Decor 101

Danish brand Vipp has just unveiled the latest addition to its collection of bookable guest accommodation around the world and it’s one of my favourites so far. Not only is it stunning from a design point of view, it’s also located in the Lofoten Islands – a rugged archipelago of wild mountains, sheltered inlets and tiny fishing villages, set largely above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway . I’ve long felt the pull of the far north (it turns out I have DNA from Iceland and Swedish Lapland), and Norway is the only Nordic country whose Arctic region I have yet to visit. I had to cancel a planned trip there earlier this year after coming down with flu, and when I get the chance to rebook I’ll be making a beeline straight to Vipp Lofoten. The cabin-like hideaway sits on a remote seashore on the island of Stormolla, within True North Lofoten Village – a small cluster of modern Scandinavian lodges developed by Norwegian visual artist and composer Magne Furuholmen. His aim was t...

When you think of autumn styling and Halloween decorations, you probably think of vibrant reds, oranges and golds. They look stunning, of course, but this year I’ve chosen to do something a little different and opt for shades of green, beige and off-white instead. It’s a softer, more muted and textural take on seasonal decor, and I think it works beautifully in my calm, minimalist home . My inspiration came from the autumn wreath that I made during a press trip to Tudor Farmhouse Hotel in the Forest of Dean last week, when Jo Thompson of Wye Valley Flowers hosted a workshop using naturally dried flowers and foliage from her own farm. My creation incorporated wispy grasses, gypsophila, Lunaria (the pearlescent disc-like things), Phalaris, thistle heads and a sprinkling of Sanguisorba, with a sage-green silk ribbon to finish things off. The colours happened to tie in perfectly with the cushions, books and pale oak accents in my living room, while the Lunaria reminded me of the New...

[Advertisement – this post is based on a press trip, but all words and opinions are my own] There’s something magical about the Forest of Dean. Covering more than 110 square kilometres of Gloucestershire, not far from the English-Welsh border, this ancient woodland is only an hour’s drive from major cities such as Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham but it feels like a fairytale world of its own. It’s particularly enchanting at this time of year, and last week Chris and I got to experience it at its seasonal best when we joined a small group of content creators and their partners for an autumnal break at Tudor Farmhouse Hotel. Owned by Hari and Colin Fell, Tudor Farmhouse is spread across a restored 16th-century building and a cluster of converted barns in the pretty little village of Clearwell. It’s a wonderfully relaxed rural retreat – the kind of place with baskets of blankets waiting by squishy fireside armchairs and wellies to borrow by the door. I’d already stayed at the hote...