house & garden - february 2015 uk
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THE BEST IN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AND DECORATION
February
2015
STYLISH FAMILY LIVING
BOLD NEW WALLPAPERSIMPRESSIVE KITCHENS
JAPANESE-INSPIRED FURNITURE AND FABRICS
THE LATEST IN DECORATION
From country house grandeur to modern simplicity in the Alps
PLUS TALES OF A
PLANT HUNTER
Three-star chef Marc Haeberlin was supposed to test our Combi-steam oven for three months.
We’re still waiting to get it back.
The ovens 400 series puts an end to all compromises
when cooking at home. It brings professional technology
into your own home – technology that professionals really
do use: our innovative Combi-steam ovens, for example,
are setting new standards in restaurant kitchens with
their effective yet gentle heat. Not only did French chef
Marc Haeberlin put all his cooking experience into the
development phase; he also uses this revolutionary techn-
ology for steaming without pressure in his restaurant
whenever a dish has to turn out perfect. In other words,
always.
For more information and a list of partners, please
dial 0344 8929026 or visit: www.gaggenau.co.uk.
Alternatively, please visit our showroom at: 40 Wigmore
Street, London, W1U 2RX.
The difference is Gaggenau.
LONDON SHOWROOMS: WATERLOO CHELSEA CHISWICK FULHAM NOTTING HILL MUSWELL HILL WIMBLEDON PRIMROSE HILL REGENTS PARK ROADNATIONAL SHOWROOMS: GUILDFORD MANCHESTER ST ALBANS TUNBRIDGE WELLS
www.cphart .co.uk
SALE
THE BATHROOM
AT C.P. HART
58 Myddelton Square, designed and developed by G&T London Products shown: Coniston bath, Gessi brassware
D E C O R AT I O N & T H I N G S T O B U Y I N T E R I O R S
80 From the floor up Situated on a leafy
street in Manhattan’s West Village, Jos and
Annabel White’s six-storey town house has
been renovated to create open-plan
interiors for family living. By Lucie Young
88 A novel solution An eighteenth-century
barn has been converted into a stylish guest
cottage by its decorator owner Emma Burns,
who adapted the interiors to display her
book collection. By Anthony Gardner
94 Sleeping beauty This eighteenth-century
house enters a new chapter as a family
home with careful restoration, interiors by
Hugh Henry and gardens that open out to
the surrounding woods. By Liz Elliot
104 No half measures Imbued with comfort
and character, this seventeenth-century
chalet in the Swiss Alps has been
imaginatively modernised by architect
Jonathan Tuckey. By Dominic Bradbury
108 Artful evolution Interior designer
Hugh Leslie gradually transformed this
west-London terrace house into a smart
family home with light-filled interiors.
By Christopher Stocks
19 Decorator’s notebook and Swatch
What’s new in furniture, fabrics, wallpaper
and decorative accessories
28 Shopping – strung furniture
Florence Rolfe presents a selection
of modern furniture that incorporates
woven or strung elements
33 Design ideas – bespoke kitchens
From ergonomic islands to modular
cabinets, Ruth Sleightholme suggests
design solutions for the perfect kitchen
47 Rita notes In the first of her new series
offering interior-decoration advice, Rita
Konig looks at how to choose paint colours
and achieve the perfect finish
114 The simple things Gabby Deeming creates
schemes that reflect the Japanese feel of
many of the latest furniture and furnishings
130 The knowledge Inspired by the houses
in this issue, Bonnie Robinson gives
directions on how to achieve a similar style
150 Stockists
164 Tastemaker The dos and don’ts of
decorating according to Rose Uniacke
VO
LU
ME
70
� N
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On the cover: The sitting room of a Manhattan town house (pages 80-87), photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Cover stories are highlighted in colour
p 22
G A R D E N S & G A R D E N D E S I G N
55 Outside interests Clare Foster focuses
on eucomis, and the latest gardening
accessories and events
120 Global perspective Continuing her
series on the best of British nurseries,
Clare Foster explores Pan-Global Plants
in Gloucestershire, which is packed with
unusual specimens thanks to its
adventurous plant-hunter owner
124 Blaze of glory At The Sir Harold Hillier
Gardens in Hampshire, a highly considered
planting scheme provides dramatic
texture and fiery colour, even in the
depths of winter. By Naomi Slade
p 113p 125p 30
C O N T E N T S
SUBSCRIBE to House & Garden for just £38 for 12 issues and receive a free gift and access to exclusive events (page 63)
GET H&G ON THE MOVEFind our digital edition on Apple Newsstand (iPad/iPhone), Kindle Newsstand (Kindle Fire) or Google Play (other Android devices). It is also available on all devices, including your PC, via Zinio (houseandgarden.co.u /zinio)
p 133
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 5
8 Contributors
16 From the editor
49 News Jessica Doyle previews a unique collaboration
between a British designer and an Islamic-art expert, and
gives a round-up of other news and events
60 Out and about Latest launches… glamorous events…
hot buys… Carole Annett takes note
63 Subscriptions How to subscribe to House & Garden
64 People – lifestyle Olinda Adeane meets Jeanetta
Rowan-Hamilton, who updates and sells vintage garments
through her company Nettles Cashmere, travelling between
her London flat and a former fishing lodge in Scotland,
which she has gradually restored
70 People – specialist Jennifer Goulding visits the studio
of Chiara Grifantini to discover more about her detailed,
hand-painted textiles, from wall hangings to cushions
73 Insight Celina Fox previews the latest exhibition on the
Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens at the Royal Academy
and reviews other current shows
77 Buying art This month, Emily Tobin highlights the work of
two contemporary artists working in bronze
79 Books A retrospective of Jean-Louis Deniot’s interiors; a decade
of designs by Studioilse; the history of quilts; and a detailed look
at the design movement that defined the Fifties and Sixties
142 Travel The many vistas and culinary pleasures of Mykonos;
five reasons to visit the walled town of Urbino in Italy;
and an introduction to the idiosyncracies of Swedish history
and culture on the Åland islands
134 Sweetness and light Sybil Kapoor creates a winter menu of
dishes subtly infused with the exotic flavours of the Middle East
139 Simple suppers Delicious recipes; no hassle – beef, red wine and
anchovy casserole, served with horseradish polenta, followed by
baked custard and forced rhubarb. By Louisa Carter
140 Taste notes News, reviews and tips for cooks, oenophiles,
gourmets and gourmands. By Joanna Simon �
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S
W I N E & F O O D
C O N T E N T S
p 71 p 134
PH
OT
O A
NG
IE
WE
ST
ALISON BERGER GLASSWORKS
COUNTERWEIGHT CHANDELIER IN BRONZE WITH HAND-BLOWN CRYSTAL UK.HOLLYHUNT.COM
C O N T R I B U T O R S
NGOC MINH NGOPhotographer
Brooklyn-based Ngoc Minh Ngo started her
career working on feature films and is now
known for her interiors, garden and food
photography. In this issue, her pictures illus-
trate the Manhattan town house in ‘From the
floor up’ on page 80. ‘The house has so many
gorgeous details and I wanted to convey all
the lovely things that make it unique,’ says
Ngoc of the shoot. The best part of the job?
‘The opportunity to meet amazing people, to
see beautiful places and to learn new things.’
And the worst? ‘The time spent in front of
the computer’ �
BASIL WALTERArchitect
Having studied at the Rhode Island
School of Design, Basil Walter moved to
New York and set up a cabinetmaking
shop, which led to furniture design and
renovation, and eventually the establish-
ment of his architecture and interiors
firm. ‘Every project is like a new 1,000-
piece puzzle,’ says Basil. This month’s jig-
saw came in the form of a house ‘on one
of the best blocks of the West Village, which was virtually falling apart’. You
can see the result on page 80. Basil describes his own home as ‘a small, one-
bedroom apartment on Park Avenue, brimming with books, photographs,
paintings given by artist friends and objects collected over the years’.
HUGH HENRYInterior designer
For 46 years, Hugh Henry has made up
one-third of the interior-design practice
Mlinaric, Henry and Zervudachi – a firm
that typifies British good taste. ‘We work
very hard to make things look effortless
and easy, as if they’ve always been there,’
Hugh says of MHZ’s aesthetic. This is
certainly true of the country house on
page 94 that he was charged with deco-
rating. Hugh lives in Earls Court, in a flat
that was featured in House & Garden 10
years ago and is filled with things that are
‘meaningful’ to him.
(KO
NIG
) C
RA
IG F
OR
DH
AM
; (W
ALT
ER
) J
USTIN
WE
INE
R
RITA KONIGWriter and interior designer
Our new columnist, Rita Konig, started
her writing career at Vogue just a floor
above the House & Garden offices. A
book and a column at The Telegraph
swiftly followed and in 2005 she
moved to New York to work on Domino
magazine, The Wall Street Journal and
T Magazine. Not content with just
writing, Rita is also an interior designer
– she is currently working on projects in London, New York and LA – and it
is these combined credentials that make her the perfect candidate to share
her decorating tips and advice. ‘I hope to lift the lid on the areas people find
confusing,’ she says. This month, on page 47, the lid is lifted on paint.
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Fabric background: ‘Kashmira’, from G P & J Baker, as used for the curtains in our spare room
NIC
HO
LA
S S
EA
TO
N
When Condé Nast’s managing director Nicholas Coleridge appointed
Susan Crewe as editor of House & Garden 21 years ago, it transpired that
one of the factors that clinched the deal was the fact that she answered
positively when asked whether she liked ‘padded headboards’. As
the newly appointed editor, I escaped that question in my interviews,
but can own up to having only upholstered headboards in our house,
and another one being made as I write – ordered before Nicholas told
me his views, I hasten to add.
Although in the last two decades, fashions have changed and things we
saw as must-haves then are not given a second glance now, others remain
firm components of elegant and comfortable living, albeit reinterpreted
and brought up to date. I love fabrics, so for me an upholstered headboard
has always been a way of adding colour, pattern and softness to a room.
In this issue, you’ll find lots of examples of fabric-covered headboards.
In fact, there’s one for every sensibility in the houses that are featured between pages 80 and 113, from
that of the four-poster in a grand country house and a traditional buttoned version in a smart London
terrace, to a sleeker version in a chic six-storey Manhattan town house and a vintage French one in Emma
Burns’ charming guest cottage. But I do appreciate such headboards are not right for every interior: they
would look totally out of place in the minimally decorated chalet starting on page 104 – indeed the bed in
the main bedroom has no headboard at all.
As well as making trips to the upholsterer, we have just said goodbye to the builders in our house. Having
spent last summer poring over paint charts, making dashes to bathroom shops and deliberating over whether
to have picture lights or downlights in our sitting room, or just table lamps, I felt the need for more expert opinion
and viewpoint in the magazine, albeit a bit too late to help me with my own project. Hence in this issue – my
first as editor – decorator and writer Rita Konig imparts her wisdom on choosing paint colours and finishes
on page 47. Hers will be a continuing column, addressing the decorating challenges that she herself has faced.
Many of the designers behind the houses we feature have had years of experience and have definite
views about what works and what doesn’t. So please glean advice from our back page, which is the first in a
series calling upon our most stylish and revered tastemakers to reveal their ‘dos and don’ts of decorating’.
I feel reassured by reading Rose Uniacke’s comment that it is OK for lighting to be a little off balance, as
mine certainly isn’t perfect �
F E B RUA RY 2 015
E D I T O R’ S L E T T E R
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, and for more decoration inspiration, visit www.houseandgarden.co.uk
*
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(-
CHESNEY’S
chesneys.co.uk
LONDON | NEW YORK | SHANGHAI
Chesney’s has fireplace and stove stockists throughout the UK
sale savings on hundreds of fireplaces
starts 29th december
…at last
Explore thousands of beautiful wallpapers at wallpaperdirect.com
Pair with the perfect paint at designerpaint.com
Make decorating simple.
Metropolis
by
Linw
ood
Home…
1 Digitally printed paper panel, ‘Florent’
(teaberry), by Studio Fromental, 115cm wide,
from £102 per square metre, at Fromental.
2 Powder-coated, tubular-steel wall light,
‘Petite Potence’ (industrial green), by Prouvé
RAW Office Edition, 30 x 104 x 35cm, from
£640, at Vitra. 3 Linen pillowcases (from top:
yuzu, endivia and kadim), 50 x 80cm, €58
each, from Nuée. 4 Powder-coated aluminium
desk, ‘Bureau Metallique’ (industrial green),
by Prouvé RAW Office Edition, 74 x 160 x
80cm, from £3,000, at Vitra. 5 Porcelain
tableware, ‘Fish and Flower’, by Paola Navone
for Reichenbach: platter (682401), 24 x 35cm,
€105; plate (050203), 23cm diameter, €55;
mug (014702), 10 x 8cm diameter, €30; all
from Reichenbach. For suppliers’ details, see
Stockists page �
Insiderdecorator’ � swatch � shopping
Gabby Deeming shows us what’s caught her eye this month
Decorator’s notebook
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1 Printed-plywood flat-pack stools, by Piet Hein Eek & Rijksmuseum, 47 x
33cm diameter, £169 each, from NLXL. 2 Greyed-oak ‘Toby’s Sofa’, 90 x 206
x 65.5cm, by William Yeoward Collected, with cushion in ‘Latea’ (dove), by
William Yeoward for Designers Guild, viscose mix, £2,830, at William Yeoward.
3 Hand-beaten-pewter wall sconce (large), by Malin Appelgren Paulsson,
29cm diameter, £345, at The Shop Floor Project. 4 Wallpapers, from left:
‘Fresco’ (1), ‘Victor’ (5), ‘Harper’ (4), ‘Cirrus’ (7), all £62 a metre, from Helen
Green Design. 5 Painted-wood larder cupboard, ‘Rhubarb’ (scuffed grey), 180
x 97.5 x 41cm, £695, from Loaf. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page �
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5)'
Substantial reductions. 25% to 60% off all showroom furniture. 20% off new orders of furniture,
printed and woven fabrics, wallpapers, mirrors and lights
261 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HY 020 7352 5594
[email protected] www.beaumontandfletcher.com
Alexandra 2 seater sofa covered in Leonora – nightshade
starts on Saturday 10 th January 2015
sale
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1
1 Oak and lacquer bookcase, ‘Sandragon’, 250 x 310 x 58cm, £36,230, at Christian
Liaigre. 2 Wallpaper, ‘Barbade’ (anticlockwise from top of pile: papaya, opal,
malachite, turquoise, amande, and onyx), by Christian Lacroix Maison for Designers
Guild, £67 for a 10-metre roll, at Designers Guild. 3 Alumite kettle, 22cm diameter,
£35.20; Japanese maple bowl, 7 x 11cm diameter, £34; and Japanese maple plate,
18cm diameter, £43; all by Matsunoya, from Reiko Kaneko. 4 Lacquered-wood and
antiqued-bronze side table, ‘Lansdowne’, by Adam Bray, 78 x 85 x 60cm, £4,602, at
Collier Webb. 5 Ceramic tiles, from left, ‘Grosvenor Stripe 1’ and ‘Grosvenor Stripe
4’ (blue and white), 12.7cm square, from £18 each, at Paris Ceramics. For suppliers’
details, see Stockists page �
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Stone with style.
Showroom open Monday to FridayStonebridge House Nursteed RoadDevizes Wiltshire SN10 3DY
t 01380 720007e [email protected] artisansofdevizes.com
Over the course of 25 years we have installedthousands of exceptional natural stone projectssuch as this floor, restored using Mallory andTora Blue Limestone with a tumbled finish.Contact Artisans for a brochure, or to book anappointment with a home stone advisor – thefirst steps towards stone with style.
Quality, Creativity and Craftsmanship Since 1938
www.duresta.com
insider | swatch
PHOTOGRAPHS RACHEL WHITING
1 ‘Cube Star’ (coral), 52cm wide, £59 a 10.5-metre roll, from Jocelyn
Warner. 2 ‘Penglai’ (NCW4182-01), by Nina Campbell, 52cm wide, £64 a
10-metre roll, at Osborne & Little. 3 ‘Lotus’ (rhubarb), by Galbraith & Paul,
89cm wide, £124 a metre, at Tissus d’Hélène. 4 ‘Jaisilmir’ (nuage), by
John Stefanidis, 145cm wide, £66 a metre, at Tissus d’Hélène. 5 ‘Kamala’
(yellow), by Baker Lifestyle, 68cm wide, £69 a 10-metre roll, at G P & J
Baker. 6 ‘Kashmira’ (PW78033/2), by Baker Lifestyle, 52cm wide, £65
a 10-metre roll, at G P & J Baker. 7 ‘Albatre’ (natural), 53cm wide, £56.80
a 10-metre roll, from Casamance. 8 ‘Fern’ (celery), by Galbraith & Paul,
89cm wide, £124 a metre, at Tissus d’Hélène. 9 ‘Yukutori’ (BP4302),
53cm wide, £80 a 10-metre roll, at Farrow & Ball. 10 ‘Prism Vinyl’ (311784),
68.6cm wide, £95 a 10-metre roll, at Zoffany. ‘Poster Paper Border Roll’
(lemon), from £8.99 for a pack of 4 different coloured rolls, from The
Consortium. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page �
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From floral to geometric,
Florence Rolfe’s selection
of bold, patterned
wallcoverings will
freshen up any room
OFFTHEWALL
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ),
insider | swatch
1 ‘Aranami’ (BP4604), 53cm wide, £90 a
10-metre roll, at Farrow & Ball. 2 ‘Yukutori’
(BP4305), 53cm wide, £80 a 10-metre
roll, at Farrow & Ball. 3 ‘Light On Lattice’
(99), 55cm wide, £160 for an 8.35-metre
roll, from Eley Kishimoto. 4 ‘Sun Loving
Bollards’ (35), 55cm wide, £160 for
an 8.35-metre roll, from Eley Kishimoto.
5 ‘Tusk’ (light robin’s egg), by Galbraith
& Paul, 89cm wide, £124 a metre, at Tissus
d’Hélène. 6 ‘Beata’ (402/81), 53cm wide,
£69 a 10.5-metre roll, from Sandberg.
7 ‘Chinese Toile’ (100/8038), 53cm wide,
£80 a 10-metre roll, at Cole & Son. 8 ‘Sun
Loving Bollards’ (44), 55cm wide, £160 for
an 8.35-metre roll, from Eley Kishimoto.
9 ‘Albatre’ (vert), 53cm wide, £56.80
a 10-metre roll, from Casamance.
10 ‘Hummingbirds’ (100/14068), 53cm
wide, £99 a 10-metre roll, at Cole & Son.
‘Poster Paper Border Roll’ (sky blue), from
£8.99 for a pack of 4 different coloured
rolls, from The Consortium. For suppliers’
details, see Stockists page �
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5)-
Memphisby El Ultimo Grito
Christopher Farr Cloth
www.christopherfarrcloth.com
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1 Polished- and lacquered-steel chair, ‘Flag Halyard PP 225’ (natural), by
Hans J Wegner for P P Møbler, 80 x 104 x 115cm, £7,974, at Twentytwentyone.
2 Laminated-plywood and string shelves, ‘Bound Basics’, by Toon Welling,
200 x 80 x 24cm, £500, from Studio Toon Welling. 3 Limed-oak and leather
‘Klismos Chair’ (blonde), 87 x 50cm square, £1,305, from Virginia White
Collection. 4 Woven-cord and oak ‘Loom Chair’, 78 x 52 x 55cm, €482.40;
and 5 woven-cord and walnut ‘Loom Stool’, 48 x 52 x 45cm, €451.20; both
by Hierve for H, from H Furniture. 6 Stained-beech and leather ‘Klismos
Bench’, 42 x 150 x 40cm, £2,250, from Virginia White Collection.
7 Maple and bull-skin lounge chair, ‘Méridienne Pippa’ (natural), 68 x 45 x
200cm, £19,090, at Hermès. Background, ‘Deep Space Blue’ (207), £35
for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, at Little Greene. Cotton rope throughout,
‘Magicians’, by James Lever, 9mm wide, from £4.25 for 10 metres, from
Rope Source. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page �
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PHOTOGRAPHS JAKE CURTIS
Florence Rolfe presents a selection
of modern furniture that incorporates
woven or strung elements
STRINGS
ATTACHED
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 )0
1 Handwoven cotton, linen and metallic-yarn lampshades, from left: ‘Shadow
Bell’, 40 x 40cm diameter, £480; and ‘Shadow Gem’, 45 x 50cm diameter,
£575; both from Melanie Porter. 2 Handwoven cotton-twine screen with oak
frame, ‘Love Divide’, 150 x 200 x 40cm, from £1,900, from Rive Roshan.
3 Synthetic-rope and powder-coated-steel chair, ‘Sandur’ (terracotta), by Mark
Gabbertas for Oasiq, 72 x 81 x 75cm, from £529; and 4 ottoman, ‘Sandur’
(terracotta), 37 x 81 x 60cm, from £308; both at Chaplins. 5 Nylon waste-paper
baskets (orange and green), by Yajibelena, 38 x 31cm diameter, £49 each, at
Skandium. 6 Powder-coated-steel chair with handwoven nylon and cotton
threads and a tapestry seat pad, ‘Fuchila’, 78 x 88 x 61cm, £1,428, by Marina
Dragomirova. 7 Powder-coated-steel and braided-cord ‘Strung Stool’, 40 x
40cm diameter, £70, at Not Tom. 8 Lacquered-steel and suede armchair, ‘MB01’
(kaki), 65 x 81 x 74cm, €695, at Home Autour du Monde by Bensimon. Back-
ground, ‘Deep Space Blue’ (207), £35 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, at Little
Greene. Cotton rope throughout, ‘Magicians’, by James Lever, 9mm wide, from
£4.26 for 10 metres, from Rope Sources. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page �
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5*'
leep well
Beds, Furniture, Mattresses, Bed Linen, Bedding & Accessories 33 Stores Nationwide | 01243 380 600 | www.featherandblack.com
LONDON 205a St John’s Hill, London, SW11 1TH NEW YORK 1410 Broadway, Suite 2601, NY 10018
T:+44 (0) 207 738 0202 [email protected] www.forbesandlomax.com
DESIGN IDEAS High-end, high-functioning,
bespoke kitchensFrom ergonomic islands to modular cabinets and hidden storage,
RUTH SLEIGHTHOLME considers the key elements of one of the most-used rooms in our houses, and suggests design solutions for the perfect kitchen
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
In order to maintain the spare and elegant presence of this
room in a Grade-II listed Regency house, in a project by Ilse
Crawford, Artichoke divided the functions of the kitchen into
two areas and styled them completely differently. One area
(left) has been deemed the scullery, with traditional, soaped-
wood units, apple-crate drawers and open shelving. The
other, more public area (above), designed for visual impact,
has been executed in Carrara marble and gloss lacquer. While
the reverse of the marble island has storage drawers (right),
the front maintains a monolithic look (above). The glossy
working area is peppered with useful, hideaway functions, but
the real work of storage and preparation is reserved for the
scullery. 01934-745270; www.artic e-ltd.com �MA
GN
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 **
MA
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WA
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THE APPROACH ‘We reject the off-the-shelf approach of squeezing in
as many identikit units as possible. A mix of kitchen
furniture and bespoke cabinetry gives a unique look,
allowing you to mix in old favourites such as the Aga.’
Matt Podesta, director of Podesta
1
THE ISLAND This central island is covered in Carrara
marble, which has been book-matched:
a way of cutting and then placing sheets
of marble so that the vein pattern is
symmetrical around the central join.
The cupboards under the island are
well-inset, leaving ample legroom while
still allowing for some storage space.
2
THE RISE-UP
EXTRACTOR UNIT This smart strip of wood wrapping around
the centre of the marble island rises
completely to reveal a vertical extractor
and spice-rack unit. The oak has a
rough texture, which provides a good
visual break from the marble.
3 THE AGA NOOK Podesta designed and built the
wooden surround for the Aga and then
inserted foxed mirror glass within the
Aga nook. Mirror prevents the area
from becoming too dark, but the foxed
glass has a soft, smoky feel. �
CASE STUDY 1
UTILITARIAN
AND UNIQUEBespoke
cabinetry by Podesta
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D E SI G N I D E A S I High-funct ion ing k itchens
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5*+
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TAKE NOTE
Layout, distances and ergonomics
5 THE MOVABLE
BLACKBOARD SCREEN
This blackboard covers
only one section of the
shelves and can be slid
from left to right to cover
or access whichever part
you want. This helps the
kitchen – much of which
can be closed off or
hidden away – to retain
a feeling of life and
energy. 01494-677770;
www
FUNCTIONALITY
The kitchen has many functions, including
food storage, cooking and washing. Before the
twentieth century, these areas were divided
into separate rooms: cold stores or larders,
kitchens and sculleries. In a modern kitchen,
these are marked by appliances: fridge/
freezers, ovens/hobs and sinks. There should
be as much workspace as possible between
these areas and sensible placing of storage.
MINIMUM DISTANCES
Where a person is expected to walk behind an
occupied chair, a minimum distance of 120cm
between the table and wall is needed. Where
this also involves the need to open cupboards
or drawers, increase the distance to 135cm
(see illustration below). A free space of 100cm
must be left in front of a dishwasher or an oven
for loading and unloading. This should be in-
creased to 170cm if more than one person is
expected to be able to walk past.
