Decode · IN /ɪn/ adv.
This Victorian kitchen got better, not bigger
No side return. More light, the garden kept and a room that works harder.
Illustrative imageOUT /aʊt/ adv.
Montecito garden style in the UK
When a heatwave arrives, the garden stops being somewhere you glance at from a window.
Illustrative imageOUT /aʊt/ adv.
The Good Life, Manhattan style: how to make a kitchen garden beautiful
Tom and Barbara would approve of the hens.
IN /ɪn/ adv.
Cloud House: colour, curves, joyous and a rather Grand Design
Some houses behave themselves. This one absolutely does not.
Illustrative imageIN /ɪn/ adv.
Bond, by design: where will the new Bond live?
Forget the car. I want to see the house.
The instructions your home never came with.
Lighting / 01
How to layer lighting in a room
The short answer
Five layers: ambient, task, accent, decorative and control. Add them in that order, keep every bulb at 2700K, and put the lamps on a switch you can reach from the chair.
Shop the look /ʃɒp ðə lʊk/ v.
The Listening Room
Six pieces recreate this room. Tap a dot to meet each one.
01 / 06
Cord sofa bed chair
One low, deep chair pointed at the speakers. It folds out for a guest, so it earns its floor space twice.
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02 / 06
Fluted media sideboard
Tambour doors hide the clutter while open cubes hold the records. It’s the piece that makes the set-up look intended.
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03 / 06
Record player with speakers
Turntable and bookshelf speakers in one go: the whole point of the room, without the hi-fi homework.
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04 / 06
Woven floor lamp
A tall woven column that throws low, amber light. Listening is better when you can barely see the room.
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05 / 06
Checkerboard oak panels
Oak squares laid in a check add warmth and texture, and help soften sound off a hard wall.
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06 / 06
Checkerboard rug
Deep pile underfoot quietens the echo, and the check picks up the wall without matching it.
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Shop the Listening Room Edit →At mine
The Forth Bridge of front doors
We’re two-thirds of the way through our annual paint job. One more coat to go. This year we've experimented with Prestonett Gras à Laquer.
On my radar
Paparkone Handcrafted
An architect’s eye, a potter’s hands. Mediterranean craft, playful design and not a tourist cliché in sight. Roberto is as lovely as his creations. His cheeky little demon, Antònia la Dimoni, is mine to treasure.
In the diary
15 Nov · SunImage: Midcentury ModernMidcentury Modern, Dulwich
Good design doesn’t have a sell-by date. Vintage treasures, modernist icons and one-off finds return to south London. Go early. The best pieces never hang around.