HOME RU L E S

Also this issue, we’re treating you to a 100-page Bathrooms magazine – your guide to creating on-trend spa style at home*

– it really does! It should be your sanctuary, somewhere that inspires and delights, where you can feel completely relaxed. As we find ourselves on the brink of a new season, it seems a pertinent time to compare the whirling worlds of fashion and interiors. When I consider what I want to wear on a daily basis, I’m often plagued with anxiety, whereas choosing pieces and schemes for my home fills me with nothing but joy. Contemplating this fact, I’m struck by the wise words of New York-based writer Kate Bolick: ‘ When you’re insecure about your appearance, trying to make yourself look better is a fraught endeavour. However, the home is a blank canvas, or empty vessel – a place where the will toward beauty can be expressed unchecked, without the messy complications of the self.’

It’s an astute observation and, with it in mind, I hope you’ll find that this month’s comprehensive decorating section – with the latest fabrics, wallpapers and paints, alongside inspiring ideas – will give you real opportunity to express beauty unchecked in your own individual way. Embrace vibrant colour, pattern and texture in the space that stands for who you are and what home means to you.

Of course, in the context of this issue, ‘ home’ also refers to our annual celebration of all things British, which sees us championing a roster of Uk-based talents new and old, all of whom, in my opinion, truly represent the breadth and diversity that makes our nation’s design, style and substance so very unique and utterly wonderful. Plus, the beautiful houses featured this month ( bar one stunning architectural bolthole in Scotland) can all be found in London, the city I call home.