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We talk about lockdown survival with Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson

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Vintage inteRioRs stylist Paula sutton’s dReamy CountRy house is PRoViding the PeRfeCt loCKdoWn esCaPe foR heR aRmy of folloWeRs. clare morrisroe gets a (ViRtual) touR

Continued on Page 16 »

SET on a hill in a tiny hamlet in the middle of the stunning Norfolk countryside, Paula Sutton knows how fortunate she is to be living in this

idyllic setting during lockdown. Her whimsical picture-perfect

Georgian home, in an acre of manicured gardens in full bloom, is

filled with quirky antique treasures and period finds from a bygone era.

And as her Instagram feed streams posts of vintage-clad Paula picking flowers, baking old-fashioned cakes and driving her retro Morris Minor, a soundtrack of heartwarming Cole Porter tunes adds an extra touch of nostalgia.

At the beginning of lockdown, Paula was concerned that posting such wholesome pictures might upset her army of 300,000 followers as some struggled to cope with Covid-19 confinement. But the opposite proved to be true and she was inundated with messages of support from all over the world.

‘The idea of living in the countryside is really capturing people’s imaginations,’ says Paula. ‘It seems the joy and positivity is a welcome escape from what’s happening at the moment.

‘After the war, joyful Hollywood movies took people’s minds away from harsh reality. I guess that’s

what’s happening here, on a much smaller scale, of course!

‘But we all know that what you see on Instagram is only polished snippets of people’s otherwise normal lives. I may have tidied the house, but when the cameras stop rolling, the dirty

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STYLE // WELLBEING // CELEBRITY STYLE // WELLBEING // CELEBRITY

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washing explodes from the children’s bedrooms,’ she laughs.

Paula is enjoying and negotiating lockdown with her husband Duncan, twin daughters Daisy and Phoebe, 16, and 19-year-old Tobias, as well as Coco, their chocolate lab/doberman cross. With five bedrooms and an acre of land, their beautiful home has been their haven. But they are not strangers to hectic city life – ten years ago they lived in a Victorian terrace in south London with a 30ft patio garden.

Paula explains: ‘I was juggling a demanding fashion career with bringing up a young family, and at one point I had three children under the age of three, so life was chaotic and I was missing bath and bedtimes. I got burned out and realised that something had to give.’

They moved to Norfolk to be near TV editor Duncan’s family. ‘We wanted the children to have a Famous Five-style upbringing of climbing trees and running through fields. I knew if I didn’t do it then I would miss them growing up. Then we found this house. We loved the proportions, the high ceilings, the

symmetry and the original shutters. But the furniture from our old house filled just two of these rooms,’ she laughs. ‘And while it was in good order, it was decorated in an overly formal fashion – the 1980s does Victoriana. It was like the setting of a period drama, with oppressive, dark red flocked wallpaper and heavy drapes.

‘I like my interiors to have a bit of quirky fun, so I made it more country vintage with an elegant, bright and airy feel. I introduced lots of faded floral fabrics, ticking stripes and gingham checks.

I sourced a mixture of dark wood antiques and painted furniture

with beautiful shapes and Queen Anne legs and turned feet. I found old armoires at country fairs, and brocantes and buttoned-backed sofas and chairs, which I had re-covered.

‘Most of the walls are neutral with green hues,

and I added colour with the soft furnishings.’

Paula also collects vintage brass lamps, French chandeliers and

antique vases, which she fills with flowers from the garden. An old hunting horn hangs from the sitting room wall.

‘There was hardly any storage so we created bookcases that look like they have been here the whole time. I’m a slow decorator and whatever I do is for longevity. Sustainability is at the forefront of every project.’ In the kitchen there are original vintage jelly moulds,

» From Page 15

Old ones are the best: The vintage theme is everywhere, from fabrics to the furniture

‘I used to be a city girl. Look at me now!’

