A woman’s home is her castle. Make yours a chic, cultured sanctuary with our picks of the best things to watch, read, listen to and buy. |
Front room or trattoria? | We’ve become utterly obsessed with bright, bold and beautiful Mediterranean-style vases. Here are our current favourites |
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| | Midday heat If anything evokes rows of terracotta houses, bright blue skies and the warmth of the sun bouncing off cobbles in the midday heat, it’s this rather wonderful Elza vase exclusive to Anthropologie. Perfect for long-stemmed summer flowers such as stock (aka Matthiola, named after the Italian botanist, Pietro Andrea Mattioli), place it in the centre of your table, then invite friends round for jugs of white wine and sharing plates. £26, Anthropologie
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| | Southern med must-buy Want to capture the colour and variety that only a Portuguese petiscos dinner can bring? Look to Habitat’s Jardim collection. There’s a variety of hand-sponged serving dishes, plates and bowls but the water jug is the centrepiece, perfect for a fresh bunch of lavender. It arrives in a bed of recyclable packaging with no plastic to be seen. And – it’s in the sale! Done and done. Was £30, now £15, Habitat
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| | Instant sunshine If you’ve never seen brilliantly funny cult film The Love Witch, we recommend you rectify that pronto. We also recommend you adopt some of its retro look with warm ambers and browns, which are both so gloriously in right-now, and evoke hazy, tranquil sunshine in a warmer spot than here. This Pavel vase encompasses all the elements you’re looking for thanks to its slightly Grecian shape, neat handles, earthenware glaze and on-trend hues. Well played, Made, well played. £29, Made
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| | Thinking Italian Referencing the dappled glass pattern of Italy’s covetable Murano designs, Oliver Bonas’ Airi vase is the perfect way to inject some multi-coloured joy into your living space. Small but perfectly formed, each design is utterly unique and looks particularly lovely paired with the larger Alko (£65). Pop in some big, bold blooms with plenty of leafy greenery to create a spot of summer escapism in one swift move. £32, Oliver Bonas
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| | Spanish knowhow Barcelona brand Octaevo relish their Mediterranean roots, imbuing its characteristic colours in everything they make. Blue water tones, emerald greens, bright yellows and pink sunsets appear on all sorts, from coasters and journals to their instantly recognisable paper vases. Yes, paper. Crafted from special waterproof material, simply pop one over a water bottle or glass and transform your space with colour and verve. £16.50, La Gent ● Words by Francesca Brown
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| Every Tuesday, we bring you a bottle that looks as good as it tastes. This week, a refreshingly fruity single malt whisky |
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| | We know there are plenty of modern whiskies out there, and yet there’s still a bit of us that can’t help but picture stuffy old bottles paired with cigars and smoking jackets on a rainy winter’s eve. But this twinkling bottle of Nova – the latest launch from Starward – has our taste buds suitably tickled.
The single malt is a local affair, with all the ingredients found just a day’s drive away from the Melbourne distillery. And the most tantalising bit is that the spirit is aged in red wine barrels sourced from local Australian winemakers to give it a taste bursting with red fruitiness (think shiraz, cabernet and pinot noir). Add to the already refreshing flavour with tonic and a wedge of grapefruit, and it’s a surprise new hot-weather go-to. £49.95, Master of Malt ● Words by Kat Poole
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| Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s new novel is a captivating depiction of love, lust, loneliness and London |
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| | We know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we have to say that Starling Days – the second novel by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan – looks bloody lovely. Fortunately, the contents are just as beautiful. The book follows Chinese-American academic Mina as she relocates from Brooklyn to London with her British husband. Mina struggles with depression, but comes alive when she makes a new friend. Poetic and melancholy, it’s also a tribute to all the ways people try to love one another. Out 11 July, £14.99, Sceptre ● Words by Moya Crockett
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