CABINET TOE KICKS AND LEGS
Toe kicks (the space between a unit front and
the plinth) should be deep enough to allow you
to stand right up against the cabinetry: ideally
the length of the top of your foot. If your cabi-
netry is on legs, then make sure these are
slightly inset to prevent tripping over them.
EXTRACTION HOODS AND TAPS
Make sure the tallest person in your house-
hold does not bump their head on the cooker
hood. Keep extraction high or vertical – as in
this kitchen. The tap should be high enough
to comfortably fill your biggest pot or vase. A
long lever on a mixer tap will make it easier to
use – for example, when your hands are full. �
4 THE CUPBOARDS
Deep cupboards can be
hard to see into and things
get pushed to the back.
Shallow cupboards or
open shelves spanning a
wall – like a library – are
beautiful and practical.
Plus this frees up floor
space to stop tight
squeezes (see ‘Minimum
distances’, right).
CASE STUDY 1 (continued)
U T I L ITA R IAN
A N D U N I Q U E A bespoke kitchen
by Podesta
54
GOOD TO KNOWThe rising extractor wall
completely divides the people
perching at the counter from the
people cooking, which may not
be ideal. A system where only the
extractor – and not the wooden
surround – rises up may prevent
this separation. A similar kitchen
costs around £80,000.
D E SI G N I D E A S I High-funct ion ing k itchens
135cm
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5*-
LIGHTING CONSULTANCY
www.VILLAVERDELTD.com
MADE IN ITALYLUXURY LIGHTING BESPOKE DESIGN
GEO
RG
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HA
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AN
D E SI G N I D E A S I High-funct ion ing k itchens
CASE STUDY 2
IN WITH
THE OLD‘The Fourth Wall’
by Poggenpohl
THE APPROACH
‘In the past, kitchens celebrated food
and its preparation. This has been lost in
much of modern kitchen design, which
concentrates on concealing rather than
celebrating ingredients. The blueprint of
this design is that of a historical kitchen,
with the tall larder, plus a marble pastry
bench with pot storage below.’
Andrew Hays, creative director of Poggenpohl
1 THE LARDER WALL
This is a walk-in cupboard made
of strengthened glass. The glass
shelves allow light from the top
to travel down, keeping each
ingredient illuminated for display
and inspiration. When not in use,
the larder can be screened off
thanks to walls that can be changed
from transparent to opaque.
Surprisingly practical, this larder
has controlled temperature and
humidity in different sections, and
saves you wasting time opening
and closing dimly lit cupboards.
2 THE FLOOR MATERIALS
The ‘Hungarian Point’
pattern of the oak
kitchen floor has been
matched in marble for
the larder floor, and the
divide between the two
marked with a brass strip.
GOOD TO KNOW The glass larder wall requires that
you choose stylish packaging and keep
things clean and tidy. This kitchen comes
with quite a price tag – a similar design
could cost £350,000. The larder wall
shown here costs £50,000. �
3 THE VEGETABLE
DRAWERS The brass vegetable boxes
are perforated with a
simple design that mimics
the flow of air that
wicker allows. 020-7902
5245; www.poggenpohl.com
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1 THE MODULAR STORAGE WALL
Featuring shelves, storage boxes, kitchen-roll
holders, bag hooks and shallow cupboards with
identical brackets, the elements are completely
interchangeable, even after installation.
CASE STUDY 3
A SYSTEMATIC
APPROACHBespoke cabinets with a modular wall system by
Henrybuilt
THE APPROACH ‘We combine modular systems with bespoke elements. In a good modular
system, the combination of elements – boxes, shelves and hooks – is infinite,
but the structure is simple and interchangeable. The benefits of a modular
system must be matched with those of bespoke design, namely the ability
to adapt to the architecture of the room.’ Scott Hudson, founder of Henrybuilt
2 THE BACKSPLASH The backsplash has a subtle lip along
the top, from which components can be
hung. Here a knife block, chopping board
and draining board hang together.
GOOD TO KNOWThis kitchen was made in Seattle.
Henrybuilt will ship worldwide, but this
adds to the environmental impact and
cost. The modular wall units can be
shipped more cost effectively than a
complete kitchen, such as this one, which
costs $75,000, excluding appliances. �
D E SI G N I D E A S I High-funct ion ing k itchens
3 THE MATERIALS
‘Our materials do not wear make-up’
is one of the company’s rules. As a result,
its kitchens are made from mixed timbers
and never materials such as printed veneers.
Henrybuilt does, however, work with
PaperStone, a strong, ecological surface made
from compressed recycled paper and resins.
00-1-21 29 66 57 97; henrybuilt.com
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5+'
3 THE MATERIALS
The units and surfaces are
made of glass and aluminum,
which is stain resistant and
easy to clean. The 4mm-thick
tempered glass could withstand
the impact of a dropped
cannonball. Unlike units made
of standard chipboards and
glues, they are relatively
unaffected by steam or water,
and they are made using 80
per cent less material – which
means a reduction in
consumption and waste levels.
Valcucine will also collect its
old kitchens and recondition
or recycle every part of them.
00-39-434 517 911;
www.valcucine.com
CASE STUDY 4
DESIGNED
TO LAST‘New Logica System’ by Valcucine
GOOD TO KNOWValcucine offers the
option of glossy or matt
glass; glossy glass holds
fingerprints, whereas they
evaporate on matt.
Choose as few design
features as suitable to the
way you work: unused
features can be a source
of irritation. This kitchen
costs around £150,000.
TAKE NOTE
Lighting FOR YOUR WORKSPACE
Fit lights to the bottom of your wall-
mounted cupboards, or above the
back of the workspace. Make sure that
the lights are in front of you to prevent
your own shadow from falling on to
the work surface. It’s best to keep
these lights recessed to avoid grease
and dirt building up on them.
D E SI G N I D E A S I High-funct ion ing k itchens
FOR AN ISLAND OR DINING AREA
This is a chance to use pendants or
decorative lighting, as ideally you
want overhead light that illuminates
warmly and evenly, in contrast to
workspace lighting. Keep this on a
separate system to the other lights
for more control and ensure they
are well above head height.
FOR THE WHOLE ROOM
Some people like to have small areas
of light during quiet times – espe-
cially those who wake during the
night. Consider soft recessed lights,
perhaps on a dimmer, on top of the
cupboards, spreading light upwards,
or around the bottom of low cup-
boards, bathing light downwards. �
FOR YOUR CUPBOARDS
To avoid dark and cluttered cup-
boards, you might want to include
lights that turn on when the doors
open. Consider glass shelves with this
type of lighting, so light spreads down
throughout the cupboard.
1
2
THE APPROACH ‘Our commitment is to the environment:
we don’t want to add to the amount of
waste in the world, so our research is about
reducing our consumption of materials
and resources, and increasing the lifespan
and recyclability of our kitchens.’
Gabriele Centazzo, creative director of Valcucine
1 THE BACK STATION
The back of a workspace is usually under utilised,
but here it has been designed as an organisational
space. This back station can include plate and cutlery
draining areas, a bottle store, and a knife and
chopping-board store; the plug sockets can be moved
easily on the bar by twisting and pulling them.
2 THE ERGONOMICS The back station reduces walking, bending and
stretching. The pot-filler behind the hob means you
don’t have to carry a heavy pan over to the sink, while
swing-out shelves aid access to hard-to-reach places.
3
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5+)
BATH BATTERSEA BOURNEMOUTH BRENTWOOD BRISTOL CAMBRIDGE CARDIFF CHELTENHAM CHESTER CHICHESTER CHISLEHURST EDINBURGH FULHAM GLASGOW GUILDFORD HAMPSTEAD HARROGATE HOVE ISLINGTON LEAMINGTON SPA MARLOW MILTON KEYNES NOTTINGHAMNOTTING HILL OXFORD SHEEN ST.ALBANS TUNBRIDGE WELLS WILMSLOW WINCHESTER WORCESTER
Tel: 0800 032 6492www.harveyjones.com
Call now for your free brochure:
TAKE NOTE
CabinetryPaul Walton of Halstock
gives his advice
POSITIONING KNOBS
Cupboard knobs should be easily reached by
hand. A rule of thumb is 95cm off the ground
for tall cupboards or doors – but take into
account your own height. For base units,
handles should be as high as looks good
while being convenient. On low drawers,
there is a foreshortening effect, meaning
that handles should be positioned higher
than the mid point, increasingly so the lower
the drawer. If there are two knobs on a drawer,
a good rule is to place them a quarter and
three quarters of the way along the front.
CUPBOARD AND UNIT PROPORTION
Consider proportions vertically rather than
horizontally. Once the horizontal layout has
been devised, based on practicality and
function, pay attention to the vertical propor-
tions. Combat foreshortening and achieve
good proportions by placing taller units
lower down and decreasing the height of
the units as you work up – much like the
windows of a Georgian house.
MATERIALS
Wood is a good material to use in kitchens
for its sound- and shock-absorbing qualities.
Marks and dents matter less and can be
scrubbed or sanded out. Try to avoid having
wood worktops next to the sink or oven, as
there is a risk of water and heat damage, and
instead use stone, glass or metal.
JOINTS
Beautiful joints are a pleasure to live with
and, as many furniture glues emit toxins,
could be healthier to live with, too. From left:
a) a mitre joint; b) a machine-cut dovetail
joint; c) a hand-cut, half-lapped dovetail joint;
d) a butt joint; and e) a mortise-and-tenon
joint. www.halstock.com �
ALL IN THE DETAILS
4 FOLD OUT
The storage tower
in Neptune’s
‘Limehouse’ kitchen
packs a lot into the
space. The first door
folds out left to right,
while a second,
double-faced unit
folds out right to left
to reveal a fourth
fixed row of shelving.
www.neptune.com
2 TASK LIGHTING If mounted LEDs are not your style, task
lighting can be strategically mounted along a
back wall to illuminate workspaces, as in this
kitchen by Retrouvius. www.retrouvius.com
D E SI G N I D E A S I High-funct ion ing k itchens
ab
cd
Take further inspiration from clever features in four other kitchens
1 PRETTY GREEN The island in this Dulwich
kitchen has a herb planter installed
in the centre, ensuring a continuous
supply of fresh herbs for cooking.
3 PLAIN AND SIMPLE In this kitchen by Teddy Edwards, the
windows were too high for there to be a view
from the sink. He therefore created a utility
board from which pans and utensils could be
hung, but the client became attached to the
beauty of the uncovered boards and preferred
to keep it bare. www.teddy-edwards.co
e
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Y
ou can get in a real muddle when choosing paint colours.
I have been in so many rooms with the walls covered in
1,001 shades of the same colour and a confused friend or
client standing in the middle of it.
First of all, too much choice is a burden, so resist the temptation to
come home with endless sample pots. Secondly, camouflaging the wall
is no good at all and my advice would be to avoid doing it altogether.
The trouble with testing colours on the wall is that they react to one
another and to the existing colour of the wall itself. Whites go green,
browns look pink and greys turn lavender.
Instead, paint a square of thick card or ask
your builders to cut up a spare piece of wood.
This is a far superior way to choose colours for
several reasons: you can look at them in the
room without the confusion of other colours,
put them next to the colours you want to com-
bine them with – those for skirting boards,
window frames and the neighbouring rooms – and see how they work.
You can also take them out with you to see them with fabrics and carpets.
Once the colour is going up, keep your nerve; it is easy to panic when it
doesn’t look how you expected – it seldom does. Changing course is rarely a
better option. There’s a knock-on effect to opting for a new colour mid flight:
the skirting paint doesn’t go or the colour in the next room looks sludgy.
Colours often look quite different from the colour chart. They mostly
look stronger because they are on all four walls, but after a few days you get
used to it. It is good to remember that almost everything is up for scrutiny
on a building site in a way that it never is again. Once there are curtains,
pictures on the walls, sofas, furniture, people and all the associated clobber,
the walls no longer hold centre stage. I am not saying that no one ever got
a colour wrong, but it doesn’t happen as often as the panic.
I like paint to be applied by brush. Matt emulsion applied with a
roller is the quickest, easiest and therefore cheapest way to get the paint
up. But, it has drawbacks. Rollers leave an orange-peel effect, some less
than others, but they all do to greater or lesser degrees. For some inexpli-
cable reason, builders often lie to you about using them, saying they
haven’t when they have, because when they do a brush finish they like
to roll the paint on first – they think you can’t see the orange peel
through the brush strokes.
Most people use matt emulsion on the walls,
but it scuffs very easily and it should be avoided
on staircases – vacuum cleaners, suitcases and
smudgy fingers are all enemies of matt emul-
sion. I prefer oil-based eggshell on the walls.
Your builder will advise you against it, particu-
larly if you haven’t re-plastered the walls – due
to the slight sheen, you will see any bumps – but once you have pictures up,
you will hardly notice them. For a matt finish, Mylands does an alkyd matt
that you can use on woodwork; Papers and Paints uses Mylands bases to
mix their colours, too, giving you more choice. Whites and greys are the
hardest to choose. I go to Paint Library for its Architectural Colours
range, each graded I–V, making life easier.
Lastly, it’s good to keep a paint schedule detailing the paint colours
you’re using, with each room listed and columns with the surfaces –
floors, walls, skirting, cornice, ceiling, doors – and then the brand, colour
and finish running in a line by each. Update if colours change and file it
safely. If you need to repaint, you will be very grateful for your list �
Too much choice is
a burden, so resist the
temptation to come home
with endless sample pots
Rita pictured
in her own flat
In the first of her new series
offering interior-decoration
advice, Rita Konig looks at
how to choose paint colours
and achieve the perfect finish
GOING GREY
RITA NOTES
For a good, clean
grey, I use ‘Lead’ from
Paint Library (www.
paint-library.co.uk),
graded I–V (pictured
from top, IV and I), or
‘Pure Grey’ from
Papers and Paints
(www.papers-paints.
co.uk), graded 1–12.
Simplifying your
choice, with each
you can use several
grades of the same
grey for the walls,
woodwork and
ceiling; ‘Lead I’ or
‘Pure Grey 1’ can
be used as white.
JO
DY
TO
DD
PHOTOGRAPH CRAIG FORDHAM
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5
design ideas | on decorating
+.
David Salisbury luxury hardwood rooms are made to be living, well-used spaces. Meticulously engineered from sustainable wood, they are the product of decades of exacting expertise and sympathetic design. Whether it’s a place for you to dream, or to watch your family grow, it’s there to be used. For years to come.
For more details phone 01278 764444 or go to www.davidsalisbury.com
‘One of those unexpected seren-
dipitous events that happen in
life’ is how Mitchell Abdul Karim
Crites, a specialist in traditional
Islamic crafts and precious
stones, describes his first encounter with British de-
signer Bethan Gray. In spring 2013, a friend spotted
a picture of the marble cake stand from Bethan’s
Black and White collection in an in-flight magazine
and, knowing it would appeal to him, tore out the
picture and sent it to him on a postcard.
Abdul Karim had been searching for a designer
to bring a contemporary edge to these ancient arts
– ‘someone who could straddle the past and present
and talk to the future’. In Bethan’s work, he saw an
‘innate sense of Islamic geometry’ – one she had
not been aware of. ‘I’d always been interested in
geometry but hadn’t made the connection,’ she says.
After meeting last summer, the pair decided
to collaborate, and the result is The Ruby Tree, a
collection of exquisite furniture and tableware
designed by Bethan and made by ‘the greatest
craftsmen working today anywhere’, according
to Abdul Karim. Their aim is to support these
craftsmen and keep their endangered skills alive,
and Bethan has pushed them to the limit with the
technical difficulty of her designs.
If one piece encapsulates the collection, both
agree it is the ‘Stripe’ bowl in black marble and a
vibrant green amazonite that can be found only in
a single quarry in Mozambique. Its design was
inspired by a thirteenth-century Persian bowl
that Bethan found at Sotheby’s during Islamic
Week. ‘I was quite astounded by how contempo-
rary it was,’ she says. To view the collection, visit
www.therubytreecollection.com �
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT ‘Stripe’ collection
in black marble and amazonite (also centre).
‘Petal’ collection in white marble and lapis lazuli.
Abdul Karim and Bethan discuss designs
PRECIOUS GEOMETRYJessica Doyle looks at a unique collaboration between a British designer and
an Islamic-art expert, and gives a round-up of other news and events
Newsupdate � outside interests � out and about
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 +0
WEBWATCH Faux f lowersSpring may seem a long way off, but some good-quality faux flowers will bring a splash of colour in the depths of January.
Bloom (www.bloom.uk.com) specialises in handmade silk flowers, which cost from £5 for a stem, and its range extends to
bouquets, centrepieces and potted trees. Mia Fleur (www.miafleur.com) has dramatic, eye-catching bouquets from £15.50.
Inspired by ‘the sophistication and colour palette of an Old Master still life’, Abigail Ahern’s (www.abigailahern.com) new
collection of faux blooms suits her trademark moody, glamorous style, including the peonies pictured here ,which cost £9.50
for a stem. To bring the scent of spring, as well as faux foliage, into your home, try the new ‘Box Hedge Square Scent’, £40,
from Jo Malone (www.jomalone.co.uk), a rubber square infused with fragrance oil that lasts for six months. �
What is your greatest
source of inspiration?
It’s very much about nature,
but also about storytelling.
Do you have a common
starting point for all
your designs?
My projects are very varied,
but with each one I try to
create a fantasy world, and
from there I add materials
to make it real.
Is there any one design,
old or new, that you feel
encapsulates your style?
The ‘Ivy Shadow’ chan-
delier (pictured above in
‘Forest Gold’) for Porta
Romana, which is also
going to be at Sotheby’s.
This piece has a romantic
feel and uses cut-out bo-
tanical shapes to make
shadows on your ceiling.
I’ve been fascinated by
shadows for a long time; as
soon as you start thinking
about lights, you start to
think about shadow. This
piece is a combination of
technology and craftsman-
ship that I find exciting.
What are you working on
at the moment?
I’m designing a coral-reef
gallery for the Natural
History Museum in Holland,
a collection of wrapping
paper for Lagom Design,
and jewellery for the Van
Gogh Museum in Amster-
dam that is inspired by Van
Gogh’s sunflower and his
almond-blossom paintings.
What do you think is the
most exciting thing in the
design world right now?
New retailers working with
up-and-coming designers,
such as 19 Greek Street,
Gallery Libby Sellers and
Another Country. They’re
not chains and they don’t
want to be chains; they are
very personal in their
tastes and interests..
Tell us something that
people may not know
about you.
My first job after art college
was helping to paint one of
Damien Hirst’s spot paint-
ings on to the wall of Dave
Stewart’s flat in Covent Gar-
den. It was very glamorous.
‘Originals’ is at Sotheby’s
London, January 6–18;
www.sothebys.com | Tord’s
collection for Porta Romana
can be seen at www.porta
romana.co.uk
Q&A: TORD BOONTJE
The magnificent ‘Fig Leaf’ wardrobe (pictured right)
by Tord Boontje will be the centrepiece of a joint
selling exhibition at Sotheby’s in January of work by
the Dutch designer and his wife, sculptor Emma
Woffenden. Known for his innovation and his artisanal
sensibility – the ‘Fig Leaf’ is adorned by 616 individually enamelled copper
fig leaves – Tord has a string of high-profile collaborations to his name,
among them his ‘Garland’ light for Habitat and ‘Blossom’ chandelier for
Swarovski. His most recent is with Porta Romana, for whom he has
designed lighting and furniture for its new Enchanted Forest collection.
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news | update
ARCHITECTURAL INTERESTNotable for its directory of architects and interior designers, Arkitexture is a new site with a wealth of
information and inspiration. Users can also browse images of projects by companies such as
Retrouvius, MPD and Rose Uniacke to get a feel for their work, and the moodboard function allows
subscribers to collect pictures from Arkitexture and other sites. It also has a useful Articles section,
which has a mix of interesting features and practical information, be it an interview with a noted
architect, tips on gaining planning permission, or advice from a surveyor on how to save money on
a project. ‘We’re not just collecting pretty pictures,’ says its founder, property developer Laure
Ghouila-Houri. ‘We want to be a complete resource and arm our users with confidence so that they
know how a project works from start to finish.’ Pictured are projects by architects Lucy Marston (left)
and Seth Stein (right). www.arkitexture.com
MAYFAIR ANTIQUES &
FINE ART FAIR January 8–11
at the London Marriott Hotel
Grosvenor Square, Du e Street,
W1 Forty BADA and LAPADA
dealers will offer high-quality
art, antiques and decorative
arts, including furniture, textiles,
ceramics and Islamic art.
Admission, £10. Pictured
Bohemian cut-glass jug, c.1840.
www.mayfairfair.com
WORKS ON PAPER FAIR February 5–8 at the Science Museum,
Exhibition Road, SW7 Thousands of watercolours, drawings, prints,
photographs and posters with prices from £250 to £75,000, plus a
loan exhibition on illustrator Alan Sorrell. Admission, £15. Pictured
Chiswick House by Roland Collins. www.worksonpaperfair.com
LONDON ART FAIR
January 21–25 at the
Business Design Centre,
52 Upper Street, N1
A hotbed of modern and
contemporary British
art, from the early
twentieth century to the
best of the new. Museum
partner the Pallant House
Gallery will stage an
exhibition focusing
on figurative art by
painters including Walter
Sickert, David Bomberg
and Lucian Freud.
Admission, £20.
Pictured Stella by
Maria Rivans, 2014.
www.londonartfair.co.uk
LISTED PROPERTY SHOW February 14–15 at Olympia, W14 For anyone who owns or is thinking of buying a listed property, this is a
must. It offers the chance for conversations with conservation officers, planners, architects and builders, plus specialist suppliers, such as door
and window makers, showcasing products and staging practical demonstrations. Entry is free if you apply in advance at www.lpoc.co.uk �
DiaryThis month’s events and exhibitions
JEREMY GARDINER: JURASSIC COAST January 17 to March 1 at
the Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath Landscape artist Jeremy Gardiner
uses techniques such as layering paint, collage and sanding down to suggest
the passage of geological time at the Jurassic Coast. Admission, £3.50.
Pictured Moonlight, St Aldhelm’s Head to Gad Cliff. www.victoriagal.org.uk
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5,)
Showrooms: Bristol 0117 923 8915 Cambridge 01223 460377 Cheltenham 01242 512087 Chester 01244 343438 Guildford 01483 537717NEW Harrogate 01423 531073 Kendal (concession) 01539 720400 Leamington Spa 01926 334506 London W1 020 7629 2019
Manchester 0161 834 7466 Marlow 01628 481114 St Albans 01727 845828 Tunbridge Wells 01892 536286 Witney 01993 776682
All showrooms open Sundays during the Sale.
For our brochure call 01993 893130. Visit our website: www.wesley-barrell.co.uk
Now is the perfect time to buy the perfect sofa.
Wesley-Barrell has been at the forefront of British sofa design and craftsmanship for over a century. And now you can enjoy the perfect sofa at Sale prices.
WINTER SALE
NOW ON
KITCHEN&BATHROOM
LIVING APP
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House & Garden app from the App Store. Search ‘House & Garden’
Kitchen & Bathroom
inspiration that lasts
throughout the year
Make the most of our popular
Kitchen & Bathroom Living supplement
by downloading it as a new
interactive app for iPad – for FREE.
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Living app to as many iPads as you
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source of inspiration all year round.
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FREE
Outside interestsClare Foster finds fresh gardening inspiration
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EASY CLIPPINGThis is the time of year to start cutting back grasses and herbaceous plants
that you have left to overwinter, and the ‘GENZO CLIPPERS’ from
Niwaki are ideal for the task. Made in Japan, they are lightweight and
comfortable to use, designed to be held in one hand. With razor-sharp,
carbon-steel blades, they will cut through tough stems with ease and make
the action seem effortless. Measuring 23cm long with a blade length of
9.5cm, the ‘Genzo Clippers’ cost £26 plus p&p from www.niwaki.com.
Garden photographer Andrea Jones has spent years travelling the world in
pursuit of the most botanically interesting and artistic trees, and the results
are put together in a new book, The Splendour of the Tree, with text by Noel
Kingsbury (Frances Lincoln, £25). From endangered species to Irish willows,
the trees are captured with close-ups of leaves, flowers and fruit. The stun-
ning images are also available to buy online in two print sizes: 21 x 29.7cm,
£95, and 32.9 x 48.3cm, £175, including delivery. www.plantation.uk.com
Raised planters can loo ustic, but the ‘Cult’ PLANTER from
Belgian company Atelier Tradewinds has a sophistication about it that
ma es it ideal for a modern urban garden. Made from galvanised steel
and chestnut-brown padu ood, it has two planting compartments,
each holding a depth of 40cm of soil. Measuring 70 x 120 x 80cm, the
planter costs €695 including delivery to the UK. www.trade-winds.be �
If you force your rhubarb, you
can eat the first delicious,
tender stems in January and
February. Though you can
use almost anything, even a
bucket, traditional terracotta
rhubarb forcers are the most
attractive option. This one
from Harrod Horticultural
is made from frost-proof
red clay, and is 47cm high
with a 38.5cm diameter
base. It costs £69.95 plus
delivery from www.harrod
horticultural.com.
