I love this time of year when everything is fresh, green and bursting back to life. The sight of magnificent horse chestnut trees with their candle-like spikes never fails to make me smile while I’m out and about visiting homeowners.
It’s one of the reasons why Kate Clayson’s relaxed TV room with its vibrant splashes of green and blue (pictured above) strikes a chord with me.
Kate was an absolute delight to interview for the feature in this month’s (June 2015) 25 Beautiful Homes. It’s obvious that she totally adores the charming Edwardian villa, which she found by complete accident, while heading out for lunch with her husband Simon.
To read more about this lucky find and discover how the couple have created a wonderful home for themselves, their twin sons and rehomed basset hound take a peek inside.
Photographs courtesy of Richard Gadsby
When Deborah and Aron Dindol moved four doors down the road to a larger five-bedroom home in Stanmore, London, there was one major problem – the kitchen just wasn’t big enough.
Despite her busy job and juggling the demands of two young children, Deborah spent hours considering how to rejig the rear of their detached house to maximise the space. Having come up with the layout, they asked kitchen company Alban Creations to build bespoke units to their design.
The result is a spacious open-plan kitchen/diner that leads into an airy orangery and oozes plenty of wow factor.
This elegant pale grey kitchen with its striking pops of blue and fuchsia is featured in this month’s (May 2015) Ideal Home magazine. Why not pick up a copy, pop into your garden for a few minutes and enjoy a leisurely read in the sunshine?
Kitchen photographs courtesy of Richard Gadsby 
Just lovely to receive such positive feedback from Anna Chatterton-Crosse and her husband Jules. The couple’s wonderful West Sussex townhouse, located seconds away from Arundel Castle, is featured in the current (May 2015) issue of Country Homes & Interiors.
The impressive renovation of the four-bedroom home has been a true labour of love for hard-working lawyers Anna Chatterton-Crosse and her husband Jules.
It was an absolute delight to hear this enterprising couple’s fascinating tales about how they transformed the once dark and dreary three-storey house into an elegant, sophisticated home that’s now simply stunning. The pair, who clearly have a superb eye for colour and design, have enhanced the original features, such as the gorgeous stone mullioned windows and eye-catching fireplaces. Every inch of space has been used – even the courtyard garden, which is now a tranquil secluded space.
One of Anna’s favourite shops in Arundel is Lavender House & Garden in Tarrant Street and I can totally understand why. If you haven’t visited already, it’s definitely well worth popping in.
I’m thrilled that Anna and Jules are so pleased with the feature and photographs taken by colleague Richard Gadsby. In fact, their thoughtful message made my day! “We love the feature in Country Homes & Interiors – it’s a wonderful record of happy memories for which Jules and I are both extremely grateful.”
If you’d like to see your home or room makeover project featured in a magazine, drop a line to mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk
Photo courtesy of Richard Gadsby.
Happy Easter! Time to down tools for a few days. Hope you have a relaxing break. 🙂
Great to see Country Homes & Interiors still on the shelves this morning at Compton Village Shop & Tea Room – one of my favourite places to stop for a quick cuppa when I’m out pedalling around the South Downs.
Turns out that my passion for cycling in the fabulous West Sussex countryside is something I share with Helen Pattinson – founder of the thriving chocolate company Montezuma’s.
Recently, I’d the pleasure of interviewing this vivacious entrepreneur for the My Kind of Country pages in this month’s (April 2015) Country Homes & Interiors.
At the time, Helen told me: ‘The pressures of a busy life can be put into perspective during a quick bike ride in the Downs, with just the birds and trees for company.’ How very true!
To find how Helen and her husband Simon (another keen cyclist) switched careers to launch their business, why, like me, they love living in this area and their plans for a Montezuma’s-inspired Easter egg hunt, pick up Country Homes & Interiors, unwind and and enjoy a leisurely browse.
Photographs of Helen Pattinson and Montezuma’s chocolates courtesy of Alun Callender.
Such lovely feedback from artist Veronica van Eijk, following the publication of her feature in the March/April edition of LandLove magazine.
It was an absolute delight to spend time with Veronica and her husband Mike Lodge during the shoot at their welcoming farmhouse and studio in East Sussex.
