Presenter and design guru Kevin McCloud has long been a champion of creative design choices and ingenious problem-solving, and with plenty of hitches and setbacks hitting homeowners, it is no surprise that he is pushing for greater invention now. And this creative problem-solving could be the solution to also adding value to your home.   […]

Winner of last year’s Interior Design Masters, Banjo Beale knows how tricky it can be to find exactly what you want for your home at a reasonable price. Living on the Isle of Mull means Beale – who won the popular design series last year – often has to get creative, making the most of […]

“Getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important for your health and helps to improve your overall wellbeing, so it’s essential you look after your mattress,” says Samantha Parish, Hypnos interior design consultant. But, how often should we really be cleaning our mattresses and replacing them? After all, showing our mattress some TLC isn’t usually […]

“Faux flowers have gained huge popularly over recent years as the quality improves – and the stigma against this ‘fake’ addition appears to have waived,” says celebrity florist Larry Walshe (larrywalshe.com). There are various reasons why you might go faux, with Walshe citing “allergies and pets, to dark environments and time-poor homeowners who prefer not […]

Slowly but surely, spring is on the way, which means it’s time to switch up your cleaning routine. To help put the fun into housework, we’ve called in the pros to share their top tips on how to get started… PLAN YOUR CLEAN “I love a list!” enthuses Laura Harnett, founder of Seep eco-cleaning products […]

This year’s Pantone Colour of the Year is described as ‘an unconventional shade for an unconventional time’ – and Viva Magenta is certainly far from muted. In fact, ‘brave, fearless, powerful and empowering’ is how this nuanced crimson-blended shade is described – ‘an animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without […]

Having guests to stay this Christmas? This might be perfect excuse to give your spare room a spruce up – especially as they often end up being a dumping ground, soulless and forgotten about. “One of my favourite parts of the festive season has to be having friends and family to stay, with a busy […]

The excitement is building with many households already twinkling with Christmas decorations. If you want to radiate a classy festive style this year, then sometimes less is more. As the excitement builds in the count down to the big day, it’s very tempting to go down the ‘more is more’ decorating mantra – pile everything […]

Staying warm this winter is the hot topic up for debate. With many of us looking for the easiest most cost-effective ways to stay warm in our homes, here we offer some helpful tips. It’s been an unseasonably mild autumn, but winter is looming – and we’d prefer to focus on the joys of the […]

Halloween is nearly here, which calls for a variety of spine-tingling decorations. It’s all about weaving a web of intrigue – play-up those ghostly shadows, dine by candlelight among cobwebs, and spook your friends with creepy props. Want to mark the occasion without going full-on fright night? Halloween décor doesn’t have to be ghastly and […]