After trying to source a vintage parasol for their garden to no avail, Deborah and Floyd Swift set about making their own, and so Flora & the Bee was born. Crafted by a skilled team in their Leicestershire workshop, each parasol features hand-picked vinta

Chairs in Gardyne in Terracotta, £73 per m; curtains and cushion in Elizabeth in Terracotta, £115 per m

Detail of Elizabeth fabric French knot embroidery

Anthropologie X Skye Mcalpine tableware, from £14 to £98

PALE AND INTERESTING

Have you struggled to find the perfect white paint for your project? Paint by Alix Lawson is a new range that aims to give you the only five shades you will ever need. ‘When I founded my interiors company it struck me that paints were more complicated than they needed to be,’ says Alix. Frustrated by how the lengthy selection held up projects, she looked to simplify the process, working with specialist British paint manufacturers to distil years of decision-making into five key shades: Chepstow, Pembridge, Ledbury, Elgin and Westbourne. Choose from the warmth of Chepstow, ‘like a sandy beach’, to Elgin – Alix’s brilliant white – and Ledbury, a soft, cool white with a tinge of grey; all from £45 for 2.5ltrs of matt emulsion.