The moment we arrived, Mike set to, in true Great British Bake Off style, kindly baking fresh bread to use as props for the shoot and, later, for a very tasty al fresco lunch.
During our busy day, photographer colleague Bruce Hemming and I had the privilege of stepping into Veronica and Mike’s idyllic rural life. We discovered how chancing upon the farmhouse has opened a whole new world to this go-ahead couple.
Veronica told me how she instantly spotted the potential of a crumbling brick and flint barn, realising immediately that, with vision and effort, it could become the characterful studio where she now paints and holds workshops.
What this talented artist hadn’t anticipated was how her art would take a complete change of direction – inspired by her new neighbour’s herd of organic dairy cows! Neither did she know that she’d become so involved with the super artist-run Chalk Gallery in Lewes, where her work is displayed.
Bruce and I thoroughly enjoyed our busy day on the Pevensey Levels and, to receive the following email when the magazine was published, made the shoot even more worthwhile:
‘Mike and I both love the feature about our home. The house looks super and the article is fabulous. It is a lovely thing for the house to have had a chance to be in the limelight and, for us, it is a wonderful memento to keep and share with our children. Huge thank you to you, and to Bruce as well.’
To read the full story, pick up a copy of LandLove. To view Veronica’s website click here.
Attached are a few snaps taken on my phone during our shoot.
Fancy taking a peak inside this picture-perfect cottage? If so, then, as promised, you’ll find my feature in this month’s (April 2015) bright and breezy issue of Country Homes & Interiors.
It’s been an absolute pleasure to cross paths with both Carrie Brixey and her husband David – a wonderful couple who I first met a few years ago when writing a feature about the kitchen makeover in their previous home.
I was thrilled when Carrie called to invite me round to Tudor Cottage in Westerton, located on the outskirts of Chichester, West Sussex – just a stone’s throw from the beautiful Goodwood Estate. My first visit was way back in 2011, before this go-ahead couple began working their magic on the property which dates right back to the 1500s.
Last April, when photographer colleague Richard Gadsby and I arrived for the shoot, we received a very warm welcome and spent a fabulous day with the Brixeys. The pair explained how, during the renovation, more and more previously-hidden secrets were uncovered – I have to say, the original wattle and daub wall in one of the en suites just blew my mind!
Attention to detail, effort and an expert eye for colour and style now shine through in every room of the couple’s much-loved home that exudes a charming modern country feel.
During the project – finding themselves increasingly immersed in Goodwood life – Carrie and David decided to share their pride and joy and have recently opened their doors as a B&B. So, if you’re looking for a relaxing boutique-style place to stay where you can explore glorious Goodwood, the stunning West Sussex countryside and also visit the coast and Chichester Harbour, I can guarantee that you’ll adore Tudor Cottage. In fact, I think I might just give the Brixeys a call on 01243 781659 right now and pop over for a night myself! 😉
Please click here to read a previous post about this home, and another here.
Photo courtesy of Richard Gadsby
Have to say, I love the variety of my job. It’s such a privilege to step inside much-loved homes and hear the owners’ inspiring tales, which are always so different.
Inside this month’s (March 2015) issue of LandLove, bubbly artist Veronica van Eijk reveals how relocating to a fabulous farmhouse in East Sussex has opened doors to more opportunities than she could have ever imagined.
In Good Homes, Emma McLintic explains how experienced interior designer Anna Auzins helped guide this busy mother-of-two through the challenges of transforming a neglected 1930s terraced house in London into a smart family home.
Family life for Liam and Helen Collins, plus their six children, was pretty testing (to say the least!) for three years as they all squeezed into a two-and-a-half bedroom property in Cambridgeshire. Thankfully, there was an end in sight for this enterprising couple and the result is a spacious contemporary home with plenty of bedrooms for every member of this lovely family.
Being a Vanessa Arbuthnott fan, I was instantly drawn to the front cover of Period Homes & Interiors, with its pretty image featuring the new Calmsden sofa and chair.
Inside the current issue, Elizabeth Woodhead tells me about her surprise barn conversion find and how she has transformed the property in rural Dorset into a striking home.
Feeling buoyed up after a wonderful half-term week juggling work with family fun. 🙂
