General

Huge thanks to all at Coast magazine for supporting sea-faring fundraiser Mike Brooke in his tireless efforts to raise money for the Fight for Sight charity.

When I first bumped into Mike while buying his book a few months ago, I’d no idea just what a very special man I had encountered.

Turns out that Colonel Mike, OBE, has not only sailed around Britain on a 19-foot boat, raising more than £43,000 for crucial research that might help his blind godson, Theo, gain his sight, but this modest gentleman has also written a book entitled Theo’s Future in a bid to boost the already impressive total.

Mike is also thrilled that Coast has adopted his two chosen charities, Fight for Sight and the Scottish-based Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit as the Coast campaign in the July issue.

He says: “It’s fantastic news. I’m very grateful to Coast since this extra publicity will definitely help raise awareness and, hopefully, more money for the charities. Sales from the book are currently totalling nearly £8,000, which is just wonderful.

“Theo is now seven years old and attending primary school with a helper.  He’s doing well and plays the violin in a youth orchestra – we’ve heard him and he’s really good.  He sent us a lovely message in braille at Christmas!  He knows how kind and generous people have been and wants to THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

The book is priced £12.95 and more details are available by browsing www.theosfuture.org or calling 01243 572127.

Check out more details by browsing the Coast piece below.

Escape to a brighter place today with a quick peek inside Alicia Trevor’s sun-filled coastal home in this month’s (July) Country Homes & Interiors.

Alicia has made a fabulous job of her New England-style property, just a few metres away from the water’s edge in Selsey, West Sussex.

This generous homeowner loves nothing more than enjoying good times with family and friends in her house that’s been very carefully and beautifully designed. It now boasts plenty of bedrooms, a cosy snug and a spacious open-plan kitchen/diner.

As Alicia says: “It’s a house that’s meant to be shared” and, share it she does. Definitely the kind of home where there’s always a warm welcome.

Delighted to see this wonderful waterside house, owned by Bill and Angie Jenkins, starring in all its glory on the front cover of this month’s Build It magazine.

It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet Bill at his stylish Potton home, right next to the River Thames, on a beautiful sunny day.

At the time, he explained: “I feel so incredibly lucky. After years of working hard and saving, we’ve finally built a house that we absolutely adore and have the perfect lifestyle so we can enjoy every day to the full.”

Find out how this plucky couple overcame various challenges to successfully build their own property, complete with a mooring for their 40-foot motorboat, in the June issue of Build It that’s on the shelves right now.

Lovely to see the River Thames dazzling in the sunshine yesterday after a super shoot at a pretty wisteria-covered cottage in south London.

I was intrigued when the owner, who described her home as ‘the house that changed my life’, first contacted me. Several months later, it was wonderful to see this ‘lucky find’ for myself and, finally, hear all about the tale, while chatting in the sun-trap garden.

Between juggling a string of commissions, caring for two young children and being interviewed and photographed, I know that it’s going to be another extremely busy week for this delightful homeowner. However, as the day came to an end and I pulled the garden gate closed, it was lovely to hear the words: ‘I didn’t realise the shoot was going to be so much fun’.

This talented artist’s feature is scheduled to be published within the next few months.

If you love your home and would also like to see it featured in a magazine, just drop me a line at mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk or call me on 01243 792379.

So lovely to step into contemporary artist Jessica Zoob’s inspirational world and come face-to-face with her exquisite work.

This highly-talented painter’s home, situated in the delightful town of Lewes, East Sussex, is absolutely charming; crammed full of Jessica’s huge dreamy canvases that have such an uplifting captivating quality.

Jessica is riding high, enjoying a fabulous year, following her extremely successful collaboration with Romo’s Black Edition.

Her striking ‘Desire’ collection of paintings has been cleverly translated onto beautiful fabrics, wall coverings and cushions that are creating a stir, not just in the UK but worldwide.

It’s been such a pleasure to spend time with Jessica recently and find out how her beautiful home has evolved. The article won’t be published for a few months but I’ll keep you posted the moment that it hits the shelves.

Meanwhile, I urge you to pop over to Jessica’s website but…beware. If you’ve got any kind of a romantic bone in your body, you may well fall head over heels for her work. I know that I have.

Jessica is thoroughly enjoying working on the next collection of paintings called Playtime, which is due to launch in the spring of 2015. I can’t wait to see it! 🙂

To view Jessica’s website, click here.

Cushions featuring Jessica Zoob’s artwork in her vibrant home (above) and on display at Ivory & Pitch in Westbourne, Hampshire (below)

What a wonderful Easter! Fantastic weather – perfect for a superb shoot in sunny (thankfully!) West Sussex.

The location was a gorgeous cottage – the one dating from 1511 that I wrote about back in January. The home, owned by Carrie and David Brixey, is in a stunning setting, right on the edge of the Goodwood Estate.

