Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Homes & Antiques

Tell us what inspires you in this issue of H&A. Tag @homes_antiques on Instagram or use the email address to the right Welcome to a landmark edition of Homes & Antiques! While this may be just my 10th issue at the helm, it's a real privilege to steer the magazine through such a momentous milestone: our 400th issue. To mark this very special occasion, we've filled these pages with plenty of celebratory treats for you to enjoy. Turn to page 18 for our sparkling, toast-worthy glassware edit, and don't miss Ebony Russell's irresistibly playful ceramics on page 43, inspired by birthday cakes. Combine these treats with Rosanna Morris's expert round-up of the best dealers for cake stands (p126) and you have the perfect ingredients to make a truly stylish shindig. Adding a…

Luxe Layers Meet The Everyday Collection from Tate & Darby x Blackshore Style – eclectic rugs designed by friends Kate Darby and Sally Denning, inspired by a shared love of pattern and interiors. Whether layered up for a sumptuous effect (as shown here with Leopard in Caramel, and Ochre Classic Stripe) or used solo as statement pieces, they're just the thing to add warmth, style and character underfoot. From £325. tateanddarby.com Pink persuasion For a fresh palette that works together in harmony, look no further than Annie Sloan's five new Chalk Paint shades. ‘I have always been obsessed with pinks from around the world,’ says Annie, who chose warm pink undertones for her latest colours: bold Tyrian Plum, punchy Sandalwood Red, neutral Canvas, soft Rococo White, and dusky Jaipur Pink…

1 POST-WAR ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION POSTER ‘We have recently taken in a wonderful collection of post-war museum and gallery exhibition posters, which I believe make a brilliant addition to any interior. I missed out on this framed and glazed one for the Royal Academy International Exhibition of Chinese Art 1700 B.C.-1800 A.D. We have another collection coming up in our June Interior Sale, and if I had a spare £400, all my pennies would be on these.’ 2 ART NOUVEAU MURRLE BENNETT BROOCH ‘I'm a huge fan of livening up my lapel with a sparkling brooch – the bolder the better. Most of the brooches I wear date from the Art Deco ‘Jazz Age’ up to the strong designs of the mid-century modern period, but I've always had a fascination for Art Nouveau.…

Back in 1979, David and Linda Williams felt ready to move to a spacious, light house with a good-sized garden. Ideally, it would be low maintenance so as not to encroach on David's job as head of art at a local school. Before they had even begun seriously looking at houses, something caught Linda's eye in the commercial properties section at an estate agent. ‘It was a shop, but because it was extremely cheap, we couldn't resist having look at it anyway,’ says David. The property, a 19th-century butcher's shop with living accommodation in southeast London, had everything that the couple didn't want. It was dark, in a particularly bad state and it had next to no garden. They instantly fell in love with it. ‘We could see daylight through…

‘I trained as a furniture maker in France. I'd never heard of straw marquetry but as soon as I tried it, I fell in love. With furniture, you're fairly restricted as to the colours you can use – you're mainly working with different shades of brown. Straw marquetry changes everything, as the straw can be dyed a rainbow of colours. It's also a technique that elevates pared-back shapes: a simple box, a table, a TV cabinet. As it's an organic material, each piece of straw reflects the light in a unique way. Put them together and the impact is stunning. As the light changes in a room, the straw marquetry glows differently and the furniture is transformed. I am based in the UK now, but I still buy rye straw…

1. Women's work Estimate £3,000–£5,000 Sold £21,648 A 17th-century beadwork basket, with visual references to the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660, was a star lot at Roseberys’ Fine & Decorative sale. The beautifully preserved piece was from the collection of Sir Frederick Henry Richmond (1873–1953), former chairman of Debenhams and Harvey Nichols, and had been exhibited at the V&A. The antique basket was made from wood and decorated with coloured beads depicting a couple flanking a manor house, and a profusion of exotic animals including a cheetah and a camel. These items are sometimes described as ‘layette’ baskets, used to hold children's clothes during christening ceremonies, or as betrothal gifts for placing gloves or sprigs of rosemary inside at weddings, and also as table centrepieces. The decorative element,…

