Weaving a tale

From humble, hardworking beginnings to stylish staples in modern homes, vintage and antique baskets endure for their beauty and craftsmanship, as Alice Roberton explains

When COUNTRY LIFE’s Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York

WELL-WORN, FADED AND IMPERFECT. GO BACK IN TIME TO FURNISH YOUR HOME WITH PIECES THAT TELL A STORY, SAYS TALLULAH RUSHAYA

Making the best use of fabric scraps, rag rugs may have been born of exigency, but the creativity behind their intricately woven designs knows no bounds, discovers Matthew Dennison

Knotted, woven, tufted or felted, designs for carpets and rugs have developed in a wide variety of styles and fibres around the world to add comfort and sophistication underfoot

The elements of this look are influenced by the world of craft and come together in the most contemporary – and charming – way