On the map
The Srinagar Map wallpaper collection is based on an exquisite shawl from the V&A archive, embroidered for Queen Victoria in the late 1800s. It shows a map of Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, and is reproduced as a life-size print — shown here as a Maxi 3m by 2.68m panel in Garland colourway, £543. 01453 878517; www.lewisandwood.co.uk
Reading room
The rich colours and bookish inspiration of End Paper wallpaper in Red and Green, £195 per 10m roll from Mulberry Home, make it well suited to a library or study. 01202 266700; www.gpjbaker.com
Tranquil choice
This soothing shade of green, Eucalyptus, creates a calm backdrop to balance richer hues, £45 for 2.5L emulsion, from Susie Watson Designs. 0344 980 8185; www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk
Outer space
Benjamin Moore’s Aura Exterior paint is a multi-surface outdoor option. Selected for renovations on the National Trust’s Slindon estate in West Sussex, it costs £39 per 0.94L. 01753 575756; www.benjaminmoorepaint.co.uk
Twice as nice
Paint and wallpaper house Little Greene introduces ‘Double Drenching’, its name for painting two or more related colours on all surfaces to create confident impact. Here, walls painted in Yellow Pink, ceiling in Middle Buff, window in Affogato and cabinetry in Bassoon produce a layered look of mustard and caramel hues for creative wow. Prices from £57.50 for 2.5L of Absolute Matt Emulsion. 0845 880 5855; www.littlegreene.com
Debut collection
Admired for her ability to combine antiques and contemporary pieces to create rooms with layered elegance, interior designer Rita Konig has produced her first ever collection of wallpapers and fabrics. The range includes Olive wallpaper, £165 per 4.11m roll, inspired by an 18th-century design, available from Schumacher. 020–4532 0960; www.schumacher.co.uk
Clockwise from top left: Charlotte Freemantle and Will Fisher of Jamb; artist Tess Newall has revived an interest in decorative painting; Speronella Marsh hand blocks fabrics and wallpapers; Bruce Hodgson of Artichoke has an ‘unrivalled eye for detail’.
The Experts' Experts: Britain's top designers, architects and craftspeople name the people they trust to work on their own homes
Giles Kime and Amelia Thorpe ask some of Britain's top designers, architects, builders, craftspeople and landscapers to name the specialists
-
'The watch is Head Boy of men’s accessorising': Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey and Tom Chamberlin's Summer Season style secretsWhen it comes to dressing for the Season, accessories will transform an outfit. Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey and Tom Chamberlin, both stylish summer-party veterans, offer some sage advice.
-
Lewis Hamilton, Claude Monet and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 29, 2025Tuesday's Quiz of the Day looks back at Lewis Hamilton's first win and ponders on the meaning of greige.
-
Injecting colour, pattern and character into a once-plain sitting roomBooks, art and textiles transformed a once-characterless space into a warm, inviting sitting room.
-
'Not cheap... but cheaper than a divorce lawyer': Why it pays to hire a consultant to choose the perfect paint colourDriven to distraction by paint charts? A colour consultant could be the answer for anyone befuddled by choosing the right hue, says Giles Kime.
-
Room with a cru — how an 'enduring legacy of lockdown' is the latest must have in interior designLong gone are the dusty cellars of the past. Now is the time to make the place you store your wine as pleasurable as drinking it.
-
The secret to transforming an awkwardly shaped roomCave Interiors turned the awkwardly shaped sitting room of an Edwardian house into a warm and welcoming space.
-
A gloomy kitchen entirely re-created as a cosy living spaceWhen Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham were asked to redecorate a country house in Berkshire, the first task was to turn a dark space into a colourful sitting room.
-
A living room that's a lesson in how to restore lost character in a historic spaceNicola Harding used rich colours and textures to enhance the historic character of a Jacobean house in Berkshire.
-
The slipper chair: How one of America's great designers produced a classic of armless funThe slipper chair might have its roots in the 18th century, but it owes its compact, convivial appeal to Billy Baldwin, a giant of 20th-century American interior design.
-
The death of the sitting room, and other design trends you'll see in 2023Country Life's interiors expert Giles Kime has spent three decades living and breathing the world of design. Here's what he foresees coming next.
