English Home

THE ENGLISH HOME 107CLOCKWISE FROMABOVE A fire is awonderful focal point.Chairs and cushions,Homebase; stove, MorsoCube ottomans are aspace-saving choice.Upholstered Cube, from£110, Dormy HouseGather guests to toastcrumpets for a Christmastreat. Toast fork, £9.95,House of Bath``````If you have not already had the chimney swept, do try toarrange so swiftly, to clear out birds’ nests and avoid anysafety hazards before lighting either a wood- burning stoveor a fire in an open grate. The smell of wood smokealways adds a homely feel, but you could consider addinga scattering of dried apple or orange slices for a festive,aromatic note.Lower-level lighting immediately adds intimacy to theroom, so consider calling in an electrician to adda dimmer switch to the main light as an easy andinexpensive change. A mix of table lamps, wall lights anda standing lamp will create warming pools of light to addinfinitely more atmosphere than a harsh overheadpendant light. For deliberately festive lighting, see page 99for ideas. A trail of fairy lights around a mirror will alsoadd instant twinkle.Full-length curtaining will add to the comfortable,inviting setting, although with timing being tight,ready-mades may be the only option ready for Christmas.Try stalwarts John Lewis, Peter Jones and Laura Ashley,unless you have a good seamstress on call. Atelier Textilesdoes offer some stylish set size curtain panels, which canadd swift glamour to windows with existing roman blinds.Smart cushions are, of course, another quick and easystyle update to help bring a room scheme together, andbolster comfort – particularly for older guests.We suggest India Jane, Designers Guild and AndrewMartin for a good selection of smart designs orAmara, the online portal, for a huge choice froma wide variety of brands. n``````SEATING BRANDS TO CONSIDER·Beaumont & Fletcher Timelessseating handmade to the highestquality, including well proportionedottoman tables.beaumontandfletcher.com·Delcor British seating and sofabed manufacturer offering a 50-yearguarantee and refurbishment service.delcor.co.uk·George Smith Neat in-stocksection on the website guidesto chairs and sofas immediatelyavailable with a useful sub-categoryof small chairs.georgesmith.co.uk·Parker & Farr Smart Englishupholstered furniture. We particularlylike the neatly sized, elegantlydesigned Mackintosh two-seater sofawith its cossetting high back.parkerandfarr.co.uk·Sofa.com An excellent variety offootstools in addition to its coreseating range.Sofa.com·Tetrad Classic and contemporaryseating with very smart large sofas aspeciality. We like the Harris tweedcovered footstools in particular.tetrad.co.uk·The Odd Chair Company As wellas top notch bespoke, consider itsEssentials collection, which offers thecompact Freddie and HarryArmchairs and the neat SofiaOttoman for under a window.theoddchaircompany.com·Wesley Barrell Handmade sofas,made in Britain for 120 years,available with standard or made-to-order upholstery.wesley-barrell.co.uk·Willow & Hall A well-priced rangeof sofas, with sofa beds a speciality,featuring good deep mattresses.willowandhall.co.ukTEH UK DEC 15 Sitting Rooms.indd 107 22/10/2015 17:28