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Also known as ladies’ fingers, okra can be eaten raw in salads, as well as roasted, grilled or sautéed for a delicious side dish. This versatility makes it an excellent addition to your kitchen garden ideas. While okra’s pods can be cooked whole, when chopped they release a natural thickener into the cooking liquid, which is widely used to improve the consistency of gumbo and stews. They are packed with nutrients, offering an excellent source of Vitamin C, B and K1, as well as magnesium and folate....

Not just tasty, chives are also a beautiful perennial. Producing pompom pink-purple flowers from late spring to late summer, they put on a stunning display that’s also popular with pollinators. Use them as edging, to make a statement in planters or grow them as companion planting alongside roses, tomatoes or cucumbers to keep pests at bay. The striking blooms are edible too – with a tangy onion taste – so add them to soups and salads as a colorful garnish....

Fresh leaves and flowers can be made into a health boosting tea – said to soothe coughs, sour throats and stomach upsets – making it a staple in many herb gardens. Naturally high in thymol, oregano is widely known, and prized, for its antiseptic and germ-killing qualities and has long been used in products ranging from mouthwashes to industrial disinfectants. The essential oil has even been credited with successfully combatting the super-bug MRSA....

We often do not spend much time in our entryways, so heating it up all day makes very little sense financially. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make the area look and feel warmer – from thick thermal textiles to adding the right lighting. Here, experts have explained seven ways you can keep an entryway warm without heating in winter. How to keep an entryway warm without heating Entryways can be awkward spots to keep warm, but as the first place you see when coming in from the cold, it is important to keep it feeling cozy....

But if you’ve ever tried arranging an Easter basket so that it looks somewhat celebratory and fun, you’ll know that there’s more to it than that. The chocolate bunny doesn’t stand up straight, and all the jelly beans get lost in the grass and sink straight to the bottom. Alas, the covetable stuffed-to-the-brim Easter basket look takes style (and strategy). To help bring out your inner Easter bunny, we, with the help of a few experts, have compiled a few tips for conjuring up the best Easter basket ideas so that you can master this traditional Easter decorating idea and gift....

Line is an important consideration in interior design in order to make a room well-balanced and visually pleasing, and here I examine how to introduce curves and the effect they will have. 1. Contrast curves with formal lines Curves work equally as well in a traditional setting as in a contemporary scheme, though I find the style works best when you include a mix of classic furniture alongside modern, curved elements....

The 2022 Kips Bays Decorator Show House Palm Beach, which opened March 4, expects to welcome some 15,000 visitors through its doors before it closes on April 3. This year’s decked-out rooms were created by 24 of the nation’s top designers, including Tiffany Brooks, Paloma Contreras, and Sarah Bartholomew. ‘We’re incredibly excited that the Show House is now open to the public,’ says James Druckman, president of the board of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club....

When it comes to decorating ideas, many designers think of this shade as a feminine alternative to grey. Pretty in color and quiet in tone, lilac creates the perfect backdrop without being too stark or too overbearing. Understanding color lies at the root of all interior design decisions. If in doubt, consulting the color wheel – and basic color theory – will ensure your decorating scheme flows effectively from room to room....

Whether you’re a lover of formal dinner parties, or your approach to mealtimes is more relaxed, how you decorate your dining room ideas will have a big impact on its feel. Our key contemporary dining room ideas and design rules will guide you whatever your space – from a separate dining room to an eating zone in an open-plan area. Modern dining room ideas Modern dining room ideas need not be so slick they’re cold – you can use color, pattern and beautiful furniture and accessories to add character and interest....

‘Oftentimes when designing a collection, there’s a tendency to try and add a lot of bells and whistles,’ Nate told Homes & Gardens. ‘What was really fun for Jeremiah and I, because this is really representative of where we are at right now, is we wanted to make it clean, simple and straightforward,’ The collection epitomizes minimalistic living and celebrates natural design. Each item in the 42-piece collection has been designed to layer with existing home decor ideas, with a prominent focus on the living room, dining room and bedroom....

Inspired by the natural environment, in a naturalistic planting design the layout will mimic the natural self-seeding and spontaneous spreading as you might find in a meadow or in a woodland, depending on the chosen habitat. The trick is getting this carefully planned planting palette to look like it has occurred naturally, but the style can be combined with many other garden ideas in traditional or modern backyards. There are many ways that you can incorporate naturalistic planting into flower bed ideas, in either a small or a large way....

