by James Balston | Apr 14, 2015 | 1960s, 1970s, Apartments, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Homes, Kitchens, London
The 1930s and 1960s come together beautifully in Hannah Cork’s pre-war west London flat. Hannah is an interior stylist working in TV and advertising, and has a keen collector’s eye for vintage homewares of the 60s & 70s. In fact her flat would make the... 
by James Balston | Feb 14, 2015 | Antiques, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Classical, Contemporary, Decoration, Homes, Kitchens
Grey is so over! It has reached saturation point, or should that be desaturation? So ubiquitous is it, that it’s becoming the butt of jokes, as in this amusing sketch which pokes fun at designers and a certain brand of paint. Clearly grey is the new beige. Then... 
by James Balston | Nov 11, 2014 | 1950s, Antiques, Bedrooms, Homes, Kitchens
Liz’s 1950s style kitchen was the perfect cover for Vinny Lee’s latest book Kitchenalia, but there’s so much more to her Ramsgate cottage that deserves to be seen. For me, some of the most interesting homes I’ve shot, are not necessarily the... 
by James Balston | Oct 30, 2014 | Bedrooms, Landscapes
It’s 5 years since I started this blog. I’d never have imagined I’d keep it going this long. My very first post was called “A trip to Herefordshire”, and I found myself back there at the same farm, a couple of weeks ago. Back then,... 
by James Balston | Sep 1, 2014 | Antiques, Art, Bedrooms, Decoration, Homes
I’m guessing Shaun Clarkson and Paul Brewster aren’t big fans of Ikea. You may recall how a few years ago the Swedish furniture store proclaimed tunefully that we should all “Chuck out the chintz”. Their delightful but somewhat anarchic Norfolk... 
by James Balston | Aug 25, 2014 | Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Decoration, Homes
Many of the large country houses I’ve shot would make excellent locations for Agatha Christie murder mysteries. Remote settings, numerous bedrooms to house visiting colonels or actresses, back stairs for quick exits, and large fireplaces for burning...