Originally from: frances fish
                        
Frances spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.

Note from Frances:

 See "World of Interiors " section. Hey, if the mountain?farm doesn't come to Mohammed ? Frances

To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk

Brighten up your city home with a rooftop farm
From: ...

Originally from the homes magazines
William Cederwell
Tuesday February 17 2004
The Guardian

Minimalism went out well before the millennium, but for those whose homes still resemble empty museum spaces, Livingetc (March) had some good advice. The latest interior design theme is "rock-star fantasies", the magazine noted, "a red-hot mix of louche elegance, luxe fabrics and sexy images". The bonus is that it works best when "set against a cool, simple backdrop", making it an easy way to update those passe 90s off-white lofts. To create "a rock god's lair", simply fill your home with red furniture and a "scene-stealing graphic image" – perhaps the very same giant portrait of Jim Morrison pictured in the magazine (a snip at £3,000). If you're on a budget, the "glam rock" version of the look is cheaper, but it does involve constructing your own "glittered panel", Blue Peter fashion, using MDF and silver spray paint. The panel looks "hip", apparently, when stuck on the living room wall, and can be used as a decorative frame for a mirror. And if you've got an old Scalextric set knocking about, think of it as a "fun accessory". Set it up on the floor around your dining table to amuse your guests.

But before saying goodbye to bare white walls, "it's essential you understand the impact different colours have", cautioned BBC Good Homes (March) It's no good painting the dining room turquoise, for instance, even if it is your favourite colour – turquoise is too "invigor ating" and "uplifting" and so goes better in the bathroom. And don't ignore pink on the grounds that it's too "girly"; it actually aids relaxation and should be tried in the bedroom. Of course, green is "the big colour this spring", the magazine revealed, but don't ruin the effect by choosing the wrong shade. Only "calm" blue-greens and "fresh" yellow-greens will do, although these should be confined to kitchens, living rooms and – for those luckier readers – the conservatory.

World of Interiors (March) had more rarefied concerns than matching colours to different rooms. Instead, it offered a solution to those who want to combine urban with rural life. The magazine featured an Antwerp couple who have "recreated the countryside in the city" by installing a farm on their roof, complete with "outbuildings, pasture, kitchen garden and orchard". Instead of "an unremarkable swimming pool or solarium" – or even a more prosaic barbecue – the roof is home to sheep, ducks, and pheasants. The fittings comprise a mix of "old materials", including a gate, a beehive and some millstones. "Each component has something of the soul of the village in which it was found," the magazine eulogised. "The effect, entirely manufactured, is of the decor having been there forever."

But if herding sheep and fowl on to your roof is too much of a palaver, there is another option for those who are fed up with city life. Why not swap it for somewhere quieter? You may want to consider Brighton, particularly after reading House & Garden (March). It showed off the house of an art dealer who decamped from London to the seaside two years ago. His house, which doubles as a gallery, is the "grandest surviving" town-house in Brunswick Square, Brighton's "masterpiece of urban architectural planning", laid out in 1824. The "big, stucco-fronted" homes on the square and surrounding terraces "are all characterised by fine classical detailing, high ceilings, and tall windows with elaborate ironwork balconies".

The interiors of Brighton's best Regency houses were designed for "parade and architectural show" and typically have "a grand pillared entrance-hall" and "gracefully sweeping staircase". But the Regency developers never forgot that Brighton was all about the view. The Brunswick Square house is just "one room deep", which means that every room looks out toward the sea.

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