Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i Country Homes & Interiors

September is the high point of summer, I always think. Hot colours and dry textures predominate in our gardens and the surrounding landscape, as sassy dahlias shoot up, fruit and veg swell, and arid yellow cornfields wait patiently to be cut by local farmers. To celebrate this time of plenty and pleasure, ‘Harvest chic’ became our raison d’être when planning this issue. Take inspiration from the latest prairie motifs and harvest hues to create a home filled with modern rustic style (page 56); shop for the best pickling and preserving buys so you can stock up your store cupboard (page 66); and find the seasonal recipes you need to serve a menu of rich pleasures to friends and family (page 115). Also, meet the owners of beautiful houses, gardens and…

MEET OUR FAVOURITE GARDEN DESIGNER Marcus Barnett RHS Chelsea Flower Show designer Marcus was a Gold medal winner for The Telegraph garden this year. What are the hottest plants in garden design right now? At Chelsea we used plants with bold colour, such as deep-red Peony ‘Buckeye Belle’, above. Bright, confident colours are a big trend. And your current favourite plant? I love the deep claret varieties of astrantia, which we also used at Chelsea. The complexity of the flowerhead is amazing and the depth of colour is wonderful set off by complementary planting. What wouldn’t you be without in your own garden? From a design perspective, I love water. Its movement, the reflections and the way it creates space and light in a garden. How can we introduce some…

Modern Country Classic Wall cabinet This is an ideal piece for one-off items. Great, too, for eye-catching displays. Need to know… Getting cabinetry up off the floor makes a room feel spacious. Select glazed cabinets for extra sparkle, finished with decorative cornicing. Solid-wood cupboards get their country flair from wooden knobs and strap hinges. Cabinets are only as secure as the fixings, so use the correct screws and wall plugs. Some rely on cabinet hangers slotted into a wall plate (try Häfele), while others come with hooks or are simply screwed from inside the cabinet. Where to buy… • Papa Theo for glazed wall cabinets.• Tumble Home for country designs.• Melody Maison for slimline, glass-fronted wall cabinets. Find the perfect furniture paint For more ideas go to housetohome.co.uk/  countryhomesandinteriors…

 Turning a crumbling property into the home of your dreams is high on many people’s wishlists. If you can do the work yourself, so much the better. Heather and Steve Boyland had always hoped to renovate a building one day, not least because Steve is a skilled carpenter. Having done up a cottage in the Gloucestershire countryside and lived there for 30 years while they brought up their son, Mitchell, Steve was itching for a more ambitious challenge. When he and Heather heard about a nearby farm where buildings were being sold off, it seemed like fate. One of the buildings, a derelict barn, had views across the fields. ‘We fell in love with it immediately,’ says Heather. ‘It was so quiet and peaceful, and the epitome of the rural…

Prepare your produce with the right kit Find your favourite recipes and gather together all the country-style kitchen utensils and accessories you need to wash, peel, de-stone and chop your ingredients ready for a delicious batch of homemade jams and chutneys. Small wooden chopping board, £69; Opinel vegetable knife, £55 (from a set of 4 assorted kitchen essentials), both Summerill & Bishop. Pink knife, from a selection, TK Maxx. Wiltshire print napkin, £39.95 for 4, Liberty. Colander, £15, Nigella Lawson at Unique & Unity. Strawberry Fields tea towel, £8, Fiona Willis Artwork. Oval wire basket, £16.50, The Orchard. Book stand (with matching cake stand, not shown), £14.99, Heart of House. Condiments greeting card, £2.75, Victoria Eggs. Kilner Fruit Blossom adhesive labels, £2.50 for 24 assorted, John Lewis. 1 Cut and…

Garden Trading prides itself on producing practical yet stylish buys for the home and garden. The online store offers beautiful designs at sensible prices in a tempting mix of textures and materials that work together brilliantly in the modern country home. Be sure to check out the new autumn-inspired harvest accessories, including a quirky apple press made from solid spruce and cast iron, and a selection of rattan baskets that would be a great storage solution for any room in the house. You’ll also find gorgeous lighting and furniture, plus a wide range of other accessories, including rustic Bothy bowls and platters, recycled glass vases and bottles, cushions, rugs and enamelware. • How to claim your discount There are two ways to enjoy 20% off at Garden Trading. Simply visit…

