Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2021 i HomeStyle

This month, we bring you the latest nature-inspired looks to inspire you to dial up your spring style. With affordable buys and easy techniques, whether you’re redecorating or just fancy a quick refresh, you’ll find ideas for every room on page 72. With spring in bloom we’re also turning our hand to a spot of gardening with pots and planting ideas for any space, be it a patio, balcony, window sill or wall, plus expert hints for newbie growers. Find our guide on page 92. Also this issue, on page 79, colour expert Marianne Shillingford shows us how to pick the perfect palette. With over 30 years experience, Marianne knows a trick or two! And talking of colour, our decorator’s moodboards this month are inspired by the ombré shades of…

You will need • Half a metre of pastel-coloured fabric • Round bowl, or similar to draw around • Scissors • Pins • Sewing machine • Needle • Cotton thread • Polyester stuffing • Pompom maker • Coloured wool 1 Fold the fabric length in half. Place the bowl on top and draw round it, then cut out two circular pieces of fabric. 2 Pin the pieces together with right sides facing, and sew around the edge with half a centimetre hem. Leave a small opening, and turn the cushion cover right side out. 3 Fill the cushion cover with polyester stuffing and then neatly stitch up the opening. 4 Make three white, three pink and three lilac wool pompoms. Stitch the poms around the edge…

You don’t always need full planning permission for a side return extension. Permitted Development (PD) allows a single-storey structure up to four metres high and measuring up to half the original house across. If the extension is within two metres of the boundary, the eaves’ height will need to be under three metres. Building this type of extension on a terraced house is more likely to need planning permission, since it’s deemed as both a side and rear extension. Always design with consideration for your neighbours, making sure the new structure doesn’t block out their light. Visit planningportal.co.uk to find out about the dos and don’ts of single-storey extensions. If you’re creating a new shared boundary wall or digging within three metres of your neighbour’s house, you’ll need to get…

A BIT ABOUT ME I’m Bo Fentum, an interior designer @bo.fentum.design. I live here with my husband, Michael, a sound designer, and our nine-year-old twin daughters, Alice and Annabel, as well as our British shorthair cat, Rory. WHERE I LIVE Our home is a 1970s four-bed, three-storey townhouse in Kingston, south-west London. WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE When we moved in, every room was bland and needed updating. The living areas were most important; we wanted to bring back its mid-century soul that had been lost. HOW I MADE IT MY OWN I love a vivid Palm Springs colour palette, which is all about vibrant jewel tones like candy pinks, so this was my starting point with the house. We also knocked down the wall between the living area and…

You will need • White cotton tea towel • Animal-print stencil • Repositionable spray mount • Black fabric paint • Palette • Sponge dauber • Newspaper 1 Protect your work surface with newspaper, and lay the tea towel on top. 2 Spray the reverse of the stencil with repositionable spray mount, and allow to go tacky for a minute or two. Place the stencil in the first position on the top edge of the tea towel, and press down to secure it in place. 3 Pour a little black fabric paint on the palette and using a dauber, lightly sponge the paint over the stencil. Carefully lift the stencil, move it along to the next position and repeat. 4 Change the direction of the stencil on…

THE FIRST STEPS INTO COLOUR When you begin to put together a palette, Marianne advises to start from the heart. Base the colours in your palette around something in your home that you really love. ‘It could be a great picture, or it could be a beautiful piece of furniture. If you start from a place of something you love, then everything that grows from that is going to be something you like’. A technique Marianne uses to help her select colours is to squint at the object she’s using for inspiration. As you reduce the detail in what you’re looking at, the brighter colours become clearer. She suggests choosing the colours that jump out at you to create accent pieces in your home. VISUALISING YOUR SCHEME ‘Order testers to…

Salad leaves are a great seed to try sowing if this is your first foray into vegetable planting. They are super easy to grow, don’t require a lot of space, will provide a crop for months, and will taste much better than the stuff you buy from the supermarket. Choose plants with intricate patterns, varying textures and intriguingly shaped leaves. They’ll boost your interior aesthetic and studies with the Royal Horticultural Society have shown that looking at fascinating plants can also relax the mind. The fern arum and snake plant are two exemplary species to try.…

CONSOLES AREN’T JUST FOR HALLWAYS Yoko used this light wood rattan-effect console from Wayfair to sit against a blank wall. It’s narrow enough that it can easily be walked past without jutting out into the room. ‘I like its rattan drawers and it’s another place to display vases and flowers – plus the drawers mean we can pop remote controls in there out of sight,’ she says. ‘I also use it for work when I need to, and I’ve put the pouffe from Wayfair underneath as a little stool.’ TAILOR EXISTING FURNITURE TO FIT YOUR NEW STYLE ‘We had this sideboard in our last house, but it felt a bit dated as it sat low on the floor without any legs. I decided to raise it up and bought some…

