Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i Homes & Gardens

Putting this issue together has been a joy. We’ve indulged ourselves by seeking out heavenly hideaways in dream locations – from Lombardy to California. I urge you to find a quiet spot, pour yourself a long, cold drink and enjoy these outstanding homes and gardens – the secluded home just off Sunset Boulevard (p28) is my personal favourite. The wish-we-were-there theme continues as we draw inspiration from Provençal rooms (p64) and showcase gorgeous Gallic tablescapes worthy of La Colombe d’Or for at-home occasions (p38). There’s more, but let’s not neglect Blighty. Back home, the planting of our classic English garden on the Suffolk/Essex border (p102) is stunning and inspired us to create an expert guide to planning a cutting garden (p118). We get the inside scoop from the RHS Chelsea…

I spent an evening last week cleaning, sharpening and tuning a woodworking plane that belonged to my great grandfather. He was a carpenter and builder, and had passed the plane, along with other tools, on to my grandfather, who I call Poppa. In a lump-in-throat afternoon in Poppa’s attic a decade ago, he bequeathed me his father’s tools. I use some of the shoulder planes regularly, but hadn’t made the time to restore the most tired looking tool in the collection – his Norris smoothing plane. Sadly, Poppa died recently and, having learned that most coffins are chipboard boxes, I wanted to make his coffin. I couldn’t have him returned to the earth in chipboard. Coincidentally, I have a commission for an engagement ring and a cot, completing the circle…

What is your background? I am from London, where I lived with my mother. On weekends, we would visit my father. Occasionally we went to the studio to help with normal studio chores and that’s when my passion for ceramics secretly started. Both of my parents were self-employed growing up. I used to pick up on the stresses and struggles of life and think it put me off wanting to have a business as I did not want the same for myself. My creative endeavours as an artist lead me to the contrary opinion – I really couldn’t have it any other way. Where do you look for inspiration? Creativity gives me the opportunity – with imagination – to take myself into my own utopia. I look at everything around…

ARTISTIC DETAIL Hand-painted tiles from artist Wayne Pate’s collaboration with tile specialist Balineum make the most delightful decoration and coffee pot rest. BREAKFAST Instead of flowers, channel Alexander Calder at La Colombe d’Or and have a mobile sculpture as your morning centrepiece. IT’S A WRAP Elevate a lunch party with special details such as a handwritten menu on vellum paper wrapped around a baguette LUNCH Simple chic is what the bon vivants enjoyed at La Colombe d’Or. Here it is achieved with rattan, hand-blown glass and scallop-edged ceramics. DINNER A paper tablecloth hand-painted in a bitter chocolate hue has that je ne sais quoi which makes French style so chic, as do pink sparkling glasses and frilled napkins.…

CREATING A MODERN BOHO SPACE BOHO is one of those styles that is completely unique and able to be interpreted in so many ways. And for me, the most interesting and unexpected take is combining boho with more modern elements for a truly 21st-century twist. AT the heart of boho style is an eclectic mix of materials, patterns and eras. So when going modern, you still want to embrace those wide-ranging references, but instead of going maximal it’s about being selective. Limiting your colour palette to tone-on-tone is a good place to start, whether it’s going with warmer or cooler shades. And bringing in white, black and wood tones will also help to amp up the modern feel. YOU’LL also want to pair handmade items with furnishings with clean lines.…

NEVILLE JOHNSON With over 30 years’ experience, Neville Johnson is a leading fitted furniture maker with a team of craftsmen based in Manchester.nevillejohnson.co.uk JOEL BUGG Bath-based Joel Bugg has 25 years’ experience working with the finest makers and architects. Every project is designed and overseen by Joel.joelbugg.co.uk CHAMBER FURNITURE Established in 1994, this family-run Kent-based company provides quality furniture and cabinetry for kitchens, bedrooms, studies and storage.chamberfurniture.co.uk SMALLBONE Bespoke luxury fitted furniture experts, this Wiltshire-based company makes kitchens, wine rooms, media rooms and dressing rooms.smallbone.co.uk…

