘And I love the old mends where they have used metal rivets. It shows that a piece was treasured.’ Nor is he averse to cobbling things together or chopping them up. The kitchen dresser is a ‘marriage’ of two separate pieces, and the 18th-century linen press in the dining room has had its back removed so that it sits in front of the gas and electricity meters and fuse box and hides them. The walnut-veneer wardrobe in the main bedroom had to be sawn in half in order to get it up the stairs.

Richard’s contribution is colour. His choices are subtle, and contribute to the slightly Dickensian feel of this old-fashioned, urban cottage. The hall and stairs are dark grey, almost black – counter-intuitive for these confined spaces that are already short on natural light. ‘The darkness makes a great foil for all the pictures,’ he says, ‘and I think it also gives an illusion of space.’ In the bedroom, a very soft, shell pink is offset by woodwork in a neutral tone halfway between grey and khaki ‘in order to knock back the prettiness of the pink’. The front room is in the same neutral, the back room a rich brown.

Only the basement rooms and ceilings are still white.

Dark colours give an illusion of space and, as any professional decorator will tell you, so do large pieces of furniture – of which there are several, including the basement linen press, and the bedroom wardrobe. Big pieces help to ballast all the smaller stuff, and are crucial to the balance of rooms that are as full as these. Strategically placed mirrors also play their light- and space-expanding part, not just the ground-floor overmantels, but a mirror in the rebate of the small kitchen window that nearly doubles the light, and a section of French mirrored panelling placed in the hall such that it reflects a view into both front and back rooms.

It won’t be long before someone asks Jack to help them decorate their house – and perhaps Richard will chip in with ideas for paint colours.

Reader offer This is an edited extract from Perfect English Townhouse

by Ros Byam Shaw (£30, Ryland Peters & Small). PL readers can buy it for the special price of £25, including UK postage and packaging. To order, please call Macmillan Direct on 01256 302699 and quote NT4.

HOUSE j ur al Discover the latest products to improve your period home and pick up top tips from leading industry experts

INDUSTRIAL ELEMENT For a rustic, reclaimed look, the new Maria Banjo wall light from Urban Cottage Industries features a raw steel balloon cage, and can be used for up or down lighting thanks to its handy 180-degree rotation feature. Handcrafted in the UK, the lights are available with a choice of compatible bulb, from £168.

Jewelled opulence Featuring creative glaze techniques, jewel like colours and a metallic lustre, the New Terracotta tiles from Domus embrace the current trend for luxury with a handcrafted edge. Subtle shade variations, irregular lines and small imperfections mean that no two tiles are the same. Choose from 46 colours, nine finishes and 11 shapes and sizes, all made-to-order, from £195 per m2.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Feature Karen Bray

Bring the outside in with Little Greene’s Asterid wallpaper in Lantern, from the Archive Trails II collection.

A reinterpretation of a fine 20thcentury illustrative painting, the design represents the high-society trend for handpainted murals, the precursor to commercial wallpapers.

The detail of the original painting will breathe life into your interior, £205 per roll.

If you’re renovating or extending, then don’t miss the Homebuilding & Renovating Show, taking place 22-25 March at the NEC Birmingham.

Discover a range of seminars, products for your project and expert advice. Open 10am-5pm daily, visit national.homebuildingshow.co.uk Period Living 95

ASK THE EXPERT Douglas Kent, technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, answers your renovation queries

HERITAGE DESIGN

Q Linear inspiration Drawing on the subjects of recent London art exhibitions, Roger Oates has launched The Gallery Collection. Hayward (named after the gallery of the same name) takes its design from American painter Agnes Martin’s geometric grid drawings, which were exhibited at the Tate Modern in 2015.

Shown here in Prussian, this graduated pin-stripe works perfectly as a runner, £127 per m.

UTILITY CHIC

Get organised in time for spring with the Chichester Laundry range from Neptune. Designed with beauty and versatility in mind, this collection of spacesaving solutions includes storage baskets, broom and appliance cupboards, as well as (shown below) a peg hook wall shelf, from £240, and a tall airing cupboard with built-in rail and drying rack, £1,680.

FORTIES FINESSE With its streamlined masculine feel, the new collection of Morris taps and fittings from Devon & Devon will evoke a fresh 1940s feel in your bathroom. Particular emphasis has been paid to the design of the handles, which feature black or white ceramic tops in a cylindrical, flared shape.

Shown here in chrome, the tap is also available in new finishes such as black nickel, rose gold or bronze, as well as standard light gold and polished nickel. The Morris three-hole deck-mounted basin tap with an extended spout costs from around £889.

96 Period Living

* If you have a renovation question for Douglas Kent, email it to periodliving@futurenet.com. We do our best to answer all queries, but cannot guarantee a response

TV presenter and Alison at Home founder Alison Cork has collaborated with Victorian Plumbing to create three new bathroom collections. For period drama with a dash of glamour, PL loves the timeless Heritage Elegance range.

Double-ended roll-top bath, £419; traditional basin and pedestal, £139; high-level toilet, £399; heated towel rail and valves, £209; wall mirror, £129.

The living room floor of our late-17th-century cottage is uneven, with some old flagstones and patches of concrete.

We think the flags have been laid directly onto the earth, and we’ve recently lifted the damp-proof membrane to find damp patches.

Is there a way of levelling the floor and incorporating a dampproof or thermal solution?

Undulations add interest to old floors so unless they’re dangerous are best left and not ironed out.

Isolated uneven stones can be rebedded in coarse sand or hydraulic lime mortar, or missing areas reinstated without re laying the whole floor, although any concerns about instability in the subfloor should be investigated/ rectified first. Slight undulations can be reduced by laying suitable matting to avoid disturbing a floor.

Most old floors were laid directly onto earth or chalk. It sounds as if a modern, plastic damp proof membrane (DPM) has been laid over your floor, which is inadvisable as it prevents the old stone floor ‘breathing’, trapping moisture in the flags. As with inserting a DPM below flags, it can also displace moisture into the base of a dry adjacent wall by restricting evaporation.

Instead, if a floor is genuinely damp, aim to tackle the cause by removing any rubber backed carpets, improving drainage or controlling condensation. Allow the floor time to dry out. Residual salt deposits can be brushed off or poulticed out, but if you do decide to lift the old floor, take great care to re lay it on a new base with insulation. Damage to the original flags is inevitable, but choose a ‘breathable’ material like insulated lime concrete, which is generally laid without a DPM.

Kitchen Design

THE HEART OF THE HOME Replacing the kitchen is one of the biggest and most important investments you can make in a period property, so it pays to take the time to get the design right

Bespoke kitchen from Martin Moore’s English collection, with cabinetry painted in Fired Earth’s Bone White, and Moon White granite worktops.

From £35,000

D

esigning a new kitchen can be an emotional experience. As the room in the home that feeds the family and where members of the household gather each day, it’s important to get it right, which creates a lot of expectation; but success involves a large amount of expense, upheaval and stress. This is why, if you’re planning to live in your home for the foreseeable future, it makes sense to not skimp and to invest wisely, to create a kitchen that will serve you well for years to come.

Getting the space right How you intend to use the finished space should shape the whole design. Do you want it to be a dedicated cook’s kitchen, with other areas kept separate? Or would you prefer a kitchen-diner, perhaps with a relaxing living ‘zone’?

If your current kitchen isn’t large enough to include all the elements you want, you need to look at ways to gain more space. Often the easiest route is to knock through to an adjoining dining or reception room to create a large kitchen-diner; however, this isn’t suitable for all period homes, and you will need to hire a structural engineer to see if the wall is suitable for removing and, if so, what support will be required. Alternatively, you could consider swapping the kitchen with another, larger room, although that will involve work and expense to relocate services. The last option is to extend the house, usually into the garden. See planningportal.co.uk for planning rules.

Which style?

A classic Shaker design – with doors made up of a flat central panel surrounded by a raised square frame – suits most homes, grand or humble, and can be made to feel modern or traditional with the choice of finishes. More intricate raised and fielded panelled doors – where a central ‘raised’ panel is ‘fielded’ (held in place) by the frame – teamed with moulded details, create a sense of grandeur befitting Georgian or larger Victorian homes.

Tongue-and-groove-style doors or end panels suit coastal and Scandinavian-inspired designs, while minimalist, handleless units can be used to create a beautiful contemporary contrast in a rustic shell.

Original features, such as posts and beams, alcoves and chimneybreasts can present a challenge, but if you work with, rather than against them, the end result will be more characterful. This might involve a bespoke design and influence materials, such as matching oak worktops to beams. If you have ornate mouldings, avoid competing with them, and offset them with crisp wall cupboards.

Bear in mind that walls in older homes are rarely straight, meaning new square cabinets may not line up perfectly, and need extra care when installing. ³ 100 Period Living

Top: Smallbone of Devizes’ bespoke Brasserie kitchen features bands of timber, with joinery selected for its attractive knots and individual variations. Prices from £45,000 Above: Sherwood MDF cabinetry with Charcoal and Bone White painted wood-effect PVC finish, from around £2,150, Benchmarx Right: Bespoke oak and handpainted kitchen with polished granite worktops and island fitted with gas hob and prep sink. Cabinetry starts from around £25,000 at Rencraft

Kitchen Design

Left: Solid oak Shaker-style in-frame kitchen painted in Purbeck Stone, with oak super stave worktops, from £20,000, Naked Kitchens Above: Fired Earth’s Bastide kitchen, shown in Bamiyan Blue, has a slightly distressed look for a country feel. Handcrafted in France from oak using traditional joinery techniques, prices start from £15,000 Below: Churchwood’s tulipwood kitchens are completely made to measure and can be finished in a paint shade of your choice. Prices start from £20,000 for furniture only

Above left: Neptune’s Suffolk kitchen is made using tulipwood, plywood and oak, and is available in a range of paint finishes.

