Posts

‘From deep wide drawers and pull-out shelving replacing standard cupboard interiors, to cleaning closets becoming pantries for tinned goods, open shelving for jars bottles and spices, even the smallest of kitchens can be well organized with some clever thinking,’ says George Forsyth, director of Drew Forsyth & Co. Rule number one when organizing a kitchen ­whatever its size – don’t waste storage space on items you don’t need/use. With that in mind, decluttering is usually the best place to start when organizing a small kitchen in particular....

An on-trend shade conjuring up soothing and sophistication, pink works well with many colors, such as calmer greens, blues and greys or striking hot shades of red, orange and yellows. For a subtler style, a tonal use creates a spacious look, linking decor, homewares and linens in your bedroom ideas. Pink bedroom ideas – 10 ways to introduce this delicate color palette in your home When browsing for ideas for your pink bedroom, know that this is a color that can be used across a whole house, and not just girls’ rooms....

Factor in shade as part of your pool ideas and it will make the area around the pool a pleasant place to spend time when the mercury is high, allowing family and friends to stay close to the water without overheating. Here, we’ve collected pool shade ideas that will complement the style of your yard and make it a comfortable place to spend time in the heat. Pool shade ideas There are a whole host of ways to incorporate pool shade ideas into your design, including built solutions like pergolas and pool houses, living shade in the form of planting, and flexible solutions like pool umbrellas and cabanas....

Knowing how to prune an apple tree that is trained brings real advantages and there are just a few key steps to understand to help ensure you get tasty fruit year-after-year. I have been fortunate enough to look after a couple of large apple tree collections. One was an old orchard that was maintained and harvested for an annual apple festival celebrating all things apples. The other was in a walled garden that was full of espalier fruit trees....

Enter the shed office, also known as the backyard office or pod office. Whatever you call it, it’s essentially a small building in your yard that you use for work. It can be a retrofitted garden shed, a custom-built unit complete with flooring and windows, or a small do-it-yourself build. The benefits of the office shed are, first, that you set some physical distance between your home and your work, and second, that you don’t have to siphon office space from your home’s existing floorplan....

Designing any kitchen is a big undertaking, but when space is at a premium, creating a functional space that looks good can be even more tricky, but, with some creative thinking and clever small kitchen ideas and Ikea room ideas, there’s a whole host of possibilities. From fitted modular cabinet systems to freestanding pieces, Ikea kitchen ideas offer a wide range of solutions specifically designed for small spaces and in styles to suit all tastes....

So imagine our delight last week, while researching new coffee table decor ideas, when we came across the latest trend to have crept into celebrity homes (and, of course, their Instagram accounts): coffee table book stacking. Thanks largely to interior decorators’ long-standing love affair with it, book stacking isn’t a new coffee table styling idea. Neither is displaying our prized books, which predates the arrival of coffee in Europe; back in the late 1500s, ‘books to lay in the parlor window’ made them a popular accessory to interior design....

But how do the experts find the balance? By bringing the kitchen triangle rule into their homes – and consequently avoiding the single biggest kitchen design mistake that you can make. The time-honored kitchen triangle has established itself as a pillar of design – used to make kitchen layouts more efficient and cooking simple. The triangle refers to three key kitchen features: the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove – which should be laid out to resemble a triangle....

The home on Shelter Island, just east of New York City, has ocean views, its own jetty and landing stage on the waterfront, plus a generous backyard with mature trees and neat gardens. The property is an 1870s Victorian home that started as a small cottage and has been expanded over the years. Designer Alfredo Paredes (opens in new tab), who bought the house nine years ago, has restored it inside and out....

‘This area is one of the few areas in Australia that enjoys the traditional four seasons, it reminded me of my roots in Rutland and Cornwall,’ says James Watts, managing director of Australian rug company, Armadillo (opens in new tab). James was keen to swap the city life he had enjoyed in Sydney for the past 25 years for a more quintessential British country village meets undiscovered Australian country outpost with his partner Tony Chapman....

