Innehållsförteckning för May-2018 från Homes & Gardens

I believe we’re all striving to achieve a beautiful home, but how we each set about creating our dream can be very different. While some of us may have to take on the reconfiguration and decoration of our property all at once, for most it’s an ongoing project evolving over many years. No matter which course you take, your belongings are probably a mix of family pieces and lovingly collected objects. Here at Homes & Gardens, we try to reflect this natural evolution of personal style in our decorating stories. This month, however, we have concentrated on products from high-street and online retailers to show how schemes filled with stylish design (page 61) need not break the bank. Now that spring has arrived, your focus may well be turning to…

How would you describe your Instagram account? It’s somewhere between a diary and a sketch book. A collection of inspirations and a reminder of how fast I move. Who would you recommend we follow and why? James Horner @jameshornergarden is one of my closest collaborators, a true gardener and the most sensitive plantsman. His photography speaks louder than any words could. Stardust @stardust_kana was the most inspiring place I visited during my recent trip to Japan. This Kyoto-based gallery/café/shop is a hub for the most beautifully creative Japanese craftspeople.…

SOFAS DINING TABLES AND CHAIRS BENCHES ARMCHAIRS PARASOLS…

Which garden features should be highlighted? Place LED spotlights at the base of feature plants such as trees or stands of bamboo, so that the stems stand out. Use the same uplighting technique for statues and artworks and remember to shield the light unit to avoid glare. What special effects are easy to achieve? For a romantic, moonlit effect, secure lights in the canopy of a small-leaved tree, such as a birch, willow, apple or beech, and angle the light downwards. This will produce beautiful dappled light and shadow patterns on the ground, a particularly lovely effect if the tree is near a terrace or dining table. You can also create dramatic shadows by cross-lighting a decoratively designed feature, such as a bench, or a textured boundary wall or screen.…

Can you tell us about the property? It’s hard to believe, given the urban, industrial style, but this is actually a new house in Cheshire, built by Matt and Victoria Farrar for their young family. The architecture was inspired by a striking property in London’s Clerkenwell. The exterior is yellow brick, black render and Crittall-style glazing, and the interiors have a similar East London feel. How did the design of this kitchen evolve? The project took five years from start to finish, partly due to the sheer scale of the property – seven bedrooms and six split storeys – but also because Matt and Victoria had lots of ideas and wanted to get it right. The kitchen design changed completely as the build progressed. Our brief was for a classic-contemporary…

Can you describe the project? The house is a new build on the Suffolk/Essex border, which was designed as a dream home for our clients. This room opens up onto both the dining room and the conservatory to form one large living and entertaining space. Although this is the most formal of the schemes, the clients wanted it to have a lovely easy-going feel. How did the open-plan layout influence your approach? It was really important to create a sense of flow, which we’ve done by using different tones of grey: the palest in the conservatory, followed by a mid-French grey on the walls of the living room and building to a darker shade in the dining area. Increasing the strength of colour in this way creates momentum within the…

We love these characterful blue and white ceramic plates which will bring a whimsical feel and a touch of personality to any wall.…

Can you tell us about Aria’s history? The first shop was opened in Islington in September 1989. We were influenced by the modern design stores we’d seen in Europe selling tableware and accessories – that wasn’t happening much here. We stocked Swedish cutlery and French crockery, but we wanted to include something British and liked the idea of crafts. We found three artisan glass-blowers in a workshop in Covent Garden and bought their beautiful pieces to offset the modern cutlery. How did the business grow? That shop was at 133 Upper Street. In the following January, the landlord decided to develop the premises and asked if we wanted to stay. We signed a lease and began to sell accessories such as jewellery, watches and bags. Then we opened a bathroom…

1| Bowl in Rose, 12cm sq, £102.20sq m, Artisans of Devizes. 2| Geomento, 45cm sq, £67.56sq m, Topps Tiles. 3| Carnaby in Taupe, 20cm sq, £58.80sq m, Mandarin Stone. 4|Square triangles, 20cm sq, £90sq m, Otto Tiles and Design. 5| Maven Dune in Matt White, 20.3cm sq, £1,181.70sq m, Kelly Wearstler for Ann Sacks at West One Bathrooms. 6|Moroccan encaustic single colour in Black, 20cm sq, £49.50sq m, Best Tile. 7| Syren in Natural Linen, 15x14.2cm, £78.18sq m, Topps Tiles. 8| After Lowry, 14cm sq, from £396sq m, Smink Things at Domus. 9| Venetia Grigio, 25cm sq, £82.75sq m, Mandarin Stone. 10| Rustiles, 43.5x20.5cm, £500sq m, Prin London. 11| New terracotta in Matt Grey, 10cm sq, £210sq m, Domus. 12| Attingham seagrass geometric, 40x15cm, £65.96sq m, Topps Tiles. 13| Moroccan…

