Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Country Homes & Interiors

FEBRUARY is a hunker down and cuddle up month, when it’s cold outside and home comforts live up to their name. At this time of year, I want my interiors to give me a metaphorical hug – with soft lights, warm tones, evocative scents and comfort food on the table. We’ve covered all of that in this issue, with our A Quiet Place decorating story (page 74), Five Foundations of Styling a Snug (page 80), A Bit on the Side soups and sarnies recipes (page 126) and, possibly my favourite, our Make Yours an ‘It Always Smells So Good’ Home (page 116). We’ve even curated a reading list of beautiful books out this spring; bookmark it now on page 123. When we hibernate, we’re gathering our energy and making plans…

Having created costumes for Netflix hit Bridgerton and the Royal Opera House, Liz ventured into the world of homeware in the summer of 2020, after creating a series of bright and bold pieces for her own Victorian cottage. Located in the Sussex countryside, her garden has been a source of inspiration for her designs; Liberty velvets and natural linens create cushions, quilts and more. How did Velvet Linen come about? My costume-making work was keeping me very busy, so I certainly wasn’t looking to start a new business. But when renovating my own home, I felt inspired to use some beautiful Liberty London furnishing fabrics I’d seen while researching for a client. With the help of my team, I trimmed and backed the velvet cushions and quilts with linen. The…

From time to time, an owner and a home just seem to find each other, and for this stone cottage and hairdressing star Phil Smith, it was definitely ‘meant to be’. The traditional fisherman’s cottage is set on the north coast of Cornwall, on a narrow lane overlooking the sea. Phil hadn’t visited the area before and was ‘blown away’ when he did. ‘I didn’t realise anywhere this beautiful existed in England,’ he says. The timing was right, too. It was during the Covid restrictions of 2020 that Phil and his wife Louise sold their family home and Phil fell in love with the cottage, which he found online. Two viewings later and it was theirs, despite the property’s ugly pebbledashed exterior and a strong smell of damp inside. Yet…

CITRUS GROVE WAX MELTS MAKES APPROXIMATELY 16 WAX MELTS A wax melt is like a candle without the wick, designed to be used with an oil burner. You can control the strength of the aroma by adding or removing melts to your burner. 100g soy wax flakes1g candle dye, colour of your choice3ml bergamot essential oil2ml lemon essential oil5ml mandarin essential oilSilicon candle moulds (an ice-cube tray works too)Metal jug or heatproof bowlSaucepanDigital thermometerGlass beakerPipette (optional)Wooden spoon or spatulaOil burner 1 Place the metal pouring jug on your scale and tare the weight. Weigh out your wax and melt using the double-boiler method – place the jug into a saucepan half-filled with water and heat until simmering. Stir until all the wax is melted. Once the wax is completely melted,…

Adding to and improving your home can give you the property you want without the cost of a move, and increase the value of your bricks and mortar in the process – an equation that looks increasingly tempting as the property market slows down. So, will it be a loft extension for your teenager or an annexe for your parents? A new kitchen or a garden office? While family and lifestyle are often the drivers for renovating and extending your home, the decision to invest often comes down to cold hard cash and whether the building work will increase the asking price of the property. ‘When we consider the cost of home improvements, we caution people to look at the true added value of the work, once the price of…

What to do if you love where you live but there are no jobs? Create your own, of course. This is exactly what Iseabal Hendry, crafter of beautiful accessories made from woven leather and embroidered thread, has done. She has fashioned a life that enables her to live on the banks of Loch Carron on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands, just a few miles from the hamlet where she grew up. ‘I feel most alive when I’m out in the hills,’ Iseabal says, gazing through the window along the glen towards a trio of Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet high). ‘But around here, you’re either a fish farmer, a teacher or maybe a crofter. I think the dream for me has always been to be here, doing…

