The

THE ENGLISH HOME ● C O S Y I N T H E C O U N T R Y

Celebrating the essence of English style

October 2011 | Issue 81 | £3.80

COSY IN THE COUNTRY

From Cotswold cottage charm to Lutyens estate

Lessons Designs on
in layout drawing rooms
Expert guidance to Key ingredients for
making rooms flow comfort & style
OCTOBER 2011

Lighting
& carpets
Perfect buys for
inviting interiors

Special effects
Stylish new ways
with paint

Cosseting touches
AUSTRALIA $8.95 NZ $12.80

Decorating with heather hues, plaids & wools

APPLE HARVEST | LITTLE LUXURIES | MADE IN BRITAIN

CONTENTS
October 2011

BEAUTIFUL BUYS
10 HOME COMFORTS
Embrace the colours and flavours of the season with
a selection of buys, from fabric to flooring to furniture.
17 LITTLE LUXURIES
Our pick of forest finds enrich with warm wooden
tones and embellish with leafy details.

ENGLISH HOMES
18 A STYLISH SANCTUARY
The bustle of city life is kept at bay in the haven of peace
created by the owners of this Georgian-style townhouse.
26 HOW FITTING A REUNION
The Wyatts’ move to the Cotswolds would lead them
to reacquaint two properties with a shared history.
36 A WARM WELCOME
Ruth Daniel drew on her professional skills when she
and her husband found their perfect country haven.
46 PRESERVED SPLENDOUR
One family embarked on a sympathetic restoration of
their piece of Lutyens-designed architectural history.
56 AT HOME WITH CELIA BIRTWELL
The acclaimed fashion and textile designer reminisces
about her northern roots and bohemian background.

ABOVE Homemade
soft furnishings add
a personal touch to this
cottage, on page 26.
LEFT Repainted units
refresh the feel of the
kitchen in a Georgian
home, on page 18.
BELOW Take inspiration
from nature’s warm
wooden tones and
leafy details for autumn
buys, on page 17.
RIGHT Prepare to cosy
up indoors, with some
well chosen accessories,
on page 10.

THE ENGLISH HOME 5


TOP Tweed, plaids and
woollens in heather
hues are a refreshing
take on a country
favourite, on page 60.
ABOVE LEFT
Contemporary carpets
Never draw on England’s
miss an strong carpet-weaving
heritage, on page 114.
issue! Now you can buy
ABOVE RIGHT
single issues of Specialist paint
The English Home finishes, skillfully
applied, can create an
magazine online – go to illusion of opulent
materials, on page 86.
www.buyamag.co.uk/EnglishHome
6 THE ENGLISH HOME
STYLE INSPIRATION
59 SMOOTH OPERATOR
Discover the appeal of glossy lacquered furniture.
60 EMBRACING NATURE’S COSSETING TOUCH
Anticipate the season’s change by adding warming
heather hues, plaids and woollens to your schemes.
68 PRIME POSITION
Make room layouts flow to ensure that the available
space is utilised both practically and beautifully.
74 THE PERFECT ENGLISH DRAWING ROOM
Invest in iconic pieces essential for creating for an
inviting scheme, albeit with twenty-first century twists.
82 THE PERSONAL TOUCH
We meet Kit Kemp, the designer whose London
hotels exude a refreshing personality and soul.
86 THE ART OF DECEPTION
In the hands of experts, specialist paint finishes can
mimic otherwise prohibitively expensive materials.
91 A PASSION FOR PROVENANCE
We celebrate the preservation of age-old skills guarding
against soulless homogeneity in furniture design.
FORM & FUNCTION
99 BOOKMAKERS
Find beauty in utility with floor-to-ceiling bookcases.
100 ILLUMINATING PRESENCE
Well chosen decorative light fittings can fill a room
with light as well as act as a glowing focal point.
108 AGE-OLD APPEAL
A 500-year-old farmhouse kitchen is painstakingly
transformed into a vibrant room fit for a modern family.
113 HEART OF YOUR HOME
Bringing a rich and warming atmosphere to the kitchen.
114 TAKING THE FLOOR
Carpet is still England’s flooring of choice for comfort
and style and the latest designs offer enduring appeal.
QUINTESSENTIALLY
123 FROM LITTLE ACORNS
Celebrate Britain’s woodlands as they turn to amber hues.
124 A TASTE OF OLD ENGLAND
Enjoy the abundant harvest of English apples.
131 IN SEASON: PUMPKIN & SAGE SOUP
This perfectly autumnal dish is wholesome and hearty.
132 FLORAL SEDUCTION
Florist Vic Brotherson’s new book advises how to
create eye-catching floral works of art.
139 THE ART OF HUSBAND MANAGEMENT
Mrs Minerva reveals the secrets of the delicate and
clandestine art of husband husbandry.
154 AUTHENTICALLY ENGLISH
We profile John Makepeace, a force in furniture design.
REGULARS
34 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe to The English Home and save 50 per cent.
143 COMING NEXT MONTH
A look forward to our November issue.
145 ADDRESS BOOK
Essential contacts for where to buy everything featured.
ON THE COVER
 The

WRITE TO US AT
The English Home, Archant House,
Oriel Road, Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire GL50 1BB.
Tel 01242 211080. Fax 01242 211081.
englishhome@archant.co.uk
englishhome@subscription.co.uk

www.theenglishhome.co.uk
EDITORIAL

PHOTOGRAPH TOM FAULKNER

Edditorr Kerryn Harper-Cuss
Deputy Editor Samantha Scott-Jeffries
Features/Commissioning Editor Vivienne Hambly
Art Editor Ruth Sargison
Suub Ediito
or/W
Wr iteer Sarah Kent
Contributing Sub Editors Rachel Crow, Lucy Carr,
Laurence McJannet
Staff Writer Katy Green
Editorial Assistant Suzanna Ball

ADVERTISING
Group Sales Manager Jamie Bolton

A LETTER FROM HOME Display Account Manager Sharon Blick

Classified Sales Executive Philip Murray
Puublisshinng Produucttion Managerr Kevin Shelcott
Production Team Leader Michael Godden
When I first introduced a feature focusing on product Creative Designers Andy Crafter, Adam Kimberley,
‘Made in Britain’, some seven years ago, it was as editor of Hollie Craske
another interiors magazine. At the time the topic was CIRCULATION
deeply unsexy; in fact, I found myself dismayed to hear Head of Direct C ust omer Marketing Fiona Penton-Voak
Circulat ion Manager Richard Kirby
some industry experts suggest that the subject might be
ARCHANT SPECIALIST
perceived as ‘worthy’. Some even went so far as to question Managing Director Archant Lifestyle Miller Hogg
whether readers would care about the provenance of miller.hogg@archant.co.uk
Mannagging Editorr Robyn Bechelet
a product as long as the price was right. Yet, because I felt passionately that Group Commercial Director Chris Marston
celebrating and showcasing homegrown talent is vital (and not at all in Group Communications Manager Lucy Warren-Meeks
opposition to enjoyment of other beautiful items from around the globe), Marketing Director Richard Woolliams

I forged ahead. That first feature series gave me the incredible opportunity to NEXT ISSUE ON SALE 5 NOVEMBER 2011
visit many British factories and
THEE EN
NGLIISH HOM ME (UK EDITION)
workshops and to see first-hand
how things were made: from
“It is important to celebrate ISSN no 1468-0238.
REPROGRAPHICS MANAGER Neil Puttnam.
PRINTING Williams Gibbons Ltd.
bathroom suites to beds, British made products and ADVERTISING OFFICES
The English Home, Archant House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham,
wallpaper, kitchens, sofas, Gloucestershire GL50 1BB. Tel 01242 265890. Fax 01242 211081.
carpets and more, and also to preserve craftsmanship” jamie.bolton@archant.co.uk, sharon.blick@archant.co.uk or
philip.murray@archant.co.uk
meet the makers. It taught me SUBBSCRIP PTIO
ON OFFICE ES
that whilst not everything made in Britain is of top-notch quality, there are UK: The English Home, Unit 1, Tower House, Lathkill Street,
Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9EF.
many things in which our nation's manufacturers excel. Cherishing the Tel 01858 438840. Fax 01858 434958.
endangered and specific craftsmanship of every nation is utterly essential; not USA: The English Home, PO Box 433068, Palm Coast, FL
32143. Tel 1-800-998-0807.
only to avoid skills dying out but to ensure that distinctiveness is preserved in theenglishhome@emailcustomerservice.com
Canada: The English Home, 1415 Janette Avenue, Windsor,
an increasingly global economy. ON N8X 1Z1, Canada. Tel 1-800-998-0807.
Today when I see how popular the topic has become it gives me enormous Europe and rest of the world as for UK.
Subscription Rates UK from £25.08 (11 issues)
delight. At the end of this month, I have been invited to judge and present Europe £39.99 (11 issues) ROW £41.99 (11 issues)
an award for Best in British Craftsmanship at a large interior exhibition, so USA $32.75 (6 issues) Canada $37.75 (6 issues)
NEWS DISTRIBUTION
it seemed timely to expand The English Home's long-standing Authentically UK and rest of world Seymour, 86 Newman Street,
English feature for this one issue and celebrate a few key designers London W1T 3EX. Tel 020 7429 3667.
USA and Canada CMG. LLC/155 Village Blvd,
committed to British made product. Only when we understand the time, 3rd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
Rest of world as for UK.
love and skill that go on behind the scenes
BAACK ISSSUES
can we see why it is worth saving hard for Available in the UK for £4.40. Europe and Eire for £5.40.
Rest of the World £6.40 from CDS Global Sovereign Park,
a special investment, enjoy anticipating its Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 9EF.
arrival and cherish it for decades to come. Tel 01858 438840. Fax 01858 434958.
COVER IMAGE JAMES MERRELL
EDITOR’S PHOTOGRAPH RACHEL SMITH
With warmest regards,
© Archant Specialist 2011
Kerryn Harper-Cuss, Editor Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations

8 THE ENGLISH HOME

 Variegated theme
Selecting a wide colour
palette gives scope to
create the enviable balance
of homely warmth and
unexpected freshness.
Contrary to being
overwhelming, this rich,
russet leaf motif works
beautifully used as both
wallpaper and curtains.
Picking out key colours in
surprising patterns for
cushions, such as leopard
print, keeps it current and
adaptable year round.
Oxfordshire wallpaper in
Camel and Red, £97.50 for
a double roll; Oxfordshire
Embroidery in beige,
£163.33 per metre,
both from Thibaut’s
Anniversary Collection

H O M E Comforts
As summer makes way for autumn, embrace the colours
and flavours of the season with a selection of warm
and welcoming designs, from fabrics to furniture
 Beautiful Buys

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT

Bountiful harvest
Surprise the whole family with
fruit pie for dessert. Offset the
homemade simplicity with white
stoneware that has been
traditionally glazed to show off
the unique ripples in the clay.
Rimple tableware, from £11,
Jamie at Home
Tactile contrast
Dark, heavy furnishings and
precious antiques demand plush
fabrics that can hold their own
again the depth of patina. In this
case, the sofa chimes with the
luxury of the setting but also lifts
the more masculine backdrop with
a light reflecting, feminine shade.
The sleek shape ensures it would
also suit a less classic surrounding.
Iggy three-seater sofa without
fabric, £950, sofa.com
Fireside stock
Nipping out to collect wood? Save
time by popping awkward shaped
branches into these open baskets.
Made from two-tone willow, they fit
neatly together for easy storage.
Set of two open wicker log
baskets, £49.95, Dibor 

THE ENGLISH HOME 11

 N O W AT S AV O I R B E D S
555 KING’S ROAD FULHAM LONDON SW6 2EB
TEL : + 44 (0)20 7731 1279
WWW.SIMONHORN.COM
 Beautiful Buys

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Just a little trim...
Old fashioned, handspun bedlinen
adds an extra element of cosiness
to freshly made sheets. Simple
quality and detail is captured with
delicate lace trims and a hand-
crocheted throw, all given a
sophisticated twist with modern
slate and mustard tones.
Washed lace bedlinen, from £22
for a single pillowcase, Toast
Fancy under foot
Tell tales of exotic travels without
taking expensive far-flung trips.
Inspired by a ‘suzani’ wall hanging
in Jaipur, this New Zealand wool
patterned rug has a subtle
glamour that would suit the
fireside or bedroom.
Bloomsbury rug, £395,
The Sleep Room
Environmentally savvy
Summer’s end is the ideal time to
replace garden and conservatory
furniture ready for next year. Take
the authentic rustic route with this
new, reclaimed teak chair. The
smooth curve and comfortable
slats make it just as attractive up
close as from afar.
Lotus garden chair, £145, Raft
Forest view
Bright, cheerful and encouraging
outdoor exploration, this playful
tree print is a lovely choice for
bedrooms or playrooms as babies
grow into inquisitive toddlers.
Dotty wallpaper by Ferm Living,
£59.95 a roll, 95% Danish 
Beautiful Buys

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Making a splash
Inspired by the nineteenth-century
engineer Brunel, this luxury bath
creates an impressive style
statement. Available in a range of
colours, this more masculine grey
has been toned down by teaming
with rich tomato-red walls that
achieve an unexpected warmth.
For a less dramatic effect the bath
can be plumbed into the wall.
Brunel cast-iron bath, £2,519,
Aston Matthews
Plump as peaches
Wicker chairs and pared-back
furnishings in conservatories and
sunrooms can be difficult to cosy
up in. Re-adjust the mood by piling
them with colourful cushions that
hint at the joys of the season,
such as seeing succulent fruits
abundant in the orchard.
Peach orchard cushions, £39.99,
Emily Burningham
The right finish
Harvey Jones’ most popular
design, this smart kitchen blends
F EATURE SUZANNA BALL

practical, sleek painted units (in any

colour of your choice) with an
unusual walnut island.
Painted Shaker kitchen with a
walnut island, prices start from
£17,000, Harvey Jones ■

14 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145

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 Natural Influences

BEAUTY IN UTILITY
Lending an air of sophistication to
SING, NIGHT AND DAY
the task of grating parmesan, this
What fun! Smaller than the average wall-
oak cheese grater complete with
mounted cuckoo clocks, this birch wood,
drawer would by no means look
battery-powered example is still a quirky
out of place at a formal dinner.
statement to personalise the mantel.
Oak cheese grater with drawer,
Diamantini & Domeniconi wooden cuckoo
£14.50, Vinegar Hill
mantel clock,
£200, Heals
MIRRORED
ACCOMPANIMENT
The elongated
contours of
this leafy pair
will draw the eye,
to handsomely
frame and
softly highlight
‘hero’ furnishings.
Leaf wall lights in brass,
£405 each, Vaughan

Little Luxuries
Our pick of forest finds enrich with warm wooden tones and embellish with leafy details

SCATTERED AROUND
Do not just make use of an intricately detailed
trivet simply to ensure work surfaces SCULPTURAL STACK
are not scorched; use it also to introduce Solve tricky storage
pretty ornamentation to the kitchen as a problems and add impact
serving tray or central table with an angular chest of
arrangement for the new drawers. Originally designed
season’s dinner parties. in 1982, the pleasing
Forest leaf trivet by marbled effect of palisander
Michael Aram, or eucalyptus (choose from
£58, L&B either wood) draws the
elements of this striking
montage together.
Schubladenstapel by
Röthlisberger, £4,620, Aram

FAMILY TREE
A realistic and lively tree print is the ideal frame to
bring special memories and past adventures to life.
The classic colours would look especially striking
with sepia or black and white wedding photographs.
Tree picture frame, £37.50, Indigo and Rose

SPRUCE UP
F EATURE SUZANNA BALL

Fresh, crisp designs like this

luscious fern print provide an
energising focal point in busy room
schemes, as well as a restful pause.
Queen Anne Chair in GP&J Baker Ferns,
£2,485, Wesley-Barrell

FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145

 A stylish
S A N C T U A RY
The hustle and bustle of city life is kept at bay
in the haven of peace created by the owners
of this smart Georgian-style townhouse

S
heila Wilson’s home is situated on a busy
street in the centre of Bristol and yet, as an
endless stream of traffic passes by outside,
inside, the noise dissipates and a glorious
world of period elegance is revealed. Room after
room, ranged over the four floors of this semi-
detached villa, exudes an ordered calm, with
beautiful furniture arranged in perfect harmony.
AT HOME Whilst some might have wavered over the position
Sheila and Len of the property, Sheila and her husband Len did not.
Wilson’s home, They were already living nearby and were well
where the couple
moved to in the acquainted with the house, having visited as guests of
eighties, is based the previous owners. “We came here to quite a few
on Georgian lines parties,” Sheila recalls, “so we knew we loved the
but was built in
1837. An interior house, and when a friend told us it was going to be
design consultant, for sale we bought it before it went on the market.
Sheila has We didn’t have to think twice.”
furnished the
property, which is The previous owners had bought the house two
also home to her years earlier, converting it from several bedsits into
Border Terrier, a family home. However, although it appeared to be
Angus, with finds
from years spent finished, Sheila and Len still had some work to do.
scouring local “It all looked very lovely when we moved in. It had
auction houses
been put together really well with lots of pinks, blues
around Bristol.
and greys, but it was a cosmetic job and it took us 

18 THE ENGLISH HOME

The white Siena Marble fireplace in
the drawing room was originally
disguised by white gloss paint. On
the mantlepiece are two of Sheila’s
favourite pots from Isis Ceramics.
She bought the late nineteenth-
century bohemian glass chandelier
at auction. The curtains are in a plain
antique cream fabric from Just Silks.
English Classic

a year to realise that we needed to have a bit of an

overhaul of the roof, the plumbing and the electrics.
That was straightforward enough and then it was just
a matter of slowly redecorating to our taste,”
Sheila recalls.
The transformation took time because the couple
had bought the house complete with curtains and
carpets. “The thing is they were all of the very best
quality,” explains Sheila, “and at the most only two
years old, which made them difficult to get rid of.
So actually I kept them for quite a long time, even
though I didn’t necessarily love them.” She cites the cream walls, which she had sponged soft peach, to ABOVE The dining
room chairs are covered
example of the drawing room curtains, which she add more “oomph” to the whole room.
in Drumrunie, an Isle
recalls she hated but ended up keeping for twenty As it stood, the drawing room was not top of the Mill tweed. Blooms
years. “They were orange moiré watered silk. Masses list to be tackled. Len, a keen cook, was eager to first from Flowers by Thea
decorate the table.
of material, all swags and tails, which was very sort out the kitchen. He wanted to reorganise the LEFT TOP TO
popular then. Everyone else loved them but I thought room to incorporate a large central table, whereas BOTTOM Sheila made
they looked like [something from] a Berni Inn. Then Sheila was keen to replace the existing country-style the gilded curtain pelmet
out of MDF with plaster
I decided it was too daunting to change them so pine kitchen units with painted ones. “I love painted embellishments.
I worked round them instead.” Although the room furniture. You can change it so easily for a new The sitting room sofa is
covered in Sandown
decor has since changed, Sheila’s solution at the time updated look, something I’ve done in here four times
Check by Jane Churchill.
was to change what she saw as the “safe but dull” so far. We started off with a dragged acid yellow. 

THE ENGLISH HOME 21

English Classic

“Sheila is a master of the

evolution and regeneration
of interior schemes”

That was in the eighties when colour-washing was

popular. Then I went for a softer yellow,” recalls
Sheila. “After that I went cream and now I’ve just
had it repainted in four different greys.” She would
like to apply the same treatment to the pine table,
too, but Len was insistent it stay unpainted.
When the Wilsons first moved to the property,
Sheila felt much of the furniture they brought with
them was too small. As an avid visitor to auctions,
she slowly began to replace pieces over time. She
explains that she spends a lot of time planning
a room and is never rushed into buying.
Sheila inherited her love of antiques from her
parents. “My mother loved old furniture and my
father came from a five-hundred-year heritage of
joiners and it was from him I learned a proper love
and understanding of proportions. So often furniture
can be too small for a room. You have to have the
proportions right, even going for over-sizing.”
As well as her sense of style, Sheila is also very
good with her hands and does much of the practical 

22 THE ENGLISH HOME

LEFT Sheila painted the
kitchen chairs in York White
by Dulux and then ‘dragged’
to give a lined effect.
MAIN The Kitchen is painted
in four shades of grey: French
Grey, Metal 4, Bone Grey and
Lead Grey by Little Greene.
“It’s a basement, so the
different blocks of colour add
a nice shading to the room.“
English Classic

ABOVE In the master handiwork around the home herself. She admits that made for the top of her bed and the stencilling she
bedroom, Indienne
she often buys pieces of furniture that only have painted on some bathroom tiles.
fabric in Document by
Lewis and Wood is three legs. “There’s always the fourth leg waiting to The Wilsons’ house is one that has a confident
PHOTOGRAPHS HUNTLEY HEDWORTH
STYLING SAMANTHA SCOTT-JEFFRIES

used to cover the be glued back on that comes with it. I have a French sense of style, built up over many years. Sheila’s
cushions, headboard
and chaise longue, and cane sofa in the garage at the moment with three legs understanding of proportion, coupled with an eye for
matches the wallpaper. waiting for my attention. I’ll glue the fourth leg back elegance, has ensured that the home is a visual treat
F EATURE JANE STACEY

Woodchester Check in
Paprika behind the
on, then I’m going to spray it grey and rub it back, as well as being a very comfortable place to live.
headboard is off set by add a faded chintz linen and it will look lovely,” she No matter how heavy the traffic outside the front
a plain bedspread from assures. Other pieces of her handiwork that can be door, inside the atmosphere is always relaxed,
Laura Ashley.
seen around the house include the MDF pelmet she welcoming and unhurried. ■

24 THE ENGLISH HOME

RIGHT TOP Blues and
creams combine in the
guest bedroom, with
Tea Garden wallpaper
by Mulberry and
Bramley headboard
fabric, Baker Lifestyle.
BOTTOM Wall
panelling, painted in
Fired Earth’s Pavilion
Gray and Lamp Room
Gray, creates a calming
bathroom backdrop.
The sitting room in the
Victorian part of the cottage
is adorned by thoughtful touches
such as local craftsman Chris
Townsend’s wrought-iron standard
lamp base and a once full-sized
table, shortened and painted to
make an ideal coffee table.
 How fitting
A REUNION
Unbeknownst to the Wyatts, their move to the
Cotswolds would lead them to reacquaint quite
beautifully two properties with a shared history

W
ork brought Sally and Peter Wyatt
and their young daughters Polly and
Lucy to the Cotswolds in 1991. Now,
20 years later, they are still working
here, but this time from the home they bought all
those years ago. After taking the opportunity to
extend their living space by buying the house next
door, Sally now runs her own business from the
cottage, while Peter manages the B&B, which
AT HOME includes a converted barn at the end of their garden.
Sally runs her soft
furnishing business,
When the family moved from Maidenhead in the
Ruby and Pearl, early nineties, their first home was Star Cottage, a
from the cottage Victorian property overlooking the Windrush valley
her and husband
Peter purchased in
in the Cotswolds. Nestled in a country lane, it was an
1991. The couple extension to an existing Georgian home and would
later bought the originally have been used to house animals. Over time,
adjoining Georgian
house and
the two buildings had been split and sold individually.
converted a “It was still in its original state with all the features
derelict barn on still intact,” explains Peter, “and although small,
their land, so that
they now have
it had a work room in the garden providing extra
plenty of space for space to the house.” Sally and Peter decorated
their family and throughout using mellow hues of the countryside and
a successful
B&B business. soft white to accentuate the antique and painted
furniture that they had collected over the years. 

