Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i The English Home

There is always a buzz of excitement in the interiors world at the beginning of autumn for, just as our gardens and country hedgerows start to bear testament to the fruitfulness of the season, a visual feast of colours, patterns and designs emerges with the new season’s collections of fabrics and wallpapers. It can be easy to gorge and become overwhelmed by such a huge variety of delectable temptations, so our curation of some of the finest launches (starting on page 70) is intended to help hone your palate – and your palette – to the key flavours on offer. I hope that, like me, you will also be inspired by the beautiful use of pattern, colour and texture in interior designer Gavin Houghton’s home, and the generous insights provided…

PURSUITS Quince Golden and aromatic quince is ready for picking in late October. This knobbly autumn wonder can be conjured into flavoursome treats such as quince cheese – also known as dulce de membrillo and delicious with cheese – or quince jelly, to add a fruity note to lamb stews and game dishes. To make quince jelly, wash and cut up the fruit (there is no need to peel or core it) and place it in a pan. Barely cover it with water and simmer until soft, then leave to strain overnight in a jelly bag or colander lined with a large piece of muslin. Measure the resulting juice and add 500g of granulated or caster sugar for every 600ml. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves, boil…

If you could live anywhere, where would you choose? That was the question that Jackie and Paul Garrett asked themselves three years ago, when they were looking to downsize from their Victorian house in rural Derbyshire. Their answer? The far-flung reaches of West Cornwall, where the winters are wild, the beaches glorious and the skies endless. “Our sons had moved to London and we were running a coffee-and-gift shop, but we were ready for a change,” says Jackie. “We sat down and asked ourselves where we wanted to be. I’d spent years coming to Cornwall on holiday with my family, and we both felt a real pull here.” The couple made several visits to look at properties, but kept coming back to Marazion, a seaside town on the south coast…

The instinctive sense that a room just ‘doesn’t feel quite right’ can often be ascribed to issues of scale and proportion. Both scale – the size of things – and proportion – the relationship between the things – are crucial factors in interior design. Ensuring that furnishings relate both to the room as a whole and to each other is just as important as more obvious stylistic concerns – if not more so. A room that is cluttered with furniture of very different sizes and proportions, no matter what else it has in common, will never feel as calm and cohesive as one in which the furniture is well matched, well edited and well arranged, with a focal point of one or two handsome, well-considered pieces. It starts, of course,…

“Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.”The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake, poet, painter and printmaker (1757–1827) Given that the master bedroom is a private space, rarely seen by guests, it can often fall low on the priority list of home redecoration. Yet, because we spend a large portion of our lives – albeit asleep – in our bedrooms, it seems sensible to make their design a more significant focus of our decorative endeavours. A comfortable bed should be one of our most important home buys, never something to stint on when it comes to budget, and with so many beautiful beds to choose from, this can be an aesthetic as well as a practical purchase. A striking…

For most of us, comfort, a sound night’s sleep and visual appeal are the main priorities when looking for the perfect bed – however, these attributes mean something different to everyone. Firm or soft, high or low, wide or snug – what creates the right environment for restful sleep is very subjective. What is universal, however, is that a bed is one of the most important items to buy for a home. Many modern bedsteads are inspired by historic furniture, so there is no shortage of options for rooms designed in a classic style. Those made from metal are often modelled on Victorian or Edwardian brass beds, whilst many wooden beds – polished or painted – are often based on eighteenth-and nineteenth-century French designs, and four-poster beds have had a…

When it comes to heating our homes, few would deny the convenience of an efficient central heating system. However, whilst a real fire may no longer be our main source of heat, supplementing central heating with a visually enticing fireplace or wood-burning stove offers a warming and sensory focal point around which we instinctively gather on winter evenings. After all, there is nothing quite as lovely as relaxing in front of flickering flames. FIRESIDE FOCUS An enduring staple, the fireplace stands at the heart of any room, and historically inspired designs, whether fashioned from wood, stone or cast iron, offer timeless appeal. Although original fire surrounds – ranging from elegant marble Georgian constructs right through to decorative Victorian tiled registers and Edwardian pared-back classics – are often much preferred to…

SEASONAL ARRANGEMENT Award-winning florist Jay Archer has created a beautiful autumnal display with English garden favourites nasturtiums, dahlias, chocolate cosmos and crocosmias, and added in some feathers that pick up on the colour of the vessel. “Pheasant feathers, for example, can be gathered on country walks – or acquired from Hobbycraft or Ebay – and I found the jug at an antiques fair,” Jay explains “As the top of the jug is very narrow, I made a little ball of chicken wire to sit in the neck,” she continues. “I then filled the jug right to the very brim with water and placed the stems at a 45-degree angle to make the arrangement appear wider. This way, if you have any broken or shorter stems, you can still use them.…

Insights from my diary... Hosting English Style on the Global Stage – a seminar at Decorex 2016 – with an erudite panel comprising interior designer and author Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, architectural historian and author Jeremy Musson, and Janie Money, interior design associate at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Preparing to interview Emma Bridgewater on stage at the Cheltenham Literature Festival about her extraordinary life, business success and most recent book Pattern , published by Saltyard Books. Seeking out new talent at Celebration of Craftsmanship & Design, an annual event held in Cheltenham featuring work by over 70 craftspeople, from furniture designers and makers, to jewellery designers, sculptors, glassmakers and silversmiths.…

From emerald to malachite, deep rich greens are casting jewel-like temptation onto the interiors scene. And they have been inspiring many a product designer to play with such resonant hues, from Jonathan Adler with his malachite-inspired ceramics range to Zoe Luyendijk with her newly launched rug designs from Front London which are beautifully woven in shades of darkest green and teal shot through with golden tones.…

