25 Beautiful Homes May 2016

With the better weather arriving and more bank holidays on the horizon, it’s time for us to throw open our doors and let the sunshine and fresh air in. The great thing these days is that all of us can aspire to adding bifold doors or French windows to our home, as there’s such a wide variety of designs that are environmentally sound and come at different price points. Looking through this month’s issue, I can see that plenty of our owners have opted to take the plunge, either when extending or reconfiguring their homes, adding sliding or bifold doors to allow beautiful views of the garden. A couple of older properties in this issue have what I’d call proper timber-framed French windows and I have a bit of a…

1 ON THE GO Thüros table-top stainless steel barbecue grill, H18 x W37.5 x D32cm, £79.99, Lakeland 2 SALAD DAYS Menu Dropp! silicone bowl in Snow White, £35, The Scandinavian Shop 3 TERRACE LOOKS Heritage folding chair, £15, George 4 TROPICAL TREAT Amazon-print melamine picnicware, from £5, Linea at House of Fraser 5 SHADE SEEKER Lotus parasol, £99, Kaleidoscope 6 ELEGANT TOUCH Cast-iron planter holder with filigree details, suitable for a Dia17cm pot, £11.99, The Chelsea Gardener 7 SETTLE DOWN Ariel lounging armchair with large padded seat cushion, H70 x W86 x D72cm, £250, John Lewis 8 IN THE WEAVE Marquesas coffee table in dark grey made from all-weather rattan, H31 x W75 x D75cm, £295, Oka 9 NATURE LOVER Rustic metal bird bath, £52, Within…

1 BE SEATED Mullion linen slip cover for Echo chair, £195 for cover only, Nicky Haslam range at Oka 2 TRUE BLUE Hand-finished Lorelei sink, £600, London Basin Company 3 SPACE FOR SPICE Saffron storage box in Midnight Diamond, £119, Swoon Editions 4 WHAT A DISH Moroccan blue ceramic nibble bowls, available in three patterns, £3 each, Sainsbury’ 5 STEP ON IT Mineral rug in blue, from £49 for 80 x 150cm, Very 6 MOORISH MOOD Stoneware tagine, £39.99, Lakeland 7 HOW BAZAAR Flower and tile print cushion in Duck Egg, £19.50, Marks & Spencer 8 SOUK-STYLE SERVER Large Valencia oval platter in blue, £16, Bhs 9 LIGHT FANTASTIC Cyan TL ceramic blue and white table lamp base, £107, Där Lighting…

With the better weather arriving and more bank holidays on the horizon, it’s time for us to throw open our doors and let the sunshine and fresh air in. The great thing these days is that all of us can aspire to adding bifold doors or French windows to our home, as there’s such a wide variety of designs that are environmentally sound and come at different price points. Looking through this month’s issue, I can see that plenty of our owners have opted to take the plunge, either when extending or reconfiguring their homes, adding sliding or bifold doors to allow beautiful views of the garden. A couple of older properties in this issue have what I’d call proper timber-framed French windows and I have a bit of a…

FLOOR-STANDING MIRROR I can’t find a standalone mirror with a pale grey frame, to go with the French-style pieces in my bedroom. Can you help? BELLA JAMES, BY EMAIL A full-height mirror is useful for a head-to-toe outfit check and will make your room appear larger. Brissi (020 7229 2323, brissi.com) has an Aspen wooden design (shown right) with a matt grey finish, H200 x W100cm, £420. For a smaller style, Neptune’s (01793 427300, neptune.com) Chichester mirror, H154 x W56cm, £250, has a pared-back frame that comes in Limestone or Old Chalk, but for an extra £55 you can choose from 28 more colours, including some grey hues. An all-glass design would also work – The French Bedroom Company (01444 415430, frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk) has one with a glass-studded border, H200 x W110cm, £495. FAUX-WOOD…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Townhouse, built in 1928 LOCATION Meersel-Dreef, Belgium ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen, kitchen/parlour, veranda, two bedrooms, dressing room, two bathrooms PURCHASED 2001 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before buying this place, we rented a period farmhouse nearby,’ says Ingrid. One evening, while attending a party in the village of Meersel-Dreef, house hunters Ingrid van Huizen and Jos Antonissen spotted a 1920s townhouse for sale. Though it was a different style and era from the dream farmhouse they had envisaged, it sparked their imaginations and suited their budget. As they had been searching for a new home for two years, they took the plunge and bought it. ‘The building was in a horrible state,’ says Ingrid, ‘but we could see its potential.’ The couple completely reconfigured the property, transforming a small building and its two adjoining barns into what…