When selecting bathroom fittings, just as important as the basin itself is the cabinet or stand chosen for it. Classic washstands, rustic vanity units and elegant countertops are bringing a breath of fresh air to country bathrooms. ‘After decades of somewhat sterile interiors, we are at last rediscovering the country house look and learning to create homes that comfortably combine new and old,’ says Drummond Shaw, Chairman, Drummonds. Traditional materials such as ceramic, wood and stone are still big news, but they’re being combined in inventive ways to create eclectic pieces; china basins can be supported by slender, barely-there metal legs or simple composite countertops, while stone bowls with natural variations in their markings sit on recycled wood cabinets. For a one-off piece, consider upcycling old furniture, setting a basin…

48 FREE* English lavenders worth £39.96 *Just pay £5.65 postage Lavender makes an excellent low hedge or edging plant. The nectar-rich blooms attract bees and the fragrant stems are ideal for cutting or drying. Drought-tolerant, the plant thrives in sunny borders or containers. Your collection will contain 24 plug plants of the following varieties: Lavender ‘Munstead’ A dwarf, compact variety with mounds of fragrant, grey-green evergreen foliage bearing deep-lavender flower spikes in summer. H45cm, spread 60cm. Lavender ‘Hidcote’ An evergreen, aromatic semi-shrub with narrow, silver-grey leaves and leafless stems topped with purple-blue tubular flowers during summer. H60cm, spread 30cm. OR try these summer plants Buddleia ‘Buzz Velvet’ Butterflies love this aromatic plant, perfect for large patio pots and small gardens. Height and spread 120cm. Supplied as jumbo plug plants. Buy…

Closet & Botts first opened its doors in February 2014 in the beautiful high street of Lewes, East Sussex, famous for its extensive array of antiques centres, independent shops and creative people. Standing proudly in a row of upscale shops, the new lifestyle store is a partnership between former school friends Chloe Shearing and Harriet Maxwell, and sells a fabulous combination of new and antique homewares, furniture and clothing. Having their own shop was an idea Chloe and Harriet had aspired to since school days. ‘While at university we spent two weeks travelling together around France and Italy and chanced upon lots of amazing markets in those countries,’ says Harriet. ‘We realised that we both shared an intense passion for antiques and that was when the seed was sewn for…

See it, do it, love it Enjoy vibrant blooms at their best at The National Dahlia Collection in Cornwall. Visit national-dahlia-collection.co.uk. Watch birds flock around our shores at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Spurn Migration Festival (4-6 September). Visit yorkshirecoastnature.co.uk. Turn late-summer produce into delicious jars of jams and chutneys at a preserving workshop in Devon (29 September). To book, visit trillfarm.co.uk. Shack up in a quirky retreat in a secret seaside spot along the Isle of Wight’s beautiful coastline. Visit vintagevacations.co.uk. Mood of the moment Prolong summer’s magic with bright shades of pink inspired by dahlias. Mix with calming accents of mint green and gold. PINTEREST For more things we can’t live without, follow us at countryhomesmag…

MEET OUR FAVOURITE ARTISAN WINE MAKER Frazer Thompson English wine is enjoying record sales, especially at Kent-based Chapel Down led by Frazer Thompson. As England’s leading wine producer and one of the UK’s most exciting drinks companies, Chapel Down produces world-class sparkling and still wines along with Curious beers and Curious Apple cider. Its innovative Vine Lease scheme gives participants a chance to experience the harvest and enjoy a case of custom-labelled wine (from £245 for one year). What’s so special about Chapel Down? There’s no point in just trying to be the best, you have to be the only people who can do what you do. That belief encourages our fantastic team to produce unique wines and beers that truly surprise and delight. This year we‘ve won yet more…

Oak-framed conservatory Extend a home with a classic combination of wood and glass. Need to know… Strength and longevity are bywords for oak and it is a lovely material to live with. If left untreated, oak will age to a silvery finish. Green oak has a high moisture content; the cracks it develops as it shrinks and dries are part of the charm. The alternative is kiln- or air-dried ‘seasoned’ oak. Where to buy… • Arboreta for green oak garden rooms.• David Salisbury for a rustic oak orangery.• Prime Oak for seasoned oak conservatories. Find the perfect floor tiles For more ideas go to housetohome.co.uk/  countryhomesandinteriors…

