Even I am subject to letting my feeling be known when it comes to politics and current events in the news. As are many, I am deeply troubled by the course things have taken since the election of Mr. Trump to our land’s highest office—and I have made mention of it at least once in my TLG Tweets. But I think…only once.

Which is precisely the reason I maintain multiple accounts; most of my gripes and tirades are on my personal account, which is where I focus on other interests like book publishing, advertising, marketing and urban development in the town where I live. Political and personal tweets, as they are, seem to fit in much better there; I don’t feel right subjecting my TLG audience and followers to my political views, even though I expect that, for the most part, their views may be largely sympathetic to my own.

This is especially the case since many of my followers and readers are in the UK. I’m sure many of them are already aware of the issues here in the US, and they have their own to deal with—namely Brexit. In the same way as Trump, that issue has “infested” many of the UK accounts I follow. This is really not surprising, since the subjects are inexorably linked.

The resulting situation has artists, designers, researchers, craftsman, historians, hobbyists and others—people who normally refrain from “dabbling” in daily politics—tweeting up a storm on current political events and policy. For some, it is only a mention here and there. For others, these issues now dominate their daily tweets rather than their usual subjects of interest, and it has now come to the point where they seem unable to focus on anything else.

Being patient, I would not think to block or mute anyone over such a matter; I follow people with some consideration, and I suspect things will return to normal soon enough (or at least closer to normal, after their initial outrage fades).


The biggest problem has become my daily Paper.li newspaper, The ArchRevivalist Daily. Again, I have always tried to select my news “sources” with a great deal of care—accounts that tweet useful and relevant information regarding heritage issues, traditional architecture & design, preservation, etc.—so the newspaper will offer breadth and usefulness.

Lately, however, I have seen a number of ARD issues where the featured story and image is something to do with politics—namely Trump. This is really not what I intended at all, and these stories detract from the primary subject of the newspaper. I recall one issue in particular where one of my usually-relevant sources had perhaps four or five “Trump” tweets or re-tweeted stories posted in one day’s edition. I suppose an improved algorithm on Paper.li’s part could alleviate this to some degree; I'm too busy to do daily content edits and instead rely on their AI to select which stories to “feature.”

As a result, I have been forced to (at least temporarily) take the approach of removing some Twitter accounts from my newspaper source list, at least until they return to tweeting relevant information. I still follow them, of course—I only removed them from the newspaper source list until that times comes again.

I imagine this issue will pass soon enough, but it does pose a significant question to many of us. How much is too much? No one would suggest that we refrain from observing, commenting and even expressing our outrage when it comes to politics and current events. But we must remember there is a time and place to do so, and that getting overwhelmed by such matters can take us off course, muddy our focus, and in the end--make us less happy.

Long before I built my own house in 1992, I always enjoyed buying home improvement, interior design and related types of magazines. I believe it started with the old Metropolitan Home in the very early 80’s and copies of Architectural Digest (many of which I still have) a few years later. Once we decided to build a new home—of English design—I started buying UK magazines like House & Garden, British Homes & Gardens, Country Living, Period Homes, Homes & Antiques, Country Homes & Interiors, Period Living, and of course, Country Life.

I still have dozens of them stacked quietly in the basement; much to my wife’s chagrin, I seldom throw good magazines away, especially when I paid six to eight dollars apiece for them 15 or 20 years ago. I always thought they would be valuable for reference or inspiration, and after taking some time to relax with a glass of ale and look through a dozen or more copies a few days ago, I take comfort in the fact that I was right to do this.


We all know the print magazine business has suffered greatly over the last 15 years, with the advent of so many home-related websites and other online resources. Most magazines provide at least some content online, and other sites like Houzz—along with innumerable design blogs provide enough content to keep a lot of people happy. But it’s not a perfect world.

While I enjoy visiting Houzz regularly, it is so highly focused on contemporary trends that it’s becoming harder for a traditionalist like myself to find much of value. Primary among these concerns is the total dominance of WHITE (or almost-white) interiors across 80 to 90 percent of the posted images, even on their UK website. Similar websites, like HGTV and even This Old House feature a lot of trendy design looks that don’t always fit my traditional tastes.