A 60cm base cabinet costs £765 Above: Devol’s classic Shaker painted wood cabinetry in Lead and Trinity Blue.

A 60cm base cabinet costs £600 Left: Cooke & Lewis Carisbrooke kitchen in Taupe, made from MDF and ash, from £2,150, B&Q

How much should I spend?

You can spend as little as £2,000-£3,000 on an off-the-shelf kitchen. This would encompass flatpack MDF cabinetry with standard white or wood-look carcasses hidden behind moulded doors. As the doors dictate the look, you should consider spending more on these, perhaps even opting for solid wood.

A handmade solid hardwood kitchen is a much more desirable option for a characterful period home, and usually comprises in-frame cabinetry, where the door sits flush inside the unit, but can be very expensive, with prices starting from about £12,000, going up to and over £35,000. A good middle ground is a bespoke solid pine or MDF in-frame kitchen, painted to look like hardwood, which will cost in the region of £3,000 to £8,000.

Ensure you budget enough for the installation, which can cost around £1,000, any electrics and plumbing work, as well as appliances and finishes such as tiles and worktops.

swing-out corner shelves and pull-out sections to ensure everything is comfortably accessible.

A larder cupboard is a brilliant addition for storing all your food – consider fitting one side by side with an American-style fridge-freezer, to keep the majority of storage to one wall and cutting down on cupboards on other walls.

Cramming units in wall to wall can make the space feel cramped. Instead, break up runs of wall units with open shelving, plate racks, or use glass-fronted cabinets for display pieces.

If you have the space, you should include a central or peninsular island. Not only do they create a lot of extra storage, but they are brilliant for informally dividing up an open-plan space, and allowing the cook to be sociable. An island can be a freestanding piece of furniture, which adds to the character of a period home, or built in, which allows for it to be fitted with appliances such as a hob or dishwasher, and also to include a sink.

Working with a designer What to include in the kitchen Above all else, a kitchen needs to be practical and functional. Key to this is to include enough storage, which must be tailored to your own requirements.

Invest in smart interior fixings, such as carousels,

Whether an interior designer or kitchen designer, it’s sensible to work with a professional to help you get the most out of your new space and stick to your budget. They will also be able to spot potential issues you may have missed, and offer ³ Period Living 103

Above: Harvey Jones’ solid wood Arbor kitchen mixes classic Shaker style with more detailed design and can be finished in any colour, from £18,000 Above right: Ikea’s Bodbyn doors in grey offer a classic Scandinavian-inspired look. A 60cm base cabinet costs £60 Right: Ashton kitchen made from ash in a mix of Graphite, Off Cream and White painted finishes. From £15,000, Crown Imperial

solutions. Many showrooms include this service in the overall cost of the kitchen.

Along with a measured survey of the space, they will need a wishlist of all the elements you would ideally like to feature in the finished design so they can understand your ideas. Give them as much information as possible, and include visuals.

Finishing touches Worktops, sinks, taps, door ironmongery, tiles and other decorative elements can make or break the look of a kitchen, so don’t skimp on the finishes.

As well as looking good, your worktop material needs to be durable. Solid wood and granite are the most popular options for period homes, and can complement each other when used together – for example, a granite island and wood elsewhere.

Tiles vary hugely in price depending on whether you are going for a stylish but simple option, such as a metro design, or characterful handmade tiles.

You don’t have to fill every wall with tiles, and can instead opt for a statement design over the cooker, for example, and use worktop upstands elsewhere.

A ceramic Belfast or butler sink is the classic choice for a period home. Reclaimed versions are highly prized, but will need some TLC before they can be fitted to remove stains.

104 Period Living

There is a wide choice when it comes to taps.

Swan-neck designs are practical and lend classic elegance. Bridge taps are more ornate, while bib or pillar taps are less practical than mixer taps, but lend a simple, retro look.

Finally, make sure your appliances are inkeeping with the scheme. A classic range cooker is the perfect heart of the kitchen, and modern designs are more practical than their predecessors.

Lighting the space It’s important to have a good mix of ambient and task lighting in a kitchen. Firstly, look at all options for increasing daylight from as many directions as possible, including rooflights, French, sliding or bi-fold doors that open onto the garden.

Ensure you plan for enough light fittings early on. Recessed spotlights are a popular option, but in period homes there is not always enough space in the ceiling void. Ask an electrician for advice.

If you plan to use the space for dining or relaxing, wire fixtures on different circuits so they can be turned on separately, and include dimmable lamps.

Use the opportunity to fit low-energy and LED lighting, which is more environmentally friendly, and although more expensive upfront, will save you money in the long run.

Stone Flooring

10 OF THE BEST STONE FLOORS Whether imbued with characterful veins or textured undulations, stone is a timeless flooring choice for period properties. From tumbled limestone to honed marble, take a look at our pick of the latest formats and finishes, including man-made designs Feature Andréa Childs

Reclaimed stone will create a truly unique floor, but the irregular colours and thicknesses of historic flagstones can create challenges for modern homes. Companies such as Lapicida source and restore native stone, selecting a spectrum of colour and custom-cutting the flags to create regularly sized pieces. The floor shown here is made from reclaimed 17th-century English Pennine sandstone, and is priced £354 per m2. ³

Left: Light fossil accents bring subtle pattern and veining to this Castile soft tumbled limestone from Beswick Stone, £38.40 per m2. The honeyed colours work particularly well in oak-frame buildings, where the mellow tones of each material beautifully complement each other.

Below left: With its dense structure and rich detail, granite combines strength with beauty. Mandarin Stone’s Oceanus Flamed brushed granite is exposed to intense heat to add texture, then brushed to soften and smooth. From £57.60 per m2.

Bottom left: Create variety within a scheme by using the same stone cut into different size and shaped tiles. This Westhampton Marble from Fired Earth is available in basketweave and hexagon designs, plus dado and skirting tiles, as well as simple rectangles. The edges are diamond sawn and the surface softly polished for a flawless finish, £114 per m2.

Below: Hardwearing and naturally stain resistant, limestone is a smart choice for hallways. The surface of these Brushed Charcoal tiles has a mix of smooth and textured areas, giving a naturally distressed finish like they have been laid for centuries, £44 per m2 from Floors of Stone.

Stone Flooring

Limestone is softer than other natural stones such as marble and granite, developing a patina and history over the years. You don’t have to wait a century for a period look, however – these limestone flags have been distressed to create an aged finish, bringing a timeless feel to modern floors, priced £57.60 per m2 from Indigenous. ³

Above left: Transform your hallway with the rustic finish of these handmade terracotta tiles from Original Style’s Earthworks range.

The rough-edged clay comes in warm tones of orange, red and yellow and needs to be sealed to protect the porous surface, £69.96 per m2.

Above right: The gloss and gleam of slate brings an air of luxury to a space – even one as functional as a boot room. Porcelain versions are more affordable than natural quarried slate, although both are strong and long-lasting. These Black Rock Slate porcelain floor tiles cost £57.70 per m2 from Marlborough Tiles.

Left: A supersized herringbone pattern brings style and energy to a modern bathroom. This textured luxury vinyl flooring replicates the look and feel of real stone, yet it’s warm to the touch and can be used with underfloor heating. Luxury vinyl tiles are also cut into individual tiles, allowing more flexibility when it comes to pattern and design than cushion vinyl. This Silt design from the Amtico Form collection costs from around £55 per m2.

Below: The rich blue and rust tones of these Indas Rust porcelain tiles, £39.99 per m2 from Topps Tiles, are produced using inkjet technology to create an authentic slate effect.

The Reclaimer

Salvage and soak Nick Cowen from Antique Bathrooms of Ivybridge explains the benefits of investing in a reclaimed and restored cast-iron bath Top of the tubs…

A usable and practical ‘antique’, a reclaimed and restored cast iron bath can add wow factor to a period bathroom. Old baths are much deeper and generally more comfortable than modern versions so you can really relax in an authentic roll top tub. People often say that cast iron baths are cold, but like a cast iron radiator, once the heat is in the bath it should retain it. Therefore, I suggest you put the water in your bath first, leave it for five minutes, then adjust the temperature before getting in.

Historical designs…

Although people often refer to roll top baths as Victorian, most were actually mass produced during the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, Britain was known for its ironworks, and every major town had an iron foundry, making all manner of products, including cast iron baths. Made from the mid 1800s, these early iron baths were ‘japanned’ with a heavy lead paint, and were pretty rough. If you find a bath without enamel on it which came in around 1890 then it is a very old bath, probably 1880 or earlier. From around 1900, only the rich tended to have baths in their big country houses. For the masses, if and when they had a bath usually weekly or monthly it was in a tin tub in front of the fire!

What to look for…

Most cast iron roll top baths date from between 1910 and 1940, but all of them are a bit different as they came from each town’s foundry.

Like today, most baths are from 1.6 to 1.8 metres long, but the width and design straight sided or tapered (narrow at the feet end) and with plain or patterned feet can change quite dramatically. English baths usually have the tap holes already created, whereas French ones do not. French baths also tend to be shorter and deeper than English ones and are often ‘double

Feature Karen Bray

What to pay…

French baths fetch a premium: unrestored they cost between £200£500; restored and ready to fit, from £1,500 to £2,500 plus. Unrestored English baths cost between £30 and £150, but this depends on how ‘pretty’ they are. Restored, you can expect to pay between £750 and £2,000.

ended’ – in other words, for two people to bathe together. You can find unrestored baths in reclamation yards, in private adverts and nowadays on Ebay and Gumtree, for example.