‘It was quite simply time for a life change so we decided to move to the countryside,’ says Sarah Thomas about her and her husband Jason’s relocation to West Sussex. Both she and Jason were no longer enjoying city life in Berkshire, and Sussex was the obvious choice as they had family there. ‘We felt drawn to the county,’ says Sarah. ‘We were keen to live in a village as we felt it was important to get involved with the local community.’ Sarah and Jason made the decision to move in January 2007, and so began the hunt for a cottage. ‘I viewed this one with my sister and I knew it was right,’ says Sarah. ‘I spotted the outside studio, which consisted of breeze blocks at the time, but…

Ceiling airer A traditional, practical solution to drying laundry indoors. Need to know… Before the time of tumble dryers a ceiling airer was a must for damp days when drying outside wasn’t possible. To take a load of washing securely, the airer must be attached to the ceiling joists, or you could consider a wall-mounted version instead. Traditional airers have wood slats and painted metal ends, lightweight modern ones are made from aluminium. Where to buy… • PulleyMaid for a classic ceiling airer and wall rack.• Store for a wood and zinc wall rack.• Lakeland for a modern ceiling airer. Find the perfect terracotta tiles For more ideas go to housetohome.co.uk/  countryhomesandinteriors…

How to make it... 1 Twist wire into picture holders Craft quick and easy photo holders from lengths of garden wire and chunky pebbles. Wearing protective gloves, take a length of garden wire (about 50cm) and wrap half of it around a large pebble as if tying a parcel, twisting the short end with the remaining half length to secure (see picture). Pull the top half of the wire taut then wrap the end down and around a piece of 2cm dowel or the handle of a large wooden spoon. Wind it around about three times to make three loops, and twist the bottom end of the wire around the straight wire, pressing the loops together to make a tight clip for photos. Pebbles, wire, similar from garden centres. 2…

After moving to Hertfordshire six years ago, the best-selling author Freya North converted a stable in her garden to write in, although when it’s very hot she takes her laptop down to the woods to work. A born and bred townie, she has embraced country life and loves horse riding, walking her dogs, making jam and baking. In 2012, Freya set up and now runs the Hertford Children’s Book Festival, she is also a judge for the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s Rural Living Awards and an ambassador for Beating Bowel Cancer. Author of 14 books, her latest novel, The Turning Point, is out now… Where is home? I wanted a period cottage, but I ended up with a 1970s bungalow set in 50 acres, half of which is…

An eyecatching extractor provides a stylish focal point in your kitchen. ‘A great extractor looks incredible, performs powerfully and works very quietly – it should be seen but not heard,’ says Owain Harrison, Marketing Director, Baumatic. Extractors vary in shape and size, but a good one makes the difference between a room that’s comfortably fresh and a steamy hot-house. It should change the volume of air in the kitchen at least 10 times an hour. For safety, unless the manufacturer advises otherwise, extractors should be positioned no lower than 75cm above a gas hob or 65cm above an electric hob. Models with classic styling suit a country kitchen best, but can be difficult to find. Look for extractors designed to complement your cooker – many manufacturers offer matching hoods for…

Six years ago, Barbara Stockitt sold Pound Hill, the 16th-century Cotswold manor house in West Kington that had been her home for over four decades. With her husband, Philip, she had created an acclaimed two-acre garden and thriving wholesale plant nursery. ‘To my surprise, the purchasers didn’t want the barn and stables,’ says Barbara. ‘So we converted the barn – which had been the nursery café – into a new home.’ Their house and its garden of just under an acre have been skilfully designed. A tall yew hedge provides shelter from prevailing westerly winds, while Barbara’s old garden, including an avenue of sweet chestnuts, which she planted, makes a mature backdrop to her new orchard. The barn, with its steep, pitched roofs and asymmetric windows and doors, is French…

The Closet & Botts shop was a great find for Chloe and Harriet and ticked many boxes for them. Premises can often be hard to find, so do your research and follow your head, not your heart when making the big decisions… • Work out your business needs for your premises in terms of size, location and budget. Schedule enough time for finding premises and preparing them ready for launch, as it can take longer than you think. • Be realistic about how much space you will need. • Check what you are allowed to alter. Will you encounter planning laws? • Remember, location is everything. The high street attracts valuable passing trade but it also affects how much you pay, so you might need to realign expectations dependent on…

