Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i Country Homes & Interiors

Sitting down to write this letter feels like an immense privilege. As the world is rocked by another conflict and people flee their homes, I’m hugely aware of my good fortune to have a desk, a room, a house to call my own. And, as my 19-year-old son heads off travelling, he also has the security of knowing his family will be here to welcome him back. These past few years have been challenging, and it can be difficult to know what to do when life feels so overwhelming, whether from the impact of climate change, Covid or other troubles. We all respond differently and find our comforts but, for me, the choices we make in our homes are a crucial part of the picture – and one that Country…

When I was growing up my father always reminded me that if you wouldn’t start a journey without knowing where you were heading, then nor should you expect to navigate life from A to B without having a clear vision or ‘life map’. It’s advice that has stayed with me, and I find today that it’s all about creative visualisation – in the most practical sense – by using moodboards. The idea of ‘creative visualisation’ is nothing new and has long been practised in both Eastern and Western religions. The notion of using our imaginations to help shape positive attitudes towards life, with the aim of creating a shift towards goals and ultimate happiness, is a technique that has been well researched and documented. However, moodboards don’t always have to…

Fern Freud has adopted a disciplined approach to growing her foraging business by regularly stepping back to assess what she has achieved, setting new goals and, if necessary, taking action to further develop her skill set. ‘When you’re working for a large organisation, there is often an appraisal structure in place,’ says Fern. ‘However, when you are self-employed, it’s easy to just keep working without reflecting on your journey.’ CLARIFY YOUR GOALS Every six months, Fern takes a week off to analyse how her business is evolving. ‘I’m goal orientated and this time makes me focus on what’s working well, what may not be, and how I can improve my business,’ she explains. During these breaks, Fern often reads to expand her business knowledge. ‘Books that have really helped me…

LINE UP & LABEL Decanting dried goods into matching containers won’t just make your pantry look better, you’ll fit more in when your storage containers are a uniform size and shape. Consider recycled glass jars that you can restock from your nearest eco refill shop and use a label maker to highlight what is in each one – or tie luggage tags on to baskets. Labels on storage jars make it easier to tell similar-looking ingredients apart so you don’t mix up your plain with self-raising flour or your salt with your sugar. You can also add the best-before or use-by dates so that you can keep track of what you need to buy and when. Group similar products together and face labels outwards, so you can easily find what…

HERITAGE UPDATE Upcycling furniture is a great way to add character. ‘Choose a piece that is solid and sturdy, especially if you are going for a heavy basin as it will weigh even more when full of water! For a wooden surface, apply marine-grade varnish to give it the protection it needs,’ says Barrie Cutchie, design director at BC Designs. 1 INDUSTRIAL CHIC If you’re looking to channel a rustic industrial look in the bathroom, then zinc is a great choice of surface. Naturally antibacterial and non-porous, zinc ages over time, bringing an ever-changing patina that adds personality to your scheme. Zinc cabinetry can be repurposed to create a characterful washstand or zinc sheeting can be moulded and installed as a separate surface. 2 DURABLE DESIGN Constructed from mineral dust…

Between the house and garden exists a transitional space; usually paved, the patio marks a clear separation between the back door and the garden beyond. When well designed, this space can be transformed into a room in its own right, which makes it one of the most affordable ways of extending your home. When it comes to designing a patio, your first thought should be functionality. Do you want a private space for relaxing well into the evening, or a bright spot where you can enjoy breakfast on a sunny day? Maybe you have grander plans for your patio to become a social hub, an area for entertaining family and friends. Your answers to these questions will define the direction you take. WHICH SURFACE MATERIAL SHOULD I CHOOSE? Your choice…

PICKINGS Snap asparagus spears – they should break into two parts: the fresh tender stem that you eat, and the woody end that you can compost. Dip spears into runny boiled eggs instead of toast soldiers. Etiquette guide Debrett’s says asparagus should always be eaten with the left hand, and never with cutlery. We say, enjoy it how you like! Shave raw asparagus into salads, grill it on a griddle or blanche. It goes beautifully with Hollandaise sauce. ASPARAGUS The catch-me-while-you-can crop, asparagus begins poking up from the ground for just eight weeks from mid April, although you’ll find forced varieties in shops before that. In Worcestershire’s Vale of Evesham, where the best asparagus is said to grow, it’s known as Sparrow Grass and enjoys protected status. You can grow…

Watching bees and butterflies gently dance between colourful blooms, birds alighting on feeders, or water features teaming with aquatic life, are among the many joys of gardening. And all of us has an important part to play in providing valuable shelter and sustenance for wildlife. Changes in the British countryside and the spread of urbanisation are causing the loss and reduction of many habitats vital to supporting native animals and our crucial pollinators. But a few simple changes in the way you manage your garden, however small, can help to create a network of green corridors for a rich variety of wildlife species to thrive. ‘There is a perception that a wildlife garden means mess and that’s simply not the case – you can create many different aesthetics that can…