THE ENGLISH HOME 27

 “Connecting the
two cottages must
have been the
easiest conversion
in history; we Then in 1993 the original Georgian part of the
house was advertised for sale. The couple stretched
simply opened up their finances and bought the property. “Connecting
the two cottages together must have been the easiest
the cupboard space, conversion in history,” remarks Sally. “The only work
required to join them both was to open up cupboard
space to reveal the second property. We simply
walked through and walked through and moved in.”
Decorating each room systematically became Sally
moved in” and Peter’s plan of action over the next few months.
Their main tasks were removing woodchip paper,
stripping old paintwork and damp-proofing walls,

28 THE ENGLISH HOME

 English Country

as they gradually restored the cottage to its former coat of paint or upholstered cushion,” Sally adds. CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT Reclaimed
glory. Sally is an expert in soft furnishings and running The couple tried to source all the materials needed
wood has been used
her business from home gave her the opportunity to for the renovation locally; the Cotswold stone in the to make the hand-
be creative with the restoration. She made all the soft open-plan kitchen and breakfast room is from made kitchen cabinets,
painted in Aquamarine
furnishings throughout, including the quirky a quarry a few miles away and the kitchen cabinets from Little Greene.
lampshades and patchwork cushions that adorn each were made by a local builder from reclaimed wood. Cotswold stone is a
room. “I have enjoyed designing the interior and The unpretentious interior, with second-hand finds perfect choice for
flooring; the soft tones
creating an English country-cottage feel,” she and a touch of modernity, has resulted in an sit naturally with the
explains. With a keen eye for second-hand items, she attractive family home, full of character. Sally chose oak beams and dark
wood furniture.
enjoys scouring antique shops and flea markets for a colour palette of muted chalk tones with an The garden’s autumnal
interesting pieces of furniture and accessories. “I love occasional stronger hue to give extra depth to the rich pickings.
to give each old piece a new lease of life, with a fresh room. The green backdrop to the linen sofa in the 

THE ENGLISH HOME 29

 English Country

“My collection of
coloured glass inspired me
to experiment with rich
jewel colours”

CLOCKWISE FROM living room is painted in Squid Ink from Paint & location of the property also gave Sally and Peter the
TOP LEFT Sally’s linen
Paper Library and the soft white paint on the idea of running a business from home, so when the
and feather lampshade
is all her own adjacent walls and in the rest of the cottage is Stock girls left to go to university, Star Cottage was opened
handiwork. The base from Little Greene. “The breakfast room is a bright, to guests as a bed and breakfast.
was bought from
a local antique market. useful space with plenty of room for craftwork, or just The old barn at the bottom of the garden was
The curtain fabric here sitting reading with a morning cup of coffee,” previously used to store coal and logs and was in
and in the dining area
is Bird Garden in
explains Sally. The oak beams create an illusion of a state of dereliction, with a corrugated tin roof and
charcoal from a hallway, but still leave plenty of space for the table crumbling walls. “We had to renovate the barn
St Jude’s, embellished and chairs. because it is a listed building,” explains Peter. The
with hand-beaded trim.
The Osborne & Little The couple believe that using traditional building couple ploughed their savings into the conversion.
tartan curtains give a techniques is important, with as little intervention as It was a huge undertaking that started with the floor
feeling of warmth to
possible in order to retain the character of the build. of the barn, which was built without foundations.
the dining area.
Sally made this Moving the renovation upstairs, the bedrooms The builders brought in a digger to excavate, lay the
bedroom’s cotton proved the most difficult to decorate as both ceilings foundations and insulate. “We were fortunate to find
patchwork cushions
herself. The quilt was
were covered in fibreboard. Removing it to reveal the a builder that not only had experience in renovating
bought from a French tongue and groove was incredibly dusty and time old properties, but also enjoyed the building process,”
flea market. consuming. Successfully converting both cottages explains Peter.
into one family home has created the space required Under-floor heating was installed and Sally chose a
for a growing family and their friends. The size and cream stone floor to complement the natural wood 

30 THE ENGLISH HOME

English Country

A once tumbledown building has become

a sophisticated, individual barn conversion

ABOVE Sally painted tones. The window openings were already in place
this traditional-style
and because it is a listed building they had to stay the
modern bed frame in
Pigeon by Farrow & same, although new frames were installed. A green
Ball to age its oak-planked floor was made to sit on existing beams
appearance. She
bought the patchwork to create the mezzanine floor at the rear of the barn.
quilt from a flea “My collection of coloured glass on the dining table
market in France. The
white bed linen is from
gave me the inspiration to experiment with rich jewel
www.thebestbed- colours for the curtains and cushions,” explains Sally.
linenintheworld.com. The attention to detail is very apparent, a perfect
LEFT The bathroom
F EATURE ANN BROAD PHOTOGRAPHS COLIN POOLE

floor is painted in Pearl union of wool, linen and silk velvet, decorated with
Colour by Little feathers and glass beads. The result is a beautiful
Greene. Sally found
combination of country meeting contemporary.
the chair in a local
antiques market and A once tumbledown building in the garden has been
made the pink cushion transformed into a sophisticated barn conversion,
and blind herself.
with individuality and a clever use of space. The oak
beams sit perfectly with a glass balustrade and stone
floor. “We were forced to renovate [the barn],” says
Peter. “But we are so pleased we did. We think the
result is fabulous and so do our guests.” ■

32 THE ENGLISH HOME

 JAMES FINE ART
PA I N T I N G S A N D S C U L P T U R E

Paul Gribble - British Paul Gribble - British Paul Gribble - British

‘Girl with Parasol’ ‘Henley Regatta’ ‘Conversation, St Edward’s Enclosure’
Signed oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches Signed oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches Signed oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches

Katya Gridneva - Russian Valeriy Gridnev - Russian Katya Gridneva - Russian

‘Reflections’ ‘Nude lying on Sofa’ ‘Rehearsals’
Signed oil on panel, 16 x 11 inches Signed pastel, 26 x 38 inches Signed oil on panel, 15 x 12 inches

Paul Gribble - British Paul Gribble - British

‘Point to Point’ ‘In the Shade’
Signed oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches Signed oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches
Peter Kotka - British
‘Reflections’
Signed oil on panel, 16 x 20 inches

www.jamesfineart.co.uk
14 Prestbury Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. GL52 2PW
t: 01242 220555 m: 07768 753627 e: ric@jamesfineart.co.uk
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 Fine English
Furniture &
Works of Art
Including Selected Items
with Notable Provenance

Wednesday 19 October
New Bond Street, London

+44 (0) 20 8963 2848

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A George II Irish walnut, crossbanded

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Provenance: Lyegrove, Badminton, Avon
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 A warm
WELCOME
Ruth Daniel drew on her professional skills for
a very personal project, when she and her
husband found their perfect country haven

T
he drive to the Daniels’ country home
winds through the Gloucestershire
countryside, past lush green fields that dip
down between tree-lined roads shaded by
leafy canopies. It is easy to imagine the owners’
shoulders gradually dropping as they approach the
unnamed road in which their weekend retreat hugs
the side of a valley. Of course, this is no mistake.
Whilst the couple both work in the city, “I’ve always
AT HOME said what I really want to do is move back home and
Ruth Daniel, of
Absolute Abode
live in the country, so our compromise is to have
and her barrister a place here and a place in London,” explains Ruth.
husband Jonathan, She confesses that she cannot remember the last
own a grade II
listed Georgian
weekend when she wasn’t at her Gloucestershire
house built in home, relaxing or entertaining house guests.
Cotswold stone. Jonathan and Ruth had searched for the perfect
With five
bedrooms, two
property “on and off” for more than two years, “but
reception rooms we had very different views on what we would get,”
and a generous she explains. “I was more along the lines of a small
dining room they
often entertain up
cottage; Jon had grander ambitions! But there wasn’t
to ten house very much on the market and we had almost given
guests and enjoy up.” Then, when planning a trip to Barnsley House
relaxing weekends
in the country. Hotel for Ruth’s birthday, they noticed that a
property they had once seen under offer had come 

36 THE ENGLISH HOME

The drawing room
is home to sofas by
Kingcome and chairs
covered in Zoffany fabrics.
The coffee table designed
by Absolute Abode was
made by Oficina Inglesa to
fit precisely. The mantelpiece
displays a collection of
antique candlesticks.
 “It was very much an elegant and sophisticated country house look;
cosy and comfortable but with a refined elegance”

RIGHT CLOCKWISE back on the market and decided to take a look. a big part to play [in the house renovation], certainly
FROM TOP RIGHT
The dining room with
“We walked in and we loved it. It was the first house on the design side.” Ruth is well versed in overseeing
its original stable wall where we had both thought ‘yes, this is perfect.’ and running the projects that the company
painted in the Paint We could really see how it could work for us.” undertakes and called upon the design expertise of
Library’s Trilogy.
Wellies await a walk. With her role at Absolute Abode, a company her colleagues Sophie Mills and Kirsty McMorron,
The red chair in the designed to find the perfect property, oversee the both architectural interior designers. “I was involved
kitchen echoes the Aga. renovation work and hand the busy owners back the in the way that I would be involved in any project
This area of the house,
which still houses the keys, it would be easy to assume that the project that we’d do at work,” she explains. The difference
original fireplace, is would be solely driven by Ruth. Not so. “Jonathan was that on this job, when work on site began in
one of the oldest parts
and was originally
has far stronger design ideas than me,” she laughs. February, Ruth had her own deadline: getting the
a smoking room. “I run the business side of things [at work] and he has house ready for her June wedding to Jonathan. 

38 THE ENGLISH HOME

 English Elegant

A carpenter built the large

cupboard to work with the
inherited kitchen. The woodwork
was painted in Elephant’s Breath
by Farrow & Ball and Marston &
Langinger’s Taupe.
 ABOVE LEFT TO Jonathan and Ruth gave the designers a brief. a question of encouraging our friends to stay here,
RIGHT Ruth is very
“It was very much an elegant and sophisticated rather than in country house hotels.”
fond of the library. She
loves to sit by the country-house look; cosy and comfortable but with The rest of the work was decorative and they
woodburning stove a refined elegance and luxurious fabrics to make it decided on the scheme for the whole house “pretty
and read surrounded
by books. The clock is feel welcoming but smart. The London take on much”, say Ruth and Kirsty in unison, before the
from Newgate Clocks a country house in a way,” Kirsty recalls decorators started work. “For the colour palette, Jon
and armchair from
Laura Ashley.
The property did not require structural work, was particularly keen on the greens and rich colours
The chair in the master “but we changed some of the way that we use the like the purples, which we had in mind when we did
bedroom is from The house,” explains Ruth. “We created a library. Jon and the schemes and variations. It’s quite muted,
French House and is
covered in Turnell & I both love books so it seemed like the logical thing understated, warm,” articulates Kirsty. “We had all of
Gigon fabric. to do.” The former owner had used this space as the furniture, all of the fabrics [planned], because you
OPPOSITE The master a dining room, but as the couple wanted a larger really need to make sure that all of the paint schemes
bedroom is one of
Ruth’s favourite rooms, space for entertaining, they relocated the dining work in with the entire colour scheme, so we did
with its Ibis wallpaper room to the stables. They also turned what was the them at the same time; accessories followed.”
by Turner Pocock,
antique bedside table
former office into one of two reception rooms. Work started with the drawing room. “I remember
and bed from “We were keen to have two living areas, because we Kirsty and Sophie both said ‘you have to get this
The Sleep Room. have lots of friends with kids who stay. The children room right and the rest of the house follows on. It is
can then go into a room and watch TV whilst the one of the most central points of the house,’” recalls
grown-ups can chat [in the sitting room].” Ruth. “We changed the colour of the floor, stripped it
Finally, they divided some of the larger bedrooms back, stained it, sealed it. New wallpaper was hung
in the house in half. “So that our friends with kids and shelves were added by the fireplace. Then
can put them to sleep in the other half, which works cabinets with antiqued mirror and silk wallpaper, in
well,” explains Ruth, before adding, “it was the cocktail mixing area, added drama. “We used 

40 THE ENGLISH HOME

 English Elegant

“I love our bedroom. It’s so calm,

there’s a lovely view out of the
window. I really like the colours and
the wallpaper is just a bit different”
English Elegant

“It was a question of encouraging

our friends to stay here, rather than in
country house hotels,” Ruth explains

ABOVE LEFT TO a local decorator called Paul Duggan recommended

RIGHT The Designer’s
by a neighbour,” says Ruth, who wanted to support
Guild chair in this
guest bedroom adds the local traders.
a relaxed elegance. Some of the furniture was bespoke, other pieces,
The bed is from
Feather & Black and
Ruth coveted at work “and seemed to fit the house.”
the throw is by Margo Unafraid to balance the expensive with the thrifty,
Selby at Liberty. The handsome antiques are mixed with pieces found on
window seats were
Kirsty’s idea and were the high street, such as the leather chair in the
made by the carpenter library from Laura Ashley.
for throughout the
house, making the Meticulously organised, the project ran to
most of the views. schedule, with Ruth overseeing the decorators and
Here, cushions are
the logistics. Whilst confessing that managing her
covered in fabric by
Manuel Canovas. own project was “far more emotional than running
LEFT The wide a client’s,” creating a new home to share with friends
original floorboards
grace the bathroom.
and family, in time for their wedding, was
The mural is a sticker by a conceivable dream for Ruth and Jonathan. “I love
Binary Box from Not On the fact we’re down here at the weekends. I really feel
The High Street.com.
that I’ve moved back home,” she says beaming. 

42 THE ENGLISH HOME

Personal Insights
Managing a
RENOVATION
Ruth Daniel oversees interiors projects at
Absolute Abode. Here she reveals how to
run a smooth renovation project so that
it is on schedule and on budget
How do you advise clients
where to start their project?
We always start the process
with a clear plan; by that
I mean a complete list of
everything that needs to be
done. This helps us to plan
what decisions need to be taken
and when, how much the
project will cost, the time
44 THE ENGLISH HOME
frames and the contractors that
we will need to get involved.
We plan it in a lot of detail.
We have an enormous excel
spreadsheet for each project.
What are the key elements to
base the order of works on?
On the whole, we focus on the
order in which the builders
need to do things. I would
recommend that you have an
idea of everything that needs
to be ordered beforehand,
because lead times are always
longer than you think. If you
need to source a special piece
of marble for a bathroom that
needs shipping, it can take
a couple of months to arrive.
Builders don’t like it if you say
you can fit half the bathroom
now, half later [because of
a delay]; they will have priced
to fit it all at once.
Do you have any advice for
keeping a project on track?
The master document really
does help. If you keep track of
it on a daily basis, you can say
to the builders ‘this is coming
up, are you ready for it?’.
Clients and contractors need
to understand that if
something is added in it can
have an impact on the overall
timing. It’s about knowing
how people work, what they
need, being realistic and being
straight with them.
How do you keep to budget?
From the schedule, we have
a good idea of how much
things are going to cost.
For furnishings, put together
a table listing everything you
need to buy and look online
for ballpark figures at shops
you like to buy from. Then,
you can refer back to the list
and say, ‘I’ve put in cushions
at £60 each, why don’t I find
them for £20?’, if you spend
more elsewhere. Ask your
builder to price separately if
you’re doing a renovation and
get him to stick to the budget.
How do you ensure that
quality is never compromised,
but budgets aren’t exceeded?
If you’re buying a few things
from one shop there’s no harm
in asking for a discount.
Shop around; there are lots of
less expensive brands that are
very good. For example, Dulux
make some lovely paint
colours and we often use them.
The key thing is to try things
out if you are unsure of the
quality. Zara Home and other
high street shops can be great
for accessories.
How do you track down good
local tradesmen?
Word of mouth. One of the
things we did on our project
was chat with people in the
local pub and [found someone]
worth waiting for. The people
we got the recommendation
from invited us round for a cup
of tea to look at the work
done. When using a plumber
its worth asking for someone
used six months or a year ago,
as that’s when problems might
arise. If they have had any
problems, you’ll also know
how good they were about
coming to fix them. Finally,
check the tradesmen have the
necessary certifications,
especially electricians.
How do you keep everyone
involved happy and motivated?
Communication is key. Keep
everyone informed. We spend
a lot of time on site and have
site meetings as much as
possible. It is also about
thanking people and working
with people, making them feel
that everyone is a team FEATURE SAMANTHA SCOTT-JEFFRIES PHOTOGRAPHS JAMES MERRELL
working for one result.
In the event that something
goes wrong how should you
deal with a disaster?
The planning process is key
here. Before you start work,
check your contractors have
insurance and ensure you are
covered, too. Have a clear line
of responsibility, know who is
in charge and who you should
speak to if there’s a problem. ■
Looking for a Wood Stove?

Stockton 5

To see the UK’s most comprehensive range of quality high efficiency stoves
and fireplaces visit www.stovax.com or call us on 01392 474056
CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN
The magnificent Great Hall
is the show-stopper of this
historic house. Its oriel
window needs no curtains
to enhance its beauty and
under-floor heating helps
to compensate for loss of
heat through the glass.
The Juliet balcony is typical
of Lutyens’ often surprising
design touches.
The dining table in the
window space, used for
special occassions was
bought at the auction of
the house contents.

Preserved
SLENDOUR
Sympathetic restoration of this Lutyens-designed
home was required when one family took
ownership of their piece of architectural history

W
hen Ashleigh and Nick Wigley first
decided to view the Lutyens-
designed house in Sussex in which
they now live, they arrived as
potential guests, not buyers. “We were looking at
wedding venues,” remembers Ashleigh, “and this
house was being run as a hotel, but it had a house
party feel to it. For a hotel, it didn’t feel vast. It had
thirteen bedrooms but it felt like a home,” she adds.
AT HOME The property had been designed by Sir Edwin
Ashleigh and Nick Lutyens (1869-1944), the greatest British architect of
Wigley live in a
Lutyens-designed his age, as a family house for his good friend Ernest
house in West Blackburn. “We loved it immediately, as it didn’t feel
Sussex with their
two children
overly commercial. It had a lovely atmosphere and
Siena, 13, and people had obviously partied here for years,” adds
Baux, nine, while Ashleigh, who went on to marry Nick and have her
Nick’s 30-year-old
son, Luke, is also own wedding party here in 1995.
a regular visitor. Fast forward to 2000 and the Wigleys – who by
Nick runs an
events company, now had a baby daughter Siena as well as Nick’s son,
one of the Luke, who lived with them at weekends – started
highlights being
the Silverstone
house hunting in earnest. “We saw the house
classic car race, advertised for sale and were very tempted to buy,
while Ashleigh although we did wonder whether we were being
runs their house.
realistic,” recalls Ashleigh, “but it wasn’t being sold 

THE ENGLISH HOME 47

 CLOCKWISE FROM as a hotel or business but as a private house, so we it needs looking after for future generations,”
ABOVE Ashleigh finds
decided to take the plunge.” she states with conviction.
the large Aga her
greatest cooking aid. Ownership of an historic house, especially When the couple arrived they found the property
The Arts and Crafts- a beautiful Grade I listed property such as theirs, in good condition but rather dated. “It had all the
inspired oiled oak
kitchen was made by
bestows many responsibilities as well as pleasures. usual, dated avocado and mint coloured bathrooms,”
local company Historic buildings are a precious and finite asset, recalls Ashleigh. “It needed to be re-wired and have
Ashley Jay Kitchens. and powerful reminders of the work of important a modern heating system and new kitchen installed.
The solid oak table and
chairs are from Frank architects. Lutyens designed the house early in his So it seemed sensible to have all of the work done
Hudson and the career, in 1902, and once described it as ‘the best of in one hit.”
leather armchair was
an antiques shop find.
the bunch’. Ashleigh, however, simply thought it was Some clever negotiating on their part meant the
1920s Polka Dot pottery “a really pretty house with lots of different moods; on family could stay in their old home during the bulk
by Copeland Spode is a sunny day it looks soft and welcoming but when it of the renovations. “But when we did move in, there
Ashleigh’s favourite.
is grey, it can look quite severe. I am very aware that was still work going on and the dirt and noise were 

48 THE ENGLISH HOME

 English Heritage

“It’s a really pretty house with lots of

different moods. We are aware that it
needs looking after for future generations”

dreadful,” remembers Ashleigh. A Grade I listing LEFT Ashleigh and

Nick installed the
imposes many restrictions on what adaptions can be
woodburning stove in
made to historic houses but, fortunately, the previous the family room. As
hotel owners had already done much of the well as cosy warmth,
it creates a lovely focal
groundwork. “For instance they had put in lots of point and enhances the
en-suite bathrooms, which probably wouldn’t be effect of the carved
stone lintel above.
allowed today,” admits Ashleigh.
ABOVE The blue sofas
The Wigleys restored some of the rooms, such as in this relaxed room
the library, to their original use and dismantled stud were another of her
auction house finds.
walls between several small bedrooms in order to
RIGHT “These massive
create a spacious master suite. Perhaps the most iron door handles and
successful innovation, however, was the kitchen. hinges are a real
feature of the house
To keep the simplicity of the Lutyens style, the and I love them,”
Wigleys researched Arts and Crafts furniture, then says Ashleigh.
commissioned a local kitchen company to make 
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 English Heritage

base units in a similar style, using oiled oak with The most glorious room in this beautiful house is ABOVE LEFT Ashleigh
bought the Edwardian
wrought-iron handles and hinges, and a slate undoubtedly the Great Hall with its soaring oriel
four-poster bed at
worktop. An Aga completes the rustic scene and window. Built as a musical entertaining room, auction and made the
Ashleigh admits that, after an initial hesitation, it boasts a galleried platform designed for a grand crewel work drapes
herself, including
she now wouldn’t cook on anything else. piano, which still graces the spot, and a quaint Juliet headings and dumpling
Not every part of the renovations went to plan, balcony over the solid stone fireplace. “I still tiebacks. “I went to
evening class to learn
however. “We were told that an exterior wall and sometimes feel overawed by this house,” admits the techniques. The
chimney were unstable so we had the chimney Ashleigh, and this room is the main reason behind roof is hand-smocked,”
demolished, then the wall stabilised and re-clad in such sentiment. “When we married we had opera she explains.
ABOVE The bath in
stone,” she says. “It was an enormously expensive singers singing to us from the various galleries,” she the guest bathroom is
operation as the stone had to come from a particular adds. “When we moved in, I felt the room was crying set at an angle to
appreciate the view
quarry and the mortar had to be to the correct recipe. out for a harp. So I bought one [from Pilgrim Harps]
out of the window and
The manual of works from English Heritage was as and now I love the way it is reflected in the big a new oak floor was laid.
thick as a phone book! Much later we were told that mirror behind.”
the work may not have been necessary. We should Although several items of furniture, such as some
have asked for a second opinion at the time.” dark oak pieces, transferred successfully from the 

THE ENGLISH HOME 53

ABOVE The twin beds couple’s former home, much of it didn’t fit in. “It was Step outside and the grounds are just as impressive
FEATURE PAT GARRATT PHOTOGRAPHS CHRISTOPHER DRAKE

are an original Heal’s

on too small a scale for these rooms,” says Ashleigh, as the house. It is rumoured that Lutyens’ good
design but were found
in a junk shop. The who managed to buy several Lutyens-designed pieces friend, the gardener Gertrude Jekyll, designed much
voile canopies are of furniture when the hotel contents were auctioned. of the seven acres, although no plans or planting
suspended from the
ceiling by chains. This included the table and chairs in the oriel schemes have been discovered. “There are pictures of
“I devised this idea in window space in the hall. “We sat at it during our her here with Lutyens,” reveals Ashleigh. “The big
order to complement
the height of the
wedding breakfast years before we bought the house yew hedging and wide herbaceous beds are typical
ceiling,” explains itself,” remembers Ashleigh. She also scoured of her style.”
Ashleigh. A shapely antiques and junk shops in search of suitable pieces, The estate is a tribute to the original architect and
lamp on the side table
echoes the curves although the oak table and chairs in the dining room to the generations who have taken care of it since.
of the carved oak are actually a modern take on the Arts and Crafts “We feel very privileged to be its guardians and to
bed heads.
style which influenced Lutyens as a young man. have been given the chance to enjoy it.” ■

