General

Great news! I’m delighted to be handling the public relations for the highly regarded Martin Sewell Building Company, based near Fontwell in West Sussex – not far from my office.

I was thrilled when Martin approached me recently. He’s very open, friendly and honest, and we’ve quickly established a great working relationship.

One of the first jobs I took on was a case study about one of the company’s many impressive projects – the sensitive renovation of an existing barn and outbuildings into a multi-functional property suitable for offices and a wine tasting area for Redfold Vineyards, located near Pulborough.

On behalf of the company, I entered the project into the prestigious Sussex Heritage Trust 2013 Awards and was absolutely over the moon to receive a phone call to tell me that the stunning Redfold Farm project has just won The Commercial Award section.

The judges described the project as: “A beautiful conversion that bravely blends the best of traditional craftsmanship with some clever contemporary features.”

To find out more about The Martin Sewell Building Company click here or call 01243 542056.

See below for a shot of the barn after the transformation and a photograph of what it looked like before.

With temperatures finally starting to soar, it seems a little strange to be sitting in my office today feeling incredibly Christmassy!

I’ve just come back from a superb day in London, sampling the delights of the forthcoming festive season – in July – courtesy of Heal’s, The White Company and Amara Living, at their wonderful autumn/winter press shows.

What a whirlwind of a day, crammed full of so many stylish, beautiful and lovingly created home and gift ideas.

Here’s just a little taster to get you in the mood too…

Thrilled to discover that artist Lizzie Cornelius is delighted with the feature about her fabulous beachside home in this month’s (August) Good Homes magazine.

A couple of months ago I mentioned that an interiors article is a wonderful way of promoting an artist’s work. This proves the point perfectly since practically every photograph, taken by colleague Richard Gadsby, features one of the Hayling Island-based artist’s paintings and Lizzie’s contact details. For more information about Lizzie, view her website at www.icanseethesea.com, or contact her on 0782 464 1232.

Morning all. Hope your week is going well. It’s been head down here, writing a feature for a forthcoming issue of 25 Beautiful Homes.

The shoot, last Friday, in a pretty Hampshire village was fantastic. Wonderful house transformation and super fun-loving owner with plenty of interesting and amusing tales to tell about the very stylish renovation.

I couldn’t resist taking a quick snap of this gorgeous little cushion, made by Sharon’s own fair hand – says it all really!

Nothing beats a good giggle to start the week! Just been chatting to a lovely interior designer about working together on some forthcoming projects.

The shot above of this pretty bathroom was taken from the designer’s blog and, I have to say, I like both her style and sense of humour.

Hope you had a great weekend and that all dads are feeling thoroughly pampered. 🙂

If it’s raining or grey where you are too, check out Kate Clayson’s stunning light-filled extension in the current (July) issue of Real Homes.

Kate, who was a delight to interview, has worked extremely hard to transform a drab and dated kitchen into a homely orangery-style space for her family and it’s reaped huge rewards.  She told me:  ‘When the sun is shining and the doors are open, it feels as though we are on holiday in our home’ – fantastic!

Big thanks to photographer colleague Richard Gadsby for the wonderful summery shots, to Real Homes for the layout and to the lovely Kate for her kind feedback. 🙂

If you’ve recently revamped a room in your own home, have taken before shots and would like the transformation featured in a magazine then please drop me a line at mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk

Lovin’ this weather. Just taken recce shots of a fabulous home near Chichester that’s tucked away behind a beautiful flint wall. Very innovative and enthusiastic homeowner who has used every inch of space to create a gorgeous property featuring a pretty stable door (not unlike the one pictured above) and lovely secluded garden – the ideal place to sit and chill now that the sun has finally decided to shine.

Thanks to Chalkgallery Lewes and Robert Justin Macartney for the Facebook likes – hope the sun is shining where you are too. 🙂

If you’re struggling to find just the right cushions for your home, why not have a go at making your own?

Ivory & Pitch home accessories shop in Westbourne, Hampshire, are holding their next cushion making workshops on Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22 and, the good news is, there are still a few places left.

This is a super opportunity to learn expert tips and tricks for making professional (no zip) cushions and to leave armed with, not just a bespoke cushion, but also the skills to make many more.

Shop owner and interior designer Caroline Ivory (pictured above) will guide you through the art of combining textiles and working with trims, ribbons and handmade buttons.

The four-hour workshops cost £75, which includes the price of the fabric, cushion pad, morning tea and lunch plus a 10% discount voucher for this fabulous shop.

To book, either ring 01243 377813 or email shop@ivoryandpitch.co.uk

Having just been on the Annie Sloan Introduction to Painting Furniture course at Ivory & Pitch, I honestly can’t recommend one of Caroline’s courses highly enough.

What an amazing weekend! Perfect weather for an impromptu opportunity to take to the skies for a helicopter flight over Sussex. Talk about a different perspective on homes…it was just incredible. Hope the sun shone where you live and that you’d a super time too.

Welcome to Linda Cassidy and to Swedish Style – MW Antiques – thank you for your kind words and likes on Facebook. Also, thanks to @theRandomLights and @The Lady Builder for the Twitter follows.

OK, so it’s nearly the start of a long weekend and the Friday feeling is definitely kicking in here.

In fact, it started earlier this morning when I popped in to see a homeowner and received a huge ‘smile’ from – their Dalmatian! I’d never realised that this breed was partial to baring teeth in a smiley way – slightly disconcerting for the uninitiated but, I’m reliable assured, it’s the sign of a warm welcome.

Final home feature for this week nearly finished and meetings with business folk and architects done and dusted. Time to kick back, chill out and indulge my own passion for interiors by sussing out the next stage of the bedroom makeover project.

Many thanks to Katie Hatton, Martin Brown, Penny SB and Indu Garg plus E-Side, Beautiful Home Furniture, Alternative Flooring and Gant’s Property Maintenance for the Facebook likes.

Also thanks for the new Twitter follows from @AddisHome @OAndDFineArt and @alsohome.

Have fun!