Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Your Home

After the expense of Christmas and the January sales, February can often leave your bank balance feeling rather depleted. But a lack of funds doesn’t mean your home has to lack style. Which is why we’ve crammed this issue with heaps of thrifty tricks and bargain buys. Look for our little piggy-bank logo (left) throughout the mag for our money-saving must-haves and cash-savvy tips. On page 38 we’ve trawled the high street for the best budget buys to brighten up every room and they’re all under £50! If you want to freshen up your décor but don’t want to splash out, then turn to page 42 to discover some clever ways to use up leftover paint, tiles and wallpaper to create a stylish interior on a shoestring. Revamping your bathroom…

“My husband has recycled bits and pieces throughout our married life (53 years) and I would like to show you what he did for me with some odds and ends we had lying around. He made what I call a Shirley Valentine table from a Morris 8 car wheel, redundant fence posts, leftover plywood, scraps of decking and a colourful oil cloth. He painted the different elements to smarten it up and I hope you agree it looks very swish.” Sylvia Bailey, via email Your Home says What a resourceful way to recycle materials and put them to good use. We have to agree that your new table looks absolutely lovely, Sylvia!…

Great buy These Antibacterial Protective Coatings from Bioarmor-Nano provide easy wipe-on protection for your home surfaces. One application promises to reduce surface bacterial growth by up to 99.99% for up to three months. Better still, unlike many other antibacterial wipes, these are 100% biodegradable, so you can keep your home clean without harming the environment. Available for kitchen and bathroom (£14.99) as well as home tech (£9.99). Visit www.bioarmor-nano.com for more. Reduce excess packaging in your pantry with these easy-lock containers. Their minimal design will fit in with any storage space and they are airtight to ensure your ingredients stay fresh Have your cooking essentials in easy reach with this sleek storage rack, which is ideal if space is at a premium in your kitchen. It includes a shelf, hanging hooks…

These days, paying for anything from a cup of coffee to our utility bills is so much simpler thanks to smarter ways of paying, such as online banking, contactless cards and even phone apps that make the whole process so much quicker. No more waiting in a queue at the bank or ordering a new cheque book; things have moved on and then some, so here’s our handy guide with all you need to know. USING YOUR PHONE As well as contactless cards, you can also use your smartphone to pay for items: • Simply add your card to your payment-enabled mobile phone or other smart device, look for the contactless symbol on the payment terminal at the checkout and hold your phone over the symbol to pay. • You…

According to a research carried out by Origin Frames, Imperfections, such as worn chairs and marks on the walls, are what makes a house a home for more than a quarter of homeowners (26%). The same number feel that they grow a sentimental attachment to furniture and home items the longer they are owned. “The longer we own something, the more it becomes an important factor in turning bricks and mortar into somewhere we consider our home.” Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin Frames…

When Alexis Farmer relocated from London to her two-bedroom, period cottage in Suffolk, her first priority was to add a single-storey extension in order to help open up her tiny galley kitchen. “This not only allowed me to create my longed-for kitchen-diner, but also free up space in what was a cramped and awkwardly sited dining area, off the living room,” explains Alexis. Being a prolific knitter and crafter, she instantly recognised its potential as a dedicated craft room and office. STEP ONE Luckily for Alexis, her home had already been renovated by the previous owners, so no remedial work was required, allowing her to immediately turn her attention to matters of décor. “My first task was to strip the room of its worn carpet and while I had hoped…

uPVC windows, £100 each; door, £180. Chilli Billie wood-burning stove including flue and chimney, £1,000, all Chilli Penguin. Wood stain, £22 per 2.5l, Cuprinol. Laminate flooring, £10 per sq m; metal shelving, £20, both IKEA. Wicker dog basket, £285, OKA. Notice board, £25; pheasant lamp, £70; table runner, £40; tweed cape, £280, Home Tweed Home. Birds on stand, £14 each, Time and Tide. Rug, £35; industrial-style desk lamp, £40; wooden dog, £30, all TK Maxx. Metal chair, £35; clock, £28; pendant light, £16, all The Range. Zinc-topped console, £280; zinc-edged cabinet, £200, both Rejects. Pyramid wooden shelving, £90, Sainsbury’s. Clock, £39, Homer. Potting bench sink unit, £120 Garden Trading. Bunting, £11, B&Q. Table £22; fretwork fronted cabinet, £200, both Drum Farm Antiques…

