Period Living January 2022

Ver the last two years, many of us have spent more time at home than in any other period of our lives. Lockdowns have driven a boom in home improvements, as we seek to enhance our living spaces through extending, renovating, redecorating, gardening, or even just having a good clean and declutter. But with so much going on, and tradespeople in high demand, not everyone has been able to press ahead with their plans. So, if you’ve been holding off on starting a project, then why not make a resolution to get things underway in 2022? The new year is the ideal time to reflect and adjust priorities, and tends to fuel a burst of motivation, so take advantage of it. And, if you have been busy improving your home,…

BY THE FIRESIDE I have been an occasional reader of PL for some years, as I thought that I didn’t really have time for regular magazine reading while refurbishing my 200-year-old Kentish ragstone cottage. However, I have now taken out a subscription after realising that a morning spent reading PL resulted in several days of motivation to the benefit of my renovation project. I recently fitted a reclaimed fireplace into the chimney breast in my bedroom after agonising for weeks over which style to go for, as there was no evidence of the original. Eventually, I just chose the one I liked best, so I was delighted to read in the October issue that this was the correct strategy. Bryony Levermore COOKING UP A STORM Last year we found our…

Time to reflect Before the busy new year sets in, take time to savour special moments with friends and family. Style a calm, pared-back celebratory table by choosing rustic pieces in linen, pottery and brass, bound by a natural palette of oatmeal, grey and cream with pops of dusky green. Finish with plenty of candlelight and sprigs of fresh foliage. Emily linen napkins in Mist, £40 each, Lulworth crockery in Grey, from £54, Kimmeridge hurricane, £42, and tealight holder, £22, all Neptune. SHOPPING DESTINATION Passionate about African fabrics and interior design, Eva Sonaike launched her eponymous interiors brand in 2009. Her aim is to bring a vibrant West African aesthetic into people’s homes through her own collection of furnishings, fabrics, wallpapers, lampshades, rugs and cushions. Raised in Germany and of…

With a new year comes the opportunity to look to a bright future, and where better to start than by injecting your home with mood-enhancing colour? Fresh, airy and imbued with the restorative power of nature, light sky blues have this year been tipped by interiors experts as the perfect backdrop to modern living. ‘Whether we are working or relaxing, creating or exercising, it is essential to have a space that reflects the optimism and desire for a fresh, new start that is top of the agenda for the year ahead,’ says Marianne Shillingford, creative director of Dulux, which has announced ‘Bright Skies’ as its Colour of the Year. Naturally soothing, but equally energising and hopeful, the shade promises to bring the outside in to enhance well-being. Pair it with…

From a beautiful old oast house near Rye, willow weaver Julie Gurr designs, creates and sells a range of baskets that are unlike anything you are likely to find in mainstream outlets. Quirky shapes, unusual colours and intricate patterns are the hallmark of her painstaking work, which draws on the skills and ancient traditions of basket weaving from around the world. Unlike most basket makers, however, Julie has a particularly impressive unique selling point: she grows her own range of willows – more than 2,000 plants covering 15 varieties - on her partner James Strangeways’ farmland on the famous Romney Marsh. Her ultimate aim is to become totally self-sufficient so that she grows all her own willow, prepares it on site and transforms it into woven items for her customers…

Renovation is perhaps a slight understatement when Caroline and Neil Baldwin describe the work they have completed on their beautiful Grade II-listed Georgian home, The Eades. When they viewed the house in 2016 it had countless features to recommend it. There’s the dramatic curved bay window overlooking 15 acres of land at the back of the house, the sweeping cantilevered staircase, an elegant drawing room and spacious kitchen, and – a bonus at this time of year - a beautifully proportioned dining room, perfect for New Year celebrations. An equally long list of essential repairs also became apparent on that first viewing but there was hardly a moment’s hesitation from Caroline and Neil, who were living nearby and had always admired the property. The couple’s offer was accepted and before…