Innholdsfortegnelse for Oct-2018 i Style At Home

This is one of my favourite issues of the year, because all the new autumn/winter homeware is arriving in stores and there’s so much to love! There are more new ideas than I’ve got rooms to update, so some tough choices are going to have to be made. Top of my list is fox-print bedding from Tesco (p11) – since ditching plain white last year, I haven’t looked back; plus, some new ‘accent’ cushions for the sitting room – the existing ones having suffered at the hands of my sticky-fingered nieces. But, do I really need a golden tiger (p11) or a unicorn light (p9)? Well, maybe not, but every home should have a little bit of fabulous! We love seeing how you’ve styled your own home, so don’t forget…

GEORGE HOME Geometric bliss For a modern look, team soft pastels with geo shapes and industrial materials DUNELM Zen garden Relieve stress by creating an Eastern-inspired theme of tranquil blues TESCO Woodland walk Create a country feel with autumnal hues and motifs of cute forest friends DEBENHAMS Maximum glam Style an opulent scheme by combining rich tones with gold accents and embellishments Style Maker VICKIE SAYS ‘The glamorous Debenhams look will work well with dark walls. Try deep blue or rich pink to create real impact.’…

JO SAYS ‘The fireplace is the star of this room. Exposing old brickwork while adding a rustic beam gives a nod to the history of the house.’ DEBS SAYS ‘Walls aren’t just for hanging up pictures! Display pieces of interest, such as the key to your first home, or an antique door fixture. White walls are an excellent background for anything.’ VICKIE SAYS ‘Tongue-and-groove on the walls is a great alternative to using tiles in a bathroom, and provides you with a perfect backdrop that can be painted in your chosen colour.’…

ABOUT ME I’m Katty Patterson, 32, a retail merchandiser at H&M and founder of online store Hunter’s Bohemia. I live with my husband, Mark, 37, and our two sons, Lucas Hunter, three, and Milo Jagger, one. MY HOME I live in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Belfast, which we bought in 2010. WHEN I BOUGHT IT It had green carpets, blue walls and orange curtains throughout, but had so much potential, and much more space than other properties we saw. AND NOW We built an extension to add a third bedroom and fulfil our dream of having an open-plan kitchen/sitting area, and refreshed all the rooms with muted hues. STYLE TIP Take time to think a look through before committing to it.…

HUNTER’S BOHEMIA Boasting stuffies in the shape of mountains and cacti, this store is a go-to for fun boho accessories. H&M HOME Renowned for its stylish and affordable homeware. From bedding and bathroom bits to candles and kitchenware, there’s something to spruce up any home. SOSTRENE GRENE With only two shops in the UK and no online store, it’s not easy to get your hands on this company’s gems, but it’s well worth a browse for bargain shelving, affordable velvet chairs and beautiful stationery. IKEA Famed for its low-cost furniture, but check out its storage solutions, such as baskets, boxes and handy rails.…

Alex and I met in Amsterdam, where I owned a flat, and he persuaded me to move to London,’ says Caroline. ‘Alex initially owned the property, but had it rented out while he lived in a flat nearby. The house wasn’t in great condition as Alex was a typical bachelor and hadn’t really done much to it. There were lots of Eighties touches, like orange walls, an enormous turquoise enamelled bath, which was far too big for the room, and lots of glass block partitions. Despite the house’s dated look, we decided to move in and had some friends living with us. It was a bit of a party house for a while, which was great fun initially, but when I got pregnant with James, it was time to create…

Make your own chalkboard labels for jars of fruit and preserves. Spray a sheet of pre-cut sticky labels with blackboard paint and leave to dry overnight. Once dry, write on the recipe name with a chalkboard pen, peel off the label and stick to the jar.…

ABOUT ME I'm Tessa Bird and I live with my partner Robbie Henderson and our daughter Mya, three. We bought the house in 2016. MY CHALLENGE We wanted to turn the bland bedroom into a cosy retreat with a modern makeover that showcased its original features. The floors needed sanding and polishing, which we did ourselves over a couple of weekends, and we were determined to preserve the apricot fireplace tiles. MY WISH LIST Shutters! With long, wide windows on both sides of the room it was hard to find a solution, but we decided the smartest and simplest solution was white shutters. They took up half the budget, but they’re worth it.…

