STEP INTO SUMMER
The trend for houseplants is one of my favourites of the year and, happily, it shows no sign of wilting as we move into summer. Find out how to create your own antiqueslled, lush planthouse scheme on page 40, where we reveal ways to display everything from tropical palms to cute succulents in beautiful old planters. The contrast of fresh, living greenery against richly patinated pots is wonderful. Staying with the green theme, we discover the natureinspired style movement of art nouveau (p96), step into Virginia Woolf’s inspirational garden (p94) and reveal how to shop (p132) and care for (p123) garden antiques. Moving inside, we take a tour of four gorgeous summery houses. From the relaxed French home of an antique and Islamic textiles specialist to the pa!ern-packed pad of a wallpaper designer, each home o"ers myriad display ideas for your collections and precious pieces. Finally, our look inside the
auction on page 116 makes for fascinating reading. Our specialist antiques writer Caroline Wheater was given
exclusive access at one of the nation’s leading regional auction houses, speaking to everyone, from the head of the sale, to the person responsible for keeping the lots safe.