Innehållsförteckning för December 2022 från Homes & Gardens

This year, my daughter wants to host Christmas at her apartment – it will be fun and chaotic. Of course she has a budget to stick to, but I know she’ll succeed at making her home look magical as, like me, she has an obsession with beautifying rooms. This issue, and the Christmas decorating supplement that comes with it, will provide plenty of inspiration in the festive makeover. Our story Garlands & Greenery (page 42) features beautiful floral displays that my daughter can mimic by raiding her unkempt garden, and Shaken & Stirred (page 140) has home bar ideas that range from modest to magnificent. Another thread running through the issue that is important to all of us is sustainability. We have revived traditional Christmas crafts on page 57, with…

‘Whether covered with prints and paintings, or left unadorned, this deep Indian red makes a beautiful background for living rooms or hallways. Chalky off-white woodwork accentuates the depth of the tone and keeps it fresh, while painting mouldings in the same colour can disguise any awkward elements.’ EMMA BURNS, managing director, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler 1. ‘I love deep red hues and use them often in my projects. It’s a colour that can take on loads of different attitudes depending on what you pair it with. It’s that versatility that makes deep rusty reds a perfect choice for joinery.’ BRANDON SCHUBERT, director, Brandon Schubert Studio 2. ‘Deep earthy red tones such as this are great for hard-working spaces like pantries. They are forgiving of a scuff or scratch. I’ve…

CONVERSATIONAL SEATING WHEN you have people over for festive gatherings, you notice when you’ve got the seating arrangements right. Seating plans are very important – and not just at a dinner table. I like to think of seating plans for the living room – what I call ‘conversational seating’. ■ I like a room to have a central focal point, such as a fireplace, and then I arrange seating so that groups of three can sit and talk. A chair either side of the fireplace is a classic seating plan, which I have in my own home, and then you can add a little chair right against the wall by the fireplace – the French call them chauffeurs. Then maybe there is a sofa in there – and I have…

MEET THE DESIGNER Hélène Roux shares her style inspiration GO-TO COLOUR Definitely green, whether that’s at the bronze or the sage end of the spectrum. SECRET ADDRESS An interiors boutique in Megève called Scarlett. It sells lovely books, candles, furniture and vintage items. INSPIRING DESIGNER Creative director, designer, stylist and traveller, Valérie Barkowski of Dar Kawa, Marrakech. FAVOURITE MUSEUM The Swiss Museum of Rural Housing in Ballenberg. BEST CHRISTMAS TRADITION The always magical experience of midnight mass. A FAMILY FESTIVE RITUAL The fir wreaths we hang on the doors – they’re an ever-renewed source of creativity. BELOVED GIFT A Jack Russell from my husband. Some might say Courchevel and Verbier have more cachet, but the tiny ski town of Megève in the French Alps gamely holds its own against its…

FEATURE LINDA CLAYTON SMART STYLE Fashion meets functionality in Marazzi’s latest design-led tile collection, Poster. Supplied in generous 30x120cm or 60x120cm formats, the tiles come in an array of botanical motifs and geometric patterns dense with colour and vibrancy. Thanks to the Italian brand’s celebrated Puro Marazzi antibacterial technology, these smart surfaces are imbued with microbe and bacteria busting powers – perfect for busy family bathrooms. Poster porcelain tiles, shown in Zone (patterned) and Ivory (plain), price on request, Marazzi. ENTERTAIN THIS Promising to cook three times faster than regular ovens, Unox Casa’s high-end SuperOven collection is hitting Halcyon Interiors, in London’s Wigmore Street, in readiness for Christmas. There are two SuperOvens available, both packed with savvy technology like steam cooking, vacuum cooking, smoking and dehydration. Stuck for ideas or…

1 PERFECT BALANCE Use textiles to bring cosiness to a small cloakroom. In this comforting understairs space, designer Beata Heuman has gone all in with walls and treads covered in her own-design cotton linen, which is paper-backed so that it can be applied like regular wallpaper. A crisp white vintage cotton curtain under the basin continues the textile journey and delivers a visual rest from the floor-to-ceiling pattern. Willow linen wallpaper in Ink, £150lin m, Shoppa by Beata Heuman. 2 EMBRACE THE DARK Windowless cloakroom? Don’t fight the lack of light. ‘Dark shades are a great way to deal with cloakrooms that have little or no natural light. The key is to keep the palette simple but strong,’ says Kate Cox, interior designer, HÁM Interiors. ‘Here, we opted for a…

