The pelmet
Together with fabric-lined walls, a very deep chair and a roaring fire, there are few things more cosseting than a pelmet.
They have the pulled-together look of a well-tailored suit and offer an additional buffer against light and sound. They’re a faff compared with a pole, but a faff that is definitely worth tolerating.
The flower room
Dreaming of an enormous open-plan kitchen the size of Wembley Stadium? Sadly that’s now a bit 10 years ago. The thinking person’s mega kitchen isn’t any smaller, it’s simply sliced up into spaces dedicated to specific purposes.
Inspired by Downton Abbey, all-singing, all-dancing kitchens now come with a pantry, a scullery, a laundry room and, if possible, a flower room for budding florists. Go on, you know you want one.
Old china
Ever since formal dining went out of fashion, vintage English china has been a steal, particularly when bought individually or in incomplete sets (who wants the whole co-ordinated 30-piece enchilada anyway?). Mix and match to your heart’s content. Country auctions are a good hunting ground.
Bloomsbury-mania
The doors of Charleston might have been shut for much of last year, but its decorative spirit pervades the Sussex downland in which it nestles.
The designers Molly Mahon, Amy Balfour and Tess Newall (all locals) have dug deep into the aesthetic legacy of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell and their circle to create beautiful textiles and furniture with a graphic simplicity that is the tonic we all need.
Marbling
This is set to be the pattern-based micro-revival of 2021. Wallpaper, fabric and paint finishes can be employed to evoke myriad looks from fogeyish Doric to playfully ironic.
Lino
This isn’t merely a wishful thought — it’s also a personal crusade. There was a brief moment in the 1980s when proper old-fashioned lino looked as if it might be on the cusp of a revival. Made from a mixture of ingredients, including ground cork and linseed oil backed with burlap, it comes in beautiful soft colours, creates great patterns and can withstand almost anything thrown at it.
The problem is that it’s often assumed to be synthetic rather than the forgiving, natural material it actually is. Anyone else happy to fight for this worthy cause is welcome to join me.
The Country Life Top 100 architects, interior designers, craftsmen, builders and garden designers in Britain
It's now six years since the original Country Life Top 100 was published, but the aim hasn't changed: we name
Credit: Leporello
Country Life Top 10: Beds – The best night’s sleep you can buy
From four posters to luxurious divans, we pick out the finest beds on the market.
Country Life Top 10: Fireplaces – The best hearths and chimneypieces you can buy
Giles Kime casts his eye over the finest fireplaces in the land.
-
Dawn Chorus: The world's highest property has a fittingly sky-high priceOur daily round-up of news includes a flat that's 2,500 ft above the ground, our stop-you-in-your-tracks picture of the day, a chance to see two of Country Life's best-loved experts, and news about our Quiz of the Day.
-
Brockfield Hall, the great Yorkshire house that's gone from Regency mansion to modern family homeBrockfield Hall in North Yorkshire is the family home of Charlie Wood and Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden, who have transformed it since they came here in 2020, winning multiple awards in the process. John Martin Robinson reports on the restoration project that revived this compact Regency house as a modern family home. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