Twist and shout! Get great coffee in under 30 seconds Barista & Co’s new Twist Press produces high-quality, smooth coffee in less than half a minute. The twist design gives you full control over the press speed meaning that the finished result is never bitter. Just spoon your preferred grounds into the chamber, pour over hot water, brew and then twist into the mug. As an added bonus, the press is easily transportable so you can enjoy your favourite coffee blend whether you’re in the office or out on a hike. Available to purchase for £29.99 from www.baristaandco.com. RAISE THE BAR Ditch the bottled shower gel that drains away as fast as water in an unplugged bath and instead opt for a more economical and environmentally friendly alternative: the classic…

1 Remove the door knobs before you start painting. 2 Give the doors a good wash to remove any grease and dirt. 3 Once dry, remove any peeling paint and sand the surface. Even a high gloss or laminate surface will benefit from being ‘roughed up’ a bit with a sanding block. Remember to wipe away any dust after sanding. 4 Apply a primer to the surface. Alternatively use a paint and primer in one. 5 Paint the surfaces with a highly washable interior kitchen paint that’s suitable for cabinet doors. 6 A small paint roller will give a smoother finish, but if you are using a brush, use one with synthetic bristles to avoid brush marks.…

WHO LIVES HERE? Carly Fee, a funeral celebrant and her husband, Simon, a counsellor, rented their four-bedroom maisonette in Wallsend for two years before buying it in 2015. The property occupies the top two floors of a three-storey Victorian house. WHAT WAS THE OLD SPACE LIKE? ‘The house had been let to students and was run-down. The grubby white tiles and sanitaryware made the room feel cold. The basin was cracked and the shower stall’s flimsy door juddered open.’ WHAT’S YOUR TOP TIP? ‘The vinyl floor looks as convincing as tiles but is much more forgiving underfoot.’ ANY MONEY-SAVING IDEAS? ‘Pick one feature item and go for quality as it elevates the look of the more affordable pieces in the room. My green tiles are high impact and were quite…

YOU WILL NEED ● pencil ● thick paper or card ● scissors ● 1m each of Clio Mineral, Batik Mineral, Nusa Aqua, Alora Peacock, Alora Azure and Alora Delft fabrics, from £15 per m, all Studio G ● tape measure ● pins ● sewing machine and thread ● 1mm thick felt in natural beige and dark turquoise, £1.25 per sheet, Wool Felt Company ● Big Shot die-cutting machine and alphabet dies (optional), Sizzix ● fabric glue ● needle ● iron Not many of us can say we enjoy doing the washing – but having somewhere pretty to help organise those dirty clothes can make the job a little more attractive. Create colourful laundry hampers from printed cotton, then add labels for each type of washing to make the designs really…

ON PAPER The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a celebration of Victorian industry. Whirring cotton mills and treasures from all over the British Empire were brought to The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. One of the new technologies showcased here was cheap and bountiful wallpaper printing with more intricate patterns and use of colour. But many leading designers and educators didn’t approve. Discover what the fuss was all about at The Whitworth in Manchester until 1st July, at its free exhibition, Unreformed. You’ll see some of the offending papers, as well as the designs considered to be ‘good’ taste at the time, exhibited alongside patterns that are available today; whitworth.manchester.ac.uk. LEARN A SKILL: A stitch in time We all have a jumper that’s wearing thin at the elbows, or a…

Heidi makes her own wire words, but if crafting isn’t for you, buy them ready made. Gold Laugh wire word, £9.50, Bombay Duck This oversized metal clock will tick all your statement-wall boxes. Large black iron skeleton wall clock, £48.95, Melody Maison Choose patterned black and white floor tiles for a sophisticated effect. Derby Pattern porcelain tile, £16.99 per sq m, Tile Mountain A chrome, globe ceiling light will take centre stage and brighten up any room. Aria Lace Ball pendant, £32, Dunelm Rounded cabinets soften the look of a fitted kitchen and make it feel more welcoming. 150mm single base unit, prices start from £47.32, DIY Kitchens Start off your collection of decorative wall plates with this stylish set of six. Royal Doulton Pacific porcelain tapas plates in blue,…

