Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i The English Home

Cherishing Britain’s manufacturing skills and home-grown talents is top of mind for many consumers. Some might frame this in the context of three years of Brexit talks, others might feel that seeing closures of big employers, such as those in the car industry or on the high street, has made them think more closely about supporting British-based brands. These are undoubtedly important factors, but I take a much longer-term view. For me, the growing interest in indigenous ‘making’ is a completely natural extension of the rediscovery and appreciation of slow food, organic produce and local independent businesses, aligned with thoughts of carbon footprints and low-air miles. And like these movements, I believe it exemplifies a desire to feel a human connection with the things we choose to buy. In my…

Mrs Patmore runs a tight ship in the kitchen at Downton Abbey, not just creating delicious treats for Lord and Lady Grantham, their family and guests upstairs, but also keeping a close eye on all the kitchen staff. Whilst deeply suspicious of any new gadgets and inventions, preferring instead to stick to her trusty copper pans, jelly moulds and mixing by hand, Mrs Patmore has had to acquiesce to having electric lighting fitted.…

THE BEARDMORE COLLECTION Founded over 150 years ago, The Beardmore Collection continues to be one of the industry’s leading innovators in the production of quality architectural hardware, all of which is hand-crafted in the UK. The company creates its striking pieces – such as the art deco-style mortice knob with a tiger’s eye inlay (above) – for a large variety of locations, from royal palaces and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to public buildings and private residences throughout the world. In addition to its ever-growing range of classic and contemporary designs, The Beardmore Collection recently discovered a lost library of ironmongery patterns spanning almost two centuries of the company’s design archives. This has become more than just a reference document as several of these original designs are being reproduced at the firm’s…

BEST OF BOTH Bringing together old and new styles to honour the period of a property whilst retaining a modern identity requires a careful balance, as shown in this elegant vignette from a country project by interior design studio Todhunter Earle. The tapestry and panelling acknowledge the rural location and history of the home, whilst the trestle table, with its glossy bright-blue top, strikes a contemporary note. A playful mix of colours stands out against the slate-blue walls, creating a scene that is both timeless and of the moment.…

Tantalising aqua Whether pale duck egg, deepest teal or dazzling turquoise, colours that sit on the cusp of blue and green are versatile, attractive and incredibly popular. Often named after a counterpart found in the natural world, these hues can include the jewel-like tones of a peacock’s feather, the shimmering waters of a Caribbean sea, the flash of colour on a drake’s plumage, the matt yet vibrant finish of a precious turquoise stone or the subtle hue of an eggshell. Neither decisively blue nor green, the various incarnations of aqua can sit squarely in between the two or veer towards more azure or verdant ends of the scale, causing much discussion along the way as different eyes interpret the undertones in their own ways. For instance, duck egg may be…

It is natural for the eye to be drawn to light sources, but if the fittings are things of beauty in their own right, their power to enhance an interior will even remain by day when the lights are turned off. “If you compare a room scheme to an outfit, then decorative lighting is the jewellery,” says Harriet Daniels, founder and creative director of Tigermoth Lighting. “Specific to the space it is in, lighting has the ability to make or break a room.” The shape, size, colour, texture and position of any one light fitting and its relationship to other elements in a room all need careful consideration when planning the design of any room in the home. If seeking inspiration, look to the ever increasing number of specialist shops…

OCTOBER EDITION New fabrics & wallpapers special PLUS... • Four beautiful homes filled with inspiring ideas • Decorating with rich, elegant spice tones • Fabulous flooring: the latest desirable looks • Chic ways with upholstery ON SALE 4 SEPTEMBER theenglishhome.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @englishhometeam Pinterest at pinterest.com/theenglishhome Facebook at facebook.com@theenglishhome Instagram at instagram.com@englishhomemag…

Being a journalist should demand an insatiable level of curiousity, and that goes for interiors journalists, too. “It’s not all fluff and cushions,” as I’m fond of telling my husband. Sometimes, I’m shocked to think that I have amassed some 25 or more years of being nosy! Yet those years have afforded me the incredible opportunity of gleaning a basic understanding of a wide range of makers’ skills. I’ve seen kitchen cabinetry created, range-cooker panels hand-sprayed, taps sand-cast, tableware painted, carpets woven and mattresses hand-stitched. I’ve also seen paint mixed, tiles baked, loos glazed, glass mouth-blown, wood steam-bent, and wallpaper and fabric printed. And still there is so much to learn. I highly recommend visiting a factory if you get the chance – it’s a fascinating education.…

