Stories 5 GBP

STORIES

We believe in a different perspective.

FOR AU T U M N

VOLUME 5 AUTUMN 2017

Matilda armchair Brompton lamp neptune.com/adifferentperspective

STOR IES

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OUR STOR ES

STOR E IN STOR E

COMING SOON Bath

Neptune by Treehouse Midmar, Aberdeen 01330 830 101

NEW Belfast 028 9691 9988 Bournemouth 01202 555 024 Bristol 0117 246 4200 Bury St Edmunds 01284 731 025 Canterbury 01227 209 300 Cheltenham 01242 330 420 Chester 01244 478 777 Chiswick 020 3814 1220 Colchester 01206 212 650 NEW Edgbaston 0121 437 4137

STOR IES

Farnham 01252 713 047 Fulham 020 7371 9997 NEW Guildford 01483 345 480 Hailsham 01323 849 483 Hove 01273 458 459 Reading 0118 932 6060 Southport 01772 812 812 Tonbridge 01732 351 866 Weybridge 01932 901 234 Wimbledon 020 3362 8240 Winchester 01962 850 556 York 01904 231 870 Neptune Outlet 01793 427 439

Neptune by Creative Classics, Ayr 01292 292 570 Neptune by Sims Hilditch, Bath 01249 783 087 Neptune by Woods of London, Blackheath 020 8852 1713 Neptune by Robert James Interiors, Coventry 02476 544 818 Neptune by Hunters, Derby 01332 349 285 Neptune by Woods Furniture, Dorchester 01305 262 666 Neptune by Richard F Mackay, Edinburgh 0131 3133 300 Neptune by Bridgewater Interiors, Gateshead 0191 477 6680 Neptune by House of Wood, Hereford 01432 820 612 Neptune by Aberford Interiors, Leeds 0113 2813 209 Neptune by Ben Heath, Newbury 01635 523 123 Neptune by Wilton Kitchens, Salisbury 01722 743 332 Neptune by Allen & Allen, Wilmslow 01625 535 255 Neptune by Sacarello Interiors, Gibraltar +(00)350 200 66423 We have Neptune stores across the whole of the UK, Ireland and Europe. To see all of our homes, visit neptune.com/find-a-store.

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“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolour, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.�

Stanley Horowitz

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Foreword

Each volume of Stories is written to reflect the season that we’re in. In autumn, you’ll find recipes and music that taste and sound their best from late September through to November (we know autumn technically continues into December, but we’re well into the Christmas spirit by then). And you’ll come across articles best read under a warm blanket on a chilly afternoon. But, it’s not all fallen leaves and hibernation, we’ve also included features that help to tell the story behind our autumn/winter collection, things to learn about, and an idea or two to inspire, we hope. Every article has a context, each one has earned its place.

There’s another something especially new in this volume too. Stories is a very small team, usually joined by a journalist or two to contribute an article.

This time though, we invited quite a few other people to join in. So, look out for articles by leading journalists from ELLE Decoration UK, The Times, and The Simple Things; from the founders of brands that we respect and admire; and even by you – our forever loyal customers.

As always – we can’t wait to hear what you think. stories@neptune.com

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Features

N O V E L T H I N K I N G 19

TE A L A PPE A L 30

What could be better than filling our homes with stories? To paraphrase the wise words of the Roman philosopher Cicero, ‘a room without books is like a body without a soul’. The comfort and patina of well-loved tomes creates a warm, lived-in feel that emanates throughout a room.

Teal is Neptune’s signature shade for autumn/winter.

Warmer, softer and more unexpected than navy, it still shares that colour’s timeless beauty. Here, we delve into its history and show how it can be used to transform a room.

LOOK I NG TO T R A DI T ION 57 C A L L US COL L EC TOR S 25 It was our seasonal story that got us wondering about writing something about the notion of collecting.

What does it mean to be a collector? Why do we do it? And what is it that people collect? But instead of us doing the talking, we emailed all of our customers to ask them to become authors, to tell their own collector’s tale.

This season, we’re thinking more about traditions that have been usurped by modern life, but which are nevertheless being championed, more and more, by younger craftspeople. And in doing so, we came across one small, local business in particular, whose values are very much in line with our own and that we certainly thought were worth sharing with you – Meticulous Ink.

PAGE 5-6 Brompton desk light in Antique Brass £140 Castlefield stripe throw in Mustard £200 Alderney conical hurricane vase £64 Charlotte grand sofa in Isla Otter £1,980 Blyton pillar candle in Teal £8

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THE SE ASON The Great British library. Literature.

Heritage. Curating. Collecting.

These are all words, places and sentiments that have shaped the story behind our autumn/winter collection and this fifth volume of Stories.

You’ll feel it on some pages more than others, but its presence is very much there, somewhere, on every page.

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A different perspective For those who know Neptune well, you might have noticed two words that we use time and time again – we believe.

They’re important to us because we want to do everything we can to explain what we stand for and the values that guide everything we do.

On certain page backgrounds, we‘ve used colours from our paint collection. They’re a close representation of their true shades, but if you want to see the real thing, we’d suggest trying our sample paint pots. This is Fine Mahogany. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

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At the start of September, you might have noticed our new advertising creative (if not, we’ve included our current campaign on the back page). This time, we’ve chosen one line that we think sums up all of our beliefs, strongly and succinctly. Every month or so, either Giles or I will be writing a short article on our online journal to explain one of related strands that this line covers, in the hope it gives you a greater understanding of all of the thought that fuels our designs, and ultimately, our philosophy.

We believe in a different perspective We aren’t trying to achieve perfection, despite us being a group of perfectionists – myself in particular. Many companies claim that they are, but we’re trying to create things that make life a bit better in the best way that we can.

Because we’re meticulous in the way we do things, and because we have the highest standards, we’ve found that many people think we’re a company trying to create stereotypically perfect homes and artificially perfect lifestyles. This is even true of people at Neptune. Only a few weeks ago I purposefully moved around a load of cups, glasses and jugs on one of our kitchen shelves, returning later to see they’d all been put back – standing ‘perfectly’ in line. Pristine and rigid aren’t part of our vocabulary though. Often, asymmetry is more appealing than symmetry; ironically, it feels more in balance. It has something to do with nature – when did you ever see bluebells appear in a symmetrical clump? Or a tree’s branches sprouting off each side at the same point, at the same angle? I moved everything again to a more natural, sporadic arrangement, and decided this would be the first part of our perspective that I would write about.

We want to create things that are made to be lived in. Not show homes, not perch-on-the-edge sofas, not must-always-be-plumped pillows, not never-to-be-touched crockery. And one of the best places for us to start is by choosing materials that can take on life. Beneath the covers of our sofas, armchairs, footstools and headboards is a solid timber frame made with proper joinery. We created IsoGuard® (our timber protection oil) as a way to make wood as resilient as it possibly can be without affecting its natural texture and qualities. We’ve developed a fabric library with textiles that will withstand some rough and tumble. And we’ve not said no to foam in our upholstery just because it doesn’t sound as nice as feather and down – we use all three instead. Everything in our collections isn’t meant to be approached with caution when you use it. Put your feet up wherever you want, let the dog on, and if you don’t want to use a coaster then don’t – it’s your house, your rules. Your furniture can take it.

It’s also worth pointing out that there’s a stage in every piece of furniture’s life where it’s not going to look its best. Take our Matilda armchair on the previous page (with the adorable 12-weekold Inka sat upon it). When you get it home,

PAGE 7 Matilda armchair in Isla Otter £770 PAGE 10 Suffolk dining chair in Seasoned Oak £270 Henley four-drawer cabinet in oak from £1,050 Wardley chair in Natural Oak £300

AUTUMN 2017

it’s going to look marvellous. It’ll stay that way for a while, and you’ll almost not want to touch it.

But at some point, you’re spill some tea, or you’ll scuff it somehow, and you’ll be heartbroken. But then you’ll spill something else, and someone else will scuff it too, and eventually, your piece will start to tell the story of your home’s life. We’ve designed everything with this in mind – they’ll age graciously and gracefully. And hopefully, it will make you cherish them all the more. If this chair were upholstered in pure polyester velvet, it wouldn’t develop character in a way that cotton velvet does as and when the scuffs creep in.

We have a decades-old Neptune dresser at home that’s got several dents, but I wouldn’t swap it for a new one for the world. Why on earth would I? Natural materials can deal with the hard knocks of life and they’ll look all the better for them.

Perfectionists we might be, but we’re also pragmatists (form and function are neck and neck for us; practicality is pivotal), and we’re optimists through and through. We have a shared, genuine belief that we can make life better through good design. That’s what we’re trying to achieve.

That’s our definition of perfection.

John Sims-Hilditch is the co-founder of Neptune.

He’s officially the joint managing director, but when asked what job title he’d give himself, he said ‘director of doing the right thing’. He’s a father of three, the husband of our creative director, Emma, and an avid sailor.

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5 FIVE

THINGS FOR

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LOR NE “In spring/summer 2016, we started to introduce more printed fabrics to our library, and we’ve continued doing that in the seasons that followed. We’ve had various stripes (Agatha and Jack), an ikat (Gabriela) and a floral (Emma) – to cite a few. Lorne is our very-first plaid though, spun from pure wool. It’s so exciting to see.

Classic is the best word I can use to describe it.

You know that it’ll endure, because it’s not trying to be subversive in any way. It’s a traditional plaid, but the way we’re using it is perhaps more intriguing, mixing it with beautifully tactile velvets in Teal, Fox and Mustard and super-soft, dappled wools.”