CREATE A HANDY DESK NOOK There are lots of ways to include a built-in home office that blends in with the rest of the space. Katie has chosen flat panel radiators painted the same colour as the walls, plus metallic wallpaper that’s repeated in the dining area to tie the space together. ‘I’ve added my favourite album covers to the shelves,’ says Katie. ‘And the marble-effect clipboards are great for photos, my daughters’ artwork and to-do lists.’ CONSIDER PLYWOOD WORKTOPS If you love the modern Scandi look, birch ply worktops are perfect. Katie has treated hers with yacht varnish, but she always uses trivets and a large chopping board to protect them. ‘It’s not the most hardwearing surface to choose,’ she admits. ‘But I’m a big fan of TV architect,…

HOW TO style the look 1 Like the many canopies of a luscious tropical rainforest, this look relies on multiple layers of texture, colour and print. Pick a statement design for your bedding set, then choose a bold block colour for your cushions and blanket to add contrast. 2 Green is one of the most soothing colours to live with, so it’s an ideal choice for the bedroom. Use bursts of it through soft furnishings, or by adding plenty of houseplants! Matalan WONDERFULLY WILD Surround yourself with tropical prints and jungle greenery Laura Ashley DARLING BUDS This new collection emulates the soothing sight of spring blossom HOW TO style the look 1 To create a relaxed, cosy cottage vibe in your home, choose a neutral palette. Cream,…

A BIT ABOUT ME I’m Melanie McCrindle, a textile print designer. I live with my husband, Robin, who manages accountants, and our nine-month-old son, Bobby. WHERE I LIVE Our home is a four-bedroom, new-build terrace in Burbage, Leicestershire. We’ve lived here for five years. WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE The house was in good condition when we moved in and it didn’t need any structural work, but the décor wasn’t to my taste. I wanted to remove the busy wallpapers and make it a more calming, relaxing space. HOW I MADE IT MY OWN We decorated the house from top to bottom so that every room reflected my own home style. We went for a Scandi-inspired scheme of subtle colours with lots of cosy textures. You can see more of…

If you’re not 100 per cent sure, start small. Test the colour or pattern out on one wall first, with pieces of furniture or accessories to build up your confidence and to figure out if the look is for you. You can then expand and experiment as you go. Choosing colour is so specific to each home so take your time. Paint-wise, try using big sheets of the tester paint and pinning them onto the wall in two locations, one opposite the window and one in a corner, to see how the shade reacts in natural light, in a darker area and in artificial light. Live with the tester for at least a week to allow time for it to mellow. There’s a lot to be said for trusting your…

A BIT ABOUT ME I’m Alice Lunn, 26, a childminder. I live with my fiancé, Jack, 31, a delivery driver. You can see more of our home style @style.less.home. WHERE I LIVE Our home is a four-bedroom, semidetached 1960s property in Beverley, East Yorkshire. We bought it in December 2019 and moved in two months later. WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE Everything needed replacing as it was very dated. The previous owners had dogs and the carpets were in a bit of a state, plus there was lots of brown paint and old wallpaper. HOW I MADE IT WORK We took everything back to basics and rewired and replastered the whole house. We kept the kitchen, as it was new, but replaced the bathroom as well as the cloakroom and…

PEACHY KEEN Fans of the cult classic Wild Rhubarb anti-bac all-purpose cleaning spray from Method will be pleased to know that a brand-new scent is joining the collection. Peach Blossom is a fruity, floral-scented cleaning spray that boasts the same germ-killing properties as its popular sister spray. Spritz the cleaner on dirty, greasy or dusty surfaces – from kitchen counters to bedside tables – and diffuse your home with the sweet smell of peaches as you clean. The cleaner is made from a plant-based lactic acid formula, which kills up to 99.9 per cent of bacteria – the ideal spray for your spring cleaning jobs around the house. The Peach Blossom anti-bac spray is £3 and can be bought from most major supermarkets. methodproducts.co.uk Dust busters For a long-lasting, easy-to-clean…

Create a corner where their imaginations can run wild as they play or enjoy a favourite book in comfort play Choose these smart buys to create a stylish space where little ones can play and learn at the same time Decorate the room with an eye-catching wall mural like this striking world map. It’s a great way to teach budding explorers about the world around us and the countries and wonderful wildlife in it. Allow your little artist to explore their creative side with the perfect set up for arts and crafts. Drawers and boxes will keep all of the essential pens, paper and paints neatly and safely stored, yet close to hand. What the experts say... • If space permits, create an area for play and activities in your…