Designed for the 4th Earl of Carnarvon (1831–1890), The Library (below left) at Highclere Castle contains 5,650 books, the earliest dating from the sixteenth century. It is where Downton Abbey’s Lord Grantham deals with correspondence at his desk, has meetings with the estate manager and also where Lady Grantham and other family members gather on the red sofas on either side of the fireplace to discuss family matters or have pre-dinner drinks.…

Making is so often intimately linked to place. Local geography, weather patterns, livestock, trades and acquired skills all played a part, historically, in determining who made what, where and why. Cutlers based themselves in Sheffield because it had all the necessary ingredients for their craft: rivers to drive water wheels for grinding, coal for smelting and forging, and iron ore for making the blades. The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent developed into a centre for ceramics thanks to the plentiful supply of clay, lead, salt and coal in Staffordshire. Furniture-making became a specialism of the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire due to raw materials from the surrounding beech woods and a local labour force that was skilled in turning bowls, spoons and other small items, and subsequently parts for chairs. Whilst it may seem…

“Aqua hues – from teal to duck egg – are some of our most popular colours for fabrics and accessories. I think they can be very versatile colours that can work well with many different palettes. You can also use them in a subtle, soft way or push them to brighter or deeper saturations, so they have a very different impact.” A CASE IN POINT For this bedroom (above right), as with many couples, the wife wanted something feminine and the husband didn’t want to be in a pink room. I presented several options and this colour appealed to them both. I like to call this shade duck egg, though I am not sure a duck’s egg ever is this colour, but it’s a good term. It is an easy,…

Energy-saving light bulbs help keep electricity costs down and are more eco-conscious, and LED bulbs offer the best savings using up to 90 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs. Our brief guide explains what to look for: • Brightness The level of brightness is measured in lumens instead of watts, and the higher the number of lumens, the brighter the light. As a guide, a light output of about 400+ lumens is needed for a bedside lamp and around 700+ lumens for a table lamp in a sitting room. • Colour temperature The first LED bulbs acquired a reputation for producing a cold, harsh light, but now they are available with a choice of colour temperature. Measured on the Kelvin scale, look for a colour temperature of 2000K for…

SEASONAL PLANS The last vestiges of summer are neatly encapsulated in the beautiful hues of the hydrangea flower – ranging from delicate creams through to vivid purples, its colour palette shifts according to the pH levels of the soil in which it is grown. These simple single stem arrangements by stylist and photographer Tamsyn Morgans (@tamsynmorgans) showcase the delicately coloured petals to best effect. For similar glass vases, try Summerill & Bishop or Closet & Botts.…

Bernard Thorp Tel 020 7352 5745 bernardthorp.co.uk Besselink & Jones Tel 020 7351 4669 besselink.com Chelsea Textiles Tel 020 7584 0111 chelseatextiles.com Ebury Trading Tel 020 7881 0881 eburytrading.com Fermoie Tel 01672 513723 fermoie.com Graham Carr Fine Arts Tel 01264 731377 grahamcarr.co.uk Lantiques Tel 01798 344020 lantiques.com Loran and Co Tel 07917 366241 loranandco.co.uk Lorfords Antiques Tel 01666 505111 lorfordsantiques.com Lynda Myles-Till Tel 07802 741194 Neptune Tel 01793 427450 neptune.com Papers and Paints Tel 020 7352 8626 papersandpaints.co.uk Parkinsons Master Thatchers Tel 01608 683730 parkinsonblackwell.com Penny Morrison Tel 020 7384 2975 pennymorrison.com Pooky Tel 020 7351 3003 pooky.com Robert Kime Tel 020 7831 6066 robertkime.com Robert Moore Tel 020 7582 7327 mooredesign.info Sims Hilditch Tel 01249 783087 simshilditch.com The Brackley Antique Cellar Tel 01280 841841 brackleyantiquecellar.co.uk The Mill Shop Tel…

Whatever drama may be unfolding in Lady Mary’s life, she can rest assured her bedroom will always be an elegant oasis of calm where even the flowers never fade (the Downton Abbey film crew use faux flowers for continuity). The maids busily keep the mahogany furniture and accessories pristine, plump the pillows, air the newly introduced eiderdown and provide a ready supply of tea.…

PURSUITS Baking authentic sourdough Sourdough September is run by The Real Bread Campaign to celebrate authentic sourdough, encourage amateur bakers to make it at home and help avoid expensive imitations (or ‘sourfaux’) with events, classes and participating bakeries across the country. Believed to date back to ancient Egypt, sourdough is made using a mixture of water, cereal flour and a culture of naturally occurring yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. It is known for its depth of flavour, longevity and potential health benefits. To make sourdough, a ‘starter’ is needed – a mixture of flour, water and wild yeast – to make the bread rise. This can be bought ready-made from an expert source, such as Hobbs House Bakery in Gloucestershire, or made by hand at home over two days. As…