Our creative director, Emma Sims-Hilditch, chooses five of her favourites from the new season collection.

This is Teal. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

AUTUMN 2017

Matilda armchair in Isla Kingfisher £770 Duck feather-filled cushions from £47

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K ESW ICK “I adore this design. It’s so elegant and is a wonderful example of how less is more. There are five tables in the collection – two sizes of console, a tall and slim side table, and two coffee tables – and each one is so versatile. The clean, fine lines and simplicity in aesthetic mean Keswick works well in a symmetrical layout, so I like to use two of the cube coffee tables side by side in a living room.

They also work as low side tables. Equally, the side table can stand width-ways and act as a scaled-down console. If you’re feeling really daring and have quite a large kitchen without wall cabinetry, try placing one of the consoles on top of your work surface as shelving. It’s an easy way to achieve a touch of drama but in such a sophisticated way. We did this at our autumn/winter preview event and used them to create a bar-like area in our Limehouse kitchen. The Art Deco aspect to its character makes it perfect for this kind of application.”

TEAL “Our seasonal shade for autumn/winter 2017 is Teal. Navy and dark grey are still being heralded as the colours that offer a more ‘on-trend’ option to black, and while I love our Navy and Charcoal colourways, Teal offers a new alternative. We’ll be using it on quite a large scale, from ceilings to walls and skirting boards, to highlight its gorgeous depths. I like the idea of being able to dive into colour, to immerse yourself in it. Teal will also translate to even the smallest rooms – it’s a common misconception that only large and light rooms can ‘take’ dark colours. In fact, by following nature’s cue, you’ll see that rooms with little natural light thrive on their darkness, and Teal will simply make them feel bolder and more cossetting. It’s a shade that manages to be cool and cosy, so it works all year long. I also can’t wait to see it being used on kitchen cabinetry. We’ve seen lots of grey-blue kitchens, and even bottle green, but Teal is still relatively unexplored.”

Shoreditch corner sofa in Elliot Soft Teal £4,190 Ella jug in Charcoal £22 Keswick square coffee table £455 PAGE 15-16 Walls painted in Teal matte emulsion £38/2.5l Olivia grand sofa in Isla Kingfisher £2,680 Keswick small console table £730 Orme stripe throw in Teal £155 Duck feather-filled cushions from £42 Fitzroy medium lamp with Lucile shade in Warm White £161 Corinium small platter £19 Corinium jugs from £25 Herdwick sheepskin rug £135

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OLIV IA “This may be one of our longstanding upholstery designs, but there are two important reasons why I’ve listed it as one of my favourite pieces from the collection. Firstly, it’s a new size.

Empress is super, super decadent. It has three plump and generously-sized seat cushions; someone who’s six-foot tall can easily lie down without touching the armrests. If you have the space for a larger sofa, it’s such a worthwhile investment, much like going for a super-king bed if your bedroom allows it. Secondly, there’s the colour – it looks fabulous in our Isla Teal velvet. I’m trying to figure out how to make room for it in our home!”

CARTER “We first introduced Carter in last year’s autumn/winter collection, and have extended the family to include a few new designs, including this pared-down extending dining table, bench and shelving. You’ll see the same slim steel frame that’s powder coated then baked, and solid oak surface that we’ve taken through a seven-step finishing process (we do this to achieve a touch of rusticity without it needing to be old, weathered timber).

Carter is all about disciplined, minimal design so that the materials can shine – they're real talking point here.”

PAGE 18 Tennyson pendant £98 Carter fitted storage shelves 60cm/ 92cm £580/£760 Longton large pot £55 Bowsley tableware from £48 Carter extending table (available from October) £1,590 and bench £450 Ellis stripe placemat £50 Henley kitchen cabinetry hand-painted in Snow

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NOV E L THINK ING

What could be better than filling our homes with stories? To paraphrase the wise words of the Roman philosopher Cicero, ‘a room without books is like a body without a soul’.

The comfort and patina of well-loved tomes creates a warm, lived-in feel that emanates throughout a room.

This is Navy. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

AUTUMN 2017

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Little wonder then, that in our increasingly digital age, interior designers have seen growing demand for book-lined studies and smart storage solutions all over the home. As well as transforming grand rooms into libraries and installing immaculately curated shelves in living room alcoves, ‘Cinderella’ spaces – underutilised areas such as hallways and landings – are being repurposed as reading nooks. Cleverly placed shelving around door frames and in stairwells can lend a library-like feel to the most unlikely spot. Add in a few special objects – pretty vases, framed family portraits – and the whole arrangement has room to breathe. (Turn to page 70 to read more about ways to decorate your home with books.)

Of course, being a bookworm is an art form in itself. For those who are as concerned with the contents of their books as how the cover looks, storied Mayfair bookseller Heywood Hill offers a bespoke library-building service, curating collections of rare books to suits a client’s interests. It also offers a book service, posting the recipient 12 specially selected books a year.

In the age of e-readers and instant gratification, the writing is far from on the wall for the printed word.

“If not exactly in rude health, books are… alive,” says

Nicky Dunne, head of rare books at Heywood Hill.

“Business is buoyant and sales are up on last year. We now have over 5,000 customers in 60 countries and have significant plans for our private library service.”

Dunne personally oversees the bespoke librarybuilding side of the business, helping discerning readers to create both general and incredibly specific collections. An avid flight enthusiast, for example, commissioned a 1,500-book library of every aviation and POW escapee memoir from both world wars. “It took about a year of scouring all sorts of sources – auctions, book dealers and private collections,” he explains. “They were all relatively inexpensive books from the 20th century which make a much stronger statement together, but we often also include a small selection of rare books.”

Nancy Mitford, who famously presided over Heywood Hill during the Second World War, would no doubt be pleased that there’s still a family connection; Dunne is the son-in-law of the Duke of Devonshire, and is possessed of plenty of oldfashioned charm and good humour, often setting up the libraries he curates, wherever they are in the world. A recent project involved unpacking more than 4,000 books on the history of modernism at a businessman’s home in Switzerland.

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Closer to home, Dunne also curated a library at the jeweller Jessica McCormack’s London atelier, choosing titles that reflected her love of vintage jewellery and equestrianism.

“I already had an existing collection of jewellery books that I wanted to expand,” she explains. “Nick brought me books which I wouldn’t have considered reading or choosing myself but I now adore. It was a bit like working with a fashion stylist, in terms of making me try new things.”

While Heywood Hill often also recommends cabinetmakers to clients, and the reading materials are beautifully bound, Dunne is keen to clarify that they absolutely don’t fill libraries by the yard for interior designers. He is however, heartened by the renaissance of reading rooms big and small: “There are a lot of libraries being built in London and further afield at the moment. I think it’s because books provide a refuge from all the information we’re constantly being bombarded with. The digital screen might just be the saviour of the printed word.”

TALIB CHOUDHRY is design editor of The Telegraph Magazine and Stella, as well as being editor-at-large of Elle Decoration.

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Call us collectors Towards the start of this volume, we talked about our season story – The Collector’s Edition. It was this story that got us thinking about writing an article about the notion of collecting. What does it mean to be a collector? Why do we do it? And what is it that people collect? But instead of us doing the talking, we emailed all of our customers to ask them to become authors, to tell their own collector’s tale.

We’ve never done this before and were thrilled with the amount of stories we received. The sheer number was touching, but even more so was the extraordinary detail, the images, the words written, the emotions shared, and the incredible talent of our authors.

Choosing one story was impossible. Instead, we’ve whittled them down to six. Entirely in their words, and only this introduction in ours. We think they’re inspiring, fascinating and fabulous.

A huge thank you to every one of you who took the time to send us in your story. We enjoyed every single one.

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Veronica Hempsey Surrey I collect specific memorabilia. Plural. I say this with satisfaction, because when I unzipped the little front ticket pocket of my handbag and showed off my first piece of movie memorabilia – the business card of a vampire (no really) – my husband pointed out that, technically, this isolated object was my ‘memorabilium’. Stinker.

I have an eclectic collection of theatre and film memorabilia. There are programmes, reviews, scripts, costumes, props, posters, DVDs. It’s utterly worthless, yet it has a very special power. My collection allows me to time travel.

Each piece is from a production in which I’ve acted.

I’m a full-time granny now and all my dramas are domestic, but I only have to select a piece from my collection and I’m back there. Back on the stage at the Key Theatre in Peterborough. Back on a tour bus in Germany. Back at an outdoor production at Flag Fen Bronze Age Excavation. Back on a mock-up jumbo jet in Austria. Back in a limousine heading for the yacht club in Plymouth. Back in a flea pit theatre in Highgate. And my pilot light turns up just a little.

I studied drama at teacher’s college, then married two weeks after graduation. My husband’s career took us all over the world, so I relinquished acting and landed the role of full-time mum.

When my kids were grown, the acting window opened again and I soared through it. Pride of place in my collection is my Equity card, earned through the rigours of touring. Build set. Act. Strike set. Repeat every three days, for months. My collection even contains my work gloves. They’re stained with blood, sweat and tears.

Life has clipped my wings again, which is why I treasure my collection. In my marriage, I’ve moved house 13 times across three continents. Each move has necessitated a clearance. I’ll never clear out my collection. Someone else can do that after the curtain falls on my life. Whoever opens the box of my collection might just catch a flicker of light emanating from it.