What to avoid…

Always check to see if the bath has been restored or resurfaced before. If the surface is flaking then it will need to be stripped and sanded again, which will entail extra work and, of course, extra cost. The general cost to resurface a bath is from £300 up to £700 plus, but beware of the quick and cheap half-day spray job, which in our experience tends not to last. Aim to use someone who comes recommended, who has been around for a long time and has a good track record.

The outsides of the bath can be quite rough, but this is easily disguised with suitable paints.

Water-based paints are not recommended; you need to use oil-based versions, such as satinwood or eggshell for the exterior.

Restoration…

Restoring an original cast-iron bath is not something that happens overnight, but takes around four weeks to complete. Each section of the process has to cure thoroughly before the next stage. Like any form of decorating, preparation is key, and calls for old-fashioned craftsmanship, care and attention to detail.

First of all, the bath’s exterior is stripped, and the feet stripped back to the bare metal to remove existing paint and any rust deposits. A metal primer is then attached, and the interior is etched, providing a key for the primer in the original vitreous enamel. Imperfections in the bath’s surface are repaired and any modifications, such as the relocation of tap holes, carried out.

An epoxy primer is applied and left to cure for 48 hours. After this time the primer finish is prepared for the special mid coat, which is applied, and left to cure for a further 48 hours.

The mid coat is prepared in readiness for the top coat, a polyurethane-based enamel that is applied, and the curing process repeated. The enamel is then hand-sanded and mechanically polished to give a smooth, high-gloss finish.

The exterior can then be completed with another coat of metal primer and, if required, two coats of colour of your choice. The bath is then waxed and wrapped in readiness for delivery or collection.

From above: Nick Cowen in the yard; an original cast-iron roll-top bath ready for restoration, ‘Drake’ does not have tap holes or an overflow, £950, Antique Bathrooms of Ivybridge; this castiron enamelled roll-top antique bath with soap dish and classical feet is of sound construction but requires total restoration, coming complete with Shanks & Co taps, waste and integrated column waste, £650, English Salvage; a single-ended Victorian roll top with plinth in need of re-enamelling, £780, Authentic Reclamation

Maintenance

HOME HEALTH CHECK:

Timber beams and frames Often the integral framework of period properties, and an aesthetic feature adorning many ceilings, timber beams must be treated with care and attention to ensure their longevity Words Roger Hunt

T

imber beams add considerable beauty and character to many old buildings, but it’s worth remembering that they are also a vital structural component, often jointed together to form the ‘skeleton’ of a house. If not properly cared for, timber beams are vulnerable to decay and damage, which may spoil both their appearance and, more importantly, their ability to support the loads they were designed to carry.

Ancient timber frames may be hidden behind plasters and renders and, in many buildings, timber lintels are concealed in walls above windows and doors. When problems are suspected or repairs or alterations planned, you should seek the advice of a surveyor or structural engineer who has a good understanding of buildings of a similar age and of a similar type.

Warning signs Structural problems resulting from decay, alterations and inappropriate repairs are the major concerns with beams and timber framing.

Illustration Sarah Overs

What to look for: O Timber in contact with moisture

Material facts Timber frames were prefabricated and, to ensure that they could be reassembled correctly, they were scribed with a modified form of Roman numerals known as ‘carpenters’ marks’. Sections were jointed together and held in place with wooden pegs.

TIMBER: Due to its durability and strength, oak was generally used in early timber-frame buildings. It was used soon after felling when it was still ‘green’ and easy to work.

WATTLE: To close the gaps in a timber-frame structure, infill panels were inserted. These were formed from interlaced rods and twigs of hazel or willow coated with daub.

DAUB: Clay, chopped straw, sand, and lime are common constituents of daub, with animal hair frequently added to help counteract shrinkage as the clay dried out. The surface was generally covered with lime plaster followed by a coat of limewash. Wattle and daub was often replaced with brick, which can cause problems because of its weight on the frame.

O Fungal attack and rot O Beetle infestation O Failing lintels and sagging beams O Structural movement and broken joints O Timbers cut or damaged during alterations ³ Period Living 115

Minimising damage

Cleaning and finishing

Never shot blast or sand beams as this is likely to destroy the surface of the timber as well as its original shape and texture. In the past, the structural integrity of timber was often assessed by ‘defrassing’, a highly destructive process that involved hacking off beetle-infested or rotten timber. Where an assessment is required to ascertain the structural integrity of a beam, non-destructive techniques are now available.

The simplest involve drilling into the timber with a fine drill bit, but specialist companies can undertake more accurate testing.

Beams can look ‘tired’ but remember, generally they have aged over many hundreds of years so have an attractive surface patina that is quickly lost by over-zealous cleaning or stripping.

Action: O Remove dirt and dust gently with a soft brush, damp cloth or vacuum cleaner, using the soft brush attachment.

O If a light sheen is desired, apply a thin coat of beeswax polish. Avoid using linseed oil which stays tacky, attracting dirt.

O Rather than staining new timber, let it darken and colour naturally so that it blends in.

Decayed timber Rot and beetle infestations often result from damp problems due to blocked gutters or downpipes, and high ground levels and incompatible modern materials, such as cement-rich renders and ‘plastic’ paints that trap moisture.

Action: O Test timber by prodding with a penknife – sound timber will resist penetration.

O Trace the source of moisture and rectify the problem.

O Always deal with the cause not the symptoms.

O Ensure the timber is allowed to dry out.

Chemical treatment is generally unnecessary to dry timber.

O Monitor affected areas to ensure the issue has been rectified.

Stripping paint Beams have frequently been painted in the past but think carefully before attempting to strip them as this can be destructive and is invariably time consuming, labour intensive and may not produce the desired result. Avoid using abrasive methods, including wire brushes.

Action: O Protect surrounding areas.

O Test a small inconspicuous area first.

O Apply chemical paint removers and scrape paint away. Avoid digging into the timber.

O Use peel away poultice systems to remove multiple paint layers.

O Hot air guns may be effective, but be aware of the risk of fire. Never use a blow torch.

Beetle infestation Signs of beetle attack are fairly common in old timber, although not necessarily a serious concern.

In many cases the insects are no longer active so no action is required.

Action: O Check the exit holes made by the beetles. If the walls are dark and dirty, the attack is likely to be historic. Clean, light-coloured holes are probably more recent.

O Look for fine dust or ‘frass’ where the insects have emerged through the holes as this may indicate an active infestation.

O If the timber is dry, chemical treatment should be unnecessary.

Timber repairs Never assume timber needs replacing. Beams were often larger than necessary so, even where there is some loss through decay or beetle infestation, they may be structurally sound.

Action: O Undertake repairs so the least amount of original timber is lost.

O Employ a good carpenter with an understanding of old timber frames.

O Use like-for-like materials and joint new and old sections using traditional methods.

O Strengthen failing joints with a metal strap bolted into place and made by a blacksmith.

116 Period Living

Useful contacts The Carpenters’ Fellowship timber framer database.

Tel: 01249782100; carpentersfellowship.co.uk Carpenter Oak & Woodland oak frames.

Tel: 01225 743089; carpenteroakandwoodland.com Decadet timber frame surveys. Tel: 07836 746520; decadet.co.uk Hutton & Rostron timber surveys. Tel: 01483 203221; handr.co.uk Liberon waxes and polishing products.

Tel: 01797 367555; liberon.co.uk Peelaway paint remover. Tel: 01179 600060; peelaway.co.uk Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) information and courses. Tel: 020 7377 1644; spab.org.uk Strippers Paint Removers manufacture of specialist paint removers. Tel: 01787 371524; stripperspaintremovers.com Traditional Oak Carpentry oak frame conservation and construction. Tel: 01449 768817; traditionaloakcarpentry.co.uk

Fl ow e

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With its striking Dandelion yellow print, this vibrantly designed 70s Flower toolbox from Orla Kiely will encourage you to keep all your gardening gear properly organised. Made from galvanised steel, with a hinged lid and removable tray, it’s practical too. £45, Cuckooland.

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Take a seat

GARDEN

Now spring is almost here, it’s time to think about garden seating. If you’re looking for a stylish modular design, then this weather-proof Walderton corner sofa set in rattan weave, £1,650 from Garden Trading, might just fit the bill. The coffee table is included.

This month pick up some gardening inspiration, add to your toolbox and update outdoor seating

DANISH DESIGN The sleek form of the Vivero watering can by Danish company AYTM will bring a hint of Scandi style to your gardening kit. £86 from Amara.

Feature Michelle Guy

BOOKSHELF Garden inspiration doesn’t have to come from the environment around you. In Dreamscapes: Inspiration and beauty in gardens near and far, by Claire Takacs, stunning photography of gardens from around the world will ignite your imagination or just give you an excuse to grab a cuppa and page turn with awe. Published by Hardie Grant Books, it’s priced £35.

DIG IT This elegantly designed stainlesssteel trowel by Sophie Conran for Burgon & Ball has handy curved backstops to stop soil spilling out. £18.99 at Dobbies.

