Letter from the Editor

HOME IS WHERE the heart is, so the truism goes. Or, if you’re Alan Titchmarsh, your garden is the space in which you can truly be yourself. ‘Gardening is great therapy; it’s always been about mindfulness even before the word was coined. You go out, look at what’s growing, sniff a rose and slow down,’ he enthuses. Learn the secrets of creating a successful garden from our revealing profile of Britain’s favourite gardener on p32.

Alan started off in a tiny two-bedroom terraced house, never believing he’d one day bring his family to live in a spacious Georgian farmhouse. For young people now, trying to buy that first home is a tricky business when there aren’t enough to go round. Last year there were 139,050 home purchase completions*, yet we need to build at least another 100,000 annually to keep pace with demand. As a result, home ownership has dropped to its lowest level since the 1980s.

At House Beautiful we believe everyone should have the chance to live in a well-designed, affordable home but we are also aware that not everyone has unlimited funds to transform their living space. That’s why our pages are packed with a wide range of advice and first-hand experiences. From a small, dilapidated cottage in Cornwall lovingly restored by a couple on a tight budget into a stylish home (p54), to a clever rear extension that transformed a dark 1980s home (p149), the reader homes in this issue provide a wealth of ideas for you to consider.

We’re also active in reminding policymakers that we need to create more housing. Our range of custom-build modular homes is one solution – visit housebeautiful.co. uk/housebeautifulhomes for more info – but we’d love to hear your stories and thoughts, too. Email me at house. beautiful@hearst.co.uk with your solutions and we’ll print a selection – and make sure the people who need to know are fully aware of what real homeowners think.

Whatever your project this month, enjoy the feeling of spring just around the corner – and have fun! Julia Goodwin, Editor Follow me on Twitter @JuliaHouseBEd