Innehållsförteckning för April 2017 från 25 Beautiful Homes

With the days getting longer and warmer, gardens across the country are springing into life and colour. In my little patch, daffodils are flowering alongside crocuses, and I can just see the first shoots of tulips. Seeing all these wonderful blooms makes me want to head outside and busy myself with getting the pots and borders ready for summer. Just as you would in your house, it’s good to make a few changes, so I’ll be re-positioning containers and dealing with the plants that took over last year and now need to be brought under control. I don’t have a garden at the rear – mine runs along the side of our house, so I have to treat my garden differently to someone who can step from their home onto…

CONTEMPORARY FLORAL BEDLINEN I’m on the hunt for some very striking floral bedlinen to brighten a white guest bedroom. I am hoping to find a contemporary design featuring vivid pink accents to team with some plain fuchsia lampshades. Any suggestions? JEAN HARVEY, DERBYSHIRE Eye-catching bedlinen is a simple way to bring pattern and colour into a bedroom. Designers Guild (020 7893 7760, designersguild.com) has a bold floral called Sibylla Fuchsia (right), from £19 for a standard pillowcase. Bedeck (0333 200 7331, bedeck.co.uk) sells the Sanderson Home range that includes Floral Bazaar, a pretty, naive botanical print, from £12 for a pillowcase, and the Bluebell Grey (0808 164 0130, bluebellgrey.com) Tetbury Meadow collection has a painterly style, from £18 for a pillowcase. RED CHECK FABRIC While leafing through a past issue…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian townhouse LOCATION South London ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, office area, cloakroom, five bedrooms, two bathrooms PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘I moved here from a house in Wimbledon 18 months ago,’ says Swedish-born Pia. Keeping things simple and light and letting beautiful materials speak for themselves is the ethos that Swedish-born artist and designer Pia Rosling kept in mind when decorating the south London home she shares with her partner and her daughter, Hanna. ‘I’m the design director for Sola Kitchens, so I work with design every day,’ says Pia. ‘I seem to find it so easy to make decisions on colours and style for clients, but when it came to my own project, it was different. That’s why it works so…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 1930s semi-detached house LOCATION Hove ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, office, utility room, cloakroom, four bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 2007 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in a four-bedroom Victorian house, also in Hove,’ says Emma. When interior architect Emma Capron and her husband, Chris, moved into a spacious semi in Hove, East Sussex, they were brimming with ideas on how to improve the space. The pair instantly fell in love with the 1930s property, seeing beyond the dated wallpaper and floral curtain pelmets. ‘The light and space were a refreshing contrast to the linear Victorian house we had lived in previously,’ says Emma. The couple, who have two children, Esmé and Luca, tackled the smaller jobs first, painting walls in neutral shades, removing…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached house, built in 1892 LOCATION Dorset ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, boot room, cloakroom, study, six bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 1997 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here we lived in a Victorian terrace in Notting Hill, London,’ says Helena Twenty years ago, Helena and Peter Barrowcliff made the decision to leave London for peaceful Dorset and, before long, they had found a neglected Victorian house set in rolling countryside. ‘It was a substantial building, which was handsome rather than pretty,’ says Helena. ‘It needed a huge amount of work, but the location was very special and there was potential to put down roots, make it a home and give our four children an idyllic rural upbringing.’ Gradually, the couple renovated the property, reorganising…

Design ideas SLIDING DOOR When space is at a premium, often the solution is to think outside the box, like Lisa James did with her bedroom. She installed an interior sliding door, behind which is concealed a compact en suite bathroom. Instead of swinging open into the room, the door glides along a top track. When it is closed, it blends seamlessly into the painted wooden wall panelling. As an alternative, you could opt for a pocket door. This also slides, but it disappears when fully opened into an adjacent compartment or wall cavity. It usually travels on rollers suspended from an overhead track, but in some models, this can be on the floor. The downside of this door is that it has hidden parts and hardware, making it tricky…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Cottage, built in 1843 LOCATION Chichester ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, study, three bedrooms, bathroom, garden guesthouse PURCHASED 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a large bungalow ten miles away before moving here,’ says Clare. When three of Clare Standing’s five children left home, the spacious bungalow they had all lived in began to make her feel isolated. ‘But it was by the sea and I was reluctant to move away from the coast,’ she says. Nevertheless, when a cottage in Chichester came on the market, she found herself agreeing to view it. ‘I was so surprised by it,’ says Clare. ‘Even though it was just a short walk from the city centre, it was on a quiet street, with residents’ parking.’ And despite its…

