Getting some interiors inspiration at Snape Maltings

We recently stayed in Suffolk basing ourselves in Framlingham for a couple of nights. We’d stayed relatively close by when we last visited back in 2017 - I’m not sure how it was this long ago though, but it was good to be back and we were keen to take another look around the interiors shop at Snape Maltings.

I remembered it being a large place, full of inspiration - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Since we’ve been back it’s been fun to look back at the 2017 post, and we do indeed now have a mustard velvet sofa and it is not a corner sofa! Sometimes the inspiration sticks, but adapts doesn’t it?

Colourful accessories, including table dressings are clearly a staple for the interiors shop there as there were many to choose from, even crocheted ones. I looked at both of the versions below and admired them, but in reality we have table mats we use all the time, which we love and are a lot plainer than these. While a nicely done table does look good, for me it’s all about the food and how that tastes more so.

I was quite taken with the folded paper heart garland though, but realised that I’d need one much larger than that on display for it to have the same impact in our living space, and also that I could probably make one myself - though I have resisted putting it on my list. My guess is that if I want one badly enough I’ll find the time to make one - or more likely, there’ll be an occasion that I think that’ll be nice to decorate with a heart garland and then I’ll go at it all guns blazing right at the last minute! There’s something about knowing yourself isn’t there?

I also spotted this jigsaw, which if I could tolerate jigsaws would be just the thing. I can’t abide them though so it was safe on the shelves, and I was happy to admire it and the people that spend time putting them together to immediately dismantle them!

There were cushions everywhere, and it’s just as well I don’t need any or otherwise at least one (maybe two) might have made it home with us. Instead I was able to enjoy their wonderfulness.

This urchin jug was harder to resist, but I managed that too. I mean I like a nice jug and this would be a great addition, but I really don’t need any more jugs either for holding liquids or displaying flowers, so it too stayed on the shelf. Though at £40 that was relatively easy to do, but it is gorgeous - just not gorgeous enough for me right now.

The rug area was a real treasure trove of colour and textures, and I do love a rug or two. But with mostly carpet in our new house I’m struggling to make use of and justify keeping the rugs we brought with us.

Side tables also appear to be a thing of mine, some featured in the earlier post too, and since we’ve been here I’ve bought more than we’ve ever had, and I am on the lookout for one to go in between our two sofas, but these weren’t them. Sadly, I love the texture on them.

Like a magpie I was drawn to a brighter corner of the shop. And sigh, these were gorgeous, but phew thankfully I’ve only recently made myself a new dressing gown, otherwise I’d have been seriously tempted.

I do love a mooch around a good interiors shop, and the one at Snape Maltings is most definitely that.

My garden in July

It’s about eight weeks since we’ve had any proper rain here, and the garden knows it. We’ve had a few spots and the threat of rain, but nothing that’s really been of any use to my plants. I’ve been looking at posts on Instagram this last few days of people sharing the rain they have, still waiting for it to arrive here. I’m sure when it does arrive properly there will be a deluge and too much for the hard baked ground to deal with effectively, I’m sure that’s the story though in many areas this summer.

But there have been high spots, and plenty of photos so let’s get on shall we?

The month started with the rowan berries the palest of oranges, and throughout the month their colour has deepened. The lavender that was doing so well last month, hasn’t lasted as well and most of the flowers have now gone and it will soon be time for their annual trim. Thankfully though the bush that looked as if it’d failed, where we removed all the outer rotten stems, has survived in its skinnier version, so maybe we’ll be lucky and it’ll spring back.

The cosmos were doing their best to flower, they’ve actually been a really good indicator of how our plants are doing as they quite visibly droop without water, then spring back after a good long drink. I know the feeling cosmos, really I do.

This was taken early in the month while the lavender was still in flower, and to have these roses flower alongside it has been the most glorious scent filled space. Our roses in pots are still doing well, the paler Claire Austin less so, but that has spent most of this summer recovering from crispy leaves sustained in the hot spell in April.