Buy potatoes now for chitting,
and then plant out in March. For
the past few years, my top variety
has been ‘Nicola’, a second early
with smooth, waxy flesh. Har-
vested young, they are excellent
new potatoes, small and deli-
cious, but they are equally good
when left to mature in the
ground, producing large, oval-
shape tubers that are delicious
baked, roasted or mashed. www.
jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ,,
I
nspired by the colour and beauty con-
jured up in the Sir Harold Hillier
Gardens featured in this issue, we set out
to find the best British gardens to visit in
winter, from grand estates to snowdrop-
carpeted parklands.
ANGLESEY ABBEY, Cambridgeshire
The winter garden at Anglesey Abbey, together
with its dramatic statuary and huge avenues
of trees, make it one of the best places for a
mid-winter stroll. The winter garden, which
meanders along a long, narrow walk, is stuffed
full of colourful willows and dogwoods that are
lit up by the low winter sun, as well as scented
winter shrubs such as daphne, sarcococca and
chimonanthus. Snowdrops and hellebores
can also be seen. The garden is open daily,
10.30am–4.30pm. www.nationaltrust.org
CAMBO ESTATE GARDENS, Fife
Known for its dynamic ‘new perennial’ summer
garden, Cambo has also been quietly attracting
snowdrop visitors since the Eighties. Colonising
70 acres of woodland leading down to the sea,
the snowdrops are a spectacular sight in Febru-
ary, with over 350 different varieties making up
a National Collection. In addition to the snow-
drops, the perennial garden is worth seeing in
winter, as the grasses and seedheads are not cut
back until the end of February. The gardens are
open daily, 10am–5pm. www.camboestate.com
COLESBOURNE PARK, Gloucestershire
There are plenty of gardens that open for
snowdrops in the winter, but Colesbourne Park
is one of the most spectacular and historic.
Colesbourne was the home of snowdrop guru
Henry John Elwes (1846–1922), who made the
important discovery of Galanthus elwesii while
travelling in Turkey. The gardens have one of
the most extensive snowdrop displays in the
country, with around 250 different species and
cultivars. Snowdrop weekends take place
every week throughout February, 1–4.30pm.
www.colesbournegardens.org
DUNHAM MASSEY, Cheshire
The winter garden at the National Trust-owned
Dunham Massey was created in 2009 with the
help of plantsman Roy Lancaster. Covering
seven acres within the existing gardens, it is
designed specifically for winter interest, with
thousands of winter-flowering shrubs and bulbs
including winter irises and snowdrops. The
garden is open daily, 11am–4pm, until the end
of January. www.nationaltrust.org
MOTTISFONT, Hampshire
The garden here is well known for its summer
roses, but in 2010 a new winter garden was
planted. Taking its design lead from the
nearby River Test, it has a central meandering
section of ground-cover plants, breaking into
rivulets as it flows around groups of box plants
clipped to look like rocks. More than 5,000
winter shrubs and grasses were planted, as
well as over 60,000 bulbs. The gardens are
open daily, 10am–5pm. www.nationaltrust.org
TRENTHAM GARDENS, Staffordshire
In the Italian Garden, the topiary and fountains
are complemented by Tom Stuart-Smith’s
perennial plantings, which are left until at least
mid January before being cut back. The Piet
Oudolf gardens along the River Trent are simi-
larly kept intact, with grasses and seed heads
looking magnificent in the frost. The gardens
are open daily, 10am–4pm. www.trentham.co �
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5
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Focus on..WINTER GARDENS
news | outside interests
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Trentham
Gardens. Snowdrops at Cambo Estate Gardens.
Mottisfont in Hampshire. Anglesey Abbey
in winter (centre). Dunham Massey.
LEFT Galanthus elwesii at Colesbourne Park
,-
contact: 0118 922 1327
www.surfaceview.co.uk
Telephone: 00 44 (0)1273 - 497070
Web: www.limehouselighting.com
BESPOKE LIGHTING
LOAF.COMGet your skates on! Sale ends 31st January
news | outside interests
STYLISH HIDEOUT
Use this time of year to brush up on y .
This February, WEST DEAN COLLEGE is
running a three-day residential course on Designing
Your Own Garden, led by garden designer Annie
Guilfoyle. Starting on the evening of February 5 and
finishing at 3.30pm on February 8, the course covers
site evaluation and survey, spatial design and planting
design, and you will leave with a simple plan to use
in your own garden. The course costs £306
excluding accommodation. www.westdean.org �
There are so many companies making and restoring shepherd’s huts
nowadays that it can be difficult to make a choice. For smaller gardens,
however, the ‘WRITER’S HUT’ from Plankbridge is ideal, being a
shrunk-down version of the standard-size huts. With a length of
240cm – as opposed to the full-size hut, which is 360cm long – the
‘Writer’s Hut’ will tuck neatly into a corner of the garden, making an
ideal home office. With bespoke detailing, including oak flooring, door
and window frames, and an optional desk or other fittings, prices start
at £10,740. www .com
AD
AM
BA
TTE
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Battersea I Clerkenwell I Knightsbridge I Mayfair Notting Hill I Wandsworth I Kent I Surrey
@westonebathroom
0333 011 3333
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consultation and start the New Year in style.
T H E A R T O F F I N E F U R N I T U R E
or call today quoting HGA150102:
0800 0138139For a FREE brochure or Design
Consultation visit:
www.strachan.co.uk /hga
• Up to 30% SAVINGS • NEW brochure
• FREE design consultation • FREE fitting
• 10-year guarantee • Buy now, pay in 12 months
• British Design & Manufacturing
T H E J A N U A R Y S A L EExtra savings on the finest quality bespoke fitted furniture designed just for you
BEDROOMS | DRESSING ROOMS | WALK-IN WARDROBES | WALL BEDS | STUDIES | LOUNGES | CINEMAS | LIBRARIES
Latest launches… glamorous events… hot buys… Carole Annett takes note
Out and about
FLORAL FLOURISHThe Four Seasons embroidered-border collection by Lori Weitzner
at Samuel & Sons is available in four colourways, pictured from left:
‘Summer’, ‘Winter’, ‘Autumn’ and ‘Spring’. It measures 7.6cm wide and
costs £75 a metre. 020-7351 5153; www.samuelandsons.com
Savoir Beds has created a bespoke
dog bed for pampered pets. The bed
shown here measures 50 x 70 x
50cm and is upholstered in ‘Bay-
town’ by Larsen, with Sherpa fleece
cushion pads that can be removed
and washed. It costs from £750
with your choice of fabric. 020-
7493 4444; www.savoirbeds.co.uk
The VIP room created for House & Garden by interior designer
Victoria Meale was an installation at last September’s Decorex
exhibition at Syon Park. Victoria has a strong environmental
ethic; the paint colours used here, ‘House Blue 01’ and ‘Garden
Green 02’, are part of a collection of six she created for Eicó. The
paint is virtually odourless and low in air pollutants. A one-litre
tin of matt emulsion costs £15, from Ray Munn. 020-736 9876;
www.raymunn.co.uk | www.victoriamealedesign.com �
Martin Moore & Company
has opened a FLAGSHIP
SHOWROOM at 176
Westbourne Grove, W11, an
inspiring setting for its handmade
English cabinetry combined with
state-of-the-art appliances. The
Modernist, English, Architectural
and New Classic (pictured above)
kitchen collections, which are
designed and made to order, are
shown alongside free-standing
furniture and with natural
stone floors. 0845-180 0015;
www.martinmoore.com
SMART SAVINGSThe Beaumont &
Fletcher sale runs from
January 10 to 31,
offering discounts of up
to 20 per cent on new
orders and up to 50
per cent on showroom
models of sofas and
chairs. Seen here is the
‘Alexandra’ chair covered
in ‘Bantry’ linen in
espresso. The showroom
model is discounted
by 50 per cent, from
£3,380 to £1,690.
020-7352 5594; www.
beaumontandf letcher.com
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5-'
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MAISON & OBJET
January 23–27
Monday–Friday,
9.30am–7pm (6pm on
Tuesday) The French
trade-only interiors
exhibition is held at
Parc des Expositions de
Paris-Nord Villepinte.
www.maison-objet.com
PARIS DECO OFF
January 22–26
9.30am–7.30pm
(11pm on Saturday)
This annual Paris-
based exhibition is for
professional interior
designers and amateur
enthusiasts alike.
www.paris-deco-off.com
news | out and about
BIRDS AND BRAMBLES‘Winter Birds’ (multicoloured) is a wallpaper from
the Archive Antholog y collection at Cole & Son. It
costs £90 for a 10-metre roll. 020-8442 8844;
www.cole-and-son.com
‘Manhattan’ shutters from The
New England Shutter Company
are made from sustainable tulip-
wood and can be covered in faux
leather and faux suede, which can
be colour-matched to suit your
requirements. With 8.9cm-wide
blades, the shutters cost from
£1,008 for a square metre. 020-
8675 1099; www.thenewengland
shuttercompany.com
SOANE EVENT House & Garden is delighted to present an interior-design seminar in
association with Soane, at 50–52 Pimlico Road, SW1, on March 11,
9.30–11.30am. The title of the seminar is ‘British Craftsmanship and
Design’ and it will be hosted by Lulu Lytle. Lulu studied Egyptology at
University College London before working for an antiques dealer.
She launched Soane in 1997, along with Christopher Hodsoll, and it
is now an established showroom much loved by the interior-design
cognoscenti. Soane continues to champion the beauty and skill of
British craftsmanship with its collection of furniture, lighting, fabrics
and wallpapers (above). These are inspired by historical designs and
made from the best materials in specialised workshops across the
country. The company has recently taken on the last English work-
shop that handweaves rattan, and there will be an opportunity to see
weavers at work during the event. The seminar will start with coffee
and breakfast canapés. Tickets cost £20 each and include a gift bag.
To book, send a cheque payable to ‘Soane’, with your name, address,
telephone number and email address to: Julia Page, Soane Reader
Event, House & Garden, Vogue House, London W1S 1JU �
Interiordesign
seminar
DIARY DATES
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5-)
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December
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THE BEST IN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AND DECORATION
December
2014
£4.20
STRIKING
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CHRISTMASCOLOURFUL
Perfect presents for
everyone on your list
Ideas for dramatic
decorations119
From a small, fairytale
barn to Nicky Haslam’s
flat full of illusions
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SUBSCRIBE THIS MONTH
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day out discovering gardens brimming with wildlife and historic houses full of
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 -*
LIFESTYLEOlinda Adeane meets Jeanetta Rowan-Hamilton, who updates
and sells vintage garments through her company Nettles
Cashmere, travelling between her London flat and a former
fishing lodge in Scotland, which she has gradually restored
PHOTOGRAPHS ELSA YOUNG
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5-+
OPPOSITE Jeanetta Rowan-Hamilton sews a
cashmere jersey in her sitting room, which has
the original tongue-and-groove wall panelling.
THIS PAGE Tall birch trees surround the lodge
people | lifestyle
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 -,
The house of Jeanetta Rowan-Hamilton in Sutherland,
Scotland, resembles a favourite childhood book of mine,
The Wind in The Willows. It is not just that the house is close
to a river, but that she evidently shares author Kenneth
Grahame’s time-honoured view that interior decoration begins with a
good log fire and a toasted teacake.
Jeanetta has restored her tin-roofed fishing lodge with great charm.
There is nothing whimsical or twee about her taste, but her talent for
making things herself – be it a cushion, cake, curtain, or cardigan – is
often associated with a gentler and more accomplished era.
Her house is positioned on a grassy knoll separated from road and
river by a tufted meadow, where sheep graze nonchalantly in a manner
fitting to a pastoral idyll. Thrush and woodpecker vie for seed on Jeanetta’s
bird tables. Occasionally a car passes, a fisherman perhaps with rods on
his roof, or the local postman making his rounds.
Jeanetta’s company, Nettles Cashmere, sells beautiful jerseys and
cardigans that she sources and redesigns from vintage cashmere sweaters.
‘Make and mend’ is a favourite maxim. She takes a stall at five major
sales a year and inevitably arrives in Scotland from her London flat with
a car boot full of tweed, fabric and wool.
Most people come to the Helmsdale, a North Highland river, to catch
fish. It is renowned for its run of migrating Atlantic salmon. The Duke
of Sutherland once owned the whole area, but in the nineteenth century
it was divided into six estates, which were later sold, each with its own
river beat. Nowadays the beats rotate over a week, and anglers can fish
the whole system. This makes it highly desirable and many anglers can
only dream of getting a place on the long waiting list.
Jeanetta’s grandfather and maternal grandmother were invited by
friends to fish every year, and they fell in love with the river. ‘They
bought the house from a policeman for £1,200 because, although it
does not have rights over any fishing of its own, it occupies an ideal position
for those who have secured fishing on any other beat,’ she says.
Jeanetta’s mother inherited the lodge from her parents and it was let to
cousins for many years. After her divorce, Jeanetta and her two children,
Caroline and Jamie, now aged 32 and 30, would come for weekends and
holidays; then as now, there was no television or heating, only board
games and Scrabble. Ten years ago, when her mother gave her the
house, Jeanetta had to make a decision. Time had taken its toll and the
place was in poor shape. Should she keep it? Luckily, Jeanetta had the
necessary skills to make a go of it. She had been taught to cook by her �
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5--
OPPOSITE Jeanetta strolls in the valley above the River Helmsdale.
THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE A cashmere cardigan has
been updated with a vintage flower and silk edging for Nettles
Cashmere. Jeanetta and Ruby the whippet go for a walk along The
Shore at Berriedale. Jeanetta browses in Loth Station Antiques,
where she sources many of her furnishings. Local goldsmith
Patricia Niemann shows a necklace to Jeanetta in her shop. A
local fisherman delivers fresh lobster and crab. Jeanetta and her
neighbour, the historian and author Michael Wigan, play Scrabble
people | lifestyle
mother and to sew by her nanny. Her Scottish father was in the army,
and Jeanetta grew up in Perthshire with a brother and three sisters. ‘My
sisters were much nicer and played with other children. But I just
wanted to sew and make cakes.’ After school, she went to Paris to learn
pattern cutting. Her working life evolved as she made lovely things for
herself – and those close to her – that other people then lusted after
madly. She has been commissioned to collate photograph albums for
over 30 years, despite digital technology, because no computer can
replicate the collages she does in wedding albums, or press-cutting books.
She was confident she was up to the challenge of restoring the lodge,
but had very little money to employ builders and decorators. ‘I was
sitting in the house with Caroline and there was an actual hole visible
in the floor, where a stoat came to live in winter,’ she says. ‘I said to
Caroline, “Shall we sell the place and find something nearer home? Or
shall we do something about it?” And she said firmly, “We shall do
something about it.” So we painted a sheet with the words House Sale
and put everything we didn’t want out on the grass.’
Word spread within hours and some antiques dealers arrived. A man
who bought a table convinced Jeanetta she was capable of doing most of
the work on the house herself. ‘ “But where should I start?” ’ Jeanetta
remembers asking incredulously. ‘And the man said, “First find the drains.”
So Caroline and I dug around the house and then the bothy, which is now
my workroom and guest house. And we found some very nasty drains.’
It was the start of a 10-year programme. Local builders William Hendry
and his son Douglas handled heavy building tasks, and Rowland
Chamberlain worked on woodwork and shelving. There are now four
bedrooms in the house and two bathrooms. Last year, she added a new
dining room onto the kitchen.
Discovery is a key to her enjoyment and when she finds something
particularly inexpensive, she leaves its delicate white paper price tag to
flutter from it like a tiny trophy. Loth Station Antiques, Rowland
Chamberlain and his partner Clare Goulder’s eclectic shop in a converted
railway station at Loth Beach, has proved a treasure trove for Jeanetta,
who is inexorably drawn towards their salvage section.
She has made kitchen shelves from fish boxes and bathroom shelves
from old Lincolnshire cotton reels. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention,’
says Jeanetta. She abhors waste and loves change of usage. ‘The concept
of a rag rug is very appealing to me,’ she explains mock seriously. Her
views are definite, often emphatic: ‘I absolutely hate things that match.
My sister Sabrina gave me the dining chairs. But no two are the same.’
As Jeanetta finds it hard to make decisions, she prefers it when there
is less choice: ‘I would rather find five buttons or one piece of fabric in
a market, than go to a specialised button shop or department store.
Though I might like to have a shop of my own one day. It would be
worth it just to have an old-fashioned till.’
When it rains, Jeanetta works on photograph albums. When rain
stops, Caroline’s whippet, Ruby, nudges her out for a walk. Sometimes
they drive over to a cove at Berriedale, known locally as The Shore,
where a row of fishermen’s cottages, built in 1820, have been beautifully
restored for holiday rental by The Landmark Trust.
Every season brings delight. ‘In April, I wake to the sound of deer
munching grass outside my bedroom window,’ says Jeanetta, who tackles
the constant necessary house maintenance with infectious enthusiasm,
baffling occasional urbane guests with talk of ‘unblocking gullies’. She
finds that her days are never quite long enough. A neighbour may drop
round for a game of Scrabble and there is always another bonfire to
build, or a chanterelle just waiting to be found �
Nettles Cashmere: 07771-725072; www.nettlescashmere.com
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5-/
OPPOSITE FROM TOP Jeanetta and Ruby on the porch. Jeanetta
arranges a photo album for a client and sews a piece for her Nettles
Cashmere collection. She repainted a pair of Victorian beds that were her
grandmother’s. THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Jeanetta works
on new designs in her office space at one end of the sitting room, using a
desk and stool from Loth Station Antiques (also below). The bathroom.
A red-painted cupboard in the utility room stores coats and shoes.
Jeanetta hung a curtain made from old fabric to separate the utility room
people | lifestyle
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 -0
THIS PAGE FROM TOP Chiara’s worktable. Chiara paints freehand. Fabric samples hang above cushions from
her Botany collection. OPPOSITE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT A sketch of dragonflies. ‘Circular Firework’. A
peacock drawing. Painted silk from the Botany collection. Chiara mixes her own paint colours. A sample from her
Blue Indigo & Gold collection. A silk wall hanging. A Golden Dragonfly collection sample. Chiara with her fabrics
Specialist profile
CHIARA GRIFANTINI
PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW MONTGOMERY
Draped over the table in Chiara
Grifantini’s studio is a three-metre
by two-metre piece of linen that
she is painting with hundreds of
stylised leaves and an elaborate peacock, its tail
feathers cascading down in a glory of iridescent
turquoise, emerald and gold. It is unfinished, but
it already represents a month’s work. ‘I don’t
think I could ever have an assistant,’ she says. ‘If
I make a mistake or spill some paint that is one
thing, but if someone else did....’
Fine-boned and as subtly glamorous as one of
her own creations, Chiara is also extremely driven
and ambitious. Born and brought up in Rome, she
originally studied to become an architect. ‘I come
from a family of architects,’ she says, by way of
explanation. ‘It is a hard thing to study, so it is not
easy to give up. But my soul is in my craft.’
Indeed, decorative art seems to have exerted a
magnetic pull over Chiara throughout her life,
beginning on family holidays when she was a girl.
‘We travelled to Turkey, Thailand, India and
Central America, which all have a strong tradition
of decorative design. I always paid attention –
drew, took pictures and collected scraps of fabric.’
At university, she assisted a set designer on several
films, and when she moved to New Zealand for
her husband’s work, she researched Maori and
Aboriginal art. Painting sustained her when
her children were babies and even when she
practised as an architect, she found herself
drawn to the decorative side of the projects.
When she moved to London, she finally
succumbed to her calling and pursued a Masters
in textile design at Central Saint Martins. ‘I was
taught all sorts of techniques, but not painting
on fabric by hand,’ says Chiara, who began to
develop her own processes. She showed samples,
comprising small patterns of stripes, dots and
flowers, to an architect friend, which resulted in a
commission to make roman blinds and cushions,
and then a three-metre wall hanging for a house
in Notting Hill. Further commissions followed
through word of mouth and via interior designers,
including Jonathan Reed.
Most recently, she has looked towards her native
city for inspiration, in particular the patina of the
ancient walls of ruined buildings. Chiara’s canvas
is always raw silk or fine French or Italian linen,
which she first washes to soften and loosen the
fibres. She mixes her own colours using fabric
pigment and binder – ‘it is a little like cooking,’ she
remarks – and applies the paint freehand without
first marking the design with pencil, or producing
a scale design. ‘It is all planned out in my head,’
she says. Even simple pieces are extremely time-
consuming and require tireless concentration.
Though Chiara insists, ‘It is best not to think,
otherwise you seize up. The ideal is a balance of
knowledge with spirit and freedom.’
Once the painting is complete, she irons the
reverse of the fabric to bind the colour to its sur-
face. The linen then receives a second softening
wash; the silk, which is more fragile, is gently
steam-cleaned. If the piece includes gold foil,
these areas are painted with water-based glue.
Once the glue is completely dry, Chiara lays sheets
of foil on to the surface then irons the reverse to
adhere the foil to the material. Sometimes she
will rub the foil to create a worn, aged effect.
Chiara outsources the hand-sewing of all her
items to a small specialist company in London.
However, she produces the structure of the
wall hanging herself and she supervises the
installation of large pieces.
All her work is bespoke, even if the client
chooses an existing design. Most people specify
a personal modification – slight or bold; some
commission a totally original design. Chiara’s
only caveat is it should fit her style and sensibilities.
This sort of work requires a visit to the house to con-
sider the room before discussing the possibilities.
To my eye, Chiara’s pieces look like art. But she
emphatically disagrees. ‘I do not aspire to be an
artist. It is so hard and there are so many beautiful,
brave artists out there,’ she says. Perhaps it is a
matter of semantics, or the blurred lines dividing
art, design and craft. Either way, Chiara can
confidently place her textiles in the decorative
tradition she has admired for so long �
Hand-painted fabrics cost £200–£400 a linear
metre and wall hangings cost £800–£2,600;
www.chiaragrifantini.com
Jennifer Goulding visits the studio of Chiara Grifantini to discover more
about her amazingly detailed textiles, from wall hangings to cushions
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5
people | specialist
.(
PHOTOGRAPHS: HOWARD SOOLEY; ANDERS GRAMER; SIMON BROWN; WILLIAM LINGWOOD
Visit the new HOUSE website at www.houseandgarden.co.uk for design and decoration inspiration, with daily updates
ON SALE JANUARY 30
DON’T M ISS THE
M A RCH ISSUE OF
LESSONS IN LAYOUT
Transforming a London town house
An architect’s seventeenth-century
farmhouse
Design ideas for large spaces
An island garden packed
with exotic plants
PRETTY PERFECT Decorating with f lorals
© M
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Insightexhibitions � buying art �
Celina Fox previews the latest exhibition on the Baroque painter Peter Paul
Rubens at the Royal Academy and reviews other current shows
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
In the great galleries of Europe, it is easy to see the influence that Peter
Paul Rubens (1577–1640) exerted on the succeeding generation of Ant-
werp painters. His vast paintings of the nativity, crucifixion and lives of
the saints, his classical allegories overflowing with fleshy nudes and his
full-length swagger portraits, are usually interspersed with works in a
similar vein by Jacob Jordaens and Anthony Van Dyck. But most are on such a
gigantic scale that it is extremely difficult to move them. So the exhibition that
examines Rubens’ legacy at the Royal Academy makes a virtue of necessity by
covering a longer time frame, tracing his influence into the twentieth century.
The uneven quality and catch-all character of the resulting selection reinforces
respect for the great man himself, whose mastery of com-
position, form and colour, speed and accuracy of line and
vigour of brushwork have probably never been equalled.
The show is less concerned with technique than with
subject matter and mood, which emerge through consid-
eration of different themes – violence, power, lust, compas-
sion, elegance and poetry – in Rubens’ oeuvre. Violence is
epitomised by the writhing vortex of the Tiger, Lion and
Leopard Hunt – the central hunter dragged from his horse
by a tiger that has leapt onto his back. English painters of
animal subjects, notably James Ward and Edwin Henry
LEFT Peter Paul Rubens, The Garden of
Love, c.1633. BELOW Jean-Antoine Watteau,
La Surprise, 1718–19
Landseer, sought to elevate their lowly genre
by making direct reference to Rubens’ work in
sporting scenes of scale and drama, while Eugène
Delacroix’s admiration for the artist led him to pro-
duce his own versions of The Lion Hunt, set in the
Orient and charged with ferocious energy.
Given his personal involvement in state diplo-
macy, Rubens appreciated that art could serve as
an instrument of power and propaganda, receiv-
ing commissions from the dowager Queen of
France, Marie de’ Medici, for a cycle of monumen-
tal paintings glorifying her life and works, and from
King Charles I to paint panels for the ceiling of the
Banqueting House, Whitehall, with the apotheosis
of James I. When James Thornhill painted the great
hall of the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich in the
early eighteenth century, he looked to the Ban-
queting House as a precedent as well as to Antonio
Verrio and Nicholas Laguerre, who specialised in
large-scale decorative schemes combining history
and allegory in the manner of Rubens.