Shopping Galvanised steel water butt made by artisan metal workers, from £595, Arthur Jack

Chaise longue garden bench made from sustainably sourced windfall oak, £954, Ed Brooks Furniture

Garden birds design jumbo storage bag, made from recycled bottles, £4.95, Dotcomgiftshop

Peat-free compost made from Herdwick wool and bracken, from £10.99, Dalefoot Composts

Branches fencing panel made from recycled metal, from £250, Stark & Greensmith

Bulb & Bloom compost bin, £16, Creative Tops

Revival textured throw made from recycled cotton off-cuts, £60, Helen Moore at Black by Design

THE ECO GARDENER We all want to feel like we’re doing our bit for the environment and what better way to start than in the garden? Handcrafted, recycled, upcycled – these eco-friendly finds will help you champion and embrace your outdoor space.

Star indoor/outdoor rug in Red/Ivory, from £81, and indoor/outdoor cushion, £68, made from recycled bottles, both Dash & Albert

Honey Honey chair made from 1950s cotton with sustainable ash frame, £795, Sunbeam Jackie

Verdi square planter made from FSC eucalyptus, £59, Cuckooland

Feature Michelle Guy

Reclaimed vegetable cart, £495, Ibbi Weatherproof clock/thermometer made from recycled paper packaging, £24.95, Ashortwalk Kew Gardens watercolour artwork printed on recycled pulp board using vegetable inks, £14, Studio Noodles at Not on the High Street Period Living 121

Gardens

Grow your own ORGANICALLY

Growing fruit, herbs and vegetables ecologically and organically is not only the best route to eating healthily, but also benefits wildlife and helps the natural balance of your garden. Here’s how to do it in five simple steps‌ Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

The organic kitchen garden at Wildwood, a private garden in Surrey open through the National Gardens Scheme, is a joyous jumble of produce, with towering artichokes, beans scrambling up poles and herbs fringing the beds

G

rowing your own produce organically gives you the peace of mind of knowing exactly what has gone into producing your food, without using man made chemicals and fertilisers. It also results in the freshest and tastiest fruit and vegetables possible. This doesn’t mean your garden fends for itself; rather you need to arm yourself with the knowledge to strengthen your plants’ health and use alternative ways of warding off pests. It may feel daunting to garden organically, but with these five main principles in mind you can foster a more natural, holistic ecosystem a good site, healthy soil, biodiversity, sustainable resources and avoiding chemicals.

EASY STEPS TO AN ORGANIC PLOT PREPARATION Select a sunny location – eight hours a day if possible, as most fruit and vegetables need plenty of light and heat to photosynthesise. If you only have part sun, there are still good options: lettuce, greens and some herbs. Ideally, you need a level, well-draining site protected from wind by hedging, windbreak or walls. Consider the practicalities of access to water, tools, compost, maintenance and harvesting. If it’s easy to regularly pop out and check on the crops or quickly harvest something to add to your meals, it will be a practical and useful addition to your garden. Be realistic about how much you can manage and the amount of produce you will eat. It’s best to start small so you don’t get disheartened and and give up. You can grow a lot of food in a small raised bed or pots.

PERFECT SOIL Abounding with nutrients and texture, and full of life, good soil is vital, especially with organic gardening. Healthy, fertile soil, with a good structure, allows plants to absorb water and nutrients, and encourages strong growth. Feed the soil with homemade compost, rotted manure or leaf mould. These bulky materials release nutrients slowly, improve soil conditions, and stimulate essential microorganisms. Growing green manures (plants that benefit the soil), such as Phacelia tanacetifolia, that also attract pollinating insects, is another organic technique for soil improvement.

Natural liquid feeds can help your plants in times of stress, mycorrhizal fungi improve root nutrition uptake, and worms aerate the soil and improve drainage. Finally, why not try the ‘No Dig’ method, using thick mulches to suppress weeds?

PLANTING It’s worth hunting out organically grown seeds and plants, as conventionally grown plants are often already loaded with pesticides and chemical fertilisers, or may be genetically modified – exactly the types of things you’re trying to avoid.

See our suggestions for organic nurseries and online suppliers, and look out for ‘organic’ labels at your local garden centre. As with all gardening, use the right plants in the right place, selecting strong, healthy plants that suit your conditions, and look for naturally disease-resistant varieties. It’s well 124 Period Living

worth doing some research so you have a clear understanding of the kind of care each crop needs.

Now you’ve sited your garden, amended the soil and selected your crops, it’s time to start planting and looking after your garden.

PREVENTION Pay attention to what your plants need, including watering the roots not the foliage, and stay vigilant so you catch pest and disease problems right away with regular inspections. Keeping your growing area in good health, rather than just pest and disease free, is at the heart of organic growing.

A diverse and vigorous growing system, good hygiene, and close observation all help prevent problems. You can suppress and control weeds naturally with a layer of bark mulch, composted straw or leaf mould, and removing any that pop up. Physical barriers, such as netting or cages, are a good idea to protect your ripening crops.

BIODIVERSITY Encourage a food chain balance to have wildlife work for you, from ladybirds eating greenfly to frogs devouring snails. Brightly coloured flowers will attract a wide variety of insects, and the more bees you attract to the garden, the more pollination and larger yields you’ll have. You can use biological controls for any pests. Remember to rotate your crops as this prevents build up of diseases in the soil, and keep an eye on the watering; you don’t want your plants stressed as this makes them vulnerable to attack.

Use companion planting to your garden’s advantage. Growing strongly scented plants beside your crops either confuses pests or attracts them away from your produce. For instance, marigolds will deter whitefly from your tomatoes and nasturtium will attract aphids away from the beans.

Did you know that certain crops help each other?

For example, plant a bed with sweetcorn, beans and squash together. Each plant provides natural shelter and protection for the other, while the large leaves of the squash plants shade the sweetcorn’s roots from sunlight. They also act as natural mulch by suppressing weeds and preventing moisture from evaporating from the soil’s surface. The tall corn stems provide a sturdy support for beans to climb up. In turn, the beans fix nitrogen into the soil.

Finally, organic gardening is not for the perfectionist you need to accept the odd nibbled leaf or imperfect looking fruit and vegetable.

COMPANION PLANTS O O O

BASIL deters whitefly on tomatoes and kale CHIVES deter aphids and carrot root fly FRENCH MARIGOLDS deter aphids and whitefly,

and attract hoverflies, whose larvae eat aphids; plant with tomatoes, aubergines and chillies O ROSEMARY deters carrot fly O SAGE confuses pests of brassicas and deters carrot fly O NASTURTIUM sacrificial crop, lures aphids away from beans and attracts beneficial insects O DILL – attracts hoverflies and wasps to eat aphids

Right: Espaliered apples and fringes of forgetme-nots and tulips frame neat rows of salad while decorative frames are in place ready for netting as the crops mature Below right: Opt for a glass greenhouse for an organic garden, rather than plastics or polycarbonates, as moisture will accumulate on the surface and drip down onto your plants

Gardens MINT AND SAGE repel slugs; plant with cabbages and lettuces O YARROW attracts ladybirds and hoverflies O FENNEL attracts hoverflies and ladybugs, which prey on aphids O LAVENDER attracts pollinators and deters aphids; plant with carrots and leeks O NETTLES – attract cabbage white butterflies, keeping them away from brassicas O

COMPOST RECIPE Penny Hemming, head gardener at Riverford Organic, offers this basic recipe for a nice, crumbly, rich-smelling, loose-textured compost within six months – a fantastic soil conditioner: Ingredients O 1/3 green material, such as stems, lawn clippings, kitchen waste, tea bags O 2/3 brown material, such as twigs, roots, straw, ashes, wood chippings O Air is important for decomposition, so start the heap with a load of broken branches O Don’t add cooked foods, diseased waste or weeds Method O Add ingredients in layers O Water occasionally O Cover to encourage build up of heat O Turn every few weeks Visit riverford.co.uk for organic inspiration.

HELPFUL WEBSITES GARDEN ORGANIC a good source for advice, organic seeds and plants. gardenorganic.org.uk

THE ORGANIC GARDENING CATALOGUE organiccatalogue.com

UNWINS SEEDS online organic vegetable seeds. unwins.co.uk

TAMAR ORGANICS seed and organic garden supplies. tamarorganics.co.uk ORGANIC PLANTS organicplants.co.uk WALCOT ORGANIC NURSERY – for fruit trees. walcotnursery.co.uk

KITCHEN GARDENS TO VISIT HAM HOUSE Historic house with formal gardens and organic kitchen garden. Provides produce for the café and aims to be as true to the 17th century as possible. Richmond upon Thames, Surrey TW10 7RS. Tel: 020 8940 1950; nationaltrust.org.uk AUDLEY END HOUSE AND GARDENS Organic garden; over 120 apple varieties. Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4JF. Tel: 0370 333 1181; english heritage.org.uk/ visit/places/audley end house and gardens THE SALUTATION HOTEL AND GARDEN Grade I-listed house by Edwin Lutyens with kitchen garden run on organic principles. Sandwich, Kent CT13 9EW. Tel: 01304 619919; the salutation.com ARUNDEL CASTLE Organic kitchen garden with peach house and vinery. Arundel, Sussex BN18 9AB. Open from 30 March to 28 Oct. Tel: 01903 882173; arundelcastle.org ³ Period Living 125

12 CROPS TO TRY (from top, left to right) ONIONS Easy to grow. Plant rows of onion sets in spring, in firm, well-drained soil in full sun. Prepare the soil in advance with well-rotted compost, as you don’t want a waterlogged heavy soil. Just remember to weed well. Ripened and ready for lifting by early to midsummer, store until early winter.

SQUASHES There are lots of different varieties – some summer, some winter.

