Your life made easier - every day. 25 Beautiful Homes is a magazine for readers with a sense of personal style. Aspire to your dream house and enjoy looking at other people's homes, designs and styles for inspiration.
Recently, I made a Roman blind for one of my windows and, while I was measuring up, I noticed that there wasn’t a single straight line or 90 degree angle to work with. This got me thinking that, out of the nine properties I’ve lived in – with the exception of student flats – each one has been an older house, nothing later than Edwardian, and equally full of wonky lines. Those of you who own a new build will probably say that your home isn’t perfect either, reminding us that all houses carry individual quirks. Despite modern building materials and machine-made elements, the finished property can be just as characterful. And, of course, part of the charm of any house is its little imperfections. This issue, we’ve brought you…
1 LAID BACK Snap sofa in Viola Lilac velvet, £1,714, Sofas & Stuff 2 SIDE SHOW Uno side table in lilac, £27, Wayfair 3 SEEING STARS Star dinner plate in purple/yellow, £19, Tokyo Design at Amara 4 BOTTLE IT UP Large glass bottle with an ombré effect, £30, Dunelm 5 LIGHT THE WAY Putney glass pendant light in antiqued brass, £98, Jim Lawrence 6 SPLASH OUT Gilded Drip linen cushion, £148, Jonathan Adler 7 SETTLE DOWN Fitz chair, £369, Swoon Editions 8 BIG COVER UP Kodari rug, £899, Brink & Campman 9 GLASS ACT Hint carafe, £30, LSA International…
1 COOL STOOL Boylan side table, £850, Eichhotlz at Pad Lifestyle 2 TAKE A PEW Salvage mango bench, £250, French Connection 3 NATURAL LIGHT Glass Bottle table lamp, £75, House of Fraser 4 TIP-TOP TUMBLERS Luxe glassware, from £4 each, French Connection 5 SKIN DEEP Gotland sheepskin rug in grey, £395, Toast 6 PILLOW TALK Mended tweed cushion, £145, Mourne Textiles at Margaret Howell 7 CUPBOARD LOVE Flutterby wardrobe, £1,095, Loaf 8 RUSTIC TOUCH Longton jug in teal, £8, Neptune 9 ROCK ON Melbury chair, £699, John Lewis…
DESIGN TIP ‘Consider the little details that will make a big difference. Here, a small wall that encloses the shelves prevents light reflecting off the TV screen’ Every Sunday, when family and friends gather round Megan Knight’s generous dining table for a long lunch, she realises just how successful the recent reconfiguration of her Twenties semi has been. Megan and her husband Ashley bought their Hove home in 2004, but a few years ago it became clear that they needed to rework the space to suit their needs. ‘I’d inherited my grandmother’s lovely old crockery and had pieces stored in the living room and in boxes under the beds,’ says Megan. ‘We’d also accumulated a lot of personal keepsakes over the years, which we wanted to properly appreciate…
Before Janine and Richard Bernstone had even begun house hunting, they had already found their dream home. ‘We lived nearby and I always passed this house while walking the dog,’ says Janine. ‘When it came on the market, I even went to view it but we just weren’t ready to make the move.’ Three years on, the couple were renting a home with their children, Jake and Olivia, both in their twenties, and Janine was still walking the dog past the much-coveted property. She discovered that the house was rented out and pleaded with the owner to sell. ‘When they said yes, I was so happy, as this place had always been on my mind.’ The hard work began once the couple took ownership. While they fell in love with…
Leanne and John Williams were living in south London when John’s new job prompted them to relocate to Hampshire with their sons, Oliver, 13, and Sam, 11. They were somewhat reluctant to leave their Brixton home, but soon stumbled upon this beautiful Grade II-listed Jacobean property in Alton, originally a grammar school, and were enchanted by its period features. ‘We were struck by the property the minute we saw it,’ says Leanne. ‘It needed completely redecorating and updating with more earthy tones to complement country living, but we knew we could make it work.’ It’s clear from her honed eye for detail that Leanne grew up in a creative family. ‘My mother is an artist and I remember her climbing up scaffolding to paint golden stars on our ceiling,’ recalls…