ELEPHANT TRADING COMPANY A fabulous selection of thoughtful gifts and gorgeous homewares to delight and inspire. Standard and Next Day delivery available. FREE delivery on all orders over £75. Make life easy with our gift wrapping service! Visit elephanttradingcompany.com or call 07795 254176. ABLEYS Beautiful homemade products for your home and children, handmade in Hampshire by a mother and daughter. With an array of stunning fabrics, our range is shabby chic with a twist of English country style. Visit ableys.co.uk or call 07740 930540. You can also follow us on F acebook. HIHO Our Equestrian and Countryside collection features exclusive pieces based on iconic equestrian designs, including our Sterling Silver and 22ct Gold Plated Double Snaffle Clip Bracelet at £85. We also produce classical silver pieces with quirky twists to…

MEET OUR FAVOURITE DESIGNER MAKER Jonty Hampson Joint founder of Hampson Woods, Jonty designs and creates beautiful chopping boards (available at John Lewis, from £65) using wood ethically sourced in the UK. How do you make your boards? Each piece of wood is assessed for knots, cracks and natural blemishes – we like to make a feature of them if we can. It is then shaped, sanded and waxed with wood balm to bring out the grain and colour. What inspires you? Nature and functionality. We like to create beautifully elegant forms that harness what nature has already done. The pieces sit proudly within any home, outlasting any fad or fashion trend. What makes your business special? Our focus on the ethical sourcing of materials. We like to know the…

MEET OUR FAVOURITE SHOP OWNERS Hollie Monhemius & Amy Whitmore Hollie and Amy’s eclectic shop sells everything from painted furniture to organic skincare products – all with a pretty farmhouse vintage-meets-contemporary-cool vibe. What inspired you to open your shop, The Bottom Stable? Our love of interiors and a shared passion for finding beautiful things for people’s homes. How would you describe the shop’s style? We’re a lifestyle, homeware and gift shop sourcing the unusual, from antique furniture and handmade designs to contemporary pieces and quirky curiosities. What makes your shop so special? Surrounded by countryside, we’re set in a 16th-century stable block down a single track road, wedged between a village pub, the church and a cricket green. No one can quite believe we’re here. This magical setting and our…

Owning a house in the medieval market square of their picture-postcard village had long been the dream of Merry and Ben Albright. ‘Houses in this part of the village rarely come on the market,’ says Merry, ‘so we knew this was a unique opportunity.’ They’d lived in the village for 15 years and, by coincidence, had tried to buy the house opposite the cottage they now live in 10 years ago. Then, in 2012, they struck lucky. ‘This cottage had been repossessed and, although the agents had a massive viewing list, the administrator needed a quick sale. We were desperate to buy it and completed less than four weeks later,’ says Merry. Despite its sad state and, having been empty for almost a decade, the cottage had huge potential. ‘Sadly…

Corner sofa Latch onto the trend for L-shaped seating that’s comfy and sociable. Need to know… The latest styles give you the option to combine two- or three-seater sofas with a corner section to create seating solutions tailored to your room’s dimensions. By making up corner sofas from individual units such as left- and right-hand pieces, central modules and a corner piece, furniture can be gathered around a fireplace in winter, then rearranged in summer. Also consider a sofa with a chaise extending at a right angle, so you can put your feet up in style. Where to buy… • Marks & Spencer for modular units.• Sofa.com for sofas with a chaise.• Sofa Workshop for a corner sofabed. Find the perfect wood varnish For more ideas go to housetohome.co.uk/  countryhomesandinteriors…

All the details: products and prices Welcome guests to a hoedown-style party Chalk paddle board, £55, Home Barn. Apple pick ladder, similar from The French House. Wirework apple picker, £12, Garden Trading. Ladies’ raffia sun hat, £38, Hen & Hammock. Storm lantern, £29, Sparrow and Co. Wooden crate, £39.95, Dassie. Vase, painted in Fruit Salad, £30.52 for 750ml, Earthborn. Gather round a floral-themed table Harrogate table, £1,460, Neptune. Reclaimed wood rustic bench, £295, Home Barn. Cushions, Peggy Tile, col Coral, £55 m, Louise Body. Botanist Knoll tablecloth, £88, Anthropologie. (On table) Enamel dinner plates and bowls, £17.95 each; painted white crate, £26.95, all Dassie. Terracotta pasta bowls, £5 each, Sainsbury’s. Copper honeycomb tumblers (as tealight holders), £6 each, Oliver Bonas. Recycled glass San Miguel wine glasses, £4 each, Sainsbury’s. Soaré…