54 THE ENGLISH HOME

 Hampstead Heath
27 – 30 Oct 2011
London

Battersea Park
20 – 23 Oct 2011
London

Fair sponsor
Two Fairs. Two Parks. Two Weeks.
Contemporary art under £4,000
affordableartfair.co.uk
 AT HOME WITH

Celia Birtwell
The acclaimed textile designer and muse of artist David Hockney is enjoying
a new generation of devotees of her work. She tells us about her northern roots,
her bohemian background and why some people never go out of fashion
 I
n the swinging sixties, Celia Birtwell
was married to fashion designer Ossie
Clark. Their work together helped
define an era with clients that included
The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and
Jimi Hendrix. In 2005 she returned to the
fashion arena with her sell-out collection
for high street chain Topshop and this
autumn launches an interior collection.
She lives in Notting Hill and has two
grown up sons, Albert and George.
How long have you lived in Notting Hill?
I've been [there] for about 40 years, the
last 15 years in the house that I'm in now,
which is a pretty, white end-terraced house.
What do you enjoy about west London?
The area has changed a lot over the years,
from a rather run-down bohemian area
when I first arrived, to being much more
upmarket today. A young northern lass,
as I once was, certainly couldn't afford to
move here now. Portobello Market is still
around, thank goodness, and if you know
where to go, there are some vestiges of the
old Notting Hill dotted around, and
I savour these old gems.
Do you miss the North or ever go back?
Not as often as I'd like to, as sadly I no
longer have family or friends there. It is
always like going home, though, however
long I have lived in London.
Why do you think the North produces
so many creative types?
There was an extraordinary uprising of
creativity in the sixties that seems to have
centred on the north of England. I
suppose it was due to the art colleges,
which encouraged us all to look at the
world in a new way. It was a wonderful
burst of energy, and I feel privileged to
have been a small part of it.
F EATURE NIKI BROWES PHOTOGRAPH ANDREW LAMB
How does it feel to be so thoroughly
back in fashion?
It feels wonderful and daunting in equal
measure. Obviously I didn’t just disappear;
I have had my shop in Notting Hill for
over 25 years now, which has kept me
busy. But I suppose the Topshop fashion
launch really put me back on the map,
and getting my CBE this year has been
such an honour. I am really trying to take
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
all these wonderful opportunities in my
stride and make the most of them. I
sometimes have to pinch myself.
Can you describe your home for us?
It's very comfortable; I spend a lot of time
living and working here, so that's most
important. I have soft lighting, pretty
pictures, big soft sofas and armchairs and
a treasure trove of odd bits and pieces I've
picked up from markets and foreign trips
over the years. I have an open kitchen
and dining room where people always
seems to congregate. I am also lucky to
have a small garden, which is quite rare
for London, so during the summer months
we try to sit out [in it] as much as possible
and enjoy the sounds and smells of nature.
What attracted you to the property?
The view from my sitting room is
delightful, as it overlooks the garden, and
the proportions of the rooms are classical.
It’s a good sized house but it never feels
overwhelming and has become a lovely
home for me and my family.
Which is your favourite room?
My sitting room; it is a really good size,
perfect for entertaining, with several sofas
and chairs set around a very large coffee
table, and a fireplace with a mantlepiece,
on which I always show off my latest
discoveries. My grandchildren love
hanging out here, and it often becomes
covered in paper and sparkles as everyone
sits around making wonderful creations.
Is there anything on your to-do list
when it comes to the home?
There is always room for improvement
and change. I don't think I'll ever feel
a house is completely finished. Even a
bunch of flowers gives a new perspective,
so I'm always looking, changing, thinking
what might and could be done.
Name a treasured interior possession.
My house is a hotchpotch of bits and
pieces picked up from here and there.
None rises to ‘treasured-above-all-other’
status, but then none fall below it, either.
What was a recent interiors purchase?
I found a wire conservatory stand in
a country auction. When it's been cleaned
and painted it will be full of flowering pot
plants so I can enjoy the garden even
during the winter months when it's rather
too wet and cold to venture outside.
Is your fascinating life in the sixties
evident anywhere in your home?
Of course! I have memories everywhere.
Not only pictures and photos, but gifts
from friends over the years.
Where do you shop for home items?
I am always looking – I go here, there,
and everywhere! I always check on the
wonderful things in The Facade on Lisson
Grove in Maida Vale, which is an
Aladdin's cave of goodies.
Have you used your own fabrics in your
home, including from the new collection?
I love stripes and I have a lot in my house
from my new ‘Hallelujah’, a cross-hatch
stripe, to a classic print of mine called
‘Seraglio’. They are bold and confident
while adding a touch of humour and
sophistication. Whilst my sitting room is
red with striped sofas, I add other patterns
into the room with cushions of different
sizes and shapes. Cushions are a really
good way to introduce different patterns
and designs if you are feeling cautious.
Do you have any interior ‘vices’?
It is not so much the end results that
I think of as vices, but the amount of time
I spend looking for things that makes me
feel guilty. However, I do love candles –
Diptyque are my favourite – as well as
fresh flowers in the house. It makes me
feel so wonderful to have gorgeous smells
all over the house as I walk around.
What would we never find in your home?
Artificial flowers or bare light bulbs.
Finally, what should no English home
be without?
My home would never be without
beautiful things to look at or wonderful
smells to enjoy. ■
• Celia Birtwell by Celia Birtwell with
Dominic Lutyens, is published by Quadrille
on 19 September, £30, hardback. Celia
Birtwell is showing at Decorex International,
25–28 September, www.celiabirtwell.com
THE ENGLISH HOME 57
STYLE INSPIRATION
Smart room layouts | Drawing room essentials | Specialist paint effects

SMOOTH OPERATOR
Mid-century modern furniture is enjoying
rather a significant revival, in part because of
the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain
this year. One of the most sophisticated
interpretations of the look is the range at
Chelsea Textiles. Available in sleek lacquer
finishes in 15 colour options, each piece is
hand-sprayed with 10 coats for a high gloss,
durable finish over a solid teak base. Just like
the company’s exquisite embroidered fabrics,
the furniture is handmade in India with a lead
time of 12 to 14 weeks. The end results are,
we think, very beautiful indeed.
Server with six drawers, £1,355 (inc VAT),
Chelsea Textiles

28 pages of design and decorating advice

Embracing nature’s
COSSETING TOUCH
Anticipate the season’s change by adding warming textures, candlelight
and extra layers to your interior schemes. Heather hues, plaid and
woollens add a pretty, cosy feel – a perfect remedy to the autumn chill
“No spring, nor summer
hath such grace, as I have
seen in one autumnal face”
Elegies ‘The Autumnal’ (c.1600)

ABOVE Harmonious hues

Throws are a modern decorative necessity, the easiest way
to bring a note of informality to a scheme, whether layered
over the foot of a bed, draped over a sofa arm or neatly
folded on a footstool. Of course they are eminently
practical, too, for an instant touch of warmth wherever
needed. The delicious hues of this throw add vibrancy and
charm to neutral schemes but also looks lovely against
a colour palette featuring mustard yellow, a deep mushroom
or even an olive green.
Cairngorm throw, lambswool and cotton,
215cm x 160cm, £140, Anta

LEFT Chequered love

Tweeds and plaids are returning in force as inspirational
options for interiors. While brown and green tweeds always
add character to country interiors and never date, the
newest interpretations are in soft duck egg and heathery
hues that have a less deliberately autumnal colouration.
Take a look at the new Woodford collection from Sanderson
− woollen weaves in plaid; The Isle Mill and Abraham Moon
and Sons are other excellent resources. Johnstons of Elgin −
purveyors of fine wool and cashmere clothing − has
alsoirecently launched a small but beautiful home interiors
range of fabrics suitable for blinds and upholstery. This cosy
living room is decorated with the beautifully coloured new
Isle of Skye collection from Prestigious Textiles.
The Isle of Skye collection of Kintyre (plaid), Orkney
(herringbone tweed), Jura (semi-plain twill), Mull (spot)
and Elgin (simple check) are all £74.99 a metre 
THE ENGLISH HOME 61
Heather in bloom
From late summer to as late as
November, varieties of heather
bring colourful focus to the
garden but are most striking in
their natural habitats of moors
and the Scottish Highlands, of
course. Wild species often
feature purple and mauve shades
when in bloom and the Scotch or
Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
offers year-round cover.

“The day becomes more solemn
and serene when noon is past −
there is harmony in autumn, and
a lustre in its sky”
Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet (1792-1822)
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT
Warming fare
The berry-hued Cassis range of
enamelled cast iron casserole pots and
cookware from Le Creuset has proven
so popular that it has just been
extended. The new selection of
stoneware brings colour to the
breakfast table with teapot, butter
dish, jam jars and storage jars, but
these lovely, chunky soup bowls with
neat lid are particularly desirable. The
thick walls and double-handled design
makes them perfect for serving up
something suitably hearty after a walk
through amber forests.
Cassis stoneware set of two soup
bowls, £25; cast iron 20cm round
casserole, £99, both Le Creuset
Cast a pretty glow
Rediscovering the delights of candles
and firelight is one of autumn’s interior
pleasures. Rather than store the
Design Directions
candles out of view when not in use,
they make an attractive detail on show
when wrapped in bundles with velvet
ribbon. Display either in an open, lined
basket (try Garden Trading) or upright
in glass bell jars or vases for a pretty
touch on a sideboard.
Dinner candles, £4.95 a pack of four;
willow basket, small £12.50, large
£17.95; velvet ribbon on wooden
bobbin, £12.50 for 6m, all Parlane
Delectable display
Tableware in deep, rich hues is perfect
for serving hearty, homecooked
autumnal fare. Greengate’s Naomi
plum range contrasts beautifully with
natural greens, as well as its floral
Valery range.
Naomi stoneware plate in plum,
£10.50; Valery stoneware latte cup,
£6.95; Naomi tea towel in plum, 50cm
x 70cm, £7, all Greengate, available
through www.simply-living.co.uk 
THE ENGLISH HOME 63
 Design Directions

Texture for toes

Flatweave carpets are increasingly
popular for stair runners and rugs
although striped designs are currently
most in vogue. This gorgeous 100 per
cent wool Cawdor carpet makes a
wonderful alternative. Available from
a collection of 24 designs woven to
a maximum of 170cm, this carpet is
proudly made with British wool and
can be seamed to create wider pieces.
It can also be bound at the edges to
create a bespoke size rug. Highlands-
based manufacturer, Anta, says that the
manufacturing process remains very
similar to original flat woven carpet
made in Scotland from the eighteenth
century, although these days it has the
benefit of stain-resistant finishing.
Prices from £150 a linear metre (170cm
wide), seaming £20 a linear metre,
bound-edge rugs from £295, all Anta 

THE ENGLISH HOME 65

Design Directions

ABOVE Fireside pastimes

Curling up in front of the fire with a craft project of some
kind is especially appealing at this time of year, and
knitting continues to grow in popularity with a new
generation learning how to knit and purl. It distracts the
mind, busies the hands and, it might be said therefore, is
good for the soul, too. Home knits can be rustic and
chunky or fine and delicate, depending on your choice of
wool. For a fabulous source of patterns, projects and wool
sources, a wise place to start is Rowan’s website,
www.knit.rowan.com. It is just one of many supporters of
PHOTOGRAPHS P.62 & P.66 (TOP) MICHELLE GARRETT/STYLING JACKY HOBBS
Wool Week (and the Campaign for British Wool launched
by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales last year),
highlighting the need to support UK-based sheep farmers
by buying wool product made with our national supply.

LEFT Layer on style

Melin Tregwynt is a wonderful source for woollen weaves
available in blankets, throws and cushions and offers a
broad colour range, although we are drawn to these hues
especially. The mill in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, has
been owned by the same family since 1912 and continues
F EATURE KERRYN HARPER-CUSS

production of traditional Welsh designs but with modern

colour palettes. You can buy online, direct from the mill
shop or catalogue, or some limited lines from John Lewis.
Blanket sizes are pram, 91cm x 61cm, £33; cot, 91cm x
122cm, £55; throw, 150cm x 180cm, £125; single, 180cm x
230cm, £189; double, 240cm x 230cm, £229; king, 270cm
x 230cm, £255; 120cm-wide fabric, £52 a metre, all
Melin Tregwynt ■

66 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145


PRIME POSITION
The layout of a room can be as important as the decoration and
furnishings in creating an inviting atmosphere and ensuring the
available space is utilised both practically and beautifully
S
ometimes the shape and size of a room
dictate the natural layout of furniture.
However, the most obvious format may
not always be the wisest. Placing furniture on an
angle, or even in the middle of the room, can
alter the available space for both extra storage
and movement around the room. Small rooms
68 THE ENGLISH HOME
SOCIAL DIVIDE
Open-plan living gives a
wonderful feeling of space,
but to define independent
areas we purposefuly
designed the split levels.
In the sitting area we chose
to forego an extra bedroom
upstairs to achieve the
dramatic double-height
space incorporating the
bookcase. For entertaining,
the layout works brilliantly
as all the cooking can be
kept behind the island. The
timber ceiling in the dining
area offers an intimate feel
for candlelit dinners.
Emma Sims-Hilditch,
Sims-Hilditch
can be better utilised through bespoke furniture
that fits an awkward space, and grand drawing
rooms or open-plan living areas can at once be
spacious but remain clearly defined for different
functions. Here, interior designers reveal their
creative ideas for the perfect layout, from an
open-plan bed and bathroom to a small study.
 Trade Secrets

ANCHORED AREAS
The challenge here was to
make this grand drawing room
comfortable and relaxed for
a young family, whilst still
respecting the formality of the
architecture. Three different
seating areas (not all seen) were
created, using different but
complementary patterned and
textured fabrics from Pierre
Frey. Too much matching fabric
would have resulted in a hotel
lobby feel; however, three
identical Stark rugs anchor
these groupings. The light and
airy yet refined interior is
enhanced by pale wood
parquet floors and large mirrors.
Grant White

DIAGONAL DESIGN
The seating in this drawing
room is grouped around the
fireplace and the antique
Chinese opium table. The door
from the hall is on the left,
(unseen) so we placed the
chaise longue diagonally
across the opposite corner as a
focal point for guests entering
the room, with a Persian rug at
an angle in front of it. This
allows for conversation around
the fire and open space for
greeting guests and standing
room for drinks parties.
Annabel Hall, Private Lives

MADE TO MEASURE
There was limited space in this
panelled library for a restful
work space, however the bay
seemed a natural place. Being
Victorian, the bay is not very
deep so it was vital that the
proportions of the desk would
be a functional size without
overwhelming the space. I
worked closely with the Julian
Chichester team to exaggerate
the curved legs to allow the silk
curtains to pour into the bay
and fully embrace the space.
Abby Parker, Carolyn Parker 

THE ENGLISH HOME 69

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 Trade Secrets

CENTRE STAGE
The scale of this ground floor
bedroom in a London flat has
the classical proportions and
ceiling heights of a reception
area or morning room,
however, I needed to utilise
the space to make it a practical
master bedroom. By placing
the modern suede upholstered
bed in the centre of the room,
I created space for a storage
wall of large-scale cupboards
on the wall behind the bed.
This allowed for plenty of
space for the client’s clothes,
she could still enjoy the
glorious bay window and the
room still felt very spacious. In
addition, behind the bed there
is a low-level bench
upholstered in leather which
the client can sit on or use
when getting dressed.
Christina Fallah, Christina
Fallah Designs

ROOM WITH A VIEW

In this sitting room of a
Regency villa, instead of placing
the sofa opposite the fireplace
as one might expect, we
positioned it opposite a pair of
French windows to appreciate
the view of the garden beyond.
The chairs and tables are then
grouped informally to create
a welcoming and liveable
atmosphere. We sourced an
antique Feraghan carpet and
designed a pair of painted
Chippendale-style cupboards.
Being able to design furniture
enables us to complete rooms
in keeping with the period
whilst accommodating modern
technology – these house hi-fi
equipment. The modern Ivon
Hitchens painting on the left
combined with antique
furniture enlivens what would
otherwise be a traditionally
furnished room.
Hugh Leslie,
Hugh Leslie Design 

THE ENGLISH HOME 71

Trade Secrets

BED AND BATHE

An open-plan master suite is
a real luxury but a large space
needs just as much careful

C OMPILED BY KATY GREEN PHOTOGRAPHS P.68 MAIN: ©NARRATIVES/POLLY ELTES; P.69 TOP: TIM BEDDOW
planning as a small layout as
you need to consider how you
will differentiate separate areas
of the room. Here the bed
head acts as a divider between
the bathroom and bedroom
with the sinks placed directly
behind it and different flooring
has been used to mark out the
two different zones. Different
layers of lighting allow for one
person to read in bed while
another can relax in the bath.
Because the bathroom is so
open, moisture from the
shower had to be considered
so a powerful extractor fan
ensures the textiles in the
bedroom are not damaged.
Cate Burren, Angel + Blume

FOCUS ATTENTION
I wanted to celebrate the
wonderful proportions and
statement windows, whilst
using the fireplace as a focal
point. I created different
seating areas within the room,
and also designed the furniture
so that it worked well within
the space and gave great
flexibility. I used symmetry to
‘anchor’ the space and then
placed individual groupings in
different parts of the room so
that as well as the central
seating area, there are two
chairs looking out of one
window, a bespoke
backgammon table and chairs
at the back of the room, and
a side table with chair on
another wall. This creates
interest and also allows the
room to work well for both
a small and larger number of
people. The benefit of such
a high ceiling is that I could
use a statement chandelier to
create interest and add depth.
Louise Bradley ■

72 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR CONTACT DETAILS SEE PAGE 145

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Perfect Ingredients
FOR AN ENGLISH DRAWING ROOM
Originating as a space in which to entertain, the drawing room
has retained its importance in contemporary homes and its
iconic pieces have evolved with twenty-first century twists 
 T
PREVIOUS PAGE, he drawing room developed
CLOCKWISE from the early eighteenth
FROM MAIN Creating
a welcoming focal century, when the growing
point, stone fire taste for rooms in which to
surrounds copy many
historical styles. entertain or play games took hold.
Berkeley chimney Eventually, the formal fashion for placing
piece in marble,
£6,240, with
furniture against the walls waned and
Wentworth register pieces would be drawn into the centre of
grate, £2,640, Jamb. the room. For many of us, the allure of the
Many decorative items
are reincarnated as drawing room, as separate to the children’s
lamp bases, including TV room, still holds sway and iconic
porcelain vases.
pieces retain their place in this key room.
Decalcomania vase
table lamp with blue
flowers, £522, shown THE STONE FIRE SURROUND
with knife pleated
cream silk lampshade, For centuries, the stone fire surround has
£207, Vaughan. offered warmth and a vital focal point.
Full-length, interlined Will Fisher of Jamb, specialists in antique
curtains in sumptuous
fabrics became popular chimney pieces, explains that stone has
from the seventeenth enduring appeal because it is fireproof,
century, when curtains
began to play a more can be carved and was often quarried
decorative role in the locally. In medieval and Tudor times, fire
drawing room.
surrounds featured heraldic decoration;
Triple-headed, lined
curtains in Comte, these days, it is possible to choose from
w22mm x d269mm, authentic copies of every historical style,
£896, The Natural
Curtain Company. from the restrained Neo-classical
The upholstered, detailing of eighteenth-century surrounds
rectangular footstool to simple Art Deco versions. “By the
remains a drawing
room workhorse. nineteenth century, all chimney pieces
An upholstered feather became simpler, smaller and lower, thanks
cushion provides
comfortable, additional to the two main arbiters of taste, Sir John
seating. Yellow Soane and Henry Holland,” adds Fisher.
footstool with floating
Modern-day copies are usually in
feather cushion
supported by turned limestone or marble. For a relaxed,
walnut legs, covered in country look, use a free-standing steel or
antique hemp, £4,090
including fabric, brass fire basket in an open brick hearth,
Max Rollitt. or a cast-iron register grate, which were
A fire guard is an introduced in the late eighteenth century
essential accessory for
open fires, to prevent to improve updraft.
hot coals or embers
damaging rugs,
carpets or fireside FIRESIDE ACCESSORIES
occupants. Heart mesh Fire dogs, also known as ‘andirons’, were
fire screen, £78, Dibor.
introduced by the Anglo Saxons. “They
were in general use until the Tudor era,
when coal became popular and stove
grates for burning coals were developed,”
says Fisher. “It is possible to buy antique
versions, from exotic rococo scrolls to
plain arts and crafts styles, while new fire
dogs come in polished steel or brass.
A set of fireside irons is essential,
including a shovel, poker and tongs, as is
a fire guard, usually available in
decorative wrought or cast iron. For
a country-house look, pick an authentic
club fender, with a leather upholstered
seat and brass columns. When it comes to

76 THE ENGLISH HOME

storage of the freshly-cut logs, there is an “to represent love in the form of Cupid’s CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT Key pieces
opportunity to support British trade in the bow.” According to Max Rollitt, these
placed carefully in the
choice of an English willow basket. elegant sofas first rose to prominence in the centre of the drawing
mid-eighteenth century and would typically room create an instant
inviting ambience.
THE FOOTSTOOL have been covered in damask or silk Small canton mirror,
Judith Miller, author of Miller’s Antiques bourette. Designed for polite perching, rather £249; small natural
linen Lara ottoman,
Handbook & Price Guide, explains that stools than twenty-first century lounging, they were £499; Knot fireguard,
have been around since medieval times. traditionally made with a webbed seat and a £98, and Natural
The upholstered, rectangular footstool horsehair cushion, the legs always exposed. Melbury armchair,
£849, all Oka.
remains a drawing room workhorse, ideal for If buying a new camel back sofa, ensure that Traditionally pulled
additional seating or magazine storage. Alex the upholstery is firm, not overstuffed, as this close to the fire, with
its tall back and
Goddard, curator of The Geffrye Museum of can ruin the silhouette, and opt for a plain draught-reducing
the Home, says the footstool proliferated in fabric to enhance clean lines, advises Rollitt. wings, the wing
the Victorian period, “when it was common armchair has long been
a staple of the English
for ladies to decorate their own, using THE TEA TABLE drawing room. This
tapestry, needlepoint, or beadwork.” These The tea table arrived in the English drawing wing chair is based on
a seventeenth-century
days, kilim or leather upholstery suit relaxed room in the eighteenth century, when tea original, £9,346
country living, whereas velvet, linen or wool was still a highly prized commodity, and only including fabric,
add a certain air of glamour. for the upper classes. Such tables, usually Max Rollitt.
Traditional fireside
For practicality, choose a flat, buttoned mahogany, varied from the classic tripod leg irons are essential.
version for use as a coffee table, or one with with a circular top to a rectangular shape. Pennine fire tools with
riveted steel log holder,
an upholstered feather cushion for comfort, Judith Miller comments that the tilt-top or £250, Chesney’s.
while castors add flexibility. When buying an folding versions were useful then, as now, The camel back sofa
antique stool, Miller advises looking at the in small rooms. “When looking to buy an adds elegant curves
to the drawing room.
quality of carving on the legs and – if the antique version, look at the carving on the Congreave two-and-a-
original fabric is not salvageable – choosing legs and feet. Scalloped edging around the half seat sofa, £8,540
a textile sympathetic to the period. top was popular, so use the intricacy of the including 14-15 metres
of fabric, shown in
craftsmanship as an indicator of quality,” she Aspley Chenille
THE CAMEL BACK SOFA adds. The days of the formal tea ceremony Mortlake Red,
Beaumont & Fletcher.
With its elegant curves, the camel back sofa may have passed, but the tea table is too
is the show-stopper of the drawing room. good to oust from the drawing room. Wide
The sofa is so named, says John Crowell, enough to hold framed family photographs
design director at Beaumont & Fletcher, and high enough to sit and play games at, 

THE ENGLISH HOME 77

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contemporary games tables create a good RIGHT Classic tripod
leg tea tables, once
alternative to an antique style.
the preserve of the
upper classes, still play
THE WING ARMCHAIR an important part in
the drawing room as a
Nothing exudes English style more than place to rest books, for
a traditional wing armchair, a staple of the display of family
photographs, or to sit
the drawing room since the seventeenth at when playing a
century. The legs should always be left board game or cards.
exposed and these may be turned, or Paired with the two
other iconic pieces of
a cabriole style, which became more an armchair and
popular in the later seventeenth century. footstool, one can
create a cosy corner.
Its enduring appeal, says Max Rollitt, lies Chair upholstered in
in its uprightness and supreme comfort. Orissan ANJ06003,
£98 a metre; footstool
“It also adds height to a room, which is
covered in
important when everything else is at sofa Glyndebourne
or table level.” If buying new, he suggests VEL02012, £84
a metre, both Zoffany.
looking out for a generous width between BELOW Bringing the
the shoulders, wings that are not too big key elements of the
and a good height. Emphasise the drawing room
together, it is possible
arresting silhouette with a scaled up to recreate a sense of
damask, or a colourful plain linen or wool. the grandeur of past
centuries. Curtains in
Paisley LAN02006, £55
FULL-LENGTH CURTAINS a metre; sofa
upholstered in Kashmir
The elegance of floor-grazing curtains is
LAN03002, £80
unsurpassed. Annabel Westman, historic a metre, both Zoffany.
textile specialist, explains it was from the
mid-seventeenth century that curtains
began to take on a more decorative,
rather than purely functional role, and
many grand country houses had drapes in
damask or silk. Sarah Kay, project curator
at the National Trust’s Attingham Park,
says curtains were frequently teamed with
Holland blinds to protect them against
the sun. The French silk curtains in the
drawing room at Attingham Park have
hung for 100 years, proof that quality
fabric combined with good housekeeping,
helps curtains last. Interior designer
Henrietta Spencer-Churchill maintains
that curtains should always be full length
and interlined. “Interlining protects fabric
from grime, and the room from drafts.”

