Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i The English Home

Welcome to the April edition, in which we are not only celebrating the arrival of spring, but also the 25th anniversary of The English Home. It feels like an important milestone and time to reflect on how much we’ve enjoyed connecting with our readers around the world as well as in Britain over the last quarter of a century. During this time, we’ve seen The English Home evolve online as well as in print as we’ve moved with the times whilst staying true to our focus on bringing you the best of timeless English decorating for life today. We’ve dabbled with podcasts and hosted design talks to bring our brand to life in different ways. However, it’s the print edition that you’re holding as you read this which still remains…

LOOK WHAT’S COOKING Ever one to stay ahead of the pack, The White Kitchen Company will be introducing the new fully electric STONE cookers into its showroom – the first kitchen company to do so. The STONE range cooker, which has been endorsed by chef Marco Pierre White, is made in the UK using a unique blend of cast iron and engineered stone that puts out a radiant heat. While it may look like a traditional range cooker, its innovative British design means it is both economical to run and versatile in its output, with a range of modes suited to different dishes. The White Kitchen Company says: “It’s the perfect complement to our cabinet collections, offering clients the chance to create a cooker that’s truly unique to their kitchen…

‘I had always dreamed of a storybook Cotswold farmhouse and this home would sit happily in the pages of one’ En route to view the house in the Cotswolds that was soon to become their home, Nicole and Ed Croft and their three then-young children, Skye, Marcus and Cosmo, had slowed almost to a standstill. Stuck behind an old country gentleman making his leisurely way along the narrow winding lane in an old-fashioned wooden trap drawn by a tufty grey pony it felt like they had gone back to a different era, until the car behind them hooted and they snapped back to reality. It transpired that the trap driver was a notorious local character, Dave, known far and wide for his pony-drawn trips to the local pub, where he…

EASTER EMBELLISHMENTS Embrace the joy of setting the scene for spring celebrations, whatever the scale Now is the perfect time to spruce up the dining room in preparation for Easter celebrations with family and friends, whether large gatherings or cosy get-togethers. Take advantage of the lighter, brighter days to give the walls a fresh coat of paint, opting for a hue inspired by nature’s palette to imbue the space with a gentle warmth throughout the year. Once the backdrop is in order, add creative touches to elevate the tempting treats on the table. This delicious-looking Easter centrepiece is enhanced with edible flowers – try Nurtured In Norfolk for a wide variety of edible blooms, including those with stems to create a similar wildflower meadow-style cake decoration. Wall in Mudstone, from…

Use glass teapots instead of jugs as a decorative way to serve refreshing drinks, adding organically grown primrose flowers once poured WELCOME IN SPRING Bring a pretty spring feel to the dining table with cuttings from the garden and hedgerows – a few branches laden with fragrant blossom flowers, twiggy stems with dangling catkins and some freshly picked flowers. Arrange them in a few delicate glass vases and dot along the centre of the table to instantly set the scene. Pair natural decorations with a soft eggshell blue and fresh green colour scheme; an elegant classic floral linen tablecloth is a good place to start. We have simply hemmed this gorgeous Tournier linen fabric by Sanderson to make a custom made tablecloth. No time to sew a hem? No problem.…

Who do you live with and where? I live in Bayswater, west London with my lodger Karishma and my hairy lurcher, Stanley. What kind of English home do you live in? A mews house, which was once a Georgian stable for the grand houses nearby. It has a cosy sitting room, a spacious warehouse-style kitchen and a sunny bedroom. And unlike many mews houses, it boasts its own small courtyard and roof terrace, which is a huge bonus. What kind of work have you done to make it your own? I moved into the house in 2020 and was fortunate the previous owners had done a great job with the structure of the property. I removed a bedroom wall, but otherwise most of the work was cosmetic, allowing me to…

SPOTLIGHT ON… James Hare’s 160th anniversary In 1865 – with nothing but experience and an understanding of the tailoring trade’s needs – James Hare started his own business from a cottage in Leeds, buying odd fabric lengths from small-scale weavers and selling them to train drivers and guards, who in turn sold them to London tailors. The company is still flourishing 160 successful years later, selling fabrics, silks, wallcoverings and trims worldwide, with James Hare’s great-great-great-granddaughter and the fifth generation of the family, Saffron Hare, at the helm. Having joined the business in 2000, she became the company’s first female managing director in 2023. She says: “Our ability to change, continue to be relevant, and I think our heritage, have contributed to our longevity. Every generation has taken the business…

Much loved for the stories behind them and their patina of age, antiques can add so much to a room. Even just one or two well-chosen pieces can add a sense of depth, create a focal point and bring in a special layer of interest and individuality, something that many of this country’s leading interior designers know well and often celebrate in their schemes. There is no rule book: today’s designers enjoy mixing antiques of different periods and different styles, often together with modern pieces, in imaginative and creative ways to produce interiors that are far from stuffy – and often full of delight and charm. Juxtapositions An element of surprise can be introduced with ‘old meets new’, such as an antique table paired with contemporary chairs, a period armchair…

CHARACTERFUL SIDE In hallways with a relaxed style, reclaimed pieces can offer a modern design with a fitting rustic finish. This reclaimed oak console is slender yet has sizeable storage with three drawers and a long, open shelf. Attention to its patinas, such as aged-metal cup handles, help it ease into period settings. Reclaimed-oak console table, £1,295, Cox & Cox REFINED CELEBRATIONS Transform a plain tablescape for Easter by layering place settings with trinket boxes hiding treats – a simple design is suitable for guests of all ages – add napkins with a simple Easter motif and finish each setting with a charming glass decoration. Porcelain egg trinket box, £12; Easter embroidered napkins, £35 for a set of four; Glass egg decorations, £20 for a set of four, and tableware,…

‘One of my favourite things is how stately it seems from the outside, but how cottage-like it feels on the inside’ On the edge of a sleepy Suffolk village, set at the end of a seemingly never-ending, gravel road hemmed in by hedges for almost a mile, sits this grand country house. “We actually almost turned back when we came to view it, but our curiosity got the better of us,” says Ana Vav Beggs, who has lived here with her husband, Iain, and their son, Jasper, for the past six years. In 2018, based at the time in London, the couple were looking to upgrade to a more family-friendly home in the city. “We spent nearly a year looking at houses in north London and it just wasn’t adding…

ICONIC SILHOUETTE Answering an increase in requests for more organic and curvaceous sofa shapes, this new style from Lordfords Contemporary is inspired by the distinctive camelback look. The feature was popularised by Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century, but this design is updated to combine the recognisable outline with supportive comfort including a sprung back and French feather-and-down seat cushions. Reinterpreted for modern interiors, the sofa can be covered in custom fabrics or the studio’s own vintage cloth edit, and the oak base and legs can be stained in any colour. The Greenwich sofa, handmade to order, £8,400, Lordfords Contemporary…

Engaging in a new creative skill can be hugely satisfying in every way, so book a place on a workshop and enjoy the experience as well as the end results. For those who are short on time a one-day workshop is great but, alternatively, if the diary allows then consider a longer creative retreat that offers more learning time as well as a break from everyday routines. The benefits are enormous, as Kate Elwell, founder of Master The Art, explains: “Taking time for yourself is so important. But taking time for yourself and learning a new skill (screen-free) is incredible. The satisfaction of learning something new, something you didn’t think you were capable of, and making something you can treasure is so therapeutic.” CRAFTED BY HAND Be inspired by courses…