But I’ve come to realize that it goes beyond content; for whatever reason, the presentation of online material just doesn’t seem to satisfy me the same way it did in a print magazine. I find the intrusion of unrelated, out-of-context ads bothersome. Stories are broken up into small, distracting, disjointed pieces; photos while plentiful, are often smaller. Online, I feel like I’m having content handed out to me piecemeal, rather than flipping to—and then lingering—on a printed page with a coherent story that I can follow at leisure.

Recently, as I perused a stack of my old magazines, I began to realize what I had missed. Interiors were comfortable, personal, and featured a wide spectrum of colors as well as a lot of natural or stained woodwork—rather than the white painted mouldings and casework that continue to dominate today’s designs. Best of all, I noticed that none of the interiors I was looking at looked old or dated; they seemed natural and inviting—timeless, really—and I was surprised that one could take so many useful design cues from magazines that were 15 to 20 years old. (The one exception, I must admit, was the occasional fetish for flowered cotton chintz that seemed to prevail back in the day; but then, no age is perfect, I suppose.)

Furthermore, in print, each issue stood on its own as something memorable and distinct. Online, web pages may change images from month-to-month, but individual stories and features are simply archived or added to an ever-expanding list of “posts”—which may be searchable and easier to access, but often providing less “meat” than their print counterparts.

Advertising has a role to play in this story as well, but I will cover this is a separate post. It is easy to see the linking and direct response advantage provided by the Internet; yet something is lost. Well-done, well thought-out print advertising can add an element of interest to print magazines—at their best, they have even served as valuable reader content. Unfortunately, developing a top-notch print ad with compelling copy is almost a lost art; today’s ads are all about image, pretty pictures and a website URL. The best days were when ads were not seen as a distraction—when readers enjoyed reviewing the assorted ads and found the advertisers’ individual stories almost as interesting as the editorial content.

Again, this is all just an individual observation—I plan to keep on visiting websites, and maybe returning to my basement magazine stacks a little more often as well.

I may even start to buy magazines again. As soon as I find more space to store them.

Long before I built my own house in 1992, I always enjoyed buying home improvement, interior design and related types of magazines. I believe it started with the old Metropolitan Home in the very early 80’s and copies of Architectural Digest (many of which I still have) a few years later. Once we decided to build a new home—of English design—I started buying UK magazines like House & Garden, British Homes & Gardens, Country Living, Period Homes, Homes & Antiques, Country Homes & Interiors, Period Living, and of course, Country Life.

I still have dozens of them stacked quietly in the basement; much to my wife’s chagrin, I seldom throw good magazines away, especially when I paid six to eight dollars apiece for them 15 or 20 years ago. I always thought they would be valuable for reference or inspiration, and after taking some time to relax with a glass of ale and look through a dozen or more copies a few days ago, I take comfort in the fact that I was right to do this.

We all know the print magazine business has suffered greatly over the last 15 years, with the advent of so many home-related websites and other online resources. Most magazines provide at least some content online, and other sites like Houzz—along with innumerable design blogs provide enough content to keep a lot of people happy. But it’s not a perfect world.

While I enjoy visiting Houzz regularly, it is so highly focused on contemporary trends that it’s becoming harder for a traditionalist like myself to find much of value. Primary among these concerns is the total dominance of WHITE (or almost-white) interiors across 80 to 90 percent of the posted images, even on their UK website. Similar websites, like HGTV and even This Old House feature a lot of trendy design looks that don’t always fit my traditional tastes.

But I’ve come to realize that it goes beyond content; for whatever reason, the presentation of online material just doesn’t seem to satisfy me the same way it did in a print magazine. I find the intrusion of unrelated, out-of-context ads bothersome. Stories are broken up into small, distracting, disjointed pieces; photos while plentiful, are often smaller. Online, I feel like I’m having content handed out to me piecemeal, rather than flipping to—and then lingering—on a printed page with a coherent story that I can follow at leisure.

Recently, as I perused a stack of my old magazines, I began to realize what I had missed. Interiors were comfortable, personal, and featured a wide spectrum of colors as well as a lot of natural or stained woodwork—rather than the white painted mouldings and casework that continue to dominate today’s designs. Best of all, I noticed that none of the interiors I was looking at looked old or dated; they seemed natural and inviting—timeless, really—and I was surprised that one could take so many useful design cues from magazines that were 15 to 20 years old. (The one exception, I must admit, was the occasional fetish for flowered cotton chintz that seemed to prevail back in the day; but then, no age is perfect, I suppose.)