Pan’s pursuit of the nymph Syrinx, as conceived
by Rubens working with Jan Brueghel the Elder,
introduces the theme of voyeuristic lust, further explored in an assemblage of
nudes from Boucher to Picasso. For formal elegance, full-length portraits have
been lined up, commencing with works by Rubens and Van Dyck depicting
haughty Genoese grandees – a mode of social aggrandisement imported, via
Van Dyck, to England and used by Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Lawrence.
But the English artist who learnt most from Rubens was Gainsborough. His
unfinished copy of Rubens’ The Descent from the Cross encapsulates not only
the original composition but the essential pathos of the scene. He also sensed
the poetry pervading Rubens’ landscapes – idealised versions of the Flemish
countryside where the artist owned land and, from 1635, the estate of Het
Steen. While The Garden of Love, celebrating Rubens’ mar-
riage to Hélène Fourment, inspired Jean-Antoine Watteau’s
fêtes champêtres, such as La Surprise, his pastorals of wag-
ons in the evening light anticipate Gainsborough’s harvest
scenes. As Reynolds observed of his contemporary, what he
learnt from Rubens he applied to the originals of nature,
which he saw with his own eyes and imitated, not in the
manner of the master, but in a style of his own.
‘Rubens and His Legacy: Van Dyck to Cézanne’ is at
the Royal Academy of Arts from January 24 to April 10,
sponsored by BNY Mellon �
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 .*
insight | exhibitions
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Michel Corneille the Younger, Study of Heads, seventeenth century
ABOVE Pierre Antony-Thouret, Reims After
the War, 1918
SEEING DOUBLEDuring the Second World War, the pubs and drinking
clubs of Soho were a magnet for artists and writers
who, unconstrained by war service for one reason
or another, played the role of Bohemian outsiders.
Robert MacBryde (1913–66) and Robert Colquhoun
(1914–62) were leading lights in an artistic set that
included Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, John Minton
and John Craxton. Having met as students at the
Glasgow School of Art, the ‘two Roberts’ were there-
after inseparable. In the immediate post-war years,
they achieved considerable success on both sides of
the Atlantic with their figurative and still-life paintings.
But the late Fifties saw the increasing dominance of
Abstract Expressionism, making their work unfashion-
able, and drink hastened their early deaths. The first
large-scale retrospective of their work at the Scottish
National Gallery of Modern Art provides an oppor-
tunity for reassessment. ‘The Two Roberts: Robert
Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde’ is at the Scottish
National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road,
Edinburgh (01316-246200; www.nationalgalleries.org)
until May 24; admission, £8
CONFLICT IN CLOSE-UP The invention of photography allowed
battlefields to be recorded with unprec-
edented accuracy, albeit filtered through
the sensibility of the photographer,
as well as by subsequent methods of
reproduction, editorial control and
censorship. Tate Modern has brought
together photographs that add another
dimension to scenes of conflict – that of
time. They are arranged according to how
long after the conflict the images were
created – from a few weeks to decades
and to more than a century. Not only do
they document the destruction of build-
ings and landscapes, but also the impact
of war on survivors. ‘Conflict, Time,
Photography’ is at Tate Modern, Bank-
side, SE1 (020-7887 8888; www.tate.org.
uk) until March 15; admission, £13.10 �
In the drawing room Though neglected in art schools over recent decades, drawing remains a crucial element in the study of art history. Besides revealing how an artist thought and worked, it provides clues for the identification of paintings long since consigned to the category of ‘anon’. Since its foundation in 1932, the Courtauld Institute of Art has built up a collection of more than 7,000 drawings, including works by Dürer, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Turner. But the opening show in its new Drawing Gallery, designed by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, focuses on drawings by lesser-known artists not displayed for decades, but which nevertheless demonstrate exceptional levels of skill and beauty. ‘Unseen’ is at the Gilbert
o Butler Drawings Gallery, Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House,
Strand, WC2 (020-7848 2526; www.courtauld.ac om January 15 to March
29; admission, £7
ABOVE Robert Colquhoun, Figures in a Farmyard,
1953. BELOW Robert MacBryde, Still Life with
Cucumber, 1948
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5.+
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(houseandgarden.co.uk/zinio)
DOMENICA DE FERRANTI operates
from a rather chilly studio in south-east
London, where shelves and table tops
teem with bronze, plaster and wax maq-
uettes depicting beasts, birds and humans
contorted into all manners of complicated
forms. Despite their hefty weight, the
bronzes surge with energy, movement
and expression; a large-footed Minotaur
is frozen, elbows flung skyward, head
thrust forward as if mid dance. ‘I’m inter-
ested in depicting wildness and natural
states of joy or fear,’ explains Domenica.
‘When we’re in those moments our most
animal self appears.’
Her repertoire also extends to more
traditional subjects: handsome bronze
portraits and figures from her travels
through Oman and Tanzania demon-
strate an ongoing concern with texture
and anatomy. One particularly ambitious
project depicts a life-size boy, paddling
a 6.5-metre-long canoe; this enormous
bronze has just completed its two-month
journey to South Africa, where it will take
up residence in the middle of a lake.
Domenica works using the lost-wax
technique: a method of metal casting in
which molten bronze is poured into a
mould that has been created using a wax
model; once the mould is made, the
wax model is melted and drains away. The
detail is then chased back in and the piece
is polished and finished with a patina. This
element of the process is carried out at a
foundry in Basingstoke. ‘I work closely
with the foundry,’ she says. ‘There is a
lot of trust involved; they’re like family.’
Prices start at £1,000; www.domenica
deferranti.com
OVER THE COURSE of more than 1,000 years, Greek and Roman artists
created many hundreds of bronze statues: gods, sportsmen, politicians and
philosophers were all cast in bronze, raised on pedestals and erected as public
memorials, or as offerings to temples, oracles and sanctuaries. This impres-
sive body of work continues to be a major influence on artists today. Bronze
is typically an alloy consisting primarily of copper, with tin as its main
additive, although lead sometimes plays a part; it is hard, strong and durable
and when heated at over 1,000 degrees, the molten metal takes on a life of its
own. In 2012, the Royal Academy condensed 3,000 years of sculpture into a
single exhibition plucking examples from across the world in a colossal man-
ifestation of creative genius. While there has been a decline in the use of
bronze in recent history, a taste for small-scale bronzes in domestic interiors
developed in the late nineteenth century – a proclivity that still exists today.
Bronze
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP HALIMA CASSELL ‘Acapella’, 40.6 x 30.4cm diameter; and ‘Crystalline’, 15.24 x 30.4cm diameter.
DOMENICA DE FERRANTI ‘Canoe Study II’, 21 x 50 x 7cm; and ‘The Acacia Tree’, 60 x 110 x 55cm
HALIMA CASSELL was born in Pakistan, brought up in
Manchester and now lives in Blackburn. She cites her multicul-
tural background combined with her interest in architecture
and mathematics as key influences. Though ceramics are her
‘first love’, Halima’s bronze sculptures bring a different dimen-
sion to her work. They consist primarily of faceted surfaces and,
as such, seem to shift and change as light and shadow move
across the ridges and scores. These abstract forms and pat-
terns of zigzags, chevrons, grids, triangles, hexagons and stars
are reminiscent of traditional Islamic art and populate Halima’s
sketchbooks and preliminary drawings. Unlike her work in clay,
she has more control over the finish of her bronze pieces; the
final touches take place at her foundry, Pangolin Editions in
Stroud, where she is able to patinate the surfaces of her sculp-
ture, determining the colour and tone, and polishing the edges
according to her specific requirements. Prices start at £1,500;
www.halimacassell.com �
Emily Tobin profiles contemporary artists working in this metal
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5
insight | buying art
..
BESPOKE | PROMOTION
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Using cutting-edge technology
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Synseal’s aesthetic appeal is obvious
but it’s the hidden extras that really set its
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Synseal is one of the UKs biggest system
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conservatories, and the only UK manufacturer
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insulation and protect against seasonal
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can be absorbed seamlessly into the elegant
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Synseal’s orangeries feature a signature
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roof above, all models in the orangery
collection use the very latest building materials
and modern construction techniques to provide
a well-balanced mix of style and design for
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Historically, orangeries were used by the
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EXCLUSIVE
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THIS IMAGE Global Summer orangery with
french windows, in chartwell green finish.
CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW The interiors
of the ‘Rio’ wide-span orangery. Venetian
orangery with bi-fold doors, in cream finish
MID-CENTURY MODERN COMPLETE Dominic Bradbury (Thames & Hudson, £60)
There has been a flurry of books looking at mid-century design over the past decade, but few as comprehensive
as this. Mid-Century Modern Complete takes a detailed look at the design movement that defined the aesthetic
of the Fifties and Sixties – and to a lesser extent, the decades to either side of them. The systematic approach to
chronicling the most influential designers in each category is immensely helpful, and thanks to the book’s volu-
minous size, there’s enough space to profile each designer in reasonable detail. Essays by experts preface each
chapter. The second section explores the architecture of the period by showing a series of houses. Although the
selection is international in scope, it’s perhaps inevitable that over half of the houses pictured are in the
US – many architects who had fled war-torn Europe in the Thirties and Forties made the country their home.
Indeed, reading this book provides a visual history of these decades – its broad focus means that it also covers
advertising, and product and industrial design, exploring everything from Vespas to high-speed trains. The only
downside? Its sheer bulk: at over 3.5 kilograms it’s certainly not a pocket guide. CG �
A FRAME FOR LIFE: THE DESIGNS OF STUDIOILSE
Ilse Crawford (Rizzoli, £35)
There’s a big clue in the cheerful cover photograph of Ilse Crawford and her husband, Oscar Pena, reading in
bed. As a designer and academic, Ilse has a holistic approach, believing that all design – private or commercial
– should revolve around people. She launched Studioilse in 2003, and this book celebrates a dizzying decade’s
worth of work, from glimpses into Ilse’s apartment, to restaurants, hotels, and members’ clubs such as Soho
House in New York, to offices and retail, including a glorious store for Aesop. It also highlights product designs
for Georg Jensen and Wastberg. More importantly, the book crystallises Ilse’s design philosophy. In her com-
pelling text, she reminds us that intelligent design must appeal to all senses, that it has a duty to unlock the
past of a building, and that it should facilitate and not dominate everyday life. In a Q & A with architecture
writer Edwin Heathcote, she also delineates key differences between architecture and interior design. ‘We
need to prioritise the human experience,’ she emphasises. Judging by the sensual interiors gathered here,
readers will want to touch, smell and sit in her rooms, too. Judith Wilson
A WORLD OF QUILTS
Cassandra Ellis (Jacqui Small, £25)
More than just a ‘how-to’ manual, A World of Quilts delves into the history of each of 25 quilt designs and puts
what some might see as an old-fashioned hobby into its proper historic storytelling context. Who would have
guessed that nineteenth-century American ‘Underground Railway Movement’ quilts had hidden messages
sewn into them telling runaway slaves how to make their way to safety? The quilts featured have been beau-
tifully styled and photographed within the contexts of modern living interiors. Each design has its own chapter
giving its history and set of making instructions. Tips on how to personalise each piece are a thoughtful addi-
tion. A difficulty rating on each piece is a helpful indicator of where the less experienced quilter might want to
start and the ‘Quilt Masterclass’ gives the more experienced quilter the confidence to improvise their own
design. In a time when all idle fingers seem good for is tapping away at tablets and phones, A World of Quilts
pays homage to a time-honoured craft accessible to everyone. Bridie Hall
insight | books
WORDS AND PICTURESNoteworthy publications, chosen by Catriona Gray
JEAN-LOUIS DENIOT: INTERIORS
Diane Dorrans Saeks (Rizzoli, £40)
Paris-based decorator Jean-Louis Deniot has a refreshingly down-to-earth approach to his profession. ‘You’re
not going to change the world by hanging a pair of curtains,’ he notes. Which is not to say that he doesn’t take
his work seriously. As Diane Dorrans Saeks points out in this first monograph devoted to his interiors, ‘His
legacy is already being compared to such design greats as Jacques Grange and Alberto Pinto.’ It focuses
almost solely on projects completed over the past decade in France – the exceptions are a grand apartment
in Chicago and a house in Hollywood – deliberately presented out of chronological order. It is thus tricky to
comprehend the evolution of his style, although you can clearly grasp its most salient elements – the empha-
sis on classical French architectural details, the subtle colour palette and the harmonious mix of furnishings
from different periods. The text provides wonderfully detailed captions, helpful tips from Jean-Louis and a
glimpse of his playful humour. ‘I thought I would prefer to eat just bread than have a horrible client,’ he says of
the start of his career. ‘Thank goodness clients immediately came along, because I hate bread.’ Ian Phillips
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 .0
Situated on a leafy street in Manhattan’s West Village, Jos and Annabel White’s six-storey town house has been extended, gutted and completely renovated to create open-plan interiors tailored for family living
From the f loor up
TEXT LUCIE YOUNG | PHOTOGRAPHS NGOC MINH NGO | LOCATIONS EDITOR LIZ ELLIOT
In the first-floor sitting room,
The Rug Company’s Tibetan
wool and silk ‘Mamounia Sky’
complements the Howe sofas
and bright red ottoman-cum-
coffee table upholstered in
Pierre Frey fabric. Designed
by architect Basil Walter,
wooden panelling in
the entrance-hall area
conceals a ‘secret loo’
and a coat cupboard
THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE On one side of the sitting room,
a late-nineteenth-century mirror from Rose Uniacke hangs above a marble
chimneypiece from Chesney’s. Annabel’s large tapestry from The Rug
Company hangs above a French mirrored cabinet from Lorfords Antiques.
Across the hall lies the snug. OPPOSITE A Howe ottoman covered in
vintage suzani fabric and a plaid rug by Vivienne Westwood for The Rug
Company add colour and texture in the panelled snug
‘We drove the neighbours mad,’ says Jos White, talking
about the three-year renovation of the family’s
town house on one of the most desirable streets in
Manhattan’s West Village. The Whites’ neighbours
Anna Scott Carter and Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair, who
live a couple of doors away, were among those who experienced the
worst of it. In a 2013 interview with Graydon, a journalist com-
plained of the constant ‘bang and whirr’ from nearby building work.
The most embarrassing moment, recalls Jos, was when the street had
to be closed to crane in hardware for his rooftop office. ‘I heard one
of the other neighbours mutter, “God. Who are these people?”’
Jos is a successful British technology entrepreneur in his early forties.
He and his wife Annabel, who is the former director of The Rug
Company in New York, moved to Manhattan in 2001. At first, they lived
in a classic Manhattan loft, which Annabel says she found cold: ‘I didn’t
know how to make it cosy.’ But after Jos sold his technology company
MessageLabs for £397 million in 2008, the couple bought their dream
home in the West Village and hired the Carters’ architect Basil Walter to
do the renovation. The resulting house is an enchanting mix: of grand
and practical; open plan and intimate; English and American; playful
whimsy – a mirrored disco ball in the main bathroom and a stuffed
peacock in the main bedroom – bright colours and relaxed neutrals.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5/)
OPPOSITE FROM TOP The lower-ground floor comprises an open-plan
kitchen and dining area, with Rose Uniacke’s ‘English Draper’s Table’ and
Remains Lighting pendants hung above it. The kitchen has industrial pot
racks built by Nick Cohen and a soapstone island with a marble butcher’s
block by BWArchitects. THIS PAGE A leather-clad banquette tucked into
a nook in the kitchen creates an informal eating area, which opens out
onto the back garden terrace (bottom)
The entrance hall sets the tone with its custom-made wallpaper by
London artist Marcus James. Rabbits, deer, horses and other English
wildlife race over the top of ‘STOP’ signs, bridges, West Village cafes
and other Manhattan imagery. From this small compressed space,
guests step straight into an opulent 12-metre-long living area, with its
Christopher Howe sofas, huge tapestries by contemporary artists Kara
Walker and Julie Verhoeven, and a wall of modern windows opening on
to the terrace overlooking the garden.
Most evenings, the Whites relax in the snug. ‘I get so excited to sit here
and watch television, flick through a magazine or be on the computer,’
says Annabel. This cosy little room is lined with seventeenth-century
wood panels bought on L’Isle sur la Sorgue – ‘It didn’t all fit quite right,
so there are a couple of faked pieces,’ says interior designer Poonam
Khanna, who, together with Annabel and her British interior-designer
friend, Sarah Russell, was responsible for the decorative choices. The snug
overlooks the tree-lined street and can be opened up to flow into the main
space for parties. But most nights, the pocket doors are closed so the cou-
ple can have some adult time away from their three young children,
Sammy, 21 months, Ophelia, three and a half, and Fred, five and a half.
‘Annabel and Jos wanted a house that felt youthful, which had a lot of
open community spaces,’ explains Basil. To achieve this, he pulled the
house apart, stripping it back to its exterior walls and then painstakingly
reassembling everything with subtle differences. Being a landmarked
building, the 1840s façade had to look identical to the others on the
street. But elsewhere there was room for improvement. Floors were put
back at slightly different heights and at the back of the house two new
terraces were added, along with large modern windows with muntin
bars to echo the original windows and bring in extra light. Inside, Basil
removed the old zigzag staircase and created a sculptural oval stair that
acts as a light well, channelling light down from the rooftop home office.
The resulting house has the charm of the original, but it is essentially
a modern six-storey layer cake. Perched on top of the original roof is
Jos’s 11.6-square-metre home office. ‘We’ve set a precedent,’ says Jos. ‘It
is something none of our neighbours have done yet.’ Because of the
building’s landmark status, no additions can show from the street, not
even a single brick. So Jos’s office had to be set back four metres from the
parapet. On the garden side, it has an angled wall of glass windows,
which cantilever up using a hand crank. The design is inspired by one
of Basil’s favourite buildings, Pierre Chareau’s Maison de Verre in
Paris. The interior was partly inspired by Jos’s favourite place, the Apple
store in New York. Although, he grumbles, ‘It seems to be getting more
and more cluttered every day.’
On a tour of the house, Annabel says: ‘I like my wardrobe black, but
my life colourful.’ It’s no surprise, given her connection with The Rug
Company, that she says it was all about the floors. A lot of the colour
comes via the rugs. Her boldness often shocks friends, for example when
she said she wanted a red stair runner. ‘They thought it would look very
Hollywood,’ she says. But the Christine Van Der Hurd red silk dhurrie
has a sensuous, liquid feel. ‘I love that it looks a little worn,’ she says.
The fifth floor is the children’s floor, with their bedrooms plus a spare
room. The floor below is devoted to the main bedroom suite. The couple’s
bedroom is decorated in restful neutrals and has its own terrace. The
main bathroom has a shimmery interior: disco ball, silvery de Gournay
wallpaper and hand-painted floral mirror by M J Atelier & Construction.
Annabel laughs, ‘I don’t close the blinds, though I probably should.’
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 /,
Underneath the main entertaining floor on the ground floor is the
heart of the house, a huge basement family room devoted to eating,
playing and lounging that opens on to the garden. ‘I’m always work-
ing at the breakfast bar,’ says Annabel. ‘My kids are lined up here in
the morning. We have lunch in the nook – which gives a nod to old-
fashioned American diners with its curved green banquette and
neon sign – and dinner at the table. ‘For the kitchen, Jos and Annabel
were inspired by the fittings in their friends’ New York restaurant
The Fat Radish. And by the street entrance, the children’s play nook
was designed to give them a dedicated playroom but also to keep the
clutter at bay. ‘I walk into a lot of my friends’ homes and there are
toys everywhere,’ says Annabel with a roll of the eyes.
Standing in the grand landscape of the sitting room, Annabel looks
as though she might need to pinch herself. ‘I never in my wildest
dreams imagined I’d be in a home like this. I grew up in Wisbech, a
small town in Cambridgeshire.’ But here she is now, one of the driving
forces behind this elegant home with its clever balance of grand ges-
tures and cosy spaces. The Whites couldn’t be happier with the result.
‘We really use it all,’ she says. ‘To me that’s a testament to good design’ �
Architecture by Basil Walter and interior design by Poonam Khanna, for
BWArchitects: 00-1-21 25 05 19 55; www.bw-architects.com
THIS PAGE The main bedroom has a neutral palette accented by
a reupholstered nineteenth-century trunk from Hilary Batstone, while
an antique Swedish armchair and mirror from Lorfords Antiques
add interest by the chimneypiece. A plush alpaca rug from The Rug
Company sits below a Hilary Batstone disco ball in the main bathroom.
OPPOSITE Added on top of the original roof, Jos’s office has access to
the terrace; the side table is BDDW’s ‘Cannon’ design
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5/-
An eighteenth-century barn has been converted into a stylish guest cottage by its decorator owner Emma Burns, who adapted the internal configuration to create a striking way of displaying her book collection
TEXT ANTHONY GARDNER | PHOTOGRAPHS PAUL MASSEY | LOCATIONS EDITOR LIZ ELLIOT
A NOVEL SOLUTION
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5//
OPPOSITE The
barn’s original doors
were rebuilt as
shutters and painted
in Farrow & Ball’s
‘Pigeon’ gloss. THIS
PAGE The sitting
room is flanked by
shelves on both
sides and has a
glass-fronted
bookcase from
Robert Kime and
a pair of armchairs
upholstered
using jajim rugs
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 /0
ALL PICTURES
In the sitting room,
shelving opens
to reveal a secret
bathroom and floor-
length Anatolian
curtains provide
warmth in winter
(bottom left). The
gallery study above
is framed by the roof
beams (top left
and centre left).
OPPOSITE The
bathroom’s antique,
straw-work frame
mirror contrasts
with an Oka ‘Manor
Bathroom Vanity
Unit’ painted in
Farrow & Ball’s
‘Light Gray’
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 50'
Hardline minimalists must
still be rejoicing at the
invention of the e-book.
No more lines of shelves
cluttering up their walls,
and no more irregularly
shaped spines in all the colours of the spec-
trum – just a slim electronic device that can be
tucked out of sight in an instant.
That Emma Burns is not of this persuasion
is hardly surprising, given that she works as a
senior decorator at the proudly maximalist
Sybil Colefax & John Fowler. Indeed, such is
her devotion to physical books that when she
converted a barn at her country home into
a sitting-room-cum-guest-cottage, she made
them its main focus.
‘This place used to be a glorified garden
shed,’ she explains, ‘and though it seemed daft
to have so much space and not do anything
with it, we couldn’t decide what. Then we
moved from our old house in London into a
much smaller one and ended up with all these
books sitting in storage, so we decided to make
it into a book room.’
It is a book room, however, with rather more
to it than meets the eye. From the outside, the
barn looks much as it always did, with its beau-
tifully weathered stonework and roof tiles: the
one change is that the original doors have been
re-made as shutters. The new doors – tall and
glass-panelled – concertina back; entering
them, you find yourself in a sitting room with a
ceiling that rises more than 12 metres to the full
height of the gable roof. On either side, run-
ning along the length of the room, is a built-in
bookcase equipped with a ladder – not for
reaching books, but for climbing up to its own
small gallery, framed by the splendid roof
beams. One of these galleries functions as a
study, the other as a bedroom.
‘What I really wanted to do was keep the
whole roof space and the feeling of the barn,
while creating storage for the books,’ says
Emma. ‘So I had the idea of making the two
galleries with bookcases underneath. But
behind the bookcases would be…’ she says, and
pauses to push on one of them, so that part of
it swings open to reveal a trim little bathroom.
When she does the same thing on the opposite
side of the room, we find ourselves staring into
a pantry with long shelves filled with crockery
and picnic paraphernalia. A further storage
space, accessible only from outside, is devoted
to gardening equipment – a reminder of this
elegant outhouse’s humble origins.
Not that anything in the cottage is too smart.
‘I didn’t want it to feel new, but as if it had
always been here,’ says Emma. ‘Everything you
see is recycled. The sofa was a wedding present
to my grandparents, which I re-covered in
corduroy; the bed is one I bought for £50 in a
junk shop years ago; the desk, which I’ve
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0(
ANTICLOCKWISE
FROM LEFT
A pantry, with
storage for
glassware, is
tucked behind
the sitting-room
bookshelves. The
the bedroom
gallery above is
accessed by a
ladder, where a
Chinese screen is
used to create
a dressing area.
OPPOSITE FROM
TOP A Seventies
abstract painting
by W Nesseiz
adds interest in
the bedroom.
Accessed from
the outside
only, a storage
room holds
gardening tools
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 50)
repainted to match the door frames, was
thrown out by someone at Colefax; the carpet
came out of a skip.’
In the same spirit, Emma and her late partner
Menno Ziessen lime-washed the walls them-
selves: ‘It was a hideous job – we had to go up
long, extending ladders during a freezing cold
winter, working with head torches. Someone
else would probably have done it all beautifully,
but I think our slightly amateur painting
makes the walls look nicely aged.’
Nor did they want the tongue-and-groove
panelling in the bathroom to appear imma-
culate. ‘Christopher Bell of Banbury, the
absolute genius who did the joinery, came
and hacked bits off to show up the individual
boards and give it a feeling of being uneven,’
explains Emma.