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Blooming lovely: Paula with her Morris Minor

van called Daphne and dog Coco

Picture perfect: Paula’s creative background is on show everywhere you look

cake tins and weighing scales. ‘I try to have a touch of history and

romance in every room. And I love my art – we have a vintage gallery wall all the way up my hallway.’

The vintage theme continues outside. Duncan trades and races vintage cars and there’s a red and white 1950s Austin Healy on the drive. ‘The blue Morris Minor van is mine, she’s called Daphne,’ says Paula.

The red-fringed garden recliners are originals from 1930. ‘Quirky things really enhance the house.’ She grows plants in old chamber pots. And Paula prides herself on doing the gardening and DIY herself.

‘I’m quite the handywoman. I can fix a boiler, decorate and grow my own veg. When we first arrived, if I baked a cake it would be out of a box. Now I cook everything from scratch. It’s quite hilarious, as I was a city girl running for cabs in heels ten years ago.’

But it was Paula’s creative background producing shoots and covers for Elle magazine that turned her house into an Instagram star that now earns its keep. ‘I was the person pulling everyone else’s creativity together. Now, I am the creative director, the buyer, the stylist, the photographer and, increasingly, the model, too, as followers want to know the person behind the brand,’ she laughs.

‘It’s a wonderful feeling of liberation and so much fun knowing this is all my vision, and that other people are now getting such pleasure from it, too.’

n View Paula’s home and read her blog at Instagram @hillhousevintage

And so to bed: French chandeliers add

drama and elegance

Aloe VerA/Aloe

18 | METRO | Tuesday, June 30, 2020










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Symbolic of endurance and strength, these plants can cope with the most extreme conditions. Ideal for beginners who have a very bright, south-facing window or conservatory where other plants may get scorched by the direct sun. Try to replicate the dry, hot and sunny conditions that these desert dwellers love and you won’t go far wrong. Cacti store water and have few care needs – just make sure that their pot has good drainage and do not over-water. A happy cactus will produce spectacularly colourful flowers once a year.

Perfect for novice plant parents, the Aloe is actually happy if you forget to water it for a few weeks, or go on holiday. Keep it in a sunny spot, but out of direct sunlight in the summer months. It prefers dry compost so water once every two weeks in summer and once a month when colder. It also copes brilliantly with the drying effect of the central heating in winter. If happy, this succulent healing plant will reward you with offshoots and the mature leaves can be cut from the plant and kept in the fridge for up to a month and used for cosmetics and juicing.

(unless you try Very hard)

CACti

String of HeArtS/

CeropegiAThis pretty trailing

plant grows super-fast in the summer

months. A delicate vine with small

heart-shaped leaves, it has adapted to

periods of drought by developing tubers near

its roots that act as water storage tanks.

It makes the plant able to

deal with a degree of neglect.

Place in a bright spot but out of direct sun. It looks great

trailing from a high shelf or in a hanging pot suspended

from a curtain rail.Water once a week in the

summer but reduce to every few weeks in the winter. Like our hair, this plant can take a

regular trim, which will encourage bushier growth.

Pretty much indestructible, this tough plant will be with you for life. With its tall, narrow, bold leaves, the Snake Plant has regained popularity and growers have developed lots of interesting small varieties, which are now more easily available. It prefers a sunny position but will tolerate shade so can handle whatever you throw at it. But over watering will cause the shallow roots to rot – so keep the plant in a pot with drainage holes. Queen of the air cleaners, this robust plant has been shown to remove volatile organic compounds from the air, which can help those with respiratory problems and allergies.

n All these plants can be bought at forest.london. For inspiration, visit Instagram @forest_london. The Healing Power Of Plants by Fran Bailey (Ebury), £12.99.

FRAN WAS SPEAKING TO CLARE MORRISROE

SAnSeVieriA /SnAke plAnt

Bird’S neSt fern/ ASplenium niduS

Ferns can be tricky, but not this one, it’s as tough as old boots! And its bold,

sculptural, luminous green leaves will bring vibrancy to the dullest corner

of a room. Ferns are perfect for a shady spot that might not suit other tropical plants.

