Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2015 i The English Home

The interior designers and decorators I most admire are those who place comfort, sense of place and the needs and personality of the homeowner far beyond any desire to imprint a signature look when helping a client with their home. They know that decorating is fundamentally a means to create cosseting interiors perfectly suited to the owner, rather than showcases of design, and that this means thinking of the interiors not only in terms of style and aesthetics but from practical and sensory standpoints, too. In the autumn and winter months, these factors become even more important for us all, as nights draw in and the fireside calls. So, with this in mind, we share our own insights and the wonderful advice we have gleaned concerning ways to create a…

Geometric patterns do not immediately fit the stereotypical perception of the English interior aesthetic, however, David Hicks (1929-1998) – seminal designer/decorator of the 60s, 70s and 80s, who enjoyed clients from the aristocracy, media and fashion – proved that classical ingredients could sit alongside graphic colour combinations as well as geometrically precise prints and carpet designs, with great aplomb. Today, a re-emerging interest in introducing geometry into interiors is readily apparent once again.…

David Gandy has one of British fashion’s most familiar faces. His piercing blue eyes and classically chiselled features have been gazing out at us from billboards and magazine covers since 2006 when, as a 26-year-old model, he was chosen as the face of fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. In 2012, he was the only man to appear on the Union-Jack-shaped catwalk as part of the Olympics closing ceremony, and has been photographed by luminaries such as Mario Testino and Rankin. But he is not just a pretty face – he has designed a successful underwear range for Marks & Spencer, and his charity work includes fundraising for cancer and environmental charities, as well as being the first celebrity ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. He has also recently completed…

From the age of five, Amanda Abbington wanted to be a dancer but, because of an injury, she turned to acting when she was 18. She has appeared in The Bill, Being Human and Casualty, and performed on stage in Alan Ayckbourn’s The Safari Party as well as Love Me Tonight directed by Kathy Burke. Since 2013, she has memorably starred as Miss Mardle in ITV’s Mr Selfridge, and earlier in 2014 appeared in BBC1’s Sherlock alongside her real-life partner, Martin Freeman (star of The Office and The Hobbit.) Today, she lives in Hertfordshire with Martin, their two children Joe, nine, and Grace, seven, and an assortment of pets. Where do you live and why? We live in Hertfordshire and have done for eight years. I grew up around here…

What could be more English than a gingham tablecloth or a chintz-covered armchair? In fact, however surprising it may seem, these apparently classic fabrics – and others with which we have long been familiar, too – are exotic imports, having originated in India several centuries ago. It was, as is often the case, a distant struggle for money and power that changed the lives of ordinary people. England’s East India Company was set up in 1599 to grab a share in the East Indian spice trade, and very soon established trading posts in India – over large parts of which it was later to rule in all but name. At first, the merchants bought Indian textiles to trade with in Indonesia, but it was not long before they realised there…

Where do you visit when searching for antiques or artwork? I know this sounds sad, but I look through nearly every single auction that takes place in London. I have various search engines that I use to track down antiquarian books, regency torchieres, gilded pelmets, and, quite recently, an Austrian eighteenth-century gilded harp for a client. Can you reveal your favoured resources for fabrics and wall coverings? Holland & Sherry do some wonderfully English herringbone fabrics, which I adore as it is a modern interpretation of Savile Row and is uniquely London. I’ve recently started working with Fromental, which not only stitches silk into wall coverings, but also creates incredible chinoiserie embroidered designs of Chinese figures for the backs of some chairs I designed. The detail is exceptional. Which buildings…

LAMPE BERGER Developed in France to create cleaner air through a purifying perfumed system, over the years the company has developed ever more luxurious containers with an interiors bent. The oils used to create the clean air offer wonderful scents. lampeberger.co.uk TRAPP CANDLES A popular American brand sold through several websites here in the UK. The selection of scents is very good and the candles are very well priced for the quality. A particular heady favourite is Fresh Cut Tuberose. SANTA MARIA NOVELLA This is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world and emanates from Florence. Its potpourri is legendary and would make the perfect gift for those who love the best in scented accessories. Visit the shop in Walton Street, London, to really experience these sophisticated perfumes. BAOBOB…

LANDMARK TRUST Taking a break in an amazing house is always a balm to the senses, and it is well worth looking at the unusual properties available via the Landmark Trust. Stay in a castle or lighthouse or pick one of the properties in the inspiring interiors section of the website and you are sure to have a wonderful trip. The Trust advertises properties from £10 per person per night, so it will not break the bank. landmarktrust.org.uk PRIME LOCATION I honestly do not know how property addicts managed before Prime Location came onto the scene. I have spent many happy hours searching for my fantasy house and, dare I admit it, nosily looking inside houses I have seen from the street. Often, if I see a for sale sign…

Outside of work hours I have been enjoying...... • Awarding Best in British Craftsmanship to the very talented Sebastian Cox at Decorex International. See page 105 for insight of his work and ethos. • Lighting scented candles to trial some of Mary Carroll’s favourite scents (see page 122) and create a lovely ambience at home in the evenings. • Sipping fizz on the Rosebery Bus - a 1966 green-and-cream Routemaster double decker, which has been converted to become a travelling cocktail/party/miniature restaurant venue for private occasions, and which turns up at all the best venues, from Goodwood to Ascot. therosebery.com…