1 MAUD & MABEL, 020 7435 2099, maudandmabel.com, presents a Celebration of Contemporary Makers, with a special installation by Sophie Cook, a talk by Akiko Hirai (work by both ceramicists shown below) and demonstrations. Talk 9 May, 11am-1pm. Demonstrations 12 May, 11am-1pm; 13 May, 11am-2pm, £5 for each event. Booking essential. 2 CONTEMPORARY APPLIED ARTS, 020 7620 0086, caa.org.uk, shows by-products from the making process by silversmith Adi Toch and bone china by ceramicist Sasha Wardell (above). Exhibition Until 9 June, 10am-6pm, free. Masterclass with Adi Toch 12 May, 11am-1pm, £15. Booking essential. Slip-casting demonstration by Sasha Wardell 12 May, 2.30pm-5pm, free. 3 WILLIAM MORRIS GALLERY, 020 8496 4390, wmgallery.org.uk, runs a Woodblock Carving and Printing workshop with Laura Anderson and Lola Lely. Create a colour palette and…

LIVING ROOM This season’s delicate shades of blush pink and pale aqua bring freshness to decorating schemes, while low-level furniture and soft, textural ready-made curtains keep the look light. ENTRANCE HALL Using a water-based varnish up to dado height on a painted wall will give the colour a deeper, richer tone and offer a more durable finish in a high-tra∞c area. KITCHEN A row of mismatched decorative tiles is an inexpensive way to create a striking splashback that will lift a simple scheme out of the ordinary. DINING TABLE Update your table with new colours and textures for spring. For an easy, relaxed look, choose a mix of patterns in a similar palette. DINING ROOM Combining furniture from different collections lends an informal feel. Look out for affordable sets of…

Halcyon memories of childhood enticed Johannesburg-born Fiona Ferguson to build a home for herself in St Francis Bay, South Africa. ‘As a teenager, I spent many family holidays here, musseling, windsurfing and watching the sunset from our favourite rocks,’ she recalls. ‘Although the setting is more built-up now, the atmosphere feels the same. It’s still all flip-flops and kikoys – the complete opposite of city life.’ Both Fiona and her British husband, Mark, who have four boys, were keen to reflect that laid-back air in their new home. Scouting about for the right location, they found a narrow but long plot next to the bay of the River Kromme that instantly appealed. ‘Because the river is safer than the ocean, which can be turbulent, the children have total freedom to…

Ask the head of a successful furniture company for the traits that define its products and you might not expect ‘seaworthiness’ to crop up. To Neptune co-founder John Sims-Hilditch, it makes perfect sense. ‘I’ve always loved sailing – even the name Neptune came through our love of the sea – and there’s something about materials that can withstand its testing conditions that fits with our sense of quality. When we began making hammocks, our first product, we were conscious of using the best materials – excellent canvas, good rope and solid wood – and of the need for precise craftsmanship to bring them together. This was our starting point, it was one of our first values and has stayed with us ever since.’ HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Neptune’s own journey has taken…

Where is the best place to install a real fire in the garden? Make your firepit or fireplace the main focus of your design, setting sofas and chairs around it to create an appealing sense of enclosure. However, do leave a gap of at least five feet between the seating and the fire, and a gap of 13 to 16 feet between it and any flammable materials, including trees and plants. Fit a mesh screen, also known as a spark screen, on a firepit before igniting it to prevent sparks and debris from flying out; remove the screen with a poker once the fire is hot. If you opt for a firepit, think about the surface it will stand on. Choose gravel for a wood-burning pit and do not place…

Can you tell us how the project began? I was approached by interior designer Claire Langham of Ciel Interior Design, cielinteriordesign.com, who was renovating her six-bedroom Georgian house in Kent before moving in with her husband and children. As part of the project, Claire had decided to convert a bedroom with a small en suite into one large main bathroom by removing an internal wall. What was your brief for this room? As an interior designer, Claire had a clear idea of the relaxed yet luxurious feel she wanted to achieve, with a palette of subtle colours and streamlined fittings. Her husband likes to shower but she prefers to bathe, so they also wanted a space that served them both equally well. Was there a starting point for the design?…

• The most popular additions at the moment are orangeries – rooms with a part solid, part glass roof – which can be used to create an open-plan kitchen-living space. When designing an orangery consider how you want to use the space and how much light you need. There comes a point where you can have too much light, so think about the room’s orientation before you start. • We’re increasingly seeing clients opting for flat glass roofs. These have several advantages: they offer an uninterrupted view of the sky, can slide open on summer evenings and can be a good solution for a listed building when conservation officers deem a traditional roof lantern to be too dominant. • Another new approach is to cover the sides of a roof…

