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A while ago, I mentioned that I’d received a surprise phone call from a homeowner in West Sussex who was keen to have her home featured in a magazine.

Well, the good news is that 25 Beautiful Homes snapped up the charming house and it’s going to be appearing in a forthcoming issue of this super magazine that’s always jam-packed with inspirational houses and ideas.

The West Sussex mews house is truly delightful, with a wealth of character features including an attractive stable door (not dissimilar to the one in this kitchen shot) and a stunning knapped flint wall.

Fortunately, the weather for the shoot was perfect – a sunny blue-sky day that was ideal for opening the stable door. Photographer colleague Bruce Hemming took a fabulous selection of shots with several looking out from the contemporary kitchen into the secluded walled gardens.

I’ve just filed the copy today and will keep you posted when the article appears in 25 Beautiful Homes. Friendly homeowner and another stylish and much-loved property.

If you’d like to see your own home featured in a magazine, drop me a line at mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk or browse www.janetmcmeekin.co.uk for more information.

Photograph courtesy of Brent Darby/www.narratives.co.uk. Thanks to both! 🙂

Morning all! What a weekend – partying ‘til the wee small hours, finally finding the time to finish reading my latest book, watching the Red Arrows putting on another spectacular show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and coming almost face-to-face with the most gorgeous little deer during an adventure cycling home from a wonderful afternoon at Chichester Harbour.

If you’re also making the most of this superb spell of good weather and fancy chilling out with a magazine at some stage, why not pick up a copy of Coast?

The August issue is jam-packed with summery features, including my ten-page spread about Vintage Scoops – a fabulous mother and daughter team who are, against all odds, living the dream of running their ice-cream business from a delightful vintage-themed van.

A couple of months ago, I popped over to East Sussex to interview Victoria McMullen and her mum Jo – a really lovely pair of ladies who are just so warm and friendly. Their openness definitely helped when it came to writing the feature.

I was thrilled with photographer colleague Richard Gadsby’s vibrant selection of shots and incredibly touched when Victoria emailed with this comment.

Hi Janet,

Just had a read of your lovely article, love, love, LOVE! Thank you so much for putting our story across so beautifully, you’ve done a really great job!

Love the pics too!

Best wishes

Vic

How kind is that? Makes my job even more worthwhile! 🙂

If you’d like to book Vintage Scoops for your event, email info@vintagescoops.co.uk or call either 01273 400416 or 07758 133650.

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.