NEWS Monthly digest of noteworthy people and inspiring products

NOTEBOOK

Our monthly edit of news, shopping inspiration and inside information

SPOTLIGHT ON…

Escapism At Home

Finding a sense of escapism at home has never been more important. How to achieve this soothing sense of openness, freedom and possibility varies from person to person, such as adding a focal point to draw the eye down the full length of the garden, or placing mirrors opposite each other making narrow hallways and other tight spaces feel vast. A bespoke approach ensures maximum delight.

Dating back to ancient Greece, the art of trompe l’oeil has long been used to extend a feeling of space beyond four walls. Ornate Renaissance ceilings that seem to soar skywards achieve an awe-inspiring sense of calming space.

On a smaller scale at home, a clever window-view mural like this one (above) by artist Andrea Haase at Wallsauce enables us to look ‘through’ a familiar wall and feel stylishly transported. wallsauce.com 

Convivial Gatherings

New table linen collections by India Hicks

Family is everything to India Hicks, from her parents – the late, great design icon David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks – to her partner David Flint Wood and their five children. So it is fitting that she chose to name her new tablecloths, napkins, table runners and placemats The Family Collection. Motifs pay tribute to family life past and present, from the flower in her grandfather’s buttonhole, to the swaying palm trees and sea ferns around her Bahamas home. These hand-blocked designs are intended to be mixed together at the table. “I really can’t cook, so I try to make up for it by setting a pretty table,” says India. “I want everyone around it to laugh, to argue, to create memories and stories.” indiahicks.com See p112 for India Hicks’s advice on outdoor entertaining.

Celebrating Our Queen

Officially marking Her Majesty’s birthday

To celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 95th birthday, a limited-edition range of official chinaware has been launched by the Royal Collection Trust.

Handmade in Stoke-on-Trent using methods that have remained unchanged for 250 years, the range is hand-finished with 22-carat gold and includes a teacup and saucer, mug, plate, pillbox and tankard.

The design was inspired by the pink roses growing in the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle which bloom in June, the month of The Queen’s official birthday. It also incorporates the Royal coat of arms above a garland of roses, shamrocks and thistles, the national emblems of the United Kingdom. All profits from sales will go to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity, for the care and conservation of the Royal Collection. rct.uk

Divine Inspiration

Nina Campbell with Halcyon Days

Design legend Nina Campbell vividly recalls a magical moment whilst on safari in Africa. “The first animal I saw, which rustled through the trees, was the wonderful neck of a giraffe,” she says. “That has always stuck in my head. Then seeing elephants drinking out of our swimming pool, and naughty monkeys used to hang around our cabin.”

This inspired The Serengeti Collection – one of two new fine bone china tea and dinnerware ranges in collaboration with Halcyon Days – adorned with bamboo shoots, tall grass, animals and basketweave illustrations. The equally charming Marguerite Collection has a pretty floral motif depicting the blue star-shaped blooms of Lithodora diffusa.

Both are 100 per cent hand-crafted in Stoke-onTrent. ninacampbellinteriors.com; halcyondays.co.uk

Havens For Heroes

Room makeovers for NHS keyworkers

Interior designer Francesca Rowan-Plowden founded Design Havens For Heroes last year, galvanising the interiors community to create room makeovers for NHS keyworkers on the front line of the Covid-19 crisis.

With support from over 300 interior designers and generous donations by more than 400 brands, the first few makeovers have now been completed.

NHS doctor Claire Fraser Taylor has been treating Covid patients at St George’s Hospital in London. She worked with designer and stylist Amy Davies Pereira to create a beautiful and calming room at home (left), with blush pink tones, soft edges and plants galore.

Claire says: “When Amy asked me where I relax in the house, I got tearful as I had nowhere to relax as the place was full of half-started projects needing professionals to complete. I had no sofa, as that had been caught up in Covid delays. I had nowhere to ‘zen’ and the thought of having a magical space has really been something for me to hold on to.”

Midwife Vanessa Dodds, who has been working on the NHS front line in Dagenham, East London, desperately needed the small flat she shares with her young daughter, Ariella, to become a

Escaping to tropical climes remains tantalisingly out of reach for now, making the exotic and evocative charms of Artisan Abode’s new collection all the more alluring.

Pattern, texture and colour abound, with luxurious throws, jewel-like cushions, tactile trims and vintage-style linens inspired by the architecture of Marrakech.

Many of the new-season additions to all five of the brand’s main collections – Coastal, Heritage, Riad, Palazzo and Loft – were designed in-house and made by Artisan Abode’s team of skilled artisans and craftspeople in Devon, whilst others were gathered from across the globe.

The uplifting colour palette encompasses warm terracotta and zingy citrus, deep lagoon blues and greens and sophisticated neutrals. Limited-edition pieces add an air of exclusivity, with freshly upholstered antique chairs, vintage vessels and woven rattan. Artisan Abode is the retail arm of design studio Artisans and Artists, founded by Susan Folwell and Robert Allen. artisanabode.co.uk

sanctuary. She collaborated with interior designers Julia Alexander and Fiona Duke to achieve a refreshed, functional space (above and below) combining practical needs with a calming quality and plenty of comfortable seating. “It is a joyful space to be in now,” says Vanessa. designhavensforheroes.org.uk

Seasonal Refresh

Artisan Abode’s new travel-inspired collection

BALHAM - HARRODS - HAMPSTEAD 0208 675 4808 www.indian-ocean.co.uk

Liberty Reimagined

New wallpapers & fabrics

Arthur Lasenby Liberty had a vision of a great ship crammed with treasures from around the world, docked in the streets of London. In 1875 when he opened the now-famous London emporium which bears his name, customers were dazzled by its global fabrics, ornaments and objets d’art.

The Modern Collector collection tips a hat to the founder’s adventurous spirit. Archival Liberty prints have been reworked to create what the brand calls “the beating heart of the collection”, which also features new artworks crafted by its in-house artists.

These luxurious Liberty interiors fabrics and wallpapers are all designed to combine harmoniously, paying homage to Liberty’s proud design and craftsmanship heritage, and to collectors past and present.

With six colour stories and a special focus on surface, the designs were informed by artisan techniques. There are three designs: Floribunda draws from Victorian botanical illustrations balanced with reimagined small-scale Liberty florals. Art Nouveau features a reworking of the stylised beauty of floral forms from the Liberty design archive. Long a symbol of growth and rebirth, the ancient Tree Of Life motif has been reimagined for a new era. libertylondon.com The Museum of the Home (formerly The Geffrye Museum) is due to reopen in May after an £18.1 million renovation. The London venue features homes through time. museumofthehome. org.uk

Glyndebourne’s opera festival returns from 20 May until 29 August with Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Verdi’s Luisa Miller, Rossini’s Il turco in Italia and Janáˇcek’s Kát’a Kabanová, plus Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde semi-staged with a full orchestra. glyndebourne.com

Enjoy exceptional artworks from the comfort of home by viewing The Viking Cruises British Art Prize online virtual exhibition of shortlisted art from 14 May to 10 June. This major new national contest is open to artists of all levels. thevikingcruises britishartprize.co.uk

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