Country Homes & Interiors January 2022

There’s big change ahead in my home this coming year… My son will be travelling to Japan (Covid rules permitting), then heading to university. My youngest is eyeing up his room, and planning to turn it into a chill-out space for when friends come over. I’ll be back commuting to the CH&I office and hoping my cat Hector won’t miss me as much as I will him. Transition times are emotional, but they’re also a chance to rethink our homes. Our next project is a new kitchen, with flexible storage so my husband can pack away his work to stop it taking over the dinner table! I’ll be spending the early days of the year browsing catalogues and planning. I hope this issue will help you squeeze every last joyous moment from…

Things that make us happy…“ADDING ‘FOLLOW THE STAR’ SPARKLE IN THE GARDEN”…

DELVE INTO THE ARCHIVE AT SANDERSON DESIGN The quintessentially British collective is delighted to unveil Archive by Sanderson Design. Transcending styles, genres and trends, Archive celebrates the group’s heritage, with flairs of eclecticism and maximalism. Classic designs have been reimagined with a contemporary look through vibrant new colourways across fabrics, wallpapers, accessories and made-to-measure curtains. Discover the full treasure trove at archive.sandersondesigngroup.com. New from Sophie Allport and National Trust Bringing countryside charm to hunker-down homes, Sophie Allport has partnered with conservation champion, the National Trust, to launch two adorable new collections of bespoke homewares: Hedgehogs and Trees. From sales generated from the collections, a minimum of £20,000 will be given to the National Trust to woodland conservation projects. Equally, the hedgehog design draws attention to our endangered nocturnal natives. Be enamoured by all…

Gathering extended family for Christmas can be a challenge but that’s not an issue for Helen and Tim Westgarth. Their spacious holiday home, which provides rental income during the year, is also where family and friends flock for special occasions. The barn is a former shearing shed that dates back to 1758. ‘We didn’t buy it through an estate agent; it actually came to us through the farming community,’ Helen says. ‘On first viewing, we weren’t sure if we could make it work. We could see the space that would become the living room and dining room but it was listed and we weren’t sure if we’d be able to extend.’ Its great location and views of the Yorkshire Dales made it worth the risk. The first design to go to planning…

Helen’s style tip… CREATE A RICH, WARMING SCHEME WITH RUSSET AND BURNT ORANGE MIXED WITH BURNISHED METALLICS CH&I MODERN Country CLASSIC…

A lot of expectations were riding on this little house when Ana Perez and Alan Flett made the decision to buy. Alan had a yen to live in the countryside, but city-girl Ana was reluctant to leave London. The compromise seemed to be a shift to suburbia, but neither was sure this would be the best option. ‘We decided to buy a holiday home instead,’ says Ana. ‘We had fallen in love with Norfolk and started visiting at weekends before finding this place online, and it solved the dilemma. The cottage is in a lovely little hamlet backing on to a forest and it has a stream running down the side – it really is magical.’ Almost all the properties the pair had viewed needed work but this was in another…