British Design Special: Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker Is 2014 Britain’s Best Beer

August 2014Peter Salerno Inc.

2014 Britain’s Best Beer: Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker

As a companion to Peter Salerno Inc.’s Fall 2014 special feature (British Home Design), it seemed only proper to update our lifestyle section with the very best in British beers for 2014.

Signage from the 2014 Real Ale (CAMRA) Great Britain Beer Festival. (Credit CAMRA)

The authority on such matters is the Real Ale (CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival. This year’s GBBF took place in August 2014 at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London. which featured 11 different brewery bars, countless stalls, merchandise, and a remarkable selection of beers. Don’t believe us? Check out the list here (and that’s just British beers!).

Out of countless contenders, one British beer reigns supreme each year. In 2014, the beer named Best Beer in Britain is a classic: Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker, a bitter variety from West Yorkshire. Boltmaker (formerly Timothy Taylor’s Best Bitter) is an amber beer with a spicy, fruity hop and a malty, bitter finish. After winning the 2014 Gold Medal in the Bitters category, Boltmaker won it all at this year’s GBBF event.

The 2014 Best British Beer, Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker. (Photo: The Grocer, Helen Gilbert) — The 2014 Best British Beer, Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker. (Photo: The Grocer, Helen Gilbert)

The overall silver medal British beer of 2014 is Citra by Oakham Ales, and the bronze is Darwin’s Origin from Salopia.

More information about Timothy Taylor’s championship-winning Boltmaker ale is available at the official Timothy Taylor website, where you can find British pubs that carry Boltmaker or apply to stock the award-winning beer yourself. Also, plans have been announced by Timothy Taylor to bottle the best British beer of 2014.

Our congratulations to Timothy Taylor for their fine craftsmanship and the richly deserved title of 2014’s Best British Beer for Boltmaker!

British Home Design Feature: Victorian Terrace in Dublin, Ireland (“Period Living”)

August 2014Peter Salerno Inc.

Beautiful Victorian Home Restoration In Dublin

We turn to the fantastic periodical Period Living once again for a stunning restoration of a Victorian terrace home in Dublin.

The article “Triumphant Return” tells the story of Matt Whitby, a Dubliner who purchased a Victorian terrace in 2007. Over the course of 7 years, Whitby painstakingly restored the period property, taking disjointed rooms and converting them into a flowing space and a functional home.

The charming sitting room of a restored Victorian terrace in Dublin. (Pardon the fold!)

The Victorian home had been split into multiple studio apartments (flats, for our British friends!), hampering the natural flow of the structure. Matt Whitby’s goal was to modernize and re-incorporate the Victorian terrace home, and based on the photos taken by photojournalist Philip Lauterbach, Whitby has achieved great success.

Whitby was careful to modernize where appropriate, but also to restore as many of the period Victorian features of the home as possible. Whitby restored many of the original windows, mouldings and floorboards. He installed an open-plan kitchen which opens into a quaint rear garden.

The resulting home space is a wonderful mix of modern and classic Victorian, set in muted tones of blue, gray and white.

“I’m so happy with how the house has turned out,” Whitby expressed to writer Penny Crawford-Collins. We are too, Matt – congratulations!

Thanks to “Period Living”, writer Penny Crawford-Collins and photographer Philip Lauterbach for this outstanding piece. You can order the September 2014 issue (which features this article) or a subscription to Period Living by clicking this link.

British Home Design Feature: Interior Designer Charlotte Crosland

August 2014Peter Salerno Inc.

Charlotte Crosland’s Kitchen Designs Sparkle

If you’re not constantly drawing inspiration from others in your field, then you’re not really growing. Peter Salerno believes that wholeheartedly, and he’s not afraid to let the world know who inspires him.

A new favorite artist of Peter Salerno’s is English-based interior designer Charlotte Crosland, whose work was featured in the September 2014 issue of Beautiful Kitchens, the UK’s best-selling kitchen magazine.

Charlotte provides us with some fantastic insights in the article, ranging from the importance of usable space to color palettes, from flooring to lighting. Here are 3 wonderful tips from the piece:

Proportions are important in a kitchen, especially when it comes to the size of the island in proportion to the room.
Avoid over-cluttering. Charlotte’s advice? “[D]on’t be scared of leaving things out in your kitchen.”
There are major benefits to an “open-plan” kitchen. Accessibility, an inviting feel, and the space in which to move freely are vital to a functional kitchen.

Special thanks to Charlotte Crosland and Beautiful Kitchens magazine for publishing this valuable piece. The September 2014 issue of Beautiful Kitchens is available on newstands and for digital download.

British Home Design Feature: Georgian Home In “Period Living”

August 2014August 2014Peter Salerno Inc.

“Period Living” Features Georgian Home Restoration

For those of you unfamiliar with Period Living, there’s a reason for its standing as ‘Britain’s best-selling period homes magazine’. From homes to gardens, decoration to restoration, Period Living is a staple publication for lovers of classic British design.

Peter Salerno quickly fell in love with the September 2014 issue of Period Living during his recent trip to the UK. One piece in particular caught his eye: an article titled “Echoes of Memories”, profiling two people’s journey to restore a classic Georgian home in Derbyshire.

Peter loved the article so much, we had no choice but to share its main photograph (credit Lu Jeffery), lifted directly from its pages:

Excuse the fold: a gorgeous Georgian kitchen, restored by readers of "Period Living". (Photo credit Lu Jeffery, Period Living) — Excuse the fold: a gorgeous Georgian kitchen, restored by readers of “Period Living”. (Photo credit Lu Jeffery, Period Living)

Partners Sue Swain and Steve Ford painstakingly restored the Georgian home, called “the house with 14 windows” by locals. Author Heather Dixon and photographer Lu Jeffery create a wonderful portrait of Swain and Ford’s home, full of beautiful rustic decor and cheerful blue hues.

The home is dated to the 18th century, and according to the article several elements “are believed to be dated back to Medieval times”.

The best part of this gorgeous British design restoration? The work was done by readers of Period Living, proving the talents of its readers.

“I love the fact that everything comes with its own story that means something to the family,” the article explains. It’s those kinds of personal touches that Peter Salerno cherishes in his own designs, which helps explain this property’s magnetic appeal to him.

For more information about this Georgian home and other period pieces of English design, check out the September 2014 edition of Period Living.