Sow in spring outside where they are to grow. Thin seedlings and keep the soil moist. Keep an eye out for slugs. Can be grown in large containers.

ARTICHOKES Very easy to grow from seed in spring. They need a sunny, sheltered position in well-mulched soil. Not only are they delicious to eat, but the plants are spectacular with architectural silver foliage and large purple flowers if left unharvested. Give them plenty of room as they can spread to 1m.

FENNEL Considered both a vegetable and a herb, sow fennel seeds as soon as the soil can be worked early in the season.

Incorporate plenty of organic matter.

Fennel is not difficult to grow and is a popular addition to organic gardens because it attracts ladybugs, which are natural predators of some of the most insidious garden pests.

FIGS Plant against a warm, south-facing wall or in a container, standing on pot feet to prevent waterlog. Long-lived and needs sun to ripen the fruit. Figs are ripe when the stalk bends and the hanging fruit produces a droplet of sugar on the base.

PLUMS Not difficult to grow but need a warm, frost-free spot in well-drained, moisture-retentive soil. Mulch in mid spring and thin out young fruit to avoid laden branches breaking. Fallen fruit is adored by butterflies so leave them a few.

BLACKBERRIES Easy to grow, blackberries are low maintenance and abundant in fruit. Plant between November and March.

Water well in summer. Cut out the old

fruiting wood after harvesting and tie in new canes in autumn. Yield is heavier if planted near other different cultivar.

BLUEBERRIES Delicious, high in antioxidants and easy to grow in acidic compost. Ideally plant in a sunny, sheltered spot, though they are tolerant of shade.

Birds will also enjoy them so cover with a net as the fruits start to colour.

AUBERGINES Treat them much as you would growing tomatoes. Sow seeds in spring and place in a propagator or on a warm indoor windowsill. They need plenty of warmth, ideally in a greenhouse or cold frame. If you have a sunny, sheltered position you can grow them outside, and they are easily moved around if grown in a container.

CHIVES Cold hardy, but need well-drained soil. Both leaves and flowers are edible.

Sow seeds directly into the soil as soon as it is workable. Chives are also very easily transplanted in case you want to dig up the plants and move them to another area.

CHILLI PEPPERS Colourful and diverse, they are a favourite for growing in pots. The more controlled environment of a pot allows for easy weeding and watering. Most species of pepper respond well to sunlight and warm weather and attract relatively few pests.

BORAGE It is a useful annual herb for a sunny, sheltered spot, with delicate blue flowers that are a magnet for pollinators.

Easily grown from seed and spreads quite rapidly. The leaves have a mild cucumber flavour and can be eaten in salads and soups or brewed as a tea, while the flowers are edible as well, in salads or frozen in ice cubes to brighten up drinks (note, borage should not be eaten by pregnant women or nursing mothers).

Companion plant by tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes, good as a green manure, and also said to improve the flavour of strawberries.

NATUR AL HERITAGE Mary Caroe has continued and enhanced the beauty of her unique Arts and Crafts-style gardens, which include elements designed by Gertrude Jekyll Words and photographs Leigh Clapp

Gardens

KEY FACTS CHARACTER OF GARDEN An English Heritage-listed Arts and Crafts-style garden in a tranquil setting that includes a naturalistic woodland carpeted with spring bulbs, and a water garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. The garden blends natural and cultivated areas, and includes some formal and structural elements, including a stone pergola and clipped yew hedging SIZE The garden spans five acres, including the woodland ASPECT The main garden is east-facing, and spreads out on three sides from the house SOIL Originally heavy Wealden clay, the soil has been improved with compost over the years OWNER Mary Caroe and her late husband Martin inherited the property in 1969, which has been home to the Caroe family for around 110 years PERIOD OF HOUSE The property is Grade II* listed, with parts dating back to the 16th century, and 1907 additions by Arts and Crafts architect WD Caröe OPEN Mary’s garden at Vann, Hambledon, Surrey GU8 4EF is open on selected days through the National Gardens Scheme, including Sunday 25 March (11am– 5pm). Visit ngs.org.uk for more details. Also open every Wednesday, from 1 April to 30 June, and by appointment.

See vanngarden.co.uk for contact details

he peaceful atmosphere and feeling of timelessness pervades the senses as you wander the beautiful grounds at Vann in Hambledon, Surrey. With origins dating back to the 16th century, the house is certainly deserving of a special garden. The Arts and Crafts design, with elements created by renowned Edwardian horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll, perfectly befits the home’s architecture and its lovely setting, tucked away in the lanes of the Surrey Hills.

The property has been in the Caroe family for over a century, and when Mary and her late husband Martin inherited it in 1969, the garden was still very beautiful, its structure and hard landscaping intact. ‘The house is steeped in history; the most recent additions were from 1907 by my late husband’s grandfather, WD Caröe, the renowned ecclesiastical architect and a major figure in the Arts and Crafts movement,’ says Mary. ‘When we moved in, my husband was working in the family architecture practice and we had four young children, but we really enjoyed restoring the gardens. Martin had always been very interested in the garden, and I am sure he married me because I was a good weeder!’

Guiding the couple’s rejuvenation of the Grade II* listed garden was their desire to keep the spirit of the place and its illustrious pedigree. Weeds and brambles were cleared, the heavy Wealden clay improved with tonnes of compost, hedges reshaped and plants added.

Being true to the ethos of Jekyll and the Arts and Crafts movement was always in Mary’s mind as she restored the site. ‘I still garden in the quiet Jekyll manner, although using newer plants when we need to renew any, just as Jekyll would have done in her day,’ says Mary.

This is a timeless, subtle toned garden that sits comfortably against the mellowing timber frame house. It draws you in to wander the meandering paths, and explore its treasures, with seating dotted throughout, in both sunny and shady spots, to encourage quiet contemplation. Spreading out from the house, the garden extends to five acres and is divided loosely into different areas with yew hedges and structured beds. Close to the house the style is more formal, then extends out to the naturalistic wild ³ 130 Period Living

Top row, from left: A garden bench among the daffodils gives views over the water garden; a Magnolia soulangeana arches gracefully over the water Middle row, from left: Nodding hellebores catch the spring sunshine; Mary enjoys continuing the garden’s evolution; Narcissi have naturalised over the years among clumps of hellebores Bottom row, from left: Shimmering forsythia, a hardy deciduous shrub, has profuse vibrant yellow flowers in spring; pots of tulips mark the end of a path fringed with Helleborus orientalis

areas. Combining areas of enclosure – such as small paved courtyards – with open vistas, lends a classic charm to the garden.

In spring the scene is a meld of pastel blossom, from Magnolia stellata and soulangeana, fresh unfurling greens, carpets of soft yellow and glowing white narcissi under a canopy of skeletal branches, with just an occasional splash of intense colour from vibrant tulips, a crimson camellia or Chaenomeles japonica (flowering quince).

Ensuring there are plenty of tulips throughout the garden is important for Mary as her mother was Dutch, and she has enjoyed balancing her love of the more controlled style she remembers from her childhood with her love of a wilder garden.

A striking Bargate stone pergola, underplanted with lime-green euphorbias, nodding hellebores and spring bulbs, leads from the house to the large quarter-acre pond, from where the water cascades to a succession of small ponds. It feeds the unique water garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll, who in 1911 visited Vann from her nearby home of Munstead Wood.

Indeed, this is believed to be the only water garden Jekyll ever designed, laid out and planted, despite often writing about informal water gardens – so it is a real gem to be savoured and treasured.

Although Jekyll (1843-1932) is revered and well known today as one of the most important British landscape designers, in the 1970s there was little interest in her, and many of her gardens may have been lost over the years. By chance, Mary discovered more about her garden when a friend who worked in Godalming Library discovered a box full of Jekyll’s notebooks in a cupboard.

Spotting that one had Vann on the cover, she got in touch with Mary, who made copies of the pages about Vann, then returned the notebooks to the library.

The water garden proved to be the most challenging part of the garden to restore as it had been rather neglected, was covered in bindweed and ground elder and had silted up in places. It needed digging out and clearing, with many plants moved into the vegetable garden and then replanted using the plant list left by Jekyll, with the same or similar varieties. There are massed water-loving plants originally supplied by Jekyll and now increased and naturalised.

A surprising number of the 1,500 plants put in by Jekyll still survive in the garden, including the original 50 Fritillaria meleagris (snake’s head fritillary), now multiplied into drifts of hundreds, carpets of Caltha palustris (marsh marigold), dainty nodding snowflakes, a haze of blue forget-me-nots, and special, but unnamed, narcissi stretching as far as the eye can see.

Completing the vision are meandering paths and criss-crossing bridges to slow your journey and let you immerse yourself in the atmosphere. ‘My favourite time to stroll is in the evening when the white daffodils glow in the late light,’ says Mary. The use of massed blocks of plants in harmonious colours and textures is typical of the Jekyll style, creating an environment that looks like a work of nature, not of man. While the structure and long vistas are visible in spring, through summer the planting matures to almost jungle stage with lush ferns and giant hogweed. Some of Jekyll’s plants that haven’t survived, such as a clump of acers and many Nymphaea (water lily), are being replaced. As with all gardens, there is always something that ³

The use of massed blocks of plants in harmonious colours and textures is typical of the Jekyll style

132 Period Living

Top row, from left: Camellias grace the garden in the spring; naturalistic planting under mature trees gives a sense of timelessness Middle row, from left: A striking stone pergola is underplanted with spring bulbs and hellebores; a contemporary sculpture makes an interesting contrast to the period garden Bottom row, from left: The Fritillaria meleagris (snake’s head fritillary) have naturalised beautifully in the water garden; the series of ponds is an important element in the garden at Vann, especially as it is believed to be the only water garden Gertrude Jekyll ever designed and planted

Above: Carpets of white narcissi with Fritillaria meleagris spread across the landscape

needs redoing, and if Gertrude Jekyll were alive today she would be bound to suggest something new if a plant wasn’t working. ‘We have a far wider range of improved forms of plants to choose from these days. For example, we have selected different hostas, such as ‘Big Daddy’ and ‘Thomas Hogg’, but we try to plant them in the Jekyll manner,’ explains Mary.

