The Montagu living room, looking from the dark cabinetry wall out through the french doors to the garden, cream sofa to the right, a palm-print armchair centred in front of the doors, striped linen drapes floor to ceiling
The Journal

Notes from the Studio

Aubury & Co

The Journal

Colour, craft, older houses and the North East, written by the studio in plain words.

We have designed homes from Ponteland since 2005, and a good deal of what we know never makes it onto a project page. The Journal is where we put it: a colour worth a second look, the practical side of decorating an older house, the rules that shape what can change and what cannot.

New pieces will appear here when we have something worth saying. This is the first edition, published 25 September 2026.

First Edition

Three pieces to begin with. One on colour, two on the older houses this part of the world is full of.

The Elmfield Road kitchen, sage green cabinetry with a Lacanche range, patterned splashback tiles, and skylights flooding the space with natural light
Colour

Sage Green, the Colour of 2027, in a Northumberland Light

Dulux has named Soulful Sage its Colour of the Year 2027. Why this green suits the houses we work in, and the rooms where we have used it.

25 September 2026
The Bamburgh kitchen, cream shaker cabinetry, star-patterned tiles and a reclaimed oak lintel over the cooker
Older Houses

Lime, Breathable Paint and the Old Stone House

Why the walls of an older Northumberland home need to breathe, and the questions worth asking before anyone opens a tin.

25 September 2026
The Northumberland Project, a family home in Corbridge with a restored fireplace and open aspect onto the garden
Older Houses

Listed and Period Homes in Northumberland

What listing covers inside a home, how a conservation area differs, what usually needs consent, and how we work within it.

25 September 2026

Elsewhere on the Site

Our plain guide to the Darras Hall byelaws, the workroom that makes our curtains, blinds and headboards in Ponteland, the makers we source from, and a specimen book of the details that matter.

Start a Conversation

Ring us on 01661 871901, email [email protected] or send a note through the form. Tell us a little about your home and what you are hoping for.

Get in Touch