LINZER TART WITH BLACKCURRANT JAM SERVES 8 150g unsalted butter, cold and diced, plus extra for greasing250g plain flour50g ground almonds60g caster sugar1 tsp cocoa powder2 tsp ground cinnamon2 medium egg yolks3 tbsp water or white wine FOR THE FILLING 350 g blackcurrant jam ■ Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until the dough sticks together, then turn onto a work surface and bring the dough together with your fingertips. Cut 150g of the dough, wrap each piece separately and place in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. ■ Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Grease the base of a 30x20x2cm baking tray. Use two sheets of baking paper a little larger than the tray and roll out the…

A FINE VINTAGE This Christmas, Petersham Nurseries, the much-loved treasure trove of exquisite handmade pieces, has gathered an exceptional collection of Murano glass in styles to suit most tipples. Priced from £400 for six glasses, there are rare vintage flutes, pleasingly individual ‘goto’ water tumblers and delicate liqueur glasses. Each colourful piece has been artisanally made and is ideal for creating a beautifully festive tablescape. SWEET DREAMS George Smith, a brand synonymous with quality British furniture, has created a collection of sumptuous beds. Named after 18th-century upholsterers, Ellis, Darby, Marlow and Avery (shown) can be tailored to your look, with a good choice of colours, fabrics and styles. King-size beds are from £6,700. Headboards are also available separately. SHOP FOR CHRISTMAS Design studio K&H Design has opened a shop, No…

AI.NO.AH Find charming and colourful block-prints here with a contemporary sensibility. Focusing on small-scale, ethical production for sustainable and beautiful one-of-a-kind designs, ai.no.ah’s delightful pieces are sure to brighten someone’s day. We love the contemporary Kantha quilt, £250 (below), the sweetest upcycled dolls handmade in a Delhi studio and block-printed cushions and quilted washbags; all would make beautiful gifts. ainoah.co.uk AKOJO Beautiful things – curated for those who seek something different – are on offer at Akojo. Partnering with artisan-led brands from around the world, Akojo champions makers who seek to preserve their local environment, community, culture and heritage, and connects them with the international marketplace. An exciting destination for the armchair traveller seeking unique handcrafted pieces. akojomarket.com AMONG THE PINES With pieces that will make your heart skip a…

ART IN FOCUS When there is room to store the usual hallway detritus somewhere out of sight of the entrance, take the opportunity to place a favourite piece of furniture, art or sculpture as a way of setting the stage for the rest of the decorative scheme in a house. ‘A strong, one-off unique piece of art is a great way to draw focus into a space that would otherwise be awkward or too small,’ says interior designer Natalia Miyar who used a russet red paint on the walls to set off the vintage console and statement mirror by New York-based studio Chen Chen & Kai Williams. ‘Often, you need a standout piece to bring life to the walls, and this will give you the opportunity to transform your hallway…

A visit to this house in London cannot fail to ignite a sense of childlike curiosity. A glimpse of the sitting room reveals amazing Indian river scenes, with elephants drinking from the banks and tigers lurking in the long grass. Upstairs, flamingos gaze serenely from the bathroom walls, while fantastical scenes of London in the lower ground-floor playroom include a toad riding a penny-farthing as a whale glides down the Thames, watched by monkeys on lampposts. Small wonder that play dates in this house are in high demand. This is the world of Hannah Cecil Gurney, co-director of hand-painted wallpaper company de Gournay, which she runs with her sister, Rachel, and father and founder of the company, Claud. Hannah, who shares her home with her husband Eddie Harden and their…

ADD AN ISLAND A dedicated drinks area complete with a cocktail bar-inspired island is the last word in luxury when entertaining. ‘An island is a great focal point for guests to gather around, especially if it is curved in shape; it gives the host a clear area to show off their cocktail-making skills and serve drinks, while keeping the back bar area free for prep and accessories,’ enthuses Mike Fetherston, design director, Hetherington Newman. ‘An island can also provide useful space for drinks fridges and an ice maker to sit under the bar top, out of sight but close to hand.’ BE CREATIVE Forget filling fireplace alcoves with bookshelves, a well appointed bar with dynamic design details is far more exciting. And, with a little imagination, you can achieve great…