BUY NOW Statement lighting It might not be the first or most obvious item to buy at auction, but we are being offered more and more statement lighting for our sales. A large, showstopping chandelier or hanging light can be incredibly expensive to buy from a retailer, but the auction price can be a quarter to a third of that price. We only have space in our gallery to display four extra-large hanging lights per auction, so we have to be curatorial in our approach, but it always pays off. From an investment point of view, some late 19th- and early 20th-century design movements are experiencing a bit of a dip in popularity, so if you appreciate the British Aesthetic period or the Art Nouveau and Secessionist style, now is…

‘Less is more when it comes to decorative objects, but authentic pieces will bring life to a scheme’ While it may not have earned its name until the 1960s, Art Deco first flourished in the interwar period, peaking at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. Now a century later, and the aesthetic is experiencing a dazzling comeback, with sleek lines and opulent geometry dominating contemporary interiors. The secret to a modern interpretation? It's all about balance. 1 STREAMLINED FURNITURE Neo Deco (the modern interpretation of Art Deco) sees plenty of choice for fluted wooden furniture and sleek parquet flooring. Keep an eye out for contemporary pieces with strong linear forms inspired by the architecture of the time, such as the Evangeline bed by Feather &…

Tell us the story behind Great Grooms. Great Grooms was founded in 1998 by James and Susie Podger. James's long and successful career in antiques had included working at a showroom in Petworth, West Sussex, and working as a valuer for Phillips Auctioneers in London's Bond Street. With his wide knowledge and love of antiques, he was determined to create the perfect antiques centre, based on quality – and sometimes unusual – pieces, alongside a truly friendly and helpful atmosphere. Where did the name come from? Our original location was a converted barn called ‘Great Groomes’, which was on an old Roman road in Sussex dating back to the 15th century. When the centre moved to Hungerford, the name was kept and the ‘e’ was dropped, as a nod to…

Asymmetric, teetering, and entirely composed of candy-coloured piping, the urns, vases and columns of Australian ceramic artist Ebony Russell are a startling and unexpected feast for the eyes. While the shapes largely resemble traditional vessels – with some made in the familiar forms and colours of Wedgwood pottery – the woozy layers of piped porcelain, which perfectly mimic buttercream icing, create a more surreal impression. You can't help but wonder if they might be the creation of a slightly crazed wedding cake decorator who didn't know when to stop. In reality, Ebony is nothing like this. Her cake baking is confined to the occasional child's birthday cake, and she has never actually piped icing. The Sydney-based artist is rather a rising star on the international ceramics stage. Her confections this…

When Iiro and Julia Seppänen decided to move, along with their son and daughter, into the late-Victorian house in Surrey that had belonged to Julia's parents, they already knew it would make a fantastic family home. They also knew that the spacious rooms would provide a wonderful backdrop to the furniture, artwork, vintage collections and quirky one-off finds that they had accumulated over the decades. The family were living in South Africa (where they'd spent the last eight-and-a-half years) when, a few months into 2020, they were faced with a challenge. How were they going to get the house – which hadn't been updated for 20 years and had been sitting empty for the last three – redecorated and ready to move into, while stuck 8,000 miles away in Cape…

When there's a wedding in the family or among friends, the usual question after learning the date is where to find the couple's wedding list. If the marriage is between a long-established couple, if it's a second marriage, or if the couple are renting, the gift choice may well be left to the guest. Crucially, an antique gift cannot be replicated by anyone else. With the variety of prices across antique textiles, one approach is to think through the essential pieces every home needs. Let's begin in the kitchen. Antique French tea towels, known as torchon, are highly rated because they're generally larger than current versions. They're also superior, being woven in pure linen that's highly absorbent but also dries quickly. Su Mason is a dealer known for antique French…