It’s the small details that make a meal special. The luxury of a crisp linen napkin; a white tablecloth (or even a white cotton sheet) to hide the sins of a hardworking kitchen table; mixing your friends a cocktail (something easy, like a bellini or spritz) when they walk through the door – simple touches such as these make dinner feel like a party. I’m not one for formal table settings and decorations. I like a table that is laden with food – lots of food, cooked by you, of course, in generous dishes and casually presented so everyone can help themselves. Also beautiful loaves of bakery fresh bread (sourdough, ciabatta or baguette), piled high, directly on the table. And heaps of fruit, arranged higgledy-piggledy in whatever serving dishes you…

Established in 1867 by Auguste Kettner, rumoured to have been chef to Napoleon III, Kettner’s was one of the finest restaurants in London to serve French food. Now this historic townhouse is celebrating a new chapter, with a restaurant, Champagne bar and 33 guest bedrooms in the relaxed, elegant style for which the Soho House group is known. Ascend the 18th-century spiral staircase to find individually designed bedrooms in French boudoir style, where original timber floors and fireplaces mix with chandeliers, antique basins and luxurious velvet sofas to provide a welcome haven in the heart of the capital. NEED TO KNOW Joining Dean Street Townhouse, this is the second Soho House standalone hotel and restaurant. Rooms start at £255 a night. Enjoy a meal in the restaurant or a drink…

1| A quirky take on the traditional pendant. Terracotta light, H33xDia28cm, £450, Silvia K Ceramics, 07817 650709, silviakceramics.co.uk. 2| Brexit cushions created to provide comfort. Hold mE.U cushions, 60x30cm, £85 each, Kate Hawkins at Common Room, 07900 006309, commonroom.co. 3| With a woven vegetable-tanned leather strap. Braid mirror in Dove, Dia50cm, £1,050, Genevieve Bennett, 020 3637 3483, genevievebennett.com. 4| Old English seating gets a smart update. Plank settle, H135xW120xD52cm, £5,100, Sue Skeen and Inglis Hall at The New Craftsmen, 020 7148 3190, thenewcraftsmen.com. 5| Influenced by abstract 20th-century art. Tri Blok blanket, 200x220cm, £440, Shepherd, 01233 733096, shepherdengland.com. 6| Carved from seasoned English wood. Spoon in cherry, L30cm, £140; Spoon in field maple, L20cm, £90, Alexander Devol at Wooden & Woven, woodwoven.com. 7| Sculptural shape with textural appeal. Fluted stoneware…

Can you tell us a bit about your backgrounds? I trained as an architect and worked in London, and Jeremy was creative director of a UN programme that helps to build global ethical production systems, mainly for luxury fashion houses; they might pair Vivienne Westwood with a Masai tribe, for example. Jeremy was travelling a lot and, when we had a baby, we decided to leave London and take some time out. The original idea was to have six months off, but three years later we’re still here in Devon. Why did you start making things? We moved from a one-bedroom flat in Hackney to a 400-year-old, five-bedroom farmhouse in the middle of Dartmoor, but we didn’t have any furniture or household items to fill it. We couldn’t find things…

Jo Elbourne’s creative background in art, design and fashion has informed her innovative wrapping and weaving technique, which she uses to make a variety of contemporary pieces, from chairs and stools to wall art. She set up her own studio in 2015, working as part of Margate-based arts community Resort. A multi-disciplinary approach is important to me. I like to remain open to my work shifting in many directions over time and I’m inspired by creative people who haven’t confined themselves to one medium. It’s good to be a little entrepreneurial. Creating blocks of colour or shape rather than a repeated woven pattern really interests me. I used to be a menswear designer, but when I hand knitted accessories for a friend’s fashion label, I realised I was benefiting from…

THIS MONTH, an artful blend of old and new gives a collection of converted farm buildings (page 72) a new lease of life, and the open-plan design of a South African farmstead brings the great outdoors in (page 82). In Northamptonshire, creative owners have updated a Victorian cottage (page 94), while natural materials reign supreme in a Canadian lakeside retreat (page 104). Outside, plants for all seasons flourish in a city garden (page 118) and a family outdoor space has grown into a rural-style idyll (page 126).…

For many of us, the idea of carefully hand-crafting our surroundings in a truly personal way remains little more than a pipe dream. However, for artisan leather-smith and chef Justin Capp, and his fashion designer partner Angelos Bratis, it comes naturally. Justin bought this idyllic cottage in rural Northamptonshire as a fixer-upper in 1998. Over the intervening years, it has gradually evolved according to changing requirements and budget, and it was imbued with fresh perspective when Justin and Angelos met three years ago. Here, the creative couple tell us more about their home’s ongoing transformation. Can you tell us about the location? JC We live in a wonderful little village in the Northamptonshire countryside. I was born in the house next-door-but-one, and have lived and worked here all my life.…