AT THE BASIN While an eye-level mirror above a basin is always a practical addition to a bathroom, it can be a decorative one, too, as a pretty frame or shape will draw the eye to the vanity area and highlight its role as a focal point of the room. The mirror needs to be well lit for applying make-up or shaving, generally with balanced lighting on both sides of the frame to cast an even light across the face, and large enough to see yourself well and to suit the proportions of the basin or vanity below. Louise Ashdown, head of design at West One Bathrooms, suggests ramping up the impact of a basin mirror. ‘An oversized mirror can add drama, not just to the vanity area but to…

‘I like to create little still lifes around the house. For instance, I’ll hang delicate baubles and beautiful pieces of fabric from a large elegant branch; this is perfect for hallways, where perhaps space is limited.’ TRICIA GUILD, creative director of Designers Guild ‘We always have an Advent tree. I’ll use a miniature Christmas tree and make little parcels to hang from the branches. Then each day when a parcel is plucked, we replace it with a decoration.’ EMMA SIMS-HILDITCH, interior designer ‘Christmas is about the magic of stockings. Since my children were small, I’ve done stockings for all of them. Each one is designated in a different coloured tissue paper for that essential crunch, but also for the practical reason that you can start wrapping really early. I always…

A DECADE or so ago, few described tablecloths as current, covetable or cool, but that attitude has arguably been turned on its head by the success of the London-based emporium Summerill & Bishop. Having established itself as the number-one destination for tableware, and become a firm favourite among the style savvy, the company has raised tableware – in particular, the tablecloth – out of its staid setting to shine a light on its role in bringing friends and family together. As Christmas approaches, the brand prepares to launch Les Airelles, a cloth featuring sprigs of bright red cranberries on a clean white background. It follows the release of the Couture Collection, which launched in late October and is made up of a triptych of one-off tablecloths – a first for…

REUSABLE CRACKERS (PREVIOUS PAGE) Makes 8 crackers You will needScissors16 toilet roll tubes (two for each cracker)Brown tapeRulerPieces of A4 paper, or fabric offcuts 21cmx 30cm (for each cracker)Glue (only necessary if using fabric)Brown stringRibbonSmall gifts to put inside each crackerReused tissue paper for wrapping giftsHandwritten joke (optional)Festive foliage or dried flowers 1. Cut one of the toilet roll tubes lengthways and overlap one edge on top of the other, securing with brown tape. 2. Roll the modified and an intact toilet roll tube in your chosen paper or fabric. You should have approximately 1-1.5 cm overlap at one end to fold into the toilet roll tube. If you’re using fabric you will need to glue the fabric in place. 3. Bunch the paper together at the other end of…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS As the hallway is where guests are welcomed, it should say something about you and set the mood for the rest of the house, says Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors. ‘A hallway should flow into the rooms that come off it,’ she adds. ‘Art collections work well in spaces with vast walls and help lead the eye onwards. I keep flooring uniform throughout as it helps enlarge the space and avoids it looking disjointed. Introduce a statement piece to add wow factor. A stunning portrait above a console with a picture light works well.’ TRANSFORMING DARK SPACES Getting the lighting right is especially important in a dark narrow hallway. ‘A line of overhead pendants running the length of the space will add drama, as will an interesting…

IDEAL ARRANGEMENT Traditionally, wine is stored in underground cellars, which naturally provide excellent conditions thanks to their constant temperature and humidity, and lack of natural light. Today, however, many of us want to display our wine with bottles ready for drinking near the dining table or kitchen island, so there are a variety of solutions, including temperature-controlled wine rooms and conditioning cabinets, to suit different needs. A dark, cool, humid and vibration-free environment is the starting point, advises Mark Dickens, creative director and co-owner of cellar specialist Spiral Cellars. ‘Provided wine is kept at a steady temperature within a window of around 10C to 18C, it will be absolutely fine,’ he explains. ‘The key is to avoid significant and repeated fluctuations in temperature.’ Bottles are best stored on their sides,…