Homes & Gardens

As we worked on the May issue, the Homes & Gardens team became eager to embrace the outdoors, tackle gardening projects and plan that dream getaway. At this time of year, the focus naturally shifts from interiors to exteriors and we begin to think about how the garden can extend the home. Our edit of gorgeous outdoor furniture (page 145) will help you do just that and the decorating feature (page 44) highlights the latest outdoor textiles, which have evolved from stiff and uncomfortable to soft and luxurious - so versatile, they can be enjoyed both indoors and out. Although unpredictable UK weather can make this challenging, I always seize the chance to fling open the back doors and dine alfresco. While my home may not be set against Mallorca’s…

CRAFT PROJECT Makers Made is a curated online gallery founded by five artists – Hal Haines, Harlie Brown, Kate Sellers, Rosie Harbottle and Sophie Harpley. The platform showcases original, handmade homeware, from ceramics and furniture to lighting and textiles, connecting buyers with artisans. By supporting independent UK-based makers, Makers Made fosters a community where artistry and craftsmanship thrive, providing customers with distinctive pieces to enrich their homes. All the latest interiors news, including a focus on tiled floors, the design show to visit and the people and brands supporting UK makers BRONZED BEAUTY Audo Copenhagen’s Pavot collection, designed with New York aesthete Colin King, features three vessels inspired by poppy seed heads. Cast in aluminium with a brown-bronzed patina, the centrepiece (shown), £245; bowl, £140, and vase, £155, showcase elongated…

Precision in every piece If you’re after floor tiling that makes an impact, it’s worth perusing the new Composition collection from tile and stone specialists Lapicida. The recently launched 12 designs formed of impressive collages of cut stone feature abstracted patterns, including checks and argyle print, signifying a new modern design direction for the stone experts. Yet rest assured that quality remains top-grade – the designs are made from a mix of premium natural stones, such as travertine, marble and basalt. The beauty of the stones’ organic colours and markings shine through, and the collection’s palette is defined by sophisticated natural hues such as amber browns, jade greens, monochromes and sandy beiges. The Composition collection works on walls as well as floors and can be viewed at Lapicida’s new London…

FOR Dutch furniture designer Onno Adriaanse, the starting point for every piece is nature. ‘I’ve always been fascinated by geological processes, as well as flora and fauna,’ he says. ‘As a child, I had my own “museum” filled with rocks, dried plants and more, and that fascination remains. I love studying how trees grow, how stones are shaped by erosion, and the shape of an insect’s shell. These forms, colours and textures inspire my designs.’ Having grown up in a creative family – his father owned an art gallery and his mother was a musician and ran a fashion boutique – he studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands before setting up his own business in 2016. ‘My parents took me and my sisters to museums all over…

LOPEN JOINERY KITCHEN BY BEN PENTREATH STUDIO Stepping away from the ‘watered-down’ neo-Georgian cabinetry so prevalent in modern spaces, this colourful Greco-Gothic kitchen will celebrate the detailing and materials found ‘below stairs’ in English country houses. Ben Pentreath director Rupert Cunningham is working with Leo Kary and Alice Montgomery to create ‘the least fitted kitchen possible’. The feel chimes with the studio’s approach ‘where each piece is connected through subtle design markers like they have been collected and curated rather designed by the same hand’. NUCLEUS MEDIA ROOM BY ALEX DAULEY Relaxing and opulent with a hint of drama is how Alex Dauley describes her approach to the design of this empty-nester, adults-only media room filled with gorgeous designs, objects and materials that those with young families probably wouldn’t risk…

COLOUR OF THE MONTH FIERY ORANGE JOYFUL CANVAS ‘For this snug TV room we wanted a warm yet cheerful colour. Malahide by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint is a versatile shade which works in dark or sunny rooms. It also makes a great backdrop for artwork - we’ve used it several times drenched over walls and joinery.’ Alex Keith, co-founder, Otta Design SUNSET GLOW ‘I wanted this penthouse at Chelsea Barracks to have a sense of glamour so I selected Dedar’s moiré Amoir Libre fabric wallcovering in Mandarine for its beautiful reflective qualities. It’s a flattering shade, especially in candlelight, and it pairs well with greens and blues.’ Susie Atkinson, founder, Studio Atkinson GROUNDING WARMTH ‘This beautiful Cotto tile from Clay Imports strikes the perfect balance between earthy and sophisticated. The…