Articles by Sarah Alcroft

Homes don’t have to be huge to function well and look unique, as this two-bedroom apartment in a three-story Victorian in Bristol, England, demonstrates. Owner Lizzie O’Neill, who’s an architect, used her skill and design eye to change the flow and fe…

After 2020’s virtual version, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London returned in all its glory, taking place in the fall (Sept. 21-26, 2021) rather than the spring for the first time in its history. One of the key themes this year was the idea that you…

When a “plantaholic” who likes to socialize inherited a small backyard with scant greenery and broken paving, there was only one thing to do: call in landscape designer Pippa Schofield and ask her to create an entertaining space surrounded by masses o…

The hall is the epitome of a high-traffic area, yet it’s also the first glimpse most people have of your home, so the flooring needs to look good while handling the knocks. There are lots of options, and your decision will be guided by how much wear a…

Dutch plantsman and designer Piet Oudolf is admired for his beautiful landscapes filled with dreamy drifts of perennial plants, and it was a love of his work that inspired the owners of this home to hire landscape designer Joanne Bernstein. The couple…

The trick to making the renovation of your bathroom a success is solid planning, both in establishing what you want from the space and knowing what to ask your designer. Here, three professionals answer key questions.

In West London, landscape designer Jane Ashley turned a backyard lawn in a suburban yard into a secluded haven where the homeowners can enjoy wildlife up close. Keep reading to learn more about how she cleverly transformed the space.

If you’d love your outside space to be somewhere you can immerse yourself in nature and leave the hubbub behind, a sensory garden might be for you. With elements designed to stimulate the five senses, the benefits to well-being are huge.“Whereas most …

The beautiful boundary walls of this garden are an integral part of the timeless look and peaceful feel of the space, but for many years they were entirely obscured by rampant greenery. The couple that owns the garden has lived here for 25 years and t…

“The difficulty with wide, shallow gardens is you don’t really have a direct focal point,” designer John Brennan of Yorkshire Gardens says, “so you have to send the eye left or right.” This backyard had the added challenge of being on a steep slope, s…