The rebuild of this impressive 1920s house in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood of San Francisco was carefully steered by local architectural practice Walker Warner for its new owners, a young family. A plethora of highly skilled experts and consultants were needed for the project, as the house required foundation stud work before being pieced back together again. ‘To approach this build successfully we had to, effectively, take the house down to the studs and reinforce the foundations with steel, bringing it in line with recent earthquake codes,’ explains Brooks Walker, co-principal at Walker Warner Architects. ‘This district of San Francisco is full of beautiful houses,’ says interior designer Chloe Warner, founder and principal of Redmond Aldrich Design. ‘This is a particularly nice example and you can see the Italian Renaissance…

Francesca shares her style vision and loves GO-TO COLOUR We love a dark green or, when in Rome, a rich red, which is typical of the region. MOST SUCCESSFUL ASPECT OF THE PROJECT The team of people who worked with us. They’re still important in our lives and the success of the project belongs to them. SECRET ADDRESS Chez Dede in Rome, which sells clothes, perfumes and gifts. GREATEST INDULGENCE The restoration of the frescoes, which was entirely unexpected and the cost was huge. WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION We’ve both been influenced by travelling around the world. We never follow trends and love objects that are beautiful for the sake of beauty. LAST THING YOU BOUGHT FOR THE APARTMENT Souvenirs from San Juan Chamula (Chiapas, Mexico).…

The flowers in this relaxed bouquet are a mix of moody blooms like coffee and pink dahlia ‘Molly Raven’ and the pompom heads of chocolate scabiosa ‘Black Knight’. Floaty burgundy cosmos ‘Velouette’ have an ethereal quality, while the lacy white flowers of Ammi visnaga‘Green Mist’lend a structural element. The airy ornamental grass Panicum capillare ‘Sparkling Fountain’ adds puffs of textural detail to fill out the display. It’s by Netherlands-based garden designer, grower and florist Carien van Boxtel, who designed this year’s cut-flower garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. ‘This has many of my favourites from the cutting garden,’ says Carien. ‘I also used cascading Amaranthus caudatus ‘Coral Fountain’. Known as Love-Lies-Bleeding, its delicate pink tassels are the perfect finishing touch.’…

SPECIAL FEATURES Mixed grass and herbaceous borders, a prairie meadow, rill garden, reflecting pool, ‘natural’ pond and a 60-metre box cloud hedge. ORIENTATION The front-lawn borders face south-west and the encircling gardens receive varying degrees of sunshine according to aspect and shading by trees and tall hedges. SOIL TYPE Heavy now-fertile clay mulched to improve it and enriched for the past 15 years. GARDEN DESIGNER Jeremy Allen Garden Design, Wormingford, Colchester CO6 3AZ, 01787 227114, jeremyallengardendesign.co.uk…

THINK ABOUT THE LOOK AND THE SPACE Decide on a look, using flowers you love or a favourite colour palette. Tap into your inner Vita by working up a signature style. Keep up the momentum, too. ‘Think in terms of successional flowering,’ says Carien van Boxtel, who designed a cut flower garden at this year’s RHS Hampton Court show. ‘Use space as economically as possible, with one bed for multiple crops. Once spring bulbs have finished flowering, replace them with plants grown from seed, like cosmos and sweet peas.’ Remember, everyone’s space is different, so pick the right flowers for you and make sure they keep coming. PICKING THE PERFECT FLOWERS The key to a productive cut flower garden is to choose plants with many flowers that bloom for a…

INTELLIGENT EXTRACTION Make lighter work of cooking with Elica’s three new Wi-Fi-connected extractors, which can be controlled on a smartphone or by using Alexa or Google Home. With these classy cooker hoods you can set the extraction speeds and lighting functions from the comfort of your sofa, and the extractors will even let you know when the filters need cleaning. The Super Plat is a slim, wall-mounted hood with clean lines. It’s available in grey or black glass. £840, Elica GARDEN PARTY An outdoor kitchen comes high on alfresco wish lists, so we’re delighted to see Brookmans by Smallbone launch its new Al Fresco design that combines style with functionality. Created with flexibility in mind, it comes in modules in sizes from 700-1200mm so you can build a bespoke configuration…