Incredibly adaptable, they can tolerate the draughts and cooler

temperatures of a hallway, and also love the high humidity of a bathroom. Water

once a week throughout the year and feed once a month in the summer.











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‘In lockdown,I finally saw how well we’ve done and how far we’ve come’we talk to the kaiser chiefs frontman about life in quarantine and discover he’s been rather enjoying the rest

MYRICKY WILSON

Time out: Ricky says lockdown has given him a chance to reflect

on his success

What’s your daily routine?I get up, watch Jeremy Vine, have a juice, do 40 minutes of Yoga With Adrienne on YouTube and walk the dog. Then I write children’s books for a bit – I’ve started doing that in lockdown – have a break to watch Judge Rinder, do a bit more writing, have tea and watch TV. How has your working week changed?I feel busier – but that’s because I build a whole day around making one phone call now! During the summer the band would usually be away every weekend doing festivals. But it’s given my body a rest for the first time in 15 years and reminded me how much I enjoy doing gigs. I’ll appreciate them more when they come back. We’re doing some drive-in gigs later this summer, so I’m looking forward to those. The band becomes so important in your head that you start to believe that you don’t know what you would do without it.

Having enforced time away has let me do loads of things that I kinda saw as hobbies. I’ve finished my kids’ book and been working on an album to go with it, and it feels great to have those initial excitement vibes of a new project again. I’ve not been doing stuff alone all the time, though, I’ve been doing my podcast with Tony Blackburn for four hours every Thursday. He’s hilarious, but it can be mentally draining – we try to beat each other’s puns for a whole afternoon. I always need a lie down after my recording with Tony! Pun-wise, he still runs rings around me.

How are you exercising?I’m doing yoga, walking and running. I actually used to run everywhere, but for the first time in my life, I’m starting to feel old. I used to do 5Ks in 20 minutes but the last time I did it I came in at 23 minutes and I gave it everything.

Now I run until I feel like heading home, which is a nicer way of going about it.

Did you panic-buy?Not really – but a corner shop near me sells Ringos, which I think are the best crisps ever, but you very rarely see them. So I’ve been buying them out of salt-and-vinegar Ringos. Have you joined the Zoom quiz trend? My fiancée’s family have been doing talent shows instead. The whole group is assigned a talent we have to work on for the following week. We’ve done portrait painting, dance routines, rapping – it’s good because in the week you think: ‘Oh no, I haven’t practised my dance routine.’ I used to be an art teacher but I hadn’t painted for years. The portrait painting has got me back into it.

What do you miss doing?When this ends, I’ll

be driving down to Minorca. I’ve got a tiny apartment there overlooking the

sea. I want to see if I can spend the last part of the summer there.

Has social isolation caused any personality changes?I’ve been trying to eke out the positive and be more optimistic, which I haven’t done before. It’s given me time to reflect on things. Being in the band was the most important thing in the world to me, but this has freed me up and I’ve been doing other stuff.

It’s been good to try to be more optimistic. Being in a band has always been about setting yourself ridiculous goals, always having hope exceed expectations. So no matter how brilliant things get, they never live up to your dreams.

At risk of sounding ungrateful, during the last 15 years, I’ve become expert at disappointment management. It’s taken lockdown for me to see how well we’ve done and how far we have come.

Will the lockdown change society?I think people will walk away from this with something. I’m usually pretty private but this has made me want to be part of a community. When I’m walking the dog and someone speaks to me I’ll speak to them – whereas before I’d have kept my head down, walked the dog and come home.

I’m sure it will change people – we’re going through something that will become a moment in history and it’s forced us all to think about things that are important to us. It could make the world a happier place or I could be wrong and it could turn everyone into evil b*stards.

n Ricky Wilson and Tony Blackburn’s Pop Detectives

podcast is available from all usual podcast providers.

Utilita Live From The Drive-In: Kaiser Chiefs comes

to Lincoln on August 13 and Milton Keynes on August 14,

livenation.co.uk

INTERVIEW BY ANDREW WILLIAMS

Back on stage: The Kaiser Chiefs will be

performing live at a drive-in event this summer











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Is your home#instaready?