The most labour-intensive area in the garden today is the Yew Walk, another section that gives Mary great joy as it changes through the seasons. Originally planted with roses, which failed to thrive because of the ‘depredations by the local deer population’, it was completely transformed with foliage plants interspersed with bulbs.

It is pretty through the season, starting with early bulbs, irises, tulips, silvery tufty grasses and Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, followed by geraniums, salvias and kniphofias (red-hot pokers).

‘The Yew Walk, with a rill and twin borders enclosed by tall hedges, is reminiscent of Jekyll and Lutyens’ work at Hestercombe. It is rather special in spring, with massed crocuses, pulmonarias, Milium effusum ‘Aureum’ (Bowle’s golden grass) and Erysimums, such as ‘Bowle’s Mauve’, ‘Jacob’s Coat’ and ‘Wenlock Beauty’,’ says Mary.

New projects continue to evolve the garden further, including having the main pond dredged so it is now more a lake, and is enjoyed by the family as a natural swimming pool when they visit. ‘My latest creation is a bit of jardin potagère and we have planted 120 yews in the veg garden. Rather fun! One does need new projects,’ Mary adds.

‘I hope Martin would approve.’

MARY’S TIPS

IN THE AREA

O Work with the architecture

Munstead Wood – The home of Gertrude Jekyll, privately owned. Open by appointment March to October. Godalming GU7 1UN. Email: contact@ munsteadwood.org.uk Hydon Nurseries – Specialist in rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias. Open mid-Feb to mid-June. Godalming, Surrey GU8 4AZ. Tel: 01483 860252; gardenvisit.com/nurseries/ hydon_nurseries

and setting of your house O Blend nature with cultivation O Select plants that do well in your conditions O Use ‘good doers’ like comfrey and hardy geraniums to cover the ground and supress weeds O Guide a journey around the garden with paths and structured rooms O Plant bulbs in drifts and add to them each year 134 Period Living

Winkworth Arboretum – National Trust-preserved woodland with lake and wildflowers. Open through the year. Godalming, Surrey GU8 4AD. Tel: 01483 208477; nationaltrust.org.uk/ winkworth-arboretum Millais Nurseries – Specialist grower of rhododendrons and azaleas. Open all year. Churt, Surrey GU10 2JN. Tel 01252 792698; rhododendrons.co.uk

Recipes

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Gizzi Erskine shares her ethos on food to nourish the body and feed the soul with this selection of recipes that balance delicious with nutritious

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Featherblade Bourguignon Boeuf Bourguignon is a simple beef and red wine stew. Purists believe that it should be made with a whole bottle of wine and no stock, and that the stewing veg should remain in the sauce. It’s delicious like this but I like to refine my version by using a featherblade beef cut, which despite stewing will cook to show a bright pink middle of sticky, soft, falling-apart meat and a glossy sauce.

SERVES 4 O O

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Olive oil 4 featherblade beef steaks, each about 3cm thick 2 carrots, roughly chopped 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 celery stick, roughly chopped, plus a handful of celery leaves 1 bulb of garlic, cut in half horizontally 1 tsp of tomato purée 2 tsps of plain flour 500ml of red Burgundy wine 500ml of fresh beef stock (see page 141) 1 bay leaf 2 rosemary sprigs 4–5 thyme sprigs 4–5 parsley sprigs plus 1 tbsp of chopped parsley

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150g of smoked bacon lardons 12 fresh or frozen baby onions or shallots, peeled 100g of button mushrooms Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE PERFECT CREAMY MASH O 800g of potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks O 150g of butter O 50ml of milk O 25ml of double cream O A good grating of nutmeg O Tons of salt and white pepper

1 To make the stock, follow the recipe for the white chicken stock in the chilled cucumber soup overleaf (page 141), but swap the chicken carcasses for 2kg of beef shin bones, roasting them first with the veggies in a really hot oven for 30 minutes, or until they have become golden and caramelised (be careful not to burn them or the charred flavour will transfer to the stock).

2 To make the stew, heat a frying pan until really hot.

Add one tablespoon of oil. Season the featherblade steaks with salt and pepper and then fry them for 2–3 minutes on each side to give some caramelisation to the beef. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3 Add a spot more oil to the pan if necessary, then add the carrots, onion and celery and fry them over a medium heat for 5–8 minutes, making sure to scrape away at the bottom of the pan with a wooden 138 Period Living

spoon to remove any meaty bits that have been left behind after frying the steaks; this will add to the flavour. For the final minute, increase the heat and make space for the garlic halves. Fry them until the cut side is golden, making sure to keep the veggies moving around the pan while the garlic is frying.

4 Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside with the steaks. Now add the tomato purée and fry the veg in the purée; this will caramelise around them.

Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook the flour for one minute, then pour over the wine and stock and bring to the boil. Transfer to a medium casserole dish with a lid. Lower the heat to a simmer, add the steaks, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary, thyme and parsley sprigs to the casserole, cover with the lid and cook on the hob for 2½ hours, or until the steak is starting to fall apart.

5 Remove the steaks from the stew, being really careful not to let them break up, and lay them on a plate. Now you need to strain out and discard all of the stewing vegetables, so place a sieve over a large bowl and pour the liquor into the sieve. It will be fairly watery with a hint of beefy flavour. Wash out the casserole dish and then pour the liquor back into it. We now want to reduce the sauce in order to make the flavour really punchy before adding in our garnishes, so put the casserole back on the hob and bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat.

6 Heat one teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan and fry the bacon lardons until the fat has rendered away and the bacon is crisp and golden. Transfer the bacon to the casserole with the sauce. Add the onions to the frying pan and fry them for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are golden, then transfer them to the casserole. Finally, add a spot more oil to the frying pan and fry the mushrooms until they are golden. Transfer the mushrooms to the casserole. Return the steaks to the casserole and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and is really flavourful and meaty, then season to taste.

7 For the perfect creamy mash, boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for 20 minutes. Drain and leave to steam in a colander until dry, then tip out into a clean pan and mash or crush through a potato ricer until really smooth. With a balloon whisk, whip in the butter, milk, cream and nutmeg over a very low heat until it is piping hot, then season with plenty of salt and pepper before serving straight away with the Bourguignon and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Recipes

Griddled marinated whole chicken salad I’m not really a salad kinda gal I like food that’s a bit more buxom. The flavours of caesar salad fit my brief: Parmesan, anchovy and garlic all smack you round the chops. It’s a good salad, but an even better one when served alongside a whole griddled chicken. I’ve made the salad dressing lighter by using less oil and replacing some with natural yogurt, the tang of which is great with the vinegar and it cuts down the calories.

SERVES 4-6 O 1 medium free-range chicken, spatchcocked O 1 bulb of garlic, cloves peeled and finely chopped O 3 tbsps of chopped herbs (I would go for thyme, rosemary and parsley) O 2 tbsps of Korean or regular chilli powder O 1 tsp of sea salt flakes O Freshly ground black pepper O Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon O 2 tbsps of olive oil FOR THE CROUTONS O 100ml of olive oil O 4 garlic cloves, bashed O 2 rosemary sprigs O ¼ white loaf or sourdough bread, crusts trimmed off, torn into bite-sized pieces

FOR THE SALAD 2 Romaine lettuces or 4 Little Gem lettuces, sliced O 4 free-range eggs, soft-boiled for 6 mins O 8 pickled anchovies, sliced in half lengthways O 30g of Parmesan cheese, shaved O

FOR THE LIGHT CAESAR DRESSING O 1 egg yolk O 5 anchovies in oil O 1 tsp of Dijon mustard O 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar O 50g of Parmesan cheese, grated O 2 garlic cloves (you can use the cooked leftover garlic from making the croutons) O 200ml of light olive oil O 100g of natural yogurt O Juice of 1 lemon O Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

1 The day before, lay the spatchcocked chicken in a roasting tray. Using a pestle and mortar, bash together the garlic, herbs, chilli, salt and pepper and lemon rind, gradually adding the lemon juice and oil. Rub this marinade all over the chicken, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate.

2 To make the croutons, place the oil, garlic and rosemary in a saucepan and heat until the garlic and herbs start to sizzle. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Strain the garlic and herbs from the oil and set both the infused oil and the garlic and herbs aside. Lay the bread in a roasting tray and drizzle with the infused oil. Roast for 25 minutes, turning the croutons halfway through, until golden on the outside. I don’t like dried out croutons; I prefer them to have a bit of give in the middle.

3 To make the dressing, put the egg yolk, anchovies, mustard, vinegar, Parmesan and garlic cloves in a food processor and blend until smooth. Continue to blend and slowly trickle in the oil until the dressing thickens up. Mix in the yogurt and season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

4 Heat a griddle pan until smoking and cook the chicken on each side until lightly charred. Return the chicken to the roasting tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the juices in the legs run clear. Chop the chicken through its joints into 10 pieces. Pop the lettuce leaves into a bowl and dress with half the dressing. Place the leaves on a platter and pour the other half of the dressing over the leaves. Cut the boiled eggs in half and place on top along with the anchovies, Parmesan shavings and reserved crispy rosemary sprigs and croutons.

