Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2025 i Homes & Gardens

July brings longer days and a golden light that lingers – making it the perfect time to talk about beauty in depth. In this issue, we explore interiors that don’t just look good but feel soulful too – spaces filled with light, personality and that indefinable something that makes a house a home. Our cover story (page 74) showcases the work of Zoë Feldman Design and features a compact pantry drenched in Yves Klein blue, proving small rooms can deliver impact. Equally compelling is the project Victoria Sass of Prospect Refuge Studio headed up (page 94). She reminds us that depth in design often begins with a leap of faith. ‘Be brave and move in a direction that makes you feel uncomfortable,’ she says. The warmth and character she brought…

‘AS A second-generation immigrant born in the UK, my sense of identity was continually questioned due to the colour of my skin and much of my inspiration comes from my experiences growing up, and British colonial history,’ says ceramicist Rich Miller. ‘As a result, my work always starts a conversation and I’ve connected with and learnt from a great many people because of it.’ Over the past decade, those connections have stretched even further thanks to his role as a judge on The Great Pottery Throwdown. Having initially been scouted as a technician, in 2018 Rich was asked to take a place on the panel alongside Keith Brymer Jones. ‘I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and there are so many things I love about it,’ he says. ‘Staying in…

COLOUR OF THE MONTH MATCHA GREEN IN THE BALANCE ‘We chose Apple Smiles from Paint & Paper Library for this library nook as it is a well-balanced tone that combines warmth and freshness. This shade creates a calm and inviting atmosphere, which is ideal for a space made for reading and relaxation.’ Rosanna Bossom, founder, Rosanna Bossom interior design studio NATURE STUDY ‘This bedroom looks out onto water meadows and we wanted to reflect the natural view within the house. We use a lot of green in our schemes because it brings a sense of wellbeing. Green lifts the mood when skies are grey, and, as in nature, it works with almost any colour.’ Sarah Vanrenen, founder, Sarah Vanrenen interior design studio PERFECT MATCH ‘We love a green kitchen here…

As design director for Kit Kemp Design Studio and art ambassador for Firmdale Hotels, and having studied architecture at Cambridge and sculpture in Germany, Willow is well versed in anything art-related. “Collecting art is a passion that takes investment in time and money. However, it is absolutely one worth making and your favourite artworks can move with you for life. Of course, the word ‘affordable’ is entirely subjective, but great art doesn’t have to cost the earth and by thinking outside the box you can find original pieces that give back to you every day for a lifetime. Art is valuable not because of its cost, but due to how it makes us feel. A painting that reminds you of home, a print by an artist whose original work feels…

1. Immersive experience SB Design House collaborated with award-winning landscape design firm Garden Studio Design and Häti Home to bring this Californian summer kitchen to life. ‘We aimed for an outdoor kitchen that merges effortlessly with its lush surroundings, offering both style and function,’ says Shayna Brickman of SB Design House. Materials for the built-in grill, porcelain countertop and teak cabinetry are echoed in the adjacent bar and seating area for a cohesive look. ‘The soft scape, featuring mature olive trees and other drought-tolerant plant selections, amplifies the modern Mediterranean feel while fostering a relaxed, refined atmosphere,’ adds Mikayla Gierut, Garden Studio Design marketing director. 2. Rain or shine This walled-garden-style kitchen by designer Mark Gregory, Landform Consultants, features an elegant Victorian-inspired glass veranda from The Traditional Verandah Company, which…

ECO UPGRADE If you were impressed by Wall&decò’s original waterproof wallpaper, prepare to be truly captivated. Building on the success of its award-winning Wet System, the brand’s latest innovation, Aquabout Wet System, takes both performance and sustainability to the next level. Using advanced water-based resins, this new-generation surface stands up to daily wear, resisting scratches and even harsh detergents. A sophisticated alternative to tiling, it’s a breakthrough in eco-friendly surface design with plenty of personality. Wall&decò Aquabout Wet System wallpaper in Thanks To by Enrico Beccari, from £214sq m, West One Bathrooms. HEAD-TURNING A highlight of this year’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), Kallista’s new Bandeau showering collection features what might just be the most exquisite showerhead we’ve ever seen. Inspired by neoclassical architectural columns, it combines matte metallic…