Go for an industrial-style bed like the one that Paul created for the loft bedroom. Brooklyn natural solid oak and metal kingsize bed, £649.99, Oak Furnitureland Be inspired by Claire and Paul’s bird artwork in the living room. Large Pablo pink parrot print, £65, Audenza Colourful vintage-style rugs break up Claire’s dark dining room floor. Dutchbone bid antique-style Persian rug in old red, £279, Cuckooland Pick white pendants to hang above a dining table for a stylish look against dark walls. Marsh white pendant light, £85, Habitat Create a desert feel, with some on-trend cactus accessories. Ceramic cactus, £6.99, HomeSense…

Choose a sofa in a contrasting colour to add a focal point in the living room. Becca two-seater sofa in mineral blue, £549, Made.com A patterned cushion in a palm print adds interest to a plain sofa. Palm leaf velvet cushion, £30, Cult Furniture Button-back dining chairs add a touch of luxury. Regent button-back dining chair, £89, Cult Furniture Mix and match metallic accents in a room to add some timeless style. Gold round side table, £79, M&S Patterned floor tiles add a feature in a plain bathroom. Retromix Star floor tile, £1.07 each, The London Tile Co Plants, fake or real, bring life to every room. Zebra plant in ceramic pot with stand, £45, M&S…

Chicken and butternut Madras PREPARATION TIME 10 MINUTES COOKING TIME 4 0 MINUTES SERVES 4 ★ 1 tbsp sunflower oil ★ 1 large onion, chopped ★ 1 pack Essential Waitrose 6 British chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks ★ 2 tbsp Patak’s Madras spice paste ★ 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3cm cubes ★ 400g can Essential Waitrose chopped tomatoes ★ 150g pot natural yogurt ★ 28g pack fresh coriander, leaves roughly chopped ★ naan, to serve ■ Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the chicken and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. ■ Stir in the curry paste, squash, tomatoes and 150ml of water. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes,…

If you’re planning on bringing a touch of luxury to your home improvements – think parquet flooring, timeless wood panelling, exposed-brick walls – you don’t have to blow the budget. Thanks to the latest lookalike materials you can achieve a quality look at a fraction of the cost of the real thing. Opt for affordable vinyl and laminate, faux wallcoverings and clever paint tricks, and you can give your décor a quality nip and tuck with cash left over to splash on that statement sofa. Floors with flair EXPERT COMMENT ‘In recent years there have been many innovations in flooring. Materials such as laminate, vinyl and luxury vinyl can create incredibly realistic effects such as slate, wood and stone. Before purchasing, look at whether the detail replicates the desired style’s…

A Abel & Cole 03452 62 62 62 www.abelandcole.co.uk Abigail Ahern 020 7354 8181 www.abigailahern.com Abode Living 01273 621116 www.abodeliving.co.uk Amara 0800 587 7645 www.amara.com Amazon www.amazon.co.uk Annie Sloan 01993 770061 www.anniesloan.com Anthropologie 00800 0026 8476 www.anthropologie.com A0.com 0344 324 9222 www.ao.com Argos 0345 640 2020 www.argos.co.uk Artisanti 0345 259 1410 www.artisanti.com Asda 0800 952 0101 www.asda.com Atrafloor 0151 305 7376 www.atrafloor.com Audenza 0116 298 6393 www.audenza.com B B&M 0330 8389000 www.bmstores.co.uk B&Q 0333 014 3357 www.diy.com Bathrooms to Love 0800 8 77 88 99 www.bathroomstolove.uk Barista & Co 01202 619 500 www.baristaandco.com Barker & Stonehouse 0333 355 8206 www.barkerandstonehouse. co.uk Bathroom Takeaway 0333 305 8200 www.bathroomtakeaway.com Bathstore 0330 053 5661 www.bathstore.com Benjamin Moore Paint 01753 575756 www.benjaminmoorepaint. co.uk Best4Flooring 0800 17 07 123 www.best4flooring.co.uk Blinds2go 0800 862 0464 www.blinds-2go.co.uk…