Furthermore, in print, each issue stood on its own as something memorable and distinct. Online, web pages may change images from month-to-month, but individual stories and features are simply archived or added to an ever-expanding list of “posts”—which may be searchable and easier to access, but often providing less “meat” than their print counterparts.

Advertising has a role to play in this story as well, but I will cover this is a separate post. It is easy to see the linking and direct response advantage provided by the Internet; yet something is lost. Well-done, well thought-out print advertising can add an element of interest to print magazines—at their best, they have even served as valuable reader content. Unfortunately, developing a top-notch print ad with compelling copy is almost a lost art; today’s ads are all about image, pretty pictures and a website URL. The best days were when ads were not seen as a distraction—when readers enjoyed reviewing the assorted ads and found the advertisers’ individual stories almost as interesting as the editorial content.

Again, this is all just an individual observation—I plan to keep on visiting websites, and maybe returning to my basement magazine stacks a little more often as well.

I may even start to buy magazines again. As soon as I find more space to store them.

Years ago, when I first dreamed of building a house of my own, I often dropped into newsstands and book stores to pick up copies of magazines like Country Life, British Home & Garden, Period Home, BBC Homes & Antiques and many others, seeking inspiration. I knew I would never have the means to build what I really wanted, but I hoped that by reading, training my eye and getting a “feel” for what was appropriate, I could come fairly close to envisioning my dream.

Over the years, I have amassed quite a library of books on English architecture and traditional home design. I also managed to horde a lot of those old magazines, which are still well-preserved in my basement.
I’m glad I kept them. Now let me explain.

One of the delights of the Internet Age (yet sadly for magazine publishers) is that there is so much information and visual inspiration available for homeowners to freely access. I find myself constantly referencing ideas and resources from home improvement and interior design sites and blogs, as well as design and furnishing websites like Houzz.

…Which brings me to my current “pet peeve.”

I’ve looked at and saved a lot of photos while browsing on Houzz – mostly traditional interiors, but especially kitchens, home office and basement remodels – which cover some of the projects I have been involved with of late. As expected, it’s not always easy to find an interior that doesn’t feature the white-painted woodwork that is featured on almost every home improvement TV show today. But as bad as the situation might be on www.houzz.com, it’s even worse on www.houzz.co.uk – where almost every single photo in my feed is WHITE. White woodwork. White walls. White cabinets. White fixtures. White tiles. White furniture. White rooms, period. White-white-white-white white. It’s worse than the Academy Awards.

I even posted somewhat sarcastic question on the UK site forum, asking if there had been a ban imposed on using colors other than white. Interestingly enough, one reply blamed the Americans for this; I suppose they could be right.

I get it. If your flat was looking dingy and dull, and you wanted to indulge your dreams of summers in Ibiza, I am fully in sympathy.

My own house probably needs at least one room with white walls - though I am determined that my woodwork will never see paint.

But this ridiculous infatuation with all that is WHITE—or the practical exclusion of anything that is not—is both mystifying and disheartening.

Which is precisely why I am relieved that I can still retrieve those old magazines from the basement and starting looking again for some inspiration. After 20 years or more, I’m sure the pendulum will swing back the other way to once again embrace bold colors, high detail and rich wood tones.

Not so sure about that flowered chintz, though…

Years ago, when I first dreamed of building a house of my own, I often dropped into newsstands and book stores to pick up copies of magazines like Country Life, British Home & Garden, Period Home, BBC Homes & Antiques and many others, seeking inspiration. I knew I would never have the means to build what I really wanted, but I hoped that by reading, training my eye and getting a “feel” for what was appropriate, I could come fairly close to envisioning my dream.

Over the years, I have amassed quite a library of books on English architecture and traditional home design. I also managed to horde a lot of those old magazines, which are still well-preserved in my basement.

I’m glad I kept them. Now let me explain.

One of the delights of the Internet Age (yet sadly for magazine publishers) is that there is so much information and visual inspiration available for homeowners to freely access. I find myself constantly referencing ideas and resources from home improvement and interior design sites and blogs, as well as design and furnishing websites like Houzz.

…Which brings me to my current “pet peeve.”