Well-known gardener, television presenter and writer Monty Don OBE has been lead presenter of the BBC’s Gardeners’ World since 2003 and since 2011 the programme has been broadcast from his garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire. Whilst work takes him all over the world in search of the finest gardens, about which he makes television programmes and writes books, being at home with his wife Sarah, their three grown-up children – Adam, Freya and Tom – and two golden retrievers, Nigel and Nellie, is where he is happiest. Where do you live and why? I live near a little town called Leominster in Herefordshire, near the Welsh border. We moved here 30 years ago because it was sufficiently far from London to be outside any commuter belt, and therefore affordable, and because…

1 Parker Knoll Marking its 150th anniversary year, British furniture manufacturer Parker Knoll continues to make 100 per cent of its sofas and chairs in England, at its manufacturing base in Nottinghamshire. Its new Collection 150 takes inspiration from the 1920s and 1930s and was created in collaboration with Metropolitan University’s Frederick Parker archive and the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. 2 HALCYON DAYS Proud holder of the Royal Warrants of HM The Queen, HRH The Prince Of Wales and HRH The Duke Of Edinburgh, Halcyon Days crafts exquisite enamel and fine bone china items, all made in Britain. Founded in 1950, the firm’s recent Aragon Collection is influenced by the Historic Royal Palaces fabric collection designed by GP & J Baker. 3 AGA Shortly approaching its 100th anniversary, Aga…

KEEP IT CLEAN • Whatever tone of aqua, the colour needs to be bright and clean, don’t muddy it. Then it can become very dull. USE SPARINGLY • One potential pitfall in using aqua is it can start to look as though you are in a swimming pool. That’s not to say you can’t use it on the walls, but balance it with some other colour or broken white. Or, as I did in the bedroom above, use it boldly on a few pieces. BEST PAINTS • Argile is a French company that uses a lot of pigment so the colours are beautiful. In this colour palette, I’d recommend Eucalyptus, Lichen Bleu and Terre d’Orient. Benjamin Moore also has a very good paint range. STRONG COMBINATIONS • Teal goes beautifully…

• Bella Figura Striking pieces made in England and Italy. Tel 020 7376 4564; bella-figura.com • Besselink & Jones Hand-built English decorative lighting. Tel 020 8574 4068; besselink.com • Charles Edwards Elegant forms created in Wimbledon. Tel 020 7736 8490; charlesedwards.com • Christopher Hyde Classic and contemporary luxury designs. Tel 020 7351 0863; christopherhyde.com • Collier Webb Hand-crafted lighting forged in East Sussex. Tel 020 7373 8888; collierwebb.com • Cox London Creators of renowned sculptural forms. Tel 020 3328 9506; coxlondon.com • David Hunt Lighting Cotswold-based manufacturer of classic styles. Tel 01295 672628; davidhuntlighting.co.uk • Fritz Fryer Modern, designer, contemporary, traditional, retro, vintage and bespoke light fittings. Tel 01989 567416; fritzfryer.co.uk • IJ & L Brown Hereford-based brand with curated lighting. Tel 01432 851991; ijlbrown.com • Jim Lawrence Classic and…

Organising the home With September comes the advent of new beginnings – turning the page on summer signals a shift in direction, and equally brings about a renewed sense of purpose. Now is the time to channel both energy and effort into organising the home. Storage solutions offer a plethora of opportunities, and though the thought of tackling areas in need of remedy might be daunting, the reality can often be much simpler and produce great rewards. “The right attitude is key,” explains Svetlana Michalovskaja, head of wardrobe organisation at clothing storage and management company Vault Couture. “You have to be in the right frame of mind and be prepared to sort through and throw out or give away items. Before beginning, be sure you are ready to commit to…

“When I was a young girl of about 14, I was very lucky to work for an amazing woman called Miss Hanley, who was an interior designer and spent her weekends living in a cottage on the Audley End estate [in Essex]. She opened my eyes to beautiful antiques, silver and fabrics. I would scour junk shops and make wild lampshades for old lamps, buy old lace to furnish a chair or give tables to my parents that I had refurbished with gold leaf or painted. I loved the idea of something having been used before and with its own story to tell. For my own home, the first pieces I reworked were a pair of 1950s chairs that I purchased when I was about 20 for £20. These sat…