• Country room: vintage-style kitchen

    by  • June 18, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    Aqua and pink are a classic country colour combination – as well as one of my favourites – and are perfect for adding a summery feel to a country kitchen.

    This cottage kitchen, with its white painted beams and neutral cabinets, is brought alive with pretty toning aqua and pink floral fabrics from Clarke & Clarke.  Their vintage-inspired Rosetta floral collection includes timeless designs such as ditsy roses and floral stripes, with all designs available as oilcloths.

    The colour theme is continued by picking out aqua accessories such as the Roberts Radio, enamel colander and fab vintage scales. A classic-style wooden chair has been given a facelift with a lick of aqua paint and, along with the mismatched retro chairs, creates a lovely relaxed and informal feel around the kitchen table.

    The vintage-inspired Rosetta collection of fabrics start at £14 a metre, Clarke & Clarke at 4id Interiors

    Read more →

    Country room: chic bedroom

    by  • June 11, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    I was in Suffolk last week shooting reader Cherrie McCarron’s beautiful house (look out for it in a future issue) and my favourite room was one of the bedrooms, with pride of place going to a gorgeous French-style bed upholstered in a stunning GP & J Baker fabric. It really was the star of the show.

    If you have a country bedroom with a neutral backdrop, you can make a real statement with a dramatic bed and then ring the changes when you get bored by having it reupholstered.

    This light and airy bedroom with its exposed stonework walls and painted floorboards has lots of interesting texture and, of course, the stunning handmade bed by And So To Bed at its heart. As well as being stylish, the bed looks ever so comfy. I love the way the scheme  is kept simple with just a French chair and neat chest of drawers completing the look.

    The Churchill bed can be upholstered in a wide range of And So To Bed fabrics and leathers, as well as the customer’s own choice of fabric, and is available in four sizes with prices starting at £7,995 for a 5ft x 6ft 6in bed

    Read more →

    Country room: idyllic home office

    by  • June 4, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    The sun is shining, but if you have to work, there can’t be many better places to do so than in a beautiful shepherd’s hut (such as this one made by Plankbridge) in the garden. Imagine having a country home office like this!

    You can position your hut in a suitable spot under a tree for instance, with the advantage that it can be moved if needs be, unlike a garden shed.

    Plankbridge’s huts can be created with a built-in desk and cupboards so that there’s plenty of room to work and to store things away, as well as space for small items of furniture such as a book shelf. The huts can be equipped with electricity so you can have task lighting as well as power for your laptop and printer, and can also be supplied with heating for those chilly winter’s days.

    A standard Plankbridge writer’s hut – a scaled down version of a shepherd’s hut –  measures 8″ by 4″6 with one window and starts at £8,280

    Read more →

    Country room: colourful living room

    by  • May 28, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    Colour is definitely making a comeback and post Spring Bank Holiday, here’s a vibrant country living room to get you in the mood for summer.

    Mixing old and new is a very current look. Here, the beautiful pink wallpaper, from Little Greene, is a historic design taken from English Heritage’s archive but given a 21st century twist with a modern colour palette. The original paper dates from 1840 and came from a house in West London that was lived in by an antiques dealer for much of the 20th century.

    Grounding the scheme with a cream sofa and carpet allows colourful fabrics and accessories to be used for extra punches of colour, while adding in retro 50s-style furniture keeps the look on trend. Of course, that fabulous coffee table is also the perfect place to set out your  favourite vintage china teaset…

    Walls: North End Road wallpaper, in Mischief, £57 a roll, from the London Wallpaper III collection; paint: Woodwork in Shirting 129 Intelligent Eggshell, £48 for 2.5L, both Little Greene

    Read more →

    Country room: living room

    by  • May 21, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 1 Comment

    With thoughts turning this week to the centenary RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this lovely country living room works beautifully because it brings the outside in, as well as being a perfect example of relaxed and lived-in country style.

