Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i Ideal Home

EDITOR’S LETTER As I write this letter, we’re on what I hope is the final stretch of our kitchen renovation so fingers crossed we’ll be celebrating the New Year in the new space. A longstanding fan of a kitchen disco, one of my must-haves for the room, much to the bemusement of the builders, was a glitter ball (remote-controlled no less!), and so I’ll definitely be all set to party! There are some fabulous decoration ideas on page 70 (I’ll be recreating the cocktail bar at home this year), and we’ve asked experts to give us the lowdown on how to host in style on page 94. From décor to nibbles, our feature is packed with takeaway tips to help take the stress out of party planning. I’m itching to…

The Italian chef and TV personality cooks up a storm at Christmas. He lives with his wife Jessica and their three children in Hertfordshire WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TIME AT CHRISTMAS? My favourite time at Christmas is being surrounded by family, cooking, eating and drinking at Villa D’Acampo on the island of Sardinia. Everyone is in charge of one dish that makes up the whole Christmas meal – so no pressure! WHAT’S YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLE, MUST-HAVE AT HOME AT CHRISTMAS? Peaches soaked in Sardinian Cannonau red wine. We have it every year without fail and it’s delicious. You get the best of both worlds: wine-infused peaches, and peaches-infused wine – we love it. WHAT PART OF CHRISTMAS PLANNING DO YOU LOVE THE BEST? I love sitting down with my family and…

STYLE HOUSE HOME NOTES WHO LIVES HERE? Theresa Gromski, an illustrator, blogger and content creator (@theresa_gromski), lives here with her husband Tom, an account manager and children, Arlo, 10, and Anais, seven. They have two cats, Ninja and Pickle. THE PROPERTY A four-bedroom Edwardian terraced house in Bournville, Birmingham 1 “I make a lot of our festive decorations myself” ‘Texture is important to me in décor and I have the same approach at Christmas. We take the children to buy a few new baubles each year but I like to be creative, too. I go out foraging for foliage and find a branch to hang Advent presents from.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Paisley rattan chair, £425, Vaunt Design, is similar. For vintage Moroccan rugs, try Benisouk. Sinnerlig handmade bamboo pendant…

LOOKS THAT LAST STYLE DIRECTION“Team a smart and contemporary palette of black and white with shimmering metallics for festive sophistication"HEATHER YOUNG, EDITOR STYLE DIRECTION“Dark woods, such as walnut, are a great choice for furniture as they elevate the look and add warmth to a monochrome palette"GINEVRA BENEDETTI, DEPUTY EDITOR STICK TO MONOCHROME This decorative combo is totally timeless, and can work in any style of home. For this look, you want crisp lines and simple geometric patterns (think stripes or chequerboard). Mix in silvery greys and classic marble patterns to soften the edges if the contrast between the black and white is feeling a bit fierce. CONSIDER FINISHES For this upmarket luxe take on monochrome, texture and finishes are key. Matt emulsion on walls can be elevated with gloss furniture…

MOODY-BLUE BASE Envelop the room with a deep blue of your choice – from navy and indigo to ink – across walls, woodwork and even the ceiling. Go for a flat matt paint on the walls or choose a wallpaper with a saturated blue pattern. Carry the colour through on to upholstery: think oversized bedheads, sofas and occasional chairs and add accessories in slightly lighter, brighter tones so that they pop out against the base shade. NEUTRAL ACCENTS Balance the colour-drench scheme with the addition of a neutral shade, in this case a grey-beige. Choosing white would give this look a more crisp, modern vibe, whereas timber details would push it to more of a country feel. Instead, going for a high gloss bedside table, as shown here, a console…

1. ARMCHAIR An armchair in your guest bedroom provides a space not only for relaxing and reading, but also a place to keep clothes, too. Often a bulky wardrobe isn’t needed in a spare room (unless you have guests who tend to stay for extended lengths of time), so an occasional chair could be the space-saving answer you were looking for. IH LOVES… ■ Ercol for classic designs ■ Barker and Stonehouse for a large range of options ■ John Lewis & Partners has some petite styles 2. MIRROR If your guest room is mostly used as an office space or chill out room for the kids, a mirror can be overlooked as an essential. But not only will your visitors appreciate having a place to check their appearance, it…