Often listed amongst the top indoor plants, orchids are native to tropical climates, orchids like warmth, so make sure they are kept out of cold drafts. ‘While people can often be intimidated by orchid maintenance, in reality these tropical flowers are very easy to care for,’ says Paige Harmon at Westerlay Orchids (opens in new tab). ‘Finding just the right area in your home that provides the best light and temperature is the first step to good orchid care....

Originally used as an insulation technique, paneling ideas for walls are often associated with traditional interiors, however, recent trends show that they are becoming a firm favorite for decorating and updating interior spaces, both classic and contemporary, adding a beautiful, decorative element to the home. Using paneling paint ideas allows you to get creative with color and texture in your space. Whether you keep things simple with subtle shades for bathroom paneling ideas, or choose bold paint colors to make a striking statement for stair paneling ideas, using paint to enhance the paneling in your home is a great way to create a unique architectural feature....

From the deepest aubergine shades and striking royal purples, through to lavender, pinky mauves and soft lilac, purple is a versatile color which can be used to create myriad looks in the home, from bold and beautiful violet dining spaces or a moody dark purple study, to a restful pastel bedroom. With so many ways to use purple within interior design it’s hard to know where to begin, so we’ve rounded up a selection of sophisticated and stylish ways of decorating with purple to help get you inspired, alongside handy tips from the experts....

Another reason to keep them organized is that it makes them easier to find, you know, that morning rush when you can’t find one of your favorites, or you simply want to keep your hallway or closet neat and tidy. All you need to do is choose what works best for you – hidden behind a wardrobe door? Or out on display? The options for shoe storage are endless....

On the other hand, freestanding bathroom storage ideas can add texture, interest and character to a space, allowing you to solve two design dilemmas at once. Below we showcase the best shower storage ideas to suit every space, large or small. Shower storage ideas Whether you’re looking for storage for walk-in-showers or for family bathrooms that includes a shower cubicle, these ideas will solve all your clutter woes. 1. Sneak a shelf or two on the side If you are looking for shower room ideas that make the most of vertical space, you can create a niche with your shower cubicle in which to put useful shelves, whether hidden or on display....

Turn your bedroom into an oasis from the rat race by creating a pared-back aesthetic, free from the noise of life and set up for relaxation. A simple decor scheme is one of our favorite bedroom ideas. Using a limited color palette, minimalist storage solutions and a reigned-in approach to decorative extras can create a beautiful sleep space at any size. Simple bedroom ideas To help inspire a bedroom scheme where restraint reigns, we have asked the experts for their top simple bedroom ideas, and found a selection of elegant rooms that embrace the simple life....

Clothing storage ideas are key to organizing a bedroom, and by re-jigging the space and re-homing those garments and shoes that you no longer need, you will discover that it’s not only easier to find what you need fast, but it will also emerge from the closet uncreased and unscathed. So, whatever your small bedroom storage ideas, these ideas for storing clothes will transform your space. Small bedroom clothes storage ideas Ideas for storing clothes really start with closet organization ideas, since more space doesn’t necessarily mean more storage....

Evocative of North Africa to Italy and South-East Asia, this clay-inspired color is named from ‘terra cocta’, which in Latin means ‘baked earth’. Not quite decorating with red, and not quite decorating with orange, terracotta brings its own unique atmosphere to a room. Terracotta clay is a centuries-old material that has been widely used for sculptures and pots, as well as architectural decoration. When used in decorating, terracotta is a giving shade, either playing its part as an accent color, or as the main backdrop in a decorating scheme....

This innovative toaster design features a smart touchscreen display, where you can choose exactly what you want to toast and how you want it to be toasted, allowing for you to have a perfect, speedy toasting experience with little fuss. Listed as one of the best toasters on Oprah’s Favorite Things (opens in new tab) of 2022, she describes the design as, ’the iPhone of toasters’. And even better, this holiday season, multiple Revolution InstaGLO Toaster models are on sale – so make the most out of these great discounts before they disappear, and purchase one of the smartest toaster’s around....