Homes & Gardens

Seven essential purchases to make your home desk set-up better

If you used to spend a lot of time commuting to and from the office, working from home initially sounds great. You recoup your extra travel time, you can get ahead with your house chores on your lunch break and you don’t have to worry about noisy desk neighbours interrupting you.

...

Five ways to make your garden more sustainable

It’s not just in the garden where being green is important today. But there is a lot that we can do in our own outdoor spaces to help create a healthier environment and reduce our own carbon footprints! Now is a great time to consider your outdoor practices.

Here, the gardening experts at Toro have shared five ways you can do your little bit for the environment, from your own garden...

How to dry home-grown blooms

Gardeners may be looking for new ways to make the most of their fruit and flowers this year – and dried flowers are once again catching on. Head-dresses, gift cards, wreaths and framed indoor displays can all be made using dried flowers you’ve grown yourself.

Floral artist Bex Partridge, author of a new book, Everlastings, explains: “Most of us have probably done this at some point...

Twelve ways to feature florals at home

If you’ve been missing your outdoor floral fix, there are plenty of ways to ‘grow’ your own dazzling display of blooms at home.

You can take your pick from wallpapers, fabrics, crockery, and a host of other home accessories all with blooming beautiful floral designs, which are bursting forth this season.

No green fingers required – just pick from our bouquet of 12 fantastic...

windsor castle expensive home to decorate

Windsor Castle revealed as most expensive home to decorate in the UK

An online luxury homeware brand has conducted research into the most expensive homes to decorate in the UK, revealing that Windsor Castle is top in the country. Accommodating over 150 people including the Queen, the castle is estimated to cost £64 million to furnish and decorate, followed by Hampton Court Palace which costs in excess of £57 million. According to the brand’s data, this is...

How the virtual Chelsea Flower Show is going to work

Around this time of year gardening fans would be donning their nicest outfits to visit the annual Chelsea Flower Show. The physical event has, of course, been called off, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your flower show fix anyway.

Like so many major events in the calendar, the Chelsea Flower Show is going online in what’s being called Virtual Chelsea. The new event kicks off on...

Ten ways to cut back your household spending right now

A household budget can be like a leaky bucket of water. Things may appear OK on the surface but perhaps there are some holes you hadn’t noticed, which are allowing the precious contents to escape.

And with many people’s finances under additional pressure right now, it’s a crucial time to go through your outgoings to check if any money is ‘leaking’ out unnecessarily.

For some...

The top five celebrity houses Brits want to self-isolate in

One of the UK’s leading luxury homeware marketplaces has revealed the celebrity homes Brits wish they could self-isolate in the most, with the Beckhams’ £31.5m Holland Park property topping the list. 4,000 members of the British public were asked which celebrity homes they’d most like to spend the lockdown period in, and discovered David and Victoria Beckham’s London townhouse was the most...

Eight ways your garden can make you feel better during lockdown

There’s never been a better time to have a garden, as outdoor space means you can at least enjoy some fresh air and greenery while staying at home during lockdown.

And the benefits don’t just apply to avid gardeners – new research shows spending time in the garden may be beneficial for overall health and psychological wellbeing, whether you’re gardening or just relaxing.

The...

From banana bread to TikTok: ten signs you’ve become a lockdown cliché

Life has inextricably changed since lockdown began. With pubs closed, offices shut and life as we know it on hold, it’s safe to say we’re all adapting to our ‘new normal’ together.

But even in uncertain times, annoying micro trends still manage to prevail, and there are particular things that everyone seems to be doing.

Yep, it’s still possible to be a massive cliché – even...

Eight tips for tackling a wardrobe clear-out

Lockdown is undoubtedly difficult and draining, but luckily, there are plenty of creative things to do for entertainment while you’re waiting out the pandemic – like finally tackling those niggly bits of house admin you’ve been putting off.

A good place to start is your wardrobe. A clean, organised, streamlined closet is not only nice to look at, but can offer a little slice of calm...