For sheer flamboyance and flowering intensity, nothing comes close to the splendour of a magnolia in spring. With its creamy goblet-shaped petals and distinctive red streaks, the magnolia ‘Sunrise’ has a neat habit, which means it’s compact enough for small gardens, either in a large patio container or a border. Height and spread: 1.8m (6ft). Supplied as a bare root. HOW TO ORDER BY PHONE Call 0844 573 1686 and quote 25BH10Z – lines open 9am-8pm (weekdays) and 9am-6pm (weekends) ONLINE Visit www.thompson-morgan.com/25BH10Z BY POST Fill in the coupon below TERMS AND CONDITIONS Offer available to readers on the UK mainland only. All orders will be acknowledged by letter or email, advising you of the expected despatch date. Offer subject to availability. Your contract for supply of goods…

UNIQUE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Georgian country house LOCATION Cheshire ROOMS Hall, drawing room, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, study, utility room, seven bedrooms (one en suite), dressing room, four bathrooms PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We moved here from a 20th-century house in a nearby village,’ says Nicky. The clean-lined grandeur of a Georgian house in Cheshire very much appealed to Nicky and Peter Barratt. ‘We both thought, “Now, that is something very special”,’ recalls Nicky. The property’s generous proportions and high-ceilinged rooms also had a practical appeal. ‘My husband and our son Harley, now 15, are both over six-foot, so the pitched rooms in our previous home always felt cramped to them.’ The framework of this house offered a more open, expansive feel for the whole family, which also…

In a scheme so elegantly influenced by nature and springtime as this, only the most minor of touches is needed to carry the room through the different seasons. From the unvarnished floorboards and chunky jute rug, to the rustic wood furniture and curtain fabric with its mad March hare print, this room is bright, full of colour and cheerful. So, at Easter, the simplest suggestion of the spring festival goes a long way in this garden-fresh sitting room. The pastel-painted eggs displayed in a trio of gold-trimmed vases, the bouquets of flowers and the simple wreath hanging at the window bring a sense of vitality and wholesomeness to the space. The gilded glint of the metallic pendant light creates a feeling of the sun’s rays beaming down. Not only does…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached villa, built in 1853 LOCATION Southwest London ROOMS Hall, drawing room, sitting room/kitchen-diner, utility room, cloakroom, five bedrooms (one en suite), two bathrooms PURCHASED 2014 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a period house just a couple of miles away,’ says Laura. When Laura and Patrick Butler-Madden stumbled across a leafy enclave of red brick Victorian villas in their favourite part of south London, they didn’t dare imagine that they would one day have a home in this area. ‘We were riding around on our scooter and came across a cluster of grand period houses with wide frontages, billowing wisteria and beautiful architectural details,’ says Laura, an interior designer and project manager. ‘It’s a very tranquil area and it felt like stepping back in time.’…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY End-of-terrace cottage, circa mid 1600s LOCATION East Sussex ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, four bedrooms, two bathrooms (one en suite) PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before this, we were living in a six-bedroom detached Victorian house nearby,’ says Helen. With a background in interiors PR and now running Harper and Hugo, a store selling accessories for dogs, Helen Smith has an eye for design and detail. She was living in a six-bedroom country house set in five acres in East Sussex, with husband Nick and children, Oscar, 12, and Isabella, 10, when she turned her attention to finding a townhouse in nearby Rye. ‘Nick had started working abroad and wanted me to have a project to keep me busy,’ explains Helen. ‘I used to love visiting Rye,…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Former coach house LOCATION Edinburgh ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, two bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED Inherited in 2011 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘This lovely house is our holiday home, our main residence is in Glasgow,’ explains Viv. From the exterior, this 19th-century former coach house may not have the grandeur of its Edinburgh neighbours but, once inside, the building is much larger than you might expect and has a bold and confident beauty. Viv Lumsden inherited the property, in the highly prized Blacket conservation area, from her mother who had lived here for 30 years. Viv and her husband Alan live in Glasgow, but refurbished the property to use as a home-from-home whenever they feel like a break. Interior transformations are nothing new for Viv. The…