Serve alongside the griddled chicken with the chicken juices poured over. ³ Period Living 139

Recipes

Chilled cucumber, avocado and buttermilk soup This chilled soup is a really simple one made with buttermilk, which has a slight tang. The cucumber is the base flavour; the avocado makes the soup silky, and the dill and mint add freshness. Make it in the morning and allow to homogenise for a few hours in the fridge, then eat for lunch when the soup’s extra cold. I find making the stock used in this recipe really therapeutic fresh chicken stock is great in brothy or puréed soups, and freezes brilliantly.

SERVES 6 3 cucumbers, halved lengthways and deseeded O 250ml of buttermilk, plus extra to serve O 2 tbsps of lemon juice O 2 spring onions, (both green and white parts), chopped O 3 tbsps of chopped dill, plus extra to garnish O A few mint leaves, plus extra tiny mint leaves to garnish O 1 small garlic clove, chopped O 1 large ripe but firm avocado, peeled and stoned O 420ml of fresh white chicken or veggie stock, chilled (see below) O 2 tbsps of good, fruity O

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extra virgin olive oil Sea salt flakes and white pepper

FOR THE STOCK O 3–4 raw chicken carcasses (available from your butcher) or 800g of chicken wings O 2 onions, quartered O 1 bulb of garlic, halved horizontally O 2 carrots, chopped into 3 pieces O 2 leeks, chopped into 3 pieces O A few fresh herbs, such as parsley stalks and thyme sprigs O 1 bay leaf O 8 black peppercorns

1 For the stock, place all the stock ingredients in a large, deep saucepan, cover with cold water and slowly bring to the boil. (For veggie stock, leave out the chicken carcasses and double the quantity of vegetables, adding two parsnips and some of the outer leaves of a cabbage. Place in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and cook gently for 20 minutes.) Scum will rise to the surface as it begins to boil so use a small ladle to skim it and any fat off.

When the stock has reached boiling point, reduce the heat and gently simmer for 3 hours, skimming the top as it cooks most of the skimming will need to be done during the first 30 minutes. (It’s important to make sure the stock doesn’t boil at this stage or the bubbles will knock away at the proteins and make the stock cloudy.) As the stock cooks it will begin to reduce; if the water level falls below the pot’s contents, add a little more cold water.

4 When the 3 hours are up, place a fine sieve over a large pan and strain the stock to collect all the flavoursome juices. At this stage, the stock may not have much flavour so you will need to slowly reduce the liquid in order for the flavours to be condensed.

To do this, bring the stock to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer to slowly reduce, tasting it every

so often, until you have the right intensity of chickeny-ness. Do not season your stock. Obviously, the stock will taste better if you season it but it will still need tweaking once it’s used in other dishes, so its better to leave unseasoned for now.

5 For the soup, coarsely chop five of the cucumber halves, transfer to a large bowl then add the buttermilk, lemon juice, spring onions, dill, mint, garlic and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, cover with cling film and leave to stand at room temperature for one hour to blend the flavours.

Dice the remaining cucumber half and set aside until ready to serve.

6 In a powerful blender, purée the cucumber mixture together with the avocado until smooth.

With the machine running, slowly add the stock and purée until it is fully incorporated; this will take about 30 seconds. Transfer to a jug, cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until chilled.

7 Pour the soup into bowls, then top with the chopped cucumber, drizzle with the oil and a little extra buttermilk. Garnish with the extra mint and dill and serve immediately. ³ Period Living 141

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10 fresh, just ripe apricots, about 550g, halved and stoned 100ml of rosé wine 50g of caster sugar 1 vanilla pod 2 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick

FOR THE SPELT PANCAKES O 170ml of milk O 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar or lemon juice O 100g of spelt flour O 1 tsp of sugar

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¼ tsp of salt 1 tsp of baking powder ¾ tsp of bicarbonate of soda 1 free-range egg, beaten 1 tbsp of olive oil or melted butter, plus extra for frying

TO SERVE 3 tbsps of Greek yogurt, fat-free Greek yogurt or mascarpone cheese O 3 tbsps of chopped pistachios O

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5.

Baked rosé apricots with spelt pancakes and pistachios I was introduced to spelt by the old boss of Mulberry, Roger Saul, who sold up and went to live in Somerset and set up a spelt farm. Spelt flour tastes like a lighter wholewheat flour and is brilliant for baking. These spelt pancakes are terrific with roasted apricots that are baked with a spot of wine and served with a syrup. Serve with yogurt if you’re being good or mascarpone if you’re feeling decadent.

142 Period Living

1 Place the apricot halves in an ovenproof dish, pour over the wine and sprinkle with sugar. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways, scrape out the seeds and add both the seeds and the pod to the dish with the apricots. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and mix together. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, gently mix, then re-cover and pop back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the apricots steam under the foil for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and leave to cool slightly.

2 Pour out the liquid from the apricots into a small saucepan or frying pan and reduce the liquid over a medium-high heat until syrupy, like a light maple syrup. To make the spelt pancakes, combine the milk and vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside to sit and ‘sour’ while you prepare the other ingredients.

3 In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the beaten egg and oil or melted butter to the soured milk, stir well to combine, then pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined: the mixture will be lumpy.

4 Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium– high heat. Brush the pan with a little olive oil or butter. Pour a ladleful of the batter into the pan (about 60ml of batter for each pancake – I often use a ¼ cup measure instead of a ladle). Cook until the bottom of the pancake is set and browned and bubbles appear on the top, then flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter – it will make exactly 8 pancakes.

5 Serve the pancakes hot with the warm apricots, a dollop of yogurt or mascarpone, the syrup poured over and topped with chopped pistachios.

Recipes

Molten caramel and chocolate puddings Chocolate with salted caramel is the best pudding combination ever – and I’m not especially a pudding person. This version is hot, sweet and gooey… it’s messy home cooking. I don’t think you’ve eaten this right unless it’s all over your face and you’re licking the dish.

SERVES 6 150g of unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing O 1 tbsp of rice flour, for dusting O 160g of good-quality chocolate O 8 tbsps of cocoa powder O Small pinch of sea salt flakes O 4 free-range eggs O 200g of caster sugar Photography Octupus Publishing

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3 tbsps of maple syrup 1 tsp of vanilla extract O 3 tbsps of double cream O Crème fraîche, to serve O O

FOR THE CARAMEL O 150g of caster sugar O 65g of butter, diced O 100ml of double cream O 1 tsp of sea salt flakes

Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 1.

1 Butter six medium ramekins (or a 5x11cm baking dish) then dust with rice flour. To make the caramel, melt the sugar with a splash of water in a saucepan over a medium heat until it is a light golden colour. Whisk in the butter, then the double

cream and finally the salt. Pour the caramel about 1cm deep into the base of the prepared ramekins or dish, then leave in the fridge for 20 minutes to set.

Reserve any caramel leftover for serving.

2 When the caramel has almost set, start making the chocolate pudding. Melt together the butter, chocolate, cocoa powder and salt in a heatproof bowl over a bain-marie, stirring until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and well creamed. Beat in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and double cream, then pour in the chocolate mixture and mix well. Pour on top of the set caramel and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, or until it’s puffed up and set on top but still has a slight wibble in the very centre.

Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and any leftover caramel.

Reader offer This is an edited extract from Gizzi’s Healthy Appetite (£15, Mitchell Beazley). PL readers can buy it for the special price of £10.50, including UK postage and packaging. To order, call 01903 828503 and quote reference Appetite MB68. Offer subject to availability; please allow 7 days for delivery.

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Dalefoot Composts dalefootcomposts.co.uk Där Lighting 01295 672200 darlighting.co.uk Dash & Albert Europe dashandalberteurope.com De Ferranti 020 7384 4424 deferranti.com Debenhams 0344 800 8877 debenhams.com

Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair 020 7262 8989 decorativefair.com Designers Guild 020 7351 5775 designersguild.com Devol 01509 261000 devolkitchens.co.uk Devon & Devon 020 7221 5137 devon-devon.com Dobbies dobbies.com Domus 020 8481 9500 domusgroup.com Dotcomgiftshop 020 8746 2473 dotcomgiftshop.com Dresser Mouldings 01706 658900 dressermouldings.com Drum Farm Antiques 0131 660 5678 drumfarmantiques.co.uk Dylan Bowen 01869 331278 dylanbowen.co.uk

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Ed Brooks Furniture 01297 20182 edbrooks.com Ellershaw Property Renovation 01524 276573 ellershaw.co.uk English Salvage 01568 616205 englishsalvage.co.uk Esse 01282 813235 esse.com Everhot 01453 890018 everhot.co.uk

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Farrow & Ball 01202 876141 farrow-ball.com Fired Earth 0845 366 0400 firedearth.com Fireplace Restoration 01276 502726 fireplacerestorationsurrey.co.uk Fisher & Paykel 0800 088 6605 fisherpaykel.com Floors of Stone 01509 234000 floorsofstone.com The French Bedroom Company 01444 415430 frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk

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Galerie Wallcoverings 01892 700730 galeriehome.co.uk Garden Trading 01993 845559 gardentrading.co.uk GB Antiques 01524 844734 gbantiquescentre.com George Home 0800 952 0101 george.com GP & J Baker 01202 266700 gpjbaker.com GP Carpentry gpcarpentryproject.co.uk Graham & Brown 0808 168 3795 grahambrown.com Graham & Green 01225 418200 grahamandgreen.co.uk

