15 Open Gardens in Beckley, Oxfordshire

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Blessed with a series of ancient wells, Beckley is one of those quintessentially Oxfordshire villages with irresistibly pretty country cottages, a manor house (or two), community pub and a medieval church that dates back to Norman times. It is the type of village where well-established English roses and wysteria command exterior walls and where exuberant cottage flowers find their way between the cracks to greet you. On Sunday 19th June 2022, Beckley will be opening their garden gates and welcoming visitors to 15 private gardens for charity.

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White Door Brocante 9th June 2022

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The UK is now a thriving nation of shopkeepers, albeit vintage and antique ones. From traditional high street shops to online, outdoor markets and brocantes, this vibrant retail scene is responding to the joy and sustainability of including antiques and vintage in a decorating scheme. *The White Door Brocante (no relation), now in its third year, is a must-see event taking place on 9th June 2022 in Purley-on-Thames, West Berkshire.

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The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

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Since I was last at The RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2018, the world has of course become a very different place. To say that plants and flowers have become a huge trend for interior decoration is perhaps an understatement. From small scale print designs to grand scale florals, the health benefits of plants and flowers and how we garden for the planet is now key.

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London Design Week 2022

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Journalists, stylists and interior designers flocked back to London Design Week in Chelsea this week to see Spring/Summer 22 collections. Whilst there is plenty of bright colour, and shapely furniture emerging, my eye was also caught by wallpapers and fabrics in grand scale botanicals and earthy hues. As promised, here are a few highlights from my notebook.

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Blue and White House interiors

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Blue and white interior style is having what some might say is a long overdue renaissance. It is the smart tailored preppy design aesthetic that’s long been associated with the East Coast of America. A significant factor in this revival is the recent appointment of US interior designer Mark D Sikes by the First Lady, Jill Biden to redecorate her East Wing office at The White House. But inspiration comes too from the UK and from Singapore.

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Interior design directions 2022

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A very Happy New Year to you! The blog is taking a look at some interior design trends for 2022. Country House style (with sustainability always at its heart) looks again to the East for decorating inspiration. On the blog radar too is an interesting juxtaposition between Pantone’s Metaverse inspired colour of the year versus Mother Nature’s slow decorating palette. Let’s start though by opening the door to the new ‘Garden Room’ …

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Russian Style

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Faberge in London: Romance to Revolution is an exhibition of 200 exquisite Carl Faberge objets which opens on 20 November 2021 and runs until May 2022. What I didn’t know when I went to the V&A press show and found out after, is quite how closely linked Larissa Miloradovich of Milola Designs is to the Russian Imperial family. Not only were Larissa’s ancestors at the centre of Russian Imperial life but Shuvalov Palace, which was a pre Revolution family estate, now houses the permanent exhibition of Faberge in St Petersburg.

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Winter spice decor

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Occasionally, the elements for my bespoke interior Styling Box service sound more like the ingredients for a cook’s recipe or episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ than for a decorating scheme! A client’s brief to find a contemporary country scheme for an open plan living/dining room in Wiltshire recently found me doing a bit of time travelling in my research. On the design journey I found exquisite new wallpapers and fabrics whose design DNA comes from the berries of Swedish forests, to the spicy hues of English 13th Century cob houses and Renaissance Italy.

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Autumn/Winter 2021 interior design directions

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As well as smart Buenos Aires design of the 1970s and a refreshing look at decorating with white, it is the smaller interior design details which have also been catching my eye this Autumn. The blog takes a look at some of these new design directions, looking in particular at the amazing wealth of artisan lighting we have in the UK. And If you haven’t got designs on an ‘indoor garden room or table’ by now, you might find that you do in 2022…

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White Door Brocante

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It is exciting to see how a desire for sustainability and the vaccum of traditional high street retail is being filled with a renewed interest in pre-loved items. This burgeoning interiors and fashion landscape now extends from car boots and charity shops to smart antique shops as well as individual online sellers. But it is the concept of a French-inspired ‘Brocante’ which has recently caught my eye.

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