It really does not matter what size a bedroom is. Even the smallest bedroom can be the most welcoming retreat from the demands of the day – a cocooning and peaceful space in which to catch your breath and prepare for a good night’s sleep. How you decorate a bedroom will contribute greatly to the comforting environment. To add a layer of luxury, there are not many more luxurious treatments than fabric walling. Kit Kemp is a master at producing hotel bedrooms that ooze luxury, wit and colour and, more often than not, you will find walling of some sort as one of her decorating tools. Traditionally, widths of fabric are sewn together to form panels the size of each wall. The joined fabric is then secured to fine battens…

Interior plasterwork is principally used to conceal and protect structural elements, although it also provides an aesthetically pleasing interior surface. Plaster is versatile and can be painted, polished or moulded into ornate forms or modelled to imitate a wide range of other materials including wood, stone and metal. GYPSUM Gypsum is the most commonly used type of plaster in modern building work, and is applied to internal walls to produce a smooth, flat surface which can then be painted or papered. Often regarded as a modern material, the use of gypsum was actually recorded as far back as Ancient Egyptian times. It is made by heating gypsum rock or alabaster, which is then ground to a fine flour-like powder, to which water is added, and it sets rapidly, making it…

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Every interior benefits from the interplay of light and shade by which we mean clever ambient lighting, but also the contrast of rich and pale hues, bold and soothing notes as well as smooth and textured effects. Here we look to monotone details, accessories that utilise contrasting effects and a table with a sharply sculpural outline that is best shown in a position that makes the most of changing light thoughout the day.…

When Gavin Houghton bought his four-storey Victorian terraced house in London 15 years ago, it was a far cry from the comfortable, characterful home it is today. It had been divided up into a collection of bedsits and was in desperate need of care and attention. “Restoring the original layout was easy as, aside from recently adding a fourth floor for a spare bedroom into the attic, I did not want to change its structural character,” remembers Gavin. As his home illustrates, Gavin has stamped his bold, colourful, eclectic style all over, reflecting a conspicuous passion for all things decorative and classical, yet always with an unexpected twist. “When I look through magazines, I always go on to my laptop, to companies’ websites,” he says. “I’m really fascinated by new…

JAPANESE INSPIRATION With her new Artisan collection, Vanessa Arbuthnott introduces a more graphic, contemporary aesthetic to complement her much-loved country-inspired motifs and retains the lovely print quality and colour palette for which she is so well known. She worked on this collection with her daughter, Flora Arbuthnott, referencing the Japanese art of Shibori – a manual resist-dye technique in which cloth is folded, shaped and pleated before being dip-dyed in indigo ink. Flora is also a printmaker and specialises in silk-screen, lino and potato prints using natural dyes. SOPHISTICATION IN PRINT We have long been fans of the subtle sophistication of prints from Fermoie – a brand specialising in smaller-scale repeats of almost limitless versatility in a wonderfully wide colour palette. New fabric Calimanco is on a somewhat larger scale…

FABRICS I adore the colourful collections from Fermoie. All its fabrics are designed in-house and printed in England. I recently visited the showroom in South Kensington – it is a designer’s emporium full of beautifully crafted textiles, lampshades and cushions. PAINT One of my favourite paint colours at the moment is Peat, a lovely earthy shade by Neptune. It is wonderfully versatile and a practical yet stylish choice for busy entrance halls and muddy boot rooms. FURNITURE Bungalow Classic in the United States has a collection that includes antiques, upholstery, furniture, lighting and eclectic accessories. Each design is elegant, sophisticated and timeless. FLOORING I really like artisan flooring company Sinclair Till. The floor coverings are of the highest quality, using natural materials such as wool and oak. I particularly like…

LAYERS OF LUXURY An eiderdown is a quintessentially English concept, topping a bed with an additional layer of warmth. We tend to associate eiderdowns with vintage looks in charming faded florals or paisley motifs. However, with these new silk-taffeta eiderdowns made in England by Counting Lambs, the concept has been refreshed and given a luxurious new twist. These deliciously muted colourways are the result of a recent collaboration with Fromental. The eiderdowns are filled with the highest grade of natural goose or eider duck down for superior warmth and lightness. Bolster cushions, Eiderblankets and made-to-measure designs are also available. Bespoke prices for the eiderdowns shown start at £2,196, Counting Lambs. (Other designs from £380) TRANQUIL SETTING As a bedroom is primarily used for sleeping, the decor should set a calming…

The rich hues of autumn set the countryside ablaze, and there are few places that evoke such magical memories as an autumnal wood. Now is one of the best times of year to explore English landscape, and thanks to conservation charities such as the Woodland Trust and the Sylva Foundation ( sylva.org.uk ), much of the ancient woodlands once decimated by over-development and neglect are now beginning to thrive again. The Woodland Trust manages over 1,000 woods around the UK; visit woodlandtrust.org.uk  to discover local woodland walks in your area.…

A beautiful tree is a joy for decades – its bark and foliage a source of textural delight, its branches and leaves adding movement and sound to the garden, whilst flowers and fruit add seasonal interest. At this time of year, as autumn takes hold and leaves turn gold, crimson or purple before tumbling to the ground, it is tempting to think the gardening year is all but over. However, this is an ideal time to plant young trees – the soil is sufficiently warm and moist to encourage rapid root growth and winter’s regular rains ensure that they need less watering than ones planted in spring. Lack of water is often the main reason trees die. Some trees are remarkable for their flowers or foliage alone, whilst others, such…