Forget chemicals – these organic Luke Irwin rugs are dyed with turmeric, peppers and rhubarb November 22, 2019 I love rugs – a room simply isn’t dressed without one. I didn’t think I could champion rugs any more than I already do until I spoke with Luke Irwin, who has been selling his eponymous brand since 2003 and recently moved to larger premises on Pimlico Road. Here, his richly textured creations are hung [...]
Your wood burner might be hygge, but does it break London’s pollution rules? November 15, 2019 Wood-burning stoves have become a practical and good-looking home accessory, and it’s easy to see why. In our TV-free sitting rooms, we’ve returned to the primordial comfort of a flickering fire, albeit one that conveniently emits smoke straight out of a flue and glows gently behind sealed glass. It’s the centrepiece of our hygge winter [...]
Jumper been eaten by moths? Celia Pym will help you turn it into wearable art November 8, 2019 Why do moth larvae always eat the good stuff? Many of us will have just rummaged through our winter clothes, only to find that the pesky blighters have left holes in our favourite woollies. A few years ago I found a beloved John Smedley jumper had been ruined. I took a moth-attacked full-length Paul Costelloe [...]
GoodWaste: The graduate designers creating unique homewares from scavenged marble September 27, 2019 Sometimes success comes knocking at a young person’s door, and they are so prepared that they already have their coat and shoes on. This is the story of how three dynamic Royal College of Art MA product design students had a bloody good idea for their degree show – and a few weeks after graduating [...]
Let there be light: The top lighting trends from this autumn’s design shows September 20, 2019 Lighting is “one of the most important elements of interior design. It can completely transform the look and feel of a room,” says Martin Waller, who founded the influential British brand Andrew Martin four decades ago. The importance of good, versatile lighting is as true today as it was then, although we have vastly more [...]
Interiors: This on-trend shade could be the next millennial pink September 13, 2019 When Dulux launched its colour of the year 2019 – spiced honey – a sense of weirdness descended. I have yet to see walls painted in this cloying bronzy-tan. Yet with the launches for colour of the year 2020 upon us (from the likes of Dulux, Farrow & Ball, Graham & Brown and Pantone) there [...]
First look: The super-luxe apartments within a former army barracks in Chelsea September 6, 2019 If ever there was a long-awaited London development, then Chelsea Barracks is it. Empty for a decade, and five years under construction, residents will finally start to move in this month. This week, the first show apartment was revealed – and even if we don’t have the £24m required to snap up this four-bedroom 4,000 [...]
The secret of Monkey Island: A hidden retreat in the Berkshire countryside July 26, 2019 You would be hard pressed to find a foodie who hasn’t heard of Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck at Bray. But where to stay on your foray into the Berkshire countryside? Thankfully the bucolic Monkey Island in the Thames has just reopened as a picturesque retreat, comprising a 30-room hotel, brasserie, floating spa on a [...]
Pinch brings boutique British interiors to Pimlico’s design district July 19, 2019 Pimlico Road Design District is fast becoming a galaxy of interiors stars. From designers Rose Uniacke, Nicholas Haslem and Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, to the delectable fabrics and wallpaper of Soane Britain, and the luxury textiles of de Le Cuona, each shop and showroom is unique, and there’s a contemporary energy to a district [...]
Clerkenwell controversy: The award-winning development that could be torn down July 12, 2019 London’s walking tours are a great way to read the streets. Layers of history are all around us – every brick, every alley has a story to tell, and guides familiarise us with architectural styles, from modern to maverick. During this May’s Clerkenwell Design Festival I found not one but two design walking tours of [...]