I’ve looked at and saved a lot of photos while browsing on Houzz – mostly traditional interiors, but especially kitchens, home office and basement remodels – which cover some of the projects I have been involved with of late. As expected, it’s not always easy to find an interior that doesn’t feature the white-painted woodwork that is featured on almost every home improvement TV show today. But as bad as the situation might be on www.houzz.com, it’s even worse on www.houzz.co.uk – where almost every single photo in my feed is WHITE. White woodwork. White walls. White cabinets. White fixtures. White tiles. White furniture. White rooms, period. White-white-white-white white. It’s worse than the Academy Awards.

I even posted somewhat sarcastic question on the UK site forum, asking if there had been a ban imposed on using colors other than white. Interestingly enough, one reply blamed the Americans for this; I suppose they could be right.

I get it. If your flat was looking dingy and dull, and you wanted to indulge your dreams of summers in Ibiza, I am fully in sympathy.

My own house probably needs at least one room with white walls - though I am determined that my woodwork will never see paint.

But this ridiculous infatuation with all that is WHITE—or the practical exclusion of anything that is not—is both mystifying and disheartening.

Which is precisely why I am relieved that I can still retrieve those old magazines from the basement and starting looking again for some inspiration. After 20 years or more, I’m sure the pendulum will swing back the other way to once again embrace bold colors, high detail and rich wood tones.

Not so sure about that flowered chintz, though…

Along with history and design, one of our favorite pastimes is reading and designing books and publications, and through our publishing arm, American Biblioverken, we've set out to offer some quality paperback editions of important works from the past.The first two, Hopes and Fears for Art and The Art and Craft of Printing, are two of Morris' works that we have produced; both are primarily comprised of material and lectures from the late 19th century.

While they certainly can't match the beauty of a Kelmscott Press product, we feel they provide a far superior product than many of the commonly-available reprints available today, which often deliver a poorly-scanned copy of an old book and an ugly, generic cover that doesn't even relate to the material in the book. The interiors have been designed and typeset in fonts that enhance the material, and best of all, perhaps--the price is lower than most other new editions currently available.

These 6" x 9" editions make a great addition to anyone's bookshelf, and the low price make them great for casual reading on a trip, handy reference, or for students and classrooms.

We have several other older classics that we are preparing to add to our TLG Design Library, and we'll be sure to keep you updated as we bring them along. The books are available at Amazon and across Amazon Europe, including Amazon.uk

HOPES AND FEARS FOR ART /   on Amazon   $9.50           on Amazon UK  £7.00

ISBN-13: 978-1492919186 
ISBN-10: 1492919187

THE ART AND CRAFT OF PRINTING /  on Amazon $7.60        on Amazon UK  £5.00
ISBN-13: 978-1493538973
ISBN-10: 1493538977

Along with history and design, one of our favorite pastimes is reading and designing books and publications, and through our publishing arm, American Biblioverken, we've set out to offer some quality paperback editions of important works from the past.The first two, Hopes and Fears for Art and The Art and Craft of Printing, are two of Morris' works that we have produced; both are primarily comprised of material and lectures from the late 19th century.

While they certainly can't match the beauty of a Kelmscott Press product, we feel they provide a far superior product than many of the commonly-available reprints available today, which often deliver a poorly-scanned copy of an old book and an ugly, generic cover that doesn't even relate to the material in the book. The interiors have been designed and typeset in fonts that enhance the material, and best of all, perhaps--the price is lower than most other new editions currently available.

These 6" x 9" editions make a great addition to anyone's bookshelf, and the low price make them great for casual reading on a trip, handy reference, or for students and classrooms.

We have several other older classics that we are preparing to add to our TLG Design Library, and we'll be sure to keep you updated as we bring them along. The books are available at Amazon and across Amazon Europe, including Amazon.uk

HOPES AND FEARS FOR ART /   on Amazon   $9.50           on Amazon UK  £7.00
ISBN-13: 978-1492919186 
ISBN-10: 1492919187

THE ART AND CRAFT OF PRINTING /  on Amazon $7.60        on Amazon UK  £5.00
ISBN-13: 978-1493538973
ISBN-10: 1493538977

 As I have discussed previously in the "About" section of the site, my study and interest in ancient English building styles and revival-style architecture left me rather empty after the completion of my home in the 1990's. While the work has continued on there over the years  (and it still does) I had sought to use the knowledge I had gained in some useful manner, and The Steadfast was the result.

