Period Features

Money Saving Expert

With the credit crunch affecting many people and the price of food, energy and fuel rising many homeowners are looking for ways to reduce their costs. Moneysavingexpert.com is a great site set up by Martin Lewis, a specialist journalist, TV presenter and broadcaster. Lewis believes "the average person in the UK could give themselves an effective 25% pay rise by stopping waste. This isn't by 'cutting out cappuccinos', it's by systematically working through all bills & products to ensure you've the best deal on everything. This is a five-step plan to overhaul your finances and save £1,000s." Intrigued? Then check out the website at www.moneysavingexpert.com

Fireplaces and the period home

This article comes from www.fireplace.co.uk, a consumer information site that provides up to date information about the UK fireplace industry, offers a central resource where you can find links to fireplace retailers, safety advice, regulations, and consumer advice and fireplace installation services. This article is taken from the site's useful History of the Fireplace section.

One of the most appealing aspects of owning a property is the fireplace which acts as a focal point to the living room, adding warmth and character to the whole house.

If they have been removed or inappropriately been altered over the years, it is possible to find suitable replacements. Extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings can all benefit from today's fires and fireplaces as there are a myriad of styles to suit every taste.

To do this sympathetically especially in an older house, it is useful to have an understanding of the historical style of the fireplace that would once have graced the house.

The owners of period properties often wish to retain a fireplace centrepiece to their home in the style of the house. It is worthwhile, then, spending some time looking at the origins of stoves, gas fires and fireplaces in order to place the design changes in a historical context of the era in which all, or the oldest part, of your period home was constructed. Read more from www.fireplace.co.uk

National Maintenance Week

From 21 - 28 November The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) will be holding National Maintenance Week Throughout National Maintenance Week 2008, SPAB's dedicated technical helpline will be open every morning to give callers advice and guidance on maintenance issues. Telephone 0207 456 0916.

SPAB's website at http://www.maintainyourbuilding.org.uk/ offers maintenance tips for older properties and offers advice and guidance on the approach to maintenance that owners of older properties might find helpful such as this article on rising damp which SPAB suggest is often misdiagnosed:

According to Douglas Kent, SPAB Technical Secretary, the inappropriate installation of damp-proof courses to combat rising damp accounts for much unnecessary work on old buildings. True rising damp is rarer than commonly perceived but is regularly misdiagnosed. Read more here

Bring botanical charm into your home

Farrow & Ball wallpaper ‘The Rosslyn Papers’

Colour experts Farrow & Ball have created ‘The Rosslyn Papers’; a charming reproduction of a nineteenth century English cotton print featuring a delicate design with a hint of the botanical.

A versatile collection of 48 colourways, ‘The Rosslyn Papers’ make a decorative statement equally suited to a romantic boudoir, sophisticated dining room or grand entrance hall. Choose from a wide and eclectic choice of colour combinations which allow you to create both subtle and dramatic effects.

Backgrounds in a full spectrum of calming neutrals, pretty pastels, and rich darks are available, and are enhanced with chalky matt and shimmering metallic accent colours for a unique and individual look. With a pattern repeat of 42cm (16.5 inches), ‘The Rosslyn Papers’ are ideal for feature walls as well as whole rooms, and will suit both contemporary and traditional settings.

The new collection has the Farrow & Ball hallmark depth of colour and texture only achieved through the combination of traditional printing methods and the finest water based paints. Colours have been carefully selected from the Farrow & Ball paint palette to ensure that colour co-ordination from paint to paper and paper to paint is excellent.

View the Rosslyn Papers

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