Period Living

This issue celebrates pattern in many forms, reflecting the growing confidence among homeowners to welcome prints into their interiors. We kick off our special focus with a decorating feature highlighting the latest looks in fabrics, wallpapers and tiles (page 22). Stripes, fruit motifs, leafy designs and chequerboard prints are strong themes this season, but we could have filled the pages of the magazine many times over with inspiring new launches or reworked archive ranges from design houses that are responding to the decorative zeitgeist. Our wonderful readers’ homes are equally suffused with pattern, and showcase the owners’ unique, colourful and creative combinations – find geometrics, chevrons, florals, patchwork and linear designs sitting side by side in happy harmony. Becky Rossetto has embraced another emerging trend in her beautiful Victorian house…

INDOOR GARDEN As the days brighten and warm up, breathe new life into your home with fresh prints. Elston Garden from Laura Ashley’s SS25 collection is inspired by the aesthetic of wildflower meadows and features delicate watercolour depictions of harebells and cornflowers. Accent with sage greens and ochre yellows – these warm, earthy tones create a balanced palette that feels both grounded and uplifting. Elston Garden wallpaper, £48 a roll; Hedgerow Green matte emulsion, from £44; Honey Garrat tall storage bench with coat rack, £995; Candy Stripe Newport Blue fabric, from £36m; Kinsham Stripe Ochre Yellow Cambridge chair, from £775, Laura Ashley. ON THE LOOSE Neptune’s popular Eliza sofa, known for its minimalist aesthetic, has been given a relaxed update this season with a loose cover option which drapes gracefully…

Painter and print designer Sophie Harpley works from her home studio in London. ‘It’s a peaceful loft space which overlooks a cemetery; my view is full of trees, grass and squirrels so I like to imagine I’m in the countryside,’ says Sophie. In her early career, she took a role at the V&A museum, where she felt so inspired by pattern design she chose to do an MA in Graphic Arts, specialising in print. After working for a decade as a freelance illustrator for interiors brands, she now works solely on her own work, painting all her patterns by hand using gouache and watercolour paper to create original wallpapers and linen. ‘My work is quite relaxed, freehand and feminine. A little bit nostalgic and playful, too,’ says Sophie. ‘I see…

‘Fruity prints, especially citrus motifs, bring a vibrant zest to interiors… spaces feel cheerful and welcoming’SAFFRON HARE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAMES HARE ‘Chequered prints seem to be undergoing a resurgence. We are seeing a growing appreciation for bolder checks’EMILY MOULD, DIRECTOR OF DESIGN AND EXCELLENCE, THE ROMO GROUP…

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THE STORY OWNERS Lola Swift runs an interior design consultancy (lolaswift.co.uk) and lives here with husband Mike, CEO of a management consultancy, their three children Lexy, 22, Clara, 18, and Alfie, 14, plus Australian Labradoodle Jessie PROPERTY A six-bedroom, semi-detached four-storey Edwardian villa on the outskirts of Bath. Built in 1903, it was once a nursing home for wounded soldiers to convalesce WHAT THEY DID After essential electrical, plumbing and décor improvements, the couple undertook a comprehensive renovation to create an expansive open-plan kitchen and bright living space. New bathrooms were fitted and the basement was transformed into a spacious playroom Finding their perfect new home for sale just across the road from their old house, in an area they loved, was more luck than Lola and Mike had dared…