Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Country Homes & Interiors

I LOVE GARDENS but admit I’m a dreadful gardener – too impatient for the slow and steady pricking out, potting on rhythm of cultivating plants. I’m fascinated, though, by how our outdoor spaces evolve, with time, fashion and critical challenges such as climate change. It’s why I love our feature on modern rockeries (page 126), which shares how reclaimed concrete and leftover hardcore can be used to create the foundation of stunning, resilient and easy-to-care for gardens. In this issue, we also look at inspiring ways to inject style, luxury and practicality into our kitchens – without the need for a complete refurb. This is about personalisation as much as performance; finding the pieces that suit what you love and the way you live, whether that’s baking, enjoying a glass…

I often find it funny how we spend our youth rebelling against the habits of our parents, then make up for it in our adult years by falling into patterns that mirror the familiar rituals of our childhood. My Sunday routine certainly now treads a similar path to that of my parents, whose basic framework was a trip to the garden centre, followed by a large lunch. Mine just has a few extra layers which personalise it to my differing tastes and lifestyle. Sundays for me are the slow and steady ‘reset’ days, and unless there is a special event or invitation, they are the days that I mark out for nurturing myself and my home. Relaxation can take many forms, and I must admit that I’m not one to sit…

Helen Parker’s trajectory in the design world happened, in part, because of a chance meeting with Paul O’Leary, co-founder of deVOL Kitchens. Helen was working as a manager of the delicatessen in a neighbouring village. As she got into her car after work, suddenly a stranger jumped into the passenger seat. After assuring her he had no ill intentions, Paul said he had been watching her at work and thought she was the perfect person to manage the small furniture showroom he’d opened with his design partner. She told him she had none of the skills needed for the job. Paul convinced her to go home and draw a plan for the kitchen of her dreams. Helen decided she had nothing to lose and accepted the challenge. The next day,…

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Your dining room should be a stylish space where you wish to spend time. Every dining room will have a table and chairs, which are your big ticket items, so make these your first consideration. If you don’t have a separate dining room and instead have an open-plan kitchen/diner, the aesthetic will be dictated by the kitchen style. CONSIDER THE TABLE Ultimately the dining table will be the hero in this room, so it needs to be your first design decision. What shape are you after? How often do you entertain? How many people would be eating all at once? Buy a square, rectangular, circular or oval table accordingly. The perfect dining table should be around 110cm wide to provide enough room for your glasses, plates, food, etc. I suggest…

The way we heat our homes is a hot topic, in terms of concerns for both the planet and our wallets. The 2021 census found that 74% of households rely on mains gas central heating, with 9% using electric and 3% on oil. This has a significant cost: on our bills – the Office for National Statistics reports that gas prices rose 36.2% in the year to June 2023; and on the environment – the Climate Change Committee (CCC) highlights that heating and hot water for buildings makes up 40% of the UK’s energy consumption and 20% of its greenhouse emissions. HEAT PUMPS For many country homeowners, oil tanks and LPG bottles are an everyday reality. But, according to the CCC, one in four homes using oil heating could switch…

Super greens and steak sandwich SERVES 4 Use up curly kale in this healthy steak sandwich. The creamy sauce adds so much flavour, with a subtle, punchy hit of mustard. 4 shallots, peeled and halved2 handfuls curly kale, shredded1tbsp olive oil4 x 100g steaks¼ red cabbage, finely shreddedHandful of rocket8 slices bread, toasted FOR THE SAUCE 100g creme fraiche1tsp liquid beef stock1tsp Dijon mustard 1 Heat the oven to 180C fan/Gas 6. Put the shallots on one half of a roasting tray and the kale on the other half. Drizzle over the oil and bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes. Remove the kale from the oven and set aside. Return the shallots back to the oven for a further 10 minutes until they’re caramelised. Remove from the oven and…

