Homestyle: Classic British buys

Get the blues

Click through our gallery to discover some seriously stylish British home styles and products. Here calming blue touches to classic pieces of furniture...

Victoria table, £1,321; Clifton bench, £680: both Benchmark. On table Tablecloth in Cordoba blue/red linen mix, £139.96/m, Bennison. Green cup and saucer, £84; patterned blue side plate, £66; large blue and white jug, £170: all Contemporary Applied Arts. Plain blue side plate, £15; vintage blue bowls, £12.50 each: all Twice. Spotty tea plates, £24 each; large Ingrid cake stand, £85; small terracotta bowl with spotty interior, £20: all Katrin Moye. Vintage silver-plated forks, £40 for set of six; wooden butter paddles, £15: both Few and Far. Prismatic Coolie pendant lights, £54 each, Tinsmiths. Corn dolly, from a selection, Corn Dollies. Wall in Shirting ultimate emulsion, £29/2.5 litres; woodwork in Sky Blue acrylic eggshell, £32/2.5 litres: both The Little Greene Paint Company. In back room Griffin linen in New Blue, £64/m, Blithfield & Company at Tissus d\'Hélène. Lilac throw, £145, Anta. Checked wool blankets, from a selection, Brora. Willow baskets, from a selection, Few and Far.

Courtesy of Country Living magazine

Material pleasures

Seek out handmade cushion covers and blankets in beautiful patterns - almost works of art in themselves. Echo their hues in an array of paintings...

Top shelf, from left; Willow cooling rack, £48, Tinsmiths. Figure with Cornflowers watercolour, £1,170, David Brayne at White Space Art. Vintage flower painting, £85, Pimpernel & Partners. Middle shelf Framed Danish Light picture, £195, Alex Malcolmson at Godfrey & Watt. Vintage anemones oil painting, £110, Pimpernel & Partners. Tea Time Visitor St Ives print, £95, Elaine Pamphilon at Godfrey & Watt. Lower shelf Hoops milk jug, £45; stripy cream jug, £35: both Katrin Moye. Tall, blue-striped jug, £50, Sue Binns. Driftwood sheep, junk-shop find. Blue floral jug (as vase), £18, SCP. Green jug, £195, Few and Far. Ginger floor lamp, £299, Original BTC. Oscar sofa, £3,065, SCP. Cushions, from left Patchwork cushions, £350 each, Louise Laycock for Bennison. Spotted cushion in Polka Dot linen in scarlet, £40/m; backed in Plain Vintage linen, £42.50/m: both Sarah Hardaker. Red floral cushion, as before. Bird cushion in Bird Garden linen in charcoal, £44/m, Mark Hearld for St Judes. Ceramic dish, £90, Daylesford Organic. Madison blanket, £215, Melin Tregwynt at SCP. Nest of tables in natural, £495, Ercol. Mug, £20, Sue Binns. Plate, £66, Contemporary Applied Arts. Rush matting, £150.56/sq m, The Waveney Rush Industry

Tea time

Make tea time something worth lingering time over with a few simple, thoughtful touches...

Boats, St Ives painting, £650, Stephanie Dees RSW at White Space Art. Side table, from a selection, Pimpernel & Partners. Ogee table lamp, £225, Tinsmiths. Butler\'s tray, £19, Scumble Goosie. Cup and saucer, £24.95, SCP. Willow log basket, from a selection, Foal Yard Gallery. Red floral cushion in Injigo Lace linen mix, £139.96/m, Bennison; edged in Ticking Stripe cotton in Peony, £18.50/m, Ian Mankin. Walls in Wimborne White estate emulsion, £26.50/2.5 litres, Farrow & Ball.

Vintage style

Many of today\'s British fabric designers draw on graphic retro styles for inspiration; they also draw on natural images that work well in country homes...

Vintage chair, £125, Pimpernel & Partners. Doveflight cushion cover in blue/blue, £36, Mark Hearld for St Judes. Classic writing table in New White, £815, Leporello. Buttercup and Daisies handprinted wallpaper, £150/10m roll, Katherine Morris. Woodwork in James acrylic eggshell, £32/2.5 litres, The Little Greene Paint Company

Charming ceramics

Build up a collection of handthrown china from a range of country potters - rustic pieces that are robust enough to use but that will also please the eye...

Blind, made in Wicklewood linen in blue, £48/m, Blithfield & Company at Tissus d\'Hélène. Woodwork in Sky Blue acrylic eggshell, £32/2.5 litres, The Little Greene Paint Company. Vintage mixing bowl, £22; blue bowls, £12.50 each: all Twice. Vintage cream pudding bowls, from £12 each, Pimpernel & Partners. Small cream vases, from £27 each, Wendy Jung. Hoops milk jug (as vase), £45, Katrin Moye.

Timeless textile

As a nation, we have a long history of weaving wools and cottons - from simple stripes and spots to more elaborate decorative designs...

Blind in Oakleaves linen in blue, £72/m, Blithfield & Company at Tissus d\'Hélène. Lucian single bed painted in Birch White, £1,669, Leporello. On bed, from left Bolster in Plain Stripe linen mix in blue, £137/m, Bennison. Irish linen pillowcases, £62 each; Irish linen double duvet, £293.62: both Fortnum & Mason. Vintage teddy bear, similar from Merrythought. Valley Stripe throw in Portland, £48/m, Lewis & Wood. Light blue cushion in Sintra 2 linen, £35/m, Elanbach. Flock beige/blue cushion, £46, Teresa Green. Mondo spotty wool blanket, £186, by Melin Tregwynt at SCP. On wall Oak peg rail, £24, Tinsmiths. Shetland wool jumper, £79; white shirt, £89: both Brora. Hand-painted wooden messenger pigeon, £95, Mark Hearld at Godfrey & Watt. Model boat, junk-shop find. On floor Rocking chair, from a selection, The Swan at Tetsworth Antiques Centre.  Lambswool rabbit, £60, CDBDI. Toy aeroplane, junk-shop find. Chatham rug, £522, Roger Oates. Ceramic salad bowl, £200, Ramp Ceramics.

Personal touches

A distinctive handwoven throw or blanket is one of the easiet ways to change the look of a room...

Flock cushion with birds design, £46, Teresa Green. Light blue cushion in Sintra 2 linen, £35/m, Elanbach

Contemporary classics

Wooden furniture can bring a sense of heritage as well as style...

On seat, from left Cushion in Liliana light blue linen mix, £139.96/m, Bennison. Dandelion Two cushion cover in yellow, £30, St Judes. Seed tray, from a selection, Baileys. Blue bowl, £25; cream napkin, £20; striped coffee cup, £20: all Sue Binns. Spotty mug, £22; tea plates (in stack), £24 each: all Katrin Moye. Fingers Fair-Isle gloves, £29.50, Tinsmiths. On wall Floral bag, £30, Twice. Cashmere scarf, £79; beret, £69; checked tweed jacket, £195: all Brora. Red flock shoulder bag with bird design, £54, Teresa Green. Tote bag in Ticking Stripe cotton in Peony, £18.50/m, Ian Mankin. Tongue-and-groove panelling in Stone Blue estate eggshell, £42.50/2.5 litres, Farrow & Ball.