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 Allison Lindeman and her husband Oeyvind were determined to bring their cosy, minimalist take on Nordic design to their renovation plans.  Incorporating Scandinavian design into their Victorian semi in southwest London was a priority for American interior designer Allison Lindeman of Saltbox Interiors and her Norwegian husband Oeyvind. They wanted to create a huge, open-plan family living area that still felt ‘hyggelig’ – cosy and welcoming. ‘When we looked at houses, we struggled to find one that fitted the open-plan concept, as properties within our budget tended to have lots of rooms – a front room, dining room and separate kitchen. So we decided to go for a cheaper house that we could change to suit our lifestyle,’ says Allison. To build their dream living space, the couple knocked four rooms – the dining room, breakfast room, kitchen and conservatory – into one, and created a main living space with different zones. ‘There’s a TV and play area, a sitting area with a fireplace, a dining area and a kitchen,’ says Allison. The result is a light, minimalist and relaxed family space where children Piper, eight, Finn, six, and Kaia, four, can eat and play and where everyone gathers to spend time together. Allison’s love of Scandinavian design is evident throughout the house. Downstairs, walls are white, and there are plenty of industrial touches in keeping with the Scandi design aesthetic – metal stools, brick tiling, raw wood shelving and a handleless kitchen. Even the floor tiles in the downstairs hallway and bathroom have an industrial edge. ‘They’re ceramic, but meant to look like cement,’ says Allison. The clean lines of the living space are softened by cushions and rugs. ‘The risk with this type of design is that it can come across as cold if not done properly,’ says Allison. ‘But good Scandinavian design is layered and varied, using texture and materials to create depth and interest.’ Throughout the house, the couple’s much-loved art collection provides splashes of colour against the monochrome backdrop. Yellow rugs, cushions, throws and chairs throughout the house pull the design scheme together. Upstairs, Allison painted her en-suite bathroom a stunning, deep blue. ‘I am particularly proud of the en suite,’ she says. ‘We converted a bedroom to a bathroom when we redid the house and the room was so large that I experimented more with colour and played off the blue in our bedroom.’ Keeping the interior design practical was a major priority for Allison. ‘A house with small children needs to work for everyone without any stress that things will get ruined,’ she says. ‘Our Ikea dining table also serves as a craft area, painting workshop and glitter palace. The kids can make a mess and draw on the table without worry as it usually wipes clean, but if it doesn’t, I don’t stress. We used wipeable paint throughout the house and had lots of storage built in so we can tidy away all the toys and easily create a grown-up space for relaxing and entertaining in the evening. It’s the perfect family home.’ 

A 400-year-old mill house has been given a new lease of life, while retaining all of the charm that has made it a favourite family escape for two decades. A mill house tucked away in a rural valley just three miles west of Dartmouth and a quick walk to the picturesque beach of Blackpool Sands became a bolthole escape from London life for Tanya Bird. It proved to be an idyllic spot for her and her three sons to enjoy holidays away from the city, with all the freedom afforded by the country-meets-seaside location. ‘It was a magical place for the boys to grow up,’ she says ‘Surrounded by the sea, they would spend hours swimming, sailing and making camps. All their childhood summers were enjoyed here, as well as Christmas and Easter breaks. It has always been very much a home from home for us.’ Fast forward 17 years and the boys, now young adults, are at different stages in life and family trips to the mill are saved for a few precious weeks each year. ‘The time felt right to renovate the mill and to rent it out as a holiday let between our visits,’ says Tanya. 'I approached Unique Home Stays and they suggested a couple of designers to help me manage the process.’ After initial meetings, Tanya commissioned Siobhan Hayles and worked closely with her on all elements of the transformation. ‘Siobhan has an incredible eye, both creatively and practically, and really helped to realise my vision. I had strong initial thoughts about what I wanted, but she took my ideas to a level that I would never have achieved on my own,’ says Tanya. With Siobhan’s trusted trades team on board, building work commenced in the spring of 2017 and by the start of August that year, Tanya had her first bookings. Originally a working mill on the River Em, Ellesmera is one of four mills positioned along the stream and consists of two structures, linked together by a vaulted kitchen space at the rear. Initial work on the house involved damp proofing the property and digging new channels around the exterior to improve drainage, while pipework was updated for the water supply. On the ground floor, a former boat and wood store has been converted into an open outdoor/indoor snug that has transformed the house. The space features a woodburner, comfy sofas covered in throws, timeworn kilim cushions and old garden paraphernalia displayed eclectically on the original stone walls. ‘Whatever the weather, you can cosy up and feel close to nature,’ says Tanya. A decked platform replaces a former sloping lawn, while French doors from the adjacent dining room open onto original mill stones that have been inlaid into the deck as a nod to the property’s history. The boys’ former bunkroom has been updated with a stylish monochrome bedroom scheme; and the bathroom has been refreshed with a freestanding bath, rain shower, Tadelakt walls and patterned tiles. Throughout, rustic-finish rooms have been redecorated in shades of off-white, stone and soft mole, while pops of ochre, turquoise, warm reds, earthy oranges, dark blues and black punctuate soft furnishings, rugs, fabrics, and headboards. Original French herbarium specimens and fossils reference Tanya’s academic background in natural sciences and her passion for plants. Much of the conceptual work was completed remotely, followed by visits with Siobhan to Chelsea Harbour and Ardingly Antiques Fair to source fabrics and one-off finds. ‘I originally fell in love with the mill for its sense of calm and relaxed Provençal feel,’ says Tanya. ‘After 15 years of family life, it desperately needed renovating, but I didn’t want to spoil its inherent charm.’ A beam in the living room still bears a Latin imprint, painted by the previous owner: This corner of the earth smiles for me more than any other. ‘These markings are all part of the history of the mill and I wanted to treasure them. Siobhan understood my need to preserve the essence of the space. I wanted our home to feel comfortable and to have a sense of place and authenticity. When I walk through the door now, those sensory benchmarks are as strong as ever – I couldn’t be more delighted.

For 23 years, Dominic Monaco avoided his garden, but who could blame him? “It was a mini forest on a tilted slope,” he says, describing the tangle of overgrown cedars that grew on the incline just behind his home in Westmount, Que. When he did brave his side yard, he had to walk down steep stairs that led to a small, dark terrace with crumbling stone walls. In 2016, Dominic, who runs an auto parts company, finally decided to tackle the mess. “I thought maybe I would fix the wall and do the rest in phases,” he says. That short-term solution was tossed aside, however, after he met with landscape architects Sophie Robitaille and Teressa Peill. Impressed by their ideas, he recruited the duo for a full-scale reimagining of his outdoor space. “His house is modern, minimal and square, so my initial instinct was to respond to that architectural style,” says Sophie, whose first proposal detailed a rectilinear garden design. “Then Dominic said, ‘I’m Italian. I need my dream garden to hearken back to my roots.’” He also wanted the garden to be done in the warm, sunny hues of Tuscany to match his memories of dining alfresco among cypress and citrus trees. The garden took five months to build, with Alfonso Campisi as project manager, landscape architecture by RobitailleCurtis and landscape contracting by L’Artisan. To set the mood, Sophie and Teressa’s plan involved replacing the old concrete stairs with a curved design that gently leads to a terrace below. “The stairs offer a pleasurable experience,” says Sophie, encouraging you to meander, stop and stare at the cityscape beyond or admire the lush trees. Hemlock and river birch, hay-scented ferns, white Brunnera and a Japanese maple now grow along the stairs, bringing texture and vibrancy. In total, the landscape architects planted 52 trees on the property (including at the front of the house), along with shrubs and perennials. “Unlike a wild English garden, the planting was structural,” says Sophie. “Its layers create a sense of depth and privacy.” When you finally arrive at the bottom of the stairs, two distinct zones take shape on the terrace. A dining table, which perfectly fits the space, sits under the dappled light of a dramatic pergola built of Western cedar. Next to it, an outdoor sofa and deep, comfy armchairs invite lounging with digestifs. A low wall built of pale yellow Ducharme stone and topped in Adair limestone coping defines the perimeter and, instead of paving stones, Sophie chose a finely textured ground covering of granite and resin, which has a soft feel underfoot. Since the garden’s redo, Dominic heads to the terrace as often as possible. “Every morning after exercising, I walk the entire garden circumference in peace and quiet, taking it all in with an espresso,” he says. “It’s a perfect way to start the day.”