CIELO Karim Rashid, Claudio Silvestrin and Marco Piva are just a few design icons in this Italian brand’s alumni, all producing dreamy toilet designs. ceramicacielo.it DURAVIT Philippe Starck’s conical Starck 1 toilet is now in its third incarnation. Don’t miss the equally eye-catching designs from Matteo Thun and Sieger Design. duravit.co.uk HIDRA Designed by Meneghello Paolelli Associati, the Hi-line collection includes an unusually shaped wall-hung pan in Rose Gold, Platinum and Stone effect finishes. hidra.it LAUFEN A collaboration with Alessi yielded the Ilbagnoalessi One rimless toilet, with curvaceous lid. It comes in a seamless, one-piece design that’s almost sculptural. laufen.co.uk…

SPAGHETTI WITH CRAB AND CHILLI SERVES 4 250g fresh crab meat 60ml olive oil 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 large red chilli, deseeded and chopped 300g fresh spaghetti 20g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Salt and pepper Lemon wedges, to serve ■ Tip the crab meat into a small bowl and use your hands or a fork to separate any large chunks. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until needed. ■ Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes to flavour the oil without burning. Remove the pan from the heat while cooking the pasta. ■ Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes,…

WHEN I was really small, I was obsessed with my parents’ Great Dane. I remember curling up with him in his bed and sitting on top of him like he was a horse. He was my best friend and my earliest memories of home are all associated with him. I think it also points back to a time before my father was ill and things became difficult. Dogs have always been a prominent feature of my life. Home isn’t a home for me without a dog. MY priorities? I try hard to make sure that home for my daughter Gabby is somewhere that feels safe and secure because I think that’s the most important feature of any home. Somewhere that you have a sense of belonging. We have two Xolo…

THE HERO PIECE As flexible working increases, so does the need for finding suitable furniture for a home office. Thankfully the Winch pivoting chair ticks both the comfort and design boxes, ideal if you don’t have space – or the desire – for an office chair on wheels. Winch pivoting armchair, £1,760, Roche Bobois. STUNNING DESIGN Maxi is the new sliding panel system designed by Giuseppe Bavuso for Rimadesio’s extensive door range. The bespoke glass and aluminium frames are available in a variety of colours and finishes, price on request. ARCHIVAL INSPIRATION For its 180th anniversary, French interior architecture firm Rinck has joined forces with Fromental to produce a hand-painted silk wallcovering design, The Classicist Sketchbook, featuring maquettes of wooden mouldings taken from Rinck’s interior projects. The collaboration celebrates the…

THIS year, for the first time, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will take place from 21 to 26 September. For his show garden, Tom Massey – supported by Sarah Mead, creative director at Yeo Valley Organic, along with Landscape Associates – has created a horticultural visual feast of organic gardening techniques and plant principles. Which plants have you chosen and why? The scheme has been adapted for September and now includes lots of late-season colour including echinacea, rudbeckia, aster and dahlia species – these will be offset with beautiful ornamental grasses [the garden plan is shown right]. The shrubs and trees remain the same, and species such as quince and medlar, which would have been in blossom in spring, will now be bearing fruit. We are also hoping for hints…

‘TO find a sofa bed that’s going to be up to the job, check that it has a solid beech frame that is held together with screws and dowels – not glued and stapled chipboard versions that break easily and won’t last as long. You also want to ensure that sofa beds and boxed beds have sturdy mechanisms and that the designs are easy to manoeuvre. I’d always recommend going into a showroom and testing a sofa bed first to ensure that you’re comfortable with the mechanisms. Have a lie-down and put your feet up – you need to feel confident that it will be nice and comfy for guests.’ CHARLIE MARSHALL, founder of Loaf ‘THINK about the amount of floor have space you and take a rough measurement of…

