Country Homes & Interiors July 2021

This month, we’re bringing you a sun-drenched, flower-filled explosion of colourful country style. From lazy days in the garden and long lunches with family and friends (at last!) to gorgeous floral decorations to make for a party, we’re celebrating summer days and the gifts the season brings us. Our new In a Country Garden column from floral designer Brigitte Girling (page 123) is just one example, and you can see even more tips and inspiration from Brigitte online at homesandgardens.com/country. Looking through the gorgeous homes in this issue, I’m struck by the way colour and flower prints – staples of country style – can be endlessly reinterpreted. I love how each of the owners has expressed their own style and personality in their décor, and I’ll be pulling out tips for…

Things that make us happy...“JUICY EVERYTHINGS, FROM JAM-PACKED AFTERNOON TEAS TO STAYCATIONING WITH SUNSHINE SMILES AND A FRESH SENSE OF FREEDOM” FEATURE HOLLY PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHS FUTURECONTENTHUB.COM/MARK BOLTON, SUSSIE BELL…

Furniture launch Introducing the Kavali Collection of affordable, eco-friendly furniture from Wooden Furniture Store. Handmade by skilled craftsmen from environmentally sourced, solid hardwood and reclaimed metal, the Kavali Collection blends retro and modern styles with a rustic finish. The range features desks, storage and seating, including these stools with angular, recycled metal legs, £299 for set of three, wooden-furniture-store.co.uk . ZOE GLENCROSS NEW ELEMENTS COLLECTION Fabric designer Zoe Glencross has added five new designs to her Elements collection of English-made linens. Taken from nature, Seafoam, Swirl, Fallen Leaf, Whirlwind and Confetti are available in a pretty palette of pinks, aqua blues and sunny yellows, £70m, zoeglencross.com. Reading corner: Curate your own home story Grab a cuppa and nestle into evocative imagery and interior inspiration from Lynda Gardener and Ali Heath. With a love of monochrome…

The views from Jen Bernard’s family holiday home are so striking that the bedrooms have been named after them, inextricably linking the house and landscape. ‘We have Cheviot, after the hills, Spring Hill, after the farm nearby and Bamburgh, for the view of the castle,’ says Jen. But aside from the views of famous Northumberland landmarks, one of the house’s greatest trump cards is its nearness to the sea, a few hundred metres away – a mere pebble’s throw. Jen’s family have a strong connection with the region. ‘We’ve had properties in Northumberland since I was a small child,’ she says. ‘We had a house on a farm near here and whenever Pippa and I were cycling past on the way to the beach as children we’d stop to admire this…

Visit… ‘Picnic Bay is a hidden gem just down the hill and its sheltered beach is perfect for picnics and rounders when the tide is out. Alnwick Castle (alnwick castle.com) is where Harry Potter was filmed and is a great day out.’ Shop at… ‘Old Forge Antiques (01890 820521) for amazing antiques in Ford village. Blacketts in Bamburgh Walled Garden (blacketts-bamburgh.co.uk) is a great gift shop.’ Go for a meal at… ‘The Potted Lobster (thepottedlobster. co.uk) in Bamburgh, a relaxed and cosy seafood restaurant that never disappoints. Bait at Beadnell (facebook.com/baitatbeadnell) do amazing fish finger sandwiches.’…