One of the many things I love about the transition into British summer is the rapidly changing light that filters into our lives. As we shift from the damp and greyish glimmers of early spring, suddenly we find ourselves in May, with dappled sunlight breaking through curtains and blinds into our homes to pattern and pool on floors, warm and welcoming as it touches our skin.
Materials take on new characteristics as these rays hit and interact with surfaces, transforming how they’re perceived. It’s a phenomenon that probably has something to do with mine and the team’s current obsession with gloss finishes, which we have embraced wholeheartedly this issue.
Sure, lacquered and expertly polished pieces are nothing new, but with the coming together of technical advances making it possible to produce things that are more reflective than ever, and the vibrant injection of futurism associated with the aesthetic, there has been an explosion of high-shine products that we can’t get enough of.
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Supremely talented interior designer Peter Mikic must feel similarly as, this issue, he introduces his latest London project, where he’s taken the bold step of lacquering the walls and ceiling of the dining room in an almost-liquid-looking buttercup yellow. Elsewhere, our style-editor-at-large Amy Heffernan explores how this glossy glut of contemporary designs has new-found versatility, with releases not only for use inside but for outside, too, where the interaction between sun and shine is maximised.
This acts as a stylish precursor to our extensive Focus section, which, this month, explores all things outdoors – our relationship with the green spaces surrounding our homes, whether a terrace, something more expansive or even an area of public planting – don’t miss Hazel Gardiner’s piece on the healing role of gardens at health institutions and beyond. Light also plays an important part in our al fresco endeavours, especially when you consider how it dances on the surface of water – see our pick of modern water features, and a cool California-inspired poolhouse transported to the UK.
Keeping the summer inspiration coming thick and fast, our carefully picked selection of global homes provides more sunny and positive vibes, from a sensitive British seaside renovation to an architectural marvel in the Catalan mountains via a dose of Italian dolce vita in Sorrento and a contemporary gem of a property nestled amid the Colorado prairies. Whatever gets you excited about the new season ahead, we hope there’s something here you’ll take a shine to.