EVERLASTING BLOOMS Preserve your favourite flowers and leaves with this waxed-oak press from JamJar Edit. The kit includes 10 sheets of reusable blotting paper and card as well as a handy flower-pressing guide, £95. For more inspiration, see the company’s new book The Modern Flower Press, £30; both jamjaredit.co.uk. FANCY FLORALS Original Style’s Tile of the Year 2022, Wildflower Rose, £79.95sq m, is perfect for a country bathroom. Beautiful botanicals spring to life across a cream backdrop, inspired by walks in the British countryside. The company has also teamed up with paint brand Coat, which has highlighted a selection of shades to complement the design. We love its soft pink hues to offset the earthy green. originalstyle.com. Book a ticket… THIS YEAR, INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED OPERA HOUSE GLYNDEBOURNE IS RUNNING ITS…

Surrounded by fields and a breathtaking view of Whitby Abbey, this reimagined manor house cuts a fabulous figure. Home to fashion designer Ann Louise Roswald and husband Nick Hartley, who is the founder of The Baytown Coffee Company (baytowncoffeecompany.com), this rural renovation project is a far cry from their former east London loft. Here, there are acres of land and a beach hut where the couple and their four children decamp on a summer’s afternoon to swim, surf or barbecue. Although she grew up in Cayton, a village outside Scarborough, Ann Louise says a move back to the area wasn’t planned. ‘Truthfully, there was no big reason. We were happy in London, and we were settled,’ she says. Yet while visiting their parents in Scarborough, the couple came across the…

‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep,’ wrote the poet Robert Frost, summing up simply and beautifully the longing of the human soul to be in nature. It’s there when you smell fresh earth after rain – a phenomenon known as ‘petrichor’, which results from ozone in the air, and when you stand among trees, soaking up the essential oils they emit, known as phytoncides. In our lifetime, this natural connection has been drowned out by the trappings and technologies of modern life. But for some, the past few years have reawakened a call to the wild, as seen in a hike in sales of affordable woodlands – jumping 25% in 2020 in the southeast alone. FINDING THE RIGHT WOOD One such newbie woodlander is photographer and lifeguard Katie de…

“START SMALL AND BUY SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE. BROWSE, PONDER AND LET YOUR CHOICES COME TO YOU NATURALLY” A combination of inherited, antique, vintage and new pieces is a hallmark of country style – after all, there’s nothing more sustainable or natural than reusing, repurposing and re-loving existing furniture and making it work for modern life. But there can be a fear factor about shopping for antiques, or a worry that they’ll make an interior look stuffy and old-fashioned. ‘Antiques are a way to add depth to your interior. They embody a sense of history that helps your home to tell a story and their patina adds such an intriguing layer to a design scheme,’ says interior designer Emma Sims Hilditch. ‘The fear of getting it wrong when buying antiques,…

PROJECT PROFILE Owners A couple with three young children House A Georgian farmhouse in North Yorkshire Project A kitchen reconfiguration Kitchen size 9x4m Designers Richard Mason and Emily Chew, The Secret Drawer Cabinetry Bespoke by The Secret Drawer, in Paint & Paper Library’s Stone III and Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green The lure of the beautiful valleys, wild heather moorland and stone-built villages of the Yorkshire Dales is strong – especially so for one London-based couple. ‘They wanted to come back to the Dales to be close to their extended family and raise their three young children in a peaceful country setting,’ explains Richard Mason, owner of The Secret Drawer kitchen furniture company, who was asked to help create the heart of the family’s new home. After purchasing a four-bedroom…

Getting two bee hives was the first thing that Harry and I did when we moved to Broadspear. Honey bees are some of the most beneficial creatures in our environment. And, of course, they produce delicious honey! We contacted a local beekeeping company called Becky’s Bees and ordered our traditional wooden hives (known as Nationals) and our beekeeping suits and gloves. We also ordered a ‘smoker’ online. This is a very useful tool to puff smoke around the hives when you need to do some work there, as the bees think it’s a fire so they get busy eating honey and get distracted by this. A local beekeeper found us healthy bee colonies and a couple of queen bees. Each colony has 2,500 bees and one queen bee. Our colonies…

STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS SERVES 4 Courgettes are so easy to grow and we love having them close to the kitchen in our vegetable patch. With our own beehives nearby, we are sure of an abundant yield through most of the summer. The male courgette flowers are large and easy to stuff. The female ones have a small courgette attached to them and are the ones featured here. Don’t be afraid of tearing the petals – they are not as delicate as they look. Get creative with your stuffings: for vegan guests, use tofu, tahini, herbs and nuts. 16 courgette flowersOlive oil, to shallow fry RICOTTA FILLING 250g fresh ricotta1 tablespoon chopped garlic, chives, thyme or basil2 tablespoons grated pecorino or Parmesan, plus extra to serve1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zestSea…

