June 2019

The English Home

The very best in English design and lifestyle.

The English Home1 min read
A Letter From Home
Blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior by throwing open doors and windows and eating al fresco at the drop of a hat (and the removal of a raincloud) is a romantic ideal in England. The fleeting nature of sunshine in this part of the wo
The English Home6 min read
Notebook
A visit to the opera at Glyndebourne is, for some, an unmissable highlight of the English summertime. Founded in 1934 by John Christie and his soprano wife Audrey Mildmay, its summer festival and autumn tour operas attract 150,000 people every year.
The English Home4 min read
Perfectly PLACED
Susie Bell and her husband Ralph have owned a string of Georgian homes, so when it came to decorating their latest, Susie was comfortable finding colours and themes to unite the wonderful collection of antiques they have amassed over the years. “This
The English Home4 min read
Childhood REVISITED
Some of Sophie Kirk’s favourite memories are embedded in a pretty coastal town on the Isle of Wight where she went for the holidays as a child. Whilst she would spend hours beachcombing, walking along scenic coastline paths and watching the sunsets a
The English Home4 min read
Sense of PROPORTION
There is something undeniably pleasing to the eye about classic Georgian proportions. As well as the simple symmetry and balance, it is the harmonious fluidity and understated detail that combine to create a sense – in the words of Robert Browning –
The English Home4 min read
The gentle TOUCH
Stepping into Julie King’s home is to be immersed in the colours, textures and scents of the glorious surrounding Suffolk countryside. Her Victorian rectory near Bury St Edmunds sits in seven acres of garden and meadowland and its rooms play host to
The English Home5 min read
MY ENGLISH HOME Jilly Cooper
Prolific author Jilly Cooper has written scores of novels, including the Rutshire Chronicles series set in the Cotswolds, where she lives with her rescue greyhound, Bluebell. Jilly began her career as a journalist working on a local newspaper before
The English Home2 min read
A Good Night’s Sleep
A divan base (essentially, an upholstered box, with or without a matching headboard) is the most popular option for a bed base. Sprung-edge divans, featuring open coils or pocket-spring units that run from edge to edge, are thought to be the most lux
The English Home9 min read
Colour Confidence With Yellow
Yellow is a colour that cannot fail to cheer the spirits – naturally sunny, it brings a joyous burst of light and optimism, whether in citrus lemon, golden honey or warming mustard tones. In China, yellow is traditionally seen as being symbolic of po
The English Home6 min read
Blissful BEDROOMS
There is nothing quite like a good night’s sleep to refresh mind and body, and according to The Sleep Council, a bedroom that encourages peaceful slumber is key. Whatever the size of the room or the period of the property, the design and feel of a be
The English Home1 min read
VEERE GRENNEY On Yellow
“I find yellow an incredibly uplifting colour. It hits the solar plexus and cannot fail to bring a happy feeling to a room. It was very fashionable in the 1980s, then fell out of favour for a long time, but now yellow is regaining popularity. For 201
The English Home1 min read
Using Yellow Successfully
• When I worked with Mary Fox Linton in the 1980s, I learnt that there is not really a single colour that doesn’t work with yellow. It is actually a wonderful neutral. Green, pink, brown, off-whites, greys. All look fantastic with it. • Personally, I
The English Home8 min read
Global SPECIALISTS
Championing the skills native to our soil is something we at The English Home are proud to do. However, we think it is equally important to recognise and support the abilities, expertise and talents of artisans around the world. Our heritage of retur
The English Home7 min read
Savour OUTDOOR LIVING
Whether used as a place to daydream, come together as a family or relax with friends, a summerhouse is the perfect addition for laid-back summer living. Simply wander across the lawn, throw open the doors and soak up that get-away-from-it-all feeling
The English Home1 min read
Studio Writers
• Dylan Thomas penned some of his most notable works from his writing shed above The Boathouse – the property in Laugharne, Wales, where he spent the last years of his life. A reconstruction of the green-wood structure, itself originally a garage, is
The English Home3 min read
Passion For Patina
When she was a child, Lucy Haywood was taught to spot style in items that others might think past their best. As an adult, she has turned this talent into a business, opening a shop in Midhurst, West Sussex (and recently a second, just doors away), a
The English Home6 min read
June …in The Moment
Gather family and friends for a delicious summertime lunch in the garden, with outdoor games and plenty of cool cordial to sip in the shade. For flexible outdoor seating to meet the needs of different generations, Simon Burvill, co-founder of garden
The English Home2 min read
In An English Garden
June is the month for roses, and as such is a superb time to visit one of the country’s best rose gardens to seek inspiration. Consider National Trust property Mottisfont in Hampshire (right), which has the National Collection of pre-1900 old-fashion
The English Home6 min read
Reflective BEAUTY
Water is the very foundation of life. From the irrigation channels found in early Egyptian gardens diverting water from the Nile to irrigate crops, to the well-stocked fish ponds of early Christian monasteries, its life-giving properties have long be
The English Home2 min read
Timeless Treasures
During the Italian Renaissance, water was synonymous with the idea of rebirth, and this era saw the emergence of gardens replete with expansive canals, ornate fountains and tumbling cascades. “Before the English Civil War there were only a small numb
The English Home2 min read
My Passion For... Rattan
“When I was a very small child, I used to gaze at an oil painting of my grandfather that hung in my aunt’s house. He was sitting in a pretty, generously scaled, rattan chair, so perhaps this was my subliminal introduction to rattan furniture, as I ha

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