How to make guests think you're richer than you are - give your home a high-end makeover at high street prices
Elegant furniture, bespoke lighting and designer touches – when it comes to interiors, some things just scream (or rather whisper) 'money'. But you don't need to spend huge sums to create a sumptuous look. Follow my advice for creating home that looks high-end, as well as the cheapening pitfalls to avoid.
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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
A splashier splash — London's poshest pools
Many of us dream of a cool pool, perhaps surrounded by comfortable day beds, or indeed a chic Mediterranean restaurant serving cold rosé wine and crustacea, maybe even a panoramic view. But we Londoners do not need to jump on a plane to enjoy such delights, they can be found right here, in dreamy marble-clad basements and on fancy rooftops. Furthermore there is no off-season with these pools, they are as lovely in winter as in summer. If you are looking for somewhere to swim in serenity, Surrenne (a private members Club in The Emory), is an excellent choice. Since its opening in April 2024, the subterranean wellness sanctuary has offered fitness classes, spa treatments and nutritional guidance. During the day their 22m pool is illuminated by a sky light, and in the evenings by candlelight. An underwater speaker provides a soundtrack for your strokes. Poolside cabanas with matching cream-coloured curtains line one side of the pool and the changing room is kitted out with ring lit mirrors and all the Dyson appliances you could possibly desire. The sand coloured walls, floor and general décor creates a harmonious vibe. • Dynamic destinations for luxury travel Exclusive access is reserved for hotel guests or members who get to enjoy the 2000 square metres of tranquillity that not only encompasses the pool but also treatment rooms, gym and Tracy Anderson studio. Membership is £10,000 per year (with an initial £5000 joining fee). This Grade II* Edwardian Baroque building is where Winston Churchill once conducted a war and the intelligence services orchestrated global espionage. Now it is a Raffles hotel, opening in 2023 after a £1.4 billion renovation. The hotel's spa is the grandly titled Pillar Wellbeing Centre, encompassing 2,500 square metres over four-floors. The pool is 20 metres long with double height ceilings, the walls are sand coloured and there are cushioned beds for recuperating after laps. If you work up an appetite the spa kitchen offers cold-pressed juices and seasonal dishes. The spa is available to hotel guests and members of Pillar Wellbeing. A membership will set you back by £6,500 a year for an individual, £12,000 for joint or £25,000 for the platinum membership (that includes unlimited personal coaching, extra spa treatments, guest passes and discounts). Situated barely a stone's throw from the Thames, this hotel is not just known for its lavish river front rooms, it is also celebrated for its four-floor, 3,300 sq m Espa Life spa. One of these floors is carved out exclusively for thermal relaxation. It is there that you will find their two pools. A stainless-steel swimming pool with ambient lighting is crafted for gentle laps and has mattress-like pool-side beds, whereas the vitality pool is more mindless floating. There is a sauna and steam room as well as an ice fountain where you rub crushed ice over your heated skin. And lest we forget the relaxation pod — well for, relaxation. Meanwhile, in the changing rooms there are heated marble loungers and sleep pods as well as a fully equipped vanity station and healthy snack selection. Available to those having a treatment at the spa, hotel guests and members; the £625 per month membership will not only provide access to the pool and spa but it also gives you six spa treatments, small group personal training sessions, two blow dry appointments at the Corinthia salon and ten guest passes. Set within Carlton Tower's three floor Peak Fitness Club and Spa is London's largest naturally lit swimming pool measuring 20-metres. The pool is on the second floor with almost the entire ceiling made up of windows – you may quite easily mistake it for an outdoor pool. Until it rains, of course. Sun loungers line the edge of the pool, accompanied by a jacuzzi as well as the thermal spa (with sauna and steam room) nearby. The changing rooms have warm Bottino marble décor, plush robes and thoughtful touches like jewellery trays. • The most exuberant swimming trunks for summer To access the spa you will need to be either a member of the club or a hotel guest. Prospective members must submit a detailed written application that if accepted provides access to the fitness and spa facilities (pool, gym, treatment rooms) as well as the chic members club lounge overlooking Cadogan Gardens. If successful, members will fork out a joining fee of £2500 followed by a £550 monthly