Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Homes & Gardens

December is often a time for pushing the proverbial boat out and so, when it comes to budgets, the new year calls for said boat to be steered back in. But enough about boats, this isn’t our coastal issue after all (that’ll be later in the year). With affordability in mind, this month we have trawled some of our favourite shopping destinations – covering the high street and online retailers, as well as independent brands and exciting designer-makers – to bring you an edit of stylish and savvy homeware for almost every room in the house (Wise Buys, p39). Our featured houses may be small in stature but they are big on design ideas. Take the London pied-à-terre by Studio Ashby (p86); it’s a celebration of colour and pattern and…

HAVING spent many years as a painter then a prop stylist, discovering the joys of clay was ‘a revelation’ for Danny Kaplan. ‘I loved the idea that I could make something both functional and beautiful. Bringing the idea of functionality into my practice was so liberating,’ says French-American Danny, who founded his eponymous studio in 2015. Initially lured to the potter’s wheel and the art of throwing, the designer-maker soon began to master other techniques, such as coil- and slab-building, to enable him to realise the ambitious, sculptural pieces that characterise his aesthetic. From voluptuous lamps and vessels to Brutalist-inspired side tables, his pieces all share pleasing proportions and distinctive compositions. ‘I’m drawn to the purity and simplicity in raw materials. I really like elemental forms — orbs, spheres, cubes,…

‘Coming Up Roses is a warm, rich, magenta-based brown. It feels old and nostalgic but it is really comforting and feminine. I made this colour using umber, yellow ochre and the magical magenta pigment. By avoiding black, the colour feels both alive and very familiar. It’s been popular for kitchen cupboards, as well as rooms that are happy in evening light or – much better – candlelight.’ CASSANDRA ELLIS, founder, Atelier Ellis 1. ‘For this intimate home office setup, we decided to paint the walls with Paint & Paper Library’s Caddie. It creates an intimate and cosy atmosphere, complementing the dark wood as well as the pattern on the rug.’ CLAIRE SA, director, De Rosee Sa 2. ‘Elegant and earthy, Split Pink is a wonderfully warm, brown-based pink hue. For…

AMELIA ROSE POTTS London-based painter Amelia Rose Potts’ figurative works are bold and playful, imbued with emotion and energy in a rainbow of acrylic, pencil, ink and gouache. From £180, Instagram @ameliarosepotts ANDREA MONGENIE Parisian artist Andrea Mongenie’s calm, colourful pieces rely on a sense of ritual, each the product of a balance of interacting forms, light, texture and movement in acrylic, oil paint, pastel and mixed media including sand. From £120, andreamongenie.com ANUK ROCHA Known for painting an array of wide-eyed multicultural figures, from circus performers to sailors, Marseille-based Anuk Rocha evokes a sense of mystery and otherness in her work. From £650, anukrocha.com BEC KIRBY The delightfully tactile textiles of Manchester-based artist and painter Bec Kirby – also known as soosumsee – are made up of deadstock yarns…

My mantra design-wise is putting the unexpected together,’ says interior designer Sean Symington. ‘I love combining country or cute items with more contemporary lines, such as the scalloped banquette and tulip table in my kitchen-diner. I love the contrast.’ Sean’s Victorian terrace in Bath is awash with the unexpected. Its light Bath stone exterior belies the kaleidoscopic interior – a far cry from his first viewing when it was a dingy student house with a bed in virtually every room. ‘I knew it would scare people because it needed lots of work,’ Sean says. ‘It was all very closed – even the corridor had a door. I didn’t know the sitting room had a fireplace because there was a chest of drawers in front of it.’ Also off-putting was a…

MAKE A SPLASH In this glorious galley kitchen, the focus was on colour – and MMB Studio has applied it with vigour. ‘Using bold colour is one way to grow a space that has a small footprint. Here, the kitchen is narrow and compact, and I wanted to make it a star. The colour – the aptly named Energetic Orange by Sherwin-Williams – totally grabs your attention and allows your eye to travel along the entire length and height of the space,’ enthuses interior designer Matthew Boland, principal, MMB Studio. ‘The deep orange shade is unexpected and generously applied, right up to the cornice. The smallest spaces can be the most memorable if you keep the focus strong,’ he adds. Cabinetry in Orange Aurora intelligent eggshell, £75.50 for 2.5ltr, Little…