THE OVERMANTEL MIRROR

Originally placed above a mantelpiece to
reflect the glow of firelight, mirrors also
add glamour in subtle lighting. Alison
Roelich from On-Reflection Mirrors says
it was not until the sixteenth century that
Venetians perfected the art of silvering
blown glass using mercury, although by
the mid-nineteenth century mirrors were
made using safer silver nitrate and
ammonia. Mercury glass has an appealing
glitter, while later glass gives a truer 
 reflection. Early mirrors had carved
wooden frames covered in a layer of gesso
to prime them. “But in the eighteenth
and early nineteenth centuries, moulded
gesso over wooden frames and wired
decoration became popular,” she says.
These days every style is available.
Contemporary copies of eighteenth- and
nineteenth-century mirrors offer a more
cost-effective alternative as originals can
run into thousands of pounds.

THE SIDE LAMP

Following the development of the light
bulb in the late nineteenth century, the
side lamp swiftly replaced the oil lamp in
the drawing room. Rosanna Law at classic
lighting specialist Vaughan points out
that Chinese porcelain vases, brass
columns and crystal urns make popular
bases. A perennial favourite is also the
églomisé base, which uses a technique of
laying silver and gold leaf onto glass.
These days, lamp bases are available in
a variety of materials. A silk shade in a
coolie or a drum shape is the classic
ABOVE A carefully choice, while a square silhouette adds
chosen mirror over the
a contemporary air.
mantelpiece adds
subtle glamour.
Bespoke fire surround, THE ORIENTAL RUG
POA, Chesney’s.
LEFT It is worth
There is something quintessentially
investing in beautifully English about a faded Oriental rug over
made curtains in good floorboards. Carpet specialist Robert
quality material which,
if treated with care, Stephenson explains Oriental carpets
will last for many years appeared in Western homes from the
to come. Curtains in
Alderney, Raspberry, sixteenth century, although were
£35 a metre, originally the preserve of the wealthy.
Cabbages and Roses.
“These items became more accessible as
travel opened up combined with the
increased wealth of the mercantile
classes,” he adds. By the late nineteenth
century, British firms such as Ziegler &
Co from Manchester had set up looms in
Persia to cope with demand.
Charlotte Gaskell, a specialist in
Oriental carpets, suggests that when
buying an antique Oriental rug, you
should ensure it lies flat on the ground
with minimal wrinkles, and that the
design should be complete. “The wear,
F EATURE JUDITH WILSON

through age, should be even,” she adds.

The Rug Company’s Chubi rugs use
designs from original Zeigler rugs, updated
for contemporary interiors. It is advisable
to try a rug out at home before buying. ■

FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145

KIT KEMP
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
That boutique hotels increasingly influence our own interior schemes can be
attributed in no small way to the co-director of Firmdale Hotels – who Samantha
Scott-Jeffries discovers to be an enthusiastic exponent of charismatic design

K
it Kemp’s passion for her work is
infectious. When we meet at the
Haymarket Hotel, one of seven exclusive
London townhouse hotels she owns with
husband Tim under the Firmdale Group, she embarks
on a tour with gusto. Yet, while known for her
influence on hotel design and her many interior
design awards, Kemp is unpretentious yet eloquent,
and as warm and vivacious as the colourful rooms to
which she brings an energetic articulation. It is
immediately evident from the restaurant named after
an old beloved pet and the painting her daughter
created that hangs in the lift that Firmdale is a very
personal business venture, in every sense.
“When I met my husband he had a few old
properties and one was in Sloane Square, which was
really quite dilapidated, but he bought a short lease
with hotel use and turned it into a two-star student
hotel,” she recalls unassumingly. “When we got
married we thought it would be fabulous to create
a little boutique hotel in London, where all of the
rooms were different and boost it to four or five star
and that’s how it started. It was very hard initially,
because no-one would loan us the money and no-one
thought that little hotels were ever going to be any
competition for the Hilton and Sheraton, but they
were so wrong. Now everyone likes something that’s
personalised and has soul to it, and one thing we do
have is a little bit of soul.”
One can imagine guests surreptitiously taking
photographs of their rooms, either to inspire their
own interior schemes or even reproduce Kemp’s
Kit Kemp says of her hotel
designs, “I don’t want it
thoughtful designs in situ – such is the soulful,
to be a brand; every personal atmosphere of each room.
building should be an Kemp explains that emotional as well as physical
invention in itself.” Of her
very personal schemes comfort are key in her designs. “If you’re travelling,
she adds, “I wouldn’t coming into a room where you are enveloped makes
have anything in the
hotels that I wouldn’t you feel more at home. If you arrive from Tokyo at
have in my own home.” 3am you want a comforting feeling to a room. It’s
always nice to have an interesting piece within 

82 THE ENGLISH HOME

CLOCKWISE FROM Scott with an antique This room at the
ABOVE In this room at specimen drawer, Haymarket Hotel
Number Sixteen, space noting its practical features cushions by
was tight. Kemp used marble-top surface. Cell Work, which Kemp
a desk as a bedside This loft suite was keen to support.
table to ensure there exemplifies Kemp’s love The blue and grey
was working space; one of using art, pattern scheme is purposefully
of her key ingredients and an eclectic mix of offset with an antique
to a successful room. elements, while the needlepoint chair.
In the hotel’s books bring a home- This terrace suite shows
conservatory the chairs from-home touch. Kemp’s preferred
upholstered in Pierre The guest area at the elements for creating a
Frey’s ‘spots’ were Charlotte Street Hotel bed that “you just want
a conscious echo of the (before a more recent to climb into”.
garden’s greenery. update) takes a Kemp installed wood
At the Charlotte Street Bloomsbury theme, panelling, rich colours
Hotel Kemp marries a with carpets taken from and fabrics from her
bold fabric by J Robert a Bloomsbury design. travels in this guest area.
 EXPERT INSIGHT
Kemp reveals how to
create a very personal
and durable design
Is there an art to creating
an inviting bed?
I like all the beds [linen] to
be white, it always looks
fresh. A high bed makes
a statement in a room and
we use bedside tables
with drawers for storage
and a good reading light.
We usually have a big
headboard so that we can
have fun with columns of
colour or a piece of
embroidery, or show the
most beautiful repeat to
a fabric.

How can we emulate your

A suite at the Crosby Street
Hotel, New York, with its own
meadow. Built on the site of a
former parking lot, Kemp
wanted to bring natural light
and adhere to the ecological
standards of the day in
the hotel’s design.
evolved look in a room?
I try not to use pairs of
things, it is good to bring
in something that
balances on a fireplace,
objects that are not the
same but work together.
Play around with things to
give a layered look to
make the room feel like it
has been there a while.

How do we create an
interior at home that is
chic and durable?
You have to get the
a room, whether it’s a bureau, an old desk, an antique Buildings have a spirit and you have to go with that,” surfaces and the materials
piece, something that you’ve collected on your she explains, when asked if the area or potential right. We use boiled wool
to upholster dining chairs
travels or that means something to you, because clientele go towards dictating her designs. “If you try
here [Brumus restaurant at
houses are made up of experiences.” For Kemp, too, to do something for a type of person it never works – the Haymarket] with inside-
although the interiors are always for someone else, you never get it right. You have to be true to yourself, out stitching so it doesn’t
fray. The fabrics I use have
they have to have that personal touch. “When I then it is more congruent.” In fact, she is a refreshing
to have a good rub and
started doing hotel design, I wanted to take the hotel non-conformist: “I love a point of view and I can will last, but it is amazing
into the home. Everybody wants something just take criticism, but at least I’m not the same as the fabrics that will last in
the right position. I use
tailored for them, that’s different, that says something everyone else,” she smiles before adding a lot of fabric on walls – it
about them.” mischievously, “Sometimes I think it’s worth doing doesn’t scuff as much as
In this respect, the Firmdale Hotels model takes something that you are not meant to do, that your paper and is really strong.
Use very expensive fabrics
Kemp’s ethos to the ultimate degree to offer luxury, accountant says is too expensive, or that someone on, say, a footstool, just to
character and a unique stay to their guests. “All of says won’t last five minutes, and just do it.”

F EATURE SAMANTHA SCOTT-JEFFRIES PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF FIRMDALE HOTELS

give that joy.
the rooms are individual,” she confirms. Bespoke This is not to say Kemp is a wildcard. Both herself
What is the key to a good
pieces are commissioned to fit the concept and spaces and Tim (officially chairman and MD) are very bathroom?
exactly; antiques and art are sourced, fabrics and hands-on at Firmdale and Kemp works closely with Good light, good shelving
curtains are sumptuous and sofas and headboards are her small team. “It can be very stressful because and it needs to feel that
you are the first person
often upholstered in not one but layered fabrics. although you are your own boss, you have got a big who has ever been in it.
“The detail is the joy of doing it,” she admits. responsibility to get it right.” With many sites being
Perhaps the most striking and instantly identifiable built from scratch or remodelled, she describes the How do you make rooms
feel comfortable?
element is her obvious love of colour and pattern. interiors as “so much a concept until the point when
Practically, the heights of
“I didn’t make a decision [to be bold], it just happens. it exists, and when it exists it has to be ready to be things have to be right.
It is really about texture and the way that colour can sold”. The pace of Firmdale’s new projects combined A side table that is too
high by a sofa with an arm
work layer upon layer and how you can bring with regularly revitalising existing schemes could
that is too low on the
something out and push it back. To me colour is life.” only be handled by someone with Kemp’s energy and other side makes you want
It is clear that Kemp is not afraid to trust her design vision. It is no surprise to learn that a pending to stand up and leave. If I
feel people have sat down
instincts and follow her own clear vision for each collaboration with Chelsea Textiles and Christopher and taken their shoes off,
project. “Every hotel has a very different feel. Farr will punctuate two new hotel ventures – all, of I am happy.
I immediately have an idea when I arrive somewhere. course, with Kemp’s personal touch. ■

84 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR CONTACT DETAILS SEE PAGE 145

deception
THE ART OF
In the hands of experts, specialist paint finishes are being
rediscovered, creating an illusion of materials such as wood,
marble or gold, which might otherwise be prohibitively expensive

William Yeoward’s design

for Smallbone’s bespoke
kitchen range features
hand-painted wood
graining in a light and airy
driftwood effect, for a
calm feel of the seashore.
Kitchens from £35,000,
Smallbone of Devizes.
 Specialist Subject

D
ragging, marbling, wood
graining, stencilling and other
textured paint effects have long
been used in grand houses as a more
affordable and practical alternative to the
real thing. However, a rise in popularity
in the 1980s and ‘90s saw paint effects
become more mainstream and beloved of
do-it-yourself enthusiasts who sponged,
stencilled and rag-rolled walls without the
finesse of a talented artist. As such, paint
effects fell out of fashion and gained
a reputation as a dated technique. “Over
the last couple of years, however, there
has been a huge resurgence, or more
appropriately, development in the world
of ‘faux’,” explains Rupert Bevan, furniture
designer and expert in specialist finishes.
Bevan uses paint effects in a number of
his bespoke commissions, and for him the
term “encompasses almost any effect that
you might put on a wall or piece of
furniture: faux bone, gold, silver and
lacquer, to name but a few.”

PALATABLE PALETTE
This new-found popularity has been
noted by Amanda Hutson, founder of
Hutson Bespoke, specialists in high-end
finishes for walls and furniture. “Paint
finishes have now gone up a notch and
are returning to the classical roots, as well
as some of the very luxurious and
contemporary finishes,” she explains and
adds, “done beautifully by an artist, paint
effects can look wonderful, even in
a modern setting.” According to Hutson,
it is the colour palette that can make all
the difference. She cites a recent project
her team undertook for a young couple in
Chelsea Square who “loved the trompe
l’oeil panelling and traditional dragging in
their hallway but hated the colour. So,”
Hutson reveals, “we copied something
that was 30 or 40 years old with a cool,
neutral palette of greys and beige to fit in
with the modern feel of the house and it
looked amazing.”
This modern interpretation and
reinvention of paint effects has been
welcomed by the designers at Smallbone
of Devizes, who have worked with interior
designers including Nina Campbell and
William Yeoward on a range of new
finishes. “Smallbone first introduced
hand-painted kitchens over 30 years ago,
Marbling has been used here
to great effect to add extra
grandeur to the panelled walls
of this country house. The light
switch has been treated, too,
so that it is unobtrusive and
blends with the period
character of the room.
making finishes such as glazing, ragging
and dragging famous,” notes design
director Steven de Munnich. He goes on
to explain that after pioneering flat paint
techniques, they are embracing the
popularity of more decorative finishes.
“Fashion is cyclical, but every time
a trend comes back it has a fresh new
twist.” This is reflected in the
collaboration with Yeoward, which uses
the traditional wood-graining technique
in a modern palette of soft greys. Yeoward
explains that the hand-painted finish
creates “a unique detailed driftwood effect
and the tones selected are from a palette
which is calming on the senses.”
PAINTED SUBSTITUTE
It may seem a little strange to opt for a
painted effect of a natural material rather
than the real thing; however, it has proved
an advantageous method of decoration for
centuries. Bevan explains that during the
eighteenth and particularly the
nineteenth century painted finishes were
“hard to tell apart from the real thing and
became a serious art form.” Cost is an
obvious factor and a painted effect would
be more affordable than fitting a room in
solid marble, for instance. Specialist
painter Rosie Hornak, who is regularly
commissioned by Hutson Bespoke,
explains that the cost and time of
a project is dependant upon the
complexity of the effect. For example,
a mantelpiece would take up to two days
to complete in a marble effect. For her,
however, the biggest advantage of painted
finishes is that she can create “beautiful
marble that just doesn’t exist anymore in
the quantities needed.” She also reveals it
means a more consistent result can be 

THE ENGLISH HOME 87

Specialist Subject
achieved and that any natural marble can
be replicated. Hornak recently used her
skills in a marble bathroom, where she
seamlessly matched up real marble with
her own painted finishes on more
complicated areas where the stone would
be impractical and difficult to work with.
Peter Hare of Hare and Humphreys also
adds that using graining to replicate wood
can be useful in rooms where missing
doors or skirting need replacing. “To fit
new timber, even if it is available, may
leave a clear discrepancy in the age, depth
of colour and finish, so hang a door of
matching style and have it grained to
match the finish of the others.”
Hare and Humphreys is passionate
about paint conservation and can
undertake ‘historic paint research’ of fine
properties and national monuments to
uncover pigments and lost paint
techniques such as graining that may
have been used in earlier schemes. These
can then be replicated to a high quality;
particularly helpful for those seeking to
ensure the right period feel is being
88 THE ENGLISH HOME
CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT Annie Sloan
explains how to
achieve this distressed
effect in her book
Quick and Easy Paint
Transformations; Rupert
Bevan enjoys gilding in
gold leaf to add extra
glamour to his projects;
a wood panelling
effect, hand-painted by
the artists at Hare and
Humphreys; a range of
marble and plaster
effects by
Hutson Bespoke.
recreated. Architectural
historian Edward Bulmer
divulges that “only certain
woods and marbles were
imitated in the past, as can be seen in old
house painting manuals.” He also advises
to “be careful to choose the right effect
for the level of ornament already present.”
REFRESHED FURNITURE
Paint effects can also be used on furniture.
Rosie Hornak reveals that finishes can
refresh “any piece, but are best on
unpolished wood.” However, she notes
that “even a tired looking melamine
kitchen can have a total paint finish.”
Peter Hare expands on this explaining
that “as long as the correct primer and
undercoats are applied to the substrate,
[a paint effect] can be applied to just
about anything, from plaster and MDF to
steel and iron.”
The skills of an artist are recommended
for more intricate effects. The procedure
is rather technical requiring multi-layers
of paint, usually oil based as these take
longer to dry and allow for detailing to be
worked in. Creating the exquisite veins is
done using an assortment of fine brushes,
sometimes even feathers, to achieve the
exact detail and pattern. Water-based
paints are used for more textural finishes
such as plaster effects. However, simpler
F EATURE KATY GREEN PHOTOGRAPHS P.87 CHRISTOPHER DRAKE; P.88 TAKEN FROM QUICK AND EASY PAINT TRANSFORMATIONS BY ANNIE SLOAN,
effects such as glazes and dragging can be
achieved at home, particularly for
PUBLISHED BY CICO BOOKS AT £14.99 AND AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD BOOKSHOPS OR CALL 01256 302699 WWW.CICOBOOKS.CO.UK
updating tired furniture. Annie Sloan
produces a range of chalk paints, which
she recommends using with wax. “Two
coats of paint, waxed and rubbed back is
my favourite way to paint furniture,” she
explains and extols its virtues as being
easy to use. “You don’t need to strip or
prime furniture before painting it, you can
have a finished piece by the end of the
day.” Even with this method there are a
multitude of effects that can be achieved,
from French shabby chic to retro ‘50s style.
It is the bespoke artistic techniques,
however, that create the most impressive
deceptions. Rupert Bevan’s more opulent
commissions have included “panelling out
a room in faux bone and faux bronze for
Nicky Haslam, using bronze powders and
lacquers which are almost
indistinguishable from the real thing.”
There has also been a demand for paint
effects to cover walls in metallics, such as
gold and silver, he notes, something that
would be prohibitive, if not impossible,
to do with the genuine materials. ■
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
 A PASSION FOR
PROVENANCE
Supporting native craftsmanship is essential to
preserving a sense of British style. Here we
celebrate some key homegrown designers

E
very generation, since
William Morris’s it seems,
has had a mental battle
with mass production. Whilst the
practice undoubtedly allows an
important democratisation of style
in terms of price and accessibility,
it also sadly – and cyclically –
engenders a rather soulless
homogeneity in design.
Regulars readers of The English
Home know that we place great
importance upon cherishing
smaller-scale, home-grown talent.
This is because companies
preserving age-old skills are
increasingly rare, and niche
visionaries are essential for feeding
innovation at a wider level.
Yet more fundamentally than that,
designers and makers who exhibit
a passion for provenance and
commit to the challenges of
UK production, are the key to
ensuring we continue to enjoy the ABOVE The intriguing
detailing of the Alba
opportunity of saving for and
sideboard, which
investing in our own heritage of features two central
authentic pieces, as well as drawers and two
cupboards, is inspired
preserving traditional craft skills by mid-century relief
and fostering future talent. plasterwork, £4,645
(inc VAT), Pinch.
Here we profile some key names
in British furniture design whose
products are much to be admired.
The prices are investment level
for many, but the joy of timeless
design is priceless. 