Saturday morning arrives, and I awake to the calming patter of horse hooves. Plump, fluffy bedding lulls me back to my slumber, but as golden sunbeams sneak around the blinds, I slowly recall my whereabouts. Four miles from Bruton, and five miles from popular country estate The Newt in Somerset, lies The Manor House Inn, a relaxed English pub with a luxe twist. Part of the fast-growing Chickpea Group, this 17th-century country boozer reopened its doors early 2025, following six months of sensitive restoration. Most famous for Paul Nicholls's racehorses (whose hooves I heard at dawn), the quaint village of Ditcheat offers a charming backdrop for a weekend getaway, but it's the pub – which has a presence and personality of its own – that holds the real magic. Exposed…

Fabric Wallpaper Fan patterned wallpaper in a jewel shade of green will create a cosy yet sophisticated living room scheme. Accessorise with green marble occasional tables, burr wood furniture and luscious velvet upholstery for an opulent effect…

Having launched into the world of glossy magazines with its very first issue in February 1993, Homes & Antiques is now raising a glass to its 400th issue – a milestone that's left us feeling not just a little nostalgic, but also pretty curious about the art of celebration itself. After all, birthdays and milestones have long been a reason for revelry. There's something undeniably magical about birthdays, and it turns out we've been chasing that magic for millennia. The ancient Egyptians were the first to throw a bit of pomp around birthdays, though theirs were reserved for pharaohs and their divine transformations. Then came the Greeks, who added a flicker of brilliance: candles. They popped them onto moon-shaped cakes as an offering to Artemis, goddess of the moon, believing…

Third time lucky, as they say, certainly rings true for Alison Coldridge and her husband Simone, recalling the ups and downs of house hunting. Both their number one and number two choices fell through, but they eventually succeeded with this gate house not far from Winchester. Its fairy tale-like appeal instantly won them over. ‘The exterior reminded me of a gingerbread house, with its white wooden windows and scalloped tiles,’ says Alison. Built in the mid-1800s, the property is a charming brick and flint construction with a gabled roof and period arched detailing on the windows. An intriguing configuration of rooms downstairs means that each leads directly into the next; something that, in hindsight, Alison realises is ideal for juggling the demands of family life with a toddler and recently-arrived…

With the all the requisite characteristics of a modern-industrial barn, from lofty pitched ceilings and corrugated roofing to solid raw brick walls, Hannes and Tina Maritz's home has been brought to life out of a former dairy. ‘Old buildings have fascinated me ever since I can remember,’ says Hannes, who, together with wife Tina, owns Kraak, a South African wedding and events company. ‘When our relationship was still in the early stages, I remember telling Tina that I wanted to live in a barn one day,’ he says, ‘where I could pull my car right up into the living room and get onto the couch. It was the ultimate bachelor vision.’ After trawling through property sites to find his dream barn, Hannes soon landed on this storage facility – a…

Jabajak You'll find Seyval Blanc and Phoenix grape varieties in the vineyards of Jabajak in Carmarthenshire, along with a popular restaurant, three suites and five individually designed bedrooms. Jabajak makes six wines, and its regular cellar door tastings offer the chance to sample them in style, and also to discover the fascinating link between its ‘White House’ wines and the White House in Washington DC. Meanwhile, The Smithy restaurant serves up regularly changing, seasonally inspired dishes. Jabajak's location, on the edge of west Wales’ Preseli Hills, further enhances its appeal. jabajak.co.uk Castlewood Vineyard For a less traditional mode of accommodation, seek out the Bluebird Bus at Castlewood Vineyard in east Devon. A fully renovated former 1970s Canadian school bus sits within easy walking distance of the vineyards, with a remarkably…

1 London Fine Antiques This antiques business sells a wide variety of pieces, from telescopes and rugs, to chairs and cabinets, dating from the 17th century to the 20th century. And among the inventory you'll find a small helping of cake-related antiques. We love the c1970 ceramic blue-and-white cake dish, and the bright and cheery patterned Victorian stand with matching sugar bowl, c1890. londonfine.co.uk 2 Paul Bennett Antiques You could quite easily imagine yourself in a Lyons tea room taking slices of Battenburg or Victoria sponge off the c1900 silverplate, three-tier cake stand available at Paul Bennett Antiques. Or perhaps tucking into Chelsea buns from a very important 1738 Georgian silver cake basket. One of the leading antiques dealers in London, based at the London Silver Vaults, this business has an impressive…