In October 2016, our dishwasher caught fire when I was at work. When I came back, the whole house was black. My husband Gavin and I and our children Violette and Ted moved out that night and stayed with nearby families until we sorted out rented accommodation several weeks later. Our house had been rented out for many years, and we were saving up to renovate it when the disaster struck. It was harrowing but it allowed us to completely renovate the place and create the kitchen-diner we’d always wanted. Two months later, once we had cleared out our fire-damaged possessions, the builders were able to start work. Extending the kitchen As we had lived here for 15 months, we knew how we wanted to use the space. The dining…

Walls in Blackened modern emulsion, £45 for 2.5L; woodwork in Railings estate eggshell, £60 for 2.5L, both Farrow & Ball. Moroccan Vinyl Tangier flooring, £13sq m, Best4Flooring. Metro Green tiles, £15.50sq m, Tons of Tiles. Solaris sink, £316; Windsor tap, £200, both Carron Phoenix. H/Line Base cabinet, £194, Howdens. Shaker Matt Graphite doors, from £41 each, Kitchen Door Workshop. Alderney door pulls, £12 each, The Hidesmith. Prime oak worktops, from £100, Worktop Express. Kitchener 90 dual-fuel range, £1,549; hood, £429, both Rangemaster. Similar shelves and brackets, from £41, And Crafted at Etsy. For similar lights, try Enamel Shades. Mantlet table, £295; The Gang chairs, £59 each, both Design Shack Bespoke. Similar 61cm Hub round mirror, £100, Amara. Caicos Tropical Green Fern Palm wallpaper, £8 a roll, Direct Wallpaper…

Being roughly just two metres square, our family bathroom could never be described as generous and, although it was clean and functional when we moved in, limited floor space meant it felt very cramped.’ says Carmen. ‘What’s more, the stark white wall-to-wall tiling and uninspiring fittings made the room feel rather clinical and impersonal. Simply upgrading with a quality shower over the bath and retiling was the obvious solution, but our family are avid shower lovers, so my husband Daniel and I soon agreed the key feature of the new room should be a spacious, powerful shower. Getting started Much to Daniel’s delight, we soon came to the conclusion that there was nothing really wrong with the layout, it was just that the existing suite was too big for the…

From geo to patchwork, Victorian to floral, there’s a tile to suit any style. For a simpler look, choose plain colour tiles that have an interesting shape, such as triangles or hexagons. Check out statement ranges of flooring designs. Atrafloor even offers a custom service so you can turn your own designs or images into flooring. Use essential bathroom textiles such as towels and a bath mat to inject pattern, whether it’s standout stripes or delicate florals. Even plain white brick tiles can ramp up the pattern stakes. Why not choose an interesting formation such as brick-style or herringbone and use a darker grout to highlight the pattern?…

MAKE A DECADENT CHOC CHEESECAKE TAKES 1HR 10MIN SERVES 8-10 300g shortbread biscuits 50g butter, melted 150g white chocolate, chopped FOR THE FILLING 600g full fat cream cheese 8tbsp double cream 200g bitter chocolate, chopped 4tbsp cocoa powder 100g caster sugar 4 eggs, plus 2 yolks 2tsp vanilla extract Lightly whipped double cream, to serve 1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2. Place the biscuits in a large food bag and bash with a rolling pin until they resemble breadcrumbs. Mix with the melted butter and chocolate, then spoon into a 23cm round springform tin. Bake for 10min. 2 Beat the rest of the ingredients together. Spread over the top of the biscuit base, level with a spoon. Bake in the oven for 45min until lightly set. 3 When…

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Debs Cane ABOUT ME I’m 36 and I live with my husband Kevin, 34, and daughter Evangeline, one, in a three-bedroom terraced house in Portsmouth. WHAT’S YOUR BEST TIP? Create areas that reflect your personality. Look for pieces at markets and match them with other interesting items to create scenes in your home that draw the eye. Gemma Godfrey ABOUT ME I’m 30 and I live in a three-bed home in Cheshire with my partner Ross, 29 and son Louis, two. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? I would have started buying from small businesses sooner. They are more unique and often cheaper. I find people always ask about the pieces I have purchased from them. Vickie Nickolls ABOUT ME I’m 37 and I live in a four-bed detached in…