It will be limelight.

Madeleine Parkinson-Evans Cornwall Collecting antique and unique ceramics has been a lifelong passion. It started in early childhood, gazing at an oriental vase on my grandparents’ mantelpiece. It was occasionally taken down and placed on a chenille tablecloth enabling you to look closer. I was hooked.

Many of the pieces tell a story, reminding me of family and friends, while the others, acquired at auctions, conceal stories and secrets of other peoples’ lives.

I enjoy the quest for an addition to the mix by a particular potter, designer or factory, but, most excitingly, knowing that the rarity value of the find will complement a space and enhance the home environment. Clues from each piece contribute to a fascinating tale, full of mystery, coincidence, artisan inspiration, endeavour and dedication.

The autumnal colours of my art deco jugs and vases with their unusual shapes and form are delightful. The rich hues evoke the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness in time-honoured fashion. The aquamarines and dusky pinks are synonymous with a Cornish sunset across the bay, when the sun sits lower in the sky, as the night draws steadily in.

My ceramics provide a narrative for the encapsulation of an era, with a lasting presence in my home.

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Emma Woods Shropshire

David Stevens Colchester

A collection can be a rich and tangible link to the past or a bond with a loved one. My mother loved to mix upcycled junk finds with modern pieces, and at the heart of her kitchen she accrued a gleaming set of glass jars filled with a good cook’s staples.

The biggest jars were full of currants, golden sultanas and rice, lentils for dahl and split peas for soup. And right up there on the top shelf perched the smallest jars containing nutmeg, slivers of homemade angelica, glistening glacé cherries, pink peppercorns and aromatic cardamom pods.

Remove a heavy glass stopper and the scents would transport you far away. The jars were quite magical, a culinary equivalent of Aladdin’s lamp. A precious symbol of home. There were terracotta jars too – for sugar, flour and tea – with decorative Victorian lids. An old peg doll watched over it all, and from time to time a dried seed head or the odd post card joined her. It was a visual feast.

As a child, I would play with these jars – a special favourite contained tiny, dried alphabet pasta.

Time moves on and ‘Granny’s jars’ became beloved by the next generation – wooed with fistfuls of sweet pistachios, cocoa nibs and sprinkles of demerara for the tops of newly-baked cupcakes.

Today this collection is mine to cherish and curate and to plunder for spices. The treasure – culinary, glass and ceramic – is displayed on my Neptune dresser.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” C.S. Lewis My father was a local vicar, as was his father before him and as was my maternal grandfather.

I’ve not followed in their noble footsteps (choosing a career in the classroom over one in a pulpit) but it transpires that I come from a rich lineage of men who served their community and who supported and celebrated with people in both the darkest and happiest moments of their lives.

Marriages, christenings, baptisms, funerals, and all that lay in-between.

But where did these men go when they themselves needed a word of encouragement or a glimmer of hope? Books.

I’ve collected (and inherited) the books of these men.

The shelves in my living room are full of old, rich and wellthumbed beautiful books, some dating back to the 19th century and some even signed by their long-deceased authors.

Most of these books are around theological issues, commentaries and the like, some are falling apart, but all have been read by those who went before.

It’s not a collection that’s particularly unique, but a collection that I’ll add to and pass on. It’s a collection that links my home to my past. A collection that reminds me where I’ve come from and how I’ve a heritage to build upon.

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Lucie Skeaping London The first thing guests to my home notice is my collection of weird and wonderful musical instruments.

I can actually play most of them myself (I was a professional musician), but I keep them hanging up on the wall these days because they’re so beautiful – and, of course, they make a great talking point.

My collection includes a tiny bamboo fiddle from China; a colourful African guitar made from an oil can; a huge wind instrument, called a ‘serpent’ because it’s so long and wiggly; a one-string fiddle with a metal horn which would have been used in the 1920s for recording; a crumhorn from Henry VIII’s court band; a zither; and my current pride and joy – a fascinating little 18th-century dancing master’s ‘kit fiddle’, which I bought recently at auction (far too expensive – don’t tell my husband!). I also have a great collection of horse-hair bows which I’ve displayed in a sort of fan shape. The walls of the room suit the collection very well – not painted but stripped back to the original Victorian lime plaster, so there’s a real sense of history everywhere.

Jennifer Riddalls Farnham I revived my childhood love of collecting when my little boy, Winston, turned three and became hooked on collecting ‘treasures’. These can range from dull-looking chunks of gravel to shards of amethyst or smooth pebbles of sea glass. His infectious passion for his treasures has

inspired me to collect them too, or rather I curate on his behalf. He always vetoes them carefully before deciding if they’re worthy.

Now six, Winston’s favourite pieces are real gemstones but he also delights in anything found in rivers, on beaches, or buried under leaves in the woods. He bought a large tool chest with his Christmas money and categorises his things in a system of his own making.

That probably sums up his collecting as a whole – it’s personal to him and no one else.

His collection also serves a social purpose. His Dad secretly hides polished gemstones in nearby woods and then there’s a gem hunt where Winston is ecstatic when he comes across these all by himself. It’s something they do just the two of them. And despite habitually fighting with his little brothers (who have their own fledgling collections) for most of the day, he’ll still assign them a stone to hold each night during story time. He also takes a piece to bed, to look at under torchlight after lights out, and loans special jewels to close friends.

Damien Hirst said, “I think of a collection as being like a map of a person’s life.” That certainly seems true for Winston. Oddly, for a boy who seems to remember nothing of what he does at school each day, he can pick up an ordinary little stone from his collection, turn in it in his hand thoughtfully, then tell me it came from the stream near our house, the sea in Belgium or from his Granny’s kind friend. He’s always right, even if it was collected years ago. The stones have become memories that he can hold. I can’t think of a better reason, young or old, to become a collector.

This is Lily. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

Teal appeal Teal is Neptune’s signature shade for autumn/winter.

Warmer, softer and more unexpected than navy, it still shares that colour’s timeless beauty. Here, we delve into its history and show how it can be used to transform a room.

AUTUMN 2017

R

un an online search for images matching the word ‘teal’ and you’ll turn up a surprising variety of shades, from marine blues to deep greens tinged with indigo. Teal is one of those shades that people can’t quite agree on: hovering on the spectrum between blue and green, it has a slightly elusive quality. That’s one of the things that makes it so right for today’s mood, when ‘non-colours’ such as pinky nudes and lavender greys are much preferred to more obvious shades.

Try them and you’ll quickly see why: the more complex a colour appears, the less easily it dates.

The word teal comes from the bird of the same name, a small breed of duck known for the iridescent blue stripes on either side of its head. However, it wasn’t until the late 1920s that the term was first used to describe a colour, when it appeared in an advertisement for clothing.

Historically, teal’s closest relative is probably verdigris, a bluish-green carbonate that forms on the surface of copper and bronze as they oxidise (the Statue of Liberty is a notable example). Verdigris was the preferred green pigment of artists throughout the Renaissance, although its tendency to fade to brown when applied to canvas, like a withering autumn leaf, eventually resulted in the invention of synthetic alternatives.

Teal is also closely allied to Prussian blue, created by accident during an 18th-century chemical experiment, and indigo, a centuries-old natural dye from the woad plant, whose inky tint resembles teal at its darkest. It was not until teal acquired a name of its own, though, that people developed an obsession with it. In 1948, a Los Angeles couple named Gladys and Gustave Plochere developed the Plochere Colour System – around the same time that Pantone was starting life in New York – to promote colours for their interior decorating business.

Teal was one of the shades they chose, and as a result it had its first taste of fashion status during the 1950s and 60s.

The novelist Truman Capote stained the wooden floors of his Long Island home a rich teal shade, contrasting it with honey-coloured wooden wall panelling, tan leather sofas and white accents for an original take on coastal style.

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Today, teal’s time has come again, and it’s a keynote in Neptune’s autumn/winter collection. “We’ve had teal in mind for a long time as a colour we wanted to work with,” says Rebecca Malyon, head of design and product development. “We felt this shade was really versatile – it works beautifully with a darker contrasting colour, such as Charcoal, and with paler tones, too. It’s softer than navy blue and takes you from summer to winter really well.” The shade appears on upholstery and is a new paint shade for walls and woodwork, and is complemented with terracotta and stone hues. “We like to link our new collections to elements from previous years, so we’ve paired Teal with a hint of Fox, a rich brown-orange shade that our customers have loved since we first introduced it in autumn 2015,” explains Rebecca. “A stone-coloured plaid and a teal floral print on natural linen add further character. We’ve also included a teal velvet, because velvet sums up the winter season like no other fabric can, although wool comes in a close second so we’ve developed two teal-based wools too. It’s a rich palette that can be made more pretty with lighter colours, or played up to be more dark and intense.”

There are other, more scientific reasons why we should embrace teal for our homes. Blue and green light wavelengths are very short, which means our eyes have to make the minimum of adjustments to process them; this is partly why these shades feel restful and balanced.

In addition, blue light is used in therapy for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) because the colour helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, or natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness. Such truths do much to dispel the perception of blue as a cold colour, but what about the widely-held belief that dark hues make rooms dark and dingy? Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. The principle of sympathetic colours is important: if you have dark walls, don’t paint the ceiling bright white as it will appear lower; a softer white works better (in years gone by, before the days of tonal palettes, decorators would mix a small proportion of the chosen wall colour into white ceiling paint to achieve this effect).