DRENCH IN COLOUR It may be compact in size, but this artfully designed vanity unit has been meticulously orchestrated to utilise every inch of its confined alcove setting. According to the design team at Hutley & Humm, the secret to maximising impact lies in colour drenching. Co-founder Melissa Hutley explains, ‘While overcrowding a small space with too many details may dilute its impact, drenching the alcove in a singular, striking colour transforms it into a veritable jewel box.’ The uplifting yellow here – Gamboge by Paint & Paper Library – cascades down the walls and encompasses the vanity cabinetry. ‘A marble splashback subtly infuses theatre into the space,’ adds Melissa. Bamboo-effect wall mirror, £150, John Lewis. WL 1212 Classic wall-mounted mixer taps, £857, Lefroy Brooks. Project by Hutley & Humm…

All the latest news, including a look at lighting for evenings in the garden, the appeal of the zigzag motif, ceramics full of character and creative tile collaborations Lived beauty A born aesthete, Armando Cabral brings his unique vision, shaped by a life between Guinea-Bissau, Lisbon and the global fashion stage, to a new collaboration with Swiss modular furniture icon USM. Best known for his eponymous luxury lifestyle brand, Armando now turns his attention to the home. Nkyinkyim, named after a West African symbol of progress and resilience, is a modular collection comprising a bookshelf, asymmetrical platform bed, lounge chair set, side table and valet wardrobe stand, available in 14 standard USM colours. Priced from £1,796 for the side table, the collaboration blends craftsmanship with a refined, contemporary aesthetic. To…

FIRED EARTH X NINA CAMPBELL This latest tile collection marks the second collaboration between Fired Earth and the renowned British interior designer. Inspired by Nina’s rich textile archives as well as her travels to Portugal and India, the handful of new designs sit comfortably at the pinch point of classic and contemporary: retro-graphic cartouches, foliage and petals in a palette of knocked-back sage, umber, powder blue and rust recall the traditional motifs of Lisbon, coupled with the heritage of Indian cities such as Kochi and Udaipur. Meanwhile plain slimline Rivage tiles in mustard or sage are contemporising. ‘Simply laying five of those horizontally then vertically to create a chequerboard, either in a single colour or multicolour, is such a fun approach,’ says Nina. A handcrafted finish, synonymous with Fired Earth’s…

Room with a view A feast for the senses, de Gournay’s Sicilia mural depicts a lush Mediterranean landscape of sculptural yuccas, cacti, fan palms, aloes and Roman pines, framed by a conservatory encased in sweet jasmine. Inspired by the frescoed Summer Room at Villa Malfitano in Palermo, the exquisite hand-painted design exudes luxury and serenity. Tropical beauty Make a statement in a vast living space with this boundless vista featuring soaring palms and monkeys. Artistic vision Elevate a home study or dining room with a botanical panorama reminiscent of works by 20th-century painters. Pastoral harmony Capture the elegance of an 18th-century country house with an Arcadian scene taken from an antique tapestry at Frampton Court, Gloucestershire. Voyage of discovery Bring a playful touch to a practical space with an exuberant…

MAKE SPACE Unlike in America, British houses rarely come with walk-in wardrobes – there just often isn’t the footprint. This is especially true of the Victorian terraces found in towns and cities up and down the country. One solution is to sacrifice a bedroom, creating a walk-through wardrobe and en suite bathroom in the process – and that is what interior designer Polly Ashman did here. ‘We didn’t want the dressing space to feel too cold with lots of painted joinery, so we added simple grasscloth wallpaper to the front of the doors,’ she explains. ‘This helped to soften the space and add another layer of texture.’ SET THE TONE A his-and-hers dressing room needs to strike the right tone decoratively – neither overly feminine nor masculine. In this example…

When American interior designer Sally Wilkinson relocated to the UK several years ago, she already had a strong foundation in classical design principles. However, it has been her time working in London – first with Salvesen Graham, then at the helm of her own US studio – that truly shaped her aesthetic. ‘There can be a tendency in the US to favour schematic, structured schemes,’ she says. ‘Here, I learnt that embracing a slight sense of imbalance makes for more interesting, dynamic design. There’s no fun in everything looking perfect.’ That philosophy shaped her transformation of this home in Atlanta, a 1990s property close to one of the city’s parks. The house was a study in contrasts: ‘There was heavy stone, brick and various types of wooden beams, as well…

Away day This summer, Nicola Talbot, custodian of Falconhurst in Kent, is hosting Stone, an exhibition of striking outdoor sculptures made from stone by renowned British sculptors, such as Luke Dickinson whose work Rising and Falling is pictured here. Built in the 19th century, the Falconhurst Estate is today managed by the fifth generation of the Talbot family including a working farm and beautiful garden. The garden features a series of outdoor rooms, tree-lined walks, architectural enclaves, plus cut-flower and vegetable gardens. The exhibition takes place from 29 June - 26 July with tickets priced at £11.50. Prices for the sculptures start at £2,000. Sustainable success Outdoor furniture specialists Gaze Burvill has a new collection designed in collaboration with the National Trust to highlight the importance of manufacturing with native…