Before we moved here four years ago, we were a family of three and we lived in a two-up, two-down,’ says Liz. ‘My husband Jay and I wanted a forever home with a bigger kitchen and garden, and I also wanted a room to work in, as I was about to launch my online design and giftware shop. I’ve always loved making things, and decided to take the plunge and turn my hobby into a business. We looked at a few properties before this one but they didn’t have the period features we longed for. Eventually, we came across this house and fell in love with it instantly. The rooms were all spacious, with high ceilings and large sash windows, and it even had an empty basement that would be…

1 Type a word on the computer, flip it so it reads backwards, then print it out onto transfer paper. Repeat with the word’s definition, typed in a smaller font. 2 Trim the blank paper around the words, leaving a border of at least 5mm. 3 Lay a tea towel on your ironing board, place your cushion cover on top and iron it to heat it. 4 Place the transfer paper with the printed image facing down and iron the paper, making sure you keep the iron moving constantly. Allow to cool, then gently peel away the backing paper.…

GO FAUX Get the effect of wood panelling or exposed brick by using a lookalike wallpaper instead of the real thing. As an easy way of creating a rustic feature wall without any of the mess or hard work involved, faux wallpapers look most effective on a single wall or a feature panel, rather than used wall to wall. Paint skirting in a co-ordinating colour and adjacent walls to match. SHUTTER UP Follow Liz’s lead and refashion a pair of old louvred shutters to create a vintage-look wall hanging. Pick up an old wooden shutter from a salvage yard or from a skip and (depending on its condition) either sand down the surface to give a distressed effect or re-paint with a coat of chalk paint. Consider repurposing a shutter…

MELISSA SAYS ‘Katty has a good eye for accessorising, which means her house is stylish, yet her way of layering and grouping items makes it feel relaxed.’ JACKY SAYS ‘Ikea hacks are a popular way of achieving one-off pieces on a budget. Sewing Ikea rugs together to make a larger rug is something I’d never have thought of.’v GEMMA SAYS ‘A day bed is a great idea in children’s rooms. It allows for more floor space in the room but it can easily be pulled out to create a bed, and also creates a spare bed for when your children have friends to sleep over.’…

ABOUT ME I’m Caroline Roelands, 38, owner of online accessories company JJ’s Wigwam. I live with my husband Alex Coburn, 42, a project manager, and our children James, eight, and Juliana, five. MY HOME A four-bed, three-storey, terraced Twenties house in southwest London. We moved here in 2008. WHEN WE MOVED IN My husband owned the house as a rental property, but had very little done to it, so it was in a bit of a state. AND NOW We’ve extended out to make a kitchen-diner and up into the loft, redecorated every room, built a new kitchen and replaced the bathroom. STYLE TIP Pick one colour to use in varying shades throughout.…

GO FOR DUSKY TONES Generally, the bigger the room, the darker the walls can be. Deeper shades can give the illusion of space. Caroline opted for heritage blue in her sitting room, but she gave the space balance with painted floorboards. MAKE A STAG’S HEAD You’ll need a paper mache head, white paint, Decopatch papers and glue varnish. Try Hobbycraft for the materials. Paint the head white. Once dry, cut the papers into strips and glue into place on the head until it is covered, with a few extra coats to seal. PAINT A STAIR RUNNER Start by painting plain wooden stairs in a base colour using floor paint. Once dry, pencil a central swathe down the stairs as the runner’s outline, leaving an equal distance on each side and…

1 Sitting pretty Give a couple of plain wooden chairs a new look by painting their legs in a pretty pastel shade. Use decorating tape to mask off a crisp line, then apply your paint in slow, vertical strokes, making sure the paint doesn’t drip. Finish with a clear, matt varnish. 2 Take note Hang a large roll of brown paper on the wall from a roll dispenser, so that you’ll always have somewhere to jot down ideas and must-do lists. The kids can draw on it too, and it will make a handy present-wrapping station. Just pull down fresh paper as you need it. 3 UPCYCLING TIP When you’ve finished burning one of your posh glass or ceramic jar candles, soften any remaining wax with hot water, give it…