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Habitat 0344 499 4686 habitat.co.uk Hardie Grant Books 020 7601 7500 hardiegrant.com Harvey Jones 0800 389 6938 harveyjones.com Haynes Fine Art 020 7730 7778 haynesfineart.com Helen Hallam helenhallam.com HL Perfitt 01379 652211 hlperfitt.co.uk Holyrood Architectural Salvage 0131 661 9305 holyroodarchitecturalsalvage.com Homesense homesense.com House of Fraser 0141 404 3747 houseoffraser.co.uk Howdens howdens.com

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Ibbi 01830 530433 ibbidirect.co.uk Ikea 020 3645 0000 ikea.co.uk Ilva ilva.dk

Indigenous 01993 824200 indigenous.co.uk

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James Brindlay Fabrics 01423 507774 jamesbrindlayfabrics.com Jane Clayton 01761 404505 janeclayton.co.uk JD Williams Home 0871 231 2000 jdwilliams.co.uk Jeffreys Interiors 0131 247 8010 jeffreys-interiors.co.uk Jerram Gallery 01935 815261 jerramgallery.com John Derian johnderian.com John Lewis 0345 604 9049 johnlewis.com John Nicholls 01295 222316 johnnichols.co.uk Jonathan Adler 020 7589 9563 uk.jonathanadler.com Josephine Ryan Antiques josephineryanantiques.myshopify.com

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La Belle Etoffe 01373 453303 labelleetoffe.co.uk Lacanche 01202 733011 lacanche.co.uk Lapicida 01423 400100 lapicida.com Laura Ashley 0333 200 8009 lauraashley.com Lemon Made lemonmade.co Lene Bjerre lenebjerre.com Little Greene 020 7935 8844 littlegreene.com Loaf 0845 468 0527 loaf.com Lorna Syson 020 8465 9819 lornasyson.co.uk

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Made by Hand madebyhandengland.org.uk Maison by Emma Jane 0151 342 9345 maisonbyemmajane.co.uk Mandarin Stone 01600 715444 mandarinstone.com Marks & Spencer 0333 014 8555 marksandspencer.com Marlborough Tiles 01672 515287 marlboroughtiles.com Martin Moore 0845 180 0015 martinmoore.com Miele 0330 160 6600 miele.co.uk Mood Collections moodcollections.co.uk Morsø 01689 872745 morsofires.co.uk Murmur murmur.co.uk

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Naked Kitchens 01328 838854 nakedkitchens.com Neptune 01793 427300 neptune.com The New England Shutter Company 020 8675 1099 thenewenglandshuttercompany.com Newgate Clocks 01691 679994 newgateclocks.com Next Home 0333 777 8000 next.co.uk Not on the High Street notonthehighstreet.com

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Oka 0333 004 2042 oka.com The Old Pill Factory 01993 701013 theoldpillfactory.com Oliver Bonas 020 8974 0110 oliverbonas.com Oliver Burton 020 7426 0413 oliverburton.com Original Style 01392 473000 originalstyle.com Out There Interiors 020 8099 7443 outthereinteriors.com

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The Painted Furniture Co paintedfurnitureco.co.uk

Perch & Parrow 020 8629 1166 perchandparrow.com Pignut pignut.co.uk Pooky 020 77351 3003 pooky.com Present Locker presentlocker.com

Q R

Quick-Step quick-step.co.uk

Rachel Thornton rachelthornton.co.uk Raj Tent Club 020 7820 0010 rajtentclub.com Range Exchange 01625 569445 rangeexchange.co.uk Rayburn 0845 762 6147 rayburn-web.co.uk The Real Flower Company realflowers.co.uk Roberts robertsradio.com Rockett St George 01444 253391 rockettstgeorge.co.uk Roger Oats Design 020 7351 2288 rogeroates.com Room H2O 020 8393 3888 roomh2o.co.uk The Rug Store 020 7908 9999 therugcompany.com

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Sainsbury’s Home 0800 636 262 sainsburys.co.uk Sandberg sandbergwallpaper.com Screwfix 0333 011 2112 screwfix.com Shimu 0800 088 6800 shimu.co.uk Smallbone of Devizes 01380 729090 smallbone.co.uk Smeg 0844 5570 070 smeguk.com Smink Things sminkthings.co.uk Soho Home 020 3819 8199 sohohome.com St Jude’s 01603 662951 stjudesfabrics.co.uk Staley Stonework 01748 821462 staleystonework.co.uk Stark & Greensmith starkandgreensmith.com Stephen Pearce shanagarrypotters.com Stoves 0344 815 3740 stoves.co.uk Sunbeam Jackie sunbeamjackie.com Susie Watson Designs 0344 980 8185 susiewatsondesigns.co.uk

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Tissus d’Helene 020 7352 9977 tissusdhelene.co.uk TK Maxx 01923 473000 tkmaxx.com Topps Tiles 0800 783 6262 toppstiles.co.uk

U

Urban Avenue 0330 221 0565 urbanavenue.co.uk Urban Cottage Industries 020 7193 2119 urbancottageindustries.com

V

Vadstena Antik vadstenaantik.com Victorian Plumbing 0345 862 2678 victorianplumbing.co.uk

W

Waxed Floors 020 7738 1620 waxedfloors.co.uk Westmorland Stone 01539 734491 westmorlandstone.co.uk Willis & Gambier 01733 318400 willisgambier.co.uk

Y Z

Yonder Living yonderliving.com

Zazzle zazzle.co.uk Period Living 145

Advertorial

WONDERFUL WALLS Stoneface walling is Z-shaped to disguise joints and is easily applied using glue. Available in various finishes, including Copper Slate (pictured), it costs from £108 per m2

SIMPLE STYLE This Sawn Kingsize sandstone paving is perfect for a large space. Available in Caramel Cream Multi, Bronze Multi, Silver Multi and Sand Multi, it costs from £124 per m2

ELEGANT FINISH Choose this non-slip Eclipse Granite paving to create a bespoke look.

Available in light, dark, graphite and ember in various sizes, it costs from £47 per m2

MODERN LOOKS This contemporary Symphony paving is non-slip, tough, and resistant to mould, algae, salts, and chemicals.

Available in various sizes and colours, including Rustic (pictured) and Blue (below), it costs from £55 per m2

FIND YOUR PERFECT PAVING Transform your garden with beautiful, long-lasting paving from Marshalls

STYLISH STEPS Add a professional finish with these bull-nosed steps.

Available in various finishes, they cost from £150 per m2

WOOD-EFFECT FINISH If you love the look of decking but don’t want to maintain real wood, these porcelain Symphony vitrified planks are the perfect alternative. Available in Birch, Cherry or Char, and measuring W29xL119cm, they cost from £63 per m2

CHOOSING THE RIGHT INSTALLER To find the right person to install your paving, it’s best to get several quotes and ask to see examples of previous work to ensure you have absolute confidence in the team you choose. Marshalls has a Register of Accredited Landscape Contractors & Driveway Installers, and vets members’ work twice a year to be certain they offer the highest 146 Period Living

standards. With 99 per cent of people who’ve used a Marshalls’ installer or product saying they’d recommend the company to friends or family, you can be confident in its commitment to great service. Visit marshalls.co.uk today to find a local installer to plan, design and install your perfect paving.

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HOTELS WITH HISTORY

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162 Period Living

1 Hotel Danieli in Venice, Italy, has a main building dating back to the 14th century, when the Palazzo was commissioned by the noble Venetian family Dandolo. In 1822, part of the palazzo was converted into a hotel, and with its sweeping views of the Grand Canal, opulent interiors and suites packed with art and antique treasures, it is the epitome of old-style Venetian splendour. danielihotelvenice.com 2 The Savoy, on the north bank of the Thames in London, was opened in 1889 from the proceeds of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas produced by Richard D’Oyly Carte. The first luxury hotel in Britain, and the first with electric lights and lifts, the Savoy was modelled on what D’Oyly Carte had seen in the US. Rooms are glitzy Art Deco or elegant Edwardian, and guests have included Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. fairmont.com/Savoy 3 Raffles Hotel in Singapore, opened in 1887, is the birthplace of the Singapore Sling cocktail, and has hosted guests including Rudyard Kipling, Ava Gardner, Charlie Chaplin and Michael

Jackson. It is closed until later this year for vital refurbishment of the historic, colonial architecture and antique furnishings. rafflessingapore.com 4 The Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, France, was once Napoleon III’s summer mansion. The villa was converted into a casino, then a hotel in 1893, by which time Napoleon’s and European royalty’s connections with the small fishing village had transformed it into a go to resort.

Sarah Bernhardt, Frank Sinatra, and the exiled Duke and Duchess of Windsor all enjoyed stays here. hotel du palais.com 5 Budapest’s Danubius Hotel Gellért, on the banks of the Danube, is one of Hungary’s oldest and illustrious hotels, full of Art Nouveau details.

Badly damaged in World War II, it was restored and soon attracted famous guests from all over the world, including Yehudi Menuhin and the Dalai Lama. The interiors and adjacent thermal spa (pictured) include tiles produced by the Zsolnay factory. danubiushotels.com

Feature Karen Darlow Photographs: Getty, Hôtel du Palais AL – Frères d’Images

Fancy a break with a difference? A hotel with beautiful period features and a long tradition of pampering guests will make for a memorable stay

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