The pantry ingredient is a reliable way to clean many things around the house and cleaning with vinegar is often included in cleaning tips frequently include it because it’s non-toxic and inexpensive as well as effective. But vinegar is an acid, so while it’s ideal for some jobs such as removing limescale, the same action can cause harm to other surfaces. Here, we’ve put together a list of the things you shouldn’t clean with vinegar (even if you see recommendations to do so by searching online)....

Here, we’ve listed the top five garden landscaping ideas from across its verdant 250-acres, so you can inject elements of its ambiance across your own garden – and turn your exteriors into a museum of beautiful botany. 1. Break up with your open concept garden Open-plan gardens had enjoyed several seasons at the peak of the garden design industry, but their time may be coming to an end. Naturally, The New York Botanical Garden dispensed with that long ago....

Well, with a handful of design-led new hotels in the Caribbean opening their doors this year, there hasn’t been a better time to start that sun-seeking search. From sparkling seas and your own beachside villa in the Turks & Caicos, to understated luxury and refined elegance at a true boutique hotel in St Barths, discover five new hotels in the Caribbean to put on your must-visit list below. See: Best design hotels in the world – our most coveted global destinations...

Located in the genteel neighborhood of Hancock Park, the home was redesigned by JDP Interiors for a young family who were looking for modern interiors that were fun and youthful. ‘The clients wanted a comfortable home with modern elements that seamlessly blended with the traditional style of the home,’ says Joyce Downing Pickens of JDP Interiors. We think it’s beautiful – but why not take the tour yourself, then hop over to our page dedicated to the world’s best homes to see more wonderful projects....

With its sumptuous shapes and spectrum of colors, this maximalist interior design trend is a carnival of creativity across the art and decor industry – but its daring aesthetic can be hard to curate. Here, designers share their expert styling tips to leave your home feeling more like MoMA and less like an art retreat gone wrong. Why is abstract art trending? As our homes slowly become more sociable (in ways beyond video calls), rug designer Sonya Winner (opens in new tab) suggests that the abstract art trend allows us to reflect our personal positively and enrich our spaces with joy....

The New Jersey-based manufacturers have disclosed their five best-selling shades with H&G – and the results are clear: green, gray, and blue lives on. Joining Aegean Teal at the peak color trends are Hale Navy (opens in new tab), a highly saturated shade of navy blue, and Edgecomb Gray (opens in new tab) – a timeless gray with contemporary overtones. Another gray hue, Revere Pewter (opens in new tab), took fourth place, and Pale Oak (opens in new tab), a subtle neutral inspired by a white oak tree, came fifth....

The hue in question is Blank Canvas – described as a ‘welcoming warm white’ that is powerful enough to sit alone – but versatile enough to work alongside other color trends in the seasons ahead. ‘Blank Canvas (opens in new tab) effortlessly offers a clean and inviting blank slate that allows individuality and creativity to flow freely,’ says Erika Woelfel, Vice President of Color and Creative Services at Behr Paint Company....

Striking paint ideas for every room make all the difference, and Behr Paint Company has curated a new collection of paints designed to increase the value of your property. Behr drew upon recent research by Zillow, which surveyed almost 1,300 prospective buyers in the US. According to the study, some paint colors – when used in the right rooms – could increase how much a buyer is willing to offer on a home by up to $5,000....

Not only do National Trust gardens provide a scenic (and socially distanced) day out, their gorgeous flower gardens, manicured lawns and quaint water features also provide the perfect inspiration for anyone looking to spruce up their own outdoor area. See:5 simple ways to maximise your garden space (opens in new tab) In the 125 years since its creation, the National Trust has cemented itself as the crème de la crème of historic buildings, beautiful landscaped gardens and gorgeous countryside....

Wireless doorbells are, in our opinion, the best choice for those looking for convenience, being much easier to install and uninstall when it comes to moving home. There are also many wire-free options from huge brands like Ring, Arlo, and Nest, so you don’t have to compromise on quality. Some of these doorbells also add much-needed peace of mind as security devices, whether your home already has one of the best home security systems installed or you are a complete newcomer to the world of smart security....