Innehållsförteckning för April 2022 från Living Etc

I’ve been watching The Gilded Age – billed as the new Downton Abbey – set in fin-de-siècle New York (it’s very good, particularly the costumes). The old money aristocrats are shocked at how Carrie Coon’s new money character is lavishly adding period details to her home at will, clutching their pearls at the vulgarity of her shipping in French antiques just because she can afford to. Aside from the fact I love how they all take afternoon tea so lavishly, I’ve never been happier to live now and not then. The way I’ve been decorating my own home, adding character and texture where it has been stripped out over the years, could be seen by some as just as inauthentic. We’ve researched the cornicing a house like mine would have…

Kamilah Ahmed’s north London family home was filled with textiles from Bangladesh when she was growing up – namely, saris. It’s having been surrounded by these, along with an extensive collection of Portuguese ceramics from her mother’s side of the family, that Kamilah keenly contributes to her now ‘painterly’ textile work. With her commitment to craft, it’s no surprise that Kamilah was announced as the first recipient of The New Craftsmen Award, a partnership with Cockpit Arts to open up opportunity and build greater diversity in the craft world. We find out more… How did you get into textile design? Originally I was set on becoming a fine artist. However, at Camberwell College of Arts, I swiftly specialised in mixed media stitch. After an MA at the Royal College of…

When you have two young children and a new baby and are in the middle of a house renovation, interrupted by Covid, you either sink or swim. Luckily, Natasha Jones is a strong swimmer with her water wings firmly in place. ‘We actually did a big life re-evaluation halfway through our building work and decided to relocate to Somerset, too,’ she says. ‘We have family there and it was always part of our long-term plan but lockdown made us reflect on our whole way of life and we thought “why wait?”. The idea of bringing the children up in the country and living among family became a priority.’ Natasha, who is an interior designer, and her husband Robin, a building company owner, had bought this generous semi-detached Victorian house in…

1 raw beauty You can get the popular plaster look with chalk paint but, as architect Alex Holloway points out, you can retain the natural plaster look withoutpaint. ‘We found a sealer called PROTECTiT 100 that binds the plaster so it doesn’t leave a dusty deposit and means the space captures the raw feeling.’ Alex Holloway, founder of Holloway Li interior architects 2 colour contrast adjoining rooms When deciding what colours to use in two adjoining rooms, consider the conversation between the spaces. Our eye is drawn to warmer colours, so lead with a pink, coral or terracotta to naturally draw someone in that direction. Then create layers and complexity by making the next room a cooler colour like green, teal or blue. Natalie Tredgett, founder of Natalie Tredgett Design 3…

Single glazing is made up of a singular pane with no insulation or thermal properties. Double glazed units are engineered with two panes and an argon gas cavity between the panes to create a well-insulated unit. Triple glazing uses three panes of glass and has an even better thermal performance due to the extra gas cavity and glass pane. There are many types of glass used for glazing. Toughened glass is used in all of IQ’s products and systems as standard, producing a more durable solution than standard float glass. Laminated glass can be specified and is used for overhead or roof glazing, holding the glass in place in the event of a breakage. Low-maintenance glass is great for hard-to-reach areas or coastal projects, where salt deposits in the air can…

Journalist Fleur Britten looks at some clever design choices that will help you feel more in control over the way you live, from smart extra storage to new habits around the house. ‘Making a home look pretty is the easy part,’ says Kia Stanford, interior designer and founder of Kia Designs. ‘Keeping it that way isn’t.’ Don’t we know it? Add kids or dogs into the mix and good intentions are often out the window. So how can we design our spaces in a way that encourages organisation? And how can design minimise those mental barriers to being tidy? ‘I love it when clients are honest enough to tell us they’re messy and disorganised,’ says the architect George Bradley of the London-based practice Bradley Van Der Straeten. Good planning –…

ROOM WITH A VIEW In a bid to transport us to the prettiest corners of the globe, there’s a wealth of landscapes coming to our homes in the form of wallpaper. This midnight coastal scene by Casamance, with its stylised rushes, alluring waters and jewel-like starry sky, is one world we’d happily get lost in.…

