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Janet McMeekin
Interiors, travel and lifestyle writer

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Elegant Wiltshire home

by Janet
I can’t believe that it’s nearly a year ago since I headed to interior designer Olivia Shaw’s stunning Wiltshire home – the house that made the front cover of The English Home in June.
Editor of The English Home, Samantha Scott-Jeffries, has kindly allowed me to share the feature here with you. If you missed it, feel free to read my article, below. I’d be delighted to hear your comments. 
I’ve been out and about, visiting a number of other gorgeous houses recently and can’t wait to share details with you. 
If you would like me to feature your beautiful home, do drop an email to mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk or call me on 01243 792379. Looking forward to hearing from you. xx

July 2, 2023 0 comment
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Interiors

Cover star

by Janet


It’s always a thrill to discover that the home I’ve visited, styled and written about is starring on the front cover of a national interiors magazine. 

The truth is that this ‘cover star reveal’ is often just as much of a surprise to me as it is to the homeowner and the readers, since the hardworking staff at the magazines are so flat-out that they rarely have time to share the news with contributors.

I was particularly chuffed to find the absolutely stunning home of wonderful interior designer Olivia Shaw on the front of The English Home this month. I reckon that panoramic view, framed by the floor-to-ceiling windows, is just mesmerising. Don’t you?

Behind the scenes, it took a lot of careful planning to capture that exquisite rural view at its very best. 

When I first began chatting to Olivia, of Olivia Shaw Interiors, about featuring her home in a magazine, she mentioned that the beautiful outlook was one of the main reasons that she bought the property. My instincts as an interiors journalist and stylist immediately began twitching!

Having discussed timings for Olivia’s interiors photoshoot, we agreed that it would be worth waiting until the wheat was looking like a field of gold – a bit like the Sting song – but without the barley! Olivia mentioned that there was a fairly short window of opportunity before the crop would be cut.

With Sting’s lyrics in mind, I liaised with photographer colleague, Rachael Smith, to pen a date into our diaries, not realising that the day we chose would actually turn out to be the hottest of 2022.

As the date approached, the temperatures kept climbing and people were being warned not to travel, and to stay inside, not work if possible and, basically, hide away in a fridge all day! 

Well, in our world, the show must go on, and we jump through hoops to make sure photoshoots go ahead as planned.

On the day, despite the 40 degree heat, I set off from West Sussex for the drive to Wiltshire, with a freezer bag full of chilled water – just in case!

A couple of miles from my destination, I spotted, to my horror, a combine harvester in a nearby field. My pulse raced as I wondered whether Rachael and I had been pipped to the post and that the crop adjacent to Olivia’s house would already have been cut.

Minutes later, I arrived to meet Olivia face-to-face for the first time and see the field looking uncut and totally stunning.

Olivia was fantastic. Thinking ahead, she’d rustled up an air-conditioning unit that had been lurking in the loft and, although it was still extremely hot in the house, we all managed.

The flowers were kept in the utility room – the coolest room in the house. The food props on the kitchen island only came out of the fridge at the very last minute. 

I’ll never forget poor Rachael having to step outside in the blazing heat to take the exterior photographs. Both Olivia and I wished her luck for the mission, which she not only survived, but accomplished with her usual professionalism. 

Huge thanks to Olivia for a fantastic photoshoot, to Rachael for the super shots, to The English Home for the commission, and to everyone who has emailed and messaged with such lovely feedback.

We all worked so hard, against the odds, and had an unforgettable day. The cover feature really is such a feather in our caps. 

To find out about the beautiful transformation of Olivia’s home and how the all-encompassing view informed her palette, I’d love you to pick up a June copy of The English Home. 

Do feel free to leave any comments below, and also over on Instagram. Thanks very much for reading! 

If you would like me to feature your home, please drop me an email or direct message on Instagram.


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May 15, 2023 23 comments
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Interiors

Time for a little rest and relaxation – courtesy of Country Homes & Interiors

by Janet

What a difference a day makes! I seem to have crammed about two days into one, and made the most of every moment of the clocks going back, with a fabulous walk around Amberley, and a super coastal bike ride. Next stop, a relaxing soak! 😊 Photo, courtesy of Jeremy Phillips, from our shoot in the September issue of Country Homes & Interiors magazine.

 

October 28, 2019 0 comment
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General

Kerb appeal!

by Janet

I just had to take a quick snap of this beautiful home while I was out and about in the South Downs. Such a striking property. Anyone else, apart from me, fancy moving in?

 

October 28, 2019 0 comment
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General

Decorex delights

by Janet

Fantastic to meet Verity, Frank, and Ju, from the TV series Interior Design Masters at Decorex.

While exploring, I also crossed paths with Kelly Hoppen and had a great chat.

An amazing day at Olympia with plenty of design inspiration around single every corner! 

October 28, 2019 0 comment
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General

Spotlight on Stephen and Clare Pardy’s exceptional home

by Janet

‘Tucked away in a leafy corner of one of London’s most attractive, genteel and architecturally-unspoilt squares, lies an exquisitely curated home, exuding a timeless quality that’s almost tangible.’

This is a little snippet from my feature in the October issue of The English Home magazine about Clare and Stephen Pardy’s astonishing townhouse.

A huge thank you to everyone who emailed and messaged about my article and also the atmospheric shots, taken by photographer Andreas von Einsiedel during our visit – such kind feedback.

October 28, 2019 0 comment
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General

Georgian townhouse stars in The English Home

by Janet

A little while ago I boarded a train to London to visit the truly enchanting home of Stephen and Clare Pardy.

It was a magical shoot with one of my photographer colleagues, Andreas von Einsiedel, and such a delight to feature the couple’s Georgian townhouse in the October issue (pictured here) of The English Home.

October 28, 2019 0 comment
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General

Fancy seeing your stylish home in a national interiors magazine?

by Janet

How’s about this for a relaxing bedroom? This is one of my favourite shots of Helen and Paul Jackson’s thatched house in the current (September) Country Homes & Interiors.

While visiting, I tried to take a hasty snap of this sun-drenched room to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse with you. However, my attempt definitely paled into insignificance, in comparison to this gorgeous image, taken by photographer colleague, Jeremy Phillips.

If you would like to see your own home looking styled and stunning in one of the interiors magazines I write for, do drop me a message. It would be lovely to hear from you. 

August 9, 2019 0 comment
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General

Helen’s stunning thatched house stars in Country Homes & Interiors

by Janet

A little while ago, the lovely Helen Jackson got in contact to let me know she was thinking of buying a thatched house, close to her brick-and-flint cottage in Buckinghamshire.

Well, after much heart-searching, Helen, and her husband, Paul, eventually decided to take on a major renovation project – and the result is an absolutely beautiful home that’s featured in this month’s Country Homes & Interiors magazine.

To find out more about their journey, pick up a copy – the September issue is on the shelves today. Photographer, Jeremy Phillips, and I had a fabulous day with the Jackson family – another memorable shoot. Big thanks to Country Homes & Interiors for the commission and to Fullers Flowers for the beautiful blooms.

August 5, 2019 0 comment
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General

Bumper coverage in a trio of summery national magazines

by Janet

If you’re sitting down for a few minutes at some point today with a cup of tea or coffee, and fancy a good old read through a national magazine, I’ve got features in this month’s issues of The English Home, Country Homes & Interiors and Good Housekeeping, and would be delighted if you’d like to read my articles.

A big thank you to everyone who has contacted me about having their homes featured in the magazines I write for – it’s always great to hear from you! 😊 x 

July 28, 2019 0 comment
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Janet McMeekin
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