SMALL BUT MIGHTY Water is the main ingredient in most cleaners and shipping it uses energy that can be saved. Instead, mix a sachet of Clean Living’s biological cleaner with water to make a powerful product that’s gentle on the planet. Clean Living’s cleaners use ‘friendly bacteria’, which produce enzymes to break down dirt. Buy a Clean Living Starter Pack for £6.99 and you’ll get a reusable bottle, a microfibre cloth and a sachet of those hard-working bacteria. See www.cleanlivingint.com. A NEW LEAF Treat yourself to fresh lettuce when you want it and save a fortune on pre-packaged salad bags with this clever indoor garden. The Smart Garden’s adjustable LED lamp beams down the perfect light for plants to thrive. Pods containing Click and Grow’s nutrient-rich ‘Smart Soil’, complete…

THINGS WE CONSIDERED ● How easy was it to use? ● Did it catch the pips? ● How well did it juice the lemon? LEMON SQUEEZER, £2.95, REX LONDON Although not the sturdiest, this squeezer successfully extracts all the juice without too much exertion. Its seed-catching device is useful and it doubles up as a container for storing leftover juice – a nice touch. Its quirky lemon design means the squeezer won’t look out of place on your worktop and the spout feature makes it easy to pour out the juice! We love that this one comes with two different sized domes so you can juice any type of citrus. It successfully squeezes juice from a lemon, although it is not as simple to use as some of…

FIELD OF DREAMS Clarissa Hulse took inspiration from botanical forms for her new Ginkgo Patchwork range of home furnishings. She has depicted swaying grasses from Suffolk, delicate ferns from Grenada and falling leaves from a Ginkgo tree near her home, in warm mustard and orange tones. The cotton bed linen is available in sets from single to super-king size, with co-ordinating Oxford pillowcases. You can also pick up matching cushions and lined curtains, to cover your bedroom with botanical bliss. Prices start at £60. MINI TREND: SUNNY SIDE UP Banish the winter blues with a pop of egg yolk yellow. This shade will brighten up dark corners and lift your spirits while you wait for spring to arrive. This versatile hue will work equally well in a modern apartment…

Having recently opted to work from home in pursuit of a better work-life balance Louise Hanson, who lives in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in North Wales with her husband Pete, was keen to swap the dining room table for a dedicated office space. ‘I work in marketing, so while I still commute for meetings, the rest of my time is spent at home on the computer or speaking to clients, so my own office was a must,’ says Louise. Luckily, the solution was found in the couple’s under-used spare room. STEP ONE ‘When we first moved here, we simply stripped and painted the entire room white, including the floorboards,’ recalls Louise. However, with a new office on the cards she felt the scheme was a little stark and clinical. ‘I…

THE DETAILS PAINT £25.36 FLOORING £359.91 DESK £10 SEATING £335 STORAGE £125 LIGHTING £195 TOTAL £1,050.27 SHOPPING LIST Walls in Chic Shadow matt emulsion, £25.36 per 5l, Dulux. Sundown Pine Pulse Click vinyl plank flooring, £39.99 per sq m, Quick-Step. Vintage leather armchair, £320, eBay. Vintage bench, £20; painted chair, £15, Scott’s Furniture Mart. Tubu brass double spot light, £180, Nkuku. Fjällbo shelving unit, £9; Lerberg trestle legs, £5 each; Satsumas plant stand with pots, £35; Lönholt rug, £90; Forså work lamp, £15; Pollett wall clock, £25; Myrheden memo board with clips, £12; Flådis belly basket, £13; Risatorp light green basket, £10; Byholma rattan basket, £6; Pudda felt baskets, from £4.50; Nordrana hand crocheted baskets, £8 per pair; Knuff magazine files, £7 per pair; Livslång vase, £6; Lindrande glass box,…