Emma Hatfield Watkins’ use of a subtle palette and thoughtful touches brought the character back to her elegant, much-loved 18th-century property. When Emma Hatfield Watkins’ husband, Iain, was a teenager and mowing his neighbour’s lawn to earn pocket money, he never imagined that, one day, he would buy the house he’d often admired from across the garden. Over the years, the property, which is surrounded by barns, has witnessed a number of reincarnations. ‘During the Seventies, an occupant sold the house and moved into one of the barns which they’d converted,’ explains Emma. ‘The surrounding garden was then divided up between the two owners.’ In the late Eighties, Iain’s family bought that barn and he converted the adjoining stables into his first home. When Emma and Iain got together in 2004, she moved into the stables with Iain. Captivated by the tranquillity and charm of this idyllic, rural location, a year later, when the pair discovered that the adjacent house was on the market, the news instantly piqued their interest. ‘Although the stables were great, we needed more space,’ says Emma. ‘This was a chance to bring both gardens back into the same family and own a wonderful home, while living close to Iain’s parents.’ Having dug deep, Emma, an interior designer who owns Hattie Hatfield Decorative Antiques & Interiors, and tree surgeon Iain, bought the property. ‘Although the house was lovely, most of the original fireplaces had been blocked up during the Seventies, and, somehow, with all the changes that had occurred over the years, it seemed to have lost its sense of identity,’ says Emma. Keen to inject the house with the character and soul they felt was lacking, the couple began their sensitive restoration project. The first room to be updated was the Nineties kitchen. ‘We replaced the dark ceramic floor tiles with limestone flooring, which we continued into the hall to give a sense of cohesion and lighten the spaces,’ explains Emma. Iain removed a small gas fire in the kitchen and spent weeks painstakingly building a stone fireplace from scratch. ‘This was the first of five previously bricked-up fireplaces to be reinstated,’ says Emma. Not long after the kitchen was finished, the pair were forced to turn their attention to the bedrooms. ‘One day, I walked in to hear the sound of gushing water and, on closer inspection, found that a header tank in the loft was overflowing,’ says Emma. ‘The carpets in two of the bedrooms and landing were soaked. ‘Fortunately, I caught the problem before the water ruined the new kitchen and, luckily, only the ceiling in that room was damaged.’ Once the repair work was completed, Emma was able to focus on the decor for the bedrooms. ‘I felt warm, muted colours would work well to create a calm, relaxed feel, so I chose a subdued palette with lots of layering to inject depth and interest,’ she says. Over the years, the pair have poured their hearts into creating a home full of antiques. ‘Iain has turned his hand to everything from the plumbing and electrics to building work,’ says Emma. The house has constantly evolved, particularly since the arrival of Tillia, now nine, and Tobias, now seven. ‘When the children came along, Iain turned an annexe into a snug and added a home office,’ says Emma. This hard-working couple’s devotion to their restoration has culminated in an exquisite home that’s welcoming and sophisticated yet family friendly. ‘Iain and I feel incredibly privileged to play even a small part in its rich history,’ says Emma. ‘It’s wonderful to see the children running carefree across the lawns with our dog, Hattie. It was clearly a great investment of Iain’s time all those years ago.