OPTICAL ILLUSION Designed by Paolo Grasselli to give a ‘playful perspective’, the Innesti table cleverly makes you think it has two halves. ‘The base is designed to look detached from the upper part,’ says the team at Bonaldo. We love it as it’s entirely suitable for both casual and fine dining and you’ll never have to wash a single tablecloth again thanks to the striking Rosso Carpazi marble top (it would be a sin to cover that veining). Price on request, Paolo Grasselli for Bonaldo (bonaldo.com) SIDE HUSTLE The Plec occasional table by RS Barcelona (equipped in the terracotta marble guise, of course) has a classical aesthetic that will work in all sorts of settings. And with its sheet-steel legs folded like a neat and compact accordion, it comes in…

1 IN A PINCH The perfect piece for a spring spread or picnic – occasions that just might be on the horizon soon. Pinch pot, £26, Olive and Co 2 CIRCLE LINE Playing with positive and negative spaces to represent the Braille letter K, this chair has a circular void in the base that is mirrored in the velvety cushion back. Void Yellow chair, €12,750, Azadeh Shladovsky at Les Atelier Courbets 3 MIX UP Chunky, mismatched and packed with personality, these earrings by Timeless Pearly are top of my wish list! Chai earrings, €295, Matchesfashion 4 ON A WHIM Witty and whimsical, this piece is formed from 3D printed organic composite and then hand finished in plaster. Mushroom wall light, price on request, Porta Romana 5 WASTE NOT Garment scraps…

through its style, layout and evolution, this home in the eastern suburbs of Sydney is the best representation of its inhabitants. Jeremy Bull, principal of Alexander &CO, and Tess Glasson, who helms the studio’s marketing department, immediately saw the potential in this Victorian property for their family, which includes four sons. The couple, who at the time of buying the home a decade ago, had six-month-old twins, lived there for 18 months without changing a thing. This allowed them to think about what they wanted. Over the next seven years, the pair built a loft space, a kitchen extension with a new laundry, a sunken lounge and dining area joinery and an external mezzanine storeroom. ‘Our vision for the space was an unfolding story, ’ says Jeremy. ‘Each alteration is…

A city break to Stockholm’s Ett Hem, the boutique hotel designed by Ilse Crawford, became an inspirational turning point for Sam and Rob Hartung, who were halfway through planning a renovation of their north London home. ‘We were at the dreaming and scheming stage but that first-hand experience of Ilse Crawford’s Scandi-modern with vintage and traditional style was a light-bulb moment,’ says Sam. Unusually, Sam, a doctor, and Rob, who works in finance, had been able to rent their beautifully proportioned Victorian villa before purchasing it. ‘Our previous property was tall and narrow and set within an old, established community, where with our growing family (then three boys and two cats) we simply didn’t fit in,’ she says. ‘When a university friend suggested we rent this house – detached, with…

■ £19.75 for six issues ■ never miss an issue with every copy delivered direct to your door ■ exclusive subscriber-only cover each month ■ free Aery gift set includes three miniature votive candles magazinesdirect.com/letcapr22 two simple ways to subscribe ONLINE AT magazinesdirect.com/letcapr22 BY PHONE 0330 333 1113 QUOTE CODE A20N. Lines are open Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm UK time. Offer closes 31.03.2022. Offer open to new subscribers only. Direct Debit offer is available to UK subscribers only. Subscribe and pay £19.75 every six months. We will notify you in advance of any price changes. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue (up to eight weeks overseas). Payment is non-refundable after the 14 day cancellation period unless exceptional circumstances apply. Your free gift will be…

Painting your front door can be a rewarding one-day project at a reasonable cost – and it will instantly transform the look of your home. Adding a stately shade to a simple, cottage-style door makes it look more sophisticated, while a bright hue gives a formal facade a friendlier and more imaginative feel. Take your cue from our experts and get inspired by our ideas while boosting your kerb appeal. Informed by architecture ‘In the same way you would pair paint colours alongside fabrics and furnishings, consider the architectural elements of your exterior, too, says Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene. ‘Do you have red or yellow-tone bricks, limestone or granite walls? What colour are your roof tiles? Build these into your scheme to ensure your paint choices are…