fee. Private members club, Shoreditch house, has a fully heated 16 metre rooftop pool which is open all year round. It shares the roof with a bar and Japanese restaurant so you can refuel with sushi and sake. The style is inspired by the 1920s, with vintage-looking red and white striped loungers and blue tiling — this pool is for those who love to be at the centre of the party, not quietly relaxing solo. • Francesca Amfitheatrof's golden summer Only members and their plus-ones can use the pool. Applications are reviewed quarterly, and memberships start at £200 a month. They also include full use of the workspaces, restaurant, library and health club (with spa and gym). The Berkeley rooftop pool is only 13.5 metres long, but the view over London's rooftops and Hyde Park is boundless. If you manage to peel your eyes away from the city's skyline for one second, you will find you've been transported to the med, with lemon trees placed around the pool's perimeter and fuchsia-coloured flowers adorning the bar. Open from 7am-7pm, this heated pool has stylish loungers lining just the one side so that the toe-dippers amongst us won't miss a second of the views. Despite being available to hotel guests only, this summer — after 7:30pm on Thursdays to Sundays — this swimming sanctuary turns into Capri in the City where a spot can be booked to enjoy Italian-inspired cocktails like an Amalfi Gin Granita and share plates of Lobster pizza or burrata and watch the sun set over Hyde Park's treetops. All whilst laying horizontally on a pool side lounger — if the table and chairs aren't fun enough for you. Soho House's newest London outpost offers workspaces, gym, fitness classes, terrace, bars, restaurant but most importantly a rooftop pool. A lift in the entrance hall will zoom you up to the ninth floor where the blue-tiled heated pool is the central feature to the French-inspired restaurant that surrounds it. At 16 metres long, you'll find more social swimmers looking for a dip n' dine than Olympic athletes. Snuggly sofas with chic wooden chairs and tables are arranged on the terrace's edge to maximise the panoramic cityscape views. The rooftop of this Brutalist building brings geometric shapes and bold colours together to create a stylishly retro aesthetic. If you fancy a splash around in the 180 House pool, the £200 a month membership will get you (and three plus ones) access to everything they have to offer. But a £316 a month 'Every House' membership provides unlimited access to all amenities offered by their 40+ houses across the globe.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
The historic English manor that's launched a new Italian-like wine terrace in time for summer
Relaxing among the backdrop of an 18th century manor house, there are frankly few better ways to spend an evening SPA-TACULAR The historic English manor that's launched a new Italian-like wine terrace in time for summer I FEEL like I'm in a quaint Italian town as I sit listening to live guitar while enjoying a glass of wine in a beautiful ivy-walled courtyard. Yet I'm nowhere near Italy. I'm in the heart of Kent, visiting an historic health spa during its landmark 100th anniversary year. Advertisement 3 Champney's Eastwell Manor, near Ashford, Kent, has undergone extensive renovations, including a total spa refresh Credit: PETER KOCIHA/Supplied 3 Along with the standard indoor swimming pool, with sauna, steam rooms and hot tub, there's a newly revamped outdoor pool Credit: Supplied Champneys Eastwell Manor is part of the heritage health spa's empire, founded in 1925 by wellness guru Stanley Lief, who introduced us to the powers of holistic health, nutrition and rest and relaxation. From its quirky beginnings as the nation's first 'health farm', pioneering hydrotherapy in the '50s, to introducing Ayurvedic therapies in the '70s, and launching Britain's first wellness bootcamps in the '90s, the brand has always been ahead of the curve in wellness trends. This year, it is marking the milestone with a year-long 100 Years Young campaign. Think exclusive treatments and great products you won't find elsewhere. Advertisement Eastwell Manor, near Ashford, has undergone extensive renovations, including a total spa refresh, and I marvel at the view via a new summer terrace, while tucking into local Gusbourne Vineyard rosé. The wine is the only UK entry to make the top 50 in the 2025 World's Best Vineyards Awards. A variety of amazing small plates, including a delicious whipped feta and flatbreads, are the perfect accompaniment. Of course, you could go bigger, with pizzas, burgers and sandwiches on offer (the sea pizza being a feast of garlic chili prawns, salmon and pickles). Advertisement Relaxing among the backdrop of an 18th century manor house, there are frankly few better ways to spend an evening. The next day I was transported from Italy to France, with a beautifully laid out picnic on the manor grounds. Go on a