MULTIPURPOSE JOINERY Commissioning a bespoke piece of joinery can be transformative; to justify the investment be sure to create a hard-working design. This piece of floor-to-ceiling furniture for a breakfast room features a banquette seat and plenty of storage as one whole proposition. The joinery was designed by Teco Bespoke for interior design firm Barlow & Barlow. It’s been made with extra tall glass doors to give it a more contemporary, refined look. Key to the success is the colourful artwork by Aboriginal artist Bob Gibson, sourced through specialist dealer Jennifer Guerrini-Maraldi. ‘I’m a big fan of a banquette seat, especially if you can add storage and artwork to make it pop,’ says creative director Lucy Barlow. HIDDEN STORAGE ‘Clever detailing of the panelling helped to disguise these tall cupboards…

THE PROVENCAL HOUSE Provençal decorating style has been admired and emulated far beyond French borders. In many ways the Provençal aesthetic transfers easily to other locations: romantic, faded colours inspired by nature, plaster walls finished with lime, floors tiled in terracotta or pale stone and a relaxed approach to furnishing that combines rustic and rare. But there are some things that cannot be translated – the blue of the sky, the heat of the sun, the sound of the cicadas in summer and the brightness of the light that drew Cézanne to paint in Provence until his dying days. Writer Ford Madox Ford, who also lived his final years in the south of France, felt the same, concluding that Provence was ‘not a country nor the home of a race,…

Chloe Warner shares her style inspiration and loves WORDS TO LIVE BY You get what you pay for. BIGGEST INDULGENCE Multiple heated benches. At first it felt very indulgent, but once they went in and the owners were actually able to use their outdoor space even during chilly San Francisco evenings we realised it was one of the smartest purchases. SECRET ADDRESS Kokkari Estiatorio, a San Francisco Greek restaurant. OBJECT YOU WILL NEVER PART WITH An antique chinoiserie screen from my great grandmother. YOUR STYLE IN THREE WORDS Charming, layered, timeless.…

Everything about this classic Victorian mews house speaks of contrast. A flat-fronted, period façade gives no hint of the bold architectural shapes and unconventional layout within, just as a deeply peaceful crescent setting belies the building’s hectic west London location. It’s exactly this juxtaposition that appealed to owner Lynn Chen. Though she had renovated a number of London new-build apartments, the prospect of nudging a period house towards relaxed, modern living was new to her. Nonetheless, its previous incarnation, which incorporated a vast LED-lit glass staircase, seemed to Lynn to jar with the bones of the building. ‘I wanted to restore the English feel of the house and to respect its context,’ she says. ‘It also needed to cater to our busy family life.’ Working with architects Studio McLeod and…

What inspired you to become a landscape architect? My love of landscape prompted me to study Geography at Cambridge University and my mother is a garden historian and was always dragging the family around historic houses and gardens. But it wasn’t until after university that I stumbled on landscape architecture, almost by accident. I then took a two-year postgraduate diploma in Landscape Architecture at Birmingham City University and loved every minute. How has your style evolved? I don’t think I have a specific style and wouldn’t impose one on my clients, but I’ve always been drawn to simple, elegant designs, which are reflected in my work. My team and I respond to each individual brief, and increasingly we’re being asked to find ways to make our landscapes even more sustainable…

■ Site: free-draining soil in full sun. ■ Plants: choose few but many – restrict your palette. Plant tightly, 30cm apart, to create a herbaceous perennial bed that naturally suppresses weeds. ■ Structure first: select grasses that bring diversity of architecture, height, tone and texture; tall, airy Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, voluminous, mid-height Pennisetum villosum, shaggy tufted golden oats. Plant in threes at repeat intervals along the bed. ■ Generally, plant tall at the back, shorter at the front, but break the rule where it feels right. ■ Secondary plantings: to add interest interplant flowering plants in bold blocks or drifts, seven to 11 of each, colour-themed (blue and yellow). Blues: Iris ‘Sable’, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’. Yellows: Kniphofia ‘Percy’s Pride’, Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’. ■ Book-end with contrasting, naturally domed,…

