Patterns of the past: inside the Italian home of Margherita Missoni

Retro prints, vintage furniture and junk-shop bounty make the home office of this trendsetting creative director a real treasure trove

Think of Missoni Home and zigzag cushions, patterned poufs and kaleidoscopic curtains probably come to mind – but not if Margherita Maccapani Missoni has her way. The third-generation designer of one of Italy’s most famous fashion dynasties has been brought back into the fold to relaunch and pick up the creative-director reins of the M Missoni fashion label – and her idea for the brand? To re-purpose vintage upholstery fabrics, never-seen-before prints and retro designs from her family’s near 60-year-old archive into wardrobe staples for a new generation.

“I researched press clips, memorabilia, colour cards, everything that had been Missoni and I realised we lost bits that are so relevant for today,” says the designer, whose mother, Angela, currently designs the main Missoni line. Margherita clearly revels in the discovery process that her new position affords – discovery being the operative word.

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Patterns of the past: inside the Italian home of Margherita Missoni

Retro prints, vintage furniture and junk-shop bounty make the home office of this trendsetting creative director a real treasure trove

Think of Missoni Home and zigzag cushions, patterned poufs and kaleidoscopic curtains probably come to mind – but not if Margherita Maccapani Missoni has her way. The third-generation designer of one of Italy’s most famous fashion dynasties has been brought back into the fold to relaunch and pick up the creative-director reins of the M Missoni fashion label – and her idea for the brand? To re-purpose vintage upholstery fabrics, never-seen-before prints and retro designs from her family’s near 60-year-old archive into wardrobe staples for a new generation.

“I researched press clips, memorabilia, colour cards, everything that had been Missoni and I realised we lost bits that are so relevant for today,” says the designer, whose mother, Angela, currently designs the main Missoni line. Margherita clearly revels in the discovery process that her new position affords – discovery being the operative word.

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Gardening tips: plant cyclamen

Then trim your roses and make plans for your plot

Plant this Liven up tricky, shady spots under deciduous trees with a sprinkling of ivy-leaved Cyclamen hederifolium, their pastel flowers like the icing on a fairy cake. Clusters of heart-shaped leaves with silver markings follow. Will cope with dry shade but keep moist till established. Height and spread: 12cm x 12cm.

Trim this If your shrub roses have shot skyward this summer, it’s time to trim their sails a little so winter storms don’t catch hold and do damage. The main pruning season is not until late winter, so for now just cut back whippy stems and any lingering flowering that has turned to mush.

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How to grow orchids | Alys Fowler

Good winter light, careful watering, and feeding will ensure a rewarding crop of flowers, says our gardening expert

My first loves, when I was young, were epiphytic orchids; their often brash otherness seemed to speak to me. I dreamed of hothouses dripping in exotic blooms and joined the Orchid Society of Great Britain. Then I went to work in one of those hothouses, and those glamorous flowers suddenly seemed a little uptight, with all their demands and high humidity needs. Slowly but surely, orchids disappeared out of my life, until a couple of years ago when my neighbour gave me a moth orchid, Phalaenopsis x hybrid, when she was moving house. I thought it was a loan and then it turned into a gift, and just when my indifference was peaking, it flowered in great profusion.

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Gardening tips: plant cyclamen

Then trim your roses and make plans for your plot

Plant this Liven up tricky, shady spots under deciduous trees with a sprinkling of ivy-leaved Cyclamen hederifolium, their pastel flowers like the icing on a fairy cake. Clusters of heart-shaped leaves with silver markings follow. Will cope with dry shade but keep moist till established. Height and spread: 12cm x 12cm.

Trim this If your shrub roses have shot skyward this summer, it’s time to trim their sails a little so winter storms don’t catch hold and do damage. The main pruning season is not until late winter, so for now just cut back whippy stems and any lingering flowering that has turned to mush.

Continue reading...

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How to grow orchids | Alys Fowler

Good winter light, careful watering, and feeding will ensure a rewarding crop of flowers, says our gardening expert

My first loves, when I was young, were epiphytic orchids; their often brash otherness seemed to speak to me. I dreamed of hothouses dripping in exotic blooms and joined the Orchid Society of Great Britain. Then I went to work in one of those hothouses, and those glamorous flowers suddenly seemed a little uptight, with all their demands and high humidity needs. Slowly but surely, orchids disappeared out of my life, until a couple of years ago when my neighbour gave me a moth orchid, Phalaenopsis x hybrid, when she was moving house. I thought it was a loan and then it turned into a gift, and just when my indifference was peaking, it flowered in great profusion.

Continue reading...

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After Grenfell, homebuyers told their flats are worthless

Thousands of property owners in tower blocks are unable to sell or remortgage in the wake of the disaster

Lucy Stevenson is one of a new breed of “mortgage prisoners” – trapped in an unsaleable home, rejected by lenders when trying to remortgage – because her flat is in a tower block caught up in the fallout from the Grenfell disaster.

“I’m trapped... I’ve had to completely change all my plans because of this, and the stress has been unbearable,” says the NHS worker. And she is far from alone – it was claimed this week that there may be as many as 500,000 flat owners in a similar position.

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