Where is the best spot in the garden to build an outdoor kitchen? Somewhere close to the house is often the most practical place, so that you have quick and easy access to running water, as well as refrigeration and pantry stores in the house. If you choose a site further away, you may wish to incorporate a fridge and sink in your design, which will be more costly. Wherever you position it, try to ensure the kitchen is partly covered, so you can use it in most weathers. Also, keep barbecues, and the fumes, away from neighbouring gardens and their seating area in particular. What types of worksurface do you recommend? Stainless-steel worktops are an option for east- or north-facing gardens but the steel will get too hot in…

Since its founding in 1975, Martin Moore has been at the forefront of designing and crafting beautiful bespoke timber kitchens. During this time, it has developed its hallmark style of classic, timeless, English furniture designed and handmade to order in its Yorkshire workshops. Still family owned, the company has eight showrooms across the UK, undertaking commissions for kitchens as well as joinery throughout the home. To mark the opening of the new north London showroom in Muswell Hill, Martin Moore invites you to explore its latest kitchen collection before enjoying an exclusive cookery masterclass with chef Lee Westcott of innovative London restaurant Typing Room. Young, creative and well-travelled, Lee represents the dynamic new breed of British chefs. He worked with world-renowned chef and restaurateur Tom Aikens and Noma in Copenhagen,…

OPPOSITES ATTRACT This impressive contemporary pavilion by Yiangou Architects, yiangou.com, creates a distinctive yet pleasing contrast to the original Cotswold stone farmhouse with its traditional mullioned windows. RAISE THE ROOF A traditional slate roof blends seamlessly into a minimally expressed glazed gabled extension in this design by Guarnieri Architects, guarnieri.co.uk. The lightness of the frame allows an almost clear view of the sky, which is particularly effective under the stars at night. RIGHT ANGLES For period houses it’s worth considering a partially glazed garden room to complement the original architecture. This design by Westbury Garden Rooms, westburygardenrooms.com, echoes the angular roofline of the building behind and includes windows in the central gable, flooding the room with light. “A glazed roof lantern will open the ceiling to the sky, maximise light…

WHICH GINGHAM FABRICS WILL SUIT MY BUDGET? I’m looking for a fabric with a small blue check to make curtains and blinds for a spare bedroom. I need a large amount and the only suitable design I’ve seen is expensive. Can you suggest more affordable alternatives? AA, Pulborough, West Sussex. There are well-priced cotton gingham weaves available from Tinsmiths, 01531 632083, tinsmiths.co.uk, with prices starting at £16m for the Small Gingham Check in Airforce; the slightly brighter Brogue Check in Marine is £22.50m. Clarke & Clarke, 01706 242010, clarke-clarke.com, offers Coniston in Navy F0421/04, at £20.50m, and Ian Mankin, 020 7722 0997, ianmankin.co.uk, which is always a go-to source for checks and stripes, stocks Suffolk Check in two blue options, the softer Bluebell and deeper Indigo, £27.50m. Other cotton ginghams…

A  Also Home, 01483 608611, alsohome.com. Alternative Flooring, 01264 335111, alternativeflooring.com. Amara, 0800 587 7645, amara.com. Annie Sloan, 01865 803168, anniesloan.com. Another Country, 020 7486 3251, anothercountry.com. Anthropologie, 0800 0026 8476, anthropologie.com. Arran Street East, 00 353 83 814 6672, arranstreeteast.ie. Artisans of Devizes, 01380 735888, artisansofdevizes.com. Atrafloor, 0151 305 7376, atrafloor.com. B  B&Q, 0333 014 3098, diy.com. Barbed, 020 8878 1994, barbed.co.uk. Barlow Tyrie, 01376 557600, teak.com. Bert & May, 020 3744 0776, bertandmay.com. Best Tile, 00 353 51 354905, best-tile.co.uk. BoConcept, 020 7388 2447, boconcept.com. Bohzaar, 01531 553000, bohzaar.co.uk. Bridgman, 020 8804 7474, bridgman.co.uk. Broste Copenhagen, 00 45 36 390300, brostecopenhagen.com. C  Cane-line, cane-line.com. Caravane, 020 7486 5233, caravane.fr. Carpetright, 0330 333 3444, carpetright.co.uk. Charlene Mullen, 020 7733 6190, charlenemullen.com. Christopher Farr Cloth, 020 7349 0888, christopherfarrcloth.com. Christopher…