Create small vignettes using items in a variety of shapes and sizes, leaving space around them so that the eye rests on the display. Use the pyramid principle – form a triangular shape by staggering the heights of objects. This is a common trick stylists use to create a sense of balance that’s pleasing to the eye. For a smart, contemporary display match the shelves to the wall colour behind. This will also help make the items displayed really stand out. Include artwork – a framed print or photograph or even a small card propped against the wall will introduce an extra element.…

ABOUT ME I’m Elina Demurger-Jones, 38, and I live with my husband Gavin, 40, and our children Violette, nine, and Ted, six, in a four-bedroom, Sixties detached house in West Sussex. We moved here in August 2015 and this is the fourth house that Gavin and I have renovated together. MY CHALLENGE A year after moving in, smoke from a dishwasher fire destroyed the interior. We had to renovate the whole house while recovering from the experience. MY WISH LIST The original kitchen was separate from the dining room so we wanted to find a way to enlarge it and create a comfortable and stylish space to spend time as a family or when entertaining.…

Vinyl flooring is hard wearing, durable and easy to lay. It is also much softer and warmer underfoot compared to stone and ceramic tiles, more forgiving with dropped crockery and a breeze to keep clean. A recent surge in popularity means there is now a wide range of modern, trend-led designs available. Q What is it made from? The core material is a man-made synthetic called polyvinyl chloride resin. Vinyl flooring once contained harmful volatile ingredients that, understandably, put homeowners off, but now it’s totally safe and can even be recycled. Q Should I choose tiles or sheet vinyl? Sheet vinyl comes in one piece and tends to be cheaper, although the new breed of custom-printed sheet vinyl (try Zazous or Atrafloor) is costlier but worth it. Standard rolls come…

ABOUT ME I’m Carmen Kenworthy, 48, a hypno-psychotherapist, and I live with my husband Daniel and our two children, Sofia, 11, and Max, nine, in a three-bedroom, Eighties house in Cheshire. We moved here in 2017 and are slowly updating it throughout. THE CHALLENGE Not only was our bathroom tired and dated, but there was very little room to manoeuvre, so my main aim was to find a way to open up the space. MY WISHLIST Sticking with the existing layout was a priority for Daniel in order to save money on costly pipework, and I was desperate to incorporate a generous showering area, along with plenty of extra storage and decorative interest. A radical decision was to get rid of the bath, leaving enough space should we ever want…

Walls painted in Livid intelligent emulsion, £48.50 for 2.5L; intelligent eggshell, £30 for 1L, both Little Greene. Wet room screen and support bar, £333; shower tray, £252; fixed shower head, £260; wall-mounted arm, £34; slider rail kit, £121; Topaz twin concealed shower valve with diverter, £345; crosshead mono basin mixer with pop-up waste, £214; small Harrow traditional radiator, £407; with crosshead valves, £54, all Hudson Reed. Saffron back-to-wall WC pan and seat, £200, Premier Bathroom Collection. 800 Melbourne Earl Grey vanity unit, £289.99, Soak.com. Bertie floor tiles, £32.86sq m; Artisan wall tiles, £46.20sq m, both British Ceramic Tile. Timber cladding, £12 per pack of 10x1.8m boards, B&Q. Bespoke 50mm slat Beachwood faux-wood blind with grey tapes, £134 (inc measuring and fitting), Hillarys. Bladjan towels, £5.50 each; Harliga glass dome, £7,…

Lay a geo tile pattern Many ceramic tiles are suitable to be used on floors as well as walls, so why not create a striking geometric design that wraps all around a room for ultimate impact? Start by planning the layout you want on squared paper that’s the correct scale of the area to be tiled. Use tiles that are exactly the same size and thickness as each other, carefully cutting them diagonally from corner to corner (the cuts need to be accurate for this look to work). Fit the tiles as usual and grout them using a co-ordinating shade for soft lines, or a contrasting one to outline the design you’ve created. Fix it in a flash An all-weather, all-surface adhesive, T-Rex tape is thicker, stronger and more durable…