While the book is also currently available through Creatspace in a print version, I just finished converting it to a PDF ebook version that is available from Lulu at $4.99.  To check out a few sample chapters, head over to http://thesteadfastnovel.blogspot.com .

We are providing some copies of the ebook version for free to the first six of our friends who make the request via Twitter - just DM @thelonggallery to let us know - and please be sure to give us a review when you are finished!

 As I have discussed previously in the "About" section of the site, my study and interest in ancient English building styles and revival-style architecture left me rather empty after the completion of my home in the 1990's. While the work has continued on there over the years  (and it still does) I had sought to use the knowledge I had gained in some useful manner, and The Steadfast was the result.

While the book is also currently available through Creatspace in a print version, I just finished converting it to a PDF ebook version that is available from Lulu at $3.77.  To check out a few sample chapters, head over to http://thesteadfastnovel.blogspot.com .

We are providing some copies of the ebook version for free to the first six of our friends who make the request via Twitter - just DM @thelonggallery to let us know - and please be sure to give us a review when you are finished!

In an effort to build a more attractive and comprehensive site for TLG, we've been re-building the site from the ground up to provide a better look and a much wider range of content. First, we found an exciting new Blogger template, courtesy of Dzignnine, and managed to integrate it with a number of useful widgets and tools.

We are re-working and expanding the book store, enhancing several of our special content areas covering music, food and lifestyle...and generally "tarting up" the site to make it more appealing and inspiring. There is still much to do and many areas to organize, but the effort has begun in earnest and we hope our readers will be happy. Here's all the best for a great 2012!


MS.

In an effort to build a more attractive and comprehensive site for TLG, we've been re-building the site from the ground up to provide a better look and a much wider range of content. First, we found an exciting new Blogger template, courtesy of Dzignnine, and managed to integrate it with a number of useful widgets and tools.

We are re-working and expanding the book store, enhancing several of our special content areas covering music, food and lifestyle...and generally "tarting up" the site to make it more appealing and inspiring. There is still much to do and many areas to organize, but the effort has begun in earnest and we hope our readers will be happy. Here's all the best for a great 2012!


MS.

We've been planning this for a while, and now it's happening...each week, we'll be uploading a brand new chapter of The Steadfast online for you to enjoy.

Based in London in 1895, the novel follows the adventures of British architect G. Morris Moneypenny - a talented designer and a true renaissance man - as he is thrust into a new and unpredictable world of deadly anarchists, arms development and political intrigue.

Morris designs houses any fan of TLG would love...sprawling Olde English piles, inspired by the work of his elders like Richard Norman Shaw and Philip Webb, as well as contemporaries like Lutyens. In his plans, his practice and his adventures, he draws upon his creativity, his appreciation of history, and his deeply-embedded sense of propriety to win the day. The new chapters will be available HERE. Have a go...and tell your friends.

We've been determined for some time to try and offer some free items for our visitors, and here are some wallpapers we've created as a start. Sized at 1920 x 1200 pixels, they are great for large, wide-screen monitors, and can be easily re-sized to fit smaller-size screens as well. We're working on adding some standard aspect-ratio sizes like 1280 x 1024, and should have those ready soon.


Our first design features a painting titled the Embarkation at Dover, featuring Henry VIII’s English fleet setting sail from Dover en route to the Field of the Cloth of Gold on 31 May, 1520. This painting was created about 25 years later, and one of the ships is probably supposed to represent the Mary Rose, though it did not make that particular trip.


The second design features Rembrandt's well-known depiction of The Night Watch, completed in 1642. The painting may be more properly titled The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. It is on prominent display in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and is its most famous painting.


The last design features this year's set of Royal Mail stamps, featuring well-known portraits of the Tudor Royal Family.

To download, simply click on the images above, and in most browsers, they will open in a new window or tab. Right-click to "Save As", then go to the folder where you saved them and Right-Click again and select "Set as Desktop Wallpaper." Enjoy all of these, compliments of TLG!

We recently came across The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture, and online image and text collection that forms a part of the University of Wisconsin's Digital Collection. We all know there are thousands of valuable architecture and design resources out there in the from of old books that hopefully will be scanned and organized in the years ahead; this particular collection is a nice example of how these books can be made available online.