THE ENGLISH HOME 91

 Great recipes deserve
great ingredients

You wouldn’t host a dinner party without collecting together the finest
ingredients, and tetrad takes the same great care with its sofas and chairs
For further information and details of your local selected stockist
visit www.tetrad.co.uk or call Tel: +44 (0)1772 792936
HEIRLOOM APPARENT
RUSSELL PINCH and his wife
Oona Bannon have already won
numerous awards for their
beautiful pared back range of
furniture, since Pinch was founded
in 2004. Yet to date, perhaps
because of Russell’s association
with the urban-style focused
Conran Shop, their handmade
pieces are still predominantly best
known by owners of contemporary
homes. This is to entirely misread,
however, how timelessly graceful
and adaptable such pieces are to
many more styles of interior.
The Frey cabinet would sit as
comfortably in a classical interior
as in a starker space; whilst the
new Imo stools marry a minimal
shape with a highly desirable
artisanal warmth: perfect for
modern and country kitchens.
When asked about who buys
their designs, Russell Pinch
explains, “Many different people.
The clean lines of our designs
seem to resonate very well with
architects. Then there are those
who save to own a single piece
they plan to have forever – some
even start collections. We had a
93-year-old lady who bought an
Alba sideboard for her Elizabethan
mansion and an aspiring poet who
bought an Yves desk to aid his
writing. In short, all sorts get our
work and use our pieces to create
personal spaces and we love that.”
Pinch and Bannon’s watchwords
are integrity, elegance and detail.
The range is still relatively
compact at just over 40 pieces,
from upholstered sofas to desks or
lighting. We particularly admire
the cabinetry, which showcases
detail, timeless design and
craftsmanship to best effect. Each
piece is created by one maker who
guides it through each process in
the workshop, completing the
journey by stamping the item with
his maker's mark. It is also signed
and numbered on completion.
“We strongly believe in making
in the UK and keeping our ever-
depleting craft skills alive. We use
cabinetmakers, upholsterers, ABOVE LEFT Husband
and wife team, Russell
sculptors and even milliners to
Pinch and Oona
make our products, from one-man Bannon are the
businesses to larger workshops,” collaborative force
behind Pinch.
says Pinch. “We know every ABOVE RIGHT The
person who makes our pieces and Frey armoire is
that really means something to us available in solid wood
or painted finishes and
– it means our quality is that much can be complemented
better as everyone is accountable by the Frey sideboard.
The Frey double
and proud of what they do, it also armoire costs from
means we can share the passion £4,920 (inc VAT).
we have for what we do with every BELOW This Brody
high-back armchair is
maker. All of this is very hard to a contemporary take
do when you go abroad for on a classic, and costs
from £1,710 (inc VAT),
manufacturing and, of course, it plus 4.75m of the
means a lot less travelling for us!” customer’s own fabric.
Pinch designs are undoubtedly
iconic pieces to be coveted.
Although for many the pieces
are investment level, we firmly
believe an item of Pinch
cabinetry bought today will
remain admired and adored by
generations to come.
• Russell Pinch also designs for other
retailers and brands including SCP,
Ercol, Conran and Jamie Oliver’s
JME homeware range. 
THE ENGLISH HOME 93
Over 30 years
experience designing
furniture for kitchens,
bedrooms, studies
and studios
Specialists in Classic and
Contemporary Kitchen Design
www.barnesofashburton.co.uk
Barnes of Ashburton Ltd
24A West Street, Ashburton,
Newton Abbot, Devon,
TQ13 7DU
Tel: 01364 653613

Replacement China & Gifts

Vintage Tea

Tel: www.chinasearch.co.uk

CLEARLY CLASSICAL
VICTORIA JAMES didn’t intend
to become a furniture designer. In
fact, she was studying English at
university when life took another
turn. When her mother fell ill in
1997, Victoria took a break from
study and stepped in to work with
her father at the family-owned
business, The Odd Chair
Company, but never went back.
The Odd Chair Company is
much admired for its traditional
upholstered pieces, so when
Victoria found her forte and opted
to stay, she took the opportunity
to experiment with furniture
design. Learning on the job gave
her the knowledge and confidence
to create her eponymous range of
highly desirable, yet still little
known, acrylic pieces.
“I wanted to bridge the gap
between the traditional and the
modern classic and have always
loved Lucite furniture from the
1960s,” she explains. There were
some transparent furniture
products already on the market
“but it was all 10mm perspex,”
James explains. She wanted to
create something more robust and
timeless, so together with some of
the on-site craftsmen, they trialled
various production techniques.
She considered first working with
a polymer poured into moulds to
keep manufacturing time, labour
and therefore costs lower, but was
ultimately unhappy with the
quality. “Bubbles appeared in the
moulded pieces which spoilt the
look,” she explains. So instead her
designs are created in an almost
identical way to the quality
wooden pieces of The Odd Chair
Company; each piece takes at
least 100 man hours to produce.
Acrylic legs begin life as clear
rods or tubes, which are then
turned on a metal turning lathe,
much as a classical wooden leg.
Each acrylic design is fabricated
using only high-density acrylic of
various depths, from 50 –130mm.
The glass inset into the centre top
is a white, clear glass, eliminating
the green tint of standard glass.
“We use a bond that fixes like
cement. I didn’t want to use
screws, so all of the joints are
traditionally glue dowelled, too.”
By affixing deep within the body
of each piece, the joins are
virtually imperceptible and the
design of the finished product
remains completely transparent.
James enjoyed her first
commission in 2005: a coffee table
created for a client in Guernsey
who wanted a quirky twist on a
classic to complement traditional
pieces. “I took inspiration from
the walnut legs of our William and
Mary chair to create the base,” she
says. Her durable acrylic designs,
have since been commissioned for
boutique hotels, palaces and
private homes, although primarily
overseas. The beautiful furniture
remains largely undiscovered in
the UK and has never been
exhibited, but with new launches
this autumn that all looks set
to change. 
THE ENGLISH HOME 95
Made In Britain
CLOCKWISE FROM
MAIN Victoria James
furniture is available
with turned or tapered
legs and in a choice of
ebony or acrylic body,
with solid, glass or
mirrored tops. Acrylic
and glass console
table, from £8,342;
acrylic and glass coffee
table in ebony and
glass as shown, £2,900;
side table with turned
legs, from £4,935. All
prices include VAT.
Victoria James is also
still heavily involved in
designs for The Odd
Chair Company itself,
working with her
brother and mother.
Her father is retired.
The Alton chair comes
with a choice of timber
legs and soon-to-be-
launched acrylic leg
alternatives, £981
(inc VAT) plus 2.5
metres of fabric.
Made In Britain

SCULPTURE IN STEEL
CLOCKWISE FROM TOM FAULKNER readily admits sought help to translate his The designs are then transferred
MAIN Best known for
to a lack of formal training in drawings. He tracked down a small on to a computer ready for the
his metal and glass
furniture, Tom Faulkner furniture design although reveals team of metal artisans in Wiltshire metalwork team of five “very
is launching a new “I can turn my hand to welding.” to bring his drawings to life, and skilled” craftsmen. “It is much
collection this autumn
that incorporates wood It was his passion for paint finishes opened his first workshop in 1995. easier and more enjoyable to
and marble. The that led him to his current career. Today, clients approach him produce in England in your own
Capricorn dining table
has a walnut top on a
“I was painting unusual tabletop from around the world, most workshop. It allows control over
hand-polished stainless finishes for private clients and recently for a large table for a quality and technique,” he adds.
steel base, £9,999. became interested in what was rooftop garden in Moscow. Yet the Faulkner’s aspirational pieces are
The designer turned
his artist’s eye to going on underneath the table.” design process remains as handmade to order ready for the
furniture design. Faulkner’s artistic background fundamentally hands-on as the client in around eight weeks. They
The Versaille console is undoubtedly plays a large role in day he began. “I start with come in nine standard finishes and
an elegant and bold
design with swirling the creation of his beautifully sketching out shapes – you never 13 specialist finishes, including
loops of steel, £2,500. sculptural furniture: it is obvious quite know where the ideas will highly polished steel, which on
The Art Nouveau- that the eye behind each fluid go, and then turn these into 2D some designs – such as his best
inspired Opéra coffee
table, £1,499, is in piece is artistic rather than that of designs to show the furniture in known Oval dining table – remind
a new Antique Bronze, an engineer. However, because the elevation,” Faulkner explains. one of art deco sculpture or the
hand-painted finish.
medium he works in now is metal, “I draw to life size and like to do glorious sheen of vintage,
more specifically steel, Faulkner everything freehand.” polished-sheet steel aeroplanes.

96 THE ENGLISH HOME


OTHER NAMES TO NOTE
From long-standing brands to the launch of a brand to aspire to...
Simple lines and clean
proportions are Faulkner’s
underlying design aesthetic, yet
here at The English Home we
detect a slightly more ornate twist
FEATURE KERRYN HARPER-CUSS PHOTOGRAPHS P.91 & P.93 ©JAMES MERRELL
to his latest designs. The Versailles
console table, for example, has an
appealingly curvacious fluidity and
perhaps a touch more femininity
than earlier contemporary designs.
It makes this and other new pieces
suitable and sympathetic to period
interiors. Combined with the
introduction of wood and marble
tops to some of his new collection
launching this autumn, Faulkner’s
appeal broadens more than ever. •
• Faulkner also works with Italian
artisans for a few select pieces.
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
Made In Britain
LEPORELLO
A small family-run business, Leporello prides itself
on the creation of handcrafted, hand-painted
furniture. Its pieces take inspiration from
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century central and
northern European design, for looks that are
timeless, yet work for modern living.
Each piece is handmade to order from
sustainable hardwood, by the team of craftsmen
at the workshop in
Dorking near London,
and then decorated
with water-based paints
and protective lacquers.
The range includes over
250 pieces, with a focus
on bedroom and dining ABOVE Elysian 2-door
room furniture, including sideboard, from £2,496.
pieces for children’s LEFT Contemporary
bedrooms. We much desk with optional
admire this new leather top, from £1,896.
French-inspired Prices dependant on paint
Elysian sideboard. finish and treatment.
CLOCKHOUSE FURNITURE
Having witnessed first-hand the creation of a dining chair
and wing chair to a request for complicated pattern
matching for our photo shoots, The English Home
can recommend Clockhouse Furniture, in
East Lothian, Scotland, for
excellent upholstery
skills. The company,
which has been running
for twenty years, can
tackle upholstery in
anything from
Aubusson to delicate
hand-embroidered silk
and can also finish legs
The Slipper with carved, painted, The Chapman
Chair, £830 or even gilded detailing as Chair, £1,190
(inc VAT) plus 3.5 required. It offers a range of both (inc VAT), plus 1.5
metres of fabric. classical and contemporary designs. metres of fabric.
LEFT This gorgeously
buttoned and
traditionally upholstered
Tux sofa, £2,970 (plus
fabric) is one of the first
pieces from the chic
new collection by Stuart
Scott Associates, which
is committed to using
traditional English
techniques and
high-quality materials.
STUART SCOTT ASSOCIATES
After twenty years creating furniture for interior of his brother, a skilled carpenter, who produces
design luminaries such as Atelier Pierre Bonnefille, the upholstery frames and chair frames at
Jonathan Reed and John Minshaw, Stuart Scott is workshops in Wiltshire. The upholstery is
launching his first collection of furniture at Decorex completed at the second workshop in Abingdon
2011 under the label Stuart Scott Associates. Scott by two more business partners, both master
designs then prototypes each piece with the help upholsterers, to ensure total quality control. ■
THE ENGLISH HOME 97
 THE HANDMADE SOFA COMPANY
All of our furniture is hand built to order in the UK using the finest
quality fabrics and leathers. Choose from an extensive range of
standard contemporary and traditional models, including different
Chesterfield styles and chaise longues. All models can be made-
to-measure to suit individual requirements using one of the UK’s
widest choice of leather and fabric. All standard furniture is
normally delivered to UK mainland within 4-6 weeks from order
time.

Tel 01258 841414

www.handmadesofacompany.co.uk

The Handmade Sofa Company, Unit 4, Manor Farm Business Centre,

Gussage St Michael, Wimborne, Dorsett, BH21 5HT.

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Liberon Ltd. Tel: 01797 367555

www.liberon.co.uk Email: liberon.uk@v33.com
 FORM & FUNCTION
Atmospheric lighting | Farmhouse kitchen style | Chic carpet underfoot

BOOKMAKERS
“A library is an arsenal of liberty,” said
Marcus Cicero, soldier, statesman and son of
the philosopher, more than two thousand
years ago. Little has changed in the ensuing
millennia, except, perhaps, that the best
libraries have developed into objects of
beauty in their own right. As statement
pieces, floor-to-ceiling bookcases work best
in larger rooms where their scale can be
perceived, explains Nicky Chesham of
The English Joinery Company. “In smaller
rooms, you won’t see the full effect,” she says,
adding that bookcases work as well in
hallways as they do in studies and kitchens.
Many older buildings suffer a dearth of right
angles, in which case building a dry wall to
make a straight edge is a solution. Irregular
spaces can also present difficulties and
demand individual attention. “In those cases,
the more bespoke, the better,” says Chesham.
Other joinery companies include
Martin Oakley, James Mayor Furniture,
Tim Wood, Rupert Bevan and Cheverell.
This interior created by John Coote, of
Coote & Bernadi
WORDS VIVIENNE HAMBLY PHOTOGRAPH LUKE WHITE/THE INTERIOR ARCHIVE

14 pages of advice upon considered purchases

 Table lamps are as much
about making a decorative
statement as they are
about illumination. Meldon
38cm glass urn table lamp,
£1,062, shown with cream
silk Pembroke lampshade,
£136, Vaughan.

ILLUMINATING
PRESENCE
Designed to be stars in their own right, decorative light
fittings serve on an aesthetic and practical level, both
bathing a room in light and acting as a glowing focal point
M
ost of the decorative
light fittings in our
homes today, including
chandeliers, sconces and portable
floor and table lamps, are
adaptations of candle holders.
This direct link back to candles may
seem curious but it is all too easy
to forget that lighting a room with
the flick of a switch is a relatively
recent development.
Prior to the mid-nineteenth
century, the only sources of
artificial light were oil burners or
candles; electric lighting did not
come into widespread use until the
late nineteenth century, while some
areas of rural Britain remained
without electricity until the
mid-twentieth century. The need to
change candles easily and safely
dictated the style of early candle
mounts. Up until Tudor times they
were quite functional; simple
timber posts or wheels set with
spikes. The sumptuous crystal
chandeliers and decorative wall
sconces we covet today came later
and were crafted to be decorative
elements in their own right and
reflect the precious candlelight.
Artificial light is delivered by the CLOCKWISE FROM
ABOVE LEFT In this
bulb, which is somewhat
unobtrusive design,
confusingly referred to as the acrylic shades held
‘lamp’. A luminaire is the fitting together with thin steel
wire diffuse and reflect
that holds the lamp and can be light to gentle effect.
grouped into two categories: those Enigma 425 pendant,
£421, Poulsen.
that form part of the overall design
Installing heavier light
statement and are meant to be fittings, such as this,
seen, and hidden fixtures that which weighs 80
kilogrammes, could
provide general and accent light. require ceilings to be
Tempting as it is to select a light reinforced. Chrome
and crystal droplet
fitting on the basis of looks alone,
Richmond chandelier,
it is important to consider how it £9,990, Louise Bradley.
will work in conjunction with other In hammered or
smooth copper, these
light sources in the room. effective pendant
A dramatic pendant fitting can fittings add warmth
make a wonderful focal point but it whether they are on or
off. Stanley pendant
is unlikely to provide sufficient lights, from £255.50
levels of light as a sole source. each, Original BTC.
Mirrors can reflect
Take a cue from professional
light, making darker
lighting designers and ‘layer’ the rooms appear brighter.
lighting in a home. Install a number Capella wall light,
£1,900 and Matisse
of sources of light on different Mirror, £8,600, Soane.
circuits so that each source can be
controlled independently. Aim to
include general illumination with
overhead lighting or wall lights;
task lighting in the form of lamps,
and accent lighting to highlight
architectural features or objects in
the room. Avoid having too 
THE ENGLISH HOME 101
Lighting Agency
The English House
Handmade light fittings

t 01252 719192
www.theenglishhouse.co.uk
e lightingagency.co.uk
www.lightingagency.co.uk tel: CHARLES MORRIS on 01502 478493
104A West St Farnham GU9 7EN

many statement and conflicting
styles of light fittings in one room.
MARK OF QUALITY
Whether choosing antique or
reproduction fittings, experts are
unanimous that quality counts.
Quality fittings have a number of
advantages over cheaper, mass-
produced items. Invariably they will
look better and retain their value,
and they can also be repaired,
something which is not always
possible with cheaper fittings.
Margaret Lewis of Fritz Fryer
Antique Lighting explains the
advantages of antique fittings.
“The quality of the casting and
engineering of antique fittings is
superb. In a period property they
just look right, especially when
they have the lovely patina of age.
The early gas and electrical fittings
were made for grand houses but in
the early twentieth century they
were scaled down for more modest
Victorian and Edwardian homes
and are readily available in many
different styles.”
When buying an antique fitting
look out for the registered design
marks, which were introduced from
1880s and pay to have the fitting
properly restored and rewired.
“Do not attempt to run anything
that has an old flex and if it is
being sold as restored then it must
have a PAT (Portable Appliance
Test) safety test sticker,” Margaret
warns. “We use modern braided
three core flex that is properly
insulated and modern lamp
holders in high-quality phenolic
(plastic) or brass.” She also
recommends original shades,
although notes that authentic sets
of shades are quite difficult to find.
“Curiously, many of the earlier
electric fittings did not have shades
at all as their owners were keen to
show off the electric bulbs.”
EYE FOR DETAIL
Today the lighting market is
inundated with mass-produced
products made by machine
Buyer’s Guide
processes and often in lower grade CLOCKWISE FROM
ABOVE LEFT A glass
materials. However, there are
pendant brings simple
a number of companies in the UK sophistication to
that continue to make quality exterior lighting.
Bloomsbury pendant in
fittings using traditional skills. antiqued brass, £242,
If investing in a new fitting, Jim Lawrence.
Dominic Phillips of Phillips and A generous lantern
lights the way and
Wood, offers the following advice creates a focal point at
of what to look for as indicators of the top of the stairs.
Medium Carousel
quality. “Gilt brass and bronze lantern, £5,520, as
should have the right weight,” shown in nickel and
powdered bronze,
cheaper casting metals can be
Charles Edwards.
difficult to identify but are A British classic, this
generally not as heavy. “Castings aluminium desk light
can be angled to cast
should be crisp in detail and have a concentrated pool of
contrasting finishes. Glass drops light where neeeded.
should have a very smooth surface Task table light, £305,
Original BTC.
and be perfectly clear with crisp
edges and no mould lines. The
object should be held together
mostly mechanically and not 
THE ENGLISH HOME 103
 FREEPHONE 0808 155 0653

Simon Lancaster Interiors

Specialist in Made to Measure
Blinds - Curtains - Conservatory Blinds
Plantation Shutters - Awnings - Carpets - Reupholstery

1A/1B Wellington Street, Gravesend, Kent DA12 1JA

Tel: 01474 567915 - www.lancasterinteriors.co.uk

Reinvented,
Recycled & Revived

We are a new online based company who are

passionate about our environment and whose
ethos is to offer bespoke and individual pieces
that have been recycled and revamped.

• Antique upholstered pieces • Bespoke service

• Hand finished furniture • Home accessories

PepperCornHouse
www.peppercornhouse.com
www.thefrenchhouse.net email: enquiries@peppercornhouse.com
Tel: 01325 401778 • Mob: 07961 967070

solely with glue or invisible
permanent clips,” he adds,
although glue is still often used
and vital for many quality
processes. “Darker metal finishes,
such as antiqued bronze, should be
a colour of the surface metal, and
not a paint or lacquer covering.
This is achieved using chemicals
which oxidise the surface rather
than an applied colour.”
As Phillips explains, making
a quality product is a time
consuming and highly skilled
process. “When we are making an
antique-style lamp, which features
gilt brass castings, we will spend
the time chiselling, scraping, filing
and burnishing the castings in the
traditional way before they are
gold plated. This gives a crispness
of detail in the castings that mass
production cannot achieve.
We also spend time to be sure
that the design itself is pleasing
to the eye and practical to use,”
he elaborates.
Use of the highest quality raw
materials makes all the difference
in the final product. “Often the
best quality lead-crystal chandelier
drops are only slightly more
expensive than moulded
equivalents, or MDF veneered with
walnut is actually more expensive
than a solid piece,” Phillips explains.
Finally, finishing is vital. “It is
often the case that a machine
finish will be cleaner and more
flawless than a handmade finish.
However, the very finest handmade
finishes will be flawless as well, so
experience is needed to spot the
difference,” he concludes.
STYLE AND PLACEMENT
It is not always possible to select
a light fitting that is true to the
period of the property. Historical
styles often overlapped and did
Buyer’s Guide
not necessarily fit into neat CLOCKWISE FROM
ABOVE LEFT A grand
categories such as ‘Georgian’ or
interior is befitting of
‘Victorian’. This, together with the equally grand light
fact that records are often scarce, fittings, which can be
used to illuminate and
is a problem that Dernier draw attention to
& Hamlyn, who hold the Royal decorative items
and detail. Palace
Warrant for bespoke lighting hand-cast brass three-
manufacture and restoration, often light sconce in French
encounter in their work. Managing gold, £2,640,
Christopher Hyde.
director Jeremy Quantrill offers Over time, modern
advice that is relevant to all styles can become
design classics.
decorative lighting choices. “If we
Handmade, hand-
have to start from scratch, we painted Gräshoppa
create a design that is sympathetic floor lamp, £538,
Chelsea Textiles.
to the building and often it comes
down to subtle details that tie in
with the architectural features.”
The scale of the light fitting and
where it is positioned are critical to
the way it looks and performs in
a room. There are no set rules, but
Kevin Weaver of Guinevere
advises, “Visually, when deciding
on the size of a chandelier for
a room, bigger is better. There 
THE ENGLISH HOME 105
 Nothing similar is quite the same.

Call 0844 414 1617, email sales@jim-lawrence.co.uk or visit www.jim-lawrence.co.uk

Showroom at The Ironworks, Lady Lane Industrial Estate, Hadleigh, Suffolk, IP7 6BQ

is nothing worse than a chandelier
looking like a lonely earring in a
room. This is going to be a focal
point of a room so make it good.”
In terms of style, Kevin suggests,
“When integrating a chandelier
into a room, a Louis XVI or Empire
chandelier will work with both
modern linear furnishings and the
more traditional room as they are
relatively structural in shape. If the
room scheme is more florid and
bold a Murano glass chandelier
and sconces will work wonderfully.”
Both pendants and chandeliers
should be hung just under one
metre from the top of a table;
slightly more if the ceiling is very
high. Logically, they should sit
within the perimeter of the table.
For comfort, the lower edge of
a reading lamp should be just
F EATURE WENDY UREN
below eye level, although a lower
table may require a taller lamp
base. A floor-standing lamp should
be positioned just behind and to
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
the side of a chair and the light
source should be below your eye
level when seated in the chair.
IN THE SHADE
There are many points to consider
when selecting a lamp shade.
Relate the shade to the shape of
the base; the lower edge should
just cover the switch and the actual
shade should be at least five
centimetres away from the lamp
bulb. A simple rule is to select
a lampshade with a diameter that
is approximately the same as the
height of the lamp base while
a lamp to be used for reading is
best fitted with a wider shade.
The colour and lining of the
shade will affect the way light is
delivered: a pale shade will glow
with light and also cast beams up
and down; while an opaque, dark
shade will only cast light up and
down. The colour of the lining will
also have an impact: a gold lining
Buyer’s Guide
will give a soft, warm glow while CLOCKWISE FROM
ABOVE LEFT Set into
silver reflects a whiter light.
a bookshelf, the
Similarly, the light given from Rodmarton single arm
a brass, chrome or nickel fitting will wall light, £144, with
parchment shade, £21,
be warm or cooler depending on is designed by
the metal finish. Charles Morris for
The English House.
It serves to be aware of the
An antique brass and
current changes in legislation crystal lamp is the
regarding energy efficiency of perfect addition to an
aged églomisé console
lighting. Since 2009, the European table; lamp £635, John
Commission has ruled against the Richard at Interio.
sale of inefficient lamp bulbs and Used in a triptych,
lights can be come
by September 2011, incandescent a statement piece.
lamp bulbs will be phased out. This Penelope pendant, £40
each, John Lewis.
has a direct impact on the bulbs
A dark shade will cast
that can be fitted in decorative light down. Large
fittings. Lucy Martin, design hanging drum shade in
Nickel and Black
director at John Cullen Lighting, eggshell paint, £4,320,
recommends easily recycled ES Charles Edwards.
(Energy Saving) lamps, now sold Design features can
make lights more than
widely, as replacements for the sum of their parts.
incandescent lamps bulbs. As she Swing arm floor light
with circular tray,
explains, “The ES lamps give £1,500, Soane.
a crisp, clear light and dim
beautifully. They are available in all
cap sizes.” ■
THE ENGLISH HOME 107
108 THE ENGLISH HOME
 AGE-OLD APPEAL
Layers of plaster were chipped away and rotten beams
replaced in this 500-year-old farmhouse kitchen, to bring
to life a vibrant room fit for a modern family

