-
Country Life's never-before-published photographs of ‘101 Dalmatians’ author Dodie Smith's London flat
Every Monday, Melanie Bryan delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
-
Inverewe: The making of 'The Oasis of the North' in a wind-battered corner of north-west Scotland
Innovative 21st-century composting and mulching techniques combined with a 19th-century shelterbelt ensure that the famous gardens of Inverewe in Wester Ross continue to thrive. Caroline Donald explains more; photographs by Andrea Jones.
-
Giles Kime: 'Why contemporary art should become a feature of everyday life'
The belief that contemporary art looks best when displayed against a white, minimalist backdrop is dangerous — it can also make it look irrelevant, our Interiors Editor writes.
-
The designer's room: This kitchen in a Queen Anne-style home is proof that pretty and practical can go hand in hand
Hiding the conveniences of modern-day living lends a timeless feel to the kitchen of this 18th-century house.
-
Giles Kime: 'Darkness in an interior is equally as beguiling as large amounts of natural light'
Why subtle lighting is about more than a dimmer switch.
-
'Tones of natural wood and warm olive': Isabella Worsley transforms a coastal Sussex kitchen
For this kitchen on the Sussex coast, Isabella Worsley dispensed with a classic seaside palette and turned to rich colours and natural textures
-
‘I was rather excited, not remotely daunted... With hindsight, I should have been': The 25-year creation of the gardens of Glenarm Castle
Pay a visit to the gardens at Glenarm Castle in Co Antrim — home of Randal and Aurora McDonnell — is hard to credit that nearly all of the present garden was made this century, marvels Kathryn Bradley-Hole. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
-
The pinnacle of the English style of gardening, as fine today as it was a century ago
Charles Quest-Ritson has just returned to Great Dixter for the first time in years — and it's 'the high point of all my garden visiting for a long time. I cannot recommend it too highly'.
-
Art saved for the nation? Not enough, it would seem
The recent publication of a report on export control of art from the UK makes depressing reading.
-
Good things come in small packages: The art of an excellent miniature
With so many medals to fit on the tiniest miniature she had ever worked on, limner Elizabeth Meek literally had to hold her breath when painting the portrait of Charles III, but the result is a resounding success.
-
The perks of being wallpaper: A collection of never-before-seen William Morris designs are to go on sale
The first new Morris & Co. designs in a century were developed using archive materials discovered inside a Californian library.
-
'The greatest collection of Surrealism to emerge in recent history’: The contents of iconic art collector Pauline Karpidas’s London home are heading to auction
Works by Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso are included in the sale of the items in the collector's apartment which overlooks Hyde Park.
-
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side: Five alternatives to lawn, from fleshy sedums to aromatic thyme
No Mow May and similar initiatives want to inspire gardeners to replace their lawns with pollinator-friendly alternatives — but knowing where to start and what to do is an off-putting minefield.
-
The rose that flowers 'from October to summer', and the man who used it to light up a beautiful corner of London
George Plumptre pays tribute to the late Roger Phillips, whose seminal book on trees has been updated almost 50 years after its initial publication.
-
Kitchen island or table? The little distinction that makes a big difference
Arabella Youens considers the renaissance of the cook’s table — a vortex of culinary activity, used for everything from rolling out pastry to boning a chicken.
-
'Other people would have given up and turfed half of it over': The couple who turned 'the ugliest house with the nicest view' into a Somerset treasure
With many viewpoints and changes of level, Grove Ley in Somerton, Somerset — home of Dr and Mrs Michael Horder — was not an easy site on which to make a garden. But key to its success, writes Caroline Donald, has been enlarging the pond and creating long beds full of robust perennials and grasses. Photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
-
Why four-poster beds aren't for historic houses alone
Four-poster beds aren’t for historic houses alone. A new generation of designers is using them to create a pared-back contemporary look.
-
Plant once, enjoy for decades: Alan Titchmarsh on the wonder that is the agapanthus
Agapanthus has a special place in Alan Titchmarsh's heart.
-
The best art dealers in Britain, as chosen by the nation's top designers, architects and creative minds
Who are art dealers used by Britain's top interior designers and creative minds? Giles Kime asks some of the most distinguished members of Country Life's Top 100 for their recommendations.
-
Why a love of gardening will get us all in the end
When it comes to gardening, resistance is futile — especially if you're British — so it's best to give into it and get on with it.
-
23 of the best antique dealers across the country, as nominated by Britain's top interior designers, architects and garden designers
Giles Kime asks some of Britain's best creative minds where they source their antiques in the latest look at the experts' experts.
