Taunton and South Somerset Living Oct - Nov 2021
The Autumn edition is here - filled with amazing goodies. We've got an interview with legendary baker Richard Bertinet, lots of delicious recipes, advice on redecorating the guest bedroom and of course our amazing competition page. The Autumn edition is here - filled with amazing goodies. We've got an interview with legendary baker Richard Bertinet, lots of delicious recipes, advice on redecorating the guest bedroom and of course our amazing competition page.
DIY PROJECT: UPCYCLE We all know the importance of reusing and recycling, and this ethos extends to our furniture. We’ve all been knee-deep in a flat pack assembly project, when in reality, we could be looking at updating furniture we already have, with a few simple steps. If you’ve ever felt daunted by a project like this, don’t! It’s one of the simplest DIYs and you can feel happy in the knowledge that you’ve saved something from landfill and created a beautiful piece for your home. Here’s how to get started. 1. CHOOSE YOUR PAINT. In this project, Annie Sloan’s Athenian Black Chalk Paint was used. The beauty of paints like this is they don’t require much prep - no need to sand, just give your piece a good clean with sugar soap. If you opt for a different paint, just check the instructions on the label - some might require a priming coat. 2. REMOVE OLD HARDWARE/ KNOBS. Unscrew existing knobs - you can either paint or spray paint these or replace with new ones. We chose these incredible Rococo Drawer Handles from Dowsing & Reynolds in a raw brass finish. Their concave shape and fabulous texture made this piece feel modern again. If your knew handles have different fixings to the old ones, you may need to use wood filler to patch the hole, allow to dry and then sand before painting. 3. BEGIN TO PAINT. Remove the drawers and paint each section, making sure to coat the edges of drawers as these will be seen. This piece only needed one coat as the paint was so thick. 4. FINISH. We finished by buffing clear Annie Sloan wax into the dry piece for extra longevity. Wax gives a dull lustre, but you might prefer a clear varnish. 5. FIX NEW HARDWARE. Once dry, attach your knobs or pulls. The beauty of projects like this are that you can repaint as soon as you need to give your space a refresh, or add new hardware to suit the room. You can give a room a whole new look, without an Allen Key in sight! Paint: anniesloan.com Handles: dowsingandreynolds.com A T H E N I A N BLACK BY ANNIE SLOAN THESE HANDLES ARE SO BEAUTIFULLY MADE AND REALLY ELEVATE THE PIECE. THEY WOULD BE A STYLISH ADDITION TO KITCHEN OR BATHROOM CABINETRY TOO UPCYCLE TIPS: • If you don’t have furniture like this already, you can always look out for pieces in charity shops, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. • Adding new hardware to existing furniture creates an amazing instant update - you can use filler for old holes if your new knobs or pulls are a different shape to the previous ones. • If you have drawers which are stubborn to open, try rubbing the tracking and the underside of the drawer with the edge of a tea light - this should help to reduce the friction. 38 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
Notes from the garden Matt Biggs gives us some ideas for next year Matthew Biggs, is a radio personality in the UK, best known for his appearances on the long running BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners’ Question Time. He has been a professional gardener for over 25 years, since studying at Pershore College of Horticulture and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Over the past twenty five years, he has visited lots of gardens throughout Britain, from small suburban plots and inner city allotments to roof gardens and large country estates and written a number of books including RHS Lessons from Great Gardeners: Forty Gardening Icons and What They Teach Us, Matthew Biggs’s Complete book of Vegetables and Gardening at Eden: And how to do it at home. Matt’s tips for the forthcoming springtime. Summer saw some extremes of weather - hail, thunder, and torrential rain interspersed with bouts of very hot weather - and, just occasionally, the weather we would expect during the summer too! Whatever the reason the way we use our gardens needs to reflect how we want to use it - if we want wildlife, then there are big and small changes we can make, from not concreting over the front garden for parking