Living room 1 Cushions are an easy way to update rooms in your home – shop smart and they don’t have to cost the earth Matte velvet cushion burnt orange, £12; loop tassel cushion, £16; birds cushion, £18; ribbed table lamp, £40; elegant twist lustre vase, £12; cable knit Sherpa throw, £40, all Fox & Ivy at Tesco 2 Help carpet or flooring last longer by laying a sumptuous rug over it – plus it’s soft underfoot Asiatic adorn faux sheepskin rug, from £39, Cult Furniture 3 At less than £50 this coffee table is a must-have Amsterdam coffee table, £49, Out & Out 4 Embrace the rich colours of the season with this beautiful buy Amelie metal wall clock, £25, M&S 5 Revive a tired armchair with this soft…

Wood Green gloss metro tiles, 200x100mm, £19.95 per sq m; Marvel 15x15cm Satin white wall tiles are similar, £10.95 per sq m; both Walls and Floors. White border tile, £3.10 each; bath panel and small table painted in Valspar’s Mum’s the Word, £28 per 2.5l; all B&Q. Forenza bath, £252, Wickes. Turin shower enclosure, £319.95; Olympia Art Deco basin mixer taps, £44.95; Olympia Art Deco bath shower mixer tap and shower kit, £99.95; Burlington Victorian basin is similar, £164.95; Burlington close coupled toilet is similar, £227.80; all Victorian Plumbing. Triton Kito chrome electric shower, £219, Amazon. Sintra Portuguese tile-effect cushioned vinyl flooring, £19.99 per sq m, Best4Flooring. Cambridge large traditional white towel rail and radiator, £269.97, Soak. Splash chrome-effect semi-flush bathroom light, £25, B&Q. Gold eye mirror, £15; gold fan…

RESIN-POUR TRAY Create an eye-catching marbled effect using coloured resins 1 Clean the inside of your tray thoroughly to ensure there’s no dust, then leave it to dry. Put down a plastic sheet to protect your worktop, then place your tray on it. Mix up four cups of resin in plastic cups, following the instructions on the packaging. Add a small amount of mica pigment to each one, then use lolly sticks to thoroughly mix the different colours. 2 Begin pouring your resins into the tray. We poured the Dreamy Aquamarine first, then swirled the other colours across it. Add a dab of white pigment in here and there using a toothpick, to react with the resin and add more movement to the design, then swirl the colours gently. 3…

‘To be honest, when we initially saw this place, there wasn’t much we liked about it. The price and size were the main things we fell in love with!’ laughs Heidi, remembering her first viewing of the house. The couple were living in a tiny two-bedroom property in a neighbouring village, but needed more space as Heidi was pregnant with their first child. ‘Everything at the house was in fairly good working order, if a bit tatty and old fashioned, but the décor was just not to our taste and the layout didn’t function well,’ says Heidi. But she admits to having a good eye for design and knows what she does and doesn’t like, while her husband Brendon can turn his hand to almost any form of DIY, so…

3 ways with... Cauliflower ● To roast a whole cauliflower, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Set the cauliflower on a baking tray and pour over 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over 1 tsp each of cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, 1-2 crushed garlic cloves and a drizzle over a little more olive oil then return it to the oven to roast for another 10 minutes. Serve whole with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs sprinkled on top. ● For gluten-free pizza, blitz Ω a chopped and cooked cauliflower in a food processor until a couscous texture is formed. Add to a bowl and stir in 1 beaten egg and 50g Parmesan until the…

Your Letters, Your Home magazine, Immediate Media Co, Eagle House, Colston Avenue, Bristol BS1 4ST or email yourhome@immediate.co.uk Letters may be edited. We apologise but photos cannot be returned. Courtesy of Dibor, this issue’s letter of the month will receive a Wooden heart-shaped cheese board along with a Stag head cheese knife set worth £45. Three runners-up will each receive a Family photo album box worth £25. Find out more about Dibor and their products at www.dibor.co.uk.…