Leek & potato soup SERVES 4 Leek and potato soup is one of the most comforting soups I know. Add a simple cheese toastie on the side for a more filling meal. 350g leeks, trimmed50g butter350g new potatoes or white potatoes800ml vegetable stock2tsp wholegrain mustardSalt and pepperVegetable oil, for fryingCheese toasties, to serve (optional) 1 Reserve about one-third of one of the leeks to make the fried leeks for the topping. Slice the remaining leeks and rinse them well. Place the leeks in a large saucepan with the butter and fry over a gentle heat until the leeks are soft.  2 If you are using white potatoes, peel them and cut them into chunks and add to the saucepan. If you are using new potatoes, simply halve them and place…

From badgers digging up lawns to pigeons in the vegetable patch and rabbits in the borders – while many of us enjoy the sight of wild animals and birds in our gardens, the destruction they can leave behind isn’t always so welcome. But how to protect your plot without causing harm? Chemicals and traps aren’t the answer: ‘We encourage people to steer away from these as they’re often bad for the environment, and can end up affecting the wildlife you do want in your garden as well as the things you don’t,’ says Helen Moffat from the RSPB. How can I protect young trees and shrubs? Deer and rabbits can be particularly destructive here. Preferring the new, sappy growth, deer can quickly strip a sapling bare, while gnawing rabbits make…

ADAM CARTER lives in Malmesbury, in the West Country, and photographed our Safe Harbour house this issue. ‘I enjoy meeting people and discovering how they have created their homes, or designed and crafted their artisan products. Each one is interesting and unique, and I love the challenge of capturing that.’ HEATHER MARSHALL writes our gardening pages. ‘My own garden is a work in progress,’ she tells us. ‘We want a woodland-style back garden and a cottage garden filled with roses to the front.’ ALEXANDRA PRATT wrote Safe Harbour and is no stranger to her own projects. ‘I’ve renovated five properties with my husband and even completed a self-build, which is something we hope to do again.’…

There is a distinct time of the year when the light is low, the days are short, the air outside maintains an icy chill, and it can be hard to stay motivated or feel uplifted. It’s at this point when instincts demand us to batten down the hatches. The excitement of Christmas and New Year has passed, and now we enter the ‘pause’ period; that ‘hovering’ moment between the festivity of yuletide and the promise of spring. It is the recharge moment; one of the most underrated and extraordinary times of the year. Great ideas can be born in February. It is often described as grey and dreary, but there is opportunity to be found in such an unassuming time. I see February as the moment where we are raised…

Walk through the front door of this diminutive Cotswolds cottage and it’s instantly clear that what it lacks in size it makes up for in impact. The weekend home of designers Marie Soliman and Albin Berglund, plus Marie’s daughter Emma, it is full of rich detailing, deep colours, original features and clever – and suprising – storage ideas. Until recently, the family was located in London, and dreaming of a European escape. But then the pandemic hit and they decided to search for a tranquil bolthole closer to home. This Cotswolds cottage fit the bill, but these are no typical country interiors. Instead they play on Marie’s Egyptian heritage and Albin’s Swedish background, while paying homage to the rich colours associated with English décor, such as racing green, deep blue…

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The country look is a precise one – typically based on natural materials and a soft or neutral colour palette. This doesn’t mean, however, that it needs to be bland and devoid of character. Interior designer Sarah Ward talks us through how to add accent colours to a country interior. START WITH THE BARE BONES ‘Look at the natural light, ceiling height, room function and access. Next, decide on the best furniture layout options and whether feature or discreet lighting should be used. After that, you can think about a scheme, starting with floors, the main accent fabrics or important artwork – and then layer it up!’ GO WITH YOUR GUT ‘Always be brave with scale, pattern and colour. Wall mirrors help to create a greater sense of space and…

Everyday chores such as laundry and vacuuming can seem to take up all our bandwidth, so bigger household jobs are left undone. The answer is a seasonal checklist, says Ann Russell, author of How to Clean Everything (Headline Home, £12.99). SPRING Lighter days and gentle breezes are the perfect conditions for giving your home a spring clean. ✔ Dust hard-to-reach areas, such as the tops of doors, cobwebbed corners and behind furniture✔ Clean windows and polish mirrors✔ Clean curtains with a vacuum attachment or wash them, following instructions on the label✔ Prepare your lawnmower and garden tools✔ Scrub the patio; repair and repaint fences✔ Get your roof checked for winter damage✔ Sort out winter coats and send to dry-cleaners✔ Put summer linen on beds SUMMER Make the most of the…