It’s not been all sun though, it’s been windy too. And this now named ‘lightweight light’ has needed to be corralled on more than one occasion to stop it blowing about the garden. It’s name is twofold - lightweight for it’s ‘easily blown’ nature but also because for the size of it, it gives out the most minuscule amount of light. MOH tells me it’s mood lighting, but I disagree it’s hardly any light at all - it’s just as well that I like its shape, or otherwise I think it would be having its marching orders.

The small pink rose has excelled this year, and seems to have loved having its branches upright - it’s amazing what a steel plant support can do, and it’s probably the first year since we’ve been here that we’ve really seen its potential.

The cosmos flowered! Actually both pots have flowered more than once, which given the conditions I’m both pleased and surprised at. I’ve been continuing to pursue growing some lettuce in a cut-and-come-again style and have found that my best tool is a small watering can close by to where they’re growing. Which means there’s more chance that they’ll get water when they need it. The second batch of seeds has germinated well, and even looks like lettuce, and then something found my seed tray and decided to help themselves, with a whole section quite clearly munched. But at least they left me some, which of course I still need to pot on and tend for.

The real star of this month though has been my pineapple lily which I bought at Gardeners’ World Live last month. I spotted the tiny ‘pineapple’ flowers and then needed to check them daily to see how they’d progressed.

And progress they did.

We’ve been out watering our pots most evenings, or every other evening if we can’t manage every night. We only water pots, and thankfully we don’t have a hosepipe ban here, but the later evening waterings has given me time for some later evening photos, and I love this one of the rose with the lavender and street light behind it.

On days when the weather is cooler, or where plants are in the shade I’ve been taking the opportunity to fill up my green bin. There’s still a lot more to trim and take back control of but the inside border is starting to look a little less unkempt, and in places even tidy.

The prolonged warmer weather meant that it was time for us to get out the garden sofa, and that meant plenty of time for some pot faffing. Or pot scaping if you must. Ever since MOH said that when the sofa was there on its own it looked like it’d been dumped, we’ve had pots surrounding it. This year I think I’ve excelled myself as I’ve added a side table for the santolini and pineapple lily which brings a bit of height too. No doubt next year I’ll do something different!

And then there are the thirsty tomatoes, which are starting to repay us with their fruits. When I planted these I wondered if the terracotta pot or the plastic pot would fare better, and in truth I’ve seen very little difference.

I’ve still much to do in the garden, but cutting the grass isn’t one of them. Not only is there no grass to cut, MOH has reclaimed this task as his own - which is absolutely the best news, as it leaves me to potter on elsewhere!

Walking East Stoke's lanes: July 2026

I thought we’d only managed one ‘walk’ through the lanes this month, and that one a cycle at the start of the month as we headed over to the Allotment Open Day over at Elston, so it was a nice surprise to find another set of photos from later in the month. Though this was on our walk to the pub to watch the England semi-final against Argentina in the World Cup, which didn’t turn out the way any of us there watching wanted, but hey ho.

Let’s start at the beginning of the month with that cycle, and a stop at the bridge for our usual view.

As these first photos were on our way to the Open Day at the allotments in Elston, I thought I’d share a few from there too. I was quite taken with the whole site, but the polytunnels especially, particularly the two shown here. The central layout with side borders was ingenious, and very different to the usual greenhouse layout - and the second photo, for the melons - I’m sure there were larger ones in there somewhere too.

There was plenty on show on the plot, both flowers, veg and fruit - and while I was tempted to put my name down, I knew that really I’d have plenty enough to keep me busy with my own garden.

Our second walk of the month we headed out on foot in the same direction, but veering off after the bridge over the A46 to the bridle path and the pub.

There was plenty to see, especially those being constrained or climbing over the crash barriers. It was already the middle of the month, and about a month since we’d last had rain. The fields were looking dry already and harvest, like many places around us, started much earlier than usual.

As you can see the sun was out, and we were full of optimism (and dread) for the match ahead. The pub was busy, and had some extra screens outside for an extended viewing area. The atmosphere was good, especially as England scored first - but that’s when the fear kicked in, and that’s just for us spectating! Alas, though it was not to be, not this time anyway, maybe next time, who knows?

Thanks for joining me for this update, if you enjoyed this post you may also like to see all of the posts in this series.