“IF YOU CAN GROW YOUR OWN RATHER THAN BUYING FLOWERS GROWN ABROAD, IT CAN ONLY BE A GOOD THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT” AMELIA BOUQUET, garden designer SELECT FLOWERS THAT WORK FOR YOUR SPACE If you’re limited by the size of your garden, create a perennial cut flower bed within your borders. It means you don’t have to section off areas of ground when space is already tight. MIX UP YOUR BLOOMS Intersperse flowers for cutting with shrubs and herbaceous perennials. The general rule for cut flower gardens is to grow the plants in lines, which requires lots of space. Instead, combine cutting flowers in looser groups among other planting. Choose flowers that look good in both garden borders and indoor arrangements. WHAT TO GO FOR IF YOU HAVE A SUNNY…

ERDEM AKAN, DESIGN DIRECTOR AT VITRA BATHROOMS What are now the biggest requirements in bathroom design, following the pandemic? Hygiene. Touchless technologies are the new standard. Hygiene in domestic spaces upon arrival has become increasingly important and adding a ‘powder room’ at the entrance of a home will increase cleanliness and provide a sense of wellbeing. Also, bringing the outdoors in with the use of plants, organic shapes and natural materials to build a space that is at one with nature. What are the latest trends in bathroom design? I feel there are two – bathrooms are becoming more and more minimalistic, with refined details and hidden functions/features. Second is wellbeing. This means all elements are designed and curated to increase physical, mental and spiritual health. Are you seeing a…

1 SUSTAINABLE SOURCING Rather than quarrying fresh slabs, interior designer Deborah Bass suggests seeking out reclaimed marble from places like eBay, then commissioning a specialist stone restorer to cut and polish. You can combine marbles if there’s not enough of one stone. ‘Stonemasons’ off-cuts, which otherwise go to waste, are also perfect for smaller areas like vanity tops,’ says Deborah. Verde Luana marble slab and bespoke basin; a similar bathroom design by Base Interior costs from £15 000. → 2 OLD MEETS NEW Classic marble may be centuries old, but this versatile material can feel just as relevant in a contemporary setting. Carved from a solid piece of Carrara marble, the crisp, modern lines of Piet Boon’s freestanding bath for Cocoon is a case in point. Shown here on polished…

RICHARD Smith has painted and designed wallpapers and fabrics for the all-time greats – Nina Campbell, Colefax and Fowler, Sanderson, Jim Thompson – as well as his own brand Madeaux. Known for his relaxed English elegance, Richard starts many of his designs as watercolours on his sketchpad. From whimsical florals and classical stripes to bold geometrics, each has a sense of playfulness and understated chic. He lives in East Sussex, high on a bluff overlooking ancient woodland and the English Channel beyond with his husband Andrew Blackman. ■ We first came to East Sussex 20 years ago. Andrew and I walked and explored the area and fell in love with the Old Town of Hastings with its fisherman’s huts. It was just beginning to be discovered then; early settlers from…

SWIMMING pools in this country had a niche marketplace, until 2020. According to Charlie Wells of buying agent Prime Purchase they were largely seen as a negative aspect to a property, something that required too much maintenance or represented a hazard to young children. Today, sentiment has completely changed. ‘More efficient ways of heating and, of course, the experience of lockdown, means that demand for pools has rocketed,’ says Charlie. But it’s not possible to chalk their popularity entirely up to the pandemic. There’s also a greater awareness of the benefits of swimming either for full-body fitness or for its powers of relaxation and meditation. INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS Unless in an area of outstanding natural beauty, green belt, conservation area or a listed building, outdoor pools don’t generally need planning permission.…

Tell us about yourself. We are a guest house, restaurant and 15-acre smallholding in the heart of East Devon, founded by Hugo Guest (chef) and Olive Guest (artist). Modelled on the Italian concept of an agriturismo, our restaurant celebrates local produce, with a regularly changing fixed seasonal menu. Our interiors are a celebration of colour and pattern, inspired by the beauty of our surroundings. Describe your Instagram account. A celebration of slow food, colour, pattern and natural beauty. It’s really a window into our guest house and a showcase of the things that matter most to us – the craft that goes into our food production, interiors and art we feel passionate about and, of course, the beautiful East Devon countryside. Which accounts would you recommend we follow? @thewildwoodmoth for…