PAGE 30 Walls painted in Teal matte emulsion £38/2.5l Shoreditch corner sofa in Elliot Soft Teal £4,190 Rupert footstool in Isla Fox £345 Duck feather-filled cushions from £47 PAGE 31 Brompton reading floor lamp £340 Charlotte grand sofa in Isla Kingfisher £1,980 Keswick square coffee table £455

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Finishes matter too. Matte teal walls will absorb light, but velvet upholstery or eggshell paint in the same colour will gently reflect it. By night, teal will appear warmer under yellow-toned halogen bulbs or in candlelight, but chillier under bluetoned LED lights. Adding warm grey or terracotta shades on floors or with accessories helps teal to look its inviting best (as does wood; take a tip from Truman Capote). And there’s no reason to shy away from using dark shades in small spaces: sometimes the best thing you can possibly do is accentuate this defining feature rather than trying to hide it. Awkward wall and ceiling angles can be beautifully camouflaged by using the same dark colour all over. A tiny guest bathroom painted teal, perhaps with brass lighting to give it a golden glow, can be memorable for all the right reasons. In a kitchen, walls and cabinetry both painted in teal make everything feel connected. It feels daring to

do, but in reality, it all feels rather dulcet. Plus, teal in the kitchen is a welcome alternative to the dark palettes we’ve seen of late.

Bathrooms and bedrooms are natural settings for relaxing, restorative teal shades. They’re conducive to winding down, to evening bathing rituals and to drifting off to sleep. But there are other possibilities too. Dark blues make a strong statement in a hallway, and used here can have the added advantage of making the rooms leading off the entrance feel bigger and more spacious in comparison. Comforting, cocooning and boasting endless potential, there’s really no end to teal’s charm.

AMY BRADFORD is the former features director of ELLE Decoration. She is now a contributing editor at the title and also writes on interiors for The Telegraph Magazine and Stella.

Matilda armchair in Imogen Holkham Sand £770 Camilla duck feather-filled cushion in Isla Kingfisher & Angus Teal £63 PAGE 34 Rupert footstool in Isla Fox £345 Southdown sheepskin rug £125

AUTUMN 2017

Life.

Good food. Good music. And a good book.

Three of life’s loveliest pleasures.

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The book club “Give me,” said Joe, “a good book, or a good newspaper, and sit me down afore a good fire and I ask no better.”

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations After a crisp walk in the woods, there can be few moments in life sweeter than curling up, with a good book, in front of a roaring fire. Autumn – with her quiet charms – is a season best enjoyed at a slow pace; snuggled under a woollen throw, kindling basket full to the brim and a hot mug of something near to hand. And no one is more in her element than this month’s Book Club guest, Sally Coulthard.

SALLY COULTHARD is a best-selling author whose latest volume The Little Book of Building Fires, celebrates the undiluted pleasure of making and enjoying real fires.

This is Powder Blue. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

AUTUMN 2017

W H AT SA L LY ’S R E A DI NG To Read Aloud by Francesco Dimitri – how long is it since someone has read you a story?

While many of us read voraciously, being read to is an experience often lost after childhood. This is what makes To Read Aloud such a treat – a compilation of literary extracts from Cicero to Lewis Carroll, designed to be shared between adults or read to a group. A brilliantly original concept and yet reassuringly familiar.

A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies & Mark Hearld – this children’s book was gifted to me when my youngest daughter was born. It’s a volume rich with Mark’s breathtaking artwork, and the ‘Autumn’ chapter, when “Trees turn flame coloured and the wind makes a whirligig of fiery leaves,” is a particular delight. In fact, it’s so striking I’m ashamed to say I cut up the book and framed it.

Tin Man by Sarah Winman – last year, I devoured Sarah’s A Year of Marvellous Ways, with its peculiar narrative and tender humanity. Her writing is like no one else I’ve ever read – direct, sensuous, raw. Her new novel Tin Man – a story of love, loss and healing centred around three main characters (Michael, Annie and Ellis) – left me feeling wonderfully wrung-out.

Soulful Baker by Julie Jones – when Julie’s mum was diagnosed with dementia, the two began baking together again, partly as a form of therapy but also as a way to reconnect and celebrate the unique bond that exists between mother and daughter. Soulful Baker is a gorgeous cookbook – perfect for grey afternoons – with photographs as mouth-watering as the recipes.

The Little Guide to Leaves by Tom Frost – when art and nature collide, amazing things happen. In his new book, printmaker Tom has illustrated forty of the most eye-catching leaves from around the world – including those from native British trees – to produce a pocket guide that’s perfect for family walks.

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Neptunes THE SOU NDTR ACK TO THE SEASON

Autumn carries with it connotations of warmth and thoughts of hunkering down. But remember, autumn is a month that’s often full of sunshine, bright mornings and hazy evenings. It’s a tale of two halves – late September and October holding onto summer’s final rays; November and early December easing us into winter.

Our playlists are put together to reflect the seasons. And autumn’s collection does exactly that.

It starts bright and lively but then it slows, song by song, lulling us into hibernation mode, leaving us feeling safe and soothed.

Our Stories playlists are compiled by our editor and a man called Jasper Burnham who, for years, was a promoter for some of the world’s most well-known record labels.

He has worked with artists including BB King, Rufus Wainwright and P Diddy. He truly understands how to create the perfect atmosphere through music. He also happens to run one of our stores – Neptune Colchester.

Autumnsong Manic Street Preachers California Dreaming The Mamas and the Papas Dancing in the Moonlight King Harvest The Last Day of Summer The Cure Harvest for the World The Isley Brothers Norrland Gidge Autumn Almanac The Kinks Heart of Gold Neil Young Forever Autumn Jeff Wayne Let It All Go Birdy and Rhodes SK1N Huntar Week No. 8 Fabrizio Paterlini Tiger Striped Sky Roo Panes Autumn Leaves Ed Sheeran I Don’t Want to Change You Damien Rice Somewhere Over the Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole Autumn Paolo Nutini Follow the playlist on Spotify by searching @Neptune_home.

Just in case you’re having trouble finding us, try putting the following into the search bar: Spotify:user:Neptune_home. That seems to help.

AUTUMN 2017

In the

KITCHEN

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The thinking behind the dish M A I N N O . 1 Crown Prince squash and barley risotto with fried sage (this can also be served as a side to the beef) M A I N N O . 2 Blackened beef with salsa verde P U D D I N G Warm pear, rosemary and hazelnut tart with mascarpone cream

These three dishes are all about food that feels the right amount of warm, wholesome and colourful, but without being heavy at all. Autumn isn’t the right time for that – leave that for winter.

The beef isn’t a supermarket shelf job; it’s one from the local butcher, or the butcher’s counter at the very least. There’s nowhere to hide with it. It’s a celebration of a really great piece of beef cooked in an incredible way, so it’s worth spending a bit more on this one and getting the best piece you can.

It transforms as you cook it too, going from a light brown seared beef to a rich and dark mahogany colour. When it rests it’s just amazing. It almost looks as if it’s been caramelised.

I chose Crown Prince for the squash because it’s prolific here in Cornwall. It’s got this brilliant duck-egg blue shell and inside it’s beautifully yellow and sweet. If you can’t get hold of it, any heritage squash will work well.

As for the pudding, I wanted something that showed summer winding down and winter getting ready.

The flavours are lovely and light, the pastry is crisp, but it’s served warm so it’ll work whether it’s a mild September’s day or a cool and drizzly October afternoon. It’s got quite a few steps in it, but it’s a really therapeutic dessert to make so take your time with it and enjoy the process.

SIMON STALLARD is a beach chef and food writer. He travels the world cooking in the open air for clients and events and runs the incredible Hidden Hut on Porthcurnick Beach in Cornwall.

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Crown Prince squash and barley risotto with fried sage SERV E S 4

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

800g Crown Prince squash (or any heritage squash) peeled, seeds removed and diced into 2cm chunks 250g pearl barley rinsed 1l vegetable stock 50g butter salted 3 sprigs of fresh sage leaves picked, half finely chopped, half left whole 2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped 1 white onion peeled and finely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp walnut oil or use more olive oil in case of allergies Parmesan shaved For vegetarians, use a rennet-free cheese or goat’s cheese.

A sprinkling of sea salt and ground black pepper

PAGE 40 Stuart cutlery, 36pc set £305 PAGE 46 Bowsley tableware from £8 Broadfield glass dome £43

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W H AT TO DO

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark six.

2 Put the chopped squash into a small roasting tin and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of seasoning and toss to combine.

6 Now lower the heat back down to medium and add a ladleful of warm stock, stirring well to mix. Once absorbed, add another ladleful and stir. Repeat this process until the stock is all gone and the barley is tender. It should take about 40 minutes.

3 Roast the squash for 35 minutes (or until tender), turning over each cube after 15 minutes to help them to brown evenly. When the time’s up, remove them from the oven and set them aside.

7 When the barley is soft and ready, quickly heat the walnut oil in a frying pan on a high heat and fry the whole sage leaves for 15 seconds until crispy and aromatic.

4 Next, heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add half of the butter and, once melted, tip in the onion and a pinch more salt. Gently fry for ten minutes, or until the colour is translucent, at which point you can add the garlic. Cook for two more minutes – you’ll notice the flavours coming out at this stage.

8 Double check you’re happy with the seasoning of your barley mixture; if not, add a touch more. Then tumble in the chunks of roasted squash and stir to incorporate.

