ELLE Decoration Country No. 18

I’m writing this having just had my first Covid vaccine dose a couple of hours ago. Thankfully, aside from a sore arm, there are no noticeable side effects. Apart from the fact that I’m beside myself with excitement, that is… I’m frankly light-headed at the thought of the tantalising freedoms ahead. The chance to hug and hold loved ones close, the opportunity to press up against sweaty strangers as we dance at a live music gig, get served in a packed pub and swig a cold pint of draught beer. Beyond these endless anticipations, I also can’t wait to get away from the hard, urban confines of London, to stride through fields of sunflowers or feel the sea washing over my bare feet. As ever, this issue of ELLE Decoration…

Born in 1834, William Morris spent a seemingly idyllic childhood running through country fields and tending to the patch of garden he and his siblings shared at the family home, Woodford Hall in Essex. This affinity with nature went on to suffuse all aspects of his creative output, from his poetry and artwork to his wallpaper and fabric designs, which became the backdrop to Britain’s 19th-century arts and crafts movement. Almost 160 years since he breathed life into the majority of his creations, his motifs are as fresh and relevant as ever, not simply as a result of their bucolic subject matter, but due to the way the patterns manage to deliver a punch of maximalism while remaining calm and restful. In an 1884 essay titled Textile Fabrics, Morris succinctly explains…

For better or worse, last year was transformational for many city dwellers who chose to up sticks and head for more bucolic surroundings. Perhaps none more surprising than committed Londonite, the award-winning interior designer Kelly Hoppen CBE. Until last March, much of her life was spent either in her studio, not far from her London home, or on planes visiting her numerous projects around the world. And then Covid struck. While Kelly’s studio is busier than ever, she now spends half the week at a beautifully restored Cotswolds barn. ‘I’ve previously rented a place in the country and my daughter and grandson aren’t far away, so in many ways this area feels like a second home,’ she explains. ‘But I never thought I’d be this country. I love it. I feel…

‘There is a really incredible natural scent to this place. Almost all of the doors are open most of the time – there is the salt of the sea, the freshness of the greenery,’ says Ben Gorham, founder of fragrance house Byredo, of his stunningly modern beach retreat on Gotland. ‘There’s also a faint whiff of sheep,’ he adds with a smile, referencing the animals that share their name with this remote dot of land in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish island may be best known for the medieval architecture of Visby, a picturesque town and UNESCO world heritage site, but it also has a wild side. It is the latter that attracted Ben to build a home here to share with his wife Natasha and their two daughters, Ines and…

Growing up in the busy Spanish resort city of Palma, Adriana Meunié would find solace in her own secret hideaway: a secluded creek that ran close to her family home. It was here that she met Jaume Roig, and together they would quietly watch the ripples on the water. These still moments developed in the pair a deep and lasting love of nature. It wasn’t until many years later – Jaume now an artist and ceramicist and Adriana a textile artist – that their paths crossed again and they fell for each other. They moved into a shared studio space in the Mallorcan capital, living and working together, but something was missing. Both yearned for a quieter life beyond the bustle of the busy streets and tourists. The couple began searching for…

UNPLUGGED Essex, UK It was a two-week silent retreat in the Himalayas that first sparked the idea for this refuge, which is aimed at frazzled urbanites in dire need of a digital breather. The principle is broadly the same, if the setting a little more accessible. Bed down in an off-grid cabin nestled among fields and forest in rural Essex and fully switch off. The decision is taken out of guests’ hands quite literally, with phones plucked from your grip upon arrival and locked in a box for the three-day duration (though we’re promised the desperate can stage a break in). With views like these (above left), we suspect you won’t need to. Sleeps one or two, £390 for three nights (unplugged.rest). THE STABLES AT GREAT BARN FARM Norfolk, UK This sensitive barn…