MOST people have reaped the benefits of spending so much time at home: whether it’s growing their own vegetables,

baking an endless supply of banana bread or at last having a valid excuse to get a dog!

But being confined to quarters has also forced homeowners and renters to assess if their living spaces are up to scratch, and also if they are up to visitor scrutiny, whether in real life once lockdown has lifted, or via the sneak glimpses we get as we Zoom friends and colleagues.

‘We have never spent so much time at home,’ says Maxine Brady, one half of top design duo the Secret Styling Club, who’ve styled more than 1,000 room makeovers for TV shows and glossy interior mags.

‘Before lockdown, home was the place you returned at night to eat, watch TV and crash. Now, our living

YOU WILL NEEDn An old mirror with a thin straight-edged framen Pine stripwood moulding pieces: 2400mm long and as close as possible to the thickness of your framen Leftover black paint – check the shed or buy a tester pot to keep the price downn Newspaper n Strong glue n Pencil/non-permanent marker n Measuring tapen Hand saw

METHOD1. Measure the length and width of

the mirror to determine how many strips of hard wood you will need. I got enough for six squares (three of each side) as it looks effective and is the easiest option. You will need more for a bigger or a full-length mirror.

2. Measure the mirror (excluding the frame) from top to bottom. Then with a pencil, mark a piece of stripwood to the same size and using the handsaw, cut it to size. This will be the vertical piece running down the middle of the mirror. 3. Find the centre by measuring the width of the mirror and halve it –

Want to create a cool mirror for an interior that will ping with your plants? Instagram stylist and DIYer Pati Robins shows you how.

HOW TO MAKE... A CRITTALL-STYLE MIRROR

TV sTylisT Maxine Brady Tells CLARE MORRISROE ThaT lockdown has opened up The joy of inTeriors To a new generaTion

Coming up roses: Create an ‘outside room’ to socially distance when needed

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Remodel: Adding plants or laying tiles (below) can help transform a room

Makeover: Maxine has helped style more than

1,000 rooms for TV shows and glossy mags

spaces have been adapted as home offices, schools, gyms, and then in the evening somewhere to switch off and enjoy cocktail hour.

‘So, if there’s one thing that’s become crystal clear, it’s how very important our homes have become. We’re starting to notice what works, what needs to be changed and how we can improve our living spaces to look and function better.

‘My Instagram and blog traffic has doubled during lockdown because home owners, renters and people on a tight budget are looking for inspiration to turn their living spaces into joyful homes.’

This is something Maxine knows about from personal experience. She bought the two-bed Victorian railway worker’s cottage she shares with her dog, Teddy, in Brighton five years ago.

‘It had been empty for seven years and was a 1990s shrine to beige carpets and cheap MDF fittings,’ she

laughs. ‘It needed a complete refurb. But all the jobs you don’t see the benefit of, like a leaking roof, rotting windows, damp and a new central heating system, swallowed up most of my budget. So I had to get inventive!’

The key to finding your own style, says Maxine, is to create a mood board of things you love.

‘Collect images and swatches of things that inspire you and make you feel happy. It doesn’t matter if you love the look of an old country house but live in a modern one-bedroom flat – get it on your mood board, as there will be ways of adapting some aspects into your space.

‘Pick up postcards from holidays that energise you, or photos of family or friends having a fun meal together. Cut out pictures of bedrooms that make you feel calm. And colours that make you feel happy.

‘Eventually, you will see a common theme emerging of colours, patterns

and styles, which you will be able to work cohesively into your own home.’

Here, Maxine gives us a tour of her budget renovation room by room.

KITCHENI saw these floor tiles on a luxury location shoot years ago and kept the photo. Then, when I moved here I based my whole kitchen design around them. Of course, the shoot house tiles were mega-expensive, so I sourced a cheap copy online and they look just as effective. I bought standard kitchen units but made them look bespoke with handles made from cheap, copper plumbing pipes which have now

burnished beautifully. Open shelving is a great feature in a small kitchen. It means I only buy things I love as everything is displayed.