‘Rustic materials add visual interest and character to many settings. Try the look in your home by working with existing features or by sourcing salvaged options. Install copper, brass or zinc in the form of counters, tables and lighting or introduce natural elements such as weathered wood. Salvaged materials can be further adapted. For example, I used reclaimed wooden doors in a warehouse loft. These were cut and fitted to specification, and then painted and sanded to give an aged look. Be creative when considering how to make the most of the unfinished feel. For instance, why not run electric cables through galvanised metal pipes. This works well in a kitchen or an open-plan setting. If you are planning to introduce rustic or reclaimed elements, make sure they complement the…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Cape Cod-style 1960s house LOCATION Ontario, Canada ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen/family room, recreation room, media room, four bedrooms, five bathrooms PURCHASED 2000 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We used to live down the road in a ranch bungalow,’ says Michele. Michele Hatziioannou’s Cape Cod-style home, close to Lake Ontario in Canada, is an exercise in artful collecting. The house is full of intriguing flourishes that catch the eye but work together beautifully, too – it’s like a very well curated and coordinated take on a curiosity shop. The interior designer, who owns a furniture shop, House Warmings, with her husband Leo, describes the look as a casual mix of styles. ‘We buy pieces we love and then make them work,’ says Michele. The house has been…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Top-floor flat in an 1890s building LOCATION Paris ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, study, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, dressing room MOVED IN 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We used to live in a flat close to here in Montmartre, which also had incredible views over the city,’ says Julia. On entering Julia and Julien Rouzaud’s apartment, shared with their children, Manon and Leon, the bold colours are the first thing you notice. Then your eyes are drawn to the striking assembly of furniture – an eclectic mix of vintage and designer pieces, which work surprisingly well together. Situated in the heart of Paris, a short distance from the famous Montmartre, and Sacre-Coeur, the flat resides within an 1890s Haussmannian building. It is a prime example of…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Apartment in a Victorian terrace LOCATION Southeast London ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in a smaller, two-bedroom flat in nearby Forest Hill,’ says Anouska. As a child, Anouska Tamony spent most of her school holidays with her grandmother, a talented tailoress whose clients ranged from Hindu princesses to Malaysian magnates. ‘My grandmother was Chinese and she married a Dutchman,’ says Anouska. ‘They moved from Malaysia to Britain in the 1960s and their house was a real mix of Chinese antiques, Japanese artworks, Mid-Century furniture and Eastern fabrics. So I’ve always been drawn to a combination of exoticism tempered with modernity.’ That stylistic DNA proved useful to Anouska and her partner, Scott Clifton, when it…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Converted 18th-century barn LOCATION Cotswolds ROOMS Hall, drawing room, dining room, snug-living room, kitchen-diner, utility, cloakroom, three bathrooms, four bedrooms PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a nearby village, which was located down a lane and surrounded by woods,’ says Susi. Happy with their lovely woodland home, Susi Jones told her late husband Tony that she would only ever move if they found a property with a better view, sheep at the bottom of the garden and an Aga. So she took a lot of persuading to look at a barn conversion he had spotted in the For Sale section of a newspaper. ‘I was so surprised to walk around the house and find everything on my wish list,’ says Susi. ‘I fell in love with…

From intricate plasterwork such as cornicing, coving and ceiling mouldings to original fireplaces, doors and skirtings, the period details of a home can lend character and visual interest. Adopting a sensitive approach when restoring these features will pay dividends in the long-term. All in the detail It’s important to determine the exact age of your home before restoring historic features – seek specialist advice if you are unsure. Beware of removing original sash windows in favour of double glazing, indiscriminately stripping softwood panelling of its paint, replacing lath and plaster with plasterboard or painting cornices and ceiling roses with modern emulsion. Instead, repair catches, stays and hinges on windows and doors, use a gentle distemper on coving and employ a ‘like-for-like’ policy when repairing plasterwork. When it comes to finish,…

1 LIGHT THE WAY Korridor concrete candle holders, £23 each, A Splash of Colour 2 BEST IN GLASS Zoffany Tulipe Lustre pendant light in Rose Gold, £210, Amara 3 INTO THE BLUE Ceramic bowl, £14, Dunelm 4 IN THE GROOVE Crosley Cruiser I turntable, £85, Crosley 5 TIME’S UP! Georg Jensen Koppel Harlequin wall clock, £240, Houseology 6 GLASS ACT Pink Ripple vase, £17, HomeSense 7 PILES OF STYLE Ditsy rectangular boxes, £10.99 for a set of four, Ian Snow 8 HINT OF MINT Smeg blender, £157.50, QVC 9 MELLOW YELLOW Kendall handpainted console table, £225, Next…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade-II listed detached vicarage, built around 1840 LOCATION Oxfordshire ROOMS Hall, drawing room, dining room, kitchen, snug, study, conservatory, cloakroom, five bedrooms four bathrooms PURCHASED 2014 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We used to live in a garden flat in south London that we’d renovated,’ says Gemma. While many homebuyers might be intimidated by the prospect of completely restoring a grand Georgian house, experienced renovator Gemma May-Brown relished the opportunity. ‘From the moment I saw the vicarage online, I had a good feeling about it,’ she says. ‘I could see it had the right proportions and that there was vast potential to transform it into the elegant home my husband Nick and I were desperate for and that had so far eluded us.’ Back in 2014, the couple…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 17th-century farmhouse with later additions LOCATION East Sussex ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen-diner/snug/ playroom, sun room, office, cloakroom, four bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2008 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in a 1950s farmhouse in a more urban location,’ says Lisa. Craving rural tranquillity, Lisa O’Connor and her husband Toby Smallpiece bought an old farmhouse in East Sussex and set about transforming it into a characterful home and thriving business enterprise. Toby had just left his job in internet marketing when an estate agent sent the couple details of 140-acre Hawthbush Farm (hawthbushfarm.co.uk). ‘It was perfect timing,’ says former marketing executive, Lisa. ‘We were both looking to do something different and this provided the perfect opportunity to create our dream…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Terraced house, built in 1720 LOCATION East London ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, drawing room, kitchen-diner, three cloakrooms, three bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 1996 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a house nearby, but it was too small for us,’ says Chris. When Chris and Sarah Dyson first set eyes on what was once the grand home of an 18th-century, east London physician, it was a derelict wreck. But as an architect well versed in the history of Samuel Worrall, the builder responsible for many of Spitalfields’ houses, Chris relished the challenge of returning the property to its former glory. The couple moved into the five-storey house with their now grown-up children, Oliver and Isabella, in 1996, and then spent the next 17 years turning it into…

