• Country garden: broad beans in flower

    by  • May 18, 2013 • 0 Comments

    We’re not enjoying the cold here on Country Homes & Interiors, but luckily that’s not a problem for the hardy vegetables in our rooftop garden. Already the broad beans are in flower and some of the red-hot radishes are big enough to harvest. Delicious!

    Thanks to B&Q for supplying the young veg plants and also the bags of compost that have ensured everything’s got off to such a good start. See for yourself below. Just think what a little sunshine will do…

    The broad beans are strong and healthy…

    …and little flowers are forming

    Sweet peas romp up the wigwam

    Purple sage and cerinthe make a pretty pair

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    Country buy: Great Gatsby style

    by  • May 17, 2013 • 0 Comments

    “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” – F.Scott Fitzgerald

    It’s finally here… the hotly anticipated film The Great Gatsby. Here at Country Homes & Interiors we’re rather excited! We’ve come over all inspired by the glamourous costumes and the elegant interiors of the era.

    Enter into the spirit with our fabulous moodboard below, or better still design your own Gatsby-esque creation and share with us on house to home.

    Our moodboard inspired by The Great Gatsby.

    Our moodboard inspired by The Great Gatsby.

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    Country food: pretty elderflower pannacotta

    by  • May 16, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Elderflower Pannacotta

    This is a lovely idea for a light summery dessert – it doesn’t matter that the elderflowers are not out yet as it uses elderflower cordial…

    100ml whole milk
    400ml double cream
    20g caster sugar
    3 sheets leaf gelatine
    seeds from ½ vanilla pod/bean
    2 tablespoons elderflower cordial
    biscuits and fresh berries, to serve

    Recipe makes 4. You will also need 4 individual pudding basins or ramekin dishes

    1 In a saucepan, bring the milk, cream and sugar to a gentle boil and simmer for a few minutes. You want to just scald the liquid but you do not want it to bubble furiously. Take off the heat and allow to cool.

    2 Soak the gelatine leaves in warm water until soft. Shake off any water and add them to the warm cream mixture along with the vanilla seeds and elderflower cordial and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool completely, giving it a stir occasionally as it does so, then pour into individual pudding basins and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with biscuits and a handful of berries.

    *Recipe taken from A Perfect Day for a Picnic by Tori Finch (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99, rylandpeters.com) Photograph by Georgia Glynn-Smith

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    Country style: Traveller spirit

    by  • May 15, 2013 • 0 Comments

    If you get the chance to take a Spring break then it could be the opportunity to seek out those vintage and flea market treasures to put the final touches to your home. This season its all about Souk style and there are beautiful ikats in most fabric collections, including Lewis & Wood, Manuel Canovas and Scion, as well as ready made pieces at OKA. Ikat is a design that can be mixed in and used to compliment most country decorating schemes, from stripes to florals. To complete the look layer with holiday finds such as vintage rugs, ornaments and pottery. For more inspiration take  a look at our June issue (out now!) Traveller spirit decorating story.

    Bimini Ikat, Thibaut. Duffel bag, Zatchels. Lassi cup; Sari throw, Opium. Mug, Anthropologie. Beads, OKA. Cushion cover (folded), Toast.

    Bimini Ikat, Thibaut. Duffel bag, Zatchels. Lassi cup; Sari throw, Opium. Mug, Anthropologie. Beads, OKA. Cushion cover (folded), Toast.

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    Country room: stylish boy’s room

    by  • May 14, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Decorating a child’s room can be such fun, and here’s a little boy’s room that ticks the boxes for its mix of coastal and country style and is guaranteed to appeal to both kids and the young at heart.

    The sailboat wallpaper and curtain fabric from Harlequin will get certainly get little ones in the mood for summer holidays, while the sail hanging from the ceiling is a simple yet eyecatching way of giving an ordinary bed the wow factor. Adding in toning striped and checked fabrics varies the look and prevents it from becoming overthemed.

    When it comes to country children’s rooms, toy storage is always an issue and these lovely lidded wicker under-the-bed storage baskets fit the bill as they’re attractive as well as practical. Perhaps a room like this will even make bedtime more appealing…

    Curtains and bedlinen: Sail Away 120231 £30 a metre; Blind: Boogie Woogie 130766 £26 a metre; cushions: from a selection from All About Me; sail above bed and upholstered cube: Mimi Check 130783 £26 a metre; wallpaper: Sail Away 110531 £30 a roll; all All About Me by Harlequin
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    Reader event: KLC interior design day

    by  • May 13, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Learn to decorate in modern country style at an exclusive one-day course on either 12th or 26th June. Held at the KLC School of Design in London’s Chelsea Harbour, its expert tutors will develop your interior design skills through a series of short lectures, talks and workshops.

    The day will provide practical suggestions on how to plan the style of a room, and use colour, furniture, finishes and materials in imaginative combinations.

    9.30am Arrival and coffee

    10am Inspirational talk: Modern country-style – an introduction on how to create a country-style home that’s easy to live in. Defining vintage, shabby chic and general rules of laid-back living.

    11.15am Practical workshop: The general principles of interior design – how to plan a room.

    12.30pm Lunch

    1.30pm Special talk: Country colour palettes and textiles – new trends.

    2pm Lecture: Sounrcing the right pieces from new designs to salvage yards.

    2.30pm Practical workshop: Creating your look – putting together a mood board.

    3.45pm Q&A

    4pm The day ends

    Make your own decorating moodboard as part of the course

    To book a place, please call 020 7376 3377. Tickets cost £120.

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    Country make: appliqué cushion

    by  • May 12, 2013 • 0 Comments

     

    Applique cushion

    Readymade cushion, fabrics, ric-rac, iron-on fabric tape all from Hobbycraft

    Give a cushion a new look with stylish – and stitch free – appliqué patches.