BATHROOMMy mum found the white

chest of drawers in the street. I painted it, changed the handles and added sticky-back plastic on the top which looks like a marble top and it now houses my beauty products.

I like lots of plants and framed art in the

bathroom. Don’t be afraid to treat it like any

other room.

LIVING ROOMThis is the original fireplace but I added black and white tiles to create a

theme running through the house. I also use them as coasters. The sofa was £150 off eBay, and I had it recovered in washable covers so it feels totally bespoke. This room is full of plants and the picture shelves mean I can change things around often. I added colour with the statement green chair and interest by framing things that catch my eye like old album covers, vintage posters or the Allah sign, which I bought in the Medina in Marrakesh. The side tables came from a skip and I painted them to match the fireplace.

DINING ROOMThe dining table is an eBay buy for peanuts, and I added the metal dining chairs which were inspired by the round, wire wall art piece which I bought from Laura Ashley. The small unit in the alcove is from a junk shop – I painted it grey and keep all my crockery in there as I don’t have enough space in the kitchen.

HALLWAYIt’s a narrow space so I added a Crittall-style mirror to make it feel bigger. To continue with the black and white tile theme, I ripped up the stair carpet and tiled all the risers. All the art works are framed in black for a more harmonious look.

MASTER BEDROOMOn the floor, there’s a threadbare, vintage Chinese rug my mum had in the antic. The bed [inset, left] was off Gumtree – it was upholstered in hot pink but when I peeled it off, the original blue damask was underneath. I painted it grey and finished off the room with a statement feather light fitting.

GARDEN I transformed my garden into an outside room with furniture that would look just as good inside. I painted the fence and hung baskets and solar powered lights to make it look cosy and homely. And the planters are on wheels, so when it’s time to entertain again I can move them round the garden to make more space!

n To book a Zoom interior design

consultation, go to secretstylingclub.com. Prices start at £75. Visit

Instagram @secrettstylingclub and welovehomeblog.com for more

style inspiration

mark the top and bottom of the actual mirror with a tiny dot from the marker as this is where you will glue in your vertical piece later. Do a ‘dry fit’ to check it for size - but don’t glue it yet.

4. Now measure the space between the vertical centre strip to the side of the mirror frame. Using this measurement mark, cut four pieces of the stripwood – these will form the horizontal strips to complete your

squares. Divide the length of the mirror into thirds and mark a dot on the mirror with the marker at each end where each piece needs to be glued. You should now have five strips in total. Lay them all out to

check for size – it should be a snug, secure fit with no gaps.

5. Time to paint – remove all the cut pieces. Start by painting the mirror frame – slide the newspaper under

the frame to protect the mirror. I used Rustoleum Black Spray Paint I had in the shed but BBQ paint or any spare black paint will do. Then paint all the wooden strips, Paint all four sides as the mirror could reflect a little from underneath. If hand-painting, you may need two coats.

6. When everything is dry, assemble all the wood pieces onto the mirror, starting with the long vertical piece in the middle. Put the glue onto the two ends of each wooden strip and fix into place – do not glue onto the mirror itself. Let it dry – then hang, step back and admire your handy work as you’ve just salvaged a perfectly good mirror as well as saving yourself a small fortune!

n Check out Pati’s DIY homemade hacks at Instagram @patirobins and

her blog at style-squeeze.com PATI ROBINS WAS TALKING

WITH CLARE MORRISROE











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PUT DOWN ROUTES FOR UNDER £500KWith the popularity of a pedal-poWered commute at an all-time high, AndreA deAn looks at homes close to london’s ever-increasing cycle netWork...

