Your Home Apr-22

We’ve asked a lot of our kitchens in the last two years. More than just cooking, dining and socialising zones, they have had to double up as offices and home schools as well. Well, we think that, with these extra duties, it’s time our kitchens became extra stylish too! In this special issue, you’ll find all sorts of ways to make your kitchen as pretty as it is practical, from easy updates, like how to add a breakfast bar or island (p52) to our guide to kitchen extensions (p112). You’ll also find lots of ideas to steal in our kitchen makeovers (from p26) – I love Beam’s thrifty upgrade, and I praise her patience for painting her floor! Look out for our Kitchens Special logo throughout the issue for more…

HOT FROM THE HIGH STREET Habitat Add a touch of retro with Habitat’s Fresh Vintage spring/ summer 2022 collection, which features layered prints and textiles in a sherbet colour palette. Elaborate details, such as scallop edges, embroidered cushions and hand-painted ceramics complete the look. Habitat’s Homewares Buying Manager, Anna Cross, suggests you try, ‘A statement bedlinen if you’re feeling bold or opt for a simple printed ceramic vase for a more subtle approach.’ Fresh florals Dunelm’s latest collection with Holly Willoughby features stunning bedding, as well as her first wallpaper and curtain designs. Holly says, ‘I adore nature and I’ve always been influenced by pretty florals and foliage. My vision with this new collection was to “bring the outside in”, so the designs are still pretty and feminine, but also…

We’re reading… Extraordinary Escapes: Unique and Wild Getaways Across the UK , £20 The official tie-in to Channel 4 show Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig features captivating homes around the UK, from stylish builds to nature-inspired hideaways. We’re following… @the_onyejis_ We love Sade’s home for its cosy, lived-in, boho vibe. Her styling top tip is to use similar colours in every room so the scheme flows – it also means you can switch pieces around to make a space feel new, yet stay within your budget. We’re going to… Grand Designs Live, 30th April to 8th May The design event returns to Excel London with panel discussions, expert advice, and exhibitions across kitchens and bathrooms, upcycling and more. Tickets from £12.…

Wild thing I recently picked up an old display cabinet from a local free site. I decided to take a risk and paint it black as it already had a gorgeous, mirrored gold-and-black back. I then added some matching leopard-print stickers and twinkling lights to finish it off. It’s now taken pride of place in my dining room and it gets lovely comments. Sue Steer, Stockton on Tees Tom, Section Editor, says: We love this project, Sue – it’s such a statement piece! Drinks parties have never looked so stylish to us. Small spaces I have a little corner area between my bedroom and en suite doors and I could never find any storage that would sit right inside it. My dad, Ernie, is a self-taught handy-man and my mum…

HOW TO... transform your kitchen on a budget If your kitchen has seen better days, you don’t need to rip it out and start again. It’s likely that there are specific features you don’t like – so tackle those first. Find out how to revamp them with these top tips… • Kitchen cabinets visually make up a large part of a kitchen, which often become the focus. However, if you don’t like them, they can be changed over a weekend. If they’re wooden, make sure you prep them with sugar soap, sandpaper and primer before painting. Laminate cupboards can also be painted – just make sure to use a very adhesive primer and double check the paint can be used on laminate. • Worktops can also be replaced, but these…

Mr Muscle oven cleaner, £3.50, Wilko This iconic brand is applied in a similar way to spray paint (which means no wrestling with a pump spray bottle) and is ideally left for 30 minutes before wiping. The cleaner smelt fairly strong – we found it best to ventilate the room. However, it didn’t linger once the oven had been cleaned. It took a bit of elbow grease to get some of the dirt off, and after two applications it still left behind some baked-on grease and grime, so it’s better suited to less heavy-duty jobs. For the price, we found it a good option for regular kitchen cleaning. Oven Mate daily oven cleaner spray, £5.99, Lakeland We expected serious cleaning power from this well-known brand, and it did a very…