25 Beautiful Homes February 2018

Recently, I made a Roman blind for one of my windows and, while I was measuring up, I noticed that there wasn’t a single straight line or 90 degree angle to work with. This got me thinking that, out of the nine properties I’ve lived in – with the exception of student flats – each one has been an older house, nothing later than Edwardian, and equally full of wonky lines. Those of you who own a new build will probably say that your home isn’t perfect either, reminding us that all houses carry individual quirks. Despite modern building materials and machine-made elements, the finished property can be just as characterful. And, of course, part of the charm of any house is its little imperfections. This issue, we’ve brought you…

Recently, I made a Roman blind for one of my windows and, while I was measuring up, I noticed that there wasn’t a single straight line or 90 degree angle to work with. This got me thinking that, out of the nine properties I’ve lived in – with the exception of student flats – each one has been an older house, nothing later than Edwardian, and equally full of wonky lines. Those of you who own a new build will probably say that your home isn’t perfect either, reminding us that all houses carry individual quirks. Despite modern building materials and machine-made elements, the finished property can be just as characterful. And, of course, part of the charm of any house is its little imperfections. This issue, we’ve brought you…

1 LAID BACK Snap sofa in Viola Lilac velvet, £1,714, Sofas & Stuff 2 SIDE SHOW Uno side table in lilac, £27, Wayfair 3 SEEING STARS Star dinner plate in purple/yellow, £19, Tokyo Design at Amara 4 BOTTLE IT UP Large glass bottle with an ombré effect, £30, Dunelm 5 LIGHT THE WAY Putney glass pendant light in antiqued brass, £98, Jim Lawrence 6 SPLASH OUT Gilded Drip linen cushion, £148, Jonathan Adler 7 SETTLE DOWN Fitz chair, £369, Swoon Editions 8 BIG COVER UP Kodari rug, £899, Brink & Campman 9 GLASS ACT Hint carafe, £30, LSA International…

1 COOL STOOL Boylan side table, £850, Eichhotlz at Pad Lifestyle 2 TAKE A PEW Salvage mango bench, £250, French Connection 3 NATURAL LIGHT Glass Bottle table lamp, £75, House of Fraser 4 TIP-TOP TUMBLERS Luxe glassware, from £4 each, French Connection 5 SKIN DEEP Gotland sheepskin rug in grey, £395, Toast 6 PILLOW TALK Mended tweed cushion, £145, Mourne Textiles at Margaret Howell 7 CUPBOARD LOVE Flutterby wardrobe, £1,095, Loaf 8 RUSTIC TOUCH Longton jug in teal, £8, Neptune 9 ROCK ON Melbury chair, £699, John Lewis…

DESIGN TIP ‘Consider the little details that will make a big difference. Here, a small wall that encloses the shelves prevents light reflecting off the TV screen’ Every Sunday, when family and friends gather round Megan Knight’s generous dining table for a long lunch, she realises just how successful the recent reconfiguration of her Twenties semi has been. Megan and her husband Ashley bought their Hove home in 2004, but a few years ago it became clear that they needed to rework the space to suit their needs. ‘I’d inherited my grandmother’s lovely old crockery and had pieces stored in the living room and in boxes under the beds,’ says Megan. ‘We’d also accumulated a lot of personal keepsakes over the years, which we wanted to properly appreciate and display. Ultimately,…

1 LAID BACK Snap sofa in Viola Lilac velvet, £1,714, Sofas & Stuff 2 SIDE SHOW Uno side table in lilac, £27, Wayfair 3 SEEING STARS Star dinner plate in purple/yellow, £19, Tokyo Design at Amara 4 BOTTLE IT UP Large glass bottle with an ombré effect, £30, Dunelm 5 LIGHT THE WAY Putney glass pendant light in antiqued brass, £98, Jim Lawrence 6 SPLASH OUT Gilded Drip linen cushion, £148, Jonathan Adler 7 SETTLE DOWN Fitz chair, £369, Swoon Editions 8 BIG COVER UP Kodari rug, £899, Brink & Campman 9 GLASS ACT Hint carafe, £30, LSA International…