SMART SAVINGS Re-usable coffee cups are all the rage. But they’re not just better for the planet, they’re better for your bank balance too. Most big-name coffee shops offer discounts if you use a re-usable cup. Greggs gives 20p off, Costa and Starbucks 25p, and Pret a whopping 50p. Even if you have a takeaway coffee just once a week, that could add up to a saving of £26 a year! That’s enough to buy 10 bags of ground coffee. YH FAB FIND Just Park is a free-to-download app (and website) that lets you book car park spaces across the UK. Say goodbye to the stress of battles for parking and instead choose your location, compare prices and reserve a space for hourly, daily or even monthly durations. And if…

Dig out your wobbly pottery, frame your children’s masterpieces and step away from the iron because this trend is all about the human touch. This imperfect style has blossomed as an alternative to the stark, crisp lines of the digital aesthetic. With modern technology becoming an increasingly bigger part of our lives, we’re spending more time touching flat, glass screens and slickly moulded metal. These materials can seem cold and impenetrable, which creates a sense of distance between us and our surroundings and leaves us with a yearning for warm, tactile surfaces – such as velvet and wood. We’re also seeing the popularity of pieces that have a handmade or rustic quality grow, as these items retain a sense of the person behind the piece long after it’s been made…

THE DETAILS PAINT & WALL STICKER £182 DESK TOP £27 SHELVING £118.48 SEATING £109 FLOORING £84.99 LIGHTING £59.99 BLIND £150 RADIATOR COVER £77 TOTAL £808.46 SHOPPING LIST Walls painted in Hicks Blue absolute matt emulsion, £45 per 2.5l; shelving in Hicks Blue and desk in Scree, both intelligent eggshell, £31 per 1l, all Little Greene. 18mm hardwood plywood sheet, £27 per 1.8m; Mayfair white radiator cover, £77, both B&Q. Spruce boards, £9.98 per 1.75m; pine stripwood, £8.25 per 2.4m, both Homebase. Large Moda Trellis rug, £84.99; faux fur grey rug (on chair), £25, both The Rug Seller. Made-to-measure Wood Illusions 50mm slat Lunaire blind, £150 (incl. measuring and installation), Hillarys. DAW style chair, £69, Cult Furniture. Skogsta bench, £40; Härliga glass dome, £8; potted euphorbia, £15, all IKEA. Dream Big…

Installing a new worktop or tap is a great way to give your kitchen a cost-effective makeover. Alternatively, updating your appliances can make a big difference. Lisa Ratcliffe, Category Manager for Core Kitchens, Wickes Splashbacks are not always a crucial part of the kitchen, instead paint the wall a striking colour with moisture-resistant paint. Hayley Simmons, Head of Merchandising for Magnet Always spend time on planning and budgeting when considering a kitchen makeover. Hayley Simmons, Head of Merchandising for Magnet…

YOU’LL NEED ● armchair ● staple remover ● seam ripper ● scissors ● 3m each of Alvar Velvet in the colours Teal and Charcoal, £20.50 per m, Clarke & Clarke ● dressmaker’s chalk ● sewing machine and strong thread suitable for upholstery ● staple gun, £6, and staples, £2, both Hobbycraft ● upholstery tacks ● hammer This comfy old chair was purchased years ago for just £50 at a charity shop, but the fabric covering it was thin and it soon started to show signs of wear. The chair was still sound underneath the ripped outer fabric, so rather than send it to landfill we decided to recover it using simple upholstery techniques that can be completed in just a few days at home. We now have a bespoke, luxurious…

QI have a wooden cabin in my garden and I’d like to install a wood-burner so it’s usable in winter. Which kind of stove would be suitable and are there any safety restrictions? Tim Smith, via email A Chris Baines, Managing Director of Mendip Stoves, has the following advice... There are various safety considerations that need to be addressed when you’re installing a wood-burning stove. Probably the most important is the Distance to Combustibles (DTC) specification. At Mendip Stoves, we have two stoves with very low DTC specifications: the Woodland Convector Plus, which only requires 100mm to the rear and sides, and the Loxton 3 Convector Plus, which needs 100mm to the rear and 200mm to the sides. You will also need a 12mm-deep non-combustible floor below the stove, usually…