9 Serve on the plate – or in a large dish if you’d prefer everybody to help themselves – topped with cheese shavings and the crispy sage.

5 At the same time, and in a separate pan, warm the stock with the chopped sage leaves. Place the rest of the butter into the onion mixture and, once melted, add the pearl barley, turning up the heat and cooking for a few minutes.

This is Fox – one of the many shades in which our Isla velvet fabric comes.

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Blackened beef with salsa verde SERV E S 4

W H AT YOU’LL NEED

For the beef 1kg boneless beef rib trimmed 50g butter salted 4 garlic cloves unpeeled and smashed 4 tbsp vegetable oil for frying 1 thyme sprig whole A sprinkling of sea salt and ground black pepper

For the salsa verde 4 anchovy fillets tinned and salted 100ml olive oil 3 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves peeled 1 tbsp fresh tarragon roughly chopped 1 tbsp fresh mint roughly chopped 1 tsp sea salt flaked 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp white wine vinegar

A light olive oil or vegetable oil can withstand high heat without burning.

Extra virgin olive oil, on the other hand, is far better for finishing

AUTUMN 2017

W H AT TO DO

1 Start by preheating the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark six.

2 Make the salsa verde first by placing the garlic, anchovies and salt in a mortar and pounding them to a paste using the pestle. Then add in the herbs and continue to pound. Mix in the mustard and vinegar and then slowly stir in the oil. Leave it to one side while you cook to let the flavours to infuse.

3 Heat two large frying pans over a high heat and add 2tbsp of vegetable oil to each one. As the oil heats, coat the beef with a heavy seasoning of salt and pepper.

4 When the oil is smoking hot, carefully lower the meat into the first pan and cook for two and a half minutes on each side followed by another minute on each side until seared. The pan will lose its heat as the beef sears, so, after this time, move it straight into the next pan, repeating the process to encourage it to colour. The pan will blacken too, but this is supposed to happen. You may need to move the beef back into the first frying pan to help it colour fully, and if you do, you don’t need to add more oil, just keep it on a high heat.

5 Once nicely browned, put the rib of beef into a roasting tin, covering it with the garlic cloves and thyme. Roast for 18 minutes, turning it halfway through.

6 Remove the roasting tin, add the butter, and leave the beef on the side to rest for 15 minutes, once again turning it halfway through.

7 When the time’s up, it’s ready to serve. Remove the thyme and garlic, and serve on a carving board, drizzling it with the juices from the tray and filling a pot with salsa verde to sit at the side.

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A tip or two There’s no need to peel garlic unless you’re going to eat it. By smashing it so that it flattens and bursts slightly, it lets all the flavour seep out and creates a delicious liquor. Don’t forget, the skin is infused with that too so you’re making the most of all the garlicky flavour.

These dishes can be served on their own, or as a whole menu.

If you’re doing the latter, make the dessert first to get it out of the way – the day before if you can. Then, just put it in the oven to warm for ten minutes – remember, you don’t want to serve it hot. The Verde can be done the day before too. Next, blacken the beef and leave it to rest for a bit while you prepare the squash. When the beef goes into the oven, you can carry on making the risotto mixture and by the time it’s out and rested again you should be good to go.

The dessert requires egg yolks, but that doesn’t mean you should waste the egg whites. You can freeze them and then use them at a later date to make a meringue.

To help you with the pastry, roll it out between two sheets of baking parchment to prevent it from sticking. Or, if you’d rather roll it out directly on the work surface, dust it with flour and icing sugar to balance the flavours.

And, if you find you have leftover pastry, you can freeze that too to reuse, perfectly fresh and ready to roll out.

This is Sage. Available in water-based emulsion or eggshell.

AUTUMN 2017

Warm pear, rosemary and hazelnut tart with mascarpone cream

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W H AT YOU’LL NEED

For the hazelnut pastry 200g plain flour 125g butter chilled and diced 110g icing sugar sieved 80g hazelnuts roasted 2 egg yolks 2 tbsp crème fraîche A pinch of sea salt For the poached pears 300ml white wine medium-dry 300g soft brown sugar 4 ripe English pears peeled, cored and quartered lengthways 3 rosemary sprigs 2 cinnamon sticks 2 tbsp ginger cordial 1 orange zested and juiced

For the filling 100g soft brown sugar 80g butter chilled and diced 50g plain flour 2 eggs 2 tbsp crème fraîche 1 egg yolk 1tsp honey wild honey, ideally 1tsp rosemary finely chopped, plus one whole sprig for the garnish ½ vanilla pod seeds scraped ½ orange zested A pinch of sea salt For the mascarpone cream 6 tbsp mascarpone cheese 6 tbsp crème fraîche 20g icing sugar sieved ½ vanilla pod seeds scraped

W H AT TO DO

1 Begin by making the pastry. We usually do this the night before. Buy the hazelnuts roasted if you can, or, simply lay them on a baking sheet in the oven – preheated at 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark six – and let them roast for 15 minutes. (Leave the oven at temperature as you’ll need it again shortly to cook the pastry.) Then, tip them into a food processor and blitz until finely ground.

2 Add in the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt and whizz again to combine. Then add the butter and process until it reaches a crumb-like consistency. Next, tip in the egg yolks and blitz once more until your dough comes together. Scoop it out, wrap it in cling film, and chill overnight in the fridge.

Or, if making it on the day, for at least an hour.

AUTUMN 2017

3 Grease a nine-inch wide tart tin and then very lightly sprinkle it with flour and icing sugar.

Roll out your pastry onto a surface, also lightly dusted with flour and icing sugar, into a rounded shape. You want a thickness of three millimetres. Then drape over the pastry so it covers the tin. Ease it into the edges and then trim off a touch of the excess – be sure to leave some as your pastry will shrink when it cooks. Use any offcuts to push the pastry into the tin so it fits snugly. Then rest it in the fridge for an hour (or more if you can).

4 In the meantime, poach the pears by heating one litre of water in a pan over a medium heat. Add the wine, cordial, sugar, orange zest and juice, rosemary and cinnamon and bring to the boil whilst stirring to dissolve the sugar.

5 Once the sugar has dissolved, add the pear quarters and carefully cover the syrup mixture with baking paper.

This is called a ‘cartouche’ and it’s to stop the fruit from oxidising so its natural creamy colour stays intact. If you cover it with a lid alone, it can create an air lock between the water and the lid which causes the fruit to float to the top and brown. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, but still able to hold their shape. This should take about 10-20 minutes, depending on how soft your pears are.

6 When the time’s up, remove six of the pear quarters with a slatted spoon, patting them dry with kitchen roll, and halve each one lengthways. Set them to one side. Refrigerate the remaining pears in the spiced syrup.

7 Now, make the mascarpone cream by simply whipping together all of the ingredients until thick and glossy. Pop it in a bowl in the fridge to keep cool until you’re ready to serve.

8 Take your pastry from the fridge, cover it with baking parchment and weigh it down with beans, then bake blind for seven minutes. Remove the paper and the beans, lightly prick the surface with a fork, and return to the oven for another five minutes, or until golden and crisp. Take it from the oven and trim the excess pastry and then leave it to rest at room temperature.

9 Meanwhile, you can make your filling. Heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat and melt slowly until it starts to brown slightly.

Pour this into a small bowl and set aside.

10 Next, whisk the eggs, yolk, sugar, honey, vanilla seeds, orange zest, rosemary and salt until fluffy. Then whisk in the flour on a low speed before adding the browned butter and crème fraîche.

11 Pour the combined mixture into the pastry case and arrange the halved pear wedges on top and bake until golden. This should take 25-30 minutes.

12 Leave to cool slightly so that it’s warm when you serve, rather than hot. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and serve each slice with some of the chilled pears in syrup and a dollop of mascarpone cream.

This tart serves six-eight – depending on how big your slices are.

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THROUGH YOU R EY E S Our autumn/winter preview event

Once a year we hold a big event in July to present our autumn/winter collection to national and local press, from newspapers to magazines to bloggers. For those of you who received our first-ever volume of Stories last autumn, you might remember that the editor of LivingETC, Suzanne Imre, wrote an event review for us, but this year, we decided to tell it through somebody else’s eyes.

To this year’s event, we also invited a handful of customers who had recently taken part in a Neptune feedback and research group (we hold these a few times a year as a forum for feedback, praise and criticism so we can do our very best by you). Lucy Burnford was one of those customers. Eloquent, insightful and engaging, she shares her perspective of the event.

AUTUMN 2017

Keswick consoles (used as worktop shelving) from £730 Limehouse base cabinetry in Teal (a bespoke commission) Dylan leather toggle £18 Castleford tall bottle in Grey £49 Corinium tray £69 Mayfair cocktail collection from £23

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AUTUMN 2017

By Lucy Burnford

THE LOC ATION On a searing July day, how to style my home for next season wouldn’t normally be in the forefront of my mind, but having been invited to attend Neptune’s autumn/winter press preview, I found myself immersed in all things autumnal and willing winter to come.

Having recently taken part in some customer research, I was invited

by Neptune to pop along to a preview of the autumn/winter collection, which had been designed and installed inside one of central London’s imposing, historic river-front buildings in the heart of Westminster.

This building of enormous proportions and fading grandeur, had been totally transformed by the Neptune team into an inviting, intimate space within which you could really feel at ‘home’.