PURSUITS Chocolate Nemesis Purists will punt for short, dark and slightly bitter; others will opt for a longer, creamier and somewhat sweeter drink. Whatever the taste for hot chocolate, this is arguably the season in which it becomes the beverage of choice. Whilst specialists Paul A Young, Rococo, Valrhona and Charbonnel et Walker purvey tempting offerings, in Hot Chocolate, (£9.99, Ryland Peters & Small) food writer Hannah Miles suggests starting from scratch, using varying combinations of 70 per cent dark chocolate, cream, cornflour and egg yolk to arrive at a desirable blend of flavour and mouthfeel. Suggested flavourings include rum, Amaretto, and salted caramel. Resistance, we think, is futile. Diary – events worth noting FESTIVE PLANNING Christmas preparations begin in November at West Dean College, West Sussex, with a strong…

The considered interplay between tone and texture underpins much of successful interior design. A tightly related palette of hues holds together the calm coherence of this scheme, which is composed of carefully layered silks, linens and velvets, set against a backdrop of paint and natural wood, creating a sophisticated sense of depth without undermining the integrity of the design. Curtains in Fonteyn Stripe, £80 a metre; dining chair (centre) upholstered in Harcourt, £95 a metre; (left) in Winton, £89 a metre; armchair in Pumpkins, from £59 a metre, all GP & J Baker…

Now so intrinsic to the identity of English interiors, it is sometimes difficult to conceive that the English Country House style of decorating was born partly of financial necessity. The artfully mismatched antiques, the worn gilt and faded chintz, and the sense of genteel dilapidation now found in innumerable guises the world over, is mostly the legacy of Lady Sibyl Colefax, John Fowler and Nancy Lancaster, who ministered to beleaguered English country houses in the interwar years. Looking back, it is clear that the trio were the antecedents of some of the most influential of contemporary English decorators: Geoffrey Bennison, Christopher Gibbs, Nicholas Haslam (who later purchased Fowler’s home), Piers von Westenholz and one Robert Kime. It was financial necessity, too, that brought about Kime’s own introduction to antiques and…

Present a dish of pears poached in red wine for an impressive crimson fanfare, whether at the end of a winter dinner party, or to bring a cheery end to a family supper on a bleak November evening. This dessert is extremely easy to make, and delivers delicious morsels of rich, yet delicately sweet, fruit. Select ripe comice pears and simply heat a bottle of red wine and around 200g of sugar then poach until soft, adding cinnamon and a vanilla pod to the pan if desired. Serve warm to keep seasonal chills sat bay. For a more detailed recipe, try jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/pears-in-amarone…

Curling up in a chair with a good book and watching flickering flames in the hearth is one of the season’s greatest pleasures, so prepare the setting well. Add a stylish light to read by, ensure a favoured tipple – whether sloe gin or a smoky brew – is close to hand, light a scented candle and put your feet up for an hour or two. Essential fireside accoutrements will assist in maintaining a cheery blaze, whilst a shapely mirror or atmospheric artwork above the mantel will complete the enticing fireside scene.…

Decorative artist Emma Kayne admits that, for many years, she and her husband Ivor have been serial house movers, but for the time being they have stopped and put some roots down in Melksham. “It’s the obvious way of climbing the housing ladder, isn’t it? Until our daughters, Clover and Willow, were born, we probably moved once a year. My Mum loves doing houses up, and I remember when I was young we were always moving. But it drove me mad and I vowed I wouldn’t do it with our family,” she says. Most of the moves were properties in London, where Ivor still works. When they decided they wanted somewhere with a larger garden for the girls, they drew up a simple checklist: a small town near a railway…

Writing about the different ways interior designers use their skills to get the best out of a property has reminded me to look again at how I approach the look and feel of my own home. I have so enjoyed travelling through the various topics covered by the umbrella tag of ‘finishing touches’ for this series, and this month’s subject of scent is one close to my heart. I like nothing better than to enter the candle room at Fortnum & Mason, the doorway of top perfumer Ormonde Jayne, or the display rooms at I & JL Brown, where the scent of highly polished wood is as atmospheric as any fragrance concocted from flowers and herbs from around the world. All this enjoyment can be imbued into a home, making…

Passionate about quintessential English customs, our incognito columnist reminds us to do the best things in life in the most elegant fashion, always with a twinkle in her eye When others are feeling tired and stressed they go for walk, take a yoga class or reach for a large gin and tonic. I have an entirely different approach, and one that Mr M finds rather odd; I play my fantasy house game. There are a number of versions of this, from watching films with extraordinary interiors, to giving myself an imaginary life and visiting the property portals to find a house that would be perfect for my invented persona. I know it sounds a little odd, but it is enormous fun and perfectly safe – probably more so than even…

Anton & K Tel 07875 911776 antonandk.co.uk Ashton Gower Antiques Tel 01451 870699 Branche d’Olive branche-dolive.com Common Good commongoodandco.com Diptyque Tel 0800 840 0010 diptyqueparis.co.uk Eden Clay Tel 01277 624966 edenclay.co.uk The Fountayne Interiors Tel 07791 081691 thefountayne.com Hermione Young House Interiors Tel 01985 841674 Holland & Sherry Tel 020 7352 4798 interiors.hollandandsherry.com Lyn Le Grice Interior Designer Tel 01736 364193 nu:builds Tel 020 7731 6841 nubuilds.com Prestbury Upholstery Tel 01242 210200 prestburyupholstery.com Rubelli rubelli.com Senso Tel 020 8969 0183 sensofloors.co.uk WF Curtis Ltd Tel 01985 215557 wfcurtis.co.uk…