    You will need

    Ready made cushion

    Complementary fabrics

    Pins

    Pinking sheers

    Ric-rac

    Iron-on fabric bonding tape

    Cut all the fabric patches to a square shape measuring the required size adding 2cm all around for hemming. Pin hems under on the wrong side of each patch and press. Position the ric-rac in a square shape to the desired size centrally on the smallest patch, right side facing. Cut the iron-on fabric bonding tape into 4 thin strips and sandwich this between the ric-rac and the patch. Pin in place and iron .Position the smallest patch centrally on the next size up square, right sides uppermost, sandwiching a layer of iron-on fabric tape underneath the edges. Pin together then iron. Repeat the process with the remaining patch layers, until the desired number or pattern is reached. Position the combined patches centrally on the cushion, sandwiching one last layer of iron-on fabric tape underneath the bottom square edges. Repeat the iron-on fabric tape process, then press whole cushion to complete the project.

    Ready made cushion, fabrics, iron-on fabric tape all from Hobbycraft

     

    If you like this idea we have lots more easy craft projects for you to try. Or, for more country crafts, recipes and room ideas, take a look at our new Country Home Ideas app.

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    Country garden: rooftop potager

    by  • May 11, 2013 • 0 Comments

    We’ve been busy planting up the Country Homes & Interiors garden on the 10th floor of our office building. It’s laid out as a potager with raised beds, troughs and a happy mix of herbs, flowers for cutting and vegetables.

    Thanks to Mr Fothergill’s, who supplied us with healthy baby plants, we now have variegated thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary and tricolour sage settling in nicely alongside pinks, heliotrope and sturdy wigwams of sweet peas, built to withstand the gusts of wind that are one of the challenges of gardening so high up. (Another challenge is the snails… how do they get up there?)

    Look out for regular updates of our potager’s progress in this blog – here are a few pictures taken this week. You can also see plenty of country garden ideas at housetohome.co.uk/garden.

    Sweet peas, herbs, broad beans and a row of baby radishes in one raised bed

    The mint is thriving

     

    Variegated thyme loves the sunshine

    The radishes are coming along nicely

     

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    Country buy: cheery ceramics

    by  • May 10, 2013 • 1 Comment

    Vibrant, beautiful, happy…these few words evoke the spirit of Su Rogers’ contemporary ceramics. Su’s fabulous designs will not only brighten up your country kitchen, they are sure to make you smile.

    Su Rogers.

    Egg Cup, £14; Large bowl, £46, both Su Rogers.

    Traditionally thrown on a wheel with porcelain clay each piece is lovingly hand-decorated, making each and everyone unique.

    Su Rogers.

    Oil pourer, £21; Medium jug, £36; Large vase, £43, all Su Rogers.

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    Country food: seasonal salad

    by  • May 9, 2013 • 2 Comments

    Seasonal salad with grains and pomegranate seeds

    Quinoa has been on my radar for a while now as a lovely alternative to rice and couscous. And it works a treat in salads. There are now some new varieties around too. Try this for lunch – a mix of pearl and black quinoa with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds, chunks of feta and fresh chopped coriander leaves. We love the range from Alice & Oscar’s Quinola, quinola.com

    Serves 4
    200g pearl quinoa
    50g black quinoa
    1 pomegranate
    50g pumpkin seeds
    200g feta cheese
    Fresh coriander leaves
    freshly squeezed lemon juice
    Olive oil

    Bring a pan of water to the boil and mix in a vegetable stock cube. Add the black quinoa. After 8 minutes add the pearl quinoa. Simmer for 20 minutes then rinse in cool water and drain. Meanwhile take the fruit seeds out of the pomegranate discarding the skin and white membrane, chop the feta into small cubes and chop the coriander leaves. Add the pomegranate seeds, feta, chopped coriander and pumpkin seeds to the mixed quinoa. Drizzle with a simple vinaigrette: 2/3 olive oil, 1/3 lemon juice and add salt and  pepper to taste.

    *We love Alice & Oscar’s Quinola, quinola.com

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    Country room: light kitchen

    by  • May 7, 2013 • 1 Comment

    Country meets coast meets vintage with this stunning kitchen that’s the perfect place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea with friends.

    White clapperboard walls create a lovely light and bright nautical feel, while limewashed floorboards keep the look simple. Make a focal point of the range cooker by accentuating it with statement retro pendant lights for an on-trend moment.

    A relaxed dining area is a must in any country kitchen and here a dash of eclectic style is achieved by teaming classic cafe chairs with a retro metal design. For me, the hero of the room, however, is the lovely zinc topped table from Loaf that is practical and will age beautifully.

    Zinc kitchen table, prices start at £475; Geronimo chair, £290 a pair; and Cafe au Lait chairs, £230 a pair, all Loaf

     

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    Country make: flower holder

    by  • May 5, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Flower Holder

    Decorative card and green ribbon from a selection at Hobbycraft . Purple ribbon from Raffit Ribbons.

    Celebrate May Day and wrap and give flowers in a pretty homemade holder.

    You will need

    Decorative card

    Ribbon

    Hole punch

    Scissors

    Flowers of your choice

     

    To make draw and cut out a kite shape from your card – ours measures about 45cm x 30cm. With the narrowest ‘V’ facing downwards, fold this up towards the centre by about 7cm. Next fold in each of the sides of the card so they meet in the middle. Press down firm. Punch holes in both of the sides and thread with decorative ribbon. The holder is now ready for the flowers, but as an added extra why not trim the bouquet to fit the holder then cover and keep the stems together by wrapping in ribbon for a neat finish.

    If you like this idea we have lots more easy craft projects for you to try. Or, for more country crafts, recipes and room ideas, take a look at our new Country Home Ideas app.

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