Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Period Living

Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons. It is also a season of contrasts, offering endless inspiration when decorating interiors. Rather than retreating inside as the days begin to cool, take long walks, and marvel at nature’s colourful displays as trees and woodlands draw across their fiery cloaks of gold to crimson and burnt umber. This warm palette contrasts with the occasional pop of striking blue, purple or pink from the season’s popular perennials such as asters, salvias or anemones, which sing out against a foil of myriad greens. This is Mother Nature’s lesson in using clashing yet complementary shades at opposite ends of the colour spectrum for a harmonious result that draws the eye, so we explore how to successfully use opposing colours in room schemes in our…

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL Choosing upholstery and accessories in a mix of contrasting colours, tempered with muted walls, is a subtle way to experiment with different hues while keeping spaces feeling restful. A celebration of maximalism, this season’s Classic Collection from John Lewis features a range of timeless upholstery in bold plains and stripes alongside colourful accessories and frill-trimmed cushions. ‘The collection embodies a rich colour palette of clashing tones for a maximalist aesthetic. We opted for earthy colours that can be paired together in unexpected ways,’ says Sarah O’Sullivan, lead homes designer. ‘The autumn/winter season is a firm favourite of mine. Terracotta, olive and peacock create an interesting combination; adding deep-red tones into the mix helps ground the colours, creating a warm and inviting space.’ Bromley sofa, from £1,499; Suffolk…

Unless you are looking for a renovation challenge, it is unlikely you would have given this run-down pub a second glance. For Alastair Humphries, however, it was perfect. He and his partner Carlo had been about to relocate to the US, but a change of plan saw them house-hunting in Dorset, and there were two large factors to take into account in their search: their Weimaraners, Guthrie and Billy. ‘We wanted to rent somewhere before buying but we couldn’t find anywhere that allowed two big dogs,’ says Alastair. ‘Then we heard about the old coaching inn in Shaftesbury.’ Last orders had been called for the final time some three years previously, and the town’s oldest pub had stood empty since then. ‘The landlord didn’t mind about the dogs and said…

WOVEN WONDER As it can occupy most of a room’s footprint, a bed frame should be decorative without overwhelming the space; all the more important if you want to luxuriate in a king or super king-size bed. With its woven detail, rattan allows light to filter through, offering a lighter look than solid wood. It is also highly sustainable. ‘Rattan vines can stretch hundreds of feet, growing a few centimetres a day, far surpassing hardwood trees,’ says Georgia Metcalfe, founder and creative director at French Bedroom. ‘Its tensile strength rivals steel, meaning well-made rattan furniture will last decades.’ Normandy king-size bed, from £1,570, French Bedroom. PERFECT HARMONY The easiest way to create a coherent colour scheme is to choose a print or pattern as the inspiration. Here, the lampshade provides…

New take 1 As well as being highly sustainable, reclaimed cabinetry, hardware and furniture will ensure your kitchen is brimming with warmth and character, while also being unique. In this space, every element had a previous life, from the butler’s sink and restored brass bib taps to the cabinet crafted from a pair of reclaimed pine doors, with drawers made from old wine boxes. Warming glow 2 Decorative and functional, traditional copper cookware looks beautiful when displayed on open shelving and can also help save energy since its conductive properties ensure food cooks faster and more evenly. Not only does this make the cookware more efficient, it also results in better-tasting food. Enduring appeal 3 Reclaimed encaustic cement tiles make for a highly durable kitchen floor. Due to the handmade…

Creating both a statement and serving a practical function, wall and floor tiles must be suitable for the environment for which they are intended. Aside from the tile, poor substrate preparation or failure of the adhesive, grout or joint sealant are the main reasons for problems. It is important to identify potential issues, to plan ahead and to be methodical when repairing or renewing tiled areas. This includes considerations such as sight lines in the room when laying out tiles and paying particular attention to how the tiles meet other surfaces to ensure the junctions look good and problems that result in moisture penetration are avoided. What should you think about before fixing tiles? ‘The main issue with walls is whether the substrate can carry the weight of the tiles,…

With the rise in popularity of ornamental varieties, grass is no longer constrained to green – there are blues, blacks, yellows, whites and browns. Plus, there is a grass for every garden, whether to add texture and tempo to flower beds, for edging ponds or pathways, for creating prairie-style borders, to spill out of containers, or for simply standing in splendid isolation. ‘Grasses are easy to use, adaptable and tough. If they’re planted in the correct spot, they do the work, and you do the enjoying,’ says Neil Lucas, author of Grasses for Gardens and Landscapes and gardener at Knoll Gardens in Dorset. Here, he demonstrates how grasses can be planted to beautiful effect, whether in sumptuous sweeping swathes or mini meadows, creating an affordable, wildlife-friendly, truly sustainable and low-maintenance…