We all know how clutter can make our homes, and our lives, feel stressful. Sometimes your house just fills up with stuff, no matter how hard you try to keep it tidy. Make a fresh start this New Year with inspiration from Scandi style, and its clean lines and clever solutions. Find out how to create a calm, relaxed living space that’s organised and easy to maintain. You’ll discover space-saving design ideas and smart storage, plus practical and stylish ways to make a happy, relaxed home. HOW TO CLAIM Scan the QR code below to download your free digital copy of Home Scandi Bible Offer available from 6 Dec 2022 - 3 Jan 2023 CHECK OUT MORE AMAZING BOOKAZINES AT WWW.MAGAZINESDIRECT.COM/GUIDES-AND-SPECIALS…

“What do I need to know about heat pumps?” Here in the UK we have one of the oldest and leakiest housing stocks in Europe, which is responsible for around 28% of our CO2 emissions. As a country, we’ve committed to reaching net zero by 2050, so tackling this source of greenhouse gas will be a big part of achieving this goal. In order to do this, we need several important things to come together: a nationwide insulation/building fabric improvement programme, the decarbonisation of our electricity supply, and the use of low-carbon heating systems. Heat pumps are going to play a huge part in this low-carbon transition. There is a lot of chat around them, not all of it very clear or even accurate. So I wanted to set out…

BEFORE YOU BUY ■ Often working at the touch of a button, a bean-to-cup will grind the perfect amount of coffee for a well-extracted shot and then create the ideal level of pressure to prevent too much acidity or bitterness in your final drink. Some even come with automatic milk dispensers to make fine and frothy foam without any hands-on steaming. ■ Bean-to-cups tend to be the most expensive coffee machines on the market, but prices do vary wildly – starting from around £250 to well over £1,000. Although they are on the pricier side, bean-to-cups are also some of the best models for those who take their coffee really seriously. ■ Many models come with scrollable menus of all the coffee drinks they can make. All you need to…

Apple introduced Siri to the world in 2011, followed by other digital voice recognition assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. And, as with all things tech, it wasn’t long before their skills expanded exponentially, meaning that these vocal helpers have become a common household device. Nowadays, the automated operation of elements of your home by voice command has become more and more popular, something that years ago we would have considered sci-fi and futuristic. WHAT VOICE ASSISTANTS ARE THERE? The previously mentioned voice assistants created by Apple, Google and Amazon are the top three and the most popular. There are others, namely Microsoft’s Cortana and Samsung’s Bixby, but these aren’t supported by as many third party products. You can access them using your smartphone (Apple and Google smartphones…

IDEAL HOME TIP For burger buns, divide the dough into 8 portions. Prepare the day before and freeze once cooked IDEAL HOME TIP Can’t find fresh figs? Try these with a dollop of fig or caramelised onion chutney instead Cheesy fondue with mini roasties SERVES 6-8 READY IN 35 MINS ● 750g baby new potatoes ● 2tbsp olive oil ● 3 sprigs of thyme ● 100g Comté, grated ● 100g Gruyère, grated ● 100g Emmental, grated ● 2tsp cornflour ● 1 garlic clove ● 350ml dry white wine ● Small glass Calvados or kirsch 1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tin, drizzle over the oil, and toss with the thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Roast for 20-25 mins until cooked…

“As well as being eco-friendly, 100% of profit from the range will go to the Choose Love charity” 'Do-your-bit bedding Secret Linen Store has long been extolling the benefits of responsibly sourced organic cotton, both to the planet and as a super-soft fabric. But now the company has gone a philanthropic step further by creating a beautiful range in collaboration with refugee charity Choose Love. The pretty ditsy floral-print bedlinen is available in five sizes, from single to emperor and with three different pillowcases to choose from. It also features two bold logo cushions desiged by Katherine Hamnett to finish the look. WASTE NOT The reuse of offcuts and waste material left over from the production of one product to create another can be beneficial to the manufacturing industry, as…

