25 Beautiful Homes June 2017

Whenever I try to get a little healthier, I always start by making small changes. This could be walking an extra ten minutes a day or simply cutting out biscuits, both of which I know will help towards my overall wellbeing. I can also relate this notion to the decorating frenzy I’m in the middle of at home, and which I’ve learnt to approach in a similar ‘major improvements can be made through small adjustments’ way. Taking on the challenge of doing one room at a time, and displacing ‘stuff’ around the house while getting the job done, has made me look at spaces differently. I’ve become ruthless – objects that have just been sitting on a shelf for years are having to earn their place, and if they don’t…

1 BEAT THE HEAT Bloomingville Tapanga outdoor shower, £135, Out There Interiors 2 AT YOUR SERVICE Ben de Lisi Home bamboo servers, £10, Debenhams 3 WATER WORKS Blue and copper watering can, £16.99, Dobbies 4 SITTING COMFORTABLY Summer Solstice Flag floor cushion, £18, Sainsbury’s 5 SMALL WONDER Sentry garden shed, £180, QVC 6 DO THE TWIST Bottle opener, £15, Paperchase 7 LUXURY LAMP Pols Potten lantern, £103, Amara 8 GROWTH AREA Contemporary steel window box, from £195, Garden Requisites 9 HANGING AROUND Andaman hanging chair with seat pad in Blue, £350, Next…

1 TAKE A SEAT Jolie chair, £449, Marks & Spencer 2 LIGHT THE WAY Hue pendant shade, £29, Made 3 NATURAL BEAUTY Staghorn faux coral, £98, Oka 4 ALL BOXED UP Bundleberry trunks, £88.50 for two, Amanda Holden collection at QVC 5 PASSION FOR PATTERN Samode indoor/outdoor rug, from £52, Dash & Albert Europe 6 TABLE MANNERS Hinterland cotton napkins, £6 for four, Sainsbury’s 7 CHIC CERAMIC Russel Wright American Modern, pitcher, £60, Eclect Design 8 FORM AND FUNCTION Rice DK cane table in Soft Coral, £250, Sisters Guild 9 SOFT TOUCH Harkin Geranium cushion, £52, Voyage Maison…

Whenever I try to get a little healthier, I always start by making small changes. This could be walking an extra ten minutes a day or simply cutting out biscuits, both of which I know will help towards my overall wellbeing. I can also relate this notion to the decorating frenzy I’m in the middle of at home, and which I’ve learnt to approach in a similar ‘major improvements can be made through small adjustments’ way. Taking on the challenge of doing one room at a time, and displacing ‘stuff’ around the house while getting the job done, has made me look at spaces differently. I’ve become ruthless – objects that have just been sitting on a shelf for years are having to earn their place, and if they don’t…

DISGUISING A CHIMNEY FLUE What colour paint should I use on a wall to minimise the visual impact of the black flue of our free standing, wood-burning stove? TESSA SLIMON, DEVON I spoke to Judy Smith, colour consultant at Crown (0330 024 0281, crownpaints.co.uk), and she advised against using a pattern behind the flue, as this will draw attention to it. She suggested a dark matt emulsion such as Midnight Navy, from £14 per 1.25 litres, or City Break, from £13 per 2.5 litres. Jenny Luck, colour consultant at Little Greene (020 7935 8844, littlegreene.com), recommends an absolute matt emulsion in a deep, sumptuous tone, and suggests Cordaba for a warm, rich feel, Obsidian Green (shown) or Invisible Green for a dramatic effect, or Scree or Lamp Black if you are drawn…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Victorian villa LOCATION Edinburgh ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, TV room, conservatory, utility room, boot room, play room, cloakroom, six bedrooms (two en suite), four bathrooms PURCHASED 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a terraced house in London’s Holland Park,’ says Jo. Leaving London to be nearer family in Scotland felt instinctively right for Jo and Matt Smith when their daughter Isobel, now 4, was born. ‘We already had a son, Oscar, 10, but I was beginning to feel that we would all really benefit from living closer to our relatives and the space and lifestyle that Edinburgh had to offer,’ explains Jo. The couple viewed several properties before falling in love with this Victorian villa. ‘The huge window over the staircase and wraparound garden is just something we couldn’t…