OUR HOME IS A four-bedroom detached house in Bowerhill, Wiltshire, built in 1990. WE ARE Heidi Ford, my husband Brendon, Millie aged seven, Violet, four, and Willow who’s one, plus several pets. MY DECORATING SECRET IS Buy tester pots! So many times, we’ve bought paint and it’s been so much darker or completely different to what we expected. TOP TIP Don’t expect your home to ever be finished. I’m always looking at how we can update or refresh a room. SHOPS I LOVE ARE Sainsbury’s Home range and H&M, plus HomeSense as it always has one-offs or something unusual. FOR INSPIRATION I go to places like nice pubs and spend hours on Instagram – my own account is @thenotsobighouse.…

WE ARE Claire Air, 37, head of client services for an advertising agency, my husband Paul, 38, team manager at Sage, and our daughter Wren, one. OUR HOME Is a four-bedroom Victorian terraced house in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (@our_home_on_sandridge on Instagram). MY BEST BARGAIN IS The huge Alexander & James sofas we found on Gumtree for £750 (around £5,000 new). MY TOP TIP Is to start with what you’ve got before spending lots of money. Things can take on a new life in a different room. MY FAVOURITE ROOM IS The top-floor loft bedroom/office. It’s my happy place!…

WE ARE Interior designer Leila Talmadge and husband Dale Tod, a positive psychology coach, and our two French Bulldogs Marlene and Rodney. OUR HOME Is a two-bedroom lower ground floor flat, which was a former townhouse built in 1895. OUR STYLE IS Vintage one-off pieces for me, while Dale loves clean, modern items. I love bold darker colours, whereas my husband loves bright pops of colour. I BOUGHT THE HOUSE Because of the period details and the potential I could see in it. Plus the stairway to nowhere! MY TOP TIP Is to incorporate vintage items into a design scheme. It saves money and creates a unique look. MY FAVOURITE ROOM Is our master bedroom. After years of living in homes with white walls due to lack of space and…

Lentil and mushroom cottage pie PREPARATION TIME 15 MINUTES COOKING TIME 50 MINUTES SERVES 2 ★ 500g potatoes ★ 35g sun-dried tomatoes ★ 1 onion ★ 2 carrots ★ 1 celery stick ★ 200g Portobello mushrooms ★ 2 garlic cloves ★ a handful of thyme leaves ★ 400g tin of green lentils ★ 40g tomato ketchup ★ sea salt ★ 200ml boiling water ★ 2 tbsp olive oil ★ freshly ground pepper ■ Fill a large pan with water and add a pinch of salt. Scrub and peel the potatoes, then chop them into small, bite-sized chunks. Slide the potatoes into the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until you can crush them with a fork. ■ Meanwhile, fill your kettle and boil it. Slice the…

Clean and clear Fed up with cleaning windows in hard to reach places, like conservatory roofs and sky lights? Getting that difficult bit of dirt off glass panes positioned high on your house and at an awkward angle is now a thing of the past thanks to the new Activ range of glass products from Pilkington. Activ glass combines self-cleaning and solar-controlled properties to keep the surface free from grime and crystal clear. Dirt is broken down by UV rays and is then washed away by rain, leaving you free to simply sit back and enjoy the view. Pilkington Activ Range, price on request, www.pilkington.com Built to last Keeping your garden fence shipshape can be time consuming and messy, so it’s understandable that many of us leave that job at…

When Charlotte Watkins and Alex Mintram decided to set up home together, they struggled to find a house in their price range close to where they both work in the Southampton area. ‘We were beginning to lose heart when my mum came to the rescue,’ says Charlotte. ‘She went online and found us a two-bedroom/two-bathroom flat that was affordable, in the right location and needed very little work. Up to that point we hadn’t considered buying a flat, but as soon as we saw this one, we fell in love with it and knew just how we could make it perfect for us.’ A big attraction of the six-year-old flat was the large kitchen/dining area complete with fully fitted units and appliances. ‘We’re so lucky that everything was already here…