Alison Hutchinson

Garden jobs in May

Alison — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:12:24 +0000

Spring has definitely sprung and all the rain of the last few weeks has really pushed on fresh growth. If you took a leaf out of my tree and did a good tidy up last Autumn you should be feeling on top of things and even have time to read the seed catalogues at leisure. But if you’re still grappling with the onset of Spring and need to get ahead here are a few of the jobs you should be tackling in the garden this month.

Borders

Do a final tidy through of borders cutting back all the herbaceous plants left with foliage on last winter. Weed where soil is light and crumbly.
Support taller herbaceous plants especially delphiniums and paeonie’s
Split clumps of perennial grasses to keep them alive in the centre

Maintenance

Mulch, mulch and add more mulch – add well rotted horse manure together with the contents of my compost bin if you have it. Add a sprinkling of bone meal to established hedges – rake up any leaves and sprinkle on the soil at the base.
Hedges are hungry feeders so fertilising is really important to keep them healthy.
Turn the compost heap and begin to add fresh material. If you have access to manure (chicken or horse) add this in layers and it will help to get the composting process going.

Lawns

Your lawn should have had its first few cuts so you can start to set the blades a little lower – but go easy.
Renovate grass as needed – if like my lawn it is filled with moss you can use this to your advantage and rake it up to make decorations for the house. Wire bunches of moss and flowers (blossom, primroses, and newly emerging leaves) around a wire ring or heart. Keep them watered or spray every day and they will last for up to a week.

Ponds

Clear ponds and begin to plant marginal pond plants. Leave cleared plants on the waters edge overnight to allow any creatures lurking in them to find their way back to the water.

Think ahead

Plant up containers for summer and keep under cover until all frosts have gone
Sow annual flower and herb seeds.
Plant scented leaf pelargoniums (you will find some of my favourites at The Herb Nursery at Tistleton)
Plant out pot grown pumpkins, courgettes and cucumbers once frosts have passed

Don’t beat yourself up if the garden isn’t perfect – you have time yet. I believe that every space can be comfortable, relaxed and beautiful without you feeling pressured to be perfect. I would love to help you achieve your beautiful home and garden. If I can help with a home or garden project please give me a call. Alison: 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

I work on interior design and garden design projects in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Oakham, Uppingham and Rutland, Leicester, Nottingham and Northampton as well as further afield. I will design a garden to complement the architecture of your home and choose the right landscaping materials to complement it. If you are frustrated with endless searching for the right fabric or wallpaper and paint colours and overwhelmed with the enormous choice, then allow me to make a handpicked selection for you. I will complement the style of your existing rooms and provide a few choice pieces which will bring the whole look together.

Skip hire

Alison — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:01:09 +0000

We have finally waved goodbye to the last skip as part of our design, build and renovation project. There has been so much rain in the last few weeks I didn’t think the tuck was going to be able to lift it but its amazing just how much weight they can lift. Our drive looks very bare now that you can see it in its totality! I can’t wait to start designing the garden but the house has had to take precedence – except for a bit of tree planting I couldn’t resist doing during the bare root season!

The old kitchen has been removed and we are awaiting the arrival of the new kitchen post the floor tiles being laid later this week. The laying of floor tiles has a similar effect to plastering – bringing the whole project together – so look out for the photos later this week.

Until then I leave with you the skip leaving!

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

I work on interior design and garden design projects in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Oakham, Uppingham and Rutland as well as further afield. I will design a garden to complement the architecture of your home and choose the right landscaping materials to complement it. If you are frustrated with endless searching for the right fabric or wallpaper and paint colours and overwhelmed with the enormous choice, then allow me to make a handpicked selection for you. I will complement the style of your existing rooms and provide a few choice pieces which will bring the whole look together.

How our design build and renovation project is progressing

Alison — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:49:28 +0000

As much of the building work is now complete we have moved on to the outside wall and the rain has never stopped. It certainly has been the wettest drought I have ever seen. Back in April I was advising garden clients on how to conserve water and still keep newly planted bare root hedges and shrubs alive. Today I am bemoaning slow progress on three landscaping projects due to the wet weather!

Starting to tile the en suite

We are making good progress inside our new extension with a dehumidifier helping to dry the floor and plasterwork. We have painted the new extension on both levels and are just awaiting final plumbing before we can move back into our bedroom. After much head scratching and removal of both the head and handrail from the staircase and the carpets we have managed to get the shower screen up the stairs – shouts of ‘yippee’ and much clapping, plus beers all round for the builders who helped maneuver it.