DEPARTURES APRIL TO OCTOBER 2017, INCLUDES: Choice of 10 stunning cruises Return rail* and Eurostar, or flights, taxes and transfers Five-star cabins with hotel-standard beds, private bathrooms and river views Exceptional cuisine with full board Extensive and fully inclusive touring programmes with an expert tour manager DEPARTURES APRIL TO OCTOBER 2017, INCLUDES: Return flights, taxes and transfers Three-star superior and four-star hotels, with breakfast Florence, Sienna, Uffizi art gallery, San Gimignano, Pisa and the Tuscan countryside Escorted by an experienced tour manager DEPARTURES FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER 2017, INCLUDES: Return flights, taxes and transfers Seven nights’ stay in hand-picked lakefront hotels with half board Take comprehensive sightseeing tours of Lake Garda, The Dolomites, Verona and Venice Escorted by an experienced tour manager DEPARTURES UP TO NOVEMBER 2017, INCLUDES: Return flights,…

Modern, busy lifestyles make the comfort of our sitting rooms ever more important, so it’s good to know that luxury coupled with timeless design lies at the heart of every beautifully crafted G Plan sofa and armchair. As a company that started in 1898, G Plan knows all about traditional craftsmanship and enduring quality. During the 1950s and 60s it became an iconic brand, setting the benchmark for British furniture making. Styles may have changed since then, but the passion is still there, which is why G Plan remains one of the UK’s leading upholstery manufacturers. Each piece of G Plan furniture is handcrafted to order at its Wiltshire base, using premium fillings and springs. They also feature the latest innovations, such as G Plan SnugSit with its specially developed…

UNIQUE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Edwardian semi LOCATION Southampton ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, TV room, four bedrooms, family bathroom PURCHASED 2005 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We moved here from a smaller terraced house nearby,’ says Anne. The decorative carved and turned architectural detail embellishing the staircase was the clinching factor for Anne Cowan and husband Andy when they first viewed their Edwardian home. ‘I stepped into the hall and knew I wanted to live here,’ recalls Anne. ‘It had so much character, with the original tiled fireplace still in situ as well as the ornamental staircase.’ Dating from 1911, the four-bedroom property forms part of a terrace of semi-detached houses, and the couple were delighted to find that only a few, mainly cosmetic, changes had been made. ‘Apart from…

A A Modern World, 020 3432 4050, amodernworld.co.uk. A Splash of Colour, 0161 920 7406, asplashofcolour.com. Air Uno, 0113 201 2240, airuno.co.uk. Aiveen Daly, 020 8962 0044, aiveendaly.com. Alternative Flooring, 01264 335111, alternativeflooring.com. Amara, 0800 587 7645, amara.com. Amazing Grace Interiors, 01992 577735, amazinggraceinteriors.co.uk. Annie Sloan, 01865 247296, anniesloan.com. Appliances Direct, 0871 984 4416, appliancesdirect.co.uk. Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors, 01636 702326, iacf.co.uk/ardingly. Argos, 0845 640 3030, argos.co.uk. Arrow Electrical, 020 8450 0000, arrowelectricals.co.uk. Arthur Lee Interiors, 01565 633134, arthurlee.co.uk. Aston Matthews, 020 7226 7220, astonmatthews.co.uk. Atkin and Thyme, 0844 409 9834, atkinandthyme.co.uk. Atlantic Shopping, 0121 230 1644, atlanticshopping.co.uk. B Barker and Stonehouse, 01642 230988, barkerandstonehouse.co.uk. Bathstore, 0330 053 5661, bathstore.com. Bauhaus UK, 07572 257709, bauhausfurnitureuk.com. Beedell Coram, 07981 559601. Benchmark Windows, 01903 755388, benchmarkwindows.co.uk. Bensons for Beds, 0808…