Prettify a pumpkin Every Halloween, windows and porches are adorned with pumpkin lanterns sporting spooky faces. But in Decorating Pumpkins & Gourds (£8.99, CICO Books), Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell shows there are many more creative designs to make with the versatile veg. Carved using everyday instruments from your kitchen or toolbox, there are 20 crafty projects to try, including candleholders, bird feeders and this fun monogrammed look. LEARN TO PRINT Always loved the idea of making your own printed homeware? Then head to Tea & Crafting in London for an intro to screen printing. An expert textile artist will teach simple techniques for printing your motifs onto fabric. You'll feel inspired to customise your tea towels and cushions in no time. Book your place at teaandcrafting.co.uk, priced £37.50. FIRST-TIMERS SHOULD AVOID QUICK-SET…

3 of the best…  UNICORN BUYS…

As we hunker down for autumn, the arrival of this Oriental style has us dreaming of far-flung destinations and the treasures we might collect while we’re there. Go big with gleaming metal accessories, cushions adorned with crane and fish motifs, and dramatic black gloss finishes, or create a calming space with Chinoiserie prints, embroidery and mirrored furniture.…

ABOUT ME I’m Liz Nagle, 37, and I run giftware shop Echo Designs. I live with my husband Jay, 37, and children Isla, six, and Teddy, two. MY HOME A four-bedroom Victorian terrace in Lancashire, which we bought in 2014. WHEN I MOVED IN There were green carpets everywhere, the bathroom was papered in green and the fireplaces were boarded up. AND NOW We’ve redecorated in a grey-and-white palette, sanded and painted the hall and dining room floors, fitted new carpets and restored the fireplaces and ceiling roses. We also added an extra bedroom in the loft and decorated the basement to provide an office. STYLE TIP Decorate in neutral tones to give you a blank canvas.…

H&M HOME ‘Great for quick and cheap trend-driven updates, such as cushions, candles and vases’ COX & COX ‘Quite pricey but good for antique-look furniture and high quality accessories’ HOMESENSE ‘For on-trend furniture and accessories at bargain prices!’ FLYING TIGER ‘I love the quirky accessories they sell, such as the cloud shelves in Teddy’s room’ LEEK ANTIQUES MARKET ‘This takes place every Saturday, and is full of stalls selling interesting vintage and one-off finds from the UK, France and beyond’…

I’d been scouring the listing sites every night for months when I happened upon this house’, says Katty. ‘It turned out to be directly opposite a couple of properties we’d viewed the day before, but was three times the size for the same price – we couldn’t believe it! Eager to see it, we booked a viewing for the next day. Inside, the house was a riot of colour – green carpets, baby blue walls and orange velvet curtains throughout – and it had a musty, old smell about it. But despite all its imperfections, we loved it. My husband Mark’s father recognised the opportunity to build an extension and, with a few tweaks, we knew it had the potential to be our ideal family home. We couldn’t snap it…

Cut a 12x6cm rectangle from cardboard. Wrap wool around it lengthways until it feels the right fullness for your tassel. Cut the wool along the bottom edge and gently remove the cardboard. With the wool still folded in half, take a length of matching yarn and wrap it around the top by the fold, until you’ve covered around 2m, then tie the end to secure. Make as many tassels as you need, then sew them onto the edges of a throw (opposite edges or all four) at regular intervals.…

BASKET CASE Try a display of basketware on the wall. Go for a variety of sizes, weaves and colours to add visual interest, keeping them fairly shallow. Start with the largest basket, working outwards. For baskets without a handle, create hanging loops of fishing wire. HALF AND HALF To add colour to a room without committing to a full-on scheme, try a half-and-half paint treatment. Start with white (or pale) walls, then paint the bottom third of the room, leaving the top two thirds unpainted. A darker colour at the bottom will make a room feel taller. BRICK BY BRICK Give rooms a rustic vibe by going for exposed brickwork walls. It’s quite a bold look, so is best limited to just one wall or a small section, such as…