ENTERTAINING outside is such a mood lifter. It has an informality and fun that you can’t match indoors. And there’s the delight on all your senses, from the sun on your skin, the scent of plants and being among friends. ■ The first thing to think about is what entertaining in the garden looks like for you. Do you want to have big family meals at a table or see yourself sitting around a firepit drinking wine with a few friends in the evening? Will you regularly host 30 people or a family of four? ■ Consider the space. You’ll naturally gravitate towards the sun, so figuring out the best place for your table or lounge area is essential. I used to have a north-facing garden and it was sunniest…

1. ON DISPLAY Topping your splashback with a shelf crafted from the same stone is a fluid design flex with added functionality for avid cooks. It also elegantly addresses the conundrum of how to finish the top of a splashback when there are no wall cabinets to provide a natural stopping point. In this example, the linear pale-washed oak of Martin Moore’s Legacy Collection is paired with a rich, earthy palette of green and terracotta, setting a warm, inviting tone. ‘The striking green granite used for the worktop, splashback and shelf has been honed to emphasise the beautiful veining and retain its muted colour,’ says Richard Moore, creative director, Martin Moore. ‘To further enhance this statement material, we finished the stone with a bullnose edge, which has a softly curved…

LAP OF LUXURY ‘I love bathrooms that feel cohesive with the rest of a home and embrace texture, colour and soft furnishings to avoid a clinical, cold feel,’ says Tiffany Duggan, director of Studio Duggan. ‘This is particularly important for en-suite bathrooms which should flow seamlessly from the bedroom, creating a large suite-like feel.’ When space permits, generous double doors help to open up the flow between bedroom and bathroom, and free-standing furniture adds character. ‘I like to include a glazed-fronted antique cupboard for towels or a cute ceramic table next to the bath for a candle and bath oils,’ she says, ‘and an armchair is the ultimate luxury.’ Wall tiles are often used only in the shower area, with stone splashbacks for baths and basins. ‘We also use a…

FETA, LEMON & MELON SALAD SERVES 2 AS A MAIN OR 4 AS A STARTER OR SIDE SALAD 50g pumpkin seeds1 small ripe melon (cantaloupe is good, as is a large wedge of watermelon)2 cucumbers2 courgettesA handful of lamb’s lettuce or rocket (optional)Juice of 1 lemonExtra virgin olive oilSea saltA few sprigs of mint, leaves chopped1 block of feta (roughly 80g)Lemon zest squiggles, to serve ■ Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a low heat for a few minutes until they pop and brown slightly. Skin the melon, deseed and cut into slices. Peel the cucumbers and cut into thick discs, along with the courgettes. ■ Place the vegetables and salad leaves, if using, in a bowl and toss with plenty of lemon juice and olive…

1. I have an obsession with collecting china. I’m fortunate to have lots of antique family china, which I pair with contemporary pieces. My latest find from Source at Personal Shopping at the Design Centre is the Vannerie Gold collection from Alberto Pinto, which I discovered at Déco Off in Paris this year. 2. I love buying skincare and make-up and discovering new brands. I’ve recently started using Jones Road, which is very nourishing and works well with my favourite skincare brand Augustinus Bader. 3. I’m a dedicated walker and enjoy walking from my home in Wandsworth to work and back every day. During my walk I listen to audiobooks, the latest one was Precipice by Robert Harris. 4. I adore collecting cookery books and the latest, Brutto: A (Simple)…

Celestial grace Heathfield & Co has collaborated with garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson to create the new Selene collection, a group of portable outdoor table lights named after Greek goddesses. Designed by an all-female team, the five IP44-rated lamps are simple yet sculptural and celebrate the cycle of the moon with their orb-shaped glass shades. The materials and colours have been chosen for their richness and ability to harmoniously tie in with natural shades and patinas, and will age beautifully. Shown here, the Carme, £750, is made from an emperador marble base and waxed brass stem and offers three levels of brightness adjusted by a touch switch. & PENDANT PORCH LIGHTS 3 of the best dream scape As a novel way to create an ambient glow for alfresco dining, you might…

