from the editor

uality is the one true value we keep returning to, no matter the vast array of options out there: the ever faster, more readily available and affordable forms of homeware, fashion, food, entertainment and information. You name it. Instant gratification aside, what’s better than savouring the things that take time to create and perfect, things with provenance, a depth of narrative, and a level of craftsmanship and skill that quite simply takes your breath away. This is what has the H&G team enthused in our april issue. 1

Look to Turning Tables (page 47) in which we meet furniture maker and gallery owner allan Lutge, whose craft derives from an appreciation for material with soul and a story. using wood reclaimed from old beams and boards, his quietly elegant pieces, whether tables or cabinets, resonate with the untold tales of their past lives. 2

In dream Weavers (page 86), we share the heartening postquake report of the nepali weavers who make the rugs for a leading producer completely by hand. With low-cost and large-scale manufacturing elsewhere an option, it was the unrivalled quality of the nepali artistry and technique that secured their tenure. 3

Planting design pioneer Piet oudolf is another master of his vocation, as illustrated in dutch Courage (page 55), an exploration of his own magical garden near amsterdam: a hub of experimentation where he spends time ‘observing, thinking, planning’. 4

The houses we’ve chosen reflect this thoughtful, specialist ethos, from architect dominic Touwen’s fastidious attention to detail revealed in a local renovation project (Classic Connection, page 62), to design couple Thomas Boog and elizabeth Leriche’s commingling of their eclectic styles in their French country home (Planned Perfection, page 74). 5

as the seasons shift and we welcome cooler days and a more introspective mood, take inspiration from decor editor Juliette arrighi de Casanova’s evocative roomscapes in autumn harvest on page 35.