25 Beautiful Homes November 2016

Here we are in November, which usually brings plenty of cold, wet and gloomy days. On such occasions, it usually means it’s time to light a fire to make our homes feel warm and welcoming. We had our logs delivered and chimneys swept in September, ready for the winter. I love having fires – I know that they’re messy but, perversely, I don’t mind clearing out the grate and setting a new one. When I was a child, I used to offer to do it for my mum who probably thought I was mad, but was always grateful. A fire, whether it’s roaring up the chimney or just a few dying embers, adds something to a home and I do love the cliché of sitting in a room with a…

1 WISE BUY Owls at Night lidded candle, £29.95, Emma Bridgewater 2 MELLOW SHADES Dunwich Heath oblong cushion, £35, National Trust 3 SEASONAL COLOUR Faux dahlia in vase, £10, George 4 IN A NUTSHELL Castro speaker, £45, Habitat 5 STAY COSY Cream knitted Sherpa-back throw, £25, Tesco Direct 6 LOAFING ABOUT Mary Berry bread bin, £35, John Lewis 7 CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK Beeton butcher’s trolley in reclaimed pine and steel, £449, Swoon Editions 8 SIT ON KNIT Grey knitted pod, £60, Next 9 CLOSE TO NATURE Juno rocking chair, £630, Voyage Maison…

1 COCKTAIL HOUR Marble trolley in white, £470, Out There Interiors 2 ORIENTAL ADORNMENT Palm tree candelabra, £25, Butterfly Home by Matthew Williamson at Debenhams 3 GOOD AS GOLD Sloane cluster pendant, £120, Next 4 KEEP IT TEAL Heathfield & Co Grace Moire teal table lamp, £575, Luxdeco 5 REFLECTED GLORY Corum mirror, £2,444, Christopher Guy 6 MIDAS TOUCH Alison Cork gingko leaf trays, £24 for two, QVC 7 EXOTIC ACCENT Fleur cushion, £45, Biba at House of Fraser 8 TREASURE CHEST Teagen small console table with drawers, £345, Out There Interiors…

BUTTONED HEADBOARD I’m trying to find a deep-buttoned headboard for my existing bed. Can you help and do you know how I would attach it? CAROLINE JONES, PEMBROKESHIRE This is a fantastic way to make a bed feel incredibly inviting and luxurious. Loaf’s (0845 468 0527, loaf.com) Benji headboard sits on the floor and can be attached to the wall with batons or directly to your bed base. It is available in double, king and super-king sizes and a range of fabrics; for a king-size version upholstered in House linen-mix fabric, H111 x W154 x D29cm, the cost is £775. The plush Richmond headboard (shown) by The White Company (020 3758 9222, thewhitecompany.com) comes in two heights and eight fabrics, all in muted colours. It has mount fittings for beds, divans or…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached villa, built in 1895 LOCATION East Sussex ROOMS Hall, kitchen-diner/ sitting area, study, utility room, cloakroom, six bedrooms (one en suite), two bathrooms PURCHASED May 2014 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We used to live in a 1920s house nearby in Hove,’ says Lucy. After renovating their house in Hove, Sussex, Lucy Rutler and her husband Julien were keen to take on a bigger property to give their three children, Elise, now 15, Lara, 12, and Leon, 8, more space. So much so, that when they viewed a large Victorian villa nearby, they weren’t put off by its sorry state. The house was divided into three flats, and was in desperate need of a structural and cosmetic overhaul – but it was perfectly proportioned and just a two-minute walk from the beach. ‘It was clear…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian red brick LOCATION Dublin ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, snug, cloakroom, four bedrooms, dressing room, bathroom, two shower rooms PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in a smaller Victorian house nearby,’ says Wesley. This was the most unloved house I had ever seen,’ says property scout and interior designer Wesley O’Brien of his latest project in a pretty Dublin suburb. ‘It was a huge undertaking and not for the fainthearted. But I was excited to take it on as I could see a lot of potential there.’ The three-storey Victorian house that Wesley shares with wife Patricia, and their art-student daughter Julie, had been divided into seven flats many years ago and few period features remained. There were additional walls, kitchenettes and WCs dotted throughout, with scant regard for…