virtual tour of the Champneys hotel - the perfect Mother's Day retreat Hopping into one of the hotel Range Rovers, I am assured by the driver that the walk would be far too difficult to do myself. Taking an entire three minutes, I feel slightly put out until I spot the size of the hamper being hauled from the boot with a bucket of champagne. Perhaps my driver was right after all. Advertisement My only company is an errant bee as he leaves me to enjoy a feast of fresh pastries and sandwiches. With more than enough to feed two people, I should have asked him to join me. Back at the spa, there are more centenary celebrations to delight, including two exclusive treatments. My Champneys 100 Years Facial (£105) begins with a meditation, followed by a triple cleanse, exfoliation and anti-ageing cryotherapy globes. Advertisement Back at the spa, there's more centenary celebrations to delight, including two exclusive treatments. For more ingulgence, you could opt for The 100 Years Face & Body Reset (£150) with a massage, wood therapy, and lemon tea to finish. Along with the standard indoor swimming pool, with sauna, steam rooms and hot tub, there's a newly revamped outdoor pool, with cream-covered plush sunloungers and beautiful sunset views. Tucked next door are the Mews Cottages, with my room hidden behind a baby pink door. Inside, a comfy double bed and lounge look out over lush grounds, and I make the most of the roll-top bath and Elemis toiletries. Advertisement Complete with my leftover hamper strawberries. Not bad for a spa that's been doing this for 100 years. They've clearly learned a thing or two about la dolce vita. Advertisement 3 The Sun's Kara Godfrey enjoys the view from Eastwell Manor's new summer terrace Credit: Handout
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ferne McCann puts on a leggy display in a stylish white mini dress as she steps out at Wilderness Festival 2025
Ferne McCann showed off her sensational sense of style as she stepped out at Wilderness Festival 2025 at Cornbury Park on Friday. The former TOWIE star, 34, put on a leggy display in a white mini dress featuring cut-out detailing around the hemline. Opting for practicality, she paired her stylish garment with a some black leather boots which featured a silver buckle as she embraced the boho festival dress code. Ferne layered a trend black fringed jacket over her ensemble and toted around her belongings in a colourful knitted bag. The mother-of-two accessorised with a myriad of necklaces and a pair of rectangle black sunglasses as she stepped out to enjoy the live music spectacular. Friday's line-up for Wilderness Festival includes Air, Orbital, Berlioz, Bear's Den, Georgia, Craig Charles, Rosie Lowe, and Nubiyan Twist. Since its inception in 2011, Wilderness has become a popular music festival and has been attended by stars including Sophie Turner and Florence Pugh. It has been described as Britain's poshest festival as it has featured lavish amenities including yurts, mindfulness classes and champagne picnics over the years. Elsewhere in recent days, Ferne gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what she typically eats in a day as she shared a candid video to Instagram. The clip kicked off with Ferne drinking a zesty juice shot in her pyjamas to get her day started with a burst of energy, before breaking into a cheeky dance in her kitchen. Next up, she raided her fridge to whip up what appeared to be a strawberry protein shake, keeping things fresh and fruity. For lunch, the former TOWIE star fried up some juicy harissa prawns and chickpeas before assembling a vibrant salad bowl packed with lettuce, red onion, avocado, fruit and crumbled feta – all topped off with a generous squeeze of lemon. Switching up her look, Ferne slipped into a skimpy red activewear set that showed off her washboard abs as she tucked into her colourful lunch. Later, she got to work on her evening meal - a Greek-style lamb and spanakopita - inspired filo pie - which she dubbed 'so tasty and perfect for sharing,' before kindly revealing the full recipe for fans to try at home. Looking utterly content, Ferne ended her day on a sweet note with a bar of chocolate before cooling off with a refreshing evening drink. Ferne has been candid about her weight loss journey and revealed last year she shed 2.5stone after overhauling her lifestyle with a focus on nutrition and high-intensity interval training. Sharing her transformation on Instagram, Ferne posed in black lingerie and told fans: 'Here are my most recent result pictures and OMG I'm so proud of these and I feel amazing! 'What I've been doing is focusing 80% on my nutrition with my simple nutrition plan. '20% exercise from working out 2-3 times per week and 100% support and motivation from my smaller accountability coaching groups. 'These accountability groups have been a game changer for me and we are seeing the most insane results across the board.