START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON Want to know my top tip for creating calm in your home quickly? The answer is to work backwards! The more you have, the harder it is to keep it under control and stay organised. Think little and often, and start to declutter as part of your weekly tasks for the New Year. It will become so much more manageable knowing that what you’re storing behind closed doors is organised. And you’ll not have such a visual distraction, with to-do-lists and piles waiting for you to take action. Calm will come with less clutter. TAKE SMALL STEPS Focus on one area of your home at a time and don’t digress. Try not to get distracted by any of the items you come across.…

HADLEY FREEMAN JOURNALIST & AUTHOR A Guardian columnist and features writer, Hadley has also penned four books. And her new house is keeping her busy! NICKY PHILLIPS STYLE EDITOR Nicky brings over 26 years’ experience to the table, and has been part of the Ideal Home family for 22 years. CHARLIE LUXTON ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER Charlie juggles his roles as director of Charlie Luxton Design, TV presenter and public speaker. KALPANA FITZPATRICK MONEY EXPERT An award-winning financial journalist, Kalpana is a regular guest on TV and radio, and editor of themoneyedit.com. FEARNE COTTON BROADCASTER & AUTHOR TV and radio presenter Fearne’s Happy Place podcast is now in its 17th season, with over 40 million downloads. THE HOME OF GREAT IDEAS FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS…

What the experts say... Designers and stylists share their views ‘Teal is the go-to colour pop because it’s bright and punchy, but also feels serene. Try pairing teal curtains and accessories with pastel and plaster pinks to give a shot of freshness to your scheme.’ AARON MARKWELL, COLOUR CURATOR, COAT ‘Lying between blue and green, teal is a versatile colour that can bring a peaceful feel or – when combined with other colours – vibrancy. Teal can be used to create retro schemes, while saturated shades work well for colour drenching.’ JUSTYNA KORCZYNSKA, SENIOR DESIGNER, CROWN ‘Due to its hybrid of blue and green, teal rarely feels chilly. It works as an accent too, paired with tonal shades, such as our rich Emerald Green, acidic Arsenic, or deep Ultra Marine…

WHERE TO BUY…

“Oversized baubles give your home instant wow” These days, it feels like everything has been supersized. We’ve gone from tending tiny succulents to having fully grown olive trees in our rooms. Floral prints are huge in both size and popularity right now and vases are like vast sculptures, rather than a simple vessel for your blooms. Upscaled homeware has become de rigueur, so it was only a matter of time before this trend found its way into festive decs. Just like an expansive bow adorning a front door, oversized decorations can stop you in your tracks. We’ve seen plenty of giant wreaths and large 3D paper trees, but super-size baubles is the latest look to give your home that showstopping wow factor. While the ones shown here may be professional…

PROJECT DETAILS WHO LIVES HERE? Sophie Gill lives here with her husband Chris and daughters Madeline, 14, and Rosie, 12. THE PROJECT Extending the space with an orangery and reconfiguring the layout, in a detached Victorian house near Bristol. TOTAL COST £70,000 THE PROBLEM The previous kitchen was dark, too hot in summer, with a lack ofworktops THE SOLUTION ‘Installed in 2011, long before we moved in, the original kitchen had hardly any worktop space and the Aga made it too hot in the summer. It was also dark. We knocked down an external wall and added an orangery, rather than replacing the old conservatory, which was the best thing we did. The kitchen is by Harvey Jones, who offered to manage the project and source tradespeople, which really appealed…