A marble-topped island
unit, with deep, capacious
drawers designed for
accommodating pots and
pans, is central to the
design of the kitchen.
RIGHT Ruth’s favourite
piece of furniture is the
slate-topped baker’s table,
which she commissioned
as an afterthought. She
finds it useful for housing
domestic miscellany.
I
t was a new oak beam that proved to
be the most troublesome part of
refurbishing the Willoughby kitchen.
Intended to span the width of the ceiling,
the large beam was delivered slightly too
long and needed to be trimmed to fit.
When it came to placing the wooden
support, however, the carpenter realised
he had made a grave mistake: he had cut
the beam too short.
“It was one of those moments when
everybody just... stood,” recalls Ruth
Willoughby, who lives in the north-west
London farmhouse with her husband
Edward and daughters Kate,16, and
19-year-old Lucinda.
The new beam was part of an extensive
renovation of the Grade II listed building,
which dates back to the sixteenth century,
in which the kitchen alone took nearly
a year to complete. For as one task was
embarked upon, another demanded
attention. “When they stripped the plaster,
the builders found that the uprights were
rotten,” explains Ruth. The floor, too, was
on the point of collapse, with streams of
water running beneath the boards,
providing an ideal home for the rats which
popped up nightly through a hole in one
of the old kitchen units. “All the joists were
rotten,” Ruth says, adding that she
became “very good at making soup on
one plate,” in a make-shift kitchen set up
for the duration in a newer, Georgian wing.
When the structural work was
completed, the Willoughbys consulted
Matt Podesta, of Podesta Design, to
handle the design and layout of the new
kitchen. The couple liked the sympathetic
eye and flexibility he offered with the
choice of handmade kitchen units.
Ruth was clear that they wanted their
kitchen to reference the rusticity of the old
farmhouse, while coping with the 
THE ENGLISH HOME 109
Case Study
demands of modern life. “There’s so much
history in there,” says Podesta, explaining
how he approached the job. “I wanted to
put in cabinetry that complemented the
building. One of the key things we
discussed was making it feel as if the
furniture belonged to the house.”
Initially keen to have as many cupboards
and as much storage space as possible,
Ruth was advised against this, for the
reason that runs of wall units would
diminish the scale of the room. Instead,
the scheme they arrived at represents
a mildly eclectic collection of materials,
used in a warm and inviting way. “There’s
not a square wall or flat floor in that
building so we really had to design our
furniture so that, proportionately, it fitted
very well,” Podesta explains.
Although Ruth at first wanted a large
kitchen table, it became apparent that
a substantial island, with storage for pots
and pans, as well as a dishwasher and hob,
would be more practical, given the short
supply of wall space in the room. With
eye-catching whorls of pippy oak, the
island is topped with a large slab of
Carrara marble, which Ruth chose for its
timeless appeal and practicality. “I’ve been
married for 23 years and I’ve been using
the same little pastry board I got when
I was a student. To have this big marble
top for pastry is fantastic,” she says.
110 THE ENGLISH HOME
Throughout the project, sensitivity to
how the kitchen would present itself to
visitors prevailed, to the extent that the
hob on the island was positioned on the
side furthest from the kitchen entrance, so
as to be less visible. “You don’t want
people to be knocked out by gadgets and
things,” Ruth elaborates.
Elsewhere, the farmhouse style
continues in a double-basin ceramic sink,
abutting a counter top made from iroko,
a wood known for its durability and water-
repelling abilities. “It gets rich and dark
with age and only needs a periodic
oiling,” Podesta notes.
Against the walls, painted units house
a fridge, built-in double oven cooker and
microwave, as well as a glass-fronted
display cabinet for Ruth’s crockery
collection. In an adjoining utility room an
elm pantry cupboard contributes to the
simple, natural feel of the arrangement.
The family’s treasure, however, is
CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT Adopting a
considered approach
to the design was
critical to establishing
an harmonious feel
in the room.
A double-bowl
farmhouse sink is
ideally placed for
a view of the garden.
Above the sink,
a specially designed
plate rack is both
practical and
aesthetically pleasing.
In the utility room,
unusual grain in an elm
pantry unit fitted with a
single-bowl sink brings
interest to the room.
a two-metre-wide inglenook fireplace, complete
with centuries-old soot and a bread oven, which
was discovered when the Victorian fireplace
housing an Aga was removed. Once plastered
over, it was carefully restored and now acts as
reminder of the kitchen’s past. ■
SHOPPING DETAILS
Create a rustic-feeling kitchen with all of
the conveniences of modern life
CABINETRY: Pippy wood island unit and wall units
painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hardwick White, with
dovetail joints and undermounted soft-close
FEATURE VIVIENNE HAMBLY PHOTOGRAPHS PODESTA
runners, dish rack and slate-topped baker’s table,
all bespoke, from £20,000, Podesta.
TAPS: Ionian 4192 mixer, Perrin and Rowe.
SINK: Ceramic double-bowl sink, Farmhouse
6331, and single-bowl sink, Farmhouse 6322, both
Villeroy & Boch.
WORKTOPS: Unpainted units, iroko wood.
Painted units and island, Carrara marble.
APPLIANCES: Pyrolitic oven, combination
microwave oven, warming drawer and five-ring
gas hob, all Atag.
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
HUMPHREYMUNSON
Beautiful handmade kitchens & furnitur
as individual as you are…

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HEART OF
YOUR HOME
Natural textures combined with vintage
pieces and design classics will bring a rich
and warming atmosphere to the kitchen
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
• Well-made traditional mechanical
scales will last for years and will never
need to have a battery replaced at an
inopportune moment. Terraillon kitchen
scale, £25, John Lewis
• Lancashire-based Shaws of Darwen has
been producing handcrafted fireclay sinks
since 1894, making the company a rarity
amid the assemblage of kitchen and
bathroom suppliers operating today.
Longridge Butler’s sink in white or
biscuit, £544.23, Shaws of Darwen
• Filled with attractive crockery,
a classic plate rack can make an
eye-catching kitchen accessory.
FEATURE VIVIENNE HAMBLY
Position it close to the dishwasher for
ease of use. Wooden plate rack,
50x46x27cm, £88, Divertimenti
• Bright, cheerful ceramics carrying
geometric patterns or floral motifs,
whether vintage, market finds or
modern designs, offer light relief from
more formal elements in a room. Poppy
half-pint mug and Camellia half-pint mug,
£17.95 each, Emma Bridgewater
• If having a marble worktop
is an impossibility, opt for
a series of marble slabs reserved
for such things as cheese and
pastry. Small 11.5x20cm cheese
slab, £19.50; large 30x23cm
FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
Design Details
cheese slab, £35; serving/pastry slab
50x35cm, £45, all David Mellor
• Keeping a chair beside a telephone
table will make those longer chats far
comfier affairs. Invest in a quality piece,
or call upon The London Chair
Collective to upholster inherited or
second-hand chairs using traditional
methods. Handmade Wellington Ironback
chair, £2,758, excluding requisite 4.5m
plain fabric and 4m flanged cord, Dudgeon
• Make use of vintage graphics and
bold signage to evoke
memories of times gone by.
Framed original bus destination
blind, £225, Retrophenia
• A small wooden breakfast bar
can double as a sideboard, or,
if low enough, extra counter
space. Breakfast table and
stools, £449, Cotswold Company
• The familiar patter of a favourite radio
programme in the morning can ease one
into a new day. Bush portable radio,
£29.99, Argos
• Designed in 1934 by Xavier Pauchard,
as part of a seating range for French
cafes, the now iconic Tolix bar stool is
ideal for modern breakfast nooks and
islands. This stool, made of varnished
steel, has classic, utilitarian appeal. Tolix
stackable bar stool, £215, Pedlars ■
THE ENGLISH HOME 113
TAKING
THE FLOOR
Modern carpets are descended from a rich weaving tradition,
which when combined with new technology and a modern aesthetic
results in a superb range of flooring from which to choose

C
arpet brings a touch of comfort,
even luxury, to a home. As well as
making the floors warm and soft
underfoot, they add colour and style to an
interior scheme. England has been home
to many internationally renowned carpet
manufacturers for hundreds of years,
a legacy which lasts today. “We lead the
way in design and production,” affirms
Rupert Anton of The Carpet Foundation.
Yet despite England’s world-wide
reputation, carpeting has more exotic, and
much older, origins.
Carpet has been a flooring of choice
throughout much of human history. Even in
the Dark Ages our ancestors covered mud
floors with rushes. At that time, in Arabia,
where civilisation was more advanced,
Turkish and Persian weavers were already
creating precious carpets for the wealthy.
When Eleanor of Castile arrived in
England in 1254 to marry Edward I she
brought carpets from Spain, which had
been under Arab rule. Their rich colours
and intricate patterns must have seemed
wonderful to those used to rough planks
or bare stone.
By the seventeenth century, the English
had become skilled carpet makers, thanks
to entrepreneurs who brought weavers
from the Middle East to train English
workers. England was the world’s greatest
wool producer at the time, and the
resource was already a major money
spinner, creating a class of wealthy traders.
Laying the foundations for today’s
manufacturing industry, the first carpet
factories were running in 1550 and by 1655
work had begun at the Wilton Carpet
Factory in Wiltshire. In 1755, Moorfield and
Whitty opened a factory at Axminster in
Devon, before relocating to Wilton in
1835. It was in this area of southwest
England that specific weaving techniques
were developed which were named after
the towns of their origin, Axminster and
Wilton. These methods, still used in the
modern manufacturing processes, have
become synonymous with quality carpets.
At the same time, the carpet industry
expanded in the Midlands, notably in
Kidderminster, south-west of Birmingham,
where in 1735 a double-sided, reversible
wool carpet called Kidder Cloth was
developed and in 1851 the first powered
Axminster looms were introduced by an
American, Erasmus Bigelow. The carpet-

114 THE ENGLISH HOME

 Buyer’s Guide

making tradition continues here today. CLOCKWISE FROM

MAIN Textural
“Victoria carpets, Brockway carpets and
variations bring
Brintons are all still based in Kidderminster interest to Savile Row
in the Midlands,” explains Zoe Brady, Cotton Twill (SR 72),
Designer collection,
floorcovering buyer at John Lewis. £64.20 a square metre,
Brockway Carpets.
FITTING DEVELOPMENT Stripes are a classic
choice. Silverstripe
By the time World War I began, the carpet in 100 per cent
number of people employed in the British wool, from
Designer Graphite
industry had swelled to 27,000 but at this Stripe collection, £27
point carpets were still unfitted. Wall-to- a square metre, Wools
of Cumbria.
wall fitted carpets were first made in the
Technological
US between the world wars. However, they developments have
did not become popular in Britain until the resulted in various
combinations of fibres,
1960s when increased prosperity made based on appearance
them affordable. By 1970 the traditional and durability. Wool
woven carpet had declined in sales by 70 Sisool Tric, 62 per cent
sisal, 38 per cent wool,
per cent while sales of carpets made by from £88 a square
tufting – a new, quicker and cheaper  metre, Crucial Trading.

THE ENGLISH HOME 115

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production method – had increased by 300
per cent. Aided by national advertising
campaigns, carpets became more
fashionable, affordable and available.
“During its heyday, the manufacture of
British carpets was often by family-run
businesses, whose production methods
had changed little since the turn of the
century,” explains Tom Heduan of
Blenheim Carpets. “Both Wilton and
Axminster carpets were being produced
on ageing, outdated, unproductive,
labour-intensive machinery. The tufted
method of production began to increase
at this time, being far more efficient in its
production methods on all counts.”
CONTEMPORARY CARPETS
With time, carpet manufacture expanded
around the world and today the market is
saturated with imports from abroad,
notably from Belgium, The Netherlands
and Poland. Yet, over the years, England
has developed a particular expertise in
manufacturing wool-rich and patterned
woven Axminster and Wilton carpets
destined for the mid to top end of the
market. To maintain competitiveness
against imports, English companies have
strived to stay relevant through using new
design technology and new materials.
Buyer’s Guide
CLOCKWISE FROM Loop pile carpets are
LEFT Treating the floor hardwearing but not
as a ‘fifth wall’ can good for pets. Avebury
make selecting a carpet in Kennet Grey,
design easier. Uist rug the Avebury collection,
in 100 per cent wool, £34 a square metre,
240 x 170cm, Anta. Cormar.
Collaborations have Bespoke carpets bring
resulted in designs singular appeal to a
such as Lilac Eau de setting. Pure wool
Nil, £73 a square metre, carpet, from £88
from the Laura Ashley a linear metre,
collection, Brintons. Blenheim Carpets.
Consumers, in turn, have begun to expect
more of the carpet chosen for their homes.
“After many years of buying beige,
customers are starting to add more
personality to their homes through their
choice of carpet, with colour and pattern
growing in popularity. Stripes are a
particular favourite, especially for stairs,”
explains Brady.
Manufacturers have responded to this
demand. For example, Brintons, which
began manufacturing carpets in 1783, has
collaborated with the RHS Lindley Library,
Laura Ashley and interior designer
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to create
contemporary designs that are
sympathetic to modern tastes, while
Jeremy Wilson of Ulster Carpets reports carpets with a nobbly, coarse appearance
that “more contemporary floral and but a forgiving surface. Velvets have a
damask styles have done well, as have more luxurious appearance and are like
modern plaid and tartan styles.” suede in that the pile appears to darken
when rubbed one way. Saxony carpet has
PRODUCING THE PILE a deep pile and sensuous appearance and
Carpets are made using a number of feel, although it is prone to flattening and
different methods, with varying results. unsuitable for heavy traffic. Loop piles are
When selecting a carpet and what pile to the carpet version of coir and sisal. They
choose, consider where it will be laid in have a firm handle but should be avoided
the home, and how much wear and tear it by pet owners as cats and dogs can
will have to withstand, as certain piles work unthread the loop. Patterned carpets
best in certain areas of the home. Twists generally have a smooth, velvet finish.
are generally very hard-wearing plain The pile of a carpet is produced in one 
THE ENGLISH HOME 117
 CLOCKWISE FROM can yield the best
TOP LEFT High quality results. Majestic, in
wool is instrumental in duck egg blue, £86 a
creating luxurious square metre, Brintons.
carpet. Chicago carpet In high-traffic areas,
in steel, £87 a square a tight weave is most
metre, Crucial Trading. durable. Pure wool,
Increased demand for Braid Crown carpet
pattern is reflected in £48.90 a square metre,
carpet as much as Alternative Flooring
wallpaper and fabric. Pale shades offer a
Tapestry Natural in failsafe way to increase
undyed wool, from the sense of space in
the Natural Choice a home. Lille carpet in
range, £70 a square pure wool, French
metre, Ulster. Connection collection,
When in doubt, a £45 a square metre,
simple colour scheme Kersaint Cobb.

of two ways. Weaving yarn on a loom is the
traditional method, while tufting, where
the yarn is punched into position, is used
for more mass-produced flooring.
Woven carpets have a tendency to be
expensive as the manufacturing process is
labour intensive and uses a lot of yarn.
Axminster and Wilton are the two main
types of woven carpet. Axminsters have a
velvet finish and are patterned using many
colours. The main difference between
Axminster and other looms is that the front
and back of the carpet are woven
simultaneously. Wilton carpet is usually
plain or textured, either loop or cut pile.
Both types of carpets are very dense and
durable. “There is no discernible
difference in finish or quality between
a Wilton and an Axminster,” says Anton.
Most carpet sold today is tufted as it is
quicker and cheaper to produce than
latex to finish the carpet. The result is a
stable carpet that is unlikely to unravel.
WONDERFUL WOOL
While newer materials such as seagrass,
jute, coir and even paper have become
increasingly popular in modern carpets,
the age-old appeal of wool remains,
although the fibre is often mixed with
small amounts of polyester for durability
and textural definition.
“The hard-wearing yet soft and
luxurious properties of carpet are directly
linked to the quality of the wools.
Combining the luxury of wool and the
hardwearing properties of nylon in a wool-
rich mix can boost the wear of a carpet,”
explains Wilson.
It is a sentiment that has resulted in the
industry’s support of the Campaign for
Wool, initiated by the Prince of Wales in
farmers, too,” explains Zoe Brady.
“British-made is still a major selling
point internationally,” believes Carl
Johnson, marketing director at Brintons.
“We export to over 80 countries
worldwide. We have a rare and genuine
heritage and that’s a great selling point.” ■
LOOKING AFTER CARPETS
Woollen carpets will offer years of
service if maintained correctly
Longevity begins with fitting, when a
quality underfelt should be laid beneath
the carpet for added durability. Thereafter,
the simplest way to care for carpet is to
vacuum it frequently to prevent fibres
becoming matted, the Carpet Foundation
recommends. Cut-pile carpets respond best
to cleaners with beater brushes but these
should not be used on looped carpets,
which can pill and snag. For these, a regular,
upright cleaner is more suitable. Spills
F EATURE ERICA MILLER

should be blotted with paper towel as soon

traditional methods of weaving. Tufted
carpet is made by punching the yarn into
a woven backing using needles and then
applying a secondary backing fabric with
2008, who observed that the industry was
in difficulty. “Many of our carpets are made
using British wool, which means they
[consumers] will be supporting British
as possible and treated with a woolsafe-
approved carpet cleaner. Steam-clean
carpets rarely and only when very dirty,
advises Rupert Anton.

118 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
 Construction & Renovation

Structural & Architectural Design

Fitting, Decoration & Construction
(including all building works)

Tel: 020 3178 8741 | Email: london@maxhardltd.com

www.maxhardltd.com
YOUR INDISPENSABLE GUIDE TO SUCCESS WITH FRUIT & VEG

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FROM THE TEAM AT THE ENGLISH GARDEN MAGAZINE

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 QUINTESSENTIALLY
The delights of the apple | Vintage-style flowers | Pumpkin & sage soup

FROM LITTLE ACO

ORNS
What better way to celebrate the new season
WORDS SAMANTHA SCOTT-JEFFRIES PHOTOGRAPH WTPL/ILENE STERNS

than by enjoying our great British woodlands.

Crunch through the autumn leaves under foot,
marvel at the tree canopy above and take the
opportunity to learn more about the beauty and
diversity of our woodlands during British Tree
Week. Running from 3 to 8 October, a series of
activities and events including walks by The
Woodland Trust and the Ramblers will teach
participants how to spot our native trees and
diverse fauna, as well as show how to plant and
care for trees at home. It is the perfect
opportunity for all of the family, from little acorns
to great oaks, to escape, explore and learn.
There will also be an opportunity to share
favourite woodland areas and test new-found
knowledge on returning home and logging on to
the official website www.BritishTreeWeek.co.uk

15 pages of travel and tradition

ENGLAND
Enjoy the abundant
harvest of English
apples, each distinct
in flavour and texture,
to crunch upon in
their natural state,
sup their juices or to
turn into delicious
home-cooked delights

Seasonal gathering
All of the family can join in
harvesting apples from the
orchard. Gather baskets of
windfall apples before you
pluck from the trees as
those on the ground are
already ripe. Discard any
nibbled or rotting fruit.
 English Apples

LEFT Going to press BELOW Juicy fruits

Apple presses comes in a
variety of sizes according to
the volumes to be made and
a crusher is a very useful
attachment. Line the press
with muslin to keep the pulpy
bits together. Presses and
crushers are available from
vigopresses.com or
wineworks.co.uk
Combine different varieties of
apple for juicing. Apple juice
made at Honeybee Farm in
Kingswood, Surrey, is made
using a selection of the 76
varieties that are grown on
the farm. It is available to buy
from the Hive Honey Shop in
Battersea, London,
thehivehoneyshop.co.uk

O
ctober is always welcome, the warm glow at summer’s
end, bringing with it the rustle of sunset leaves,
plentiful harvests and boughs bent heavy with ripened
fruits, and the pick of the crop are delicious English apples.
As individual as our counties, revered in our home cooking and
downed as juice and cider in our traditional hostelries, apples are
an integral part of the ritual of autumn.
Crab apples are native to Britain but the cultivated apple was
introduced by the Romans, a fruit we have greedily embraced as
our own. Centuries of kings and peasants have dined on and
drunk the juice of the fruits from the now quintessential English
orchard where the customary rituals of ‘scrumping’ and mid-winter
‘wassailing’ continue today, to bless and ‘borrow’ the apple harvest.
Such is our love of the fruit, it is used figuratively to express
that which is cherished above all others, ‘the apple of my eye’,
attributed to King Alfred the Great of Wessex in AD 885 and
repeated throughout history. Yet, despite a plethora of
marvellous old English apples, as well as some newcomers, such
as Falstaff grown in Kent from 1965, a crisp and crunchy, sweet,
juicy dwarf apple, or Garden Sun Red, a twenty-first-century
sweet, juicy, red apple, English apples are in decline. In 2010,
Cox’s Orange Pippin, production of which has reduced by 50 per
cent in the last 25 years, was horribly usurped by New Zealand’s
‘Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in the apple of his eye’
Act III, scene II, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare
Gala apple, Britain’s new best seller. Here we celebrate national
varieties, revisit delicious ways to use our native apples and
explore the ease with which it is possible to grow your own.
GROW-YOUR-OWN ENGLISH APPLES
The best time for planting apple trees is October to December.
Select the variety and style according to taste, available space
and pruning skill and time.
Apples are grafted onto a range of rootstocks, with the option
of full-blown trees, dwarf or container specimens – the latter
being ideal for smaller gardens – along with decorative, trained
cordons, espaliers and fans for growing along walls, and step-
over-apples to edge pathways or hold in borders. Most apple 

THE ENGLISH HOME 125

Apple table treats
Little tastes better than your
very own, home-grown apple
plucked straight from the tree,
but apples and autumnal
baking go hand in hand. Apple
pies, tarts and baked apples
are all firm favourites. It is also
easy to magic apples into
a tasty assortment of jellies,
jams, chutneys and vinegars,
or they can be peeled and
stored for winter pies.
 English Apples

APPLE CAKE WITH PLUMS

Apples can be combined with many of our native
soft fruits to transform into mouth-watering desserts
Makes 1 cake 250g self-raising flour
Prep and cook time: 1h 750g (3-4) apples,
Not suitable for freezing (e.g. Bramley, Granny
Smith)
4 large eggs 1 tbsp lemon juice
240g caster sugar 3-4 Victoria plums,
250g butter, melted stones removed
1 tsp vanilla extract Icing sugar

• Heat the oven to lemon juice and the

180°C (160° fan),
350°F, gas mark 4.
Grease a 25cm round
cake tin and dust
lightly with flour.
• Whisk the eggs with
200g sugar in a mixing
bowl until thick and
pale. Whisk in the
butter and vanilla
until blended.
• Sift in the flour and
gently fold into the
mixture until
incorporated.
• Pour the mixture
into the cake tin.
• Peel and core the
apples and cut into
wedges. Sprinkle with
remaining sugar.
• Arrange the apples
in neat circles on the
cake mixture.
• Halve or quarter the
plums, depending on
their size, and arrange
in a circle, skin side
down, in the centre of
the tin.
• Bake for 30-40
minutes until golden.
Test if it is cooked by
inserting a skewer into
the cake – it should
come out clean.
• Cool in the tin for
10 minutes then sift
icing sugar over the
cake. Best eaten warm.

trees are not self-fertile and need pollen from a neighbouring
tree, in flower at the same time, in order to successfully pollinate
and fruit. Each variety has designated pollination groups to help
identify possible partners. A few varieties are self-fertile, amongst
them Red Devil, James Greeves and Falstaff, mainly modern
varieties, which do not quite have the character and personality
of heritage apples, but benefit from increased resistance to disease.
THE BEST NATIVE TASTES
Each area has its local hero, a unique and individual apple that
goes to make up over 1,200 different varieties that keep us in
almost year-round supply. We grow mainly ‘dessert’ apples, or
‘eaters’, as opposed to ‘cookers’ – although Bramley’s Seedling is
the most popular cooking apple – as well as crab or cider apples.
There is a groundswell of revived affection for heritage varieties,
those more than 100 years old. Childhood memories, local
produce, organic, slow-food and food-miles movements all
collude to promote ‘local’, often irregular or misshapen, but
oh-so-tasty heritage apples in favour of glossy, polished and
lacklustre supermarket imports. Some of our finest, as selected by
David Smyth, chief taster of Copella English Apple Juice, include:
• Cox’s Orange Pippin (1892). Our greatest English dessert
apple, with unrivalled richness and aromatic flavour combining
pear, melon, mango and orange juice, and distinctive ruddy
colouring. Beware of foreign grown Cox’s as their flavour is
intrinsic to our climate and soil.
• Laxton’s Superb (Suffolk,1897). Offspring of the above, this is
a delicious crisp, green-flushed-red eating apple with dense flesh
and sweet flavour.
• Bramley’s Seedling (Nottinghamshire, 1809).
The quintessential English cooking apple, famed for its powerful
apple-pie flavour and high acidity, which leaves desserts light,
flavoursome and fluffy. It sprung from a pip planted by a girl
named Mary Ann Beresford, over 200 years ago.
• Worcestershire Pearmain (Worcestershire, 1873). A September
cropper, best eaten on picking and renowned for its lovely
strawberry flavour, this is also reflected in its outer colouring.
• Discovery (Essex, 1949). Offspring of the above, this pale pink
dessert apple, with a faint hint of strawberry, is ideal for juicing.
• Sturmer Pippin (Suffolk, 1800). An extraordinary green apple
which, like wine, improves with age, maturing from sharp in
October, to really sweet from February onwards, after storing. 

