Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Homes & Antiques

While many don’t warm to the quieter months of January and February, for me, they’re brimming with potential. The cacophony of festive plans has died down, and we’re often left with space to fill with ideas for the year ahead. Spring may have earned itself a reputation as the best season to clean, but there’s truly no better time than now to clear clutter and get your home in order. Jenny Oldaker has scoured shops to find storage solutions that are both practical and beautiful, and will give a cleverly curated look to your decor (p21). Covering a range of areas, from living spaces to the hallway, we’ve made it easy to find the perfect addition that will add style and soothe stress in the process. If you’re struggling with…

The Spell of Spring The third instalment of Anima Mundi, House of Hackney’s year-long ode to nature, unfurls in February. The Spell of Spring rejoices in the reawakening of the natural world and delves into the power and folklore of plants through a range of richly patterned fabrics, wallpaper, accessories and paint. houseofhackney.com OFF THE CHART Thought to be one of the world’s most valuable textiles, an embroidered shawl from the V&A archive has inspired Lewis & Wood’s stunningly detailed Srinagar Map collection. Find The Map Maxi in six colourways, at £160 per metre of fabric and £90.42 per metre of wallpaper. lewisandwood.co.uk Pure royalty For those looking to add a true heirloom of the future to their shelves, Moorcroft’s The Majesty of Trees collection is abundant in instant classics.…

The mindset ‘It may sound dramatic, but döstädning, the Swedish concept of ‘death cleaning’, advocates thinking about your things not only in terms of how they make you feel, but also how they might make your loved ones feel once you’ve passed. ‘The idea is based on the need to change our approach to accumulating more and more stuff every year and at every stage in life. Remember that memories can be maintained without clinging to hoards of physical things, so be strict with yourself about what stays. If you’re struggling to decide which items should stay or go, think about whether they bring you joy, or conjure up a happy memory. If the answer is no, they need to go.’ Catharina Björkman, Contura ‘Prioritise the most-used areas of your…

Describing herself as ‘a hunter-gatherer of second-hand and antique furniture, furnishings and art’, Katy Maskell Bell -along with husband John – embraces a ‘collected’ interior style that reflects the couple’s connection to pieces with history and character. Their home – built in 1883, with Gothic Revival details, on the edge of the Eridge Park Estate near Royal Tunbridge Wells – features furniture from multiple eras, either carefully sourced or passed down through family. ‘There are very few items that we’ve bought new; the majority are preloved, recycled, upcycled or restored,’ comments Katy. The couple, who own LPOL (formerly known as Lost Property of London) – specialising in leather and upcycled bags and accessories -moved here with their son, Wilfred, in 2020, leaving the capital and heading back to their roots…

Creating a joyful place to live ranks highly on Amy Eld’s list of priorities. After a lengthy search for a central-London home that resonated with Amy, her husband Daniel and their three children, they settled on a four-storey terraced house in Pimlico. Built in the 1830s by the notable British master builder Thomas Cubitt, the family took ownership in March 2023. ‘We saw a lot of properties before this house came up and finding it was a bit like finding one’s future husband – you just know!’ laughs Amy, who owns vintage and antiques homeware business Rock the Heirloom. With the men in her family all being tall, and two still growing, they loved the sense of space that the high Georgian ceilings provided. Situated in a peaceful spot, it…

In the search for unusual and affordable antiques, I’m very much taken by antique stained glass. The humbler pieces, sometimes overlooked, are often beautiful and decorative, offering possibilities for canny collectors at surprisingly reasonable prices… if you know what to look out for. Stained glass is an ancient craft. Glass pieces, in various shapes and sizes, are stained with some form of colour and held together by a lead framework. The earliest stained glass in Britain has been documented to the monasteries of the 7th century, although the oldest surviving glass in England (still in its original place) dates from the 12th century. During the Middle Ages, when most of the population was illiterate, stained-glass windows were a practical way for the churches and great cathedrals to explain the story…

