It really couldn’t be a better Christmas present with which to end the blog year! British heritage and humour are back on the ‘old school’ timetable. And this year, there is even more to enjoy, thanks to some brilliant home-grown talent and a host of exciting new ‘col-abs’. From Scottish baronial style to the influence of old school tailoring, the blog discovers there are some crackers that aren’t just for Christmas.
Continue reading “Old school style isn’t just for Christmas”
As you arrive at the 600-year-old estate in Kent, herds of meandering deer create a majestic overture for visitors to Knole. Cleverly theatrical in its presentation, Knole offers not only the history of its unique sofa design but also sumptuous ‘showrooms’ of Jacobean interiors. Originally a Bishop’s palace and then a popular hunting ground for King Henry VIII, this Dutch gabled country house has been owned for the past 400 years by the influential Sackville-West family.
Continue reading “Theatrical interiors at Knole”
Reading isn’t just the Berkshire town that has missed out (4 times) on being awarded city status. Renowned for its annual music festival and IT industry, Reading was where Oscar Wilde was famously incarcerated but is perhaps less well known for its new film studios and connection to King Henry I? It is as a desirable place to live though that is maybe what makes Reading one of the UK’s best-kept secrets.
Continue reading “Town and country life in Reading”
Last night, a dinner took place in Chelsea between US and UK/Europe luxury interiors, textile and fabric brands before a two-day, US-organised London Design Social pop-up, sponsored by Farrow & Ball at Chelsea Town Hall in London. By all accounts entente at the dinner (and really not at all surprising!) was extremely cordiale in the world of interiors. And as for interior journalists and the interior design community, the colour palettes, designs and styling ideas on display today have been more than a little inspiring. Here are just a few design and people close-ups of what caught my eye today …
Continue reading “Close-ups from London Design Social”
Heritage interior style with its old school sustainable approach to interiors is a perennial favourite here at blog HQ. At its core, it encompasses an appreciation of traditional craftsmanship and design history. Not only am I drawn to the work of some top interior designers who do this look so well but also by some new ingredients that are giving it a 21st-century twist.
Continue reading “Heritage style with a twist”
If you were to draw a pink fairy tale castle, Craigievar Castle in the Scottish Highlands might be the one you would base it on. Proportionally it is near perfect. Turreted and surrounded by verdant Aberdeenshire countryside, it is framed with an avenue of beech trees and a stupendous, ancient monkey puzzle. Whilst the castle is moderately powerful-looking, it is most undeniably pretty. Which is perhaps why when Walt Disney saw a picture of it, he is said to have been inspired by it for his Cinderella castle.
Continue reading “Craigievar Castle in the Scottish Highlands”
Welcome to 16th century Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire. If you are curious about the heritage of Scottish tower houses, passionate about topiary and painted ceilings inspired by the Renaissance, you won’t be disappointed. My anticipation for coming across something special at Crathes was piqued further when an American tourist commented that the gardens at Crathes Castle “were way better” than the gardens he had just visited at *Balmoral.
Continue reading “Crathes Castle in the Scottish Highlands”
18th-century Inverary Castle in Argyll makes a statement not only with its prominent position on Loch Fyne but with the powerful decorative message it portrays as the ancestral seat of Clan Campbell. Over the centuries, the castle’s interior decoration has been shaped by clan wars (1300 medieval weapons alone decorate the 21m high hall), by devastating fires and a marriage in the 1950s between the 11th Duke of Argyll and heiress Margaret Duchess of Argyll that infamously ended in scandal.
Continue reading “Inverary Castle interiors”
The blog has been on a grand tour seeking Scottish Style in the Highlands. From Argyll’s West Coast to the East Coast of Aberdeenshire, I hope you will enjoy this personal journey of landscapes, places to stay, some great food and Scottish castles to visit. There’s inspiration at every turn with a colour palette that takes its roots from wild fuchsia and turquoise seas to the heather colours of moor and mountain. Be prepared to bathe in the fauna of forest greens, to see beautiful gardens, some ancient Scottish heritage and a lot of creativity.
Continue reading “Escape to the Scottish Highlands”
A spring tide brings an early promise of summer and with it, a sea spray of Cornish coastal style. If you have read my blog before, you will know that it’s this time of year when the blog becomes powerless to the tidal charms of coastal interior design. With inspiration from textile and interior designers, from 20th century artists and from quirky landmark architecture, the blog has succumbed once again to the beauty of the British coastline …
Continue reading “Cornish coastal style”
Charis White Interiors 