PERFECT CANVAS The style of my small Edwardian flat is a scandi/bohemian mix. I kept the decor pretty neutral but I love to add pops of colour through accessories and eccentric trinkets which hold meaning to me. A mantelpiece is the perfect place to do that! I’ve found cushions, crystals and vibrant dried blooms a great, easy way to introduce colour to a neutral space, and green plants always help make a room feel fresh. I’m still learning how to be a good plant mum though! @beechboho BLOOMING LOVELY My home style is very much cosy, country cottage but with a sense of fun. I love my home to feel welcoming and relaxed, so I use warm colours and lots of fairy lights. The things I love to buy the…

Go green It’s a well-known fact that plants boost our mood and wellbeing so bring some of the outdoors into your bathroom. Go for varieties that thrive in humid environments – a spider plant, monstera or asparagus fern are all good picks. Temporary tweaks If you rent, you might be limited to what you can do, but small, subtle changes can go a long way. Change the shower curtain for a bold, bright design, get creative with peel-and-stick tiles or add art or a bath mat to the scheme for a fun facelift. Make room A big spacious bathroom would make us all happy, but if extensions are out of the question, there are still things that can be done to free up space. Recessed shelves are great for keeping…

‘Lift the pared-back look with touches of sunshine yellow and warm peach tones’ Style advice Get cosy Scandi style equals cosy, so make sure it’s a place you want to curl up in by including lots of different textures. Think deep-pile rugs you can sink your toes into and lots of cushions for getting comfy on the sofa. Hello, sunshine! The more natural daylight the better, so consider alternative window treatments to the heavy curtains you might have. You could keep windows free, use a lightweight voile or install shutters, like Yoko, to filter sunlight streaming through. Welcome nature This style borrows from nature, so work in lots of natural materials, like wood and rattan and include foraged finds such as driftwood, shells or flowers that you could dry out.…

‘Add interest to a navy and white colour scheme with smart copper accents’ Style advice Finishing touches With this style, the little details have a big impact, so upgrading things like plug sockets, cupboard handles and the kitchen tap to modern designs will help to create a polished look. For consistency, pick finishes in the same colour or metal. Shop around Katie customised her IKEA cupboards with tailor-made doors and separate copper handles. Shopping around allows you to get the exact look and finish you’re after. Blend it in Some elements – like ugly radiators, storage options or door frames – can take away from the streamlined look, so paint them in the same shade as the rest of the space so that they blend in, giving a sleek finish.…

Tingle your taste buds Quench your thirst with the refreshing tang of a Zingi Bear switchel. A mix of sparkling water, fresh root ginger, apple cider vinegar and acacia honey, this alcohol-free soft drink tastes great over ice or as a mixer with something stronger. First enjoyed by eighteenth-century farmers, this fizzy bev has had a modern makeover and can now be found in Michelin-starred restaurants. Priced at £3.50 per 330ml bottle from zingibear.com. BREAKFAST BOOST Give your porridge, yogurt and cereal a healthy dose of fibre, protein and tastiness with a spoonful of Crunch Seed Clusters from Linwoods. The toppers come in three tempting flavours – Flaxseed and Cranberries, Flaxseed and Nuts and Flaxseed and Chia Seed – and are packed with Omega 3 and magnesium to give your…

LATEST RELEASE Wake up with a spring in your step thanks to Joules’ gorgeous new bedding range. Inspired by the beauty of an English country garden, the collection includes an array of prints including bold florals, bees, bright colours, sausage dogs and all things nature! The range is available in single to super king size, with matching Oxford pillowcases included, and you can switch things up as some of the sets are reversible too. Bring the joy of a garden in bloom to your bedroom with these delightful designs. Prices start at £20. joules.com FREE DESIGN ADVICE Looking for expert kitchen design advice but worried about your renovation budget? Enhance My Kitchen are offering an unmissable free design consultation for new customers, and you can choose from a range of…

Sketch out your design. This will help you stay on track during the project and you can work out exactly what materials you might need before you start. Measure your wall, noting the full width and height of the area you’re panelling. Decide on how many panels you want to have and what width you want your rails (horizontal), stiles (vertical) and base rails to be. Cut the lengths of wood to fit. Prepare your wall. Fill in any holes and sand back smooth. This will create a good base for the adhesive to stick to. Using a strong wood glue, stick your base panels, pressing firmly down. Next is your boarders and then finally the top rail. Use a spirit level to make sure it’s straight. Stick panels inside…

A BIT ABOUT ME I’m Fiona Lee, 38, an interior designer and owner of interiors shop, roseandleeinteriors.com. I live with my husband, Trevor, 45, a medical construction manager, our daughter, Annie, four, and Freddie the cockapoo. WHERE I LIVE Our home is a three-bedroom Victorian terrace in Radcliffe, Manchester. We bought it in May 2009. WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE I called it the beige palace as the bland décor just wasn’t us. The main problem though was the pokey kitchen, which was totally unsuited to family life. HOW I MADE IT MY OWN We’ve stuck to dark colours to suit the age of the house, sanded the floorboards and filled it with treasured antiques and vintage pieces. Trevor did all the plastering – apart from the new extension and…