Juniper Ash on site decorating

Liz Stephens, from Juniper Ash Decorating, has really enjoyed painting with the Earth Borne and Little Greene paint we have been using. Both have provided excellent coverage and are low odor, the Earth Borne paint has a really lovely smell! The feature wall was an inspired decision once we had seen how lovely the large wall looked. It will now make a great display case for my collection of cream-ware vases – more on this in a later blog.

The finished en suite awaiting shower screen

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

Laying under floor heating on a design and build project

Alison — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:39:38 +0000

We have moved on a long way since I last put some images on the blog but I’m continuing the sequence so that you can see just how we have progressed.

Once the floor membrane and insulation was down we could install the under floor heating. We’ve opted for a wet system, having had a dry electric system before, we know how great under floor heating is, but a wet system is more cost effective in terms of running costs. Laying the under floor heating works on a grid system. It’s a bit like egg crates and the water pipes flow within the grid to ensure even coverage across the floor. Once this has been pressure tested a screed is applied which becomes the finished floor level ready for tiling. We are now waiting for the screed to dry out – in this weather it may be some time!

Laying the under floor heating

The red pipes snake across the floor

Platerboards are in place ready for the plasterer

All plastered and waiting for it to dry out

After you’ve plastered its important to get as much air circulating as possible to dry the room. It will be a minimum of 2 weeks before we paint but even so I have opted for an Earthborn clay paint which will allow the walls to breath. www.earthbornpaints.com

I’ve used this at our holiday cottage in Norfolk : www.pimpernelcottage.co.uk which has traditional lime plaster and where breathability was even more important. It’s been really successful: it’s hard wearing but also allows me to re-touch as needed without any visible lines – perfect if I just want to cover up a dirty mark on the sitting room wall!

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

Getting to the plastering stage on a design project

Alison — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:26 +0000

Everyone always says it but rooms look so much better once the plaster board goes up. They don’t even need to be plastered, just the fixing of the plasterboard changes the dimensions and makes them look tidier. It’s a bit like a messy garden getting a fresh fall of snow, it suddenly looks lovely!

Our design build and renovation project is no exception, it all seems to be coming together now the plasterboard is going up.

Where possible the plasterboard is screwed to the joists as in the utility

Taping the joints on the plasterboard

In other places we use dotting and dabbing, where the walls are dotted with fixative for the plasterboard to adhere to

Part way through plastering the en-suite

Stilts: the tools of the trade for Paul the plasterer

Moving around is so much easier with stilts

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

Sourcing oak beams for our design project

Alison — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:14:18 +0000

I know I keep saying it but we really are making progress on our design build and renovation project now.

This week’s exciting event was the arrival of the oak beam. Having got quite excited about a reclaimed beam I sourced at a local reclamation yard we realized it was both too big and too heavy to fit and have had to opt or a new beam after all. This was always the builders preferred choice (you know what you’re getting with new!) but I think even he was surprised at the size and weight of it. But it is now in place and has had its first lick of Liberon Superior Danish Oil, to protect it and bring out the natural grain.

The oak beam arrives on site

Moving the oak beam is a challenge

It has to come onto site via our neighbour’s field – thanks Nick and Sara

It takes 4 people to move it, and a bit of head scratching!

Once in the garden it’s a clear run (well perhaps not a run) to the house!

Looking into the new space with the oak beam in place

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

What’s new at London Design Week?

Alison — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:49:06 +0000

London Design Week has been a luscious affair. The warmth of colour within the new collections is breathtaking with some similar themes coming through.

The latest trend of mid century design is a strong one which we also saw at the Furniture fair at the NEC in January. Collections from new brand Scion are leading the way in this area. There was also a huge showing of flags – as you’d expect in the Jubilee year and with the Olympics almost upon us.

GPJ Baker floral flag

The move towards art and the arts and modern crafts movement continues with brands pulling inspiration from crafters. New furniture from JVB, the South African brand is temptingly good. What they have done so well is to bridge the price quality divide and maintain beautiful styling and quality at a good price.

New looks from Mulberry include some amazing embroideries and complement the traditional English look which they have mastered so well.

I love this Mulberry sofa

Looking into the past for inspiration is the Zoffany brand. They have been working with mural artist and specialist in Elizabethan painted decoration Melissa White who has pulled together a beautiful collection under the Arden name. Taking inspiration from the Tudor period the collection of wallpapers, prints, weaves and embroideries uses subtle colours reminiscent of the period. “Putting the designs into new colourways for Zoffany has been a revelation as suddenly they have new personalities and a new lease of life, Melissa explained.