As their petals unfurl, dahlias delight us with blooms in changing hues, with glowing colours developing with maturity and exposure to sunshine. And, with varieties from single flowers, to doubles and the ball-like heads of pompom types – along with deep green, bronze or near-black foliage – dahlias create fabulous shape and colour contrasts all on their own. They start flowering in July but are at their best during late summer and autumn, delivering masses of blooms until the first frosts. Originally from the uplands of Mexico and Central America, dahlias enjoy plenty of sun, and cool weather, hitting peak performance when the hours of night and day are similar. The cultivars we enjoy mostly reach a useful height of 1-1.2m and fit into groups such as ‘ball’, ‘decorative’ and…

MARY WEAVER is a writer and interiors stylist who produced the homes feature A New Script (page 36). Interiors are her passion and she enjoys writing about houses that are full of ideas and beautiful objects. ‘Exciting homes generally come with interesting owners, so that’s a plus,’ she says. SARA HESIKOVA is news writer on idealhome.co.uk and also wrote Love Your Larder (page 96). ‘I learn fascinating new things every day and get to share them with our readers; it’s great,’ she tells us. STEPHANIE SHORT CAMPBELL styled the Pumpkin Spice table (page 112). ‘Autumn has such a place in my heart. I’m inspired by nature and my passion for making our home a haven.’…

Blush, terracotta and pink-toned neutrals infuse a room with gentle warmth. Choose ribbed accessories and furniture for a grounded feel and add a glow with candles Filter light with gauzy curtains and opt for warm-toned bulbs – they’re proven to create a calming atmosphere and shift your body into relaxation mode The softness of sheepskin, the weight and warmth of a wool blanket, the kiss of crumpled linen – use touch and texture to stimulate and soothe in equal measure…

MAKE ROOM FOR A WINE COOLER Whether you are a wine aficionado or simply enjoy a glass with friends, a wine cooler can make a smart addition to your kitchen. Many wine units have glass fronts, designed to enhance their role as a statement feature, so it makes sense to locate one on the socialising side of an island or close to a bar or dining table. Most importantly, they are designed to store wine at the correct temperature, unlike a kitchen fridge. ‘If you don’t store your bottles properly, they will lose their flavour,’ explains Luke Shipway, product manager, Caple. ‘Wine cabinets are specifically designed to create that “just right” storage temperature, which is between 12°C and 14°C for most bottles.’ BRING IN A BAR As kitchens have become…

Alove of the land inspires everything produced by Emily James and Danny Fleck on their smallholding in Carmarthenshire. A textile designer using Welsh wool to make unique, forever garments, and a carpenter crafting fallen trees into rustic structures, it’s fitting that their home is surrounded by woodland and sheep. The trees were planted in the 1990s by Danny’s parents, Rob and Fliss, who converted a group of stone barns into comfortable accommodation and also invested in a mobile sawmill. The extended family of 10 live together on 15 acres – Emily and Danny have two young children, as do her sister-in-law Jessie and husband Sam. Childcare is shared, together with cooking, food shopping, vehicles and bills. They all help out when a job needs doing and decisions are taken round…

According to Sophie Platts, founder of bedding brand Floks, British wool is a ‘miracle material’ – breathable, traceable, biodegradable and naturally thermo-regulating. In 2021, she began sustainably sourcing and manufacturing with it near her home town in Yorkshire. The result is Floks, and a range of pillows, duvets and mattress toppers. Here, she tells us more. How did Floks come about? I’ve historically struggled with sleep and the need for it became more apparent after I had my children. I tried so many ways to help me sleep better and finally discovered the magic of wool bedding – I relied on my wool throw across the bottom of my bed for a good night’s slumber! This led me to bedding filled with wool and I set out on a mission…

Actress Danielle Bux is a true Brit at heart, so it’s no surprise that being stuck on the other side of the world during a global pandemic made her feel more than a little homesick. She had decamped from London to Los Angeles eight years previously to further her career and had acquired a new husband, Nate, and a second daughter, Romy, along the way. ‘We live most of the year in the mad metropolis that is Los Angeles and during lockdown it brought home to me that I wanted us to be in the UK countryside for part of the year,’ she says. ‘Somewhere close enough to London and to Wales where I grew up, yet a place that was a total antidote to city life.’ Danielle had lived…