Suffolk kitchen in Teal (a bespoke commission) Stratton decorative oak ladder £160 Longton large pot £55 Hanley candlestick £30

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Olivia empress sofa in Isla Kingfisher £2,780 Longton lamp with Oliver shade in Warm White £163 Keswick coffee table £780 Islay half cable throw in Charcoal £98 Duck feather-filled cushions from £42

AUTUMN 2017

THE ROOMS

W H AT LUC Y LOV ED

Exploring the designs and space, the two things that struck me most were the use of new colours and textures: a stand-out feature was the clever use of darker paint within the shelving recesses contrasting beautifully with a lighter shade for the main cabinetry. It worked so organically – clearly designed by someone with a real understanding of how colours interact with each other; with different textures, and within specific spaces. It was striking how such a small detail had a significant visual impact on the overall experience of the space.

I also loved the appearance of more brass – in both the lighting and the elegant Keswick furniture collection, adding a real richness, which, sitting alongside British sheepskin, epitomised restrained luxury.

I was really impressed by the way the Neptune signature style is kept fresh and modern by updating the existing collection with a nod to trends, but in a way that ensures they won’t date – that’s an art. It also shows confidence in the core collection that there isn’t a need for a total product overhaul every season, but rather clever enhancements and revised detailing, as well a considered number of new concepts.

I also took a quick peek at the Christmas designs which were presented in the most invitingly-styled living and dining space. The Neptune team had somehow resurrected a solid timber barn within the downstairs space of this fabulous building. It’s a real skill to get the balance right and curate festive sparkle without giving in to the temptation to go too garish.

Neptune nailed it: aged metallic accessories give a parred-back vintage feel; rich greens and darker shades were off-set by soft lighting effects to guarantee you won’t risk veering into Christmas chintz. What we ate: Mini morsels of Great British food, from Homity pie with piccalilli to home-made sausage rolls. What we drank: Tall flutes of fizz and wonderfully simple water with fresh mint and raspberry What a wonderful experience. It’s a lesson in style that I won’t forget in a hurry. Roll-on autumn.

THE STY LING Perusing the designs, it occurred to me how all the new season’s pieces hold their own individually – you don’t have to replicate the entire room design for them to work (much as I would love to). Dial it up, or pare it back and it works either way. I love the fact you can take any Neptune piece as either a starting point or finishing touch and it can really ‘make’ the room. Very clever.

The great thing is, even if you’re not looking to totally transform your home, but love the new season’s style, there are numerous accessories in the new collection that can instantly update any room to give a stylish nod to the seasonal palate: throws in that gorgeous deep shade of teal; a timeless Brompton brass desk lamp, or a pop of ‘fox’ coloured duck-feather cushions would give an instant, transformative update.

LUCY BURNFORD is a soon-to-be mum of two, and technology entrepreneur.

She has been a loyal Neptune follower since 2013.

Carter desk £1,210 Hanson leather home office collection from £17 Carter bookcase £1,320 Brompton floor lamp in Nickel £405 Shoreditch carver chair in Hugo Pale Oat £890 Longton lamp with Oliver shade in Warm White £163

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LOOKING TO TRADITION The history of letter pressing

T

his season, we’re thinking more about traditions that have been usurped by modern life, but which are nevertheless being championed, more and more, by younger craftspeople. And in doing so, we came across one small, local business in particular, whose values are very much in line with our own and that we certainly thought were worth sharing with you – Meticulous Ink. A brand with an obsession for detail, a belief in doing things thoroughly and properly, and a genuine love and pride for what they do.

At Neptune, we have a general interest in the relationship between tradition and today. So, with contemporary craft always at the forefront of our minds – whether it’s concerning our own making methods or not – we thought an article on the craft of letterpress printing might be one you’d enjoy reading about as much as we did researching it.

It’s a process with a 600-year-old history, but that’s been modernised in more ways than one.

We visited Meticulous Ink, a small but exquisite fine stationers in Bath, who use two, one-tonne Heidelberg letterpress machines in their tiny Walcot Street studio.

A talented team of three – Athena, Peter and Zoë – they shared with us the history, the process, the techniques behind the art.

METICULOUSINK.COM

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Gutenberg’s hand-press machine created 180 copies of the Bible. It was 1,282 pages long and took him and his team of 20 almost three years to make.

There are 48 copies in existence today.

“The first printing press we ever got was a second- The process first appeared in Europe in the 1400s, hand Block Master from the eighties. It was this lovely though in China, they’d been using similar methods for little foiling press,” said Athena Cauley-Yu, the very 400 years. It was the primary form of printing in the West smiley, very expressive, and very down-to-earth co- for more than five centuries. “Everything was letter pressed founder of Meticulous Ink. – the only other option was to write things by hand. You can “It was not lovely!” chimed Peter Grosvenor-Attridge imagine then, that it was a bit of a revolution when (who does most of the illustration work) and Zoë Ross letterpress first came into being. A bit like the advent of the (their resident printer). “You weren’t the one having to use internet for us,” explained Zoë. “Gutenberg (Johannes it all the time!”

Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press) used it to From this opinion-dividing tabletop press to machines produce multiple copies of the bible, giving more people much bigger, Meticulous Ink then went on to buy two access to literature.” Back then, it was nothing to do with Original Heidelberg Windmill letterpress machines, achieving texture; it was a means to produce text on a larger c1960. “These are the real deal. Huge, heavy, clanky, solid, scale, quickly. Nowadays, we want to use a traditional albeit a little temperamental,” Athena continued. The two technique, but to create as much texture as possible. Speed machines in question – sometimes referred to as ‘red ball’ isn’t really part of the equation. presses (because of the red ball-topped lever on the front) The traditional process of letterpress used wooden blocks – stand proud in their studio. The team use them to create with a carved letter of the alphabet. Ink would be applied most of their bespoke stationery, as well as the collection and the letter stamped onto the paper – much like the process of cards that they sell in their small shop and in some of of block-printing on fabric. This evolved into ‘metal type’, the UK’s biggest premium retailers, including Selfridges which provided more clarity and was faster to produce and and The Conran Shop. 70-80% of their designs are replicate. The letters were assembled onto a frame to create letterpress printed. pages of text with spaces and rulers for alignment – hence the Letterpress is a printing technique that makes a direct origin of the term ‘typesetting’. It’s also where the phrase impression of words or drawings onto paper or card using ‘mind your Ps and Qs’ came from, as it was very difficult to tell the difference between the two. 350 years passed and the pressure and ink. The result is debossed, so the design almost becomes part of the paper, sinking into it rather printing press design barely changed. than sitting on top. It’s imprinted, engraved. “You just While Meticulous Ink has a charming, antique plancan’t achieve this kind of textured print with modern chest containing the original metal type, they use a more techniques,” said Athena. modern technique day-to-day – photopolymer plates.

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Meticulous Ink’s studio is at 134 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. They’ll be celebrating their seventh birthday with a party in October this year.

These first came about in the 1980s and transfer a negative of the design to the printing plate. “It gives us the freedom to do whatever we want in terms of design,” Athena explained. “We illustrate (Peter and Athena do all of their illustration work by hand) and typeset our designs, and then send them to a company who create the plates for us.

We then use these on the presses. We’ve adapted one of the machines so that it can be used for foiling too (a type of letterpress printing that uses metallic foils instead of ink).”

Zoë is the master printer at Meticulous Ink. She learnt the craft from Charlie Cumming (who founded Meticulous Ink with Athena in 2010) and a gentleman called Simon Smallwood. “He was the real master. The letterpress community is a friendly one. He befriended us and taught us what we know. Sadly, he passed away last year. He was an incredibly-skilled craftsman and made us the beautiful wood-turned stamp that we use for our wax sealing. He’s a part of everything we do,” said Zoë. We watched her print an order of ceremony card for a wedding stationery suite. First, she uses the Pantone® system to blend the exact shade of ink required for the job. She then spreads a small amount across the metal roller (for a larger print run, she adds it to the ink duct), adjusts the other rollers and sets the machine off to disperse the ink throughout. It makes such a satisfying, continuous rhythm of whooshing and pumping. As one sheet of paper is picked up, the arm swivels and deposits a printed piece on the other side for inspection. “There’s so much to check at every point and I have to make a lot of adjustments,

from the impression to the positioning to the depth of colour. Perfection is possible, but it can take a few ‘duds’ to get there.”

Letterpress. A traditional technique, that’s matured, changed, evolved and continues to thrive. It’s a slow process.

It’s one that requires meticulous people.

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Talking to the NEPTU NE STOR E DESIGN TE A M

Over the past year or so, you might have noticed that we’ve been talking about our stores more and more. In the first volume of Stories last year, we recounted the story of Neptune Farnham, and in Stories for spring we did the same but for our newest London store – Neptune Wimbledon. And just last month, we wrote an article on our online journal about our approach to building.

It takes a lot of people to build a store. That’s true of any company. But if you remember one of (or all of) those articles, or if you’ve visited any of our stores, you’ll know that a Neptune store is anything but ordinary. And at the heart of every one is our close-knit team of retail designers.

They have incredible vision; they know about architecture, demolition and construction; they’re bona fide interior designers; they get their hands dirty; they’re probably the best-dressed team in the entire business. They make stuff happen.

Meet Clare, Lizzie, Jess, Sophie, Rebecca and Ellie.

We started by asking them to briefly explain their roles.

Clare. “Officially, we’re retail designers. But really, we’re more store designers and interior designers. Each of our roles is incredibly varied and we’re fortunate to be able to produce really exciting concepts in the most incredible, unique buildings.”