Verdure wallpaper from the Arden collection by Zoffany

Artist Melissa said “working with the zoffany design team has been a real inspiration as they have such knowledge of the making process which has enabled the wallpapers and fabrics to be manufactured on a large scale. Being able to bring my designs to a broader audience is amazing.”

Much of Melissa’s work is on old properties uncovering period work and recreating those designs in a more modern setting. It is seen by her clients but never gets seen by a wider audience, the new Zoffany collection will now bring her work to a much broader audience.

Zoffany’s Saffron Walden wallpaper form the new Arden collection

For a stunning look to a wall then the new Cole and Son wallpapers are hard to beat. The new Albemarle Coleridge collections would really make a statement in an entrance hall. While the metallic effect on the Albemarle Albery wallpaper is quite beautiful.

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

Plaster boarding a design build and renovation project

Alison — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:24:01 +0000

Work on our extension has moved on and we are now at plaster boarding stage. The insulation is all up and stud work for the new entrance hall is taking shape.

We spent the weekend on our hands and knees taking up the old quarry tile floors. We will now lay a self leveling compound before the under floor heating goes down and we re-tile.

I’m in love with the utility, I knew it was going to be an amazing space but now that the wall between it and the garage is in place and insulated you can really see the space which is left. I can see a wall of art, or space for a collection – those of you who know me well will know I’m a great collector! Minimalist just isn’t me! The world is my oyster.

Plaster boarding to the bathroom ceiling

Stud work which forms the new entrance hall

Getting started on the Quarry tiles

Removing tiles from the hall floor

Removing tiles from the old shower room and looking glamorous in my vintage 1950s head scarf!

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

How to manage first fix plumbing

Alison — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:17:09 +0000

If I have learnt one thing from being involved in design and build projects it is that planning is everything. If you spend time planning, sitting with your architect and visualizing where everything will go before you sign off your plans you will be a step ahead from day one.

For us the first fix plumbing and electrics, which are almost complete, have gone well, with only minor changes along the way. I’d have preferred no alterations at all, but as the builder will tell, it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. And if that woman is both the client and the designer he has no hope!

First fix plumbing

It has been quite tricky to find a shower which would fit into the corner of the bathroom due to the sloping ceiling but at last I have resolved this problem with a Daryl shower screen and a ceiling brace from another manufacturer. All other plumbing has stayed the same and my cardboard bathroom has been a great success.

Creating the new entrance hall

The builder removed the last of the old walls which means we have now created a larger entrance hall. I’d like to use the work’ grand’, but having visited a couple of large London buildings this week the idea that my 1820’s cottage entrance is grand is rather ridiculous!

I don’t know how the dog has kept dust free!

But oh the mess. It has been simply impossible to contain the dust this week and every surface has a subtle coating. The poor dog has had to move out of her bed which used to be in the downstairs shower room. This will soon become a small cloakroom and the entrance hall. And I know exactly how much piano practice our daughter has done by the state of the dust on the keys!

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.

How to prepare a ‘first fix’ on a renovation project

Alison — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:45:39 +0000

It has been such a busy week on site. The builders have handed over to the plumbers and electricians this week and we are well ahead with our first fix on the electrics and plumbing. This usually happens after block work is up but before the walls are plaster boarded and plastered. In this way all the electrics and pipe work is hidden behind the plasterwork.

At this stage its really important to know exactly what lighting and power you need in each room. As a minimum I would put double sockets into the corners of each room but if you also know where you are putting your furniture you can think about where you might need power for a table lamp or sound system. Also if you are ever considering putting a flat screen TV on the wall get the electrics in now, you can always hide the sockets with a picture until you have the TV but putting the electrics in later can be a real pain.

Looking through the kitchen as first fix electrics go in

Our ensuite and dressing room has been quite a challenge as the ceiling slopes and getting a shower into a corner has been quite difficult. The room has been planned out using a cad system but to ensure we really do have the layout right I created a cardboard cut out of the furniture. It was working quite well until James, our electrician, forgot it was cardboard and rested his clipboard on it and funnily enough it collapsed!

The cardboard bathroom in the new ensuite

If you can be quite clear at first fix stage what type of shower etc you are having then plumbing them in becomes much easier as you can work out how much water a second will be going down the drain and how big the pipes need to be etc.

As with most things reparation is everything and I have learnt over the years you can never be too organized.

If you have a building project, interior or garden and landscaping project which you need help with or ideas for then please give me a ring: Alison 01572 747318 or 07973843020.