Working with shifting levels of light and shade is an inevitable part of gardening. And shady borders, while presenting a challenge, can offer the potential to create wonderful contrasts with golden or silvered variegated leaves or pale flowers adding the impression of light among the shadows. There are many shrubs and plants that can thrive in even the darkest corner of a garden. These can offer changeable interest throughout the year, reflecting light with their large, glossy leaves, and colour from luminous flowers and shining berries. Shadows aren’t one dimensional. You’ll need to understand the type of shade you have in your garden by studying its pattern at different times of day and throughout the seasons. This can tell you whether areas are in light, semi or deep shade. ‘Some…

I absolutely love to walk the hills and mountains of the Lake District. It’s incredibly mystifying and majestic. Every time I go there I feel like there is a magical power and awesome presence; the landscape is amazing. I love to get lost and rediscover myself through nature. I live in a pretty, sleepy village in Northamptonshire with my husband, Daniel Price, and our children, Josie, who is two, and Effie-Grace, who’s five. The children are a little too young to climb mountains, so they stay with the grandparents while I enjoy some ‘date time’ with my hubby. We like to book the gorgeous Gatesgarth House, a holiday home in Coniston. I’ll start the day with breakfast tea and freshly squeezed orange juice and Dan would probably have what I…

At the tender age of 10, Fern Freud pulled on a pair of wellies to go foraging for mushrooms in the South Downs with her father and siblings. She will never forget that day. ‘It was an incredible experience and a total eye-opener,’ Fern recalls. ‘We squealed with amazement as we found huge squishy yellow mushrooms the size of dinner plates, little pink ones growing from the sides of trees, mushrooms that looked like sponges, smelly ones, shiny ones and even a red and white spotted one.’ Tipping the prized finds from the wicker basket onto the dining room table, Fern couldn’t wait to leaf through the family’s dusty, faded mushroom books to identify the haul and discover more about each one. ‘Even though we politely refused to eat Dad’s…

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HANG-UPS A rail offers country-style hanging space that’s both decorative and practical – the pegs are even somewhere to hang a reading light if you prefer to keep bedside tables clear. Install it over a bed and paint it to blend in with the wall. To keep the effect stylish, aim for symmetry, with any item hung on one side balanced with a similar piece at the opposite end. PATTERN PERFECTION The relative simplicity of a bedroom scheme – bedding, walls, flooring – makes it a great place to experiment with pattern, especially as we’re seeing more maximalist looks returning. For the perfect mix, choose colours that work closely together and mix up scale. Here, super-sized designs on the bed and floor are complemented by a geometric repeat wallpaper and…

1 COFFEE STATION A dedicated zone for making hot drinks has been created out of the way of the main cooking area but close to the steaming hot water tap. It has been carefully designed with a shallower than standard depth to allow for a comfortable walkway around the island. The shallow wall cupboard contains a built-in microwave for heating milk, the appliance accommodated only by cutting into the centuries-old extra-deep external wall. 2 FRIDGE DRAWER In addition to the principal larder fridge, the family wanted to include some extra chilled storage on the island for frequently used foods, opting for an integrated CoolDrawer by Fisher & Paykel which can be set to different temperatures – from refrigerator to pantry or freezer – with the push of a button. It…

Beekeeping has witnessed a surge in popularity over the last decade and, by keeping a hive, we can do our bit to support diminishing bee populations. IS IT DIFFICULT TO START BEEKEEPING? While it is not hard ‘it takes dedication’, says Pete Barrar, director of the National Beekeeping Centre Wales. ‘A beginner’s course is essential, and you can join a local beekeeping association to access help and meet experienced beekeepers,’ he adds. DO I NEED PERMISSION TO KEEP BEES? There are no permissions needed but you should ensure that the hives and the bees’ flight path will cause minimal nuisance. ‘Don’t keep hives next to a path, or where bees may easily go into buildings. And enclose the hives with a fence if you have young children or animals,’ says…

IN BLOOM Peonies Their ball-gown blooms dance through borders from late spring to early summer. These care-free fashionistas just need a sunny position and welldrained soil to flourish. Tulips These showy sentinels look great in pots. Plant bulbs from September to November for a spring display. Magnolia Goblet or star-shaped flowers charting the colour wheel from deepest magnolia, through to pink, yellow and cream. Enjoy the beautiful blooms right through to August. PLANT CARE AND PRUNING With summer just around the corner, May is an exciting and busy time in the garden. You can start to plant out summer bedding, harden off half-hardy plants, take cuttings and prune, as well as keep on top of weeding. Keep an eye on weather forecasts and protect tender plants and seedlings with fleece…