Jess. “Most of us studied interior architecture at university, which is about remodelling existing buildings for new use. It’s very conceptual and arty, but it’s a great base for real-life design. At Neptune, once the location and the building are secured, Fred (who heads up the team) will figure out which one of us should lead the project (each store has its own dedicated designer) and then we start work. We’re involved right from the get-go.”

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Then they talked us through the store build process.

Jess. “Once the store has had its survey, we get an initial drawing and we start ‘concepting’. That involves lots of drawing, usually by hand at first, just to get some ideas onto paper. Then we start figuring out circulation plans.”

Lizzie. “They’re basically about how we expect guests to move around the store. We try to encourage a figure-of-eight movement so that all the rooms get attention and there’s a natural path to follow and wander along. The customer experience is really important to us. We’re constantly thinking about what you’ll see as you move through the space; we want every area to look and feel inspiring, and that can take a lot of time to get right because no two stores are ever quite the same.”

Rebecca. “Then comes the structural stuff.

We figure out what changes we can, should and want to make to the building. It might be additional windows or removing and rebuilding a staircase like we did in Cheltenham and Farnham.

Neptune Bury St Edmunds had a service entrance so we knocked out a huge hole in the centre of the store and restructured the entire building using a considerable amount of steelwork to form a double-height atrium. We all have a deep understanding of the engineering side of things, but we often commission structural engineers too to help us realise our more ambitious ideas. Most people don’t realise that we’re involved in this early stage of the project. The interior design is probably only 50% of what we do.”

Lizzie. “We shape the stores and then we fill them. Huge ideas are positively encouraged at Neptune, and we get to see them through from start to finish.”

There were a lot of smiles when referring to structural work.

We asked if this was their favourite part.

Cue a lot of grins, sideward glances and nods at one another.

Jess. “Definitely. Architecture is exciting and when you’re getting to define the bones of a building, it’s a really big opportunity. If you know a building has a pitched ceiling that’s been hidden, of course you want to expose it. Neptune Canterbury is an old oast house with an original pulley system, used to lift sacks of hops to the first floor, but all of that was out of sight. Now you walk in and you can see the whole way up.”

Sophie. “You often find with older buildings, that the more you chip away, the more you learn that the structure of the building needs

revising anyway. We’ll never do something for the sake of it and we’ll never do something that isn’t sympathetic to the building’s heritage and character, so some of the structural work we do is about restoring as much as it is about renovating.

We’re not afraid to knock something down and rebuild it. The architecture of the building is just as important as the interior for us.”

Clare. “We also work closely with our project managers from another of the Neptune teams [Neptune Store Developments, who you might remember from previous articles]. They’re the ones that then help us to make it happen.”

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Jess. “Structural work isn’t all about knocking down walls though. We produce seven different plans that all come together to create the framework – a demolition & structural plan, a ceiling plan (all the finishes and the lighting design), a mechanical & electrical plan, a flooring plan, a furniture plan, and an accessories plan. We only do a small amount of the accessory dressing though, the rest of that is done by our visual merchandising team.

They make every store beautiful. Usually we have to produce a landscaping plan too.”

Clare. “The landscaping plans are just as important as everything else we do. Some stores need much more hard landscaping than others – this is the part that builds the foundations and could involve digging up the existing tarmac and hardcore to start afresh. As with any structural changes we do, the landscaping needs to be sympathetic to the building. We’ll work on a design for what we want the exterior land to look like, from the car park, to the path that leads people to our front door, to the soft planting. Sometimes we speak to local landscapers to get their advice on what to plant as we like things to work with the seasons and to be in favour with the area.

If outdoor space is limited, we’ll find a way to work with what we have, be it an apartment-style garden or even just the use of planters and topiary.”

Lizzie. “Farnham’s exterior was especially exciting in terms of exterior design, because it was a real challenge to uncover its potential. We landscaped the front into a more formal garden (previously it was all tarmac with a garden at the back) and created areas surrounded by yew hedging – a perfect border for our garden furniture. The landscaping continued around three sides of the building, creating an additional circuit for customers to walk around should they want to. When designing the landscape, we also try to create a ‘flow’ similar to the interior, so that you naturally float around the garden and get to experience our stores from a different perspective.”

Sophie. “Our store exteriors are our front cover, and most people do definitely judge a book by its cover, so we really care about making sure our interior and exterior designs work in symphony.

We want people to drive, or walk, up and to think ‘ooh, we’d love to go in there’, a bit like you do when you walk past a lovely house and think you’d love to have a nosy.”

Next, we talked interior design.

Rebecca. “Structure, build and interior design all affect one another. We’re constantly spaceplanning as we go, doing to-scale models of our furniture to make sure it’s all going to fit as we intend. We have such a blank canvas to work with, which is incredibly exciting, but there’s so much that you can do, it can be hard to know where to start sometimes. You could be sketching forever.

You need a level of discipline in design, and to reign yourself in from time to time.”

Lizzie. “Getting the kitchens positioned is a big step when it comes to the interior. They’re not really ever going to move from that spot unlike our freestanding pieces, so you have to get it right.”

Jess. “What we fill each store with is defined by a few things. Data is one. Our merchandising team advise us on what our customers love the most, so we can be sure to include those designs in our plans. We also need to include breadth in our collections so that we can show them as much as possible in one location. While we hope that our customers visit other stores, we don’t want them to feel like they have to travel further than they need to. We want each visit to be as worthwhile as possible. We also want each store to be completely unique. We love the idea though of our customers visiting every one of them if they want to, just like you might do with National Trust houses!”

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Clare. “But at the same time, there’s only so much space. So, at Neptune Hove for example, we’ve designed a very small Limehouse kitchen, because Neptune Hailsham isn’t too far away at all and they have a large display there. It’s a balancing act. The customer and location inform our store design too.

For example, if you’re in the middle of the Cotswolds,

an 80:20 ratio of contemporary to country wouldn’t reflect the area. We have to be mindful of that.”

Ellie. “The vision always has to be that it feels like a home though. Our stores are trying to be places that inspire and that help with decisionmaking, but more than anything, they have to make people feel instantly at home.”

They talked to us about the sense of team.

Rebecca. “We might have our own projects that we work on with Fred, but we still work collaboratively.”

Everybody nods.

Sophie. “We all sit on the kitchen islands in our head office staff kitchen and go through things together. It’s helpful to have a fresh set of eyes on a plan, because you might have been staring at a problem for hours, or even days, but then within ten minutes of getting together we’ll have come up with a solution as a team.”

Jess. “We typically work on no more than two stores at any one time. They have to be at different

points in the timeline though, as in, one can be at the concept stage while the other requires on-site time. Fred manages all of this for us to make sure it’s balanced.”

Clare. “Parti pris is a term we often use. It’s a common phrase used in architecture which basically means the project design’s main idea, and often relates to the journey of a building as it moves from early sketches to a physical, complete space. Like Ellie mentioned, we have one vision that we’re all trying to work towards, and as a team, and a business, that’s what brings us together in our store design approach.”

We ended on asking what they love the most about their roles.

Jess. “It’s literally my dream job. I studied to do this, now I get to do it every day. But you do get attached and you’re emotionally invested in what you do. I often find myself saying things like ‘oh, I have this gorgeous headboard at home in Ermine velvet’. And then realise, no, no I don’t, Neptune Cheltenham does.”

They all laugh.

Rebecca. “It’s true, you throw everything you have into it and become quite attached. You just want it to be perfect. We’re our own worst critics. You just want everybody to love it as much as you do.”

Lizzie. “For me, there’s nothing quite like going to the store opening of one of the locations

you’ve worked on. It’s suddenly real and no longer just all in your head or on paper.”

Sophie. “And the variety is great too. Like we all said at the start, we get to do a touch of architecture, a touch of engineering, a touch of interior design, a touch of styling. We get to work on our own, but altogether too.”

Jess. “It is hard work. But I think it’s a bit like labour, you forget some of the pain, and you just want to go back and do it again because what you have at the end is something that you absolutely adore. Not that I’ve ever been in labour…”

Everyone laughs, again.

And we leave it at that.

WORDS ON WOOL

I

Autumn feels like a good time to talk about wool.

And who better to do so than the founder of a London-based, knitting-centric, eco-aware start-up, whose entire brand is based around the not-so-fuzzy fibre? Meet Jade Harwood, founder of Wool and the Gang.

’ve always loved wool. It’s special for so many reasons. It’s renewable, it’s natural, it’s biodegradable and it’s breathable. I wanted to create a brand that would inspire a younger generation to make their own clothes (Wool and the Gang sell ‘knit kits’, which include a ball of wool, mango wood needles and a pattern) and to build more appreciation for, and understanding of, the stuff we all use on a day-to-day basis. It needed to bring together a few of my loves – yarn (wool), people (the gang), and music (I wanted to make knitting feel a bit more rock and roll). I’m also a huge knitter myself. It’s a beautiful way to make things and it’s a very meditative process. I often find myself in a nirvana-like state as I settle into the steady rhythm of knitting. At Wool and the Gang, we want to connect people with clothes in a big way, so that you’ll want to treasure whatever it is you make, forever. It’s more of an emotional thing when you’ve made it yourself, or at the very least know how it’s made and what it’s made from.

I think using wool furthers that attachment because you recognise exactly where it came from – who doesn’t look at wool and picture a sheep? It’s a bit like the appreciation you feel for oak or mahogany, or any tree really, when you see something made of timber. It’s easier to understand its provenance.