You will need • Dining chair • Sandpaper • Chalk furniture paint • Paintbrush • Pliers • Scissors • Patterned fabric • Staple gun 1 Remove the seat cushion from the dining chair and set aside. Lightly sand the chair and clean with a cloth. 2 Protect your work surface with newspaper. Apply a coat of chalk furniture paint on the chair frame, and leave to dry. Repeat with a second coat of paint. 3 Remove the old staples and fabric from the seat cushion with pliers. Then place the seat cushion on the new fabric, and cut around with scissors leaving a few centimetres of excess fabric all the way round. 4 Starting on one side, start stapling the new fabric to the underside of…

Buy a plain clear glass shower screen that fits exactly into the space along the bath. Check how much splashing there will be from the shower so you can work out how wide you need it to be to contain all the water. Decide how big you’d like your squares on the frame to be. Look at the luxury screens online with the built-in metal grids for an idea on what you’re aiming for, but the upside of doing it yourself means you can choose whether to go small or large. Buy some good quality black vinyl tape from a DIY store, but before you start applying it, measure everything out in black felt pen so you can get a feeling for the look. If your squares don’t divide exactly,…

After being cosied up indoors over the winter months we’re all longing to get back outside into nature and this spring’s biggest trend is all about embracing natural elements and bringing them into our homes. With an emphasis on materials such as wood, rattan and bamboo combined with feel-good fibres like cotton and linen, this season is all about creating a calm, nature-inspired look that pleases the senses and has a relaxed, tactile quality. Opt for a soothing colour palette of soft plaster tones combined with subtle greens, accented with chalky whites and muted earthy shades. Look for prints and accessories featuring verdant foliage and delicate wild flowers and incorporate plenty of interesting textures, such as chunky, slubby weaves, macramé-inspired knots and tassels, smooth bamboo and hewn wood. To make…

1 Decide on the width of your arch. Once you’ve chosen the size, mark both points where the arch will finish on your wall. Cut a piece of string that’s slightly longer than the height you want your arch to be. Run a piece of chalk along the string so it’s loaded with chalk dust. 2 Tie a knot at one end of the string, and at the other end, tie something heavy to keep it secure to the floor. Tape the knotted end of the string to one of the end marks you made in step one. Make sure the string is taut, then ‘ping’ the string so that it hits the wall. The chalk dust will mark a straight line. If the line is faint in some areas,…

MONDAY SHALLOT, SWEET POTATO & HALLOUMI BURGERS PREP AND COOK TIME 40 MINS SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS • 400g echalion shallots, peeled and halved • 250g pack halloumi, sliced into 8 • 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, thinly sliced • 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped • Handful fresh mint leaves, chopped • Zest 1 lime, grated • ½ lime, juiced • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 large ripe avocado, skinned, de-stoned and chopped • 2 tbsp double cream • 1 tsp red wine vinegar • Handful of fresh coriander, chopped • Salt and pepper • 4 burger buns • 1 Little Gem, leaves separated • Tomato chilli jam METHOD 1 Put the shallots, halloumi and sweet potato in a mixing bowl with the chilli, mint, lime…

A Abigail Ahern abigailahern.com Abstract House abstracthouse.com Aldi aldi.co.uk Alice in Scandiland shop. aliceinscandiland.com A Little Find alittlefind.com All Handles & Pulls allhandlesandpulls.co.uk All Your Appliances secondtek.com Amazon amazon.co.uk Andy Welland andywelland.com Anettetalstad Art @anettetalstad_art Annabel James annabeljames.co.uk Annie Sloan anniesloan.com Anther + Moss antherandmoss.com Anthroplogie anthropologie.com AO ao.com Appliance City appliancecity.co.uk Argos argos.co.uk Artificial Grass artificialgrass-direct.com Asda asda.com Atkin and Thyme atkinandthyme.co.uk Audenza audenza.com B B&M bmstores.co.uk B&Q diy.com Bathstore bathstore.com Bean Bag Bazaar beanbagbazaar.co.uk Benjamin Moore benjaminmoorepaint.co.uk Big Bathroom Shop bigbathroomshop.co.uk Bluebellgray bluebellgray.com Bobby Rabbit bobbyrabbit.co.uk Boutique Camping boutiquecamping.com Bradford Bathroom Company bradfordbath roomcompany.com Broste Copenhagen brostecopenhagen.com Building Supplies Online building-supplies-online. co.uk C Cable and Cotton cableandcotton.com Cambridge Imprint cambridgeimprint.co.uk Ca’ Pietra capietra.com Carpetright carpetright.co.uk Cath Kidston cathkidston.com Cathy Dean Interior Design cathydean interiordesign.com Celina Digby celinadigby.co.uk Clarissa…