HOME NOTES HOMEOWNERS Martin and Sarah Williams live here with their children, Matilda, eight, and Jacob, six. Martin is a solicitor and Sarah is an accountant. PROPERTY A four-bedroomed, threestorey Victorian terraced house in Chiswick, London. ARCHITECT William Tozer Associates (williamtozerassociates.com) BUILDERS ZUZ Construction TOTAL COST £320,000 THE PROBLEM The ground floor bathroom blocked the small kitchen from access to the back and garden views THE SOLUTION ‘Our clients wanted to replace the traditional Victorian layout of boxy rooms with a bright, kitchen-living-dining space that had lots of natural light and views to the garden,’ explains Tom Shelswell, senior associate at William Tozer Associates. ‘Work started by taking out the back of the house at ground level, plus the wall into the side return. During construction we always enjoy the…

BEFORE YOU BUY ■ You can pay as little as £15 for a toaster in the supermarket, but top brands such as Smeg and Dualit will set you back as much as £250 for a stylish statement option. There are plenty of great toasters for well under £50, but as a general rule the more you pay, the more features you’re likely to get as standard. Other extras can include a wider range of colours and a more sturdy-feeling metal exterior. ■ If there’s just one or two of you and you’re not a fan of fancy loaves, then a simple two-slot model with just a couple of functions will probably suffice. Twoslot models are also better if you’re a bit tight on space as the toaster generally has a…

Get financially fit for 2023 New Year, new you, right? Most of us focus on getting fitter physically, commit to a dry January or make other, more obscure resolutions. But here’s one everyone should make: get financially fitter. If it’s not already on your list, then there are plenty of things you can do to improve your financial health. Our money expert Kalpana Fitzpatrick shares her tips. REVIEW YOUR DEBTS Many people tend to start the New Year with a financial hangover; if you put your festive spending onto a credit card, then you could face the rest of 2023 paying off the debt. Now’s the time to take action. If you have a credit card bill and are paying interest, you may be able to shift your balance to…

'Try some simple stitching Consider stitching some thick coloured thread or butcher’s string through the paper before wrapping your present in it, echoing the look on plain kraft labels, too. It’s worth marking out and then punching holes in the paper before you stitch to avoid damaging it. 'Print with potatoes Simple, yet effective, plus a handy one you can get the kids involved in, the humble spud can have more than one job to play this Christmas. Carefully cut your potato in half and using a sharp knife, carve out a design of your choice. Our advice? Keep it simple, such as a star or a tree, as anything too fiddly will lose definition. A rustic look allows for imperfections. Dip into a shallow pot filled with a little…

I’ve never really understood the mad rush to take down Christmas decorations the moment the proceedings are over. It’s not like the weather outside is any less depressing on 12 January than it was on 25 December, so why not leave the fairy lights and tinsel where they are? Some people say post-Christmas detritus is depressing, like cold leftovers the morning after. This is incredibly wrong, starting with the fact that cold leftovers are truly the king of breakfasts. But do you know what’s a lot more depressing than Christmas decorations still up on 2 January? Sad-looking Christmas trees, lolling about in the road, cold and unloved, on 28 December. By early January, it’s a veritable tree massacre in the streets, and that’s just sad. Why be tied to the…

NEED TO KNOW Get savvy with your spending for 2023 With this being a turbulent time for our finances, make 2023 the year you get organised. Our very own columnist and finance guru Kalpana Fitzpatrick has linked up with online stationery brand Papier to produce a range of finance planners to help you get better at budgeting and create positive habits that support financial wellbeing. Available in a whole host of designs and patterns, covers can be personalised and each journal comes with helpful Money Mentor articles from Kalpana throughout. IH LOVES... Celebratory champagne coupes Star-Cut coupe glasses, £150 set of two, Richard Brendon 'What to do this month... LISTEN Tantalise your tastebuds and treat your ears to chef Angela Hartnett and radio DJ Nick Grimshaw discussing all things foodie,…