to putting up an insect hotel, big and small changes add up and make a difference so let’s get going on those - an early New Year’s resolution maybe? If you have a space that is challenging, oddly shaped, sloping, very overgrown or you just don’t have any inspiration, it is time to call in the experts - from a complete landscape makeover to some planting ideas, there are local firms who will provide the expertise to make sure that your garden works for you. After all, when you bought the house and garden it was a major investment, so it seems like a great idea to benefit from every inch of that investment - and nature can join in too! If you don’t have a garden, you can still grow plants. Indoor plants add greatly to the feel of the home, you can give one to a child so that they learn to care for it, you can have a herb filled window box, you can grow stuff on a windowsill, there are so many ways to get involved - and have fun! haus HOME | LIFESTYLE ARTISANAL SOFT FURNISHINGS FOR THE MODERN HOME USE CODE LIVE15 FOR 15% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER NEW COLLECTIONS OF MUDCLOTH AND KILIM PILLOWS AND LEATHER POUFFES COMING SOON - AVAILABLE TO PRE ORDER NOW FREE UK P&P ON ALL ORDERS www.hauslife.co.uk www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 39
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Notes from the garden<br />
Matt Biggs gives us some ideas for next year<br />
Matthew Biggs, is a radio personality in the UK, best known for<br />
his appearances on the long running BBC Radio 4 programme<br />
Gardeners’ Question Time. He has been a professional<br />
gardener for over 25 years, since studying at Pershore College<br />
of Horticulture <strong>and</strong> the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Over the<br />
past twenty five years, he has visited lots of gardens throughout<br />
Britain, from small suburban plots <strong>and</strong> inner city allotments to roof<br />
gardens <strong>and</strong> large country estates <strong>and</strong> written a number of books<br />
including RHS Lessons from Great Gardeners: Forty Gardening<br />
Icons <strong>and</strong> What They Teach Us, Matthew Biggs’s Complete book<br />
of Vegetables <strong>and</strong> Gardening at Eden: And how to do it at home.<br />
Matt’s tips for the<br />
forthcoming springtime.<br />
Summer saw some<br />
extremes of weather - hail,<br />
thunder, <strong>and</strong> torrential rain<br />
interspersed with bouts of<br />
very hot weather - <strong>and</strong>, just<br />
occasionally, the weather<br />
we would expect during the summer too!<br />
Whatever the reason the way we use our gardens needs to reflect<br />
how we want to use it - if we want wildlife, then there are big <strong>and</strong><br />
small changes we can make, from not concreting over the front<br />
garden for parking to putting up an insect hotel, big <strong>and</strong> small<br />
changes add up <strong>and</strong> make a difference so let’s get going on<br />
those - an early New Year’s resolution maybe?<br />
If you have a space that is challenging, oddly shaped, sloping,<br />
very overgrown or you just don’t have any inspiration, it is time<br />
to call in the experts - from a complete l<strong>and</strong>scape makeover<br />
to some planting ideas, there are local firms who will provide<br />
the expertise to make sure that your garden works for you.<br />
After all, when you bought the house <strong>and</strong> garden it was a major<br />
investment, so it seems like a great idea to benefit from every<br />
inch of that investment - <strong>and</strong> nature can join in too!<br />
If you don’t have a garden, you can still grow plants. Indoor plants<br />
add greatly to the feel of the home, you can give one to a child<br />
so that they learn to care for it, you can have a herb filled window<br />
box, you can grow stuff on a windowsill, there are so many ways<br />
to get involved - <strong>and</strong> have fun!<br />
haus<br />
HOME | LIFESTYLE<br />
ARTISANAL SOFT<br />
FURNISHINGS<br />
FOR THE MODERN<br />
HOME<br />
USE CODE<br />
LIVE15 FOR<br />
15% OFF<br />
YOUR FIRST<br />
ORDER<br />
NEW COLLECTIONS OF MUDCLOTH AND KILIM<br />
PILLOWS AND LEATHER POUFFES COMING SOON -<br />
AVAILABLE TO PRE ORDER NOW<br />
FREE UK P&P ON ALL ORDERS<br />
www.hauslife.co.uk<br />
www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 39
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