As with all things sustainable, eco-friendly or green, nothing is straightforward. ‘As a rule, eco paint contains sustainable, non-toxic ingredients with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) and is manufactured in ways that are kinder to the environment,’ says Phil Robinson, founder of the environmentally friendly painting and decorating company Paint the Town Green. You will hear VOC being bandied about a lot – it’s probably a term you’re already familiar with when it comes to furniture, specifically the glue used to hold it together. VOCs are organic chemicals that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. Breathing in VOCs can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and can trigger respiratory issues, such as asthma, nausea and a general feeling of lethargy and feeling unwell. Phil says that when we…

As the heart of any home and where most people congregate for cooking, eating, socialising and homework, our kitchens need to function well while looking beautiful, too. If your kitchen could do with a refurb, think about what you want to achieve from a new space before you dive straight in. Perhaps you want space for a separate larder, utility room or a hidden office area in floor-to-ceiling cupboards? Or maybe it’s specific lighting and socket placement, ample but concealed storage, underfloor heating and thoughtful finishing touches like chopping board storage and a place to display favourite items. All these little things contribute to your perfect kitchen. 1 Ask yourself some questions and write down the answers to form the start of a project brief. Why do you want a…

I’ve buckled. The plan for this house is to extend and reconfigure, meaning that any work we do before the construction starts is pretty pointless. But I caved, in the form of Farrow & Ball’s Sudbury Yellow. With minimum effort given to our new home so far, it felt like we were living in someone else’s space and that the old owners might pop back to reclaim their house at any given point. There was an insipid lilac on the walls in the boys’ room that I needed to obliterate. I spontaneously chose rich, slightly mustard-y Sudbury Yellow, which works beautifully with Little Greene’s off-white Stock paint on the woodwork and ceiling. Yellow is not my colour – I’m historically a neutrals girl, adding colour in the form of furniture,…

1 Organising your home is simple, really – it’s just about making sure everything is grouped together and in the right place. First, walk out your house and walk back in with a notebook and pen and try to work out how each room has strayed from the original vision, and what you need to do to return it to that. It’s not until we take a step back that we see what needs to be done. You might want to write a list of 30 areas to tackle, prioritising the area that most affects your life. 2 If the whole house is cluttered, start with the bedrooms, because sleep is our most important commodity. The questions to ask are: do you love it? Do you need it? Is it…

Art brings me so much joy, adding layers of narrative and beauty to my home. It’s difficult to pick a favourite piece, but if I had to choose it would be one by my husband’s father, Donald Kaufman. His paintings do something to a space that I can’t quite explain. He’s the world’s leading colourist and we’re so fortunate to be able to work with him to create our bespoke paints. My grandpa left me his kitchen table and without a doubt it’s my favourite possession. It’s old and wonky with a wooden top that’s warped and scratched but when I sit at it happy memories come flooding back. My grandpa loved shortbread biscuits and would often have a batch baking. I’ll never forget sitting at that table waiting for the…

Make no mistake, these designs are not to be confused with a traditional side table set-up. It’s all about bringing it into, and onto, the seat. So whether you’re looking for an occasional work spot, or want to keep your G&T to hand while scrolling through Netflix’s top 10, personal (and ergonomic) tabletops are up for the job, slotting snugly next to you. But they weren’t built with just efficiency in mind. Nope, whether sleek or slightly decorative, our edit also has gorgeous good looks. IT’S A WRAP The Cradle armchair’s character, Arflex says, ‘is based on the structure: a classic triangular construction, which is repeated several times around the model so that you can admire it from each viewpoint’. The ‘cradle’ is this metal structure. The table, or ‘tray’…

COLOUR BLOCK Patterned rugs are always a delight, but so are the new Farrow & Ball x The Rug Company solid-shade designs that celebrate the pure joy of a single swathe of colour. The collection has a variety of shades, such as Keepers Red, Melrose Yellow and Leighton Teal, all of which will contribute to a happy home.…

We never see colour in isolation so when you want to observe variations in the white scale your starting point is the brilliant white of a sheet of printer paper. With so many shades on the market ‘colour paralysis’ is a huge problem, but understanding the make-up of white paint will help you make an informed decision. All whites split into two groups: cool whites – with a blue or grey undertone – and warm whites, which have a yellow or pink undertone. Cool whites evoke a fresh, uplifting, bright and lively feel, while warm whites are more cosy and mellow. Room direction makes a huge impact on the tone of white I would recommend. North-facing rooms that suffer from a lack of natural light will immediately look dull and…

