Lume di Candela

With just a little imagination, a seemingly simple glass hurricane lamp can be transformed into a stunning centrepiece for your dining table.

Pictured right we have filled our large “Lume di Candela” from Riviera Maison with just a few shells and a simple white pillar candle. The light sparkles in the glass lamp creating a calming atmosphere – perfect for a dinner party, or just as a feature in your living room, adding warmth to your interior design.

For a romantic twist, perhaps fill the bottom of the lamp with dried rose petals or sprigs of lavender to add a splash of colour along with wonderful scents.

Hurricane Lamps are not just restricted to candles… just imagine the Lume di Candela filled with tall blooms; lush green leaves and fragrant white leaves, or perhaps large yellow sunflowers in the summer.

Similar effects can be created with the Fiori Piccolo Glass Vase from Riviera Maison. Yes it is a beautiful vase that can be placed on a table, or hung from a large hook; but it is also a stylish candle holder… or whatever you want it to be!

The Lume di Candlea is only available in store, priced at £55. View our Accessories page for more ideas of attractive New England Style pieces to add those all important finishing touches to your home interior.

I had always wanted to increase the range of accessories to include things such as wine glasses, crockery, storm lanterns etc but it is difficult to design and manufacture these items as we would have to produce such large quantities it is not cost effective. Eventually I came across a company called Riviera Maison at the Paris Show, Maison & Objet, and I fell in love with the accessories they produce as they really do fit in with the New England look.

For example, I love the I Love Olives Dish, a really simple design for offering your guests olives, and things like the wooden placemats, bookstand, Breakfast in Bed Laptray to name just a few.

We have some of the Riviera Maison items available to buy on our website, but there are many more items in our showroom in Yapton. If you are looking for interesting accessories to enhance your white New England Interior, then come and have a look around and see what you find – from the unusual Champagne Buckets, to the Large Wooden Lanterns; three tiered cake stands, large glass vases and superior light fittings.

Cote Est Pitcher £12

We also have the stylish Cote Est crockery at greatly reduced prices. Pick up dinner plates for only £8, salad bowls for just £8, cups & saucers for £5, sugar bowls for £5 and the Cote Est Pitcher pictured above for just £12.

I have been involved in property development for 29 years, and have always found that creating a light, bright and clutter free environment helps to sell both houses and apartments very quickly.

White creates space. By keeping the wall colours as neutral as possible (my preference is always white) your home will appear larger than it actually is. Always de-clutter and de-personalise your home, minimise things like tableware, allowing your buyer’s to envisage themselves living in the property. Adding white furniture will add elegance to your house, and could be used to safely store your personal possessions. Our Large White Dresser is the perfect solution for a kitchen, living or dining room; it provides a vast amount of storage, but with a depth of only 42cm it will not encroach into your room. For the bedroom, think about combining the contents of tired old furniture into one, with our Large White Wardrobe. Cleverly constructed in four parts, our most versatile wardrobe is delivered with both shelves and hanging rails to be set up in a way to suit you, and has three additional drawers to ensure maximum storage. With tongue and groove detail, this wardrobe will bring bright, seaside style to any room.

And remember – any furniture you may use to sell your old property can form the starting point to create a clean, bright, calm environment in your new home.

Amanda Lubrani bought this landmark building, and has beautifully renovated and restored it, developing sixteen new homes – most of which have the most stunning ocean views.

Prospect House has a most remarkable history. In 1917, after repeated high seas and tearing gales, most of the small fishing village of  Hallsands was destroyed by the sea. Two sisters and residents of the village, Ella and Patience Trout invested the little compensation they received from the loss of their home into a small plot of land on the cliff top above the ruined village. With Ella’s dreams of a hotel but nothing to spend on construction costs the sisters set to work building a small guesthouse by hand, which opened in 1925. Over the next 30 years the guesthouse grew into Trouts Hotel, gaining national acclaim for its perfect location, fine food and friendship and warmth of Ella and Patience.

After the death of the sisters in the 1950’s the hotel was closed by their other sister Edith who lived there as a recluse until the 1970s allowing the building to run into decay.

When Amanda Lubrani purchased the rundown building in 2006, it took her very little time to decide that “New England” was the style she wanted to use for the development. “After all,” says Amanda, “many of the first settlers who took the English culture and America originated from Plymouth. The shape of the building is classically similar to those that were replicated in America.” Retaining as much of the original building – and the history – as possible, the resulting properties are simply stunning.

Prospect House, South Hallsands

The inspiring New England interiors are created with many soft soothing shades of white – giving a light and clarity to reflect that of clear sunshine. A peaceful, practical environment in harmony with nature and the sea is created using a splash of sea blues and greens, driftwood greys and the subtle warmth of natural wood with stone. Whitened timber flooring stretches throughout the properties; externally arctic white weatherboarding reflects the sunshine.

Storage problem solved

“I have a two bedroom flat and started working from home recently. I wanted to keep a spare bedroom but needed it to double up as an office. I found a computer cabinet from New England Lifestyle that has solved all my problems. Not only does it house my ugly computer and printer but it looks great as a piece of furniture when I close the doors. You would never know that I’d been using the room as an office and I’ve still retained a lovely spare bedroom.

I love the look of the cabinet with its brilliant white satin finish and tongue and groove detail. So much so, I’ve now created a New England style room by buying the Manhattan Headboard and Manhattan bedsides tables. My spare room is now a relaxing bedroom but also a calming place to work”.

Entertaining in style

“We recently decorated our dining room and put tongue and grove on the walls which we’ve painted white. We were lucky enough to discover we had original oak floor boards so decided we’d like an oak dining room table. We love entertaining and wanted the flexibility of how many we could seat at any one time. The obvious solution was an extending table but we couldn’t find one that we liked anywhere until I discovered the New England Lifestyle dining range. Your new extending Westhope Dining Table with matching chairs is perfect!  Its simple design makes it easy for us to add one or two leaves when we have large numbers for dinner and the light oak looks great with the floor boards and white tongue and grove walls.

The New England Style is definitely one I’d recommend. It is so easy to recreate – white walls and wooden flooring – it couldn’t be simpler. We’ve now added a white dresser from New England Lifestyle which completes the look beautifully”.

Transformation New England Style

“We moved house last year and had the luxury of redecorating before we moved in. There wasn’t a huge amount to do but the house felt quite dark and uninviting. On your recommendation, we painted everything white – the walls, the doors, even the red brick fireplace and what a difference it made. After a visit to your showroom in Sussex we completely furnished the whole house with New England Lifestyle furniture and the transformation was amazing. We didn’t even change the carpet, but by just painting everything white and adding New England style furniture has made a huge difference.

The house now feels light and peaceful and even on a rainy winters day it feels bright, fresh and clean.  We cannot thank you enough for your inspired design ideas and your New England furniture”.