Western Mail Article - April 11th 2009

Check out some summer living specials

I have always hankered after a conservatory, especially over the last couple of summers when the weather has hardly been kind to us.

However, I have never felt entirely comfortable in tacking one onto my seventeenth century farmhouse.

Fabulous though conservatories are, I think it’s very important to consider carefully how they might work on your property. All too often they cling to the sides of houses like one of Prince Charles's famous carbuncles.



Remember also that a conservatory becomes baking hot with relatively little sunshine - a little like the interior of a car with all the windows closed.

Don’t put one on a south facing aspect or you’ll cook.



Selecting soft furnishings that have been treated to withstand the rigours of an ultraviolet onslaught is also to be recommended. Such fabric might cost more, but it will last so much longer.

Blinds to mute the glare are also a worthwhile investment.

Osborne & Little (www.osborneandlittle.com) has an excellent selection of outdoor fabrics that will also work well in the conservatory.

Conversely, glass structures, although roasting in summer, are freezing in winter once what little sun there is dips beyond the horizon.

If you have plants in there that are sensitive to cold temperatures a radiator offering a little background heat will ensure that they don’t keel over.


If you don’t have the space for a conservatory, a great way of letting light flood in is via a rooflight. They can be fitted onto flat roofs and contribute hugely towards creating an airy interior.

The Rooflight Company (01993 833 108/www.therooflightcompany.co.uk) has an excellent selection.

In fact the company was chosen to supply triangular skylights for the famous Maggie’s Centre cancer care centre in Scotland, designed by Zaha Hadid.

The triangular skylights were specifically created to complement the strikingly idiosyncratic shape of Hadid’s building, while adding to the bright and welcoming interior by allowing further daylight to enter.

If you are looking for some snazzy gardening tools then Daylesford Organic (www.daylesfordorganic.com) has a very chic selection, along with a smart apron with handy pockets.



And, after a hard day’s slog in the garden, you can soak weary limbs in a hot tub fragrant with Daylesford’s eucalyptus bath oil.

Plants grown from seed are cheaper than plants already raised and potted up from the nursery. Seeds by Size (01442 251 458/www.seeds-by-size) is worth a look; as are www.realseeds.co.uk and www.seedfest.co.uk for veggies and herbs.

Try growing zinnias from seed – they are fantastically showy with their multi-petalled flowers and striking yellow anthers -and make great cut flowers for the house.

They can be sown under glass in May and planted out in June - any earlier and they won’t thrive.

And if you want something unusual then try a Chinese walnut for size. It’s strongly architectural and will work well when balanced by something with a similarly sculptural form.

Track down a Chinese walnut at Crug Farm Plants near Caernarfon in north Wales (01248 670232/www.crug-farm.co.uk). And for a tree fern, or something similar to complement it, have a look at another nursery in the north of our country, this time in Pentir, near Bangor.

World of Ferns (01248 600385/www.world-of-ferns.co.uk) should be able to supply a suitably luxuriant addition to your garden.


Yvonne Jones is a Royal College of Art trained designer, and is the owner of Chameleon Interiors. Tel: 029 2037 1277. www.chameleoninteriors.com

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Western Mail Article - April 4th 2009

Get into the summertime groove

British Summer Time is now officially with us, and, I have to say it’s very nice to have light evenings once again.

I have been looking forward to spending more time in my garden, giving it plenty of TLC. Thanks to the recent sunshine, leaves and flowers have started to burst forth, and the monochrome days of winter seem well past.

I always think it’s a good idea to stock up on summer garden paraphernalia as early in the season as possible.

It’s really frustrating to be taken by surprise by a spell of hot weather and find that you have no BBQ coal, that the deck chairs are ripped, and the glass has smashed in the outdoor lanterns!

A great internet site for all garden-related essentials is Plantstuff (www.plantstuff.com). They have some delightful recycled tin lanterns prettily decorated in bright colours.



The attractive frosted glass gives off lovely flickering patterns once the t.light is glowing inside.

Being pestered by wasps buzzing around your picnic or barbecue is hardly relaxing, so, for £16.50 Plantstuff’s wasp trap is a good investment.

Once filled with water and honey, it acts as a decoy, drawing the wasps away from your meal, but without hurting them, leaving you to tuck into your food in peace.

No picnic is complete without a blanket, and for the most luscious selection possible look up The Atlantic Blanket Company (www.atlantic blankets.com/0845 6585194).

The Cornish company has a glorious range of colours. Their shawls and throws also come in handy if you want something to wrap around you should the day turn chilly.




It’s great fun buying new clobber but where do you store it? Sure, a good sort out here and there helps, but the fact is, most of us tend to accumulate.

A good storage system can help turn chaos into order. Just make sure that only the things you really need and like are stowed away - everything else must go.

I think perspex boxes are a good idea, as you can see what’s in there quite easily.

There’s nothing more covetable than a perfectly organised wardrobe where everything is in its place, and there are no higgeldy piggeldy piles of gear threatening to avalanche at any moment.

If you have the space, a walk-in wardrobe is ideal. I designed one for a client recently, complete with a low cupboard in the middle which doubles up as a bench to lay a suitcase on while packing.

In any wardrobe, the trick is to create compartmentalised storage for items such as shoes, belts, winter woollies and so on, so that order prevails.

Maintaining your privacy in an urban environment can be tricky, and many solutions mean compromising on natural light.

The Acrylic Collection from American Shutters (www.americanshutters.co.uk) provides a solution that keeps prying eyes out, but allows in a subtle, diffused light that’s pleasant to live in.

They are fitted in the same way as louvered shutters, but are made from parapan, a high-tech acrylic, which is bacteria-free and waterproof, and so also works very well in a kitchen or bathroom.

They are available in a range of designs and colours.


Yvonne Jones is a Royal College of Art trained designer, and is the owner of Chameleon Interiors. Tel: 029 2037 1277. www.chameleoninteriors.co.uk

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