25 Beautiful Homes July 2017

Every month, 25 Beautiful Homes features houses that have been reconfigured and extended, offering inspiration for what we could attempt with our own homes over time. Then there are those that have undergone no structural changes, but from which we can take decorating cues that don’t involve months of work. What really fascinates me, however, are the new-builds. It isn’t that I covet the smooth walls, modern double-glazing and practical room layouts – I just never cease to admire how the owners have stamped their identity onto a blank canvas. Turn to page 112 and you’ll see what I mean. After buying off-plan, Kirsty Whitfield spent her time planning the look and feel of her home before she’d even moved in. Getting involved with your developer early often means you…

Every month, 25 Beautiful Homes features houses that have been reconfigured and extended, offering inspiration for what we could attempt with our own homes over time. Then there are those that have undergone no structural changes, but from which we can take decorating cues that don’t involve months of work. What really fascinates me, however, are the new-builds. It isn’t that I covet the smooth walls, modern double-glazing and practical room layouts – I just never cease to admire how the owners have stamped their identity onto a blank canvas. Turn to page 112 and you’ll see what I mean. After buying off-plan, Kirsty Whitfield spent her time planning the look and feel of her home before she’d even moved in. Getting involved with your developer early often means you…

1 PRETTY IN PINK Rustic Rose ceramic vases, £26.50 for set of three, Broste Copenhagen at Trouva 2 TIME FOR TEA Winsford teapot, £30, Neptune 3 CREATURE COMFORTS Leona laced birdhouse, £32 for small; £42 for large, Anthropologie 4 FALL IN LINE Karuma ceramic jugs, from £19.95, Nkuku 5 MOSAIC MAGIC Topim coffee table with ceramic top, £85, La Redoute 6 A TASTE FOR TEAL Jade Flower tealight holder, £12, Shabby Store 7 BOTANICAL BEAUTY Aragonez melamine plate, £78 for set of four, Oka 8 SHAPE UP Monochrome Decor tiles, £37.80sq m (supplied randomly), Mandarin Stone 9 BRIGHT IDEA Benedita table lamp, £90, Dar Lighting…

1 JUNGLE JOY Palm leaf cushion, £48, Bloomingville at Out There Interiors 2 ALL HUNG UP Rattan hanging chair, £250, Raj Tent Club 3 HARDY SHRUB Faux spiky yucca leaf plant, £30, Orchid 4 ON REFLECTION Paon natural rattan mirror, £105, Graham and Green 5 EASY LIVING Murcott jute round floor cushion, £125, Soho Home 6 SITTING IN STYLE Koba rattan chair with green legs, £295, Habitat 7 NATURAL TOUCH Luminance fringed rug, from £780, Woven 8 FRESH IDEA &Klevering Leaves porcelain basket, £43, Made in Design…

Sally Gillespie’s townhouse in London teems with wildlife. Not the real variety but the decorative. There are tapestries adorned with hummingbirds, dragonflies hover over wallpapers and birds flutter across cushions. Lights take their cue from nature, too, in the guise of antlers or branches with crystal drops that glitter like frost. On walls, tranquil landscapes paintings add to the feeling that you have stumbled out of a major city and into a secret garden. It’s a setting that mirrors Sally’s taste and her profession as a healer at the Healing Hands Network, an organisation that looks after war survivors. ‘I wanted everything to feel fresh and restful,’ she says, ‘with my love of nature threaded throughout. Sally discovered the property, which is set in a quiet cul-de-sac, three years ago. ‘I’d just…

1 PRETTY IN PINK Rustic Rose ceramic vases, £26.50 for set of three, Broste Copenhagen at Trouva 2 TIME FOR TEA Winsford teapot, £30, Neptune 3 CREATURE COMFORTS Leona laced birdhouse, £32 for small; £42 for large, Anthropologie 4 FALL IN LINE Karuma ceramic jugs, from £19.95, Nkuku 5 MOSAIC MAGIC Topim coffee table with ceramic top, £85, La Redoute 6 A TASTE FOR TEAL Jade Flower tealight holder, £12, Shabby Store 7 BOTANICAL BEAUTY Aragonez melamine plate, £78 for set of four, Oka 8 SHAPE UP Monochrome Decor tiles, £37.80sq m (supplied randomly), Mandarin Stone 9 BRIGHT IDEA Benedita table lamp, £90, Dar Lighting…