Were you to ask my father, the secrets to a great hotel are as follows: a light switch reachable from the door, another from the bed, and a solid Wi-Fi connection. Were you to ask me: it’s all about plump pillows, cheery staff and a cosy, comfortable ambience – all things The Merry Harriers has in spades (and yes, there’s Wi-Fi!). Nestled in the Surrey countryside in the picturesque village of Hambledon, this traditional 16th-century inn is a colour-drenched delight. The property was recently renovated by interior-design duo Hutley & Humm, who complemented the building’s character with rich, enveloping palettes that immediately make you feel at home. Inside, four en-suite bedrooms, each with its own personality, boast warming colours and tonal, bespoke furnishings, with antique furniture adding a glorious touch…

What first sparked your interest in antiques? I have always had a love of history, art and interior design, and, by studying the latter, it became clear that so much of modern design finds its roots and inspiration in antiques. The more I looked at art and antiques, the more I loved the history, and the tactile nature of both objects and furniture. They have lived a life and look better for it, as well as being made from proper materials – modern pieces just don’t age in the same way. My tastes are always changing, so antiques are perfect for me as there is so much variety. It’s impossible to tire of the hunt to find that next interesting piece. Tell us about the first antique you bought It…

Fabric Wallpaper Create a cosy haven with colour by drenching walls, ceilings and woodwork in the same hue. Add depth with deeper shades in upholstery, curtains and cushions for a warm, cohesive and inviting space…

Among the many beautiful things on show at interior design show Decorex last year was a series of shimmering embroidery panels by artist Hanny Newton. Hanny, who trained at the Royal College of Needlework, has been creating her circular abstract patterns of wandering thread for the past decade or so, with interest and commissions steadily building along the way. Hanny usually works with gold, but silver, tin and copper all have their place in her repertoire, too. Employing the couching technique – where metal threads are handstitched onto a textile backing using small stitches and finer threads – Hanny explores the motion of line and the interplay between reflective surface and light. Her pieces have a sinuous form and a seductive iridescence to them. These qualities were very much on…

With a passion for history cultivated in his early childhood (something he traces to having a mother with a love of sourcing antiques, and frequent family trips to National Trust properties), decorative antiques dealer Marc Kitchen-Smith embraces all things old and beautiful. An ardent collector of pieces, ranging from antique pigeon decoys to natural history books, he lives surrounded by a wealth of treasures in the Cornish home he shares with his picture researcher partner, Pauline Hubner. The three-storey terraced townhouse features a façade dating back to the early-19th century, though its structure is much older. ‘The rooms aren’t huge and the ceilings aren’t high, so there’s a cosy feeling throughout, somewhat reminiscent of an old tavern,’ says Marc. ‘The staircase runs through the centre of the house like a…

Born in 1788, Sarah Goodridge was one of nine children of a Massachusetts farmer. Mainly self-taught, she rose to become an accomplished and sought-after portrait miniaturist, supporting herself, her sick mother and an orphaned niece with her commissions. One of her most enthusiastic patrons was the ambitious politician Daniel Webster, a married man with three children. She completed more than a dozen portraits of him and his family over 25 years, and it seems some kind of romantic friendship – possibly more -developed between the pair. Wary of damaging his reputation, he destroyed all her letters, but a surprising gift Goodridge sent after his wife’s death in 1828 was passed down between generations of the family, before being donated to The Met museum in New York. Enclosed in a red…

1. Leap back in time Estimate £2m-£3m Sold £4.2m Last November, an exceptionally rare bronze buck dating to the 8th century made headlines when it sold at Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World & India auction. The bronze is an aquamanile – a vessel used to pour water over the hands as part of a ritual, and was probably made in Iraq, possibly in the city of Merv on the Silk Roads, during the period of the Umayyad dynasty. For part of the mid-20th century, the buck – which resembles an Arabian gazelle – belonged to archaeologist and historian John l’Anson Bromwich, before being acquired by a dealer in the 1980s. It then found its way into a private collection from 1992 to 2024. At 32cm high and 21cm wide,…