From the moment I walked in, my eyes were drawn to some atmospheric photographs of the South Downs hanging in the couple’s fabulous new kitchen. Turns out that the shots were taken by the Brixey’s photographer friend, Chester Tugwell. A few years ago, Chester’s wife Kate painted a remarkable portrait of the owner’s father (below) which now takes pride of place in the Brixey’s cosy beamed dining room. You can view this talented pair’s work by clicking on their names.

 As the Brixey’s story of their renovation unfolded, I discovered that the enterprising owners haven’t just transformed their home with love, style and charm; they’ve also recently opened their doors for B&B, in conjunction with events at Goodwood. With such delightful accommodation and welcoming friendly owners, I reckon the lucky guests are in for a real treat…in fact, even though I only live a few miles away, I could easily be tempted to stay in this rural idyll myself!

To find out more B&B information, email Carrie on carriebrixey@gmail.com

The Brixey’s feature won’t be appearing for a little while but as soon as it does, I’ll let you know.

Have you ever searched high and low for the perfect item and ended up deciding that you might be better off designing it yourself?

I know I have but, so far, any ideas have remained as just that, rather than emerging in any Dragons’ Den kind of way.

One entrepreneurial couple that have gone one step further are Sarah and Dan Cook, featured in this month’s (May 2014) edition of 25 Beautiful Homes.

Fed up trying to source affordable French-style furniture for their new home, without success, this go-ahead pair decided to take matters into their own hands.

The result is La Residence Interiors, stocking an impressive range of furniture and accessories for any home, from beautiful dining tables to upholstered headboards, elegant chairs to table lamps – all at very competitive prices.

It was fabulous to meet Sarah, Dan and cheery four-year-old George at their renovated home in Loxwood, West Sussex. During the shoot, this busy couple took it in turns to pop out to meet customers at their nearby showroom, sort out deliveries, take phone calls and, generally, keep all the balls in the air with ease and professionalism.

Sarah’s just sent me an email to let me know how pleased she is with the coverage in 25 Beautiful Homes, featuring plenty of mentions for her business and shots of La Residence’s delightful furniture in situ at the couple’s stylishly-remodelled home. Great news and a lovely start to the week.

Photograph courtesy of Bruce Hemming

Wow…talk about pushing the boat out! This scrumptious cake and tasty flapjacks were just part of a delicious feast that casually arrived during a wonderful shoot at a home with a nautical feel this week.

Big thanks to the lovely ladies concerned for such a super welcome and fantastic spread… greatly appreciated by both busy photographer and writer.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and that all mums are thoroughly pampered. Enjoy! 🙂

What a great start to the week. Just back from visiting a house that’s about to undergo an incredible transformation.

The rather dated property is right in the heart of Bosham – a pretty coastal village in West Sussex that’s been captured beautifully in this shot by photographer friend Shelley Jarvis.

It was super to see the owner’s plans and moodboards, and to hear all about her forthcoming project, which is going to turn a fairly nondescript yet spacious house into something very special. I can’t wait to return when it’s all finished.

Talking of moodboards, Friday’s workshop at Ivory & Pitch in Westbourne, Hampshire, provided plenty of inspiration for my own forthcoming project – the long-awaited living room makeover.

The room is a fairly awkward shape and has various other problems that need to be addressed. However, with so much going on in my life, I’ve been procrastinating about the project for ages.

This course gave me the chance to get away from any distractions, enabling me to concentrate on formulating a raft of ideas for the makeover.

It was great to liaise with experienced interior designer Caroline Ivory and the other ladies on the course as we bounced ideas off each other. The end result was a range of impressive moodboards, reflecting everyone’s tastes, favoured colours and personalities. Now, the hard work begins as we all turn our boards into reality.

 You can view more of Shelley’s photographs by clicking on this link for Shelley’s Gallery.

Meet Emma King. When Emma and husband Iain decided to take their first step onto the property ladder, they initially struggled to find anything that remotely appealed.

Thankfully, after months of searching, the couple walked into ‘the’ home – a Victorian terraced house in Southampton, Hampshire – and instantly knew they could make it their own.

You can find out how this innovative pair have thoroughly enjoyed tackling the transformation, teaming design classics with vintage finds and inherited pieces, by picking a copy of this month’s (April 2014) Your Home magazine.

I had a great time meeting this hard-working couple who, just hours before the shoot, experienced a flood in their kitchen following torrential rain.  Despite this, they forged ahead as planned and the result was another super day.

Great to see Outpost’s chunky mustard and brown checked throw (pictured above on the chair) and Emerald Nest’s cable knit planter (pictured below on the windowsill) in Bruce Hemming’s shots. Click on their links to find out more about these companies run by two very lovely ladies. 🙂