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Home Help, Tips & Inspirations for your Period House

Autumn 2008

The summer weather has almost passed us by here in the Staffordshire Moorlands and we are now experiencing some autumn rain. Appropriately enough, with winter just around the corner, this newsletter features an article from fireplaces.org about selecting and maintaining a fireplace for your home. This issue also features seasonal tips on decorating with hops and home preserving. With great website recommendations on everything from coping with the credit crunch to tips on maintaining your period home there should be something for everyone.

We'd love to hear from you if you have a website suggestion that you think our readers would like or a top tip of your own or even if you think that we might be able to help you with a decorating problem. To contact me email enquiries@periodfeatures.net

If you can't see this newsletter properly (this is the case if it's not coming through in glorious Technicolor, with images) you can now view it and all the past editions on our www.periodfeatures.net

Suzy Dymock

Fireplaces and the period home

This autumn's feature 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

Just to say...

A quick email to say thanks so much for the fabulous drawer pulls and great service. Shopping at Period Features is always a pleasure!

C. F., Nottinghamshire

PS. I just bought 12 more handles!

Enquire Within

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 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

Win A £25 Period Features Voucher!

This month we are giving away a £25 Voucher to spend on any of our lovely products, redeemable in store or online. Just answer one simple question and after the closing date of 30th November 2008, we will pick the winner at random from all the entries received.

To enter please take a look at our Rim & Mortice Knobs which can be found in our Period Hardware section then just answer the following question: Which 'period' does our square mortice knob originate from? Email the answer to us at competition@periodfeatures.net. Good luck!

The lucky winner of our June/July competition, receiving a £25.00 voucher, was Mrs Margot Page. Many thanks to all of you who entered.

Wonderful Websites

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

Evening Standard and TV journalist Alison Cork is another journalist helping people to cope with the credit crunch with her website www.homesandbargains.co.uk. You can sign up for a newsletter to find out where the bargains are to be found or check out where the sales are. There's an ask an expert section for those things you can't track down and with the directory listed under helpful headings it is easy to find companies offering the type of products that you are looking for.

Lexterten manufacture modern and antique reproduction furniture and patio furniture in the UK. Lexterten offers a bespoke, made to order service will allows you to colour match to existing furniture in your home - an antique dining table could be matched with new chairs for example. Lexterten also sells a range of items that would not have existed in period homes, but which are useful in modern ones, such as coffee tables and hi-fi and television cabinets. They have even created a new elevating cabinet for the new style plasma screens which conceals not only the screen itself but all the cables and other items that come with it. Find out more at www.lexterten.com

One Last Thing

Long before it came into vogue, Farrow & Ball recognised the importance of the environment. For many years they have offered some of the most environmentally friendly paints available anywhere in the world. The vast majority of Farrow & Ball paint is classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as zero VOC.

Farrow & Ball has recently added to its eco-friendly range with the launch of EstateÆ Eggshell, a unique high performance paint which retains the flow, appearance and performance of traditional oil-based eggshell paint, yet has minimum impact on the environment.

Extremely durable and ideal for use on all interior woodwork and metal including radiators, EstateÆ Eggshell is an excellent, low-sheen complement to Farrow & Ball EstateÆ Emulsion and Modern Emulsion, giving the unmistakeably elegant Farrow & Ball look.

EstateÆ Eggshell is available now in all Farrow & Ball colours and in tin sizes of 750ml, 2.5 litres & 5 litres. Period Features sells the full range of Farrow & Ball paint and wallpapers and the team at our Leek shop would be pleased to advise you on the appropriate type of paint for your project or to offer advice on your decorating schemes. Visit Farrow & Ball website for more information.

As ever, if you have any comments on this newsletter, top tips you would like to share with us or suggestions of great websites please do contact us.Email us at One Last Thing

Kind regards,

Suzy Dymock, Proprietor

This quirky garden rooster is designed for a pumpkin but as you can see any seasonal vegetables will do! Just attach the head, legs, tail and wings to your vegetable and add an instant sense of fun to your doorstep. It would make an unusual seasonal gift too at just £12.00. Also available in the same range are a turkey, duck and three ducklings all priced at £12.00 each set.

This is a stunning rectangular natural jute basket, ideal for home storage or laundry. The base measures 50cm x 40cm approx x 40cm high. These baskets are very strong and yet are soft to the touch. The basket consists of one long plait of jute, which is then sewn onto itself into the desired shape and size. Simple, elegant and attractive, these baskets have a multitude of different purposes. This fair trade product priced at £70.00 would be a beautiful addition to any home.


	This is the perfect time of year for decorating with hops. Fresh hop vines are stunning when hung as natural fresh foliage. The sales season for these fresh cut vines is short and lasts from mid August through to late September. During the drying process the flowers give off their nostalgic hoppy aroma. If you miss the time slot to buy fresh hops you can still buy dried hop bines all year round. For more information on this classic country home decoration visit the hopvines website

This sink/bath plug hole brush set comprises a set of three brushes to help keep your sink/bath spotless! The set includes a plug hole brush with wooden handle,14cm long, brush head diameter 6cm, an overflow brush with wooden handle,17cm long with an angled head and a plug hole brush with metal handle ideal for hair removal, 28cm long. Priced at just £6.00 this set is truly is one of those things that, once purchased, you will wonder how you managed without it!

Price: £6.00 including VAT at 17.5%

These fun chalkboard stickers come in three designs: pig, heart and hen. Simply put up, chalk up and wipe off! Perfect in the kitchen for shopping lists and leaving messages but they could also be used anywhere around the home. Approx sizes; pig 38 x 24cm, heart 30 x 30cm and hen 29 x 37cm. Priced at £16.00 they would make fun gift for young people or the young at heart.


	If you are green fingered you may find yourself with a glut of garden produce at this time of year. Many of us have forgotten the old fashioned techniques for storing food over the winter by drying or preserving them. As the credit crunch hits and we are reminded from government down of the need reduce food waste preserving may see something of a renaissance. Advice on oven drying, freezing, preserving, storing and making jams, jellies and chutneys can be found in a useful article on the BBC food pages.

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