The furnishings are multifarious and eclectic.
The bedroom gallery brings together an
enormous blue-green abstract painting, an
ancient zebra skin, an Ikea reading lamp and
a Chinese screen that Emma has used to create
a tiny dressing room. In the study gallery
opposite, she has combined a leopard-skin
chair, a sofa covered in a tartan throw, a tea
caddy lamp with an orange-and-white-speckled
shade, and an old doll’s house.
Downstairs, the sitting room is dominated by
a glass-fronted bookcase opposite the main
doors. ‘I didn’t want to put in a fireplace,’ says
Emma. ‘In a way, the bookcase provides the
same kind of focus.’ Near it stand a large Spanish
chest in studded brown leather, a pair of cane
armchairs upholstered with jajim rugs from
Central Asia and a nineteenth-century Swedish
games table with old suitcases piled up under
it. The only pictures on the walls are four
prints of country scenes by Graham Clarke:
‘The books give all the colour that’s needed.’
A heating system under the oak floor means
that the barn can be used all the year round.
‘Summer’s certainly lovely,’ says Emma, ‘and
if it’s not quite warm enough to sit outside,
you can at least have the idea of it in here. But
equally the room is cosy in winter if you close
the curtains. We’ve used it for lots of parties,
and at Christmas we have an incredibly tall
tree – always decorated by the same friends –
who luckily have a good head for heights.’
Of the paintwork, she says, ‘We decided to
have everything in the same kind of palette,
just lighter in the bigger space and darker in
the small rooms – so the bookshelves are a
shade of white and the bathroom is light
grey. The door framing is all Farrow & Ball’s
“Down Pipe”, and the shutters are “Pigeon”.’
And why ‘Pigeon’ in particular? ‘The main
house is called The Dovecote,’ explains Emma
apologetically. ‘It was an irresistible pun’ �
Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler: 020-7493 2231;
www.sibylcolefax.com
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0*
ALL PICTURES The spacious
entrance hall (this picture) was
originally the drawing room.
The house was ‘turned around’
in the 1870s, with the north
front refaced as the main
entrance (top right) and the
south front becoming the back
of the house (bottom right)
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 50+
This historic eighteenth-century house enters a new chapter as a family home with careful restoration and renovation, sympathetic interiors by Hugh Henry and gardens that open out to the surrounding woods, streams and coast beyond
TEXT LIZ ELLIOT
PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON UPTON
SleepingBEAUTY
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0,
It was a sharp, crisp autumn day and driving through Winchester
and the New Forest, the current owner of this magnificent house
felt as if he was gradually leaving the twenty-first century behind
– a feeling confirmed as he drove through the narrow lanes
and clustered villages, evocative of a Thomas Hardy novel. His
first glimpse of the house – surrounded by woods, lakes and the sea
beyond – made him feel that this was a valley that time had forgotten
and that was utterly magical.
Convinced that this was finally what he had been looking for, he asked
his family to come down and, walking around in the pouring rain, they
too loved the scale, the beauty and the landscape of the place. Although
a much-loved home, the new owner describes it as ‘a duchess in a dress-
ing gown, who still needed to be dressed in her finery in order to go to
the ball’. Taking on the house was a huge undertaking, but one that his
family wholeheartedly supported, with one major proviso: his wife
insisted that since this was a once-in-a-lifetime decision, it was most
important that the whole process should be fun.
That was in 2009; over the next four years, the roof was removed and
all timbers replaced. The entire house was rewired, the plumbing
renewed and a sophisticated computer-controlled underfloor heating
system installed that reduces the cost of heating the house by two thirds.
Unusually for a large country house, ultra-fast WiFi operates seamlessly
throughout – albeit after the owner had to contract an independent
fibre-optic cable from the nearest town five miles away.
Hugh Henry, co-founder of Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi, was
brought in to help with the project. ‘I had never worked with the owners
before,’ recalls Hugh, ‘but they were incredibly organised, loved the
house and knew what they wanted.’
This included joining the east wing – which had been detached – to
the main body of the house and reconfiguring the building internally,
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 50-
OPPOSITE A nine-metre rug designed by Hugh
extends across three seating areas in the drawing
room. THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
The main staircase. An eighteenth-century
console from Jamb provides shelter for two dogs.
The sitting-room loggia leads into the drawing
room. Cupboards line the wall in the boot room
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 0.
so every room can be used. The number of bedrooms was reduced and
each now has its own bathroom.
As you enter the house, you step into a long, low entrance hall. This was
once the drawing room – in 1870, the roles of entrance hall and drawing
room were swapped round, giving the current drawing room south-facing
views over the gardens and waterfalls. Hugh replaced the hall’s wooden
floor with a chequerboard of local stone and, as an alternative to a central
light, he designed four separate ones that have the effect of extending and
heightening the space. The chimneypiece, thought by Hugh to be too high
for a relatively low-ceiling room, was returned to the more lofty dining
room from where it had come originally, and a new chimneypiece was
carved by a local craftsman using stone from the estate quarry.
The drawing room, which is equally long and low, presented more
problems, so Hugh broke it up into three separate seating areas, creating
ample room to seat 24, as had been requested. Two large Howard sofas
occupy the central areas, with a varied selection of armchairs and a settle
upholstered in complementary but non-matching fabric. An enormous
carpet, also designed by Hugh, pulls the room together along with
Fortuny curtains and panelling in three shades of soft yellow.
‘One of Hugh’s great skills is envisaging a room from the outset and,
of course, there is his use of colour,’ explains Lois Allison, his assistant on
the project. ‘In the beginning, he would sit – he always sits – in the middle
of what was then a building site, mixing large quantities of paint to get
the colours he wanted.’ When he came back the next time, he was
touched to find a stool, paint brushes and a cushion – specially laid out
for him by the builders – in the middle of the room. His eye for colour is
everywhere. As a general rule, bedrooms are painted. Wallpapers –
Mauny papers under the name of Zuber and also tiles, made from the
family firm Castyle – have been coloured to his schemes.
Outside, the entrance – originally designed for a coach and horses –
has been redesigned so that as you travel through the wooded sides of
the valley; it is only at the last turn that the view of the house, the lake
OPPOSITE A Venetian-glass chandelier hangs
above the mahogany table in the dining room.
THIS PAGE In the gardens behind the house, Tom
Stuart-Smith introduced a more informal planting
scheme to soften the transition between the
garden and the surrounding landscape
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 00
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT A pair of French armchairs
and a sofa upholstered in ‘Chloe’ from George
Spencer Designs create a pretty effect in the main
bedroom. The dressing room is painted in three
different shades of blue from Sanderson. A light
by Hector Finch hangs in the main bathroom
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ('(
A wall of built-in storage mimics the
effect of panelling in the dressing
room. OPPOSITE In a spare room,
a canopied four-poster bed is hung
with Veraseta’s ‘Satin Athena’
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(')
and sea is revealed. All electrical and telephone wires have been removed
and placed underground and – joy of joy – all leylandii have been
removed to be replaced by indigenous trees, opening up the landscape
so that the graceful curves and shadows of the hills are now left unadul-
terated to the eye. ‘We wanted to re-establish the raison d’être of the
place while keeping the harmony of the estate for all those who live
here,’ explains the owner.
Outbuildings have been restored, including a handsome clock tower
in which the bell now rings every hour, giving a sense of belonging that
such a sonorous tone engenders. In the vegetable garden stands a
modern luxury, a large Alitex glasshouse, so the family are now fully self-
sufficient for fruit and vegetables, cut flowers and eggs, with the chicken
run installed in the walled garden.
The gardens have been laid out by Tom Stuart-Smith. ‘We asked him
to design a garden that was easily maintained and one that allows the
landscape to be the major player,’ says the owner. ‘He has brought about
an absolute transformation, producing a garden that completely suits a
Georgian house, but in a manner that allow that transition from house
through garden to landscape beyond to be seamless.’
And has it been fun? ‘One of the triumphs of this project was that
everything could be done by local craftsmen who go back many
generations, often using centuries-old techniques to the highest standard,’
says the owner. ‘At the finish, we held a wonderful party with a huge hog
roast for 250 people, including families, so they could see what their
expertise had achieved.’ In short, this has become a much-loved home;
one that the owners have loved creating not just for themselves, but for
everyone in and around it. And the duchess? She is in her finest glory
and very much enjoying the ball �
Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi: 020-7730 9072; www.mhzlondon.com
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ('*
JA
MES
BR
ITTA
IN
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5('+
No half MEASURES
This seventeenth-century chalet in the Swiss Alps has been imaginatively modernised by architect Jonathan Tuckey, who has imbued it with comfort and character
OPPOSITE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The snow-clad chalet, which
is a halbhaus (half house). Jonathan merged the second floor and attic
to create a double-height space at one side of the house with a study on
the mezzanine. Timber panels line the open-plan living area (opposite
and this page), and a wood-burning stove from Austroflamm adds
warmth. A stained-larch kitchen counter has open shelves for storage
TEXT DOMINIC BRADBURY | PHOTOGRAPHS PAUL MASSEY
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (',
THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
LEFT In the first-floor bedroom, the pair
of Fifties rosewood beds are from
Modernistiks.co.uk. The original
plywood walls and flooring and the
wooden furnishings in the bedroom are
in tune with the subtle decoration. Open-
tread stairs lead from the games room
to the top floor. The bathroom has a
free-standing tub from Aston Matthews
with matt black taps from Dornbracht.
OPPOSITE The main bedroom
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5('-
The Halbhaus is a distinctive presence in the old quarter
of Andermatt. At some point in the Sixties, a fire dam-
aged the Siamese twin that stood next door and it was
demolished leaving a half house, or a halbhaus, with its
curious, angular roofline. Dating back to the seven-
teenth century and coated in larch shingles, it is a house
of great charm, individuality and character and was just the sort of thing
to catch the eye of architectural designer Jonathan Tuckey, who has been
commuting between London and the Swiss village for the last six years.
‘We found this house
through word of mouth,’
says Jonathan. ‘Our former
landlady, who also runs the
local newsagents, knew that
the house was coming up for
sale. It is a very small com-
munity and there are still a
lot of interesting buildings
awaiting transformation,
because the village didn’t
have a boom in tourism in
the Eighties and Nineties
like other parts of the Alps.’
Jonathan, along with his
wife Annabel, a psychologist,
and their two daughters, first
came here on a skiing holi-
day back in 2008. A chance
meeting eventually led to
a commission to radically
rebuild a holiday home on
the outskirts of Ander-
matt, followed by a number
of other commissions for
performance spaces and resi-
dences. Jonathan established
a small office in the village
– a satellite of his practice’s
London base – and then
the whole family moved to
Switzerland for two years.
‘The children, Tasmina
and Thea, went to the village
school and they enjoyed it
enormously,’ Jonathan says.
‘It was a significant cultural
shock, not least because they
didn’t speak German and
this is a German-speaking
part of Switzerland.’
The house is arranged over
four levels, with a timber-
frame structure sitting on a
stone base, which is normally
encased in snow during the winter. Ladder-like wooden stairways connect
the different levels of the house but without landings and corridors, so that
each living space flows directly into the next.
‘It’s a vernacular hybrid of stone and wood and hadn’t really been mod-
ernised for 60 years,’ says Jonathan. ‘It had been looked after but hadn’t
been updated, so there was one light bulb per room, one plug socket per
room and one bathroom the size of a dining table.’
The greatest challenge lay in the low ceiling heights, which were 1.9
metres high at best. Jonathan’s solution was to remodel the top two floors by
carving out a double-height space to one side of the house, creating an open
living area holding a sitting room and kitchen with a dining table. A mezza-
nine level holds one of three bedrooms plus a small study. At the same
time, Jonathan was able to super-insulate the house from within and add a
wood-burning stove for warmth and as a focal point for the sitting room.
‘We put this super-insulated hat on top of the house so we could retain all
the heat,’ says Jonathan. ‘Everything within that hat is new and then we
designed other things to complement the spirit of the original house.’ That
includes the bespoke kitchen and fitted seating around the wood-burning
stove. The original floor-
ing was preserved and
restored throughout and
the services modernised
to create a home that
combines twenty-first-
century comforts with
seventeenth-century char-
acter. The junctions
between old and new are
kept purposefully visible,
as in the kitchen and
dining area, where the
original timber wall pan-
elling stops at head height
and a pristine layer of
painted plaster begins.
Jonathan and his fam-
ily were offered the pick
of the previous owner’s
furniture, which had been
stored up in the old attic.
They were able to find a
dining table and chairs,
blanket boxes and other
Swiss pieces rich in pat-
ina, which add another
layer of interest.
‘The approach we took
to the furniture was rather
like our approach to the
house as a whole,’ says
Jonathan. ‘We really liked
a lot of the things that
were in the house already
and decided to hang on to
them. But then there were
other elements that we
designed specially, such
as the beds which are now
really close to the ground
and more informal.’
The house is now used
by the family as a second
home both in winter and
summer, and rented out for part of the year. It also serves as a regular base
for Jonathan during his working visits to Andermatt, as he has a number of
new projects in the region underway. ‘It’s a place that is waiting for things
to happen,’ he says. ‘The skiing, walking and hiking are as good as
anywhere in the Alps, but you are not surrounded by thousands of other
people. It’s still pretty quiet and that’s the great attraction’ �
Jonathan Tuc ey Design: 020-8960 1909; www.jonathantuc ey.com
To rent the Halbhaus, visit www.andermattchalet.com
The junctions between old and new are kept visible; this is a home that combines twenty-first-century
comforts with seventeenth-century character
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ('.
Interior designer Hugh Leslie gradually transformed this west-London terrace house into a smart family home with light-filled interiors
TEXT CHRISTOPHER STOCKS | PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON BROWN | LOCATIONS EDITOR LIZ ELLIOT
ARTFUL EVOLUTION
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5('/
From an interior decoration point of view, the question of how
a house comes to look the way it does is an interesting one.
Some houses bear the unmistakable stamp of a particular
decorator, who has imposed his or her style on everything,
sometimes to the extent that the owner’s personality disappears. Others
are much more their owner’s creation, which the decorator has simply
fine-tuned or enhanced, sometimes so subtly that it’s hard to tell that
a decorator has had a hand in the house at all. But there’s also a third
way, which this west-London house exemplifies perfectly.
Here the owners – an American couple with two young children –
had a certain amount of their own furniture and an interesting
collection of pictures, but when they bought the house in 2009, they had
no strong feelings about how they wanted it to look. ‘We loved the cool,
pared-down style of a house belonging to a Swedish art collector, which
we had seen in a magazine,’ say the owners, ‘and we were looking
around for someone who could help us achieve a similar feel.’
Enter Hugh Leslie, who was introduced to them by the furniture
dealer Christopher Howe, who had sourced many pieces of furniture
LEFT Structural alterations to the basement layout mean that the kitchen
now feels spacious and flooded with light. The slightly beaten up blue dresser
came from LASSCO. BELOW The sitting room, like much of the house, is
painted in Sanderson’s ‘Oyster White Lt’, a neutral backdrop for art
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ('0
for them over the years. Hugh, a dapper New Zealander whose
work will already be familiar to regular readers of House & Garden,
moved to London in 1987, and his first job was at Sibyl Colefax & John
Fowler. After Colefax, he moved to John Stefanidis, then Mlinaric,
Henry & Zervudachi, before he went on to become a director for
Chester Jones. Hugh started his own practice, Hugh Leslie Design, in
2000, and hasn’t looked back since.
‘The design here evolved in the process of getting to know the
owners,’ explains Hugh. ‘As a practice, we do everything, from
architectural work to designing furniture; here there was a certain
amount of structural work to do, which gave us plenty of time to get to
know each other. We spent six months doing architectural drawings,
and the design fell into place after that.’ Work started in early 2010 and
took about a year to complete.
The house, built in the early 1860s, belongs to a fairly typical west-
London terrace, with a basement kitchen, raised ground floor and two
storeys of bedrooms above. It was in a reasonable condition, but the
basement badly needed reordering. ‘There was a poky little kitchen at
BELOW FROM LEFT The horizontal wooden slats in Hugh’s chimneypiece
design give the sitting room a Fifties feel. The original floorboards
throughout were sanded and reconditioned. In the library, a chair from Howe
London in Pierre Frey’s ‘Collobrières’ fabric stands on a Sandy Jones rug
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(('
the back,’ Hugh recalls, ‘with a great big pillar in the middle that sup-
ported the back wall of the house.’ By replacing the pillar with a steel
cross-beam, now hidden, Hugh was able to open up the room, creating
a spacious, light-filled kitchen where the owners spend a lot of their
time. With its mix of country furniture and stoneware, painted-wood
wall units and a large, oak central island, it’s a relaxed, very liveable
room that the owners evidently love. ‘Their friends are always telling
them it’s the nicest kitchen in London,’ says Hugh.
In the front third of the basement is a family space with a television
and a seating area, plus plenty of built-in storage. Under the front steps,
in what was previously a store, Hugh has fitted a downstairs loo, with
bevelled tiles and a cleverly recessed sink framed in the same pale-grey
marble used for the kitchen surfaces and splashbacks. Here, as through-
out the house, you can see examples of Hugh’s deceptively simple
joinery, which is something of a trademark. ‘Never skimp on quality
joinery,’ says Hugh. ‘That would be one of my top design tips.’
On the raised ground floor, the front steps lead up to an entrance hall.
The floorboards here and throughout the house are original, though
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (((
Throughout the house, you can see Hugh’s deceptively
simple joinery, which is something of a trademark
they have all been sanded and reconditioned. The sitting room is at the
front, and has a slightly Fifties feel, created partly by Hugh’s plank-and-
marble chimneypiece and partly by the quirky furniture, which matches
the couple’s paintings very well. It opens into a small library at the back,
with french windows and more furniture designed by Hugh.
At the top of the stairs on the first floor is an oddly deep landing,
created at some point when the house was extended at the back. It could
be wasted space, but now it includes a handsome built-in wooden ward-
robe – the landing below has similarly been cleverly converted into a
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(()
small study space complete with a customised Habitat desk. At the front
is the pretty, generously proportioned main bedroom, with a matching
wardrobe for the wife. Its walls are lined with the same buff-pink linen
as the pelmets and the curtains, which adds an extra touch of glamour
to the room. Behind it is the en-suite bathroom, with simple panelling,
hand-built units and a walk-in shower lined in teak, which feels a bit like
entering a first-class compartment on a vintage train.
The top floor is devoted to the children, with the son’s room in
off-white and the daughter’s in soft green, plus a bathroom on the
half-landing. Hugh’s talent for joinery is evident here as well: tongue-
and-groove recesses frame the children’s beds, with capacious cupboard
space on either side. What’s particularly nice about this house is the
way that, while Hugh’s imprint – with its pale palette, plain joinery
and nods to mid-century modern style – is unmistakable, it still
feels very much like a family home. It’s a fine balance, but one all too
rarely achieved �
Hugh Leslie: 020-7584 7185; www.hughleslie.com
BELOW FROM LEFT In the daughter’s bedroom, the check curtains and
upholstered bed are in ‘Small Check Sea Mist’ fabric from Chelsea Textiles. The
built-in shower enclosure in the main bathroom was designed by Hugh. The
walls in the main bedroom are in ‘Prelle Toile Barbare’ fabric by Alton Brooke
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ((*
The simple thingsInspired by the Japanese feel of many of the latest furniture and furnishings, Gabby Deeming creates calm, pared-back schemes combining past, present and future classicsPHOTOGRAPHS BILL BATTEN
FLOOR Engineered-oak flooring, ‘Tapis Blanc’
(oiled white), £81.40 a square metre, from Kährs.
FURNITURE Acetylated pine folding bench,
‘BB’, 42 x 136 x 32.5cm, £475, from Simon Jones
Studio. Sofa, ‘Vizir’, 65 x 275 x 110cm, £3,625, at
Caravane; covered in ‘Favialla’ (marine), by William
Yeoward for Designers Guild, cotton/linen, £69 a
metre, at Designers Guild. Oak and plywood
shelves, ‘Butty’, by Mentsen, 240 x 340 x 36cm,
from £420, at Hand & Eye Studio. ACCESSORIES
Arm cushions in ‘Vintage Jeans’ (03), by
Larsen, linen, £96 a metre, at Colefax and Fowler;
edged in ‘Panarea’ (marine), by William Yeoward
for Designers Guild, cotton/jute, £75 a metre, at
Designers Guild. Front cushions, from left:
‘SS151003’ (ivory/black), £104; ‘SS151002’
(ivory/black), £76; ‘SS151024’ (ivory/black), £60;
and ‘SS151005’ (khaki/black), £104. All from
Abraham & Thakore. Back cushions, ‘Favialla’, as
before; centre cushion, ‘Raw Linen’ (indigo),
110cm wide, £15 a metre, from Merchant & Mills.
Oak floor light, ‘Finnieston’, 152 x 70cm maxi-
mum extension, £675, at Channels. On shelves,
from left: Obeche timber ‘Paleys Upon Pilers’,
by Studio Weave, commissioned for ‘Space
Craft’, a Crafts Council touring exhibition,
similar models made to order, from £5,000, at
Amodels; and wood and plastic architect’s
models, £250 each, at Maison Artefact. Oak
tapas board with leather handle (small), £29.99,
from Wild & Wood. Porcelain teapot, £260, and
milk jug, £45, from Ikuko Iwamoto. For suppliers’
details, see Stockists page
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ((,
FLOOR Cotton rag rug, ‘Kasuri Re Rag Rug’
(sand), 250 x 200cm, £1,249, from Studio
Brieditis & Evans. FURNITURE Steel-frame
and enamelled-ceramic vanity table, ‘Olympia’,
by Nika Zupanc for Sé, 155 x 116 x 60cm,
£9,500, at Mint. Maple stool, ‘Loop’, by Sfera,
71 x 40cm square, with seat covered in ‘Row-
ridge’ fabric, £1,440, from Eleanor Pritchard.
Oak screen (reflected in mirror), ‘ABC’, 185 x
220cm, £1,980, at Channels. ACCESSORIES
Ash basket, by Edward Pimm, £250, at Mint.
Wool blanket, ‘Peppercorn’, 180 x 120cm,
£248, from Eleanor Pritchard. Resin and wool
containers with lids, ‘Pom Pom’, large, €110,
and small, €78, from Tina Frey Designs.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5((-
WALLS Fabric panels, from left: ‘Bude’ (ink), by William Yeoward for Designers
Guild, cotton, £57 a metre, at Designers Guild; ‘Vison’ (956), by Etamine, wool,
£123 a metre, at Zimmer + Rohde; ‘Rowridge’ and ‘Caradon’ (blue/black/white
reversible), wool, £120 a metre, both from Eleanor Pritchard. FLOOR Engineered-
oak flooring, ‘Tapis Blanc’ (oiled white), £81.40 a square metre, from Kährs. FUR-
NITURE Woven ash screen (seen through door), 180 x 150 x 50cm (depth of
curve), £795, from Sebastian Cox Furniture. Oak bedside table with brass studs,
‘Genevieve’, by Bethan Gray, 59 x 43 x 40cm, £299, at John Lewis. Metal-frame
bed with oak-veneer headboard, ‘Waku’, by Shin Azumi, 90.5 x 217 x 163cm, £450,
at Habitat. ACCESSORIES Stained agate-wood and brass ‘Wooden Bucket’, by
Klára Šumová, £1,250; straw and cotton-sash ‘Straw Brush’, by Tereza Galbavá,
£245; both at Mint. Brass and marble table lamp, ‘Catherine’, 42 x 12 x 48.24cm,
£650, at The Conran Shop. Duvet cover, ‘Medallion’, cotton, £100 (king size);
pillowcases, ‘Rosario’, cotton, £18 each; all at Cologne & Cotton. Wool blanket,
‘2/8ths’ (storm blue), 220 x 170cm, £330; wool cushions, ‘Pontefract’, 40 x 60cm,
£120 each; all from Eleanor Pritchard. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ((.
WALLS Fabric hanging panels in patchwork of
‘Park’ (soft stone), by Mark Alexander, viscose
mix, £65 a metre, at Romo; and ‘Ice’ (nacre),
linen, £91.46 a metre, at Pierre Frey. FLOOR
Engineered-oak flooring, ‘Tapis Blanc’ (oiled
white), £81.40 a square metre, from Kährs.
FURNITURE Metal trestles, ‘Rowland’, 89 x 70.9
x 39.5cm, £125 a pair, at Habitat, with top made
from painted-MDF board by House & Garden. Oak
stools, ‘ND105’, by Nanna Ditzel, 44 x 40cm
diameter, £485 each, at Sigmar. Stool covers,
from left: ‘Indigo Spot’, cotton, 110cm wide, £10 a
metre, and ‘Indigo Pond Life’, cotton, 110cm wide,
£10 a metre, both from Merchant & Mills; ‘Bude’
(ink), by William Yeoward for Designers Guild,
cotton, £57 a metre, at Designers Guild. Oiled-
chestnut settle, ‘446’, 132.5 x 202.5 x 53cm, by
Studioilse, £2,358 (including leather seat pad,
not shown), from De La Espada. ACCESSORIES
Oak tapas board with leather handles (long),
£50, from Wild & Wood. Porcelain tableware,
‘Parian’ (stone): carafe, £40; creamer, £24; tea
bowl, £20; all from Sue Pryke. Wood and brass
‘Wooden Vessel’, by Laurence Brand, £300, at
Mint. Turned-oak bowls, large, £80, and small,
£60, both from Sue Pryke. Earthenware table-
ware, ‘Indigo Storm’, by Faye Toogood for
1882: cup (on table), £12.95; bowl (on stool),
£15.95; 20cm-diameter plate, £12.95; and
25.5cm-diameter plate, £15.95; all from 1882.