Marble is a metamorphic rock which has been physically and chemically transformed over time within the earth, due to intense heat and pressure. There are many different types, in varying colours, tones and vibrancy, with a whole host of unique veins and markings. The most famous varieties come from Italy and Greece, where it’s often the purest in colour, and where marble statues, architecture and products have been produced for centuries. Marble possesses exceptional strength and is heat-, fire-and weather-resistant, while also being relatively easy to cut and shape. Today, marble is often seen as floor and wall tiles, fireplaces, worktops and decorative items. Its natural properties and unique appearance emote a very graceful and timeless feel. Bianco Carrara, Calacatta and Statuario are the most popular types of marble due…

Do you remember that scene in Bambi when the philosophical brown owl explains what it is to be ‘Twitterpated’ from high up in his oak tree? I highly recommend YouTubing the scene. Spring is just around the corner and, in the spirit of fresh woodland walks and sweet skunks called Flower, here are some tips to keep you fresh and frisky throughout this coming season. Firstly, it all begins with your front door. Repainting yours is a serious move. Why not go for Farrow & Ball’s Babouche? It’s a bit of a statement with no strings attached. After all, it’s the first and last thing you see as you leave home, but it never bothers you when you’re resting among your decor, so why not have fun with it? Try…

If there were a hierarchy of flowers, the vibrant and fragrant rose would reign supreme. A floral that has its very own language, the red rose is associated with love and is a perennial favourite in traditional homes and on classic textiles. Oflate, however, we are seeing the bloom used in elevated forms – scaling up the print or playing with new colour pairings. Our edit of rose prints – from fabrics, papers and contemporary palettes – will help you to create a new romance in your home.…

Lusso Stone has launched a range of roll-top baths as part of its Deco-inspired collection, from £1,395 (lussostone.com)…

For the past few years, bathrooms have enjoyed a flirtation with soft curves. Slender ceramics are making way for rounded forms, which are being seen in everything from baths to loos. It’s easy to see why they work. They create an instant softening of the bathroom, which can often feel clinical because of the angular lines. Now this trend has gone a step further and exaggerated tubby designs are taking a celebratory stand. BC Designs, The Water Monopoly and Waterworks all offer pleasingly plump baths with rotund rims that make you want to dive in. And as someone who hasn’t taken a bath for more than a decade, that is saying a lot. Claw feet are being replaced by chubby bun ones, which not only feel supportive but look classic…

A huge part of creating alignment with the natural world is about bringing plants into indoor spaces. It’s the easiest and most accessible way of doing it. In our ancient past, we were surrounded by lush plants, so our brains give us the feeling of relaxation when we’re in that environment. When we see the colour green, our nervous systems relax. Introducing houseplants in different sizes and shapes recreates a natural jungle feel. You could put some plants on little stools to create that sense of abundance. Plants have more of a psychological than a physical effect on us, so the most important thing is having the right plant for the environment, so that it thrives. A home is essentially a warm cave, so tropical plants are better suited to…

1 BE PLAYFUL WITH AN IMMERSIVE MURAL It is important to bring individuality to a room, and something custom-made will capture the imagination. We decided on our mural Tall Trees that would not only climb the walls but go over the ceiling to meet the coffer that runs down the centre of the space. This surrounds you and creates an immersive atmosphere. I wanted a feeling of elegance and playfulness – maybe a little intrigue and colour. A mural is wonderful in a hallway as it immediately creates atmosphere. It envelopes you and is rather comforting. 2 CURATE A GALLERY WALL – ON A SHELF The shelves are in a contrasting yellow to stand out and not look like an accident. I like different shaped picture frames on a long…

serves 6 3 tbsp sea salt2 tbsp chopped dill4 tbsp demerara sugar6 salmon fillets, about 150g each6 tbsp uncooked white rice2 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves (or the contents of 2 tea bags)Sliced spring onions, to serve FOR THE DRESSING 250ml crème fraîche2 tbsp chives, finely snipped2 tbsp horseradish sauceSqueeze of lemonSalt and freshly ground black pepper Perfect for entertaining, this simple twist on salmon is delicate yet rich with flavour 1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Rinse the salmon in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Combine the sea salt, dill and 2 tbsp of the sugar. Place the salmon fillets on a tray and rub all over with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 2 Combine all the dressing ingredients. Line a large…