THE ENGLISH HOME 127

 English Apples

FEATURE JACKY HOBBS PHOTOGRAPHS P.124 ©JACKY HOBBS; P.125 ©JACKY HOBBS/MICHELLE GARRETT, STYLING JACKY HOBBS; P.126 CAMERA PRESS; P.127 ©STUDIO SCHIERMANN/STOCKFOOD.CO.UK; P.128 ©JACKY HOBBS/MICHELLE GARRETT, STYLING JACKY HOBBS BACKGROUND IMAGE ©LAOZHANG/DREAMSTIME.COM
CELEBRATE THE SEASON
Apple fairs and festivals are delightful family days
out with apple and cider tastings, orchard visits,
apple bobbing, longest peel competitions,
BAKED APPLES cookery demonstrations and lots of delicious
This dish couldn’t be simpler. produce to taste and buy. Designated ‘Apple
Day’ is 21 October, where English apples and
Baking renders the texture of their local distinctiveness are celebrated
the apples light and fluffy countrywide. To find events near you visit
• Wash and core four medium www.commonground.org.uk

Bramley cooking apples, or SOME FAVOURITES

large dessert apples, which Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent: 24-25
need less time in the oven. September; 22-23 October. The home of the
• Retain the top of the core to National Fruit Collection, with over 2,200
(not all English) apples, celebrates with a Cider
plug the apple for initial baking. Festival in September and an October Apple
• Place in the oven on a Festival. You can also visit the nursery where a
buttered dish, adding a knob large variety of fruit trees, both heritage and
modern, are on offer.
of butter and a sprinkling of Tel 01795 536250; www.brogdalecollections.co.uk
brown sugar to the core hole Blackmoor fruit specialist nursery offers a wide
before ‘plugging’. selection of apple varieties and styles.
• Bake for 20 minutes at www.blackmoor.co.uk
160°C, remove and discard Audley End,Saffron Waldon, Essex: 17-18
September. This is a restored Victorian garden
core plug. with a fine display of expertly trained cordons,
• Stuff with dried fruits fans and espaliered heritage apples and pears.
pre-soaked in brandy, or Bring an apple from your own garden for
identification on Apple Weekend in September.
hedgerow-picked blackberries, Tel 01799 522842; www.english-heritage.org.uk
if available. Waterperry Gardens, Wheatley, Oxfordshire:
• Sprinkle with more brown 7–9 October. This three-day apple event has over
sugar and bake for a further 50 apple varieties on show, plus 15 types of
Waterperry-produced apple juice and a host of
10 minutes, taking care not to
experts to hand.
overcook. Tel 01844 339254; www.waterperrygardens.co.uk
• Serve warm, delicious with R.H.S Taste of Autumn, festival at Wisley, Surrey:
custard, ice-cream or a dollop 20-23 October. The festival includes apple
displays, tastings and apple identifications.
of double cream.
Tel 01483 211113; www.rhs.org.uk

PICK YOUR OWN

APPLE JUICE
Combined flavour
The best juice is made from fresh, not
Set your apple press
stored apples, mixing varieties of
up outside on a
sturdy table with a cookers and desserts for the best
receptacle set below
to collect the juice. flavour. Weather permitting, set up
Invite neighbours to pressing equipment outside as the
bring and combine
their apples for the
process can get rather sticky.
tastiest homemade Systematically tip clean and
apple juice.
healthy apples into the apple crusher,
and then transfer to a muslin-lined
press. The muslin helps to contain
the apples pieces. Turn the press
handle and slowly squeeze the juice
out into a waiting, clean receptacle.
To each litre of golden juice quickly
add ascorbic acid (see individual
packets for quantity, available from
home brew shops) to prevent the
juice discolouring and then funnel
into sterilised bottles. The juice can
be drunk immediately or it can be
pasteurised to increase its shelf life to
one to two years. ■
Find a farm near you and enjoy harvesting apples
for a family day out.
www.pickyourownfarms.org.uk
Royal fruit Farms, Sandringham. Pick English
apples including Cox’s Orange Pippin, Laxton’s
Fortune and more, all fit for a king or queen, in
the Royal orchards from mid-September through
to October. See the website for harvesting details
www.royalfruitfarms.co.uk
Ryton Organic Gardens, Warwickshire. Wassailing
and blessing of the apple trees takes place on
Sunday 15 January, with Morris dancing, poetry
recitals and ceremonial blessing of the apple trees.
www.gardenorganic.org.uk/events/show
READ ON
If looking for inspiration on what to do with a
collected windfall of apples, and for a little taste
of old England, a recommended book is The
Complete Book of Home Food Preservation
(1947) by Cyril Granges.
To help identify the numerous varieties of English
apple, The Apple Book by Rosie Sanders (Frances
Lincoln, £25) is an invaluable aid. Through
beautiful detailed watercolours, Rosie depicts the
range of form, colour and texture, accompanied
by detailed descriptions and history.

128 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
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 More than simply
decorative fruits, the flesh
of pumpkins can also be
used to make delicious
savoury and sweet dishes

In season
PUMKIN SOUP WITH SAGE & BACON
Makes four servings • Heat the butter in a pan and fry the • Add the sage to the pan
©STOCKFOOD/SHULEVSKY, VLADIMIR RECIPE WWW.STOCKFOOD.COM

onion and garlic. and fry for 30 seconds.

2 tbsp butter Salt and ground black • Add the potatoes and pumpkin and • Add the bacon and sage to the soup,
PHOTOGRAPHS ©STOCKFOOD/WEST, STUART (MAIN IMAGE);

1 onion, finely chopped pepper

cook for a few minutes. drizzle with the olive oil and season
• Stir in the vegetable stock and cook with ground black pepper. ■
1 garlic clove, finely 100g diced bacon
for 25 minutes until the vegetables are
chopped 25g butter
soft.
150g diced floury potatoes 5 fresh sage leaves SMASHING PUMPKINS
• Purée in a blender or push through
500g diced pumpkin flesh 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, While they can be carved into
a sieve and add the cream. unappetising faces, pumpkins are
650ml vegetable stock for drizzling • Add a little more stock if desired. a versatile culinary fruit and most
100ml cream, at least 30 • Add the ginger and season with parts are edible. Their season starts
per cent fat lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutmeg. in October and runs until December.
10g fresh ginger, grated Select the smallest, orange
• Fry the bacon in a small
specimens to cook with as
½ tsp lemon juice pan in the butter until crisp. Remove these will be the ripest.
1 pinch grated nutmeg Not suitable for freezing and drain on kitchen paper.

THE ENGLISH HOME 131

 Floral seduction
Fresh flower arrangements can become a work of art, lifting a
room with colour and texture. In this extract from her new book,
Vintage Flowers: Choosing, Arranging, Displaying, florist Vic
Brotherson advises how to create eye-catching floral displays

O
ne of the luxuries of working with
fresh flowers is they are already
beautiful, making it hard to go
wrong when it comes to displaying them.
I learnt how to ‘draw’ with flowers
(the technical anatomy) and then how to
tailor them, design them, line them up
and dome them and finally how to ‘paint’
with them, allowing the flowers to do the
work using the colour, shape and texture
to create still lives. Even if your budget is
tiny and your flower choices are limited,
it is always possible to create something
beautiful – especially if you have the right
container. I am lucky enough to have
a shop stuffed from floor to ceiling with
every conceivable shape and size of
container. My advice would be to keep as
many different styles of container as
possible and then your choice will be
easier. My personal style is for the vintage,
classic shapes of container, with traditional
lines that really allow the flowers to work
their magic: cornflowers in enamel jugs;
dahlias in marmalade pots; hydrangeas in
pickling jars – the choice is endless.
A SHAMELESS DISPLAY
Carnations and chrysanthemums are
banned by flower snobs, but why should
anyone exclude something so accessible
and inexpensive? I still choose to use
them for their neon brightness and
longevity. This Beswick vase (above) is
perfect with its chocolate abstract pattern
and elegant, classic shape.

132 THE ENGLISH HOME

Flower Arrangements

GLORIOUS RIOT OF COLOUR

These colours don’t clash; they sit
boldly next to each other. I love an
oversaturation of pattern, shape and
texture, but to fill every vase with
every flower would detract from
their individual shape and glory.
When using strong colours, the eye
needs some relief in order to
appreciate the show-stoppers, so it is
more effective to keep to one variety
only in one or two of the vases.
Here, the small marmalade pots –
one filled with roses and the other
with hydrangeas – are still allowed
to show off, but they don’t compete
with the large crock of flamboyant
dahlias in the background. 

DUCK EGG BLUE
Duck egg blue has to be the most coveted
vase colour. These ’50s Dartmouth mantel
vases are filled with garden hydrangeas
and pale blue scabious. I lined the bases
first with a ball of chicken wire because
neither of them came with their original
wire frames. They are kept permanently
out of the way on a cupboard top, where
they become part of the decoration.
CUPBOARD OF JOY
Shelves filled with jelly moulds and
tureens find a second function in my
house. These lovely old things create
shapes and patterns that act like
wallpaper. When they are filled with
odd stems the whole thing becomes
a cupboard of joy – it makes me smile.
The flowers are aquilegia and allium and
I left them in there for weeks!
Flower Arrangements
PORCELAIN ROSES
Sneaking a china rose in amongst the real
blooms makes you really want to touch
and discover which ones are real. These
Victorian, hand-painted vases are perfect
for displaying unusual colours; the strong
turquoise can take the ochre and apricot,
while the ‘candiest’ of pinks is made even
more so with bright scarlet. The stemmed
shape of these vases gives an elegance. 
THE ENGLISH HOME 135
Flower Arrangements

MAKING AN ENTRANCE
Hallways are the perfect place to set
a mood, even if it changes season by
season. This is a run of personal
favourites, a green pickle jar filled with
blush lilac and prunus blossom, a pair of
entwined white birds, some lily-of-the-
valley in a rusty old jardinière, the white
horse, a matt pink Beswick urn and
a small carboy bottle of camellia.

CREATING A QUIET STILL LIFE

Small groups of treasures and flowers
make for peaceful little pockets. This is
a time to pay attention to the smallest
details, as if the flowers are part of
embroidery. Roses come in the gentlest
and most nostalgic of colours. I prefer to
use varieties that ‘bloom wide’, as
watching them open, flower and then
fade adds to their magic. Bell jars have an
amazing way of magnifying the beauty of
small flower arrangements, and are
capable of turning a single rose into a tiny
work of art.

FINDING PLEASURE IN FLOWERS

I have learnt the techniques of many
people over the years. I have learnt short
cuts and nifty ways to make flowers work
to their full capacity, and I have learnt
through experimenting and through my
mistakes. A lot of my decisions are based
around my clients and flower choices can
be derived from the individual tastes of

PHOTOGRAPHS CATHERINE GRATWICKE; P.132 PROFILE SHOT: SARAH TURTON

the various people I have been lucky
enough to work for, and the décor of their
homes I have been fortunate to visit.
When choosing flowers for any
arrangement my rule of thumb is to go
for ones that actually give me something
in return, and by this I mean a sense of
pleasure. Whether they open and
blossom, give off a divine perfume, carry
an unusual shape or texture, or have
an amazing colour… only then am
I truly satisfied. ■

Vintage Flowers: Choosing, Arranging,

Displaying by Vic Brotherson,
from which this feature is
adapted, is published by Kyle
Books, priced £25.
Available from all good
bookshops or visit
www.kylebooks.com
ISBN 978-1-85626-971-1

136 THE ENGLISH HOME

 make an entrance...
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The art of
HUSBAND
MANAGEMENT
Passionate about quintessential English customs,
our incognito columnist reminds us how to do the
best things in life in the most elegant fashion,
always with a twinkle in her eye
T
RIGHT Men generally he issue of managing one’s husband is
require a little gentle
rather a tricky one, not least because there
persuasion to convince
them to do one’s is not a man on earth who likes to be
bidding. Pointing out managed. Before marriage, many behave
the benefits to them, as
well as heaping on the in the manner of the perfect husband. They pay their
praise when they do beloved masses of attention, constantly telephone
well, will spur them to
do more to gain
and follow the poor girl around like a lost puppy.
teacher’s approval. Once a ring is involved things are apt to change.
Husband husbandry is a delicate art and when
practised in a heavy-handed fashion can end in either
divorce or a nasty reputation as a harridan. This is
why it is of the utmost importance that no one,
particularly not the said husband, is aware that any
kind of management is taking place.
Start as you mean to go on is a policy that is best
instituted from day one. It helps to have a basic
knowledge of how men think. There are many books
available on the subject, including titles which
suggest men and women are from different planets.
I cannot countenance any approach that suggests one
treats one’s spouse as if he were an alien. Different,
certainly, but just about the same species. It is fair to
say that Mr M has been a challenge. Gruff, solitary
and uncommunicative unless offering a strident
opinion, he would try the patience of a saint of either
gender. I had a major breakthrough, however, when I
realised that men are simply less emotionally evolved.
As any woman reading this will know, we tend to
worry an issue to death and go round and round in
circles as we process information, thoughts and
feelings. For men, this is akin to torture. They see
a problem and simply seek a solution. It is a jolly
Mrs Minerva Writes…
good idea, therefore, to do one’s musing alone or with
girlfriends before ever raising a thorny subject with
the man in one’s life. It is important also not to tell
him one has done this. Men often regard their wife’s
friends as a form of coven, intent on undermining
him and destabilising the domestic equilibrium.
Instead, rather like small dogs, husbands thrive on
praise. So by far the best thing to do is employ the
carrot rather than stick when training one’s spouse.
Praise them when they spontaneously make a pot of
Earl Grey; say what a good boy they are when they
come home early and suggest a romantic supper for
two; thank them profusely for every present given,
whether on an occasion or not.
Pre-marriage, the big issue is often that of
commitment. Mr M, I have to confess, was a tad
tricky to pin down in that department, so I set a
deadline: if he had not proposed by a certain
date, I was off. Interestingly,
he finally came to his senses a
mere 20 minutes before I was
about to take my leave.
Men are terrified of losing
their freedom and this is
why they view commitment
as, well, too much of a
commitment. This fear of loss
continues well into marriage.
It is because of this that those
relationships in which a wife
nags her husband into
submission tend to go horribly wrong. If he is 
THE ENGLISH HOME 139
Mrs Minerva Writes…
watching the cricket and she wants him to take out
the rubbish, mow the lawn or wash the dog and she
makes her disappointment known, he will see his
future independence disappearing.
Instead of nagging – and this works in every area of
marriage – allow him to believe that everything is his
idea. If he believes he thought the dog was in need of
a good scrub then he will be thrilled to do it. If you
suggest it, he will feel put upon and henpecked.
There are other conversational danger areas. Never
whine. He will find you dull and tedious. With
Mr M, I find a hard stare and an assertive command
work far better. Husbands also abhor gossip. I know
in the early days of your relationship he probably
listened for hours as you told him of the various
comings and goings of your friends, but now, unless
an acquaintance has run off with the circus, been
awarded a Nobel Prize, climbed Everest in a tutu or
been picked to play for England, at any sport, he
really will be quite disinterested. There are other
exceptions: one may see more interest shown if the
party in question has been involved in a huge
scandal, sought revenge on her husband by cutting up
suits or emptying bottles of vintage claret, or, in
Mr M’s case at least, she has good legs or he has
always had a bit of a soft spot for her.
Men communicate differently. If one feels strongly
about a forthcoming wedding anniversary, for
example, then it will not work to drop the odd hint.
Men like exactitude, so be specific and precise. If he
still forgets, make an appointment with a solicitor
because sulking simply will not work.
It is absolutely not worth getting cross about the
fact that one’s husband will never make plans. It is
simply not in their make-up to do so and we will
always need to take charge of the social diary. Mr M
is a genius at juggling dates and myriad commitments
when it comes to organising the golf club AGM, but
positively indolent regarding our
own plans. Rather like ponies,
husbands also need their own
space. As Mr M is fond of
pointing out, if I will not leave
him alone, how can he miss me? ■
It is fruitless to expect one’s man
to plan the social diary, so best
to take charge of it oneself.
Cath Kidston Bath Flowers diary, £10
140 THE ENGLISH HOME
ONE FOR THE BOYS
Congratulate your man for good
behaviour, or keep him out of mischief,
with some well chosen gifts and gadgets
CELEBRATING OUR NATURAL HERITAGE
In the landmark publication A Book of Britain, countryman Sir Johnny
Scott evokes all that is romantic about our countryside, its people,
customs and traditions. Over its 600 gloriously illustrated pages, Johnny
draws on his wisdom and knowledge to reveal a forgotten culture and
encourages us all to rediscover a beautiful Britain. Mr M will adore the
sections on royal forests and protected oaks, animal behaviour and how
best to observe wildlife, and traditional country sports from the familiar
to the less well known, such as ‘swan upping’. He will also be thrilled by
the wonderful photography throughout by Cristian Barnett.
Published by Collins, priced £50
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Binoculars make an ideal present for the man in
your life, allowing him to indulge his favourite
pastimes, whether they be cricket, bird-watching,
travel or motor sport, in sharp detail. These
Victory Compact 10 x 25 T examples from
respected manufacturer Zeiss offer high
magnification, good levels of waterproofing, a
wide field of view and something called ‘phase-
correction coating’. I simply have no idea what
that is, but it sounds gadgety and therefore is
probably thoroughly desirable.
Priced £510 from www.zeiss.co.uk
ACE OF CLUBS
Mr M is constantly updating his golf clubs,
PHOTOGRAPHS P.139 ©KELPFISH/DREAMSTIME.COM
discarding those which under-performed last
time round and promoting to ‘must-haves’ those
that served him well at a particular moment of
sporting crisis or opportunity. These are the
clubs he discusses back at what he insists on
calling the 19th hole. The new R11 irons from
TaylorMade sound to an uninitiated golf widow like me
as if they will fall into the latter category. They boast an ultra-thin
face, something called ‘inverted cone technology’ to bring about
faster ball speeds and an advanced groove design, which can aid
greater spin and shot control. Usefully for Mr M, they also have sharp
leading edges to improve play out of the rough and difficult lies.
Priced £699 from www.taylormadegolf.eu
 Waiting for surgery:
5 years.

In 5 minutes you can save him.

I want to give a child a second chance at life.
Free cleft surgery £150 towards surgery for one child £30 towards medications for one surgery
£75 could cover half the cost of one surgery £ We’ll gratefully accept any amount
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as little as £150, can Email Telephone

give desperate children Charge my gift to my: ■ Visa ■ Master Card ■ Maestro
Send this coupon with
Card No. your donation to:
not just a new smile – Valid From Exp. Date Issue No.
The Smile Train UK,
PO Box 910,
but a new life. Signature
■ My cheque is enclosed, made payable to The Smile Train UK
Northampton NN3 0BG

Use Gift Aid to increase your donation by 25%

Donate online: ■ YES, I would like Smile Train to claim Gift Aid on any donations that I have made within the
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■ NO, I am not a UK taxpayer.
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about our future developments. If you do not want to receive such information please tick this box ■ Z11082U309FAQ2B

Registered Charity No. 1114748 Registered Company No. 05738962 © 2011 The Smile Train.

A healthy diet during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects and clefts. Eat a healthy diet that contains lots of fruits and vegetables and foods fortified with folic acid. The U.K. Government recommends women should take sufficient levels of folic acid (400
micrograms/day) during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects and reduce the risk for cleft lip and palate. When folic acid is taken one month before conception and throughout the first trimester, it has been proven to reduce the risk
for neural tube defects by 50 to 70 percent. Be sure to receive proper prenatal care, quit smoking and drinking alcohol and follow your health care provider’s guidelines for foods to avoid during pregnancy. Foods to avoid may include raw or undercooked seafood,
beef, pork, poultry, delicatessen meats, fish that contain high levels of mercury, smoked seafood, fish exposed to pollutants, raw shellfish, eggs, soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk, pâté, caffeine and unwashed vegetables. For more information, visit www.smiletrain.org.uk
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 Coming next month
PHOTOGRAPHS (FROM TOP) CHARLOTTE COWARD-WILLIAMS, MANDARIN STONE, CHESNEYS BACKGROUND IMAGE RUTH SARGISON
ON SALE
5 OCTOBER
Filled with seasonal inspiration,
our November edition is ideal for
curling up with by the fireside
• Ensure the perfect setting for rest
and sleep with our key style buys for
a quintessential English bedroom
• Create a warm and cosy home with
stylish fires, stoves and radiators
• Discover which stones to invest in
for flooring, tiles, worktops and more
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 ADDRESS BOOK
Cheverell Flowers by Thea Just Silks bath-preservation- anderson
A braham Moon
& Sons
Tel 01943 873181
Tel 01380 722722
cheverellwood.co.uk
Tel 0797 626 1150
flowersbythea.co.uk
justsilks.com trust.org.uk S Tel 0844 543 9500
sanderson-uk.com
moons.co.uk
Absolute Abode
Tel 020 7586 5371
Christina Fallah Designs
Tel 020 7584 1334
chistina-fallah-
Frank Hudson
Tel 01494 522011
frankhudson.com
K ersaint Cobb
Tel 01675 430430
kersaintcobb.co.uk
O dd Chair Company
(The)
Tel 01772 691777
Shaws of Darwen
Tel 01254 775111
shawsofdarwen.com
absoluteabode.com designs.com The French House Kingcome theoddchaircompany.com Sims-Hilditch
Aga Christopher Farr Tel 020 7831 1111 Tel 020 7244 7747 Oficina Inglesa Tel 01249 783087
Tel 0845 712 5207 Tel 020 7349 0888 thefrenchhouse.net kingcomesofas.co.uk Tel 020 8883 8876 simshilditch.com
aga-web.co.uk christopherfarr.com Fritz Fryer Antique oficinainglesa.com Sister Parish Design
Alternative Flooring
Tel 01264 335111
alternativeflooring.com
Christopher Hyde
Tel 020 7351 0893
christopherhyde.com
Lighting
Tel 01989 567416
fritzfryer.co.uk
L &B
Tel 020 7838 9592
lblondon.com
Oka
Tel 0844 815 7380
okadirect.com
sisterparishdesign.com
The Sleep Room
Tel 0845 459 9937
Angel and Blume Christopher Townsend Laura Ashley On-Reflection Mirrors thesleeproom.com
Tel 01223 479434
angelandblume.com
Annie Sloan
Tel 0794 150 3519
christophertownsend.co.uk
Clare Mosley
G rant White Design
Tel 020 7736 5858
grantwhitedesign.com
Tel 0871 983 5999
laurashley.com
Le Creuset
Tel 01963 220723
on-reflection.co.uk
Original BTC
Smallbone of Devizes
Tel 020 7581 9989
smallbone.co.uk
Tel 01865 237296 Tel 020 7708 3123 The Geffrye Museum Tel 0800 373 792 Tel 01993 882251 Soane
anniesloan.com claremosley.com Tel 020 7739 9893 lecreuset.co.uk originalbtc.com Tel 020 7730 6400
Anta Clockhouse Furniture geffrye-museum.org.uk Leather Chairs of Bath Osborne and Little soane.co.uk
Tel 01862 832477 Tel 01620 860968 Greengate Tel 01225 447920 Tel 020 7352 1456 Sofa.com
anta.co.uk clockhouse-furniture.co.uk Tel 01206 367333 leatherchairs.co.uk osborneandlittle.com Tel 0845 400 2222
Aram Coote & Bernadi simply-living.co.uk Leporello sofa.com
Tel 020 7557 7557
aram.co.uk
Ashley Jay Kitchens
Tel 020 7259 0960
cooteandbernardi.com
Cotswold Company
Guinevere
Tel 020 7736 2917
guinevere.co.uk
Tel 01483 284109
leporello.co.uk
Lewis and Wood
P aint & Paper Library
Tel 020 7590 9860
paintlibrary.co.uk
Spencer-Churchill Designs
Tel 020 7731 8399
spencerchurchilldesigns.
Tel 01903 877775 Tel 0844 984 0003 Tel 01453 878517 Parlane com
ashley-jay.co.uk
Aston Matthews
Tel 020 7226 7220
cotswoldco.com
Crucial Trading
Tel 01562 743747
H are & Humphreys
Tel 020 7833 8806
hare-humphreys.co.uk
lewisandwood.co.uk
Liberty
Tel 020 7734 1234
Tel 01451 812712
parlaneinternational.co.uk
Paul Duggan
St. Jude’s Fabric
Tel 01263 587666
stjudesfabric.co.uk
astonmatthews.co.uk crucial-trading.com Harvey Jones liberty.co.uk Tel 01285 720641 Star Bed and Breakfast
Atag Tel 0800 389 6938 Little Greene Pedlars Tel 01993 822032
Tel 020 8247 3993
atag.co.uk D anish (95%)
Tel 01993 867078
95percentdanish.com
harveyjones.com
Heals
Tel 020 7349 8411
Tel 01612 300880
littlegreene.com
The London Chair
Tel 020 7727 7799
pedlars.co.uk
Perrin and Rowe
burfordbedandbreakfast.
co.uk
Stuart Scott Associates
David Mellor Collective Tel 01708 526361 Tel 01225 753592
B aker Lifestyle
Tel 020 7351 7760
gpjbaker.com
Tel 020 7730 4259
davidmellordesign.com
heals.co.uk
Hugh Leslie Design
Tel 020 7584 7185
thelondonchair
collective.com
perrinandrowe.co.uk
Phillips and Wood
stuartscott.co.uk