Low-energy paper-pendant lights, ‘Mille
Feuille’, by Jess Shaw and Steuart Padwick,
approximately 60 x 125cm diameter, £450
each, from Jess Shaw. For suppliers’ details,
see Stockists page �
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5((/
FOCUS ON NURSERIES: Part Two
THIS PAGE Nick Macer surrounded by a host
of exotic and unusual plants at his nursery in
Frampton-on-Severn. OPPOSITE Non-native
species, including kniphofias and schlefferas,
grow outside the polytunnels
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5()'
PERSPECTIVEContinuing her series on the best of British nurseries, Clare Foster
explores Pan-Global Plants in Gloucestershire, which is packed with unusual specimens thanks to its plant-hunter owner
Global
PHOTOGRAPHS JASON INGRAM
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ()(
1 2 3
654
7 8
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5())
A visit to Pan-Global Plants in Gloucestershire makes even the
most know-it-all gardener feel inadequate. There are unrecog-
nisable plants everywhere: intriguing, exotic-looking shrubs,
perennials, climbers, bulbs and succulents that you will be
hard pushed to find in any other British nursery. It is director Nick Mac-
er’s thirst for travel that has resulted in this fascinating collection.
One of Britain’s modern-day plant hunters, Nick devotes several weeks
a year to travel, visiting countries as diverse as Mexico, China, Azerbaijan
and Vietnam, bringing back seed and plant material to grow and trial,
before offering up plants for sale in the nursery. Originally trained at
Merrist Wood College, Nick went on to work at the Hillier Gardens and
Westonbirt Arboretum, which fired an obsession with trees and shrubs,
before he set up his own nursery at Painswick Rococo Gardens, near
Stroud. After six years, he uprooted and moved the nursery to a large
walled garden tucked away behind
Frampton Court in Frampton-on-
Severn, where he has expanded the
business over the past 11 years as
well as developing an area of gar-
den where he displays some of the
rarities that he finds on his travels.
A tour round the nursery with
Nick is an intense experience, as he
reels off extraordinary botanical
names and describes far-off Hima-
layan mountain ranges at the same
time as watering the shade tunnel
and giving detailed horticultural
advice over the telephone to his cus-
tomers. ‘I travel once or twice in a
year and have been all over the
world,’ he says. ‘It’s what I live for
really – the high point of my year.
I’ve collected all manner of amaz-
ing things. That schefflera over
there I found on Tay Con Linh
mountain in Vietnam. We man-
aged to get right to the top, and this
plant was only growing in the last
few hundred metres. It’s amazing
how you get these distinctive layers
of plant life up a mountain.’
Schefflera is a genus of evergreen
shrubs and trees only recently
thought of as hardy enough for
cultivation outdoors in the UK,
with some species being hardier
than others. But the fact that this
particular form was growing at the
top of the mountain was significant,
showing that it preferred the cooler microclimate at the summit. ‘It’s so
new that we’re not quite sure how hardy the plant will be, but growing in
the wild at that latitude and altitude, you know that the plant will survive
at least a few degrees of frost,’ he explains. ‘So it will be a safe bet at least
in sheltered, mild places like London and Cornwall.’
Scheffleras have become something of a passion for Nick, along with
hydrangeas, of which he has a collection of more than 60. I think I’m in
safe water, here, with a group of plants I know well, but Nick shows me
specimen after specimen that is unfamiliar: Hydrangea longipes var.
longipes, grown from seed he collected himself in China; H. heteromalla
‘Nepalese Beauty’, which has red petioles and leaf edges, and H. aspera
‘Bellevue’, a new French form that Nick describes simply as
‘awesome’. To complement the more unusual varieties, he also offers
‘Annabelle’ and ‘Limelight’ to please the crowds. ‘I do sell more normal
things as well, you know,’ he jokes. ‘I have to feed my family.’
I point out a plant that I think I recognise. ‘Yes, you’re right, that’s a
phlomis,’ says Nick, ‘but it’s not one of the common ones you normally
see in gardens.’ He smiles, knowing he still has one up on me. This is an
unusual shrubby species from south-west Turkey called Phlomis bourgaei,
which has large, felty, golden leaves and whorls of yellow flowers. ‘I have
a few specimens of this species around the nursery, and they’re all
slightly different. That’s what you get from wild-sourced seed – this
fabulous genetic diversity, which you don’t get from cultivated plants.’
To illustrate his point, he whisks me round the corner to show me
a collection of colourful Dahlia coccinea collected in Mexico. ‘In the wild,
it’s hugely variable, with flowers in every shade of bright yellow, red
and orange, and a whole mix of colours in between,’ he says. Now with
dahlias in the forefront of his
mind, Nick dashes off to the gar-
den behind the sales area to show
me a new dahlia species he discov-
ered in north-east Mexico in 2005.
So new to cultivation it hasn’t yet
been named, it is a large, exotic-
looking plant with beautiful, glossy
foliage and pale lilac flowers.
He is apologetic about the state
of the garden, which he thinks is
spiralling out of control due to lack
of time, but in the same breath
says he finds the neglect creates a
spontaneity that he couldn’t have
contrived himself. ‘It’s inspiring,
watching how things self seed so
magnificently,’ he says, and I agree.
I enjoy the exciting, wild look of the
garden, part jungle, part prairie,
and the way that he has combined
grasses, perennials and exotics in
a glorious muddle of colour and
texture, with bees and butterflies
everywhere. At the garden’s high
point in summer, with everything
growing up tall, the eye is drawn to
the strong accents of scheffleras,
tetrapanax and red-hot pokers, to
the oversize crimson flower spikes
of Lobelia tupa or the architectural
foliage of Euphorbia x pasteurii. Inter-
esting combinations stop you in
your tracks: spiky Yucca linearifolia
set against the softly flowing Salix
exigua, or the jungly Arundo donax
with the spheres of echinops and spikes of acanthus. Nick uses the garden
as a trial ground for new specimens to test their hardiness, and as the
walled garden lies in a frost pocket, it provides a suitably exacting test.
‘Yes, I’ve lost plenty of things here,’ he says, matter of factly. ‘I had a
1.8-metre agave in there until we had those cold winters a few years ago.
Things took a real hammering.’ But his prize specimen of Tetrapanax ‘Rex’
has survived, which is good news for Nick and good news for customers
looking for an extraordinary, tropical-looking plant that will survive tem-
peratures lower than -10°C. Playing Russian roulette with new, untrialled
plants is all part of the excitement here �
Pan-Global Plants, Frampton-on-Severn, Gloucestershire: 01452-741641;
www.panglobalplants.com
OPPOSITE 1 Albizia julibrissin ‘Rouge Selection’. 2 Tilia nobilis.
3 Aloe polyphylla. 4 Schefflera sp. nova, a new species discovered by
Nick in Vietnam. 5 Yucca linearifolia with Salix exigua. 6 Watsonia ‘Brick
Red Hybrid’. 7 Kniphofias and grasses in the garden area. 8 Hydrangeas
and other shrubs in the shade tunnel. ABOVE The sales hut backs on to
the garden, with plants such as acanthus, echinops and Arundo donax
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ()*
At The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire, a highly considered planting scheme provides dramatic texture and fiery colour, even in the depths of winter
BL A Z E OF GL ORY
TEXT NAOMI SLADE | PHOTOGRAPHS MARIANNE MAJERUS
In the winter light, the
layered planting is full
of dramatic contrasts.
Fiery orange Erica
carnea ‘Foxhollow’
stands out against dark
Ophiopogon planiscapus
‘Nigrescens’, from which
rises a smoky haze of
Rubus cockburnianus
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (),
As autumn turns to winter, the tempo increases and the planting starts to smoulder and blaze
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5()-
OPPOSITE FROM TOP
Spidery hamamelis
flowers are deceptively
robust in the face of
winter cold. Repeating
forms and plenty of
texture give the garden
strength of design.
THIS PAGE Clumps of
Cyclamen coum and
Galanthus nivalis grow
under a gnarled hornbeam
ABOVE FROM LEFT Set in
a carpet of Carex morrowii
‘Fisher’s Form’, red stems
of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’
contrast with black
Pittosporum tenuifolium
‘Tom Thumb’. Molinia
grass adds winter colour
while biscuit-stemmed
miscanthus provides a
textural quality. The peeling
bark of a birch is lit by the
winter sun. THIS PICTURE
Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’
adds colour among the
clipped evergreens
The garden in winter has a bit of
a bad reputation. But get it right
and even in the briefest, darkest
days, the garden can glow with
colour and energy, packed with
charisma and filled with botan-
ical bling. One of the largest winter gardens in the
country is the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near
Romsey in Hampshire. Established 14 years ago,
it extends to well over 10 acres and is accessed by a
grassy circular path, backed up by a Tarmac outer
perimeter as a wet-weather fail-safe.
In summer, the garden is quiet, the cool cas-
cades of foliage and green hues giving no hint of
its dynamic alter ego. But as autumn turns to
winter, the tempo increases and the planting
starts to smoulder and blaze. ‘From November to
March, the winter garden is laid completely bare
and the evergreen structure comes to the fore,’
explains head of collections David Jewell. ‘It is
the stem colour, bark colour and ground-cover
bulb planting that brings it to life. When you
come in on a cold morning and the plants are
rimed with frost and laden with dew, it takes on
a completely different quality.’
Island beds and weaving paths create a sense
of depth and texture, with views through trees of
coloured stems or soft grasses. Strong blocks
of colour and upright forms catch the eye, while
the scent of Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ and
sarcococca hangs in the air. The plants lead you
onwards, repeating ideas and colours; the eye
bounces from dark plant to dark plant, a zigzag
of black bamboo, ophiopogon and pittosporum,
with the bright flare of Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’
and golden bamboo in counterpoint.
Adding height and mystery, trees are an essen-
tial element in this garden, and the trunks of
Prunus serrula and P. rufa emerge, like striped
mahogany stockings, from an ankle-deep froth
of evergreen planting, branches a sculpture of
elbows and knuckles silhouetted against the sky.
A trio of cinnamon-stemmed Acer griseum makes
a subtly elegant statement and, sloughed of
leaves, the birches are statuesque in nudity.
‘All white-stemmed birches are tailor-made
for a winter garden, but Betula albosinensis, with
its pink and purple tones and a glaucous-grey
bloom, is ideal both in groups and as a specimen,’
says David. ‘Betula albosinensis ‘Bowling Green’,
for example, has honey-coloured bark that peels
beautifully into sheets. Witch hazels are a must,
too. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ is still the best
for yellow, or for orange try H. ‘Aphrodite’. The
spider-like flowers are amazingly resistant to
frost. You think you have lost it and then it
bounces back.’
There are other, less obvious stars. Cer-
cidiphyllum is lauded for its candyfloss autumn
scent, but in winter the pendulous branches are
offset handsomely by a sprinkle of cyclamen.
Elsewhere a hornbeam is underplanted with
Cyclamen coum and Galanthus nivalis. ‘There is a
simplicity in the marbled foliage with the pink
flowers and white snowdrops. It is perfect under
deciduous trees,’ says David.
In design, the garden is nothing if not confident,
and bold blocks, massed planting, strong repeated
shapes and assertively curvaceous lines assure
impact. Perform it must, filling the stage with a
flame and vigour amply supported by the subtle-
ties and character of the component plants.
But acreage is not imperative in creating
seasonal interest, and many specimens and com-
binations translate well into smaller spaces. Rubus
coc urnianus ‘Golden Vale’, buttery in summer
but powdery white in winter, is bordered with
black Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’. Vibrant
Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’, under-
planted with Helleborus x hybridus (Ashwood
Garden hybrids), is simple and effective, as are
the box balls, crisply sculptural against a white
background of birch and snowdrops. The
speckled snake-bark stems of Acer rufinerve
‘Erythrocladum’ rise over a meadow of molinia
and, nearby, plumply conical Picea glauca ‘Alberta
Blue’ stand like penguins upon an ice floe of
winter-flowering heathers and bulbs.
Fluttering pennants of miscanthus and peeling
stems of Acer griseum lend themselves to other
seasons, too, but many plants here specifically
represent the best forms for winter interest.
‘The yellow colour of Pinus mugo ‘Winter Gold’
intensifies in winter and it contrasts well
with spiky phormiums, blue juniper and Mahonia
aquifolium ‘Apollo’,’ explains David. ‘Ilex aquifolium
‘Green Pillar’ is good, too; it is arrow-shape with
good structure. One of the best winter pines is
Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’; it is compact and
changes to vibrant yellow gold, although it is
slightly specialist. Even a simple thing like laurel,
kept under control, can be useful.’
The planted area has been recently extended,
with the same assertive style and generous use of
plants. ‘It has been a great opportunity to experi-
ment and add new varieties,’ says David, who has
placed red-stemmed cornus in a meadow of
Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’, steel-hued pines, a
thoroughly modern blue-tinged bamboo, Borinda
Papyrifera, and the fantastic but vigorous white
bramble, Rubus biflorus, among other gems. ‘Plant
repetition adds value,’ he explains. ‘Whether it
is hamamelis, cornus or taxus, all have a useful
part to play, especially in a small- to medium-size
garden. If in doubt, repeat.’
In the pale winter sunlight and long, blue
shadows, the plants seem imbued with a hyper-
natural energy. Sparking into life as summer dies,
the planting takes a step forward. Subversive and
hidden for months, the plants’ true colours
emerge as they strut their stuff. Finally, they can
get this party started �
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Ampfield, Romsey,
Hampshire is open November–March, 10am–5pm
(01794-369318; www.hilliergardens.org
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ()0
No half MEASURES
This seventeenth-century chalet in the Swiss Alps has been imaginatively modernised by architect Jonathan Tuckey, who has imbued it with comfort and character
OPPOSITE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The snow-clad chalet, which
is a halbhaus (half house). Jonathan merged the second floor and attic
to create a double-height space at one side of the house with a study on
the mezzanine. Timber panels line the open-plan living area (opposite
and this page), and a wood-burning stove from Austroflamm adds
warmth. A stained-larch kitchen counter has open shelves for storage
TEXT DOMINIC BRADBURY | PHOTOGRAPHS PAUL MASSEY
Pages 104–107
Inspired by the houses in this issue, Bonnie Robinson gives directions on how to achieve similar style
the
knowledge
SU
DH
IR P
ITH
WA
; S
IMO
N U
PTO
N
BASKETS
PENDANT LIGHT
STOVE
Jonathan Tuckey chose a wood-
burning stove to serve as the focal
point in the living area of his Alpine
house. This is the cast-iron ‘G1’ from
Austroflamm, which measures 67.7 x
40 x 59.5cm and costs £989 through
FireplaceStoreOnline.com (01513-
571572; www.fireplace
storeonline.com).
PRESSED FLOWERS
A collection of pressed plants or ‘herbaria’ is framed and displayed on the wall
underneath the stairs that lead to the game’s room. Try your hand at framing dried
herbs, blooms and fronds against brown card for a similar effect using a flower
press from Crocus (01344-578000; www.crocus.co.uk), which costs £29.99.
Jonathan has used woven bas ets throughout the
Halbhaus. Hilary Burns is a bas et ma er who uses
a variety of willows grown on the Dartington estate. She
crafted the bas et shown, which measures 31 x 48 x 27cm
and is available from The New Craftsmen (020-7148
3190; www.thenewcraftsmen.com) for £135.
The brass pendant light
hanging above the dining table
is the ‘6a Light’ designed by 6a
Architects for Izé (020-7384
3302; www.ize.info). Shown
here in the polished-chrome-
plated finish, it has a 30cm
diameter and costs £822.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(*'
This historic eighteenth-century house enters a new chapter as a family home with careful restoration and renovation, sympathetic interiors by Hugh Henry and gardens that open out to the surrounding woods, streams and coast beyond
TEXT LIZ ELLIOT
PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON UPTON
SleepingBEAUTY
ALL PICTURES The spacious
entrance hall (this picture) was
originally the drawing room.
The house was ‘turned around’
in the 1870s, with the north
front refaced as the main
entrance (top right) and the
south front becoming the back
of the house (bottom right)
WALLPAPER
Mauny wallpaper – available
through Zuber (020-7824 8265;
www.zuber.fr) – has been used
throughout the house. Hugh has
chosen ‘Rose et Ruban Rayure’
for a spare room; a pretty design
of flower sprigs, scrolling leaves
and ribbons, it costs £532 for
a 10-metre roll. In the main
bathroom, he has used ‘Tenture
Flottante’, £344 for a 10-metre
roll – the pattern of which mimics
the plump sheen of fine drapery –
combined with ‘Frise Géraldine’,
£47 for a 10-metre roll – a mock
curtain pole with rings (both left).
The ottoman in the
drawing room is edged
with a mercerised-cotton
cord-head bullion fringe
from Brian Turner
Trimmings (01279-
833415; www.trimmings.
org.u ). The fringe shown
here is made with a bespo e
three-colour repeat, measures
27.9cm deep and costs
£300 a metre.
A small sleigh bed complements the
cupboard doors in the dressing room. The
mahogany ‘Sleigh Bed High Bac ’ from
Anderson Bradshaw (01420-562645;
www.andersonbradshaw.co.u ) is similar.
Seen here in th ing size, it is available
in various sizes and costs from £594.
CURTAINS
Hugh Henry chose R & M Curtains (020-8699 6123) to make many of
the curtains in this country house. The use of unpatterned fabrics in
shades of cream lends an unfussy grandeur to the rooms and highlights
the exquisite shapes of the curtains themselves. We asked A T Cronin
(020-8749 2995; www.atcronin.co.uk) to decode the mysteries of
curtain jargon and identify some of the finishes used (above).
TRIM
Handmade
cartridge heading
on a soft gathered
valance
A London
blind with soft
inverted pleats
Hand-gathered
heading with
soft stand-up
BED
Pages 94–103
F O R M O R E I N T E R I O R S I N S P I R AT I O N , V I S I T H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (*(
Interior designer Hugh Leslie gradually transformed this west-London terrace house into a smart family home with light-filled interiors
TEXT CHRISTOPHER STOCKS | PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON BROWN | LOCATIONS EDITOR LIZ ELLIOT
ARTFUL EVOLUTION From an interior decoration point of view, the question of how
a house comes to look the way it does is an interesting one.
Some houses bear the unmistakable stamp of a particular
decorator, who has imposed his or her style on everything,
sometimes to the extent that the owner’s personality disappears. Others
are much more their owner’s creation, which the decorator has simply
fine-tuned or enhanced, sometimes so subtly that it’s hard to tell that
a decorator has had a hand in the house at all. But there’s also a third
way, which this west-London house exemplifies perfectly.
Here the owners – an American couple with two young children –
had a certain amount of their own furniture and an interesting
collection of pictures, but when they bought the house in 2009, they had
no strong feelings about how they wanted it to look. ‘We loved the cool,
pared-down style of a house belonging to a Swedish art collector, which
we had seen in a magazine,’ say the owners, ‘and we were looking
around for someone who could help us achieve a similar feel.’
Enter Hugh Leslie, who was introduced to them by the furniture
dealer Christopher Howe, who had sourced many pieces of furniture
LEFT Structural alterations to the basement layout mean that the kitchen
now feels spacious and flooded with light. The slightly beaten up blue dresser
came from L . BELOW The sitting room, like much of the house, is
painted in Sanderson’s ‘Oyster White Lt’, a neutral backdrop for art
Pages 108–113
© S
TU
DIO
BA
DIN
I; S
UD
HIR
PIT
HW
A; IN
GE
CLE
ME
NTE
Hugh chose ‘Tangier 1’ in cherry red/natural by Kathryn M Ireland for
the curtains in the library area. This Moroccan-inspired printed linen
has a pattern of crosses and squares built up from tiny diagonal dots the
shape of single cross-stitches. It is available through Tissus d’Hélène
(020-7352 4883; www.tissusdhelene.co.u ) for £228 a metre.
CURTAIN FABRIC
CHAIR
WALL HANGING
A mid-twentieth-century, strip-woven cotton
Fulani blanket is mounted and displayed on the
wall in the library area of this London house.
Hugh sourced this from Esther Fitzgerald Rare
Textiles (020-7431 3076; www.estherfitzgerald.
com). Shown here is a similar piece for sale,
which measures 850 x 140cm and costs £400.
CHEST OF DRAWERS
An eighteenth-century Swedish
commode sits in the library.
Chelsea Textiles (020-7584 5544;
www.chelseatextiles.com) has
a large range of reproduction
Gustavian pieces; this commode
with fluted carving measures 83 x
112 x 47cm and costs £1,446. It is
shown here in gustavian grey and
is also available in antique black.
Hugh Leslie found an antique bobbin chair for
the sitting room, which he had painted off-white.
This ‘Bobbin Carver’ chair in bleached, aged
oa rom Julian Chichester (020-7622 2928;
www.julianchichester.com) is a modern piece in the
same style. It measures 89 x 60 x 47cm and costs £900.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(*)
Situated on a leafy street in Manhattan’s West Village, Jos and Annabel White’s six-storey town house has been extended, gutted and completely renovated to create open-plan interiors tailored for family living
From the f loor up
TEXT LUCIE YOUNG | PHOTOGRAPHS NGOC MINH NGO | LOCATIONS EDITOR LIZ ELLIOT
In the first-floor sitting room,
The Rug Company’s Tibetan
wool and silk ‘Mamounia Sky’
complements the Howe sofas
and bright red ottoman-cum-
coffee table upholstered in
Pierre Frey fabric. Designed
by architect Basil Walter,
wooden panelling in
the entrance-hall area
conceals a ‘secret loo’
and a coat cupboard
Pages 80–87
ARMCHAIR
CHANDELIER
A two-tiered chandelier draped with
silk-cord cables hangs in the sitting
room of the Whites’ New York town
house. This is the ‘Farol’ chandelier by
Bowles and Linares. Available from
Mint (020-7225 2228; www.mintshop.
co.uk), it measures 130 x 75cm
diameter and costs
£4,750.
STEEL WINDOWS
Steel french windows ensure there
is abundant natural light in the sitting
room of this Manhattan house. Try
Clement Windows (01428-643393;
www.clementwindows.co.u ) for
something on the same scale, which
would cost around £9,600 to
supply, fix and glaze.
NEON ART
If the illuminated neon
sign above Jos and
Annabel White’s
breakfast nook has
caught your eye, you
could commission
Gods Own Junkyard
(020-8521 8066; www.
godsownjunkyard.co.uk)
to create a bespoke
piece. Something this
size would cost around
£2,500. A cheaper
alternative are these
neon lights by Seletti,
available from Heal’s
(020-7896 7451; www.
heals.co.uk). Each letter
costs £39; they can be
joined together to create
a word or sentence.
An assortment of upholstered
chairs have been used to add
colour to the sitting room.
Among them is this replica
of a Louis XV fauteuil from
Howe (020-7730 7987;
www.howelondon.com).
Measuring 81.5 x 76 x
82cm, it is upholstered in
an antique French cotton
tic ng and costs
£3,050, including
the fabric �
BUTTERFLY DOME
A kaleidoscope of butterflies flits under a glass dome in the
sitting room. Charlotte Proudlove of Butterfly Domes (07951-
110147; www.butterflydomes.co.uk) ethically sources butterfly
specimens to create similar pieces. Pictured here is ‘Grand
Bleu’; it measures 63 x 35cm diameter and costs £1,600.
F O R M O R E I N T E R I O R S I N S P I R AT I O N , V I S I T H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (**
Sybil Kapoor creates a winter menu of dishes subtly infused with the exotic f lavours of the Middle East
PHOTOGRAPHS WILLIAM LINGWOOD | FOOD PREPARATION AND STYLING BIANCA NICE
WINE RECOMMENDATIONS JOANNA SIMON | TABLE STYLING ALEXANDER BREEZE
Sweetness and light
ROAST RACK OF
LAMB WITH
TAMARIND CONFIT
OF SHALLOTS
FIRST COURSESBEETROOT, FENNEL, MINT
AND FETA SALAD
This salad can be eaten as a starter
or as a light lunch. It will taste even
sweeter and look gorgeous if made
with a mixture of heritage beetroot,
such as pink and white ‘Chioggia’
and ‘Burpee’s Golden’ beetroot.
• 900g raw beetroot
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 9 tablespoons (135ml)
extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 heads Florence fennel
• 1 bunch chive leaves, roughly
snipped
• 2 handfuls fresh mint leaves,
roughly sliced
• 3 preserved lemons
• 300g barrel-cured feta,
crumbled
1 Heat the oven to 200°C/fan oven
180°C/mark 6. Wash the beetroot
and pat dry on kitchen paper. Trim
the root at the base of the beet-
root and cut the stems to about
2cm. Place in a single layer on a
large sheet of foil, then fold up the
edges and tightly fold over to make
a large, baggy foil parcel. Bake
for 11/4 hours or until the beetroot is
tender when pierced with a knife.
