A dried orange garland can be decorated with ribbons, spices and herbs for more color and scent. Or why not add pine cones and leaves for a more natural look? When you make a Christmas garland of any kind, adding seasonal spices, foraged finds, garden cuttings and a few craft store basics, will give it a personalized look. And while you can buy dried orange slices (opens in new tab), you can also dry orange slices at home easily yourself....

You can easily create a mini wildflower meadow in your own yard as an alternative to an area of lawn, in place of a border, or contained in a parterre, which will be filled with color from spring into summer. Wildflower meadows can work in any garden setting, whether contemporary or traditional, and yards large or small, so plan one in as part of your garden ideas and enjoy the color and wildlife it will add to your garden....

Replacing your kitchen cabinet doors should only cost you around 20 per cent of the price of carrying out a full refurb and will offer an elevated aesthetic at a fraction of the cost. Along with discovering how to paint kitchen cabinets, this is one of the best ways to upgrade a kitchen that needs a little TLC. How to replace kitchen cabinet doors for a fresh new look If you want to update kitchen cabinets without replacing them, replacing kitchen cabinet doors rather than installing kitchen cabinets that are new is the single best way to do so....

Of course, cutting tiles to lay into corners and around edges of rooms is the tricky part, but with this mastered, you can begin to see that laying floor tiles can be a DIY job. Once done, all that’s left is to grout tiles and the job is finished, bar a little cleaning up. And when you’ve mastered laying floor tiles in a simple room, there’s nothing to stop you tackling more complicated spaces, whether you want to tile in a shower or around cabinetry for a backsplash, as well as tiling walