Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Your Home

This month, I'm thrilled to bring you an issue that's full of affordable ways to turn your home and garden into a blissful summer sanctuary. Start outdoors, with four easy-to-create, on-trend looks (p28) to turn your outside space into a stylish spot that's perfect for entertaining or simply soaking up the sun. Over on page 94, our experts reveal their top tips for pergolas and summerhouses, while on page 98, we show you what to do in your garden this month, along with our pick of the brightest blooms to bring colour to your flowerbeds. For inside spaces that are packed with inspiration, don't miss our reader homes. Cover star Amy's four-bed pops with mid-century style (p54); you'd never guess that Lucinda's cottagecore home is a compact city flat (p64);…

BEST OVERALL Wonderful Wool lightweight duvet, £43.50 for a double, Slumberdown This summer-weight duvet is filled with 100% British wool, equivalent to a 3-4.5 tog, with a cotton cover. It might seem counterintuitive to sleep under wool in hot weather, but it is naturally temperature regulating, wicks away moisture and is hypoallergenic and antibacterial. This also means it only requires an occasional air dry to clean it, plus it comes in a handy storage bag. I tested it in a loft bedroom which regularly reaches Mediterranean temperatures, and I slept soundly without overheating or waking up to night sweats – making it excellent value for me. I will be using this all summer!…

OUR EXPERT SAYS ‘Whether a small balcony or patio space, create a sundrenched oasis with timeless flair by embracing bold stripes in bright pops of colour and fun accessories’ Lisa Jones, editorial design manager at Dunelm Coastal at home Transport yourself to far off shores with this timeless look Be inspired by nautical stripes and seaside motifs to give your outside space a seasonal switch up. Ideal for both small patios and decking areas to larger, lawned spaces, this trend lends itself perfectly to a corner dressed with a bistro set to catch the morning sun, as well as a space to kick back and relax in the afternoon's rays, not to mention a stylish way to dine al fresco with friends at the end of the day. This look…

MAXIMUM STORAGE With space for two stools, generous shelves and an overhead rack, this Vadholma kitchen island with rack in Black/Oak, £549 from IKEA, is a smart find if storage is tight. Use the lower shelves for small appliances, or for non-perishables like wine, oils and vinegar. The top shelf is ideal for more aesthetic pieces, like your favourite cookbooks, herbs and seasonal accessories. And hang utensils, chopping boards or pans from the hooks HOME BAKING With its granite top and oak storage crates, this Chester Kitchen Island from The Cotswold Company is perfect for home bakers. The surface is consistently cool for pastry rolling and kneading dough while the crates, drawers and open shelving will keep baking ingredients and cookware within easy reach. It's priced £1,150 and comes in…

SHOPPING LIST ● Hemnes sideboard in White, £299, IKEA ● sandpaper ● old rag ● primer undercoat ● multi-surface paint ● paintbrush ● 3mm laser-cut MDF decorative lattice ● tape measure ● jigsaw or hacksaw ● wood glue ● door knobs ● screwdriver HOW TO… 1 Remove the old knobs from the sideboard and lightly sand the whole surface to create a key for the paint. Wipe away any dust and debris using a damp cloth or rag. Allow to dry. 2 Apply a coat of primer undercoat to the entire surface of the sideboard and allow to dry thoroughly. 3 Use a jigsaw or hacksaw to cut two panels of laser-cut decorative MDF lattice to fit inside each of the two door panels. Apply a coat of primer undercoat…

SHOPPING LIST ● Straight-sided glassware, such as a tumbler, vase or jug ● raffia ● scissors ● hot glue gun ● tape measure How to… 1 Measure the circumference of your glass and add 10cm to this measurement. Cut three pieces of raffia to this length and plait them together. Repeat twice more, so you have three plaited lengths of raffia. 2 Wrap one length of plaited raffia around the top of the glass. Tie securely and trim the ends neatly. A blob of hot glue will help keep it in place. 3 Measure six 30cm lengths of raffia and fold each one in half. 4 Evenly spaced apart, knot the raffia over the ring of plaited raffia at the top of your glass so that the two tails are…

SHOPPING LIST ● Light- to medium-weight cotton fabric ● tape measure ● dressmaker's scissors ● pins ● extendable net curtain rod ● ribbons or cotton tape, to match your fabric ● sewing machine ● thread ● iron HOW TO… 1 Measure your window. Add 4cm to the width and 8cm to the length and cut your fabric to this size. 2 Lay the fabric right side (RS) down on your work surface and turn each of the two side edges over to the wrong side (WS) by 1cm and press with an iron. Fold the two side edges over again by 1cm and press. Stitch a 1cm seam along both sides. 3 Repeat the process in step 2 to hem the bottom edge of the blind using a 1cm seam.…

An estimated 1.5 million Brits own a property abroad, and joining their ranks may be easier than you think. This isn't a decision to be taken lightly, so do as much research as possible. Calculate your budget and consider your reasons for buying: apart from more sunshine, are you looking for a holiday home to visit whenever you want, or somewhere to retire to now or in the future? Do you plan to rent it out, and are you looking for a long-term investment? Once these questions are answered, you can start narrowing down your options. I Pinpoint the location The property portal from Channel 4's A Place in the Sun found Spain to be most sought-after destination for UK buyers, followed by France, Portugal and Florida, while Cyprus, Greece and…

Cheese-sauceloaded hotdogs YOU WILL NEED ✔ 2 shallots, sliced into rings ✔ 100ml red wine vinegar ✔ 1 tsp sugar ✔ 1 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning ✔ 200g smoked bacon lardons (optional) ✔ 50g butter ✔ 50g plain flour ✔ 250ml milk ✔ 200g Belton Farm Red Fox cheese, grated ✔ ½ tbsp English mustard ✔ ½ tbsp turmeric ✔ pepper ✔ 4 hot dog sausages (veggie or meat) ✔ 4 sub rolls ✔ 15g chives, finely chopped ✔ 1 green chilli, finely sliced ✔ crispy onions (optional) DIRECTIONS ■ Add the shallot slices to a small bowl. Put the red wine vinegar, 100ml water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over a medium heat until simmering. Pour over the shallots and put to one side. ■ Fry…

A A Place for Everything 01244 680 501 aplaceforeverything.co.uk After Noah 020 7359 4281 afternoah.com Amazon amazon.co.uk Andrew Martin 020 3887 6113 andrewmartin.co.uk Annabel James annabeljames.co.uk Anthropologie anthropologie.com AO 0161 470 1100 ao.com AOOS aoos.com Argos 0345 640 2020 argos.co.uk Artificial Eden 0800 887 0756 artificialeden.co.uk Atkin & Thyme 01462 412100 atkinandthyme.co.uk B B&M 0330 838 9000 bmstores.co.uk B&M Garden Buildings bmgardenbuildings.co.uk B&Q 0333 014 3098 diy.com Bathroom Mountain 01782 405047 bathroommountain.co.uk Beanbag Bazaar 0800 988 1286 beanbagbazaar.co.uk Berry Useful berryuseful.co.uk Best Heating 0330 027 1490 bestheating.com Blinds 2go 0800 862 0464 blinds-2go.co.uk Bonne Maman bonnemaman.co.uk Brabantia brabantia.com/uk Brown and Ginger brownandginger.com C Calypso Bathrooms calypsobathrooms.co.uk Casa Travella 01322 660988 casatravella.com Chatsworth Cabinets 01283 763934 chatsworthcabinets.co.uk Clarke & Clarke 0203 4575 862 clarke-clarke.sandersondesigngroup.com Claybrook Studio 020 7052 1555 claybrookstudio.co.uk Click Style…

Your July to-dos Gently wipe down the glass on framed pictures and photos, using a microfibre cloth and a spot of glass cleaner if needed. Dust the tops of ceiling lampshades and light fittings. Sort through unwanted textiles such as tea towels, and take any old ones to a recycling centre. Clean and disinfect commonly used pet areas, both inside and outside in the garden. Always use a pet-safe formula. Tidy up your tech, storing away any unnecessary cables and organising the ones you do need into a cable tidy box. Refresh your outdoor space by cleaning your patio – follow our guide on p16.…

FINE BY DESIGN I Love Wallpaper's latest collection encapsulates the Arts & Crafts movement. Its intricate patterns, natural motifs and rich colours are perfect if your interior needs an injection of heritage style and artistry. The collection includes Pomegranate Grove, pictured here in Cream, which is available in 10 different hues. Each wallpaper is also made with premium materials, so both the design and the product itself stands the test of time. The collection is available from ilovewallpaper.com and is priced at £28 per roll.…

BEFORE STEP INSIDE… WHO LIVES HERE? I'm Rebecca, 55 (@rebecca_anchorban_house), and I used to work for the NHS. I live here with my husband, Martin, 60, and our grown-up children, Joe, 27 and Elanor, 29. Our Edwardian fivebedroom semi is in Derbyshire. WHAT WAS UPDATED? We built a conservatory off the kitchen and then revamped the kitchen itself, so the spaces flowed together. WHY THE CHANGE? We wanted a connection with the garden and an entertaining space, but felt a solid roof on a normal extension might make the east-facing kitchen even darker. It also had an awkward layout so we weren't using the space well. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE? The conservatory took a couple of months and the kitchen didn't take long as the units came pre-made. TOTAL…

IT'S GETTING SLATE If you are looking to add some drama to your bathroom, kitchen or hallway, these new slate-effect tiles from Porcelain Superstore are a luxurious choice. The Colorado collection boasts three sizes and three colourways – the Dark is pictured here. The largest size – 60x120cm – will help you create a seamless aesthetic with fewer grout lines, elevating the final look. They are also crafted from high-quality Italian porcelain, making them durable and resistant to chipping, scratching and fading – an ideal fit for hightraffic areas. Priced from £30 per sq m and available at porcelainsuperstore.co.uk.…

Mediterranean style is not a new trend and serene bathroom schemes inspired by holidays and hotels will never get old, but this year, the look has had a much sleeker and fresher update. The favourites are still there – patterned tiles, natural materials and baked-earth tones – but they've been given a contemporary edge with the addition of clever tiling, smooth matt finishes for sanitaryware and anthracite accents. Team them with a Medinspired palette of olive green, dazzling blue and light terracotta, and you have yourself a scheme you can soak away the hours in… Pattern play ‘Avoid pattern overwhelm by containing patterned tiles to one area – the floor, or just behind the vanity or bath. Or to balance out pattern, run them around the room at half height,…

STREAMLINED SCHEME Pick one or two bold pieces, like Amy's bright sofas, and keep the rest unfussy and pared-back to get the clean, minimalist mid-century look…

1. Echinacea Sombrero Adobe Orange Bright splashes of this cheery orange cone flower will spice up sunny borders from early to late summer. Echinaceas thrive in full sun; their flat daisy shaped blooms act like a landing pad for butterflies and bees. 2. Delphinium elatum ‘Aurora Blue’ Having been bred to have uniform, sturdy stems, these hybrid delphiniums provide flower arrangers with excellent, true blue, cut flowers. Remove any faded blooms down to the base of the plant to encourage a second flush of flowers later in the season. 3. Sanguisorba ‘Lilac Squirrel’ An unusual sanguisorba that would be a talking point in any garden. From midsummer to early autumn, it produces pinkish-lilac, long, fluffy wands that dangle from upright stems. It prefers moist, well-drained soil in a sunny position. 4. Sunflowers These happy,…

Cherry and white chocolate fridge cake ■ PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes, plus 8 hours chilling ■ COOKING TIME 15 minutes ■ SERVES 12 YOU WILL NEED ✔ 400g cherries, pitted ✔ 2 tbsp icing sugar ✔ ½ tsp cornflour ✔ 450g white chocolate, finely chopped ✔ 375ml double cream ✔ 150g Greek style yoghurt ✔ butter, for greasing ✔ 250g milk chocolate Oatie Crumbles ✔ 1 tsp almond extract DIRECTIONS ■ Simmer the cherries in a pan with 2 tbsp water for 2 minutes until soft; set a few aside for decoration. Add 1 tbsp icing sugar to the pan and simmer until the cherries are syrupy. If the liquid is thin, add the cornflour mixed with 1 tsp cold water; simmer until sauce is thick. Leave to cool. ■…

We're reading… A Home for All Seasons by Kay Prestney and Becca Cherry Live in harmony with the natural world with this guide to seasonal decorating and practical inspiration. we're following… @pastelhousebythesea Follow Abiy as she adds gorgeous pastel colours to her Welsh seaside home. She shares her nifty DIY hacks, gorgeous renos and candid ‘Instagram v Reality’ posts, as she decorates with two young children in tow! Join her on her journey to fill her family's home with colour. We're celebrating… The Great British Garden Party The National Garden Scheme is raising funds for its beneficiaries through the nation's love of gardens and gettogethers. Its president, Dame Mary Berry, is championing the event's fifth year, taking place on 15th-21st July. To find out more, visit ngs.org.uk…

Add a touch of luxury to your home using real stone and stoneeffects. These materials bring a natural texture and elegance to your schemes, and are a designer's go-to choice for supporting high-end looks that feel impressive, but not flashy. Nature has provided us with a huge variety of patterns and colours, from bold, black-veined marble to whisper-soft sandstone, which mix and match beautifully. You can easily create rich and thoughtful schemes using purely stone colours and textures. Stone-based trends move at a glacial pace, so they're a low-risk option if you're looking to splash out – or planning a big renovation. Pick out designs you truly love and, whatever you choose, you'll create a scheme that will stand the test of time. £ 10 AND UNDER Get the look…

ISLAND LIFE ‘A multipurpose kitchen is ideal for families to enjoy spending time together. Where space permits, add a feature island to create a central zone for cooking, food prep and informal dining’ Sophie Devonald, designer, Crown Imperial Kitchens these days are more than just spaces to cook. They can combine a dining area, comfy seating for lounging, a laundry and utility zone, desk for home working and even a play area for the children. When planning your own perfect multipurpose room, try to strike a balance between practicality and aesthetics. Look for built-in or integrated appliances with low decibel ratings, furniture that can flow freely from the kitchen hub into a home working or laundry area, soft furnishings and accessories that tie the look together and a mix of…

After missing out on two houses during their property search, Amy and James Scarr were determined to secure a place in their favourite area of Ilkley. ‘We were living in a house near Leeds at the time, but we used to drive here for day trips and I was so desperate I letter-dropped to see if we could grab a house before it went on the market. Luckily, it worked!’ Amy smiles. The couple decided on Ilkley because it not only has a lively town centre, with plenty of independent shops and restaurants, but is also in close proximity to nature. ‘We can be out of the back door and up on the moors in five minutes and that's important to us,’ she explains. Having found a house about to…

Gemma Firman and her husband Lewis were previously living in a two bedroom Victorian cottage, but realised they needed more space when their son Angus came along, especially as it had no garden. So, they decided to start hunting for a new home, and this one ticked all the boxes. ‘It was a lovely sunny day when we viewed this house and it felt bright and welcoming. Plus, the previous owners had already renovated the downstairs, which was a massive bonus. They'd knocked through to create a large kitchen-diner and installed new kitchen cabinets, plus flooring throughout the ground floor,’ says Gemma. The living room walls had also been replastered, so it was initially just the upstairs that needed attention. ‘The only slight downside was that we were used to…

HERE COMES THE SUN With the increase in electric vehicles on our roads, it is key that we have somewhere to charge them at home – ideally in an eco-friendly way. Pod Point has the ideal solution! Its latest evolution of the Solo 3S home charger can be integrated with domestic solar panels, helping EV drivers to save money and make their journeys greener. And, if you don't have solar panels yet, the Solo 3S is future-proofed so that drivers can switch at the touch of button from a grid supply to solar power once they're installed. Prices start at £1,099 for 7kW charging power from pod-point.com. Our expert says… ‘A currency specialist can help with all the international payments relating to buying a property overseas. Specialists offer better exchange…

Making sure your home stays at a comfortable temperature can be a challenge during the summer months, especially if an unexpected heatwave heads our way. The good news, however, is that there's a range of gadgets available to help cool your space, whether you're trying to work from home or feeling too hot and bothered to sleep. From affordable tower fans to hardworking portable air-conditioning units, we've done some of the hard work for you and gathered together a few options, as well as some essential advice on what to consider before you buy… 10 WAYS TO STAY COOL WHILE SAVING ON YOUR ENERGY BILL Watching the pennies? Stephen Day, operations director and heating engineer at iHeat, shares some lowcost ways to help keep cool… 1 If you're feeling too…

HARDY HORTICULTURE With our summers and winters getting more extreme, hardy plants are the savvy gardener's new best friend. Handily for us, Verve by B&Q has launched a collection of super tolerant flowers to provide a colour all year long, no matter the weather. Cut down on summer watering with sun-loving lavender; enjoy spring flowers after a harsh winter with frost-resistant clematis; bring evergreen colour to a dark corner with shady Fatsia japonica; and add interest through the cold months with the delicate pinky-white flowers that cover the viburnum. Shop the Verve Hardy collection in B&Q stores and online at diy.com.…

HOT STUFF! Award-winning fermented foods producer, Eaten Alive, has released its latest hot sauce, Mango Inferno, just in time to spice up those summer dishes! Eaten Alive chefs have taken the ripest mangoes and fermented them with the warm and fruity heat of habanero chillies, along with passion fruit, lime, cider vinegar and a dash of cardamom and allspice, to create a zingy hot sauce. It is also additive free, raw, vegan and fermented, meaning it is teeming with good bacteria. Priced at £5.49 for 150ml and available at eatenalive.co.uk.…

TOP TIP Dehydrate peach slices in an air fryer – arrange them in a single layer and cook at 60°C (or as low as possible) for 5-6 hours, until no longer tacky How to make ■ PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes ■ SERVES 4 YOU WILL NEED ✔ 160ml peach gin liqueur, such as JUNE Wild Peach & Summer Fruits gin liqueur ✔ 240ml rosé wine ✔ 480ml prosecco ✔ 2 peaches, stones removed To garnish ✔ 4 dehydrated peach slices DIRECTIONS ■ Put the peach gin liqueur, rosé, prosecco and 2 peaches in a blender and fill with ice. ■ Pour the blended mixture over chilled coupette glasses. ■ Garnish each glass with a dehydrated peach slice. Recipe and image courtesy of JUNE by G'Vine, junewildpeach.com…

SAVE Spend Splash TOP TIP Set up a mini circuit of games in the garden, complete with bunting at the finish line!…