    If you have a barn-style room or even a country cottage, the classic-style sofa (from Sofas & Stuff) at the heart  of this room shows that faded florals are ever popular and can work in any country setting. The traditional floral print from Warwick Fabrics, inspired by their archive collection, works really well  in a fresh colour palette. Cosy the sofa up with a few plumped up cushions – checked and plain designs will give it a modern edge – then position it so you can make the most of the view.

    Dressers are a key country ingredient and I love the way this one is piled high with pretty vintage china finds collected over the years, with an informal jugful of flowers freshly picked from the garden adding the perfect finishing touch.

    Roseberry sofa in Warwick Fabrics’ Wolseley, from £1,723, Sofas & Stuff

    Read more →

    Country room: stylish boy’s room

    by  • May 14, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 1 Comment

    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
    Read more →

    Country room: light kitchen

    by  • May 7, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 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

     

    Read more →

    Country room: living room

    by  • April 30, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    Yesterday I was in the Yorkshire countryside on a photoshoot and I took the opportunity to take a quick walk through the Dales, admiring the beautiful flowers in the cottage gardens.

    At this time of year, you may be inspired to create a country living room that feels as if you’re taking a walk in the countryside or in your garden, and there are so many stunning fabrics around that reflect the seasons. The secret is to pick key classic pieces of furniture, then you can vary the look by changing the curtains and cushions.

    These lovely fabrics from Prestigious Textiles, in sugared almond shades and dusky muted tones, depict birds of paradise perched on blossom laden branches and flowers in bloom, as well as embroideries with a hand-worked lace motif and classic damasks, and can be used in either a country house or a small cottage to create a timeless look. Combine with a luxurious velvet sofa and distressed furniture for a scheme that’s the height of elegance.

     

    The Country House collection by Prestigious Textiles, prices start at £30 a metre for a floral print and matching stripe, £23 a metre for a co-ordinating plain, £42 a metre for a damask and £65 a metre for embroidered fabric

    Read more →

    Vintage country bedroom

    by  • April 23, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    With all the lovely blossom around at the moment, take a leaf from nature’s book and think pink when decorating a country bedroom.

    Introducing a soft rose pink shade to an otherwise all-white room creates a vintage feel and adds a warming touch at the same time. This classically elegant pink and ivory bedlinen from Christy, with its damask motif, for instance, is an easy way to provide a soft hit of pastel and is perfect for helping create a feminine boudoir, especially when teamed with sheets and pillowcases with a broderie anglais trim.

    Show the bedding off to its best advantage by displaying it on a simple white four poster bed, then layer up the bed with ever-so-plump pillows and a pretty floral cushion. Painted wooden floorboards keep the look simple and give it a Scandi edge.

    For an eclectic finishing touch, display a vintage postcard collection on the wall at the head of the bed and accessorise with floral tapestries propped up on a well-loved chest of drawers.

    Fyfield bedlinen from Christy starts at £79 for a single duvet and £25 for a pair of rectangular pillowcases

    Read more →

    Romantic country living room

    by  • April 16, 2013 • Living, Shopping • 0 Comments

    Warmer days are on the way and it’s great to see blossom emerging. Help the blooms along by decorating a country living room with classic florals in a soft painterly design that evokes a romantic English look.

    Make the focal point of the scheme a squishy sofa upholstered in pretty florals that could be straight from the garden, and co-ordinate with flowing floor-length curtains. This on-trend fuchsia design from Clarke & Clarke is just the thing for adding a zingy pop of colour.

    Bring a contemporary edge to the scheme with a Roman blind in co-ordinating stripes, then make yourself comfortable by layering up the sofa with cushions in toning patterned fabrics to add extra interest. Finally, accessorise with French-style pieces for an elegant  touch and team with limewashed furniture to emphasise the summery feel.

    The Margherita fabric collection consists of digital printed linen fabrics, bold woven stripes, embroidered silks, linen jacquards and textured bamboo plains, prices start at £42 a metre, Clarke & Clarke

    Read more →