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES IN NEW COLOURS In the Great Pavilion, Ashcroft’s Perennials will display ornamental grasses in colours never seen before at Chelsea. Founder Chris Ashcroft told us that ‘the warm season grasses will be flowering and showing off a range of steely blues and deep crimson reds in the foliage, as well as pinks, golds and coppers in the flowers’. UNUSUAL HOUSEPLANT VARIETIES FROM ROCO At the RoCo houseplant stand ‘keep your eyes open for unusual patterned and rare plants like the monkey’s tail cactus, Cleistocactus colademononis, variegated caladiumand theDischidia ‘Pangolin Kisses’ succulent,’ says Caro Langton, co-founder of RoCo. THE GUIDE DOGS’ 90TH ANNIVERSARY GARDEN There will be wild planting and a tribute to people with sight loss in this garden designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith. ‘It will…

Michael Misczynski shares his style vision and loves BIGGEST SUCCESS We’ve been married and professional partners for 20 plus years. BIGGEST IMPACT Art. WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION We’re so fortunate to be working with talented collaborators. DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE IN THREE WORDS. Edited. Liveable. Timeless. PRIZED POSSESSION A 17th-century Italian walnut cupboard purchased from Axel Vervoordt at La Biennale 2006. WHAT’S ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE A collection of Jean-Michel Frank boxes and FranÇois Halard’s latest book, Greece. LAST PIECE OF ART PURCHASED Nymphéas – Fragment, Claude Monet, ca 1910-1915.…

‘The kitchen, often seen as the heart of the home, is the perfect space to use bolder colours, such as Little Greene’s Giallo, reminiscent of golden sun, which will bring joy and create an energetic scheme. You can use this to highlight architectural details or pair it with soft greens and whites, such as the new shades Garden and Silent White, both by Little Greene, in the rest of the space, for a more elegant and pared-back scheme.’ RUTH MOTTERSHEAD, creative director, Little Greene ‘Yellow is a great accent colour for those that are less bold – use it as piping, fringing on cushions and through your pictures. It always looks great with beige, browns and greys, giving them a real pop. Put a yellow into a stack of anything…

DESIGNING WARDROBES Built-in wardrobes are vital to make every bit of space work as hard as possible and maximise the number of jeans, shoes and bags that need to be stored. ‘We ask our clients to do a big clear out and count every piece in their wardrobes,’ says Irene Gunter of Gunter & Co. ‘We then have a great basis to work out what takes priority in your wardrobe – is it shelving, hanging space, or the shoe collection that are the key drivers?’ Measuring arm spans establishes how much hanging space can be included: shirts with double cuffs need a lot more hanging space than a lady’s row of skirts. ‘Finally, vertical lighting looks impressive and is less expensive than lighting every shelf.’ MORE SPACE FOR BOOKS Few…

Stripping back the layers of an old building during a renovation can often seem like a kind of archaeology. In the case of Francesca Barbera and Luigi Piatti’s newly acquired 17th-century apartment in Mantua, the hidden treasures were in the walls. ‘We looked at plenty of great apartments and while this one had an attractive exterior the estate agent was puzzled by my instant attraction to it. It was entirely empty having been left vacant for 15 years and much of the character had been whitewashed over. It was peculiar because as soon as I stepped into the apartment I had this incredible feeling that it was a magical place,’ says Francesca from the couple’s full-time home in Rome, where she works in PR and events while Luigi is a…

Kitesgrove’s Caitlin Nicol shares her design inspiration SECRET ADDRESS 8 Holland Street is one of our favourite sourcing destinations for its continually evolving collection of unusual vintage pieces. GO-TO COLOUR We are so often drawn to an organic palette of greens and blues and are very excited about our recent collaboration with Farrow & Ball. ‘Kitesgrove’ is a deep teal tone that is bold and dynamic. SMALL CHANGE, BIG IMPACT Updating handles is an easy change that can have a big impact. DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE IN THREE WORDS Quiet, comfortable, nuanced. LAST THING YOU BOUGHT FOR YOUR HOME I have my eye on one of the playful bobbin pieces from Robin Myerscough’s new collaboration with Lascombe Hill cabinet makers. WHAT’S ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE The Anatomy of Colour is a…

