BRIGHTER LIGHTER FRESHER
I’ve been watching The Gilded Age – billed as the new Downton
Abbey – set in fin-de-siècle New York (it’s very good, particularly the costumes). The old money aristocrats are shocked at how
Carrie Coon’s new money character is lavishly adding period details to her home at will, clutching their pearls at the vulgarity of her shipping in French antiques just because she can afford to. Aside from the fact I love how they all take afternoon tea so lavishly, I’ve never been happier to live now and not then. The way I’ve been decorating my own home, adding character and texture where it has been stripped out over the years, could be seen by some as just as inauthentic. We’ve researched the cornicing a house like mine would have had when it was built, but ultimately bought modern replicas through necessity of both budget and time. And unlike those stuffy New Yorkers of the 1880s, I am totally OK with that.
At Livingetc, we pride ourselves in showcasing rooms that feature a mix of styles, eras, shapes, colours – nothing is ever too matched or forced. It’s hard to get this right, but a wonderful reflection of the personality behind each space. This was the thinking behind the dossier of paint and pattern advice that starts on page 118, new ideas to throw caution to the wind and let the colour and texture in. Elsewhere, I’m taken with our columnist Minnie Kemp’s advice for brilliant front gardens on page 117 and will perhaps never look at yoghurt quite the same again. There’s also a big focus on garden furniture, planting, decking and styling over on Livingetc.com this month, reams more information than we could ever fit into this magazine. Do take a look when you’re online.
For me, this is a perfect time of year to start the project you’ve been thinking about – as the days get longer I feel more motivated to begin afresh. The minimalist John Pawson is my true inspiration (see page 36) and perhaps I’ll take the 30 day home organisation challenge detailed on page 169. Starting, like John, with just a shelf.