Clara Baldock

Villa Bologna makes Mediterranean tableware from an 18th-century stately home

When landscape architect Miranda Brooks and her husband, the French-born architect and designer Bastien Halard, were in the midst of building a large biodynamic garden for the Gloucestershire farmhouse they acquired in 2017, they were faced with the same question as their clients: what fabric should they use for their outdoor furniture? After they couldn’t find designs that met their vision, they created their own. “It’s in our nature: if we need something we tend to make it,” says Halard. The…

Spark your imagination Artist Lauri Hopkins spent years collecting found materials such as book covers and sweet wrappers to create striking collaged matchbox sleeves decorated with Graphenstone paint. A perfect fit for a standard-sized box of Cook’s Matches, every sleeve is an original, signed and numbered artwork. Lauri Hopkins matchbox sleeves made from discarded materials and Graphenstone paint, £195 each Supercharge your DIY Hoto’s minimalist cordless drill features 30 different power le…

Upon arriving in Mumbai as creative director of the collectable design gallery æquō, French designer Florence Louisy snapped up as much steel tableware as she could find, enamoured by its simple, silvery charm. She used the pieces in her new home and at the gallery, stacking shelves with little metal cups, which caused some confusion among visitors. “In India, these are usually reserved for the workers,” she says, “but I think white metal is fresh, elegant and, for me, very novel.” Many designe…

Designers are rediscovering the hidden depths of the humblest wood

Switch up the classic design for something more contemporary

I’ve had a long love affair with Gloucestershire. I first came here because I worked for the fashion stylist and editor Isabella Blow who had a beautiful place near Painswick – the deepest, darkest part of the county. She rented a cottage on her estate to our family. We eventually bought and renovated a derelict farmhouse close to the village of Bisley, which is where I am today. It is the most poetic part of Gloucestershire, with its valleys, woodlands and hills. At first, people thought we wer…

Bespoke wedding stationery has moved on from the stiff white card. Today’s invitations might be housed in a velvet-lined box, incorporate a custom coat-of-arms, or feature handpainted illustrations. “Handmade designs have soul, and the craft, time and energy they require is what makes them special,” says Rosie Harbottle, an artist who specialises in creating bespoke designs. “It’s like playing dolls with real people,” adds Brooklyn-based Happy Menocal, who is known for creating modern takes on t…

The Financial Times has teamed up with London-based clothing brand With Nothing Underneath to create a limited-edition shirt for women. Featuring vertical stripes in the FT’s signature salmon pink, The Boyfriend shirt is made in Portugal from Tencel, a biodegradable material formed of wood pulp that offers a silk-like drape. WNU was founded in 2017 by former Vogue stylist and Tatler editor Pip Durell, out of a desire for timeless designs that work for women of all shapes and styles. Ten per cen…

When pairs of electric blue and ruby-red vinyl shoes squelched down The Row’s pre-fall 2024 catwalk in Paris, it sparked a nostalgic yearning for the playful, practical jelly sandal. The caged silhouette offered a chic take on the beloved children’s footwear that ruled playground fashion in the 1990s. The netted Mara flats (£860) were an instant, sell-out success – and jellies are now the hottest shoes of the summer. There are plenty of fun, contemporary twists on the classic fisherman style. A…

The winner of the inaugural Bentley Lighthouse Award for eco design on Karen Blixen, making wine and her sneaky chicken, Eva

Go undercover with these winter throws

The founder of Francis Gallery shares her favourite haunts in her home away from home

Eye candy for the table, Dr Martens, small stools for cool cats and more

Mirrors, vases, screens – all are available with a classical twist

It’s time to wash and go, go, go

The CEO of David Collins Studio loves Bárbara Hulanicki, falafel and his Hermès valet stand

From salvers to shells, the precious metal is making a comeback

The presenter and garden designer loves Tolkien, Dr Martens and his namesake David Austin rose

Surrealism is all over furniture and homeware, this time with a 21st-century twist