“THE IPE WOOD DECKING HAS BEEN CLEVERLY CONSTRUCTED TO INCORPORATE THE EXISTING TREES” Whether it’s Sunset Strip, Venice Beach or the film studios of Hollywood, Los Angeles is not a city generally associated with calm – which is what makes this garden, set high in the Hollywood Hills, all the more remarkable. ‘There’s so much hustle and bustle in LA,’ says Mintee Kalra of garden design firm Peruse. ‘You have to drive to get up here, through all the traffic and the chaos, so when you arrive, I wanted there to be the feeling of an exhale.’ The garden, which belongs to a house designed in the 1970s by LA architect Fred Smathers, an early proponent of outdoor living, is extraordinarily restful. In part this is achieved through its restrained…

PLANTS OF DISTINCTION Visit this company’s website and you’ll see a ‘cutting flowers’ section with a huge selection of all the classics for you to choose from. plantsofdistinction.co.uk/cutting-flowers HARDY’S COTTAGE GARDEN PLANTS Find a good range, including the firm’s own ‘Cutting Garden Collection’. Everything you need for blooms straight from garden to vase. hardysplants.co.uk NICKY’S NURSERY This company offers a huge cut flower seed selection (more than 200 varieties) with all your favourites, plus lots of rare and unusual ones in the mix, too.nickys-nursery.co.uk…

FIND YOUR FIT ‘Aim for a toilet that is as discreet as possible,’ says Kirsten Wain, designer, West One Bathrooms. ‘The majority of installations are wall-hung, with sleek designs, easy floor cleaning and bespoke height.’ Back-to-wall, where the pan sits on the floor but the cistern is concealed in a stud wall, is also discreet, while close-coupled toilets are easier to install because the cistern isn’t built in. LOOK BEYOND WHITE Gloss white still rules – it just looks so clean – but more colourful options are on the horizon. ‘We’re getting lots of requests for pastels and jewel tones that lend a fun vibe, as well as moody anthracites and black,’ reports Rebecca Milnes, senior designer, C.P. Hart. Matt colours are also gaining ground for their tactile appeal, providing…

FIND YOUR MATCH Sourcing lighting that shares a design dialogue with your kitchen furniture will help your scheme feel sophisticated and considered. Look for light fittings in similar shapes, thicknesses and, of course, co-ordinating finishes. Here, the horizontal bars of the pendant lights artfully align with the brass trim on the cabinetry behind. Warm metallic finishes can be hard to match, so do request samples before you buy. Ensure brass items are either all lacquered or all unlacquered to retain uniformity. If the taps you like don’t come in a matching brass, choose black, which goes with any metal. STARRING ROLE A single designer light poised above an island unit can be all it takes to unite a scheme, inject elegance and emphasise a focal point, especially in an open-plan…

A LINEN napkin is such a simple way to make an ordinary meal feel more special. And even more so with a hand-embroidered design. These flowers are quick to complete and you could vary the designs with different colours or by adding more petals. YOU WILL NEED Flower template (see diagrams) Pencil, tailor’s chalk or dissolvable fabric pen Small sharp scissors Dressmaking pins 4 napkins Small embroidery hoop Base yarn: embroidery thread (floss) in your choice of colours Large embroidery needle (with a large eye to fit the base yarn through) Standard embroidery needle Top thread: complementary or matching sewing thread 1. To create the first flower (Fig 1), start by transferring your pattern onto the fabric, drawing the flower on one corner of a napkin using a fabric pen.…

‘The frame of the pool was built from steel cage shuttering and sprayed concrete. I grew up swimming in lakes and ponds in Canada and knew I wanted a dark finish. I worked with Reed Harris to develop a custom colour hand-glazed tile from Italy. Around the pool I chose natural looking porcelain. It has a rough texture, which is comfortable to walk on and brilliant at keeping kids upright when running. I used Gucci’s Heron print wallpaper in Green for an oversized mural effect and sourced the huge basketweave pendants from Morocco.’…