Leave until cold.
2 In a small bowl, whisk together
the honey, lemon juice and olive
oil. Season to taste with salt and
freshly ground black pepper.
3 Trim the base and top of the
fennel and halve it. Slice as finely as
you can into fans and place in a
large mixing bowl with the chives
and mint. Halve the preserved lem-
ons lengthways and finely slice into
half moons. Discard the seeds and
add the lemon slices to the fennel.
Toss in half the lemon-honey dress-
ing, then crumble in the feta.
4 Peel and quarter the beetroot.
Medium-finely slice each quarter
and place in a separate mixing
bowl. Toss in the remainder of
the dressing and season to taste.
5 If your beetroot is not deep red,
you can gently mix the two salads
together and divide between six
plates in pretty, airy piles. If the
beetroot is red, plate the fennel
salad first and then slip in the red
beetroot. Serve immediately.
To drink With the sweetness of the
beetroot and the salty, tangy and
herb flavours, choose an aromatic,
crisp, dry or medium-dry white,
such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling or
Sauvignon Blanc, or a moderately
aromatic one, such as Gavi or Greco:
Taste the Difference Greco di Tufo
2012, £10.50, Sainsbury’s.
ROAST SPICED-AUBERGINE
SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE
AND YOGURT
This is a fusion of Middle Eastern
ideas. The peeled aubergine slices
are lightly dusted in baharat – a
spice mixture usually including cori-
ander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne
pepper, cloves, nutmeg and carda-
mom – but you can experiment
with seasonings such as fruity sour
sumac or smoky ground cumin.
• 100ml natural yogurt
• 1 pomegranate (or 120g fresh
pomegranate seeds)
• 3 aubergines
• 11/2 teaspoons baharat spice
• 165ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 220g wild rocket leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate
molasses
1 Place the yogurt in a bowl, and
whisk in just enough cold water to
turn it into a sauce, about 2 table-
spoons. Season to taste with a little
salt. Chill, covered, until needed.
2 Cut the pomegranate in half and
gently pull out the seeds, which are
held in a membrane. Peel away and
discard the membrane and place
the seeds and any juice in a mixing
bowl. Chill, covered, until needed.
3 Place two non-stick baking sheets
in the oven and heat the oven to
210°C/fan oven 190°C/mark 61/2.
Trim and peel the aubergines. Cut
into thick slices lengthways. Mix to-
gether the baharat with a generous
pinch of salt. Working in batches,
spread the aubergine slices on two
plates. Lightly sprinkle them with
the spice mix, gently rub it across
the surface of each slice, then turn
and repeat the process on the other
side. Drizzle the slices on both
sides with up to 9 tablespoons
(135ml) of the extra-virgin olive oil
– one sliced aubergine needs about
3 tablespoons olive oil.
4 Arrange the aubergine slices on
the hot baking sheets and bake for
10 minutes or until tender, turning
them halfway through the cooking.
Remove and finish the salad.
5 In a large bowl, mix together the
rocket and pomegranate seeds.
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
and seasoning to taste. Mix together
and divide between six plates.
6 Working quickly, tuck the warm
aubergine slices into each salad.
Drizzle each slice with some pome-
granate molasses, then spoon
some of the yogurt over each slice.
Serve immediately.
To drink Although not hot, the spice
mix together with the sweetness and
tartness of the pomegranate seeds
and molasses need an aromatic
white, such as Viognier or Sauvignon
Blanc: The Ned Waihopai River
Sauvignon Blanc 2013, £10.49–
£10.99, Majestic, Waitrose.
MAIN COURSESROAST RACK OF LAMB
WITH TAMARIND CONFIT
OF SHALLOTS
You can make the confit of shallots
a day or two before it’s needed.
Tamarind pulp is sold in specialist
Middle Eastern and Asian shops,
and online.
For the confit of shallots
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
• 450g smallish shallots, peeled
and trimmed
• 85g tamarind pulp (with seeds)
• 2–3 tablespoons caster sugar �
Dip into the world of Middle Eastern cooking and you find inspiring
ingredients and ideas, perfect for creating fresh, light dishes. Preserved
lemons, sour tamarind and sweet oranges all add a sense of spring, while
spice mixtures, such as baharat, bring a taste of the exotic to winter dishes,
such as aubergine salad with yogurt and pomegranate. Add a handful of
mint and some orange-flower water and you might almost believe that
you’re in a Moroccan medina rather than your kitchen. All recipes serve 6
wine food
BEETROOT, FENNEL,
MINT AND FETA SALAD
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (*,
For the rack of lamb
• 3 x 350g French-trimmed
racks of lamb
• 2 tablespoons ras el hanout
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
To serve Potato rösti
1 Set a wide sauté pan over a low
heat. Add the oil and, once warm,
mix in the peeled shallots. Season
lightly and fry gently, stirring regu-
larly for 10 minutes, until they
start to colour, then cover the pan
with some dampened crumpled
greaseproof paper and a lid. Cook
gently for 15–20 minutes or until
soft, giving the pan the odd shake.
2 Place the tamarind and 300ml
warm water in a bowl. Leave for 15
minutes, then, using your fingers,
gently rub the tamarind, separat-
ing the pulp from the stones. Strain
the mixture into a bowl, pushing
the pulp through the sieve. Discard
the fibres and stones.
3 Add the tamarind liquid and 2
tablespoons sugar to the shallots.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for
30–35 minutes, or until the liquid
has evaporated into a sticky paste
and the shallots are dark and soft.
Season to taste and, if necessary,
add another tablespoon of sugar.
If making in advance, once cold,
chill, covered, until shortly before
needed, then gently reheat in a
pan until warm.
4 Heat the oven to 200°C/fan
oven 180°C/mark 6. Trim any fat
or sinew off the lamb racks and
rub with the ras el hanout and
lightly season with salt. Set a non-
stick frying pan over a high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and
sear each rack for 2 minutes or
until they are browned. Transfer
to a roasting tray and place in the
oven. Roast for 15 minutes for
medium-rare and 20 minutes for
medium-well done. Remove from
the oven, cover with foil and rest
for 10 minutes before carving.
While it rests, reheat the confit of
shallots in a pan, if necessary.
To drink Rack of lamb is versatile,
but pay heed to the sweet/sharp
tamarind shallots by choosing
a fruity, spicy red wine, such as a
Fleurie or other Beaujolais cru,
a Grenache (Garnacha) blend, or
a South American Malbec or
Cabernet: Gouguenheim Cabernet
Sauvignon 2013, £8.40, Tanners
(01743-234455).
SEARED HALIBUT WITH
PRESERVED-LEMON AND
OLIVE RELISH
The preserved lemons add a deli-
cately fresh note to this dish, which
brings out the sweetness of the hali-
but. Use UK-farmed fish, such as
Gigha (www.gighahalibut.co.uk).
For the relish
• 4 red peppers
• 8 large green olives, stoned
• 4 preserved lemons
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley, plus 6 sprigs
for garnish
For the halibut
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
• 6 x 150g–175g UK-farmed
halibut fillets
To serve Roast, unpeeled potato
wedges (toss in kitchen paper
once cooked, then sprinkle
with salt)
1 For the relish, heat the grill to
high. Quarter and seed the red
peppers, then place skin-side up
under the grill and cook until their
skin blisters and blackens. Remove
to a bowl, cover the bowl until cool
enough to handle, then peel and
cut into diamonds.
2 Place the red-pepper diamonds
in a mixing bowl. Slice the olives
into strips and mix into the red pep-
per. Quarter the preserved lemons
and neatly cut out and discard their
flesh and pips. Slice their pithy skin
into thin strips and mix into the red
pepper with 2 tablespoons lemon
juice, the olive oil and the chopped
parsley. Season to taste.
3 For the halibut, place 2 large
and non-stick frying pans over a
medium-high heat. Once hot, add
3 tablespoons olive oil to each pan.
Season the halibut with salt and
freshly ground black pepper and
place flesh-side down. Fry briskly
for 4 minutes, or until the flesh is
flecked golden and no longer sticks
to the pan. Use a palette knife or
fish slice to gently turn over each
fillet and fry skin-side down for 6
minutes, or until the skin is crispy
and the flesh just cooked through.
4 Remove the halibut to individual
serving plates. Season each with
some of the remaining lemon juice.
Top each fillet with a spoonful
or two of the relish and garnish
with a sprig of flat-leaf parsley.
Serve immediately.
To drink You must not overpower
the halibut, but the relish needs
a white with good acidity. Try the
Greco di Tufo (above), a Sancerre
or other Loire Sauvignon, or a
white Bordeaux: Château Bel Air
Perponcher Réserve 2013, £8.95,
The Wine Society (01438-741177).
DESSERTS ORANGE SALAD
This is easy to make and incredibly
good, as long as your ingredients
are in peak condition. Ground cin-
namon, for example, can develop
a slightly soap-like flavour with
age, so it may be worth buying or
grinding some fresh cinnamon.
• 12 medium naval oranges
• 1 tablespoon good orange-
flower water
• 3-4 tablespoons icing
sugar, or to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
or to taste
1 Slice off the tops and bottoms
of the oranges. Using a serrated
knife, cut down the sides of each
orange, to cut away the skin and
the pith. Cut the oranges into thin
rounds and arrange on a serving
dish or on 6 pudding plates in
overlapping circles.
2 Taste a slice of orange to double
check the sweetness. If the oranges
are not very sweet, you should
increase the sugar used below by
a tablespoon or two.
3 Shortly before serving, sprinkle
the oranges with the orange-flower
water. Then mix together the icing �
wine food
ROAST SPICED-AUBERGINE
SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE
AND YOGURT
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(*-
SEARED HALIBUT WITH
PRESERVED-LEMON AND
OLIVE RELISH
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (*.
wine food
TABLEWARE INFORMATION Lamb Porcelain plate, ‘Ca’ d’Oro’, by Sieger by Fürstenberg, 23cm, £49, at Harlequin London. Napkin fabric, ‘Java’ (eggplant), by
Raoul Textiles, linen, £154 a metre, at George Smith. Tiles, £550 a square metre, at Habibi Interiors. Beetroot salad Glazed-terracotta plate, by Sylvia K Ceramics,
28cm, £55, at The New Craftsmen. Stainless-steel serving set, £44, at Ceramica Blue. Tiles, as before. Roast aubergine Glazed-terracotta plate, ‘Eclipse’, 25 x
21cm, £22, at Ceramica Blue. Vintage baking tray, 29 x 19cm, £8.50, from The Vintage Kitchen Store. Crystal tumbler, by Saint-Louis, £405, at Harlequin London.
Vintage fork, £26 for 6, from RE. Tiles, as before. Halibut Porcelain plate, ‘Ca’ d’Oro’, by Sieger by Fürstenberg, 29cm, £82, and tumbler, as before, both at
Harlequin London. Porcelain, ‘Bleus d’Ailleurs’, by Hermès, plate, £57, and bowl, £91, at Harlequin London. Orange salad Porcelain plate, ‘Bleus d’Ailleurs’, by
Hermès, 27cm, £92, at Harlequin London. Vintage forks, as before. Tiles, as before. Walnut cigars Porcelain cup and saucer, ‘Athena’ (front), by Fürstenberg,
£101; bone china cup and saucer (far back), by Richard Brendon for Patternity, £95; silver-plated bowl, by Zauetto Studio, 9cm, £53; and porcelain plate, as
before; all at Harlequin London. Porcelain cup and saucer, ‘Han’, by L’Objet, £98, at Thomas Goode. Tiles, as before. For suppliers’ details, see Stockists page �
sugar and 3/4 teaspoon ground
cinnamon. Lightly sift it over the
oranges. Serve immediately.
To drink An orange Muscat or, even
better, a sweet wine with notably
zesty acidity, such as Pacherenc du
Vic-Bilh: Duc de Termes Limited
Edition Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
2011, £5.99 for 37.5cl, Tesco.
WALNUT CIGARS
These ultra-sweet, Middle-Eastern-
style pastries are wonderful with
coffee in place of a formal pudding.
They are also delicious accompa-
nied by clotted cream or crème
fraiche. You can even flavour your
cream with a little rose water or
orange-flower water. Makes 24
• 250g shelled walnuts
• 115g caster sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
(optional)
• 3 tablespoons rum
• 270g filo pastry
• 85g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
To serve 200ml clotted cream
or crème fraiche
1 Place the walnuts in a food pro-
cessor and process in short bursts
until they are ground to a similar
consistency to bought ground
almonds. Add the sugar and cinna-
mon (if using) and process briefly,
then tip into a mixing bowl and stir
in the rum until it forms a paste.
2 Heat the oven to 170°C/fan oven
150°C/mark 3. Brush a baking
sheet with melted butter. Open up
the filo sheets. Take the first sheet
and cut into 4 rectangular strips,
each about 27 x 11cm. Keep the
remaining sheets covered with a
damp tea towel while you’re work-
ing, so the pastry doesn’t dry out.
3 Brush the first strip with melted
butter. Place a heaped teaspoon of
the walnut filling near the edge of
the short end of the buttered rect-
angle. Fold the longer sides slightly
over the filling and loosely roll the
filling into a pastry shaped like a
spring roll. The nut filling expands
as it cooks and if you stuff too much
or too tightly, it will burst out. Place
the rolled pastry on the buttered
baking sheet. Repeat the process
with the remaining pastry until
you’ve used up all the filling. You
should have 24 cigars.
4 Bake in the oven for 30 minutes
or so, until crisp and pale gold.
Remove to a cooling rack. Once
completely cold, they can be stored
in an air-tight container.
5 To serve, arrange on a plate, dust
with a tablespoon of icing sugar
and accompany with some clotted
cream or crème fraiche.
To drink Coffee is perfect, but so too
are Muscat de Beaumes de Venise,
Australian liqueur (or fortified)
Muscats and this Australian
Semillon: Tesco Finest Dessert
Semillon, £6.79 for 37.5cl.
WALNUT CIGARSORANGE SALAD
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(*/
Louisa Carter serves up a hearty menu that is deliciously easy to prepare
A sumptuous, one-pot main course followed by a creamy pudding with vibrant-pin hubarb ma e a satisfying winter meal that can be coo ed in advance. All recipes serve 6
SIMPLE SUPPERS
Beef casserole with red wine and anchovies Ba ed custard and forced rhubarb
Bring 1.3 litres
chicken or vegetable
stock to the boil in a
large saucepan. Pour
300g quick cook/
instant polenta into
the stock, whisking
continuously. Cook
over a low heat,
stirring for 1–2
minutes – or as per
packet instructions
– until it is the
consistency of creamy
mashed potato. Stir
in 300ml whole milk,
4 heaped tablespoons
good creamed
horseradish, 30g
butter, salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
Heat through, adding
more stock or milk
to give it a soft,
dropping consistency
– how much you add
will vary depending
on the brand of
polenta. Serve.
Horseradish polenta I use half double cream and half milk for the custard,
taking it more towards a crème brûlée in texture.
There’s no reason you couldn’t sprinkle it with caster
sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelise it to a crisp
topping. It’s very easy to make and takes care of
itself in the oven, and it will keep in the fridge for at
least two days.
For the baked custard • 5 large eggs, plus 1 large
egg yolk • 200g golden caster sugar • 500ml whole
milk • 500ml double cream • 1 teaspoon vanilla
extract • Grated zest of 1 orange (use juice for the
rhubarb) For the rhubarb • 500g forced rhubarb,
cut into roughly 4cm pieces • Juice of 1 orange
• 50–75g golden caster sugar (depending on the
tartness of the rhubarb)
1 Heat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/mark 3. For
the baked custard, in a mixing bowl, lightly whisk
together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar, then whisk in the
milk, cream, vanilla and orange zest until combined.
2 Sit an ovenproof baking or gratin dish, roughly 28 x
20 x 6cm deep, inside a larger, deep-sided roasting tin.
Pour the custard mix into the baking/gratin dish. Pour
boiling water into the roasting tin, so it comes halfway
up the outside of the baking/gratin dish. Bake for
40–45 minutes, or until the custard is just set but still
a little wobbly in the middle. Leave to cool for at least
an hour before serving, or serve chilled.
3 For the rhubarb, spread it in a single layer in a baking
dish. Pour over the orange juice and sprinkle with
sugar. Cover with a lid or a layer of baking parchment
then foil. Bake for 20 minutes until tender. Spoon over
the juices and leave to cool �
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wine food
This casserole is so easy to make because there’s no need to brown the
meat first. It was after working on a book of Indian food, where the
browning stage is often skipped, that I began to experiment with doing
the same with European dishes. Use stewing beef, shin or ‘chuck and
blade’; the latter two might take a little longer, so allow for up to an extra
hour of cooking. Once cooked, leave in the oven at 100°C/fan oven
80°C/mark 1/4 until ready to serve or make a day in advance and reheat.
For the casserole • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, roughly sliced • 6 cloves garlic, bashed and peeled
• 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves only • 2 bay leaves • 6 anchovy fillets
in olive oil, drained • 1 heaped tablespoon flour • 1 heaped table-
spoon tomato purée • 1.2kg stewing beef, cut into roughly 4cm
chunks • 500g sweet potato and/or carrots, cut into 2cm pieces
• 500ml full-bodied red wine • 400ml beef or vegetable stock, plus
extra if needed • Finely grated zest of 1 orange • Small handful flat-
leaf parsley, finely chopped To serve • Horseradish polenta (right),
or creamy potato and/or celeriac mash; seasonal greens
1 Heat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/mark 3. Heat the olive oil
and butter in a large, lidded, flameproof casserole over a medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves, and fry for 5 minutes
or until golden.
2 Stir in the anchovies and fry for 2–3 minutes until they start to disin-
tegrate, then stir in the flour and mix well. Stir in the tomato purée
followed by the beef, sweet potato and/or carrots, plenty of freshly
ground black pepper and a little salt, and stir to combine. Pour in the
wine and stock, bring to a simmer, stir, cover and transfer to the oven.
3 Cook for at least 3 hours, stirring every hour. Top up the liquid with a
splash of extra stock if it looks dry at any point. When ready, the beef
should be completely tender. Check the seasoning, then sprinkle over
the orange zest and parsley. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (*0
TASTE NOTESNews, reviews and tips for coo s, oenophiles, gourmets and gourmands, by Joanna Simon
Louis Latour Agencies, family-owned
and run for 11 generations, is one of
Burgundy’s big names, but also pro-
duces good alternatives to Burgundy
further south. Louis Latour Grand
Ardèche Chardonnay 2012 has a sub-
tle, buttered-toast flavour from oak
ageing and a lime finish. Louis Latour
Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir
2012, from the Côteaux du Verdon,
has a raspberry-cherry aroma and a
savoury flavour. Both cost £9.99, at
Majestic. There is also an unoaked
Ardèche Chardonnay 2013 that is
well worth trying, £8.99, Waitrose.
WINES of THE MONTH
A TASTE OF ITALYWhile you don’t get the pleasure of going to Italy and discovering these
regional specialities for yourself, buying from the new Italian importer
Giribizzi means you can do a one-stop shop for jars of such delights as
crunchy DRIED CAPERS from Sicily, £7.50 for 30g, Piemontese
TOMINI CHEESE preserved in extra-virgin olive oil with mushrooms
(or blac ruffle, or chilli), £7.50 for 212g, and authentic Tuscan
WILD BOAR RAGÙ, £5 for 140g. www.giribizzi.co.u
British regulations make it almost impossible
for UK-produced HONEY to be certified
organic, so organic honey invariably comes
from abroad. The new raw and organic range
that Hilltop Honey sources in Europe is
cold-extracted and unpasteurised so the many
nutritional properties remain intact. Honeydew
is rich and powerful; £5.25 for 370g. Lime
flower is fragrant, delicate and zesty, £5 for
370g, from www.hilltop-honey.com.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(+'
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wine food
Many a famous wine producer would
like to have a label designed by
Philippe Starck. Louis Roederer has
succeeded where others have failed
by persuading the designer to partici-
pate in creating a new Champagne, not
just its label. The result: Brut Nature
2006 Louis Roederer et Philippe
Starck, is made in the designer’s
favourite style – non-dosé (entirely un-
sweetened) – but with greater depth
and intensity. It is also from a single
vintage – very rare for non-dosé – and
is unusual in being best served with
food: canapés such as Scottish oak-
smoked salmon, pata negra ham and
burrata; £64.20, Hedonism Wines
(020-7290 7870; hedonism.co.uk) �
If you’re thin ing about a wine and/or food HOLIDAY, or a holiday with
the odd wine visit, these two websites are useful. Winerist is a huge, online
mar etplace offering more than 500 wine tours, 200 food tours and tailor-made
holidays; www.winerist.com. Wine Meccas lists wineries and their visitor
options, such as vineyard accommodation, cellar visits, cycling and/or horse
riding in the vineyards, or helicopter flights over them; www.winemeccas.com.
WILD IDEAFarmed VENISON has been soaring in popularity, appreciated for its high protein,
low fat and low cholesterol, as well as for its flavour. Selling fully traceable wild deer of
different species during their legal seasons, British Wild is a welcome new brand from
Holme Farmed Venison. In February, Scottish red tail is available; March sees the
start of the roe season; and muntjac (above) is available all year. A bone-in haunch of
muntjac, average weight 1.5kg, is £12 per kilogram, from www.hfv.co.uk.
The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon red plum jam
was voted one of Britain’s top 50 foods in last
year’s Great Taste Awards, but its success
shouldn’t be allowed to overshadow the array
of other jams and marmalades made by Sarah
Churchill, who also won the award for small arti-
san producer of the year in 2014. Other favourites
of mine include blackcurrant and sloe gin jam,
damson and fennel-blossom jam, and lemon and
vanilla vodka marmalade, all £3.99 for 200g.
www.theartisankitchen.co.uk
If a handmade, wood-handled kitchen
knife would make a perfect present,
plan ahead. Demand from top chefs,
among others, means that there is
a 13-month waiting list for the Blok
knives that Benjamin Edmonds makes
in his Derbyshire workshop: 10cm par-
ing knife, £140; 20cm chef knife, £240.
07595-423545; www.blok-knives.co.uk
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (+(
THIS PAGE The old
harbour in Mykonos
has remained unspoilt
by modern renovations,
with views to the
Aegean Sea and
beyond. OPPOSITE
Spilia restaurant
Between white-washed streets and beautiful beaches, Pamela Goodman discovers the many vistas and culinary
pleasures of Mykonos, which make this Mediterranean hotspot so memorable, especially outside high season
JOUR NEY OF THE SENSES
travel | Greece4
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WAYS AND MEANSPamela Goodman visited Mykonos as a guest of Santa Marina (00-30-228 902 3220; www.santa-marina.gr) and
ITC Luxury Travel (01244-355527; www.itcluxurytravel.co.uk), which offers a 20 per cent early-booking discount for reservations made before
February 28, 2015. Seven nights cost from £955 per person based on two adults sharing a superior room, B&B, including EasyJet flights and
private transfers, for travel completed between May 20 and October 5, 2015 (excluding July 1–August 31).
It’s amazing how some meals stick with you as the defining memory
of a place. Even more so, perhaps, when they take you by surprise.
Mykonos had never been on my radar as somewhere I’d be likely to
have a restaurant moment and, indeed, looking back on the lunch
in question I don’t think it was necessarily the food that made it
special. A plate of raw sea urchins is, of course, difficult to forget
(and I can report I was ambivalent about their taste) but so, too, is a taverna
reached by a scramble along a rocky path at the edge of a bay – in this case
Aghia Anna – which is half cave, half open terrace lapped by the sea and
overhung with a loose awning
of fishermen’s nets entwined
with vine leaves.
Spilia is a simple place –
wooden tables, carafes of wine,
dappled light, lobster pasta and
no lunch service before 2pm –
but it’s pretty and charming
and deeply laid-back, and just
the sort of place to while away
a long and happy afternoon,
which is exactly what we did.
And it probably was exactly
why we loved it so much.
Mykonos in June – or Septem-
ber, for that matter – is a different
island to the Mykonos of July
and August when, like all Medi-
terranean hotspots, the heat,
the tempo and the tourists
increase to a point where, simply
put, it’s hard to get around. All
the more reason to go in the
shoulder seasons of late spring
or early autumn and find a sanc-
tuary to which you can retreat.
Santa Marina hotel has
arguably the best location on
the island, positioned on a
private peninsula just beyond
the bustling village of Porto
Ornos, and a mere 10-minute
drive from Mykonos Town.
Over the last three years, the
hotel has undergone a com-
plete refurbishment and the
end result is excellent. Rooms are predominantly white with simple, elegant
furnishings and sea views of varying breadth and drama, depending on how
high up the hillside you are. The higher the better in terms of outlook, but the
more of a hike it is down to the pool and the beach below. If a sense of space
– there are generous expanses of lawn, plus a tennis court, helipad, spa, two
pools and a kids’ club – is one of Santa Marina’s defining features, the beach
area is another. For use by hotel guests only – and those on yachts who pay
to come ashore – the beach is sheltered from the prevailing north wind.
