Homes & Gardens

This issue is a celebration of summer, partly inspired by a recent and enlightening work trip to the States. Americans know how to do outdoor living, with show-stopping garden furniture, living room-worthy performance fabrics, incredible garden spaces and alfresco kitchens commonplace. So, we thought, why not make outstanding outdoor living the norm here, too? We just need to be smart about the effects of the weather. Case in point? Our story The Heat is On (p55) showcases sophisticated all-weather fabrics and inspiration for using them; Design Rules (p74) offers practical advice on blurring the lines between the house and the garden; while Inside Out (p77) reinvents the idea of outdoor rooms for the UK. Sustainability is also a priority: Break Ground (p91) examines eco-conscious alternatives to lawns, while At One…

COLOUR RICH It’s been five years in the making for Farrow & Ball’s all-new Dead Flat paint finish, its most matt surface to date. Shown here in Beverly No.310, Dead Flat is £31 for 750ml. Like all the brand’s paints, it is handcrafted in Dorset using the highest quality ingredients, including a new component that makes this durable formulation possible. This rich, colour-drenching finish, which can help minimise imperfections, can be used across woodwork, walls and metalwork and is pleasingly scuff-resistant and washable. COLLABORATIVE COLLECTION Oka co-founder Sue Jones has collaborated with Martina Mondadori, founder and editor-in-chief of the interiors magazine Cabana. The collection, comprising three lampshades, Arabesque, Veneto (shown) and Ambi, from £150, naturally lends itself to mixing and matching with the Pilastro hand-turned wooden lamp, £225, which is available in four…

Camellia Taylor@thegardentaylor Tell us about The Garden Taylor. The Garden Taylor is a garden and landscape design company I established four years ago based in Kent. We work on a variety of projects from creating food forests to family gardens. Every project is completely different, which means it’s always exciting. How do you approach landscape design? For me, the first step is establishing a good understanding of the environment. It’s an important step and one I always take my time with. I like to open my senses to what’s around me and what’s outside the boundaries that can be connected with the garden. I was recently at a visit where the client loved the sight of a beech tree beyond the garden, so I framed the tree within the design to enhance that connection. Who…