From bees and highland stags to poppy meadows and strawberries, the designs that Sophie Allport creates for her interiors and lifestyle brand at her home in rural Lincolnshire are inspired by nature and the countryside. The motifs decorate a range of gorgeous products, including kitchen linens, tableware, bedding and even pet accessories. Marking the fifth anniversary of working with the National Trust and supporting its conservation work, the new Sophie Allport Acorn & Oak Leaves collection features the National Trust’s famous oak leaf logo incorporated into an autumnal print handpainted by Sophie. Why not update your home for the season with an Acorn & Oak Leaves design? As well as giving CH&I readers a 20% discount, Sophie Allport will be donating 10% of net sales from the collection to the…

A LARDER CUPBOARD OR PANTRY – or even a well-stocked and organised cupboard – is your kitchen’s fuel store. Ideally, you should be able to rustle up a quick meal from the contents, have piquant ingredients ready to spice up the plainest dish (hello, crispy onions and dried chillies), and be tidy enough to navigate easily. Traditionally, autumn would have been the time to lay down stocks of food for winter, with pickles and preserves, canned goods and jars of goodies. While that may not be necessary in the age of 24-7 grocery deliveries, there’s still value in assessing the food you have in store, clearing out what can’t be used (or donating food that you won’t eat), and replenishing your supplies. This autumnal stocktake can help you reduce food…

GHOSTLY GAUZE Place a gauzy cotton runner on a wooden table to channel that rustic yet elegant vibe. It doesn’t need to be flat; the fabric can crinkle gently to add informality and texture. Let the muslin trail to the ground for a romantic finish. Find hand-dyed muslin table runners, from £8.50, at Mae Dae PALE PLAID A fine check in seasonal tones adds subtle interest to the place setting. The colours are repeated in the flowers on the table, while black cutlery is an unexpected touch that adds depth to the pastel-toned display. A Broader Picture sells plaid linen napkins, £17.50 for two. For similar cutlery, try the 20-piece flatware set, £218, Fable SUBTLE SPARK For ambiance, add loads of candles in varying heights and shapes, making an interesting…

As this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show demonstrated, rock gardens have come a long way from neat 1970s rockeries filled with polite and pretty flowers. Today’s designs can feature natural boulders or concrete reclaimed from car parks, repurposed paving slabs, grit and gravel, with tough evergreen grasses, small alpine plants and perennials slotting beautifully into the crevices. ‘Well-made rock gardens are beautiful, very natural-looking and brimming with colourful plants which are low maintenance and drought tolerant,’ explains award-winning garden designer Kristina Clode. ‘They can add height and interest to a garden, and enable you to grow flowering plants that may struggle for survival elsewhere in your outdoor space.’ A modern rock garden needs a sharply drained and sunny growing environment. Rather than struggling to improve the soil quality of a…

Traditionally, autumn was time to slow down in the garden, once the spring-flowering bulbs were in the ground or in pots. Time well spent was watching colour, clearing leaves and daydreaming of the following spring. Things have changed. We cannot rely on traditional weather patterns – the experience of the last few springs means that autumn is the busiest time both at Chiswick House and Gardens and in my garden at home. Bulb planting is still a key task. The ‘window’ for bulbs to go in has increased –we don’t start until at least mid/end October, and we try to keep Christmas as a deadline to complete. When summers are hotter and dryer, the ground needs to soften up with rainfall before the bulbs comfortably settle in. Perennial planting now…

I live in a small, leafy village, not far from Wigan and Chorley. But my perfect day in the country would be up in Scotland, in the Cairngorms. There’s a little hut on Loch an Eilein–part of the Rothiemurchus estate – that I’ve rented a few times, and I’d quite happily go back every weekend with my partner Paul and our dog Abel, if I could afford it. We’d peel ourselves out of bed and do a run with Abel around the loch. It works out at about 5km, so it’s the perfect little loch to speed around. I say run – I’d get out of breath after a few steps so would end up power walking like a 1980s’ housewife, but at least Abel could dart freely around the…