STORE AND ORDER Good storage is a must to help create an uncluttered bathroom with a sense of space and calm. Drawers in a vanity unit or shelves in a mirror wall cabinet are ideal for storing easy-to-access cosmetics and toiletries, while cupboards may be best for towels, loo rolls and cleaning products. Recessed wall cabinets can provide practical storage with less visual bulk. In a recent project, Guild Anderson built a large cupboard into a stud wall next to a niche for the shower cubicle, as managing director Nick Anderson explains. ‘By building the wall forward, we created room for the storage cupboard without making the space feel any smaller,’ he says. ‘A solid-fronted cabinet would have been rather heavy looking – instead, glass fronts add life to the…

I FEEL a deep connection to Barbados, where my father was born and where we spent a couple of years in my childhood. The island’s people and culture, the sea and the earth itself resonate with me in a profound way. These days, I try to visit annually, waking with the sunrise and listening to the waves crashing, crickets chirping and the familiar clack of domino games. This slower pace of life is always a wonderful escape. ■ The island is small ( just 21 by 14 miles) so I recommend hiring a car and taking a tour. It’s hard to get lost. Drive along the east coast, stopping to see some of its historic buildings. St Nicholas Abbey is one of only three surviving examples of Jacobean architecture in…

WONDER WALLS Transylvanian folklore meets English eccentricity in the Minnie Kemp and MindTheGap wallpaper collaboration. Minnie Kemp, the design director for the Kit Kemp Design Studio, has crafted designs brought to life by MindTheGap’s in-house artists. The collection features adaptations of existing patterns, with Minnie’s unique recolouring and scaling, such as Samoa (pictured), available in Raspberry and other shades at £229 a roll. Minnie’s passion for Transylvania shines through in this vibrant collection of nine designs, which draws on Transylvania’s rich heritage and playful spirit. MODERN NOSTALGIA Cabbages & Roses and furniture maker Love Your Home have unveiled the first of a two-part furniture collaboration. This quintessentially British line features Love Your Home’s popular designs reimagined with nostalgic Cabbages & Roses fabrics. A standout piece is the Christina armchair in…

JANUARY LONDON ART FAIR 17-21 January The focus here is on contemporary British art, but the show is becoming more international. Expect to find a mix of paintings, works on paper, original prints and sculpture. londonartfair.co.uk MARCH COLLECT 1-3 March Collect showcases an exquisite curation of modern and contemporary works from the disciplines of ceramics, glassmaking, metalsmithing, woodworking and textiles. You’ll find everything from masterpieces by 20th century legends such as Lucie Rie to current artists including Loewe Craft Prize finalists like Annie Turner. craftscouncil.org.uk LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR 21-24 March Held in the impressive galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts, this exhibition is the number one spot to pick up a beautiful original print. This means artists made limited or unique works from media…

ONE of my design credos is ‘the smaller the room, the bigger the surprise’. Why such a full statement? Simply, it’s a surprise to yourself and usually others how a small space can be effective and hit all the marks. Here is my approach when designing a small space. The first thing I do is take a look at room size. Whether it is a kitchen, living room, bedroom or outdoor lounge. Second, I draw a scaled sketch with pertinent dimensions. This is a major tool at this point. Accurate dimensions, including overall room height clearances, are critical pieces of information. Also taking note of any corridors and twists and turns from the door to furniture placement. Third, take stock of how the room is to be used and a…

OFTEN people don’t know what to do with a small space. It can feel harder to transform than a large room, but it just takes planning. Some of my favourite spaces are small rooms – when done well they feel really tailored to the owner and the house. ■ The smaller the room is, the more you need to work out in advance. I draw everything on floor plans, taking every elevation into account, to maximise every bit of space. ■ For areas where you don’t have full standing height, a loft space for example, you can put a piece of furniture such as a chest of drawers or a bath under the eaves – something that you don’t need to stand up to use. ■ Fitted furniture works really…

