Period Living

Summer is almost here – and with an extra bank holiday this June to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, there is much to celebrate. To help you make the most of this joyful season, this issue is brimming with inspiration for your home and garden. My personal highlight this month is the renovated 16th-century farmhouse belonging to Dewi Reynolds and Dan Pearce (page 24). The couple have put their hearts and souls into restoring their historic home, reinstating its character at every turn, and have also carried out a stunning garden transformation on the steeply sloping site. In the story, Dewi reveals how he had fantasised about owning a period property for most of his life. It’s so heartening to see his dream fulfilled, and to find out how the…

GARDEN PARTY The summer season is here and it’s time to embrace the great outdoors. Warmer weather is the perfect excuse to curate a decorative outside space for fabulous feasts with friends and family. Using the green of your garden as a blank canvas, fill it with bursts of bright colour. Take inspiration from Rowen & Wren, and dress the table with relaxed linens and display seasonal, colourful blooms in mismatched vases, jugs and jam jars to help define zones. Give your tabletop a sophisticated look with fine china, your best cutlery and decorative glassware, and use a scattering of candlelight to evoke atmosphere into the evening. ON THE BOOKSHELF As one of the most celebrated designers of the 19th century, William Morris helped to change the interior fashions of his day. His…

Over 200 designermaker businesses from across the UK will exhibit at Craft Festival Bovey Tracey in a beautiful parkland setting on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. The popular event is now in its 19th year and takes place between 17-19 June. To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, special guests will be the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), which supports talented craftspeople with training and education programmes. It will be presenting past scholars who will be demonstrating their craft, including potter Rebecca Harvey from Cornwall, who makes a range of bespoke porcelain tableware and sculptural pieces. Craft Festival Bovey Tracey is a not-for-profit organisation that hosts live events in Bovey Tracey, Devon and in Cheltenham. Its findamaker.co.uk online portal connects designermakers with customers and provides a business advice service to makers. Tickets…

I have always been a huge fan of cosy interiors. Roaring log fires, cashmere blankets, shaggy Icelandic rugs, vintage duvets, Moroccan lanterns and big vintage log baskets. But are they stylish, and can they work in the summer? Let’s face it, we might have had a heatwave in the UK in 2020 that lasted from March to September, but last year was, quite frankly, a let down. We must have had all of about four sunny days. So us Brits need to decorate accordingly, all year round. Coming home to a warm and welcoming cosy place is such a great feeling and it can be fairly simple to master. Set the atmosphere Soft lighting is the key here. Table and floor lamps, candles and wall lights are all essential. Apparently, one should…