Decorating a room used to be a smelly affair – the fumes from the paint taking hours, even days, to clear. That strong paint smell came courtesy of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used in the formulation. ‘VOCs are a mix of chemicals, some of which can contribute to health issues, including nausea and irritation in the eyes, nose and throat. There is also evidence linking VOCs to some cancers,’ explains Cathryn Sanders, head of creative at eco paint brand, Earthborn. The health risks of VOCs don’t stop when the paint dries; emissions continue long afterwards. ECO STANDARDS There are no regulations on making ‘eco’ claims for paint. However, as the paint industry works towards better sustainable credentials, there’s a general acceptance that low-VOC products should emit no more than…

CREATING a sweet-smelling home comes in two parts. The first step is to eradicate ‘bad’ smells. The next step is to bring new, refreshing scents into your home. Think about your home holistically and create a scent journey throughout each room. ‘Consider how you might want to use fragrance as part of the welcome experience. There are areas that may need to have an instant fragrance boost, such as a bathroom, kitchen or boot room. And then there are areas where you want a gentle background fragrance, such as a bedroom or dressing room,’ says Jane Nicholson, co-founder, House of Dome. Diffusers are a great way to create a signature, background aroma in your home. ‘Select your diffuser size based on the scale of the room and dial up the…

Faced with a sloping plot, an outside space much lower or higher than your back door, or a change in level from house to patio, chances are that steps play a part in your garden. ‘Steps can be a real feature,’ says designer Eliza Gray. ‘They can either lead the eye to a focal point at the top or bottom of the flight, or else screen different vistas and encourage movement and discovery.’ ‘Steps are a great way to pull you out into the garden, suggesting somewhere to explore,’ says designer Helen Elks-Smith. ‘But a badly considered flight of steps can be a deterrent if navigating them feels too onerous.’ GET THE ESSENTIALS RIGHT Indoors, stairs normally have treads (the surface you step on) and risers (the vertical part of…

The magical clifftop walk near Salcombe, where the cliffs hug the coast, is how I spend a perfect day. It’s the East Portlemouth & Gara Rock Walk, and my husband Graham and our two dogs will join me. Monkey is a mini schnauzer rescue with potentially a bit of poodle in him and Wyrtle has a Welsh Terrier mother; father unknown – we think sheepdog! We’d stay at the Gara Rock Hotel, my go-to spot for everything. I would start the day with a light yoga sequence, followed by a flat white and eggs Benedict to fuel all the walking ahead. Regrettably, a day like this is an occasional event. We live in East London, and the business takes so much of our time. Getting out of town totally gets my…

FANCY FOOTWEAR Sustainable florist Kitten Grayson has taken her first foray into fashion; a beautiful floral boot created in collaboration with renowned British shoe makers Grenson. A fan of the brand’s iconic Nanette boot, Kitten was inspired to design her own printed version, adorned with bright blooms. Handmade in Grenson’s Northamptonshire factory, the limited-edition leather boots take eight weeks to make and cost £495, grenson.com TOP OF THE RANGE Aga’s new Rayburn Ranger has won us over with its sleek retro styling – but it’s the brand’s most technologically advanced cooker yet. Its e-setting will save energy when not in use, and with fast heat-up times, it’s ready to cook whenever you are. Make use of two large-capacity radiant ovens plus a warming oven, a cast-iron hot plate and a…

TIME WELL SPENT… LISTEN The free podcast from English Heritage brings some of its 400 historic buildings and monuments to life with fascinating half-hour stories, news and interviews, englishheritage.org.uk FOLLOW Kerrie-Anne @pilatesatyourdesk for valuable tips on how to keep active despite being desk-bound. Find out how movement can help with aches and pains and prevent stiffness while sat at work. DISCOVER Did you know TikTok has a dedicated wellness hub? Find advice and guidance on how to nurture body, mind and spirit, and pick up on the latest trends including sound bathing and facial massage.…