The book we've highlighted here is titled The house decorator and painter's guide; containing a series of designs for decorating apartments, suited to the various styles of architecture - by Henry William Arrowsmith. Originally printed in London by Thomas Kelly in 1840, the 120-page book features 61 illustrations, many of which are hand-colored. The full online version of the book can be found HERE.


The Digital Library collects and creates electronic resources for study and research of the decorative arts, with a particular focus on Early America. Included are electronic texts and facsimiles, image databases, and Web resources. Made possible by the Chipstone Foundation, the project is produced at the University of Wisconsin Madison General Library System.

I've always loved Clive Aslet's books about country houses - in fact, The Last Country Houses is perhaps my all-time favorite - and this recent Telegraph article about the appeal of Tudor architecture is another superb example. He points out that the Tudors simply loved architecture, having built some of Britain's most memorable homes.


In the article, Aslet (editor-in-chief at Country Life) provides some examples of great Tudor houses (some of which are still on the market) pointing out many of the features that keep attracting us to them, even after five centuries. To read the complete article, go HERE.

Self-styled "Datamancer" - Richard "Doc" Nagy is well-known for his unique and inspirational "steampunk" contraptions, which can be seen on TV shows such as SciFi Channel's Warehouse 13, who contracted with him to have some special props made. Nagy uses a lot of creativity and ingenuity to combine modern technology with turn-of-the-century and medieval-inspired decorative designs--resulting in truly unique and useful art.


One of my personal favorites is the "Archbishop" Gothic PC, [above] a PC/LCD/Keyboard/"Mouse" combo that was built using Gothic design elements. The LCD monitor lives inside a scratch-built Gothic arch with quatrefoil designs and stained-glass doors. The PC case features the same Morisco-patterned glass, brass embellishments, a hinged lid for access to the drives and hardware, and soft, ambient red lighting. Built as a gaming computer - it's a real high-performance PC, not just a showpiece.

While this particular model is sold, Richard will be happy to build another one for you upon request. While "steampunk" inspired design might seem to be at the very edge of what we cover at TLG, the Victorian and Gothic themes used in so many of the designs are quite appropriate to Medieval and Tudor interiors. After all, there can be little doubt that the "Archbishop" PC would look better in your library than a beige box.

To see more of Nagy's work, check out his remarkable website and blog.

Dr Andy Stanford-Clark has fitted his grade 1 listed Tudor cottage with hundreds of sensors, allowing everything from energy usage to the burglar alarm to be relayed by the the internet messaging service Twitter. The result? Now the rustic and charming cottage has been converted into one of the most hi-tech homes in the world.


Now the house can tell its owner when his dinner is ready, if someone is at the door or when a mouse has been caught in a trap. If he leaves a light on or a water tap running, the house will automatically tweet him - instantly alerting the 43-year old engineer and master inventor for computer firm IBM. Dr Stanford-Clark started renovating the house five years ago, installing sensors to monitor power usage, but later realized the potential that Twitter had to offer.

Stanford-Clark explains that he is interested in how how objects could be connected to the internet - especially "tweetjects" - objects that Twitter. Not surprisingly, the house can also be controlled over a mobile phone, allowing him to switch on appliances in the cottage when he is out of the house. “It's a bit of a showcase for the technology,” he said.

Happily, the high-tech system makes use of wireless sensors wherever possible because the cottage is a listed building. To read the entire article, go HERE.

Dr Andy Stanford-Clark has fitted his grade 1 listed Tudor cottage with hundreds of sensors, allowing everything from energy usage to the burglar alarm to be relayed by the the internet messaging service Twitter. The result? Now the rustic and charming cottage has been converted into one of the most hi-tech homes in the world.


Now the house can tell its owner when his dinner is ready, if someone is at the door or when a mouse has been caught in a trap. If he leaves a light on or a water tap running, the house will automatically tweet him - instantly alerting the 43-year old engineer and master inventor for computer firm IBM. Dr Stanford-Clark started renovating the house five years ago, installing sensors to monitor power usage, but later realized the potential that Twitter had to offer.

Stanford-Clark explains that he is interested in how how objects could be connected to the internet - especially "tweetjects" - objects that Twitter. Not surprisingly, the house can also be controlled over a mobile phone, allowing him to switch on appliances in the cottage when he is out of the house. “It's a bit of a showcase for the technology,” he said.

Happily, the high-tech system makes use of wireless sensors wherever possible because the cottage is a listed building. To read the entire article, go HERE.