Wicker cocoons and deck beds line the shore above which the Bayview
Beach restaurant – once a traditional Greek taverna, now a super-stylish
cocktail bar and restaurant – serves an interesting fusion of Mediterranean
and Japanese food. The sushi, incidentally, is spectacular.
Getting out and about, however, is half the fun of Mykonos. The young and
the brave hire quad bikes, the ill-informed rely on taxis – there are only 30 on
the island, so their services are limited and their fares extortionate – and the
sensible hire cars, not from the airport but from an outfit like Pegasus, which
has a private customer car park at the edge of pedestrianised Mykonos
Town. Evening access to the swarming labyrinth of the town is otherwise
nigh-on impossible, unless
you’re prepared to walk for
miles – or order an elusive cab.
Our evenings were largely
spent losing ourselves in the
town’s white-washed, cobbled
streets, just like the pirates
whom they were designed to
confuse. At Caprice, on the
picturesque waterfront called
Little Venice, we drank cock-
tails at sunset before jostling
our way past the postcard
and sandal shops, past Gucci,
Louis Vuitton and Chanel to
height-of-fashion restaurants
such as Interni and Kousaros,
where good food and a fun
atmosphere border on the
pretentious. Low-key yet
equally smart, Kalita and
Katrin were more our scene.
By day, we explored further
afield. At the famous, party-
popping Psarou beach, we
squeezed ourselves between
the tightly packed, oily bodies
for a delicious toes-in-the-
sand lunch at Nammos, leav-
ing just in the nick of time
before the music pumped and
the sun-drenched mob got up
to dance. Lia Beach, towards
the south-east corner of the
island, was more peaceful with
a beautiful bay for swimming,
deck beds for rent and an organic Greek restaurant, Liasti.
Aghios Sostis beach was our favourite, where on a day when the wind wasn’t
blowing from the north, we trundled down to the sand – nudists at one end, the
barely clad at the other. Whether it was afternoon hunger pangs or the smell
of barbecued pork chops in the air, we found ourselves at Kiki’s, the tiny taverna
so beloved and so well known on the island that there is neither a signpost nor
reservation system. Queuing guests, who are plied with free rosé until a table
becomes free, seem happy to wait, safe in the knowledge that lunch will
be worth it. On reflection, perhaps this was the meal I remember best �
F O R O U R H O T E L O F T H E M O N T H , V I S I T H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (+*
To discover more call 0843 373 4090, contact your travel agent or visit cunard.co.uk
175 Years.Forever Cunard.
Arriving in style with a true sense of occasion. Book a Mediterranean cruise and enjoy $500pp
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3 RAPHAEL’S HOUSE From Piazza della Repubblica, serving as Urbino’s main square,
Via Raffaello leads up past the house in which the painter Raphael was born in 1483. Much of
his childhood was spent in the adjoining studio of his father, the court painter Giovanni Santi,
whose work still adorns the walls of the house. A fresco of the Virgin and Child may be by the
precocious Raphael, although scholars are divided. Sensitively renovated with period furniture, the
house conveys the homely atmosphere created by his devout mother, Magia. www.urbino.com
Unlike overcrowded Florence, Urbino is a tranquil survivor of the early Renaissance, with its walls, palace and collections intact. Julian Allason gives five reasons to visit this Marche town
HISTORY UNSPOILED
travel | Italy
WAYS AND MEANS Julian Allason travelled as a guest of Art Tours (020-7449 9707; www.arttoursltd.com),
which offers individually guided tours from £995 per person based on two people sharing,
including three nights, B&B, at the Grand Hotel Rimini, BA flights and private transfers.
WO
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4 PLACES TO STAYThe four-star Albergo
San Domenico is a converted
dominican convent enviably
sited opposite the palace and
duomo, but my preference
is for an out-of-town base.
The magnificent Grand Hotel
Rimini (www.grand-hotel-
rimini.com) is an outpost of
dolce-vita glamour overlook-
ing the beach 40 kilometres
north. The Grand is also very
convenient for the superb
mosaics at Ravenna, the
fifth-century capital of the
Western Roman Empire,
and the tyrant Sigismondo
Malatesta’s temple to himself.
1THE ARCHITECTUREUrbino flourished during the Renaissance and
the exceptional architecture from that period
remains – the city is now a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. This cultural legacy is thanks to
Federico da Montefeltro, who reigned as duke in
1444-82. Today the portrait of him in profile, painted
by Piero della Francesca, which can be seen in his
Palazzo Ducale, is more familiar than his name. As
a scholar, collector and patron of the arts, Federico
created the greatest library outside the Vatican.
Truly a Renaissance man, the Duke of Urbino was
largely responsible for the Marche city’s rich cul-
tural heritage – he is even considered to be the
model for the ruler in Machiavelli’s The Prince.
2 THE STUDIOLOOccupying a small room within the Palazzo
Ducale is the Studiolo, a retreat for noble
contemplation. Every surface is finished
with trompe l’œil intarsia, using wood
thicker than the veneers employed in marquetry. So
realistically three-dimensional do the lattice doors
appear that you want to reach out to touch the symbolic
objects displayed. These reflect Federico’s devotion
to classical and humanistic studies, and include an
astrolabe and armillary sphere. In one corner stands a
sword and armour, a reminder that culture is under-
written by military strength. For the benefit of visiting
VIPs, panels cheekily show statues of Federico as the
personifications of Faith, Hope and Charity. He is in
good company with Moses, Plato, Cicero and other
immortals depicted beneath the frieze.
ALL PICTURES The profile of
the Duke of Urbino, Federico
da Montefeltro, painted by
Piero della Francesca, hangs
in Palazzo Ducale (below), in
the centre of the walled city
5 FINE DINING At Ristorante
Vecchia Urbino
in Via dei Vasari,
the Monti fam-
ily celebrates the ancient
flavours of the Montefeltro
region. Housed in a sixteenth-
century building by Porta
Lavagine, by the city wall,
it is a very atmospheric
haven of truffles, porcini and
guanciale – an improbably
delicious cut of pork cheek.
Locals commend the restau-
rant’s puddings as degne
del vecchio duca: translated
as ‘worthy of the old duke’.
www. vecchiaurbino.it �
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 (+,
**Price based on two people sharing a fly/cruise Concierge Class stateroom (stateroom category C3) package departing from London Heathrow Airport. Price was correct at time of going to print but is subject to change and availability.* This All-inclusive promotion is applicable to new bookings made in Concierge class stateroom categories only from 11 November and 28 February 2015 on selected sailings departing between March 2015 and April 2017. Free drinks worth up to $1500 based on the current on-board price for 2 people on a 14 night sailing. Free gratuities worth up to $340 calculated per stateroom based on a concierge class 14 night sailing. Eligible bookings will receive a) Complimentary Classic Alcoholic drinks package for the first two guests, b) up to $300 Onboard Spend per stateroom dependent on ship and sail date, and c) Free Gratuities. This promotion is applicable to eligible guests aged 18 and over on the date of any eligible European, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand departing sailing and 21 on any eligible North American sailing. Passenger date of birth information must be provided at the time of booking before the drinks package can be applied. This is a legal requirement. Please drink responsibly. Up to two additional guests within the same stateroom will receive a complimentary classic non-alcoholic drinks package and free 40 minutes internet usage on all eligible bookings in Concierge Class or above. Internet allowance can only be used in the Celebrity iLounge. Benefits have no redeemable cash value and may not be transferred. The All-inclusive promotion is part of the 123GO! promotion and non-concierge class sailings may also benefit from up to 2 of the benefits specified above on selected sailings. 123Go! promotion benefits are combinable with Captains Club loyalty savings vouchers & 1 Category Stateroom Upgrade, Shareholders benefits, Back to Back Sailings Offer, Reduced Third & Fourth rates, Future Cruise Certificates only and the benefits offered by booking onboard via our Future Cruise Consultants (Cruise Now or Cruise Later Bookings only). 123Go Evergreen benefits offered onboard for Cruise Now bookings are not combinable with this promotion. Interior staterooms and Z, Y, X, XC, XA and W guarantee staterooms are not eligible to benefit from this promotion. For full offer terms & conditions including a list of applicable sailings, visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk or contact your travel agent. This publicity is issued by RCL Cruises Ltd (company no. 07366612), t/a Celebrity Cruises, 3 The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0NY
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Departing: Istanbul, Turkey, 20 June 2015
Northern soulStrung between Finland and Sweden, the Åland islands embody the more esoteric details of Scandinavian history, as Cathy Strongman discovers
It’s something of a treat to go abroad and barely hear an English voice.
But on Åland, a Finnish archipelago that lies in the Baltic Sea between
Sweden and Finland, we meet not a single soul from the Anglosphere all
week. In fact, it’s Swedish that is spoken by most of our fellow tourists
and by the islanders themselves. This linguistic quirk reflects Åland’s complex
past – since 1921 it has been an autonomous realm within Finland, with its own
government, parliament, stamps and flag – and is just one of the idiosyncrasies
that makes it such a unique and fascinating place to visit.
Åland is a collection of 20,000 islands, skerries and
desolate rocks, 6,700 of which are named and 60
inhabited. Scattered among the sea like the remnants of
a dropped glass, these landmasses create a truly
beautiful setting. To the south, gentle hills topped with
meadows and crimson timber-clad houses look out over
endless lakes and inlets. To the north, towering pine
forests give way to giant, red granite boulders that have
been smoothed by the constant caress of the sea.
The greatest distance from east to west is 50
kilometres and all inhabited islands are connected either
by bridge or ferry. Cycle paths are well
mapped and visitors hop between rural
guest houses, B&Bs and camping grounds.
The pretty capital, Mariehamn, known as
‘the town of the thousand Linden trees’
also offers a variety of hotels, as well as
a bustling pedestrianised high street,
a free iPhone app with walking tours and
restaurant guides, and the world’s only
four-masted sailing barque moored
outside the Maritime Museum.
But those wanting to relish the
remoteness and the tranquillity of Åland
should head to HavsVidden, a four-star
hotel and resort at the northerly tip of the
archipelago. Here we stay in one of the 40
guesthouses that are dotted within the
58-acre coastal setting.
Designed by renowned Swedish architect
Thomas Sandell, these ultra-modern,
timber-clad houses of varying sizes are built
on stilts to protect the landscape. All have
expanses of glass, minimalist interiors
decorated with typical Scandinavian aplomb and wrap-around terraces with
sea views. During the day, our daughters treat this as a racetrack, picking wild
raspberries and marvelling at the swallows. In the evening, we make use of the
well-equipped kitchen and barbecue, cradling wine glasses while listening to
the sea. There’s a restaurant, too, serving locally sourced, seasonal and organic
dishes. Over 60 per cent of Finland’s apple crop is produced in Åland and at
breakfast we wash down Finnish pancakes with juice from just down the road.
Åland’s tumultuous past – including periods of both Swedish and Russian
occupation – makes it a history buff’s dream. We try on medieval headdresses
at the fourteenth-century castle of
Kastelholm and sit astride Russian
cannons fired during the Crimean War
at the fortress of Bomarsund. Medieval
churches and secluded beaches litter
the region. For the active, there are boat
excursions, horse rides, well-mapped
hiking trails and three golf courses,
including Slottsbanan, one of Scandinavia’s best.
At HavsVidden you can hire mountain bikes and sea kayaks, plus there’s a
four-kilometre wooded nature trail shared with elk, deer, rabbits and squirrels.
Most houses have private saunas and there’s an indoor pool and outdoor
jacuzzi overlooking the private harbour. A scramble across the boulders and
dip in the sea is a must. I thought I might die in the Finnish smoke sauna, which
is heated with fire for 24 hours before being emptied of smoke. Having lasted
only eight minutes, I carried the faint aroma of bonfire with me for days as
a lingering reminder of this remote, curious and beautiful place �
travel | islands
FROM TOP HavsVidden’s glass-clad
guesthouses along the Baltic Sea
coast. The fourteenth-century
Kastelholm Castle. An aerial view
of Åland’s archipelago
WAYS AND MEANS Cathy Strongman stayed as a guest of HavsVidden (www.havs
vidden.com) where a one-bedroom cliff house costs from €360
per night. Mariehamn is a 30-minute flight from Stockholm
Arlanda Airport with Nextjet (www.nextjet.se) or about a two-
and-a-half-hour car ferry from Kapellskär with Viking Line (www.
vikingline.com). For more information, visit www.visitaland.com.
© C
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F O R O U R H O T E L O F T H E M O N T H , V I S I T H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5
ALAND ISLANDS
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travel | compass
CITY BREAKSLaura Houldsworth highlights luxury-holiday destinations and travel products
LUXE CITY GUIDES
£7.50 each. www.luxecityguides.com
CHANEL
N°5
TRAVEL
SPRAYS
£76 for set of
three 20ml bottles.
www.chanel.com
NEW YORKThe newly refurbished
and rebranded SIXTY
SOHO on Thompson
Street has one of the
area’s most popular
rooftop bars (above).
The hotel is comfortable
and discreet with 97
rooms, designed by
Tara Bernerd, all of
which have caramel
leather furnishings
with blue mohair
accents and planked
timber floors. Rooms
cost from £289.
00-1-87 74 31 04 00;
www.sixtyhotels.com/soho �
PARISSoak up the beauty and
romance of Paris at
PAVILLON DE LA REINE,
a charming family-run
hotel in the grand
seventeenth-century
Place des Vosges. Within
the northern cloister of
the square, there is a
discreet entrance leading
to the tranquil cobbled
courtyard of the hotel.
The 54 rooms have a
combination of antique
and contemporary
furnishings. This is the
perfect base from which
to explore the boutiques,
galleries and restaurants
of the Le Marais district.
Rooms cost from £300.
00-33-140 291 919; www.
pavillon-de-la-reine.com
FLORENCEWHERE TO STAY The effortlessly chic Portrait
Firenze hotel is conveniently situated in the
heart of the city and has wonderful views
over the historic Ponte Vecchio. Designed
by Florentine architect Michele Bonan, the
34 suites have dark wooden floors, hand-
crafted furniture, black-and-white fashion
photographs and vast Carrara-marble bath-
rooms. Rooms cost from £355 a night. 00-39-
055 2726 4000; www.lungarnocollection.com
WHERE TO EAT Tucked into a quiet square not far
from the Ponte Vecchio, Trattoria 4 Leoni is a hidden
gem that serves up exquisite fresh pasta and prime cuts
of meat. Don’t leave without trying the pear ravioli
with walnut and gorgonzola sauce. www.4leoni.it
WHERE TO DRINK Sip on refreshing
cocktails surrounded by the Italian city’s most
glamorous locals at the Fusion Bar in the
Gallery Hotel Art. www.lungarnocollection.com
WHAT TO DO Book a guided tour with City
Wonders, so you can skip the queues and have
your own English-speaking guide. Tours from £38.
0800-098 8019; www.citywonders.com
PACKING LIST
SUPERGA FAUX-FUR-
LINED PLIMSOLLS
£45, from The White Company.
www.thewhitecompany.com
ISTANBUL
There’s a wide variety of tourist
accommodation on offer in Istanbul.
At the ‘signature brand’ end of the
market is Raffles (www.raffles.com/
istanbul), which forms part of the
Zorlu Centre – the city’s newest
shopping and cultural-arts hub.
Those wanting to be right on the
Bosphorus, and close to the historic
quarter of the old city and the
bohemian Beyoglu district, should
stay at the elegant Vault Karakoy,
The House Hotel (www.thehouse
hotel.com). And the one to watch for
this year is Soho House Istanbul
(www.sohohouseistanbul.com), in
Beyoglu’s Palazzo Corpi, the site
of the former US consulate,
which promises 87 rooms and a
Cecconi’s restaurant. TOP TIP For
one of the best Turkish baths in
town, head to Kilic Ali Pasa (left) in
Tophane (kilicalipasahamami.com).
Built in 1580 and recently reopened,
this hammam is an architectural
wonder and an exquisite place for
a scrub-down and a snooze.
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(+/
Merchandise supplied by the companies listed below has been featured editorially in this issue. Information was checked at the time of going to press but House & Garden cannot guarantee that prices will not change or that items will be in stock at the time of publication.
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A–BAmodels 020-7387 1005;
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Abraham & Thakore 00-91-12 02 51
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Anderson Bradshaw
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C–DCaravane 020-7486 5233;
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Casamance 0844-369 0104;
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Ceramica Blue 020-7727 0288;
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Channels 020-7371 0301;
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Chaplin’s 020-8421 1779;
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Christian Liaigre 020-7584 5848;
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Cole & Son 020-7376 4628;
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Colefax and Fowler 020-7244 7427;
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Collier Webb 020-7373 8888;
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Cologne & Cotton 0845-262 2212;
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The Conran Shop 0844-848 4000;
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The Consortium 0845-330 7780;
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Crafts Council 020-7806 2500;
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De La Espada 020-3287 8117;
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Designers Guild 020-7893 7400;
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E–FEleanor Pritchard
020-8692 2544;
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Eley Kishimoto 020-8674 7411;
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Farrow & Ball 01202-876141;
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Fromental 020-3410 2000;
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G–HG P & J Baker 01202-266700;
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George Smith 020-7384 1004;
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H Furniture www.hfurniture.co
Habibi Interiors 020-8960 9203;
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Habitat 0844-499 1122;
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Hand & Eye Studio 020-8522 0587;
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Harlequin London 020-7384 1911;
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Helen Green Design 020-7352 3344;
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Hermès 020-7098 1888;
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Home Autour du Monde by
Bensimon 00-33-142 770 608;
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I–JIkuko Iwamoto 07734-592791;
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Jess Shaw 07974-169377;
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Jocelyn Warner 01273-858137;
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John Lewis 0845-604 9049;
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K–LKährs 023-9245 3045;
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Lane www.lanebypost.com
Larsen 020-8874 6484;
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Little Greene 0845-880 5855;
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Loaf 020-8968 8843; www.loaf.com
M–NMaison Artefact 020-7381 2500;
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Marina Dragomirova 07593-218175;
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Melanie Porter 07770-941305;
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Merchant & Mills 01797-227789;
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Mint 020-7225 2228;
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The New Craftsmen 020-7148 3190;
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NLXL www.nlxl.com
Not Tom 020-8983 0706;
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Nuée www.nuee.be
O–POsborne & Little 020-8812 3123;
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Paris Ceramics 020-7371 7778;
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Pierre Frey 020-7376 5599;
www.pierrefrey.com
Q–RRE 01434-634567;
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Reichenbach
www.porzellanmanufaktur.net
Reiko Kaneko
01782-311668;
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Rive Roshan
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Romo 01623-756699;
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Rope Source 01204-897642;
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S–TSandberg 00-46-32 15 3 16 60;
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Sebastian Cox Furniture 020-8316
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The Shop Floor Project
01229-584537;
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Sigmar 020-7751 5801;
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Simon Jones Studio 07730-451968;
www.simonjonesstudio.co.uk
Skandium 020-7584 2066;
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Studio Brieditis & Evans
00-46-723 947 581;
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Studio Toon Welling 00-31-641 824
015; www.toonwelling.com
Sue Pryke www.suepryke.co.uk
Thomas Goode 020-7499 2823;
www.thomasgoode.com
Tina Frey Designs 00-1-41 52 23
47 10; www.tinafreydesigns.com
Tissus d’Hélène 020-7352 9977;
www.tissusdhelene.co.uk
Twentytwentyone 020-7288 1996;
www.twentytwentyone.com
The Vintage Kitchen Store
www.thevintagekitchenstore.co.uk
U–VVirginia White Collection
020-8749 2995;
www.virginiawhitecollection.com
Vitra 020-7608 6200;
www.vitra.com
W–ZWild & Wood 0116-284 9669;
www.wildandwood.co.uk
William Yeoward 020-7349 7821;
www.williamyeoward.com
Zimmer + Rohde 020-7351 7115;
www.zimmer-rohde.com
Zoffany 0844-543 4748;
www.zoffany.com �
Paper ‘Twin Tone Lampshades’
(from left: bright red and stone,
burgundy and china white),
30 x 45cm diameter, £65 each,
from Lane. For further inspiration,
see ‘Decorator’s notebook’
H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5
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D E S I G N L I V I N GF O R
At Banda we set the scene,
the script is up to you.
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Banda. Design for living.
N O Ë L C O W A R D , W H O S E P L AY
‘ D E S I G N F O R L I V I N G ’ W A S F I R S T
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N E X T E D I T I O N – № 5 :
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F I R S T K I T Z B Ü H E LF I R S T K I T Z B Ü H E L
T H E R E A L E S T A T E C O M P A N Y
Image is computer generated and indicative only. View is from The Richmond Suite, Level 44, at One Blackfriars.
THE HEIGHT OF
SOPHISTICATION
Anticipated completion from Autumn 2018 | Price available upon application
+44 (0)20 7871 7188 | www.oneblackfriars.co.uk | [email protected]
THE RICHMOND SUITE
Moments from the River Thames, occupying the entire 44th fl oor of One Blackfriars, The Richmond Suite
will be a truly incomparable space spanning 4,386 sq ft, with sweeping 360 degree views of London.
Facilities include a dedicated 24 hour concierge service, provided by Harrods Estates Asset
Management, a stunning health club and spa, swimming pool and fully equipped gymnasium,
private screening room and residents’ wine cellar.
BREATHTAKINGCENTRAL LONDON’S TALLEST
RESIDENTIAL TOWER
These particulars are prepared for the guidance only of prospective owners, tenants and occupants. They are intended to give a fair overall description of the property but do not constitute a warranty or representation
or form part of an offer or contract. Any information contained herein (whether in text, plans, photographs or computer generated images) is given in good faith and should not be relied upon as being a statement or
representation of fact. Nothing in these particulars shall be deemed to be a statement that the property is in good working condition or otherwise nor that any services or facilities are in good working order. Any areas,
measurements or distances referred to herein are approximate only. Descriptions of a property are inevitably subjective and the description contained herein are used in good faith as an opinion and not by way of
statement of fact. Neither CBRE nor Strutt & Parker nor any of their employees have any authority to make or give any warranty whatever in relation to the property.
MARKETING SUITE
11 Hill Street, London W1J 5LQ
Open 9am—6pm Monday to Friday
Enquire now 020 3745 5858
www.onenineelms.com
A development by:
Computer Generated Image
Introducing City Tower at One Nine Elms, a showstopping collection of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom
apartments with private winter gardens. Linked to a 5–star hotel with swimming pool,
City Tower offers its residents a world of luxury, including 24–hour concierge,
residents’ gym and utterly breathtaking views over London’s skyline and the Thames.
FREEHOLD
PRICE ON APPLICATION
SOLE AGENT
36HAMILTONTERRACE.COM
Ian Green
Ian Green Residential
020 7586 1000
A beautiful Grade II listed Georgian house
located on the favoured Eastern side of Hamilton
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I like lighting to be low-key. House lighting (1) needs to be gentle
and sometimes a little off balance. I don’t like too much perfection,
with every picture lit. • I don’t think technology should be dis-
creet, unless it is easy to hide and not remotely gimmicky. I don’t
like television screens that are mirrored. I like big speakers on the
floor – I like the honesty of it. • I am a believer that all style can be
worked well or badly. A dull tile used poorly in a bathroom will feel
like a tragic apology, but take the same tile and cover your entire
house, and suddenly it becomes a statement and it’s different.
• When designing a room, a hand drawing still wins in my book.
They have more atmosphere than computer-designed images (2). • Invest in things you love. The tiny, round marble table (3) next to
the bath in my own home gives me so much pleasure. • Before
ordering, I try furniture in the space it’s intended for (4 and 5) –
often using MDF boxes – even before the building is finished. It
helps you feel the energy of a layout. • For textiles, I turn to my
store cupboard full of old fragments; I also love developing a
unique fabric for a house. I am working with a few handweavers at
the moment (6). • Don't be afraid to seek expert advice. For a
recent project, at Godwin House in Tite Street (7), we worked with
an art historian and developed a new hand-blocked wallpaper
design from fragments of an old Godwin wallpaper found in the
V&A. The result is very contemporary yet cosy. • Not every room
or area needs an obvious purpose. Generous wasted space, if
treated properly, can be the thing that makes a house �
1
2
7
3
4
6
tastemaker
Rose UniackeTHE DOS AND DON’TS OF DECORATING, ACCORDING TO
1 ‘Leaded Glass Lantern’. 4 ‘Drawing Room Sofa’
and 5 ‘Campaign’ refectory table. 6 Cashmere
‘Khumbu’ blankets, combined with textiles from
Rose’s personal collection. All at Rose Uniacke
(020-7730 7050; www.roseuniacke.com). 7 An
1878 drawing by Edward William Godwin
I would rather spend more on
furniture and save on built-in
things, if budget is an issue
5
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H O U S E A N D G A R D E N . C O . U K F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5(-+
A Winter’s Sale
FREEPHONE 0808 144 4343 andsotobed.co.uk
Saphira PrintsExhibiting at Paris Deco Off January 2015 • 5 Rue du Mail, 75002 Paris
www.romo.com