Walk into the townhouse of Louise Pugh and her husband Guy and the first thing that catches your eye is a glimpse of its red and pink striped playroom, whose circus tent walls set the tone for the confident mix of colour and pattern throughout. Once the site of a kitchen off the entrance hall, the room has become something of a symbol of the couple’s approach to this renovation: playful, relaxed and adventurous. Louise bought this 1960s build more than a decade ago, and although she extended at the rear, its configuration remained untouched for many years. Then she met Guy, had their two children Delphi, two, and Emilie, four, and realised a reboot was needed. ‘Ironically, given that I’d lived here since I was single, the house didn’t…

SMART AND STREAMLINED If it’s easy to find ingredients and equipment, cooking will be more enjoyable, while good storage can make the room feel less cluttered and more spacious. ‘It is important to strike a balance between functionality and style,’ says interior designer Irene Gunter, founder of Gunter & Co. ‘For example, incorporating open shelves for displaying objects and cookbooks can provide storage as well as create a visually appealing space.’ She also advises paying attention to the choice of materials to add interest. ‘In my own kitchen, we painted the units in three different shades of blue and paired them with a limewashed full-height pantry unit and an island in a different wood stain to make it stand out from the pantry,’ she says. Fullheight cabinets eliminate dead space,…

CRAB TOAST WITH FENNEL & BLOOD ORANGE SERVES 2 AS A MAIN, OR 4 AS A STARTER 1 picked crab (both white and brown meat)2 tbsp mayonnaise1 lemonBunch of fresh parsley2 blood oranges1 bulb of fennel1 head of radicchio or trevisoOlive oilBunch of fresh parsley or tarragon Hot buttered toast, for serving ■ Put the brown crabmeat into a bowl with the mayonnaise, then squeeze in a dash of lemon juice (start with about a third of the lemon) and mix well. The brown meat should almost melt into the mayonnaise and form a sauce. ■ Finely chop the parsley and add to the bowl with the white crabmeat, a pinch of salt and lots of pepper, and gently stir through. Taste and check your seasoning. ■ Using a sharp…

1.I live in Somerset, but my husband and I love to go to North Norfolk. I love the colours of the marshes and the land and sea, and I have a beautiful picture by Harry Cory Wright hanging at home to remind me. 2.I’ve used a Portobello diary by Smythson for the last 25 years; each year I get a new colour – this year is Forest, a deep green – and I like that I can see at a glance what I’m doing for the whole week. 3.I need a big bag to carry all my samples around with me, and my favourite is a tote by London Velvet. It’s big, with strong handles and I can fit everything in there. 4.I wear a uniform every day made up…

HOT TO TROT Chesneys, renowned for its commitment to craftsmanship and innovative design, introduces The Sanctuary 5, priced at £1,699 as part of a new collection of contemporary styled stoves. It offers a unique combination of very high efficiency and extremely low emissions. The sleek minimalist design is emphasised by the absence of a handle; the door is operated using a hidden touch point. STORAGE FOR THE SEASON Built-in storage offers a sleeker alternative to its free-standing counterparts. If you’re in the market, turn to Neville Johnson, renowned for meticulously handcrafting built-in storage solutions tailored to your exact specifications. From office furniture and cosy reading nooks to grand libraries like this one in Dark Green from £3,600. Every piece is entirely unique, ensuring your space is one of a kind.…

LA DOLCE VITA This statement seating was inspired by grand upholstered headboards. Further the impact of the upholstery by continuing the fabric with gondolas onto a pleated skirt, then add silk and velvet cushions with trimmings in hues picked out from the pattern to complete the sumptuous effect. Gondole fabric in Blu Reale, £478m, Pierre Frey SEASIDE SOJOURN Team a sweet small-scale wallpaper with a seaside pattern repeat with bolder artwork along the same theme. To prevent the space from becoming twee, style it with simple elegant furniture and plain rather than nautical or ocean-esque accessories. Coralli wallpaper in Blue, £69 a roll; Coralli fabric in Blue/ Teal, £56m; Arlo fabric in Cobalt, £47m, all Jane Churchill TROPICAL TASTES Curate a corner using a contemporary palm leaf wallpaper print as…

In townhouses, the under-stairs cavity is often turned into a cloakroom but in this Oxfordshire farmhouse we opted instead to convert the space into a useful boot room. Our clients love spending time outdoors and that means clambering in and out of coats and boots. The joinery is bespoke and we designed a mix of open shelves, hooks, baskets and drawers for hanging coats and hats and storing outdoor gear. To keep it light and fresh, it’s painted in the same warm white as the hall.GEMMA HOLSGROVE, studio director, Sims Hilditch I like to embrace the smaller confines of the space with strong colour, wallpaper or a moodier vibe. It’s often the juxtaposition between these saturated, smaller spaces and larger, brighter rooms that adds a certain drama and energy to…

Alexandra Saguet’s treatment of a Haussmann-style apartment overlooking Paris’s Arc de Triomphe has been as fastidious as a tailor cutting fabric for a form-fitting suit. Her design ideas embrace every inch of wall and floor to create a cohesive identity that invites guests to be soothed away from the city’s fast pace. Alexandra’s clients, a young couple who work in the fine art business, were not daunted by a lengthy overhaul and the apartment was stripped of all its finishes. ‘I worked hard to create a floor plan that would circulate well, have great opportunities to socialise, but would also make a clear distinction between day and night areas for the most restful sleep,’ says Alexandra. At the centre of the 270-square-metre apartment is a kitchen with a marble island…

GLOBAL OUTLOOK ‘One of the big bathroom trends of 2024 will not just be about bringing nature into our homes, but faraway shores, grounding our space in a sense of elsewhere,’ predicts Grazziella Wilson, head of creative at Ca’ Pietra. We can happily imagine a bathroom sporting the brand’s new Rio tile, £77.51sq m, taken from a hand-painted design printed onto porcelain. Inspired by the Rio Carnival with colours captured from Brazil’s agave flower, the painterly tropical look work well in small doses, but even better en masse. SCREEN STAR Matki’s latest offering is as much about engineering as it is aesthetics. The EauZone Arch wet-room panel features an ingenious dual-function shower brace that keeps the panel secure and supplies water to the centrally mounted showerhead. Available in 11 finishes,…

1 WOW WALLS The raw finish of a plastered shower wall is perfect for adding a sense of warmth and an interesting textural contrast to polished marble-effect tiles, like these from Fired Earth’s new Onyx collection. ‘A less contemporary look than a glass screen, a pared-back plastered wall is ideal for creating hammam-inspired shower rooms or relaxing spa-style schemes,’ says James Sirett, head of product, Fired Earth. Onyx marble-look porcelain tiles in Green Polished and Ivory Polished, 60x120cm, £74.99sq m; The Classic concealed shower in Antiqued Gold, from £2,500, all Fired Earth. 2 DOUBLE DELIGHT For her own en-suite bathroom, interior designer Georgina Cave maximised the long, thin space by creating a walk-in shower that doubles as a bath. ‘This works particularly well as not only does it look striking,…

SET within 55 acres of Cotswolds countryside and beside the quaint 12th-century St Mary’s Church, Cowley Manor is an idyllic retreat and has been for over 300 years. These days, it’s enjoying a new chapter since Experimental Group, the French hoteliers and bar owners, bought the manor and reopened it last year under its new name Cowley Manor Experimental. The firm enlisted designers Dorothée Meilichzon and De Matos Ryan to help breath new life into the interiors. And that they did. It’s widely recognised that author Lewis Carroll frequently stayed at Cowley Manor and took inspiration from the grounds for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. On learning this, the designers took many of the novel’s themes as inspiration for the overall interior design. On arrival, guests are met with a distinctive…