From the antiquated sanctuaries and vivid markets of Delhi to the sentimental demolished posts of Rajasthan and the natural life of Ranthambore National Park, this entrancing nation offers an abundance of encounters for the faculties Remaining on the patio of Humayun's Tomb, a red-stone sepulcher for India's second Mughal sovereign, my breath eases back to the pace of that of the feathered creatures up above, wings spread draping still noticeable all around like dark outlines against the orange night sun. Structured in the sixteenth century by Persian draftsmen, this is the principal case of a greenhouse tomb in India – symbolizing the ruler's place in heaven – and is said to have been the motivation for the Taj Mahal. Though in many pieces of the world, pigeons are frequently seen as an irritation, here they add to the magnificence of every single view – revolving around Mughal landmarks and roosted on Hindu sanctuaries, taking off over the frenzied markets of Old Delhi and offering branches to hawks, parrots and vultures along the wide, tree-lined lanes of New Delhi. The British planted around five million products of the soil trees here, which continue their gigantic populace. Thus, at Qutub Minar, with its 73-meter-high minaret worked after the annihilation of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom, the fowls gloriously cross the sky in groups between the 40 or so ruins that make up this complex, including a mosque and tombs. In New Delhi, they circle the India Gate war commemoration and lay on amazing standard liament structures planned by British greats Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. Delhi baits you into its past and leaves you trapped in its present. It is basically a gathering of eight of urban areas – each fabricated, decimated and revamped under another tradition – and a significant goal in understanding India's long and tempestuous history under Is-lamic, Hindu and British principle. Today, the old walled city's inconceivably bustling markets are bursting at the seams with hues, sounds, scents and individuals in every day trade. This is known as Shah-jahanabad, the seventh city named after the Mughal head at the time. A great part of the activity spreads from the principle showcase Chandni Chowk, with few demolished havelis (tradi-tional manors) staying inside the turns and turns of winding back roads. Delhi City Walks offer astounding private strolling visits – exceptionally prescribed as this zone can be difficult to explore. The 'Old Delhi Food and Heritage' walk takes in the seventeenth-cen-tury Jama Masjid, one of the nation's biggest mosques, with its great curves and red stone, just as business sectors like Khari Baoli for flavors and Kinari Bazaar for wedding luxury. We attempt Punjabi pleasures like paratha flatbreads loaded down with mint and paneer, mango lassis and jalebi (pan fried flour pretzels absorbed sugar syrup).Back at The Imperial, my lodging by happening Connaught Place, the emphasis is on workmanship. About each divider in its more than 200 rooms, a few cafés, staircases and passageways is fixed with pilgrim and post-frontier fine arts and curios. Its South-East Asian eatery The Spice Route, is as satisfying to the eye for what it's worth to the palette, and shrouded in paintings by painters from Kerala's Guruvayur sanctuary, taking seven years to finish. It doesn't take long for the view to change once out of Delhi. Past Ajabgarh with its deserted post somewhere down in the bluffs of the Aravalli Range, we land at Amanbagh – a sumptuous hotel worked in pink sandstone in the style of terrific havelis. Days here start and end with the sound of music: we are serenaded by woodwind over breakfast, while during the evening a pair plays the tabla and harmonium on the yard by the incredibly photogenic pool. There are only 37 rooms, and I remain in a domed manor, taking plunges in both my private pool and shower cut from a solitary section of neighborhood green marble. We appreciate a candlelit supper in a seventeenth-century chhatri in Ajabgarh, do yoga in the ethereal morning light and visit the surrendered town of Bhangarh on the edge of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, where the archeological remains are as yet being uncovered. Past a 450-year-old Banyan tree, designed with langur and macaque monkeys, and a few amazing sanctuaries is the spooky castle. Nearby legend tells the story of a tantric who endeavored to win over a princess living here utilizing dark enchantment – it finished gravely and, with his final words, he reviled the town to be obliterated medium-term, which is was. Aman's second post in Rajasthan is a camp on the edge of Ranthambore National Park, with 10 open, Mughal-style hung tents. In the past the private game hold of the maharajahs, the recreation center's occupant tigers, panthers, crocodiles and sloths draw in groups and traveler foundations concealed in Ajabgarh. Be that as it may, on landing in Aman-I-Kas, everything vanishes except nature. We have sundowners on the Aravalli Hills adjacent, ignoring a town and Jainist sanctuary. The morning's down drive in the tiger save, past antiquated remains, carries us to an offspring of Noor, ruler of Ranthambore, lying in the bramble by the stream and plainly irritated by our quality. Tigers are singular creatures all things considered. In India, spirits can be found in astounding spots, and customs run profound. Between sacred bovines, dark enchantment reviles and parrot crystal gazing, there are a wide range of spiritualists. I choose to leave mine to destiny