» Garden materials & magnolias
What’s coming up in the garden this week with Louisa Bell of City and Country Gardens
Design and construction
Building beauty
There are so many different materials available to use indoors, they are not subject to weather, dirt and the wear and tear of outdoor life; so light colours, soft fabrics and different flooring materials can look wonderful. Outdoors we have to stick to stone and hard landscaping but there are still some different and quite wonderful things available.
The usual materials for paving are different types and colours of manmade concrete, and limestone, sandstone and other natural stone elements like travertine and granite. These can also be cut in different ways with riven edges or diamond cut edges for a more modern finish with clean lines.
Some stone is still very expensive and quite difficult to work with and lay. I do think that inexpensive materials, combined with a few more expensive details, can look great. It’s a bit like buying an Ikea sofa in cream and then adding a really expensive throw and wonderful cushions that cost a fortune. It keeps the overall price of sofa and cushions down, but still looks the part. I like the outdoor furniture you can buy now – the ‘rattan style‘ sofas and armchairs. Instead of the cream cushions that come with this furniture, I have bought more expensive fabrics that are waterproof and outdoor proof with stripes or spots – it lifts the whole thing into another category.
From soaring cathedrals to lipstick and booze-filled parties, dishevelled bespectacled secretaries to cherished homes, there are a number of fine places where you can happen upon stained glass. However, it’s sadly not possible to make a living out of all of them, so David Lilly chose windows and lamps.
Most buyers of flats believe that they have invested their hard-earned cash in bricks and mortar while, in fact, what they have actually bought is paper and ink. It is a constant surprise to me how frequently buyers, and even professional advisors, disregard the very thing they are purchasing – the lease itself. How many flat owners reading this article have spared the time to look at their lease recently? How many know the current length of their own lease? This apparent complacency is understandable, as all too often flat owners and buyers are simply not made aware of the implications of their lease diminishing.