* Sort photographs and memorabilia into themes to create eye-catching displays. * Add natural finds – such as pretty feathers, seashells, flowers or leaves – to introduce a sense of the time of year. * Write or print out words, meaningful quotes, mottoes, lines of verse or lyrics to bring a personal touch to your display. * Search online for the latest ways to display and print photos, including photobooks, posters, extra-large prints and items such as key rings, mugs and calendars, which also make great gifts. * For more ideas, see the printing options at Photobox, 0344 854 3366 photobox.co.uk, and Snapfish, 020 3684 7993, snapfish.co.uk.…

Living the open-plan dream often stems from a desire to spend more time at home with family and friends. The aim is to create a space that appeals to everyone and makes socialising easy. ‘For open-plan living to work, the room needs to perform a number of roles throughout the day, so the kitchen has to integrate with the dining and relaxing areas,’ says Andrew Hall, Managing Director, Woodstock Furniture. Aim to zone the room into cooking, eating and relaxing, and then think about how you’ll move through the zones. Consider storage at each juncture for a clutter-free space where everyone wants to hang out and relax. ‘If space permits, I’d recommend incorporating a breakfast bar area for quick, informal snacks or homework monitoring, as well as a separate dining…

Go for multi-aperture shelving Open shelving units with different-sized sections provide ideal book storage. Amanda Knox of Decorative Country Living suggests, ‘Theme books by colour or combine them with photos, artwork and keepsakes for added visual interest.’ Open shelving can also be a good room divider, offering a degree of intimacy that is less obvious than a solid wall. Frame a walkway Add personality to your room schemes by commissioning a carpenter to create a bespoke country-style bookcase to frame a deep walkway leading from one room to another. A library-style ladder adds a quirky touch and will make accessing books at a high level a breeze. Arabella Black of The Guild of Master Craftsmen advises, ‘Ask to see examples of a carpenter’s previous projects and, wherever possible, choose someone…

1 Host a bulb-planting day Prep a village verge now for colourful spring blooms • Source suitable areas to plant – contact your local council to find out who owns the land before you start and ask permission, or offer to tidy up front gardens belonging to the elderly or less able. • Pop flyers through neighbours’ letterboxes with a date and time. • Ask volunteers to bring along gloves, trowels and watering cans on the day, as well as their favourite spring bulbs, such as daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses. • Sign up volunteers who can help on a long-term basis. • Organise a neighbourhood walk to admire new growth when spring arrives. • For more information on how to look after your bulbs, visit rhs.org.uk. 2 Love layers! Team…

Homemade crispbreads with goat’s cheese and basil dip SERVES 6 For the crispbreads 150g wholemeal flour 75g porridge oats 25g each sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds 1 tbsp each sesame seeds and nigella seeds For the dip 12g basil leaves, torn 100ml crème fraîche 150g Greek yogurt ½ tsp freshly grated black pepper 1 small garlic clove, crushed 150g goat’s cheese, cut into 2cm cubes 1 Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Put the flour, oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a bowl. Add salt and stir. Add 125ml cold water and mix with a round-bladed knife. Form to a firm dough, adding a bit more water if lots of crumbs remain. 2 Shape the dough into a square and roll out to…

There are so many beautiful vistas at Sudeley that I’m hard pushed to pick just one. This ancestral home – where I have lived for the past 50 years – is cradled in the Cotswold Hills. Coming over Cleeve Hill, there are traffic jams as people stop to admire the castle. As visitors arrive, they come in through the Tithe Barn Garden and gaze across the koi carp pond towards the castle – a view that hasn’t changed in 700 years. It’s a place for quiet contemplation and I walk there every evening with my dog, Tulah. We sit together by the pond, with the castle reflected in the water, enjoying the peace and solitude while watching the koi carp glide by and listening to the birdsong. In summer there…