Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i The English Home

LOOK OUT FOR Beaumont & Fletcher’s sofas, furniture and accessories are renowned for their quality and opulence, earnt through years of handcrafting these exquisite pieces using the very best master artisans. Everything from its beautiful chair collection – including dining chairs, accent chairs and armchairs – to its embroidered cushions, chair backs and headboards, is made using the finest fabrics and trimmings. Add to that its collection of lighting and mirrors and a whole room can be decorated in no time. beaumontandfletcher.com WOOD WORKS Since Peter Keane’s company’s humble beginnings working out of a shed in London, The Natural Wood Floor Co has come a long way. These days it offers something for every interior style, from parquet and chevron flooring to engineered boards or solid wood in narrow or…

Making a lovely home comes naturally to some fortunate individuals, and Tom Duncan, together with his partner Stephen Brook, have used their combined talents to transform an 18th-century Northamptonshire ironstone village house into a delightful and decorative country retreat. Tom and Stephen bought the village property some 20 years ago, attracted by the space it offered. An adjoining barn to one side has now been converted to become offices for their business and a secluded, walled garden at the rear is an oasis of plants and greenery. While Tom has a passion for art and antiques, Stephen concerns himself with the more practical aspects of life. “Stephen used to be in the Army, so he’s highly organised and knows how everything works, whereas I can’t even wire a plug,” says…

Basking in the Florida sunshine, the team behind Callaghans of Shrewsbury are a world away from the cold, grey British winter one comes to expect at this time of year as they embark on their annual tour of the American art exhibitions. The first of which, Art Palm Beach (25–29 January), is an opportunity for Daniel and Stella Callaghan – the founders of the gallery – to showcase an impressive collection of over 25 pieces of work by the renowned Italian furniture designer Carlo Bugatti (1856–1940). Bugatti was one of the few artists and makers whose works were celebrated during his lifetime, and very much continue to be long after his death. Strikingly original, his furniture combines the picturesque asymmetry of Art Nouveau with the exoticism of Moorish influences, alongside…

Arundel Castle Arundel, West Sussex You could be forgiven for thinking that the walled gardens at Arundel Castle, caught between its battlements and turrets and the vaulted arches of the Victorian cathedral, might be superfluous to requirements. Thanks to the vision of the owners, the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, and the fearlessness of head gardener and landscape designer Martin Duncan, the walled gardens compete well with the drama of the landscape, providing their own grandeur in the scale and depth of the planting. Arundel Castle has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk since the 12th century, and its 40 acres have been changed and improved by successive generations. In the past 20 years the 18th Duke, Edward, and the Duchess, Georgina, have been key to the creation…

SPOTLIGHT ON… Setting History Ablaze The first candle from fireplace specialist Jamb captures the scent of an English country house. Notes of amber, smoke, frankincense, precious woods and black pepper evoke the warm fragrance of a log fire burning in a room full of books, antique furniture and tapestries. Jamb founders Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle collaborated with designers Austin Moro and Eliza Dabron from London fragrance house Moro Dabron. Inspired by a Bronze Age nave in the British Museum, the vessel was cast using the ancient lost-wax process and handpatinated using a painstaking process honed at Jamb’s workshops in London, resulting in a unique, richly textured, verdigris surface that replicates the appearance of ancient Roman bronzes, salvaged from the sea bed after thousands of years. jamb.co.uk; moro-dabron.com Fashioned Fluidity…

Back in the 1970s, when Tim Whittaker was a boy, his great-aunt gave him a precious bundle of ancient documents relating to a 17th-century Cumbrian house owned by his family until the mid-19th century. This sparked a lifelong interest in the property for Tim and he fondly recalls the day he cycled over to the house when he was 16 years old to satisfy his curiosity. “I took pictures of the exterior and was invited in by the tenant farmer, who showed me a spice cupboard inscribed with one of my ancestor’s initials in 1696. Since that day, I’ve always felt connected to the house and longed to own it. It’s wonderful to think that finally, in 2018, at the age of 59, I stepped over the hearth as the…

For owners of a period home considering adding an extension or introducing new architectural elements, there are various factors to consider, not least of which is what style to choose. While every design solution will be unique to the home, there are positive aspects to both traditional and contemporary options. Here we look at the benefits of enhancing a characterful home with period-style additions or, conversely, with updates that are distinct from yet work in harmony with the original fabric of the building. Sympathetically traditional When the aim is to seamlessly tie into a period home, replicating its materials, colours, building techniques and overall style, then a traditional-style alteration is the ideal choice. Be it an entire extension, a new interior configuration or another type of architectural enhancement, just because…

Visit… a National Trust property and marvel at the winter white wonder of snowdrops So many gardens of the heritage houses and estates run by the National Trust boast a glorious carpet-like covering of snowdrops at this time of year. These pretty, delicate flowers, long been revered as symbols of hope, are also a herald that warmer weather is on the way. The 18th-century garden and parklands at Stowe in Buckinghamshire are a good place to head to for seeing the marvellous blankets of these little beauties. Growing in masses in the Elysian Fields, Sleeping Wood and Lamport Garden, they are a sight to behold. Why not take a crisp winter walk to work off the excesses of Christmas and New Year and view the spectacle before enjoying a cup…

Spring is traditionally the time of year when the idea of giving an interior a decorative refresh comes into sharp focus. But before the tins of paint and tools come out of the cupboard it is good to get a grasp on how to add interest to a room. Whether it is with a special paint effect, reupholstering a piece of furniture, or how to create a new room scheme from scratch, why not learn one or more of many techniques to enhance interiors? Sign up to a course or workshop and enjoy learning a new skill and creating an even more beautiful home. Interior courses A successful interior design scheme relies on many components working in harmony with each other. Learn from the best industry professionals with courses specifically…