DEBS SAYS ‘This style isn’t about achieving perfect symmetry but more about grouping interesting pieces together with cosy furnishings. Focus on pieces that tell a story of your life and your travels and mix them with warm, inviting fabrics.’ JO SAYS ‘The exposed wooden floors in the kitchen work so well with the timber worktops and door frames, to create a warmth that the blue kitchen units wouldn’t have been able to manage on their own.’ MELISSA SAYS ‘Don’t be put off antique and vintage finds if they’re the wrong colour – pieces can be painted to fit perfectly with your scheme.’…

the STYLE RULES Combine raw materials with airy shades Style a bright space with a fresh, uncluttered feel. PAINT WALLS WHITE Stop this traditional look appearing gloomy by painting a white backdrop and introducing soft chambray blues and greys. GO RUSTIC Choose furnishings in reclaimed materials. PICK NATURAL FLOORING Lay a hard wearing neutral carpet in a textural sisal or seagrass to complement reclaimed pieces. ADD GREENERY Recreate the look of a Victorian botanist’s study by using glass cloches and galvanised metal containers to display foliage. the STYLE RULES Go on a global adventure using a neutral palette Vintage maps and rustic textures create a worldly scheme. EMBRACE NEUTRALS Stick to muted shades for a rustic feel, introducing natural wood and hints of industrial black. CHOOSE…

Before moving here, my partner Robbie and I lived in a Fifties house in Middlesex,’ says Tessa. ‘After Mya our daughter was born, we decided to move out to Surrey where our money would go further and we’d get a decent garden, so we’d been keeping an eye out for the right place. We were thrilled to find this little gem of a house tucked away in a quiet street. It’s an area of Surrey that Robbie knows well, as he was brought up nearby and his sister lives just up the road. The house had so much history and so many original features from the Arts & Crafts era still intact – lovely old fireplaces, gorgeous original hearth tiles and panelled wood everywhere. The flip side was that, as…

Castello kingsize bed in Charcoal, £370, Birlea. HX 306 radiator, £425, Ultra Finishing. Kensington Plantation shutters in Premium White, £1,175, Tuiss. Cushions, £9.99 each, Dunelm. Stag doorknob, £5, Sass and Belle. Walls painted in Goose Down matt emulsion, £14 for 2.5L; wardrobes painted in White Cotton satinwood, £24.91 for 2.5L, both Dulux. Rope mirror, £15.99, TK Maxx. Grey-and-white throw, £10, Ikea. For a similar rattan chair try the Rattan Tub Chair, £275; for similar ladder storage, try the oak ladder shelf, £325, both Cox & Cox. Orange ombre lamps, £50 for a pair, Tesco. For similar woodland wallpaper, try Nordic Wood wallpaper, £12 a roll, Wallpaper Direct. Manhattan Patchwork rug, £150, Flair Rugs. Antiqued crackle Buddha ornament is similar, £39.99, The Farthing. Bernhardina blue-and-white throw is similar, £25, Ikea…

1 Take a length of leather strap – an old belt makes a great upcycling option – and use a sharp craft knife to cut it to your required length. Protect the surface underneath before cutting. 2 Use a leather hole punch to create a hole at each end of the leather strap, at least 1cm from each of the ends of the strap. 3 Measure carefully and then pre-drill holes into the cupboard doors. Slot a carriage bolt through each hole in the leather strap and then screw into the door. Screw a nut onto the other side to make sure the handle is totally secure.…

ACCURATE MEASURING Carpetright stocks a wide range of vinyl and offers free home consultations, including professional measuring so you can buy with confidence. MESS FREE Quick-Step’s patented Uniclic Multifit system couldn’t be easier to install. Using a special tongue-and-groove system, the vinyl planks are laid with a single ‘click’, with no need for adhesive. ABSOLUTE BARGAINS B&M’s self-adhesive vinyl tiles start from just £3.99sq m, so there’s no excuse not to give that downstairs loo a refresh! For something funky, check out the Bewley Vinyl, £39.99 for a 2x3m sheet.…

Installing a shower instead of a bath will save valuable floor space and a walk-in style will avoid visually sectioning off the area. Go for a floor-to-ceiling frameless screen for a minimal feel. Keep fixtures and fittings simple so as not to break up the space by drawing the eye. Carmen has chosen a simple chrome mixer tap and coordinating shower controls for a sleek look. Avoid clutter with plenty of storage. Carmen’s vanity unit includes a cupboard for stashing bathroom essentials. Mirrors will reflect light around the room and make it feel bigger and more open.…