Barnsley House Hotel

Tel 01285 740000
barnsleyhouse.com
Dernier & Hamlyn
Tel 020 8760 0900
dernier-hamlyn.com
hughleslie.com
Hutson Bespoke
Tel 020 7371 9865
Louise Bradley
Tel 020 7589 1442
louisebradley.co.uk
Tel 020 8222 8117
phillipsandwood.co.uk
Pierre Frey
T hibaut
Tel 020 7351 6496
thibautdesign.com
Beaumont and Fletcher Designers Guild hutsonbespoke.com Lutyens Lighting and Tel 020 7354 4111 Tim Wood
Tel 020 7352 5594 Tel 020 7351 5775 Furniture pierrefrey.com Tel 020 7385 7228
designersguild.com
beaumontandfletcher.com
The Best Bed Linen in
the World
Dibor
Tel 0871 472 2322
I ndigo and Rose
Tel 01924 242799
indigoandrose.co.uk
Tel 020 7978 2480
lutyens-furniture.com
Pilgrim Harps
Tel 01342 893242
pilgrimharps.co.uk
timwood.com
Toast
Tel 0844 557 5200
Tel 01442 842885
thebestbedlineninthe
world.com
dibor.co.uk
Divertimenti
Tel 0870 129 5026
Interio
Tel 020 7893 8314
interio.co.uk
M anuel Canovas
Tel 020 7244 7427
manuelcanovas.com
Pinch Design
Tel 020 7622 5075
pinchdesign.com
toast.co.uk
Tom Faulkner Designs
Tel 020 7351 7272
Blenheim Carpets divertimenti.co.uk The Isle Mill Martin Oakley Podesta Design tomfaulkner.co.uk
Tel 020 7823 3040 Dudgeon Tel 01738 609090 Tel 01865 742111 Tel 01494 677770 Turnell & Gigon
blenheim-carpets.com Tel 020 7589 0322 islemill.com martinoakley.co.uk podesta.uk.com Tel 020 7259 7280
Brockway dudgeonsofas.com Isis Ceramics Max Rollitt Pots of Paint turnellandgigon.com
Tel 01562 828200 Tel 01865 358000 Tel 01962 738800 Tel 020 7352 5616 Turner Pocock
brockway.co.uk
E dward Bulmer
Tel 01544 388535
edwardbulmer.co.uk
isisceramics.com maxrollitt.com
Melin Tregwynt
potsofpaint.com
Poulsen
Tel 020 3463 2390
turnerpocock.co.uk

C arolyn Parker
Tel 01347 878820
carolynparker.com
Emily Burningham
Tel 020 7431 0361
J .Robert Scott
Tel 020 7376 4705
jrobertscott.com
Tel 01348 891288
melintregwynt.co.uk
Mulberry Home
Tel 020 8397 4400
louispoulsen.com
Prestigious Textiles U lster Carpets
Tel 020 8741 1100
The Carpet Foundation emilyburningham.com Jamb Tel 020 7352 3173 Tel 01274 688448 ulstercarpets.com
Tel 01562 755568 Emma Bridgewater Tel 020 7730 2122 mulberryhome.com prestigious.co.uk
carpetfoundation.com
Carrara Marble
Tel 020 8838 4604
Tel 0844 243 9266
emmabridgewater.co.uk
The English Joinery
jamb.co.uk
James Mayor Furniture
Tel 01213 281643 N ational Trust, The
Attingham Park
Private Lives
Tel 01252 850527
privatelives.co.uk
V aughan
Tel 020 7349 4600
vaughandesigns.com
carraramarble.co.uk Company jamesmayorfurniture.co.uk Tel 01743 708123 Villeroy & Boch
Celia Birtwell
Tel 020 7234 0741
celiabirtwell.com
Tel 01722 711401
theenglishjoinery
company.com
Jamie at Home
Tel 0844 871 2010
jamieathome.com
thenationaltrust.org.uk
The Natural Curtain
Company
R aft
Tel 020 8450 5078
raftfurniture.co.uk
Tel 020 8871 4028
villeroy-boch.com
Vinegar Hill
Cell Work Jim Lawrence Tel 0845 500 0400 Retrophenia Tel 01225 339498
Tel 020 7931 9974
finecellwork.co.uk F açade,The
Tel 020 7258 2017
Tel 01473 826685
jimlawrence.co.uk
naturalcurtain
company.co.uk
retrophenia.co.uk
Robert Stephenson
vinegarhill.co.uk

Charles Edwards
Tel 020 7736 8490
charlesedwards.com
thefacade.co.uk
Farrow & Ball
Tel 01202 876141
John Cullen Lighting
Tel 020 7371 5400
johncullenlighting.co.uk
Newgate Clocks
Tel 01691 679994
newgateclocks.com
Tel 020 7225 2343
robertstephenson.co.uk
Rosie and Mark Hornak
W esley Barrell
Tel 01993 893100
wesley-barrell.co.uk
Charlotte Gaskell farrow-ball.com John Lewis Nina Campbell Tel 020 8749 2301 William Yeoward
Tel 020 8672 3224 Feather & Black Tel 0845 604 9049 Tel 020 7225 1011 Ruby and Pearl Tel 020 7349 7828
charlottegaskell.com Tel 01243 380600 johnlewis.com ninacampbell.com Tel 01993 822032 williamyeoward.com
Chelsea Textiles featherandblack.com John Makepeace Not On The High rubyandpearl.co.uk Wools of Cumbria
Tel 020 7584 5544 Fired Earth Tel 01308 862204 Street.com Rupert Bevan Tel 07979 640131
chelseatextiles.com Tel 0845 293 8798 johnmakepeace Tel 0845 259 1359 Tel 020 7736 4192 wocc.co.uk
Chesney's firedearth.com furniture.com notonthehighstreet.com rupertbevan.com
Tel 020 7627 1410
chesneys.co.uk
Firmdale Hotels
Tel 020 7581 4045
firmdale.com
Johnston of Elgin
Tel 01343 554088
johnstonscashmere.com
Number 1 Royal
Crescent
Tel 01225 428126
The Rug Company
Tel 020 7229 5148
therugcompany.info
Z offany
Tel 0844 543 4600
zoffany.com

THE ENGLISH HOME 145

 The

ENGLISH
HOME

DIRECTORY
TO ADVERTISE CONTACT PHILIP MURRAY ON 01242 216098 PHILIP.MURRAY@ARCHANT.CO.UK

PONDS SOFT FURNISHINGS CHINA & GLASS FIREPLACES

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT A BOAT
FOR YOUR LAKE, POND OR MOAT?
TOP DESIGNER
Fabrics &
Wallpaper
Simply the best service and prices
01852 500378
Instant quotes & secure online ordering

Boats for work, play and fun!

www.top-designer.co.uk
www.smallboatsheyland.com
Tel 01628 528830 2. MONTPELLIER MARBLE

ARCHITECTS The Giovanna fireplace featured

here in Bianco Persiano pure marble
is part of Montpellier’s award-
winning collection of fireplaces.

For details of your nearest stockist

or a copy of Montpellier’s latest
brochure please log onto:
www.montpellier.co.uk
or ring (01452) 714 800

BLINDS & CURTAINS

WE SELL MADE TO MEASURE

WINDOW BLINDS OF ALL TYPES:
ROLLERS | VENETIANS | ROMANS | VERTICAL
Perfect Fit for doors and
conservatories, roof blinds for Velux
and Keylite, panel blinds and
ARTS AND CRAFTS plantation shutters. It's easy to
order from our website: Just choose
CANDLESTICK & a blind, colour, enter your sizes and
you'll be given an instant price.
BAKELIGHT
We specialise in telephones and have many rare
and interesting items dating from 1920’s to 1960’s
While visiting our website, FREE
DELIVERY
why not enter our
For further details write to:
9, Chesham Avenue, Orpington, FREE COMPETITION
Kent, BR5 1AA.
Telephone us on 020 8467 3743 to win up to £300 worth of blinds.
email: candlestick.bakelight@mac.com
www.candlestickandbakelite.co.uk Visit us at www.blindsofchoice.co.uk or call us on 0845 653 0216
WALLPAPER: BROADWICK ST GARDEN

DOORS

Something for
everyone...

For more information visit us at www.theenglishhome.co.uk When calling the UK from North
America,, dial the country code ‘011 44’ and drop the first ‘0’ in the UK phone number
 BEDROOMS ACCOMMODATION

White Horse Farm

HOLIDAY BARNS
www.cologneandcotton.com

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT PHILIP MURRAY ON 01242 216098 PHILIP.MURRAY@ARCHANT.CO.UK

North Norfolk,
Nr. Blakeney & Holt
5 star luxury barns,
sleep 2/4 guests.
Set in 3 acres of
stunning grounds.
Mini-breaks available.
Tel: 01263 860693
www.white-horse-farm.co.uk
An oasis of tranquility - the perfect escape!

GIFTS

Passion for bedlinen

INTERIOR DESIGN

ANTIQUES

THE CHILDREN’S BED COMPANY

New Showroom
open:
Tuesday–Friday 10-4pm
and Saturday 10-3pm

2 Ravens Yard
Nethergate Street
Harpley The UK's largest selection of antique
Norfolk PE31 6TN furniture and decorative accessories from
India, China, Tibet, Japan and Indonesia.
01485 542800 Tel: 01672 564722 Email: antiques@indigoantiques.com www.indigoantiques.com
Handmade in Norfolk Located 8 miles south of Marlborough on the A345
www.wroughtironandbrassbed.co.uk Dairy Barn, Manningford Bruce, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 6JW
 FURNITURE AND JOINERY INTERIORS

Bespoke Dresser in Real Oak Finish

designed by you, for you - just one
of the infinite possibilities
£1050 example shown
TO ADVERTISE CONTACT PHILIP MURRAY ON 01242 216098 PHILIP.MURRAY@ARCHANT.CO.UK

Red Hen
Unusual gifts and
stylish accessories for
home and garden.
SEE VIDEO

DESIGN YOURS NOW From french style storage

delivered in 2 weeks jars to decorative hooks,
bookends, table mats
www.jali.co.uk and much more.
tel. 01227 833333 tel: 01452 724304 www.redhentrading.co.uk

Sugar & Spice

FURNISHINGS • FABRICS • GIFTS

F U R N I T U R E • H OM E AC C E S S OR I E S • G I F T S

Visit our shops or browse online for the image supplied by Kate Forman
widest range of French home accessories in the UK
Custom made, curtains, blinds, upholstery & accessories in
www.lamaisonbleue.co.uk stunning fabrics from Sarah Hardaker, Kate Forman,
Cabbages & Roses, Ian Mankin and many more…
Lichfield 01543 481414
Leamington Spa 01926 330386 Tel: 023 92431072 www.sugarandspicefurnishings.co.uk
 INTERIORS KITCHEN AND BATHROOM

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT PHILIP MURRAY ON 01242 216098 PHILIP.MURRAY@ARCHANT.CO.UK

Hand painted,
distressed, vintage & *Finest handmade kitchens from £5,000
*Hand painted & solid oak kitchens
antique furniture *Extensive free-standing furniture ranges

enquiries@ katiebonas.com
Tel: 01285 720778
www.katiebonas.com

Open Day 23rd & 24th Sept,Yanworth, Gloucestershire

PUBLISHERS

*89-91 Wandsworth Bridge Road, London SW6 2TD 0207 371 99 97

*7 Vale Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1BS 01892 522321
*The Wellington Farm Shop, Stratfield Saye, Hook, Hampshire RG27 0LJ 01189 326060
*The Old Saleroom, Crooks Yard, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1BE 01672 512155
CLARE HOUSE *18 Portland Street, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4JH 01173 702453
Park Road, Grange over Sands LA11 7HQ *Head office & mail order line 0870 777 00 99
Tel: +44 (0) 15395 33026. www.clarehousehotel.co.uk
We offer rest & relaxation, delightful meals, a garden to sit in, a promenade to
saunter along and wonderful bay views from our family run hotel.
Autumn Special Offer October 8th – November 12th
Any 4-Night Break from £305 pp, D,B&B.
www.kitstone.co.uk
Enjoy an extra 5% Discount OFF 3-Night breaks
or longer, between Oct. 22nd & Nov. 12th
 KITCHEN AND BATHROOM LIGHTING

subtle transparent plates with concealed fixing

that blend perfectly into your decor...
TO ADVERTISE CONTACT PHILIP MURRAY ON 01242 216098 PHILIP.MURRAY@ARCHANT.CO.UK

Classic style,
modern technology
The ESSE EC4i cast iron,
electric, induction
range cooker
making connections
Visit esse.com beautifully...
For further information please contact: R. Hamilton & Co. Ltd.,
or call 01282 813235 T 01747 860088 F 01747 861032 E info@hamilton-litestat.com
www.hamilton-litestat.com

WINDOWS

Interested in Energy
Efficient Windows?
Network VEKA members are experts
in the production of energy efficient
windows and doors, with peace of
mind built-in.
Over 2500 Antique Fireplaces
To find out how we can help you to
save energy - and the earth - visit
www.networkveka.co.uk
0161 477 7706
or call 01282 440090
to find your nearest Member Company
or request your free Hassle-Free Guide
to choosing home improvements.
www.nostalgia-uk.com
Peace of mind Absolutely No Reproductions

Bromleighs
Ideas for dressing up your home

Extensive range of lighting, sockets,

switches and architectural hardware for
period and contemporary homes.

Manufactured and finished by hand in

the UK from our own workshops

Brochure available for download.

Call 01208 79490.

www.bromleighs.com
0844 414 1652
www.jim-lawrence.co.uk
ADVERTORIAL

Celebrating
ENGLISH PROVENANCE
English interiors may mix items from around the globe but we cherish our homegrown talent

ENGLISH TAPESTRY DESIGN by William Morris

One of England's best

loved textile designers
of the nineteenth
century, William Morris is
best known for his
masterpiece, Tree of Life
tapestry. The exquisite
woven wall hanging,
typically Morris, is
complex and colourful
POSH GRAFFITI by Emily Readett-Bayley with patterns of flowing
Pioneering eco-luxe designer, Emily Readett-Bayley, leaves and branches,
combines her own British design heritage with the complete with an
excellence of Asian craftsmanship in a unique range of hand- acanthus leaf border.
carved wooden typography and decorations. For 20 years, The whole pattern
Emily has worked directly with a village craft co-operative to symbolises flourishing
achieve the high quality expected today. The entire alphabet life and is a recurring
is available in either black, white, gold, silver or vintage floral theme in all of his
finish so you can create your own special graffiti. Emily also tapestry pieces. Morris & Co manufactured more than 150
suggests that you try using her diverse range of festive magnificent tapestry works, which still work wonderfully in
decorations as unusual gift, car and bag labels or even as a a contemporary or traditional home today.
fashion accessory.
See our William Morris Collection and full range of tapestries,
www.poshgraffiti.com cushions an
nd throws online at www.loomtapestry.com

Image courtesy of Kate Forman.

CUSHION CRAFT
At Cazzie we make beautiful and affordable cushions. We are
passionate about textiles and would love to see more
manufacturing return to Britain. Cazzie only uses fabric that
has been woven in Great Britain and all of our cushions are
machine washable. Based in Nottinghamshire, we get our
inspiration for the cushion designs from the surrounding
countryside and way of life in Britain. Slightly worn effect
cushion £40.00. Be proud to buy.
www.cazziecushions.co.uk
MONTPELLIER MARBLE
Montpellier Marble has an established a reputation in the
fireplace industry as purveyors of premium brand natural
stone fireplaces. Over the last fifteen years, the multiple-
award-winning company has occupied a special niche in this
market and is a recognised brand in most of the top
showrooms in the country. The company offers a diverse
range of designs which include both classic and
contemporary. The Windsor Fireplace featured is part of the
English Collection introduced in 2008 and also includes an
arch model known as the Cambridge. Both designs continue
to be popular and are particularly suited to period
properties.
For further information on Montpellier brand fireplaces and
details of your nearest stockist, pleasse ring (01452) 714 800
or log onto www.montpellier.co.uk
 ADVERTORIAL

PURESTYLE INTERIORS HAMILTON WESTON

Purestyle have a fabulous new
range of in-house designed
furniture - made to measure for
you, exclusively in the Midlands.
They use natural materials from
sustainable sources and local
craftsmen - whilst maintaining
amazingly affordable prices,
giving you excellent value for
money! The Purestyle bespoke
furniture collection has been Hamilton Weston is a small company specialising in unusual
designed to give you distinctive, wallpapers. Our collection of classic English and historical
high quality pieces, including designs dates from the late seventeenth to twentieth
dining tables, chairs, dressers, centuries, perfect for period properties or to give a special
console tables and chests, interior a comfortably nostalgic feel. Most of our papers are
available in any size you want to printed to order and colours can be customised at no extra
fit your home and can be painted cost. We recreate clients' originals or design site-specific
in the colour of your choice from wallpaper for clients, creating something unique. Also at
the distinctive Farrow & Ball paint HWW are the magical wallpapers created by London artist.
colours. Marthe Armitage, whose original whimsical and botanical
designs are all hand-lino-block printed to order in bespoke
For more information, please visit
colours in her London Studio.
www.purestyleinteriors.co.uk, call 0845 395 3267 or come
and see e for yourself at Units 2 & 4, The Mill, Curborough Please call 020 8940 4850
Craft Centre, Watery Lane, Lichfield WS13 8ES or visit www.hamiltonweston.com for further information.

TEMPLESTONE JAYREST
Jayrest began in a small workshop in Suffolk 45 years ago,
and has since progressed to its larger premises with the
factory and adjoining lodge showroom. The company is
renowned for the quality and value of its upholstered
furniture, all made with solid beech frames and
manufactured by craftsman using traditional methods. All
raw material is sourced in Great Britain and locally wherever
Templestones possible. Beech frames are made in East Anglia, coil springs
Scottish Gothic
with crest
are English, all leather used is from top-quality English hides,
only the finest fillings are used for the cushions, and fabrics
Templestone has been producing fine, traditionally hand- are sourced from most of the major fabric houses.
carved stonework for decades. The company's expertise is
well recognised and word has spread far and wide so that
Templestone is now exporting to Dallas, installing to
Washington and travelling the length and breadth of the UK
and Ireland to satisfy new clients. All of its work is designed
and carved in house at its workshops in Somerset, close to
the City of Bath. Almost anything in beautiful natural stone
that could be carved, can be carved by Templestone,
including stone staircases, fire surrounds and porticos.
Tel: 01963 350242
email: sales@templestone.co.uk www.templestone.co.uk
Templestone Masonry Ltd, Station Wharf, Castle Cary, 01473 822683 info@jayrest.com www.jayrest.com
Somerset, BA7 7PE Lady Lane Industrial Estate, Hadleigh, Suffolk IP7 6B
BQ

To advertise on these pages, please call Philip Murray on

01242 21098 or email philip.murray@archant.co.uk
for further information
 Furniture designer and
maker John Makepeace
has mentored and taught
many in his craft. His life
work is currently celebrated
in a UK touring exhibition

JOHN MAKEPEACE CELEBRATING 50

YEARS IN DESIGN

J
ABOVE LEFT The ohn Makepeace recalls his
'Mulberry’ is one of childhood years spent
a series of large leaf
tables designed whittling wood, which was to
by Makepeace. turn into a lifelong passion for
ABOVE RIGHT The “trying to use the best of what our
retrospective touring
exhibition of the foresters produce in terms of our
designer’s work that indigenous woods and giving
runs until November,
John Makepeace - expression to those.”
Enriching the Inspired by Danish designers he
Language of Furniture,
showcases 25 pieces
witnessed on visiting Copenhagen
from public and private as a teenager, having left school at
collections from the 18, Makepeace was “desperate to
UK and overseas.
For more details visit find workshop training,” and was
johnmakepeace taken on as a pupil by Keith
furniture.com
Cooper in Dorset. Just two years
later, in 1960, he set up on his
own and designed a low table that
was first sold to Heal’s. “Then
Habitat wanted it and made it in
the thousands and it went to a
great many other retail outlets.”
Over the years he has had the
“opportunity to do special things”
including public commissions for
Liberty, Green Templeton and
Keble Colleges, Oxford, major
museums including the V&A and
many private commissions.
Makepeace was a founding
member of the Crafts Council in
the 1970s and “unconvinced by
the training being given to
[furniture] designers in universities”
set up Parnham college, which ran
for 25 years, teaching design,
making and business management.
He received an OBE for services
to furniture in 1988.
Today, Makepeace works closely
with a select number of craftsmen.
“I’m an instrumentalist who
became a conductor,” he says of
“moving away from the physical
work to [purely] designing.”
For many years, he has been
passionate about pursuing some of
the Forestry Commission’s most
pressing environmental concerns.
At his listed home, Farrs in
F EATURE SAMANTHA SCOTT-JEFFRIES PHOTOGRAPHS JOHN MAKEPEACE
Beaminster, he seasons timber for
his commissions, some of which
“is 5,000 years old”. His work is
inspired by nature’s problem-
solving techniques, “and actually
that’s what designers try to do,
make objects that function
inherently well and, of course,
nature is so efficient at making
elegant and beautiful forms to
fulfil specific functions.
“As far as I can see I will always
do this,” adds Makepeace. “It’s
something one lives and loves.” ■

154 THE ENGLISH HOME FOR WHERE TO BUY SEE PAGE 145
 the
unusual

fourteen beautiful

showrooms of
bespoke furniture and

stunning accessories,

in the heart of

historic Woodstock,
near Oxford

a ‘must see, must touch’ experience

www.rwfco.com for a brochure – tel: 01993 813887