DREAM HOME HOME NOTES WHO LIVES HERE? Interior designer Josephine Maydon, her husband Will, who works in finance, and their daughters Bea, 18, Poppy 16, and Zara, 15. THE PROPERTY A five-bedroom new-build Georgian-style house, plus cottage, in Oxfordshire. The Maydon family live in a gorgeous Georgian property, sensitively extended during the Regency and Victorian eras. That, at least, is what the casual observer might at first glance assume. In truth, the property isn’t period at all: it’s a cleverly designed new build, constructed in 2014. ‘We moved from North Yorkshire in 2009 to be closer to family, so our girls and their cousins could grow up together,’ Josephine explains. Having found a gem of a plot, with a down-at-heel house on it, she and her husband Will wrote to…

Host New Year in style For a festive look that is natural and easy to achieve, lay a crisp linen cloth and add sprigs of evergreen foliage from the garden. Give it a twist... If you want to prepare your table in advance and are worried about foliage drying out, then go faux. Arrange a centrepiece Display tapered candles in clear wine bottles for an elegant touch. Fill with distilled water (to prevent clouding) and place sprigs of winter foliage inside. Give it a twist... Fill empty bottles with battery-operated fairy lights before adding a coloured candle to the bottleneck. Add a chair decoration Eye-catching ornaments on the back of chairs give an unexpected seasonal flourish. Embellish with glass baubles and sprigs of foliage. Give it a twist... Dry out…

It’s party season, and what better way to celebrate than putting on the glitz and ritz at home? From drinks to decorations, canapés to chairs, there’s plenty to think about. We asked three experts – an interiors stylist who styles big events for big brands, an event designer and stylist, and a co-founder of a hospitality group –to share their party tips… ‘I get so excited about the look I’d like to give a celebration,’ says Theoda, while Debbie loves to surprise her party people. ‘Transforming your home into a Christmas party space is all about changing your environment into a warm and cosy space that makes guests smile everywhere they look,’ says Debbie. Theoda adds, ‘The final effect is exciting, of course, but it’s all in the planning.’ ‘It’s…

1 INTRODUCE BERRY TONES TO YOUR DINING ROOM Conjure the spirit of Christmas with festive shades of mulberry and pomegranate, peppered with luxe golden touches. Swap white dinner candles and table linen for raspberry and berry shades. 2 ADD INTEREST TO YOUR LIVING ROOM WITH PATTERN To inject some colour and playfulness into your living room, look to patterned textiles as your go-to add on. Floor length curtains in a small-scale design won’t act as too big a distraction. Pile up the sofa with cushions in an array of colour and patterns, but stick to plain walls and furniture. COLOURS TO WOW 3 Elevate the dinner table by trimming each plate setting with a string of battery-powered fairy lights. 4 SEE IN THE CELEBRATIONS WITH PAPER DECORATIONS Look to paper…

PROJECT DETAILS WHO LIVES HERE? Kirsten Edwards, her husband Mark and their children, Georgia, 12, and Harry, nine. THE PROJECT A bathroom refit in a four-bed Arts and Crafts family house in Buckinghamshire. TOTAL COST £32,000 THE PROBLEM The room had not been updated for decades and had no shower THE SOLUTION ‘When we bought this house, in 2015, it hadn’t been touched in years. This bathroom, which is our en suite, had a green bath and basin, patterned wallpaper and a tatty, beige carpet. It’s a lovely size, but the lack of a shower was an issue. contacted Ripples to discuss a fresh layout. wanted a hotel-type feel that sat easily with the greys and whites I’ve used throughout the house. We replaced the bath with a roomy walk-in…

We all know how the New Year works, right? We’re supposed to stop eating chocolates wrapped in brightly coloured wrappers for breakfast and have a January clear-out in the house leaving our abodes as minimalistic as Kim Kardashian’s beige Hollywood mansion (where is all her stuff?). As much as I adore a good old-fashioned sort out, stuffing bin bags full of things I know I really don’t need so I can pass it on to the charity shop, I also feel a bit flat. January is the Monday of all the months. And I’m not great at coping with the pressure to reset and start over. So here is what I’m proposing we try. Yes, have a clear out if you want to. Yes, stop the festive daytime drinking if…