Panelling is a simple way to bring architectural shape to plain rooms, while protecting walls from wear and tear. Available in a wide range of mouldings, from subtle tongue-and-groove to grand period designs, there’s a panelling style for every bathroom. Q What are the benefits? Without a focal point such as a fireplace, contemporary rooms can lack character. One way to address this is by creating a feature wall of decorative panelling. Besides looking fabulous, panels are a quick fix for uneven, patchy walls. As long as the plaster isn’t blown, and you’ve dealt with any damp, panelling can be fitted over existing walls for an instant neat finish. In the bathroom, it can be a warmer alternative to tiles. Q Does it have to be MDF? Wood is the…

ALL IN THE DETAIL Upgrade your bedroom storage with this beautiful Scandi-style unit. Bjorksnas chest of five drawers, £235, Ikea HAT TRICK These two roomy boxes will hide a multitude of clutter sins. Bigso green circle boxes, £35 for two, Paperchase SUPER STACKER Clear your countertop by storing your wine in this slick rack. Large gold hexagon wine rack, £50, Oliver Bonas TREASURE CHEST Store jewellery and mementos safely in this beauty. Green marble trinket box, £40, John Lewis POT LUCK Stash your trinkets or spare change in this classy container. Nordic storage jar, £15, Debenhams ON REFLECTION Do those last-minute make-up touch-ups in a hall mirror with a handy shelf. Zuiver Kandy wall shelf, £79, Cuckooland.com HANGING ON Arrange your gardening kit in one place with this shelf featuring…

While the supermarkets are full of pumpkins for carving into Halloween lanterns, why not pick one up and use it to create a display with a bit of a difference outside your front door. A generous-sized pumpkin is the perfect shape to carve into a quirky planter. Here’s how to do it… YOU WILL NEED A pumpkin Sharp knife Large spoon Multi-purpose compost Plants (try solanum, orange heather, or trailing ivy) Watering can 1 HOLLOW OUT THE PUMPKIN Start by cutting the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the flesh and seeds from inside in the same way you would if you were making a Halloween lantern. Make the round opening on the top of the pumpkin as wide as you can – this will help you to fit…

SPRAY PAINT SOME BRANCHES AND TWIGS BLACK, PLACE IN A VASE AND DISPLAY AS A SPOOKY CENTREPIECE! POM-POM PUMPKINS AND TASSEL GHOSTS YOU WILL NEED Pom-pom maker Orange wool Green pipe cleaners Scissors Pencil Clear fishing wire Cardboard Ruler White wool Googly eyes 1 To make the pumpkins, use the pom-pom maker to create an orange pom-pom. Cut a pipe cleaner into thirds and bend the end of one of the pieces around the middle of the pom-pom. 2 Twist the other end of the pipe cleaner around a pencil, remove the pencil and tie fishing wire around the curled end to hang. 3 To create the ghost tassels, cut out a 10x12cm piece of cardboard. Next, cut a small piece of wool and place it along the cardboard length.…

SQUASH & PARMA HAM SALAD TAKES 1HR, PLUS COOLING SERVES 6 600g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed 3tbsp olive oil 50g squash or pumpkin seeds ½tsp paprika 150g sliced Parma ham 2 handfuls watercress 50g manchego or Parmesan cheese FOR THE DRESSING 1 garlic clove 2tbsp sherry vinegar ½tsp Dijon mustard pinch caster sugar 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Toss the squash with 2tbsp olive oil, season and spread out on a roasting tray and roast for 30min, until soft. Set aside to cool. 2 Meanwhile, toss the seeds with the remaining olive oil, a little salt and the paprika. Spread out on a separate baking tray and roast for about 6min, until lightly toasted. 3 Bruise the garlic by bashing with…

Go with the grain Known for its tasty, easy-to-prepare meals, Charlie Bigham’s has just launched a new range of seven dishes, called World of Grains. With Japanese, Indian, Mediterranean and North African flavours featuring, the three chicken, two fish and two vegetarian dishes come with plenty of vegetables and a helping of rice, quinoa, dhal or bulgur wheat on the side. All meals serve two and cost £8.50 each from Tesco. CHEAT’S EATS! Love the convenience of a midweek pizza? Check out the latest flavours from the frozen pizza guru Dr Oetker. The range, called Yes It's Pizza, features hefty veg portions (up to 42%) thanks to the colourful bases made with beetroot or spinach, topped with courgette, smoked ham, cheese and red onion or broccoli, mozzarella and mushrooms. Quick…

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