Category: Art

Theatrical interiors at Knole

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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.

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Town and country life in Reading

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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.

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Inverary Castle interiors

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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.

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Escape to the Scottish Highlands

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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.

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Fisher London’s new antique shop

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What an uplifting way to start the New Year, with a visit to Hilary Fisher’s new antiques shop in Bloomsbury. From the pavement, you cannot fail to appreciate its elegant columned window or be energised by its tangerine orange backdrop. The effect is both stylishly confident and inviting. No need for expensive agency rebrands here. Fisher London, with its striking brand colours and ‘uncommonly good antiques’ tagline, has got this. And I can’t wait to share with you, what’s in store …

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West Dean College, house and garden

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If the idea of staying in a centuries old English manor house appeals, then look no further than the bucolic West Sussex parkland of West Dean College of Arts, Design, Crafts and Conservation. Edward James (1907-1984), a 20th century socialite and patron to Salvador Dali, set up a foundation to ensure his family home became a centre for teaching conservation and the creative arts. The Grade II Listed gardens are now open to the public and visitors can stay in the house.

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Modern Country Style

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Every Autumn, my desire to move to a country cottage deepens and with it comes thoughts on how best to decorate. I had every intention of sharing with you some of the country-inspired earth tones and textural burgundy browns that are emerging for interiors. But, the power of the colour palette I mentioned in Interior Design Directions for 2024 has, rather like an irresistible Lewis & Wood vine, taken hold here at blog HQ.

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Grand Tour, A La Ronde

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From every angle, A La Ronde is an 18th-century circular home that thrills. Its 16-sided exterior belies a theatrical 8-sided interior complete with shell grotto and sea views beyond. To describe it as a cottage doesn’t quite cover it and although it shares some of the decorative DNA of a folly, this doesn’t entirely do it justice either. Quirky it most certainly is, and therefore very much my kind of wonderful. So here are a few highlights from my tour of this National Trust treasure …

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Coastal interior style 2024

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It’s that time of year when beachcombing for coastal interior style is in full swing on the blog. With winter’s storms behind us, this year’s surf rolls in with a colour palette where thundery North Sea greys meet the balmier tones of Atlantic and Cornish coastal blues. A sea spray of sepia tones wash over 2024 coastal styling, highlighting the textures of antique and vintage treasures along with wavy scallop shapes and the magic of artisan-made shell decoration.

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A New Age of Elegance

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Not since the 1970s when Laura Ashley’s love affair with all things Victorian/Edwardian has there been quite so much interest in this decorative era. Ruth Eaton, Coco Conran, Anna Mason and Sarah Vanrenen are in the vanguard of fashion and interior designers creating a new age of elegance for the 21st Century. To find out what is so appealing about late 19th/early 20th Century design, the blog invites you to visit The National Trust’s Lanhydrock House in Cornwall.

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