Beautiful wreaths are not just for midsummer, Advent or Christmas; nature is full of striking materials that you can use all year round. Autumn is a wonderfully colourful time. When nature explodes with colour, I want my wreaths to mirror this. ASYMMETRY WITH FERNS In the forest, the ferns grow high. Their golden tones glitter in autumn’s soft sunrays. I pick some and make them into wreaths that dry beautifully. The brown colour of the ferns is a nice contrast against the blue-green colour of the eucalyptus. A few berries act as an extra eye-catcher, and the grasses contribute a softer material. MATERIALS ● Base made from branches ● Myrtle wire, green ● Wire cutters ● Hessian ribbon FLOWERS/FOLIAGE ● Fern ● Eucalyptus nicholii ● Grass ● Swedish whitebeam berries…

Perfectly framed We ask antiques expert Peter Last on what makes a good frame and what to look out for when choosing one In the 1990s, I worked in the antique frame department – long since defunct – of Bonhams auctioneers in London. We used to hold 16 sales a year, and through handling thousands of frames, I got to know my subject. I started trading in frames about 20 years ago and now run my own business, Peter Last (Instagram @peterframer). The right frame can really lift a picture and make it sing. If you get it right, it will draw the viewer in. Matching the tones of the frame to the palette of the painting can be very effective, as can mirroring the designs in the frame with…

APPLE TOASTS WITH RICOTTA, WARM APPLE COMPOTE AND CRISPY SAGE SERVES 4-6 This is a perfect impromptu dish to rustle up when friends drop by. Serve all the elements on a large board so that everyone can build their own little toasts, and enjoy them with a glass of red wine. ● 1 sourdough loaf● 2 garlic cloves, peeled● Olive oil, to drizzle● 3 apples● 1 red chilli, finely sliced, or 1tsp dried chilli flakes● 2tbsp maple syrup● Juice and zest of 1 lemon● 100g butter● Leaves of 1 small bunch sage● 200g ricotta 1. Preheat a large griddle pan until smoking hot. Cut the bread into 2cm slices and char the slices on both sides. While hot, rub the raw garlic over one side of each slice, then drizzle…

This year’s Recycle Week (14-20 October) run by Recycle Now has the theme of ‘Rescue Me’ – rescuing recyclable items from the rubbish bin and, ultimately, landfill. Alternative Flooring’s new sustainable and innovative Anywhere Ca-rPET does just that as the sisal lookalike flooring is crafted with yarn made from 100% plastic bottles. Known as rPET, 50kg of plastic bottles are needed to spin 1kg of the yarn, which is enough to produce 1sq m of carpet. Available in three weave styles – Herringbone, Bouclé and Panama – this durable and long-lasting eco-conscious flooring has a natural appearance, is soft underfoot, and is an ideal choice for high-traffic areas, or can be made into a bespoke rug or runner.…

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Bella Italia Bring the colours of the Italian countryside into your bathroom with a striking new collection of porcelain tiles from Maitland and Poate. The Italian Collection is a collaboration with interiors blogger and writer, Kate Watson-Smyth of Mad About The House and is inspired by a recent renovation of her Italian home near Turin. The collection showcases five heritage designs, reworked with a playful new colour palette. From calming lavenders to forest greens, muted yellows and deep blues, each design is named after rooms in Kate’s home, and can be used to create a stunning floor or feature wall. The tiles are handmade and produced by third-generation tile artisans. Suitable for both interior and exterior projects, the 20x20cm tiles come in a choice of 1.9cm or 1.4cm depth. From…

Celebrated for the soothing gel within its leaves, aloe vera is one of the nation’s favourite houseplants. ‘Aloe vera gel is widely known to relieve sunburn, to help heal wounds and is great as part of a skincare routine to keep your skin hydrated,’ explains Emily Lawlor, owner of Happy Houseplants. According to experts at Kew, Cleopatra even used aloe vera as part of her beauty regime over 2,000 years ago. However, aloe vera has more to offer than just what is inside its leaves. This easy-to-care-for houseplant strikes a bold silhouette and looks stunning displayed on a shelf or windowsill. Perfect placement Naturally thriving in arid rocky desert climes, aloes benefit from warmth and sun. ‘Opt for a brightly lit spot with indirect sunlight, like a south-facing windowsill that…