Being cooped up indoors has led to us reassessing our priorities and, in a recently commissioned survey, Redrow found that 45 per cent of

18-34 year-olds living in the capital regard being able to walk or cycle to work as more important than before lockdown. TfL reports that more Santander Cycles were hired in the last week of May – 362,925 – than ever before in a seven-day

period, and is set to expand the scheme to cope with unprecedented demand. The cycling network is growing too. As part of the Streetscape programme, temporary changes are being introduced to create extra space for cyclists and walkers on roads across London, allowing for social distancing. TfL intends to build 450km of new Cycleways by 2024. So why not get fit by buying a new home with an easy commute by bike?

1 Ashley roAd, tottenhAm hAle, n17 The first residential building in the £500m redevelopment of the area, led by Argent Related, comprises 183 studio, one two and three-bed apartments designed by award-winning Alison Brooks Architects. The City’s easy to reach via nearby Cycleway One. From £413,000 tottenhamhale.london

Fielders QuArter, BArking riverside, ig11Following the success of the first phase, the second tranche of homes in the Mansion Block Apartments has been released ahead of schedule. They form part of the massive riverside regeneration scheme, on the route of the proposed Ilford to Barking Cycleway, which will span 7km across east London. One-beds from £249,495, bellway.co.uk

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Bronze, WandsWorth, sW18Located on Cycleway Eight that leads straight into Westminster, these one, two and three-bed apartments feature floor to ceiling windows and many enjoy views over adjacent King George’s Park. London Help to Buy is available and there’s a daytime concierge and secure bike storage. From £445,000, strawberrystar.co.uk

the assemBly, hounsloW, tW3 Countryside’s car-free scheme consists of one and two-bed apartments – offered with London Help to Buy – and four-bed townhouses, all with outside space. They sit at the future western end of Cycleway Nine, which will run all the way to Kensington via Brentford and Hammersmith. From £320,000, theassembly.london

shoreditch exchange,

shoreditch, e2Buyers here can look forward

to a short walk and an even shorter cycle ride into the City

via nearby Cycleway 13. Two and three-bed apartments and

penthouses are currently available, each with a balcony or terrace, views of the Square Mile

and amenities including cycle storage and landscaped roof

gardens. From £910,000, regal-london.co.uk

motion, leyton, e10Both shared ownership and private sale apartments are available at Peabody and Hill’s development in the heart of Waltham Forest’s Mini-Holland network. New routes have been introduced and streets upgraded to create a safer cycling environment, and Cycleway 23 – connecting to Cycleway One – is close by. Peabody is offering a Get In & Go incentive. It consists of a new bicycle and legal fees paid, worth up to £2,500, to buyers reserving before Aug 31, peabodysales.co.uk. Hill has three private sale apartments, with balcony and London Help to Buy. Two-beds from £127,500 for a 30 per share of £425,000, motion-e10.co.uk

the rise, alperton, ha0 These one, two and three-bed apartments from So Resi are moments from the revitalised Grand Union Canal and the proposed new Cycleway between Wembley and Willesden Junction. Fully fitted kitchens with integrated appliances are included, and London Help to Buy’s an option on the one and two-bedders. From £322,500, therise.london

peckham place, peckham, se15Notting Hill Genesis’s centrally located scheme offers Help to Buy and is convenient for the planned Southwark Spine cycle route, running north-south through the borough. It’s made up of one, two and three-bed apartments with open plan kitchen/living areas and a paved terrace or balcony. From £440,000, nhgsales.com

Building 10, royal arsenal riverside, WoolWich, se18 There are 112 one, two and three-bed apartments in the latest phase in Berkeley’s transformation of Britain’s largest munitions factory into a new waterside community. All homes in the ten-storey building come with a balcony or terrace, and Cycleway Four’s planned extension is on the doorstep. From £477,500, royalarsenalriverside.co.uk Bond house,

neW cross, se14Convenient for keen cyclists, this apartment block is well placed for Route 21 of the National Cycle Network, stretching from Greenwich to Pevensey on the East Sussex coast. The one, two and three-bed homes are arranged around a courtyard and some enjoy far-reaching views over the capital. From £419,950, crestnicholson.com

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