Curl up and read, or sit at a desk to journal and daydream. Soothing colours and tactile furniture invite you to embrace quiet moments Decorate a kitchen and dining room with the same warmth and attention you would give a living room. Heart-of-the-home spaces deserve loving care Set the tone for a restful escape with cocooning colours leading you up the stairway, and a velvet headboard that invites you to settle down and rest…

STATEMENT SUSPENDED SHELF Draw the eye upwards and enhance the spacious feel of a high-ceilinged kitchen with a shelf that is suspended above the island. ‘A decorative hanging shelf, with hidden spotlights in the base, visually anchors an island in the space and gives it the gravitas it deserves,’ explains Annie Ebenston, lead designer, Blakes London. ‘It also makes a contemporary, unusual focal point – offering a myriad of ways of displaying curated decorative objects to add extra personality and individuality to the room.’ Annie suggests regularly changing the objects on display, in tune with the seasons or festivities, as a fun and cost-effective way to evolve the feel of the room. SHOWSTOPPER SPLASHBACK As well as serving a functional purpose in protecting the wall, a tiled kitchen splashback can…

With such a pretty origin to its name – ‘brook frequented by cranes’ – it is fitting that the petite town of Cranbrook in Kent, surrounded by chalk downs known as The Weald, should remain as charming as it does today. Away from major roads, the high street is never overwhelmed with traffic. Peeling off from the main drag, narrow footways dotted with blue plaques have stories to tell – such as Chittenden Passage, once home to a beaver hat factory. Or the walkway alongside the White Horse pub, where horses plodded their way for a drink at the aptly named Horse Pond. Red-brick houses with whitewashed clapboarding predominate, interspersed with stripy Tudor townhouses, a legacy of an affluent textile heritage. Standing tall over all, and turning heads when dramatically…

They are essential for demarcating the boundaries of our properties, but before you build a new fence, there are a few things to consider. Are you installing it for privacy, security, to restrict children, pets or livestock, or simply to separate your space from your neighbours? ‘Being clear on this will determine the height, material, construction, and, of course, the price, of any boundary,’ says gardening expert Matt James. TYPE OF FENCING Picket fence A classic demarcation fence, it is typically installed around front gardens. Venetian Similar to the blinds, Venetian fences feature small gaps between the horizontals, which allow both light and air to pass through – this is ideal if zoning your garden. Hit and miss Unlike other fences, hit-and-miss fences look good from both sides, making them…

With flowers few and far between, the winter garden is all about shape and structure. The bones laid bare and highlighted by frost, it’s the architectural plants that really come into their own. Neatly clipped topiary, jewel-like evergreens, and the shapely stems of deciduous shrubs and trees all continue to add interest when everything else is dormant. Architectural plants come in all shapes, sizes and forms, from an understorey of evergreen ferns to multi-stemmed birch trees with their striking tactile bark. ‘We define these plants as shapely and sculpturally strong,’ says Guy Watts, owner of specialist nursery Architectural Plants. ‘Eye-catching outlines provide vertical drama – floating clouds of foliage, vibrant textures and contrasting shades of green are their leading characteristics.’ While winter’s harsher conditions make it less favourable for tender…

In bloom PRIMULA Cultivated primulas come in a huge range of colours, but perhaps none as pretty as the pale yellow of the wildflowers, which love a grassy bank to grow on. WHITE FORSYTHIA This snowy version of the usual yellow shrub has almond-scented blossom and looks beautiful trained against a wall. STACHYURUS PRAECOX Yellow bell-shaped flowers bloom like dangling earrings, bejewelling the bare branches of this small tree. 3 OF THE BEST PLANTS TO SOW, SPLIT & START Kevin Martin, head gardener at Glyndebourne opera house in East Sussex, says February is the time to think about your planting scheme for the year. ‘There will be lots of general seed sowing, as well as essential work to support the healthy growth of existing plants in the garden,’ he advises. 1…