One up from having fresh flowers, this everlasting garland can be used to dress tables time and time again. Whether you preserve your own blooms or buy ready-dried – Atlas Flowers, Dowsing & Reynolds and Bloom & Wild all have beautiful selections – try creating a show-stopping centrepiece to prolong the beauty of the summer into autumn. YOU WILL NEED ● Dried flowers, such as daisies, rose buds, gypsophila, mimosa, statice, echinops, delphinium and helichrysum ● Dried seed heads, such as poppies, nigella and scabious ● Dried grasses and foliage, such as flax, oat stems, bunny tails, Briza maxima and broom ● Florist’s wire ● Wire cutters ● Grapevine garland ● Dried eucalyptus 1. Begin by cutting all the flowers and grasses to a length of 10cm and fix together…

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING Whether you have a boot room at the back door or a narrow hallway, storage needs to work hard to ensure this high-traffic zone remains clutter free. Baskets are an easy way to keep things organised. ‘Woven hanging storage baskets are incredibly versatile, and handy for hats, gloves and scarfs, while square designs provide storage for shoes and boots – place them on shelves to free up floor space,’ advises Danielle Le Vaillant, product expert at Cox & Cox. Include doormats and rugs made from natural, durable materials to create a cosy feeling underfoot. Shown here are woven jute hanging storage baskets, from £65 each; square woven seagrass baskets, £115 for two; round umbrella stand and boot rack, £125; Flora Knit runner, £195, all Cox &…

There is something truly magical in thoughtful hand embroidery. The meticulous application of thread may be slow and quiet, yet it can also be powerful in its ability to articulate the spirit, story and even lineage of the embroiderer through the language of stitches on plain cloth. Authentic antique Suzanis are one of the most potent examples. Originating with the nomadic communities of Central Asia – particularly the region we now know as Uzbekistan – each crafted panel was a unique and deeply personal piece stitched not for commercial sale but as a symbol of domestic union Created by a bride and her female relatives, each Suzani was a significant part of a dowry presented to a groom upon their wedding. It was commonly used to decorate their home as…

When purchasing a new house, especially one you plan to renovate, it is important to see the hidden potential. This could be anything from adding an extension, installing new windows or reconfiguring the layout. For Jacqui Roebuck, it was all about seeing past the lower-ground floor annexe’s cold shell and imagining her dream kitchen standing in its place. ‘When we moved in to our Victorian house, the lower-ground floor was a self-contained area,’ she says. ‘It was damp and shabby, but we knew it would make an amazing kitchen and living space that could be connected to the garden.’ Jacqui and her husband Ian wasted no time waiting to transform the lower-ground floor into a bright, airy space. ‘We wanted to remove walls, replace the windows and add large glass…

LAID-BACK THINKING Slipper baths were originally created to ensure privacy at public baths during the Victorian era. However, today they are loved for their elegant shape and the luxurious soak they provide. Traditional designs were made from cast iron, renowned for impressive heat retention and durability; however, they are exceptionally heavy and so are difficult to install in upstairs bathrooms. Classic designs made from modern materials, such as acrylic, combine the best of both worlds. Acrylic is significantly lighter than cast iron, removing concerns about reinforcing floors, and is warm to the touch. The exterior of models, like the Fordham traditional roll-top bath, £1,435, BC Designs, shown here, can be painted in a colour of your choice. FROM THE EARTH Imbuing a bathroom with a sense of luxury, copper baths…

£14.99 SAVING OVER 50% COMPLETE FLOWERING BULB COLLECTION Transform your garden and enjoy months of fabulous colour every year with this fantastic offer. Pay less than half the normal price for 300 bulbs of this quality – that’s less than 5p per bulb! From February through to August, be amazed by the dazzling array of colours and variety of shapes from these brilliant plants. The complete flowering variety collection includes seven different bulb varieties: tulip, crocus, miniature daffodil, muscari, ipheion and two types of allium. Terrifically versatile and perfect for creating colourful displays in your borders, flower beds and containers, the bulbs can also naturalise when planted in the lawn. ● Item code 630050 ● 300 bulbs ● £14.99 – save £15 MEDLEY PLANTER IN SILVER Add a touch of class…

Ten years ago, Justine Burgess tried out a willow workshop and discovered her passion for weaving, and what started out as a hobby, eventually turned into her career. ‘I became completely hooked. For me, willow weaving had it all – it was the feel of the materials in my hands, techniques and forms that really interested me and the wide range of colours and textures you could use,’ she explains. Justine had originally trained as an electrical and electronics engineer at Cardiff University before moving into engineering recruitment, technical PR and project management for the charity sector. ‘My last contract in this field was for The Prince’s Trust. I loved it, but I was working away from home regularly,’ she says. Feeling a need for change and, at the end…