Out of all our wools, my absolute favourite is our Crazy Sexy Wool. Finding a unique wool that puts knitting in a modern light was crucial.

It’s Peruvian and is made at the most amazing factory. People have these preconceived ideas of what wool is, presuming it’s a scratchy fibre, but it can be ultra-soft without any of the fuzziness. It’s all about the breed of sheep. Some of them have a course fleece, which is actually kind of great in some cases, like in rugs where you need something hardy. But then you have others that are ultra-fine, and that’s the case with our Peruvian yarn. Then there are non-sheep wools like alpaca and mohair.

They’re so light and silky soft, like wearing air.

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While we’re mainly championing wool to wear, I love it just as much in the home. We branched out a few years ago to start doing home accessories like macramé hangings and baby blankets. Wool translates well because it’s breathable. It doesn’t trap odours, which might sound a bit gross, but it’s so important when you’re choosing fabrics to live with. People seem to overlook that. And while you wouldn’t wear a woollen jumper in the height of summer, its application in the home shows how it can be a season-less fibre. A woollen cushion works all year long, a woollen sofa sounds like heaven, and is there really anything more snuggly than a wool blanket?

Wool is cool. In every sense of the word.

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Jade on Neptune’s AW17 wool Neptune’s design team has added three new wools to its fabric library as part of the autumn/ winter collection – Lorne Plaid, Angus Teal and Elliot Soft Teal. Our editor joined Jade Harman at Wool and the Gang’s east London studio with swatches and samples ahead of their release to hear what she had to say about the new additions.

The palette “The consistency in the tone between the three textiles is really soothing. There’s a definite mood that suits this time of year, but they’re trans-seasonal for sure. That’s one of the great things about teal. Sophisticated is the word I keep coming back to most for these.”

The texture “The feel of Neptune’s wools is kind of in the middle for me which is a good place to be. They’re not coarse and scratchy like some wool can be, but they’re not ultra-soft either. If they were, I’d question it a bit because it would be clear that they’re either not really 100% wool or they’ve been overly processed. They feel like true wool. Balance is the word. You can also tell they’re durable in terms of their construction.”

In the home “Wool cushions I love, but I’d definitely be using one of these on a bigger piece of upholstery like a sofa or headboard. They feel kind of dry, in that the breathability aspect of wool is really clear, so you know you won’t get all hot and clammy sitting on or against it. I’ve sat on wool sofas before in friends’ homes, and in no time you’re boiling and fed up of your legs tickling. You don’t get that with the way these have been constructed.”

‘The one’ “If I were choosing just one, I’d pick Angus Teal. It’s got a bit of a dappled appearance when you get up close, but from further away it makes teal almost like a neutral. My home is full of knick-knacks, and that’s where I achieve pattern and intrigue, but I like my core pieces to be in a simple but strong colour that’s not too busy.

It’s perfect for that.”

JADE HARWOOD is the co-founder of DIY fashion brand, Wool and the Gang. Find out more and shop online at woolandthegang.com

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HOOK ED on BOOKS Whether you love leafing through art books or collect works of fiction, the way you display them in your home can speak volumes.

T

he words ‘Books Do Furnish a Room’ ring as true today as when they were written several decades ago. (They’re actually the title of an Anthony Powell novel in the series Dance to the Music of Time.) The books that line our shelves or sit on our bedside tables help our homes to establish personality. While the way they’re printed, designed and illustrated can make them things of beauty, their appeal goes far beyond the aesthetic. They touch us on an emotional level, flooding us with memories from the past, or providing fresh insights for the future.

In a way that a row of DVDs or pile of magazines won’t ever be able to quite emulate, a collection of books says something about who you are. That’s why, on a first visit to someone’s house, we’re naturally drawn towards their bookshelves to casually browse the spines. With luck, that’s when you discover you share similar tastes and have maybe bought the same editions.

That said, in many ways, holiday reads have an equal claim to our shelves as more lofty literary tomes. Because that copy of David Nicholls’ One Day (you know, that one with the orange cover) still reminds you of a fantastic summer. And the novels we read as teenagers, which afforded glimpses of worlds and ideas beyond the school gates, will always remain special. Likewise, illustrated children’s books – both our own and those we’ve read countless times to our offspring – are treasured. These are the books that tell the story of your family’s life.

There’s also a sensory pleasure to books: that particular smell on opening a creaking spine, or the satisfying heft of an old leather-bound book, its thick pages visibly hand-printed and slightly ragged at the edges. Even well-worn volumes we think we know well, from fiction to photography books, can fire our imaginations all over again when we revisit them.

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ST Y LING W ITH BOOKS While we’ll always appreciate books on an emotional and intellectual level, they can also be used to enhance the spaces we live in. Set aside for a moment all those associations, and a book is still a really lovely object. A chunky, tactile block that can be stacked, fanned out and arranged in interesting ways.

Sometimes we add books to a room scheme almost unconsciously, thoughtfully putting a few slim volumes in a guest bedroom, or rotating the books that are laid out on the coffee table. But there are more conscious ways to do this too.

If you’ve built up a good-sized collection, consider devoting a corner of a room to a mini library. Add a leather armchair and a wool throw and you have a comfortable space that’s deliberately set aside for contemplation.

If you already have bookshelves in a living room, study or bedroom, think creatively about how your book spines can work as a textural display. Some people collect old Penguin classics and arrange them en masse, building up a variegated wall of orange, blue or green spines.

You can achieve a similar effect by arranging your existing books according to colour. It doesn’t need to be too regimented – just a subtle grouping adds a further dimension to a wall of books.

At the Neptune autumn/winter press show, their stylists got creative with piles of books. We saw them artfully stacked in columns inside the hearth of a handsome (but unused) fireplace, fanned out in a wooden bowl, and interspersed with esoteric antique finds along library shelves.

They did away with side tables in one instance, and instead stood a small tower of books – creative but surprisingly sturdy.

If you have stacks of old, unwanted books, consider painting them to give them a new lease of life. What might seem like sacrilege to the more serious bibliophile, actually makes the case for celebrating the textural quality of old books, recognising them once more as objects of beauty.

Or, for a more conventional approach, lay larger books in piles of two or three on an upholstered bench or ottoman. It makes a living area look complete and lived in. On a sideboard or chest, a couple of hardbacks can be placed next to less substantial decorative objects, such as a sculpture or a glass vase of flowers, to add a sense of balance. The same goes for a side table arrangement. Imagine yours with just a lamp on top. Now add a small selection of books and it immediately feels more homely, somehow more rounded. It’s a reminder that this is a room that’s enjoyed and where ideas flourish.

When Anthony Powell coined that phrase, ‘Books Do Furnish a Room’, it’s safe to say that interior design was not uppermost in his mind.

But his words still resonate. Because we all want to create rooms that feel personal as well as beautiful.

And furnishing them with your favourite books accomplishes just that.

JO LEEVERS writes for some of the UK’s most acclaimed lifestyle magazines and national newspapers, from The Telegraph to Homes & Antiques.

Chichester and Suffolk cabinets (a bespoke commission) Brompton desk light in Antique Brass £140 Keswick square coffee table £455 Charlotte grand sofa in Isla Otter £1,980

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Welcome to our new homes Some Neptune stores are in city-centre locations, some are a little drive out, but they’re all designed to feel like a real home, rather than a store.

We’d love you to stop by and see us some time.

Belfast now open

Guildford now open

Edgbaston opens 22nd September

Find your closest one at N EP T U N E .COM/FI ND -A-S TOR E

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OUR STOR ES

STOR E IN STOR E

COMING SOON Bath

Neptune by Treehouse Midmar, Aberdeen 01330 830 101

NEW Belfast 028 9691 9988 Bournemouth 01202 555 024 Bristol 0117 246 4200 Bury St Edmunds 01284 731 025 Canterbury 01227 209 300 Cheltenham 01242 330 420 Chester 01244 478 777 Chiswick 020 3814 1220 Colchester 01206 212 650 NEW Edgbaston 0121 437 4137

STOR IES

Farnham 01252 713 047 Fulham 020 7371 9997 NEW Guildford 01483 345 480 Hailsham 01323 849 483 Hove 01273 458 459 Reading 0118 932 6060 Southport 01772 812 812 Tonbridge 01732 351 866 Weybridge 01932 901 234 Wimbledon 020 3362 8240 Winchester 01962 850 556 York 01904 231 870 Neptune Outlet 01793 427 439

Neptune by Creative Classics, Ayr 01292 292 570 Neptune by Sims Hilditch, Bath 01249 783 087 Neptune by Woods of London, Blackheath 020 8852 1713 Neptune by Robert James Interiors, Coventry 02476 544 818 Neptune by Hunters, Derby 01332 349 285 Neptune by Woods Furniture, Dorchester 01305 262 666 Neptune by Richard F Mackay, Edinburgh 0131 3133 300 Neptune by Bridgewater Interiors, Gateshead 0191 477 6680 Neptune by House of Wood, Hereford 01432 820 612 Neptune by Aberford Interiors, Leeds 0113 2813 209 Neptune by Ben Heath, Newbury 01635 523 123 Neptune by Wilton Kitchens, Salisbury 01722 743 332 Neptune by Allen & Allen, Wilmslow 01625 535 255 Neptune by Sacarello Interiors, Gibraltar +(00)350 200 66423 We have Neptune stores across the whole of the UK, Ireland and Europe. To see all of our homes, visit neptune.com/find-a-store.

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