Erddig Most recorded love stories in historic buildings relate to the upper echelons of society, but Erddig in Wrexham, north-east Wales, bucks this trend. The Yorke family, who owned this country house for almost 250 years, cultivated an unusually close bond with their servants, and celebrated members of the staff in a collection of portraits and poems that still exists today. Among these past employees were Lucy Hitchman and Ernest Jones, a nanny and a groom, who fell in love and eventually married. The match was encouraged by the Yorkes, and is commemorated in a portrait and verse in Erddig’s below-stairs hall of fame. nationaltrust.org.uk Sweetheart Abbey When Lord John Balliol died in 1268, his grieving widow, Lady Dervorguilla of Galloway, had his embalmed heart placed in an ivory casket,…

Check ahead Please contact event organisers to check for postponements & last-minute cancellations FAIRS AROUND THE UK Northern Ireland 1st Ballyhackamore Art, Antiques and Collectables Fair, St Colmcille’s Church, 191a Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3JB. waringfield.com 22nd Ormeau Road Antique, Art, Vintage, Retro & Collectables Fair, Cooke Church, 216 Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2FY. waringfield.com North & Scotland 2nd Vintage Home Show Leeds, Pudsey Civic Hall, Leeds, LS28 5TA. vintagehomeshow.co.uk 5th Astra Antiques Fairs at Astra Antiques Centre, Gibson Road, Old RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire, DN21 5TL. astra-antiques.com 7th-9th The Pavilions of Harrogate Decorative, Antiques & Art Fair, The Pavilions of Harrogate, Railway Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8NZ. cooperevents.com 16th Glasgow Antique, Vintage & Collectors Fair, Bellahouston Leisure Centre, 31 Bellahouston Drive, Glasgow, G52 1HH. glasgowantiquefair.com 16th Vintage Flea…

The Kitchen ‘We tend to use only 20 per cent of our belongings, and knowing what you need to organise in terms of cupboards or drawers makes life easier,’ advises Merlin Wright, design director at kitchen designers Plain English. ‘Think about whether you like things out on display, or hidden – chefs tend to keep things on shelves so they’re easy to grab, but if you don’t cook much, items can get dusty if not used regularly.’ Large pantry cupboards are perfect for hiding clutter and offer extra workspace when needed, while a smaller-scale storage staple is a moveable butler’s trolley. In terms of food, baskets for vegetables allow air to circulate, and decanting dry goods into jars gives a sense of order to pantry shelves. ‘Rows of labelled jars…

Art hangs on the walls in many of our homes, often a mix of prints, paintings, children’s drawings and family photographs. They celebrate who we are and what we love, from landscapes and seascapes to people and places. Less frequently seen are textiles recognised as art, rather than as curtains and soft furnishings. Hanging textiles on walls is one way to captivate the eye and extend the life of singular pieces of extraordinary beauty. Part of the upsurge in textile art for the home has been the escalating interest in antique textiles from around the world, with their fascinating patterns and colours. Interior designers, including Henriette von Stockhausen and Susan Deliss, have been ambassadors for ways to use these pieces, depending on their size, age and relative fragility, and Francesca…

Bold, free and dynamic, slipware’s appeal is multifaceted. It looks as eye-catching in a traditional countryhouse setting, surrounded by provincial furniture, as it does in an ultra-modern interior. And it isn’t just confined to British shores – you might find it in a Japanese collector’s home, where its calligraphic qualities are much prized; or in the cabinet of an American connoisseur, drawn by its historical associations and decorative charms. The history of slipware is long, with roots that go back to medieval Europe. By the 17th century, potters around London and elsewhere throughout the country were producing slipware for the local domestic market. It was mainly the abundance of clay and coal to be found in Staffordshire that gave this region the edge, and helped the makers there to reach…