Adura Design ‘I gravitate towards brass and rust colours,’ says Anu Akinyemi, founder of Adura Design. ‘I like interiors to make you feel something as you enter them.’ Hers is a rich take on decor, one that has seen Anu turn a plain five-bedroom house in St John’s Wood, London, into a trove of deep colours, sumptuous textures and vividly patterned textiles. ‘I was given four weeks to do that project, but instead of worrying about how I just got on with it,’ Anu says. ‘It felt like my big break.’ A career in design wasn’t always going to be Anu’s path. Growing up in Nigeria, local culture perceived creative careers as hobbies, something that wouldn’t make you any money. ‘But I loved reading floor plans even at a young…

A AARVEN Named after a word meaning ‘friend of the people’, Aarven in Margate is dedicated to bringing the best of global creativity together. It has forged relationships with more than 30 small-scale artisan groups across six countries who produce its in-house designed pieces, including woven place mats in a kaleidoscope of colours from Kenya, tablecloths and napkins block-printed in India by hand and sculptural hand-cast Ghanaian brass candlesticks. aarven.com B BANG & OLUFSEN Combining sleek Scandinavian style with advanced technology, this 100-year-old Danish company’s stereo systems are sculptural as well as functional. New to its range of portable speakers, the Beosound A5 (below), from £1,200 – designed in collaboration with Danish-Italian duo GamFratesi – has a smart woven front and oak handle, while its IP65 rating means it will…

Joy is a US-based designer but her work takes her all over the world. Now running her own studio – Joy Moyler Interiors – she has over 25 years of experience and a degree in architecture. She is celebrated for her use of colour and pattern. “When we were very young, my sister Stephanie, one year older, and I were dressed in similar outfits. Not exactly matching. If I wore blue, she’d wear red – but the ensemble style was the same. My mother was a twin and was ‘way over’ the perfectly matched routine. She wanted us to be seen as individuals. Then, when I was around five or six, my mother gave in to my constant nagging to select my own clothes for school. I recall the excitement…

How do you make a new house feel old? That’s a question interior designer Victoria Sass debated many times over when creating this classic American white brick house for a family of five in a leafy neighbourhood close to Minneapolis in Minnesota. The family had spotted the plot’s potential in 2019, drawn to its tranquil waterside setting, and gained permission to demolish the existing neglected home, replacing it with a sympathetic build. ‘It’s much harder than it looks,’ concedes Victoria. ‘New builds can feel a bit too perfect. In this case, we asked architecture firm Murphy & Co to loosen things up a little. Older houses don’t always make sense; sometimes the flow is a little off; a small room might be sequestered off a bigger space; shapes are asymmetrical.…

“Overbeck’s is perched on steep slopes above the coast at Sharpitor in Salcombe, with views down the estuary. In the past, it was a family home and a Red Cross hospital – the garden has evolved without much formal planning but with the enthusiasm of various custodians. We’re in a microclimate, protected from westerly winds by the cliff and woodlands, with little frost due to the sea air, allowing us to grow an eclectic mix of plants, many from warmer climes. We grow magnolias, including M. campbellii ‘Overbecks’, Euonymus lucidus and subtropical plants, such as banana plants and the iconic Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm), many over 100 years old. There’s a Statue Garden, now full of colour with herbaceous and tender perennial plants spilling onto the paths, soundtracked by birdsong…

GREAT DEPTHS Alexy Kos and Che Huang, the founders of London-based Child Studio, are known for their ability to create inviting contemporary interiors influenced by modernism. ‘The kitchen is often called the heart of the home,’ says Alexy. ‘Our approach centres on crafting a cosy, lived-in atmosphere, with a focus on quality and comfort.’ Their starting point is to establish a palette of materials on to which they layer decorative objects from different eras, such as silverware, pottery and antiques, often with a focus on mid-century modern design. ‘We tend to use a pared-back selection of natural materials: solid wood to add warmth, combined with natural stone and tactile ceramics,’ explains Che. The result? ‘An inviting, relaxing space with personality and depth,’ he adds.…

IT feels like just yesterday that I boarded a plane from Nigeria to the UK with my family, though it was in fact 30 years ago. The thought of a new life was both thrilling and daunting, especially with the bittersweet feeling of leaving my dear grandmother behind. We settled in Bermondsey, just a stone’s throw from Tower Bridge. South-east London’s green spaces and tranquil charm quickly became my grounding force and now my own family’s history continues to unfold here. ■ Greenwich is a special place for me. Standing at the Royal Observatory (far right) on the Prime Meridian, looking across the city’s rooftops, I feel a connection to both the history and modernity of the city. The symmetry of the Old Royal Naval College and the beauty of…