Homes & Gardens October 2021

We felt that creative thinking was the perfect theme for this beautiful, decorating-focused October issue. After a much-needed summer break, I am relishing the prospect of getting my teeth into overhauling some rooms, so I was deeply inspired when I saw the fantastic scenic murals story (p58). For this round of changes at home, I plan to be much braver with pattern. And just as decorating can be an outlet for creativity, so too can it stimulate it. Our gallery of stunning home offices (p85) hopes to show best ways to design a study space that sparks bright ideas. For more serious renovators, there are real treats in this issue: our bathroom supplement, created with C.P. Hart, and our kitchen design focus (p159), which covers everything from new trends to…

EASY ADDITION Designed with comfort in mind, the Shape chair from Bontempi Casa would make both an elegant addition to a dining room or a smart choice for an office. It is available in varying shades of buttery leather hide and comes with or without armrests. Shape chair, £440, Bontempi Casa. COLOUR CLASS Lick has joined forces with the team at Livingetc to create the Palette 01: Neo Deco pastels paint collection. With seven playful shades to choose from, this range is the perfect blend of both brands’ love of being creative with colour. The hues have been designed to work harmoniously together, yet pack just as much punch on their own. We predict Purple 03, with its rich burgundy tones, will be a must-have for the season. Lick x Livingetc Collection, £38…

Tell us about yourself I’m Sophie Rowell of Côte de Folk Interior Design Consultancy in Folkestone, Kent. After being in the fashion industry for 24 years, as an art director and stylist, I created Côte de Folk in 2016, first as a pop-up homeware shop, then a permanent store, evolving into an interiors consultancy. Describe your Instagram account. It displays not only my own work but ideas and interiors that inspire me. It echoes the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, finding beauty in imperfection, which sits alongside my knowledge of the importance of an organised, clutter-free home. What is your account’s USP? I use Instagram Stories as a platform to show a more behind-the-scenes approach instead of the finished article. I also do tours where I walk through and talk about a room…

EXHIBITION TO SEE The New Craftsmen recently invited its makers (including ceramicist and illustrator Laura Carlin, shown) to Holkham Hall in north Norfolk. Renowned for its wealth of interior decoration, Holkham formed the ideal backdrop for the artists’ residencies. Exploring art, furniture and lighting, each of the makers produced work inspired by the experience. A Portrait of a Place will be on display throughout LDF21 at The New Craftsmen showroom in Mayfair, London. DEBUT FOR DESIGN DISTRICT LDF welcomes a new design district for 2021 and NW10 is the hip new postcode. In recent years, Park Royal has become a hub of creativity, perhaps as a result of the acres of repurposed warehouses. Throughout LDF you can discover craft, jewellery, art, fashion and film. Check out Bill Amberg Studio who has collaborated on…

Our relationship with fire, spanning a couple of million years, feels today like it might be on the rocks. There is a sense emerging that stoves or open fires are unhealthy, for both our bodies and our environment. Like so many subjects today, views are becoming polarised. A post last winter on Monty Don’s Instagram feed, expressing his satisfaction at his full log stack, had some commenters shouting that he shouldn’t be romanticising a toxic pollutant, and others, myself included, sharing the glow of warmth of the prospect in the image. My childhood home had its inglenook fire lit about 50 weeks a year and my job was to keep the log bin full, barrowing in loads of ash and birch, hauled up from the woods on winter weekends with…

What’s your background? I studied fashion at Leeds University and then mixed media textiles at the Royal College of Art. I joined Dyson as a CMF (Colour, Material and Fabric) designer and worked closely with James Dyson and his team on the look and feel of a new car. When he decided not to take the electric car project forward I decided it would be the perfect time to leave and start my own business. I started working on Duo-Hue by Amelia Ayerst in January 2020 just before the first lockdown and finally launched the website in February this year. Can you tell us more about the technique you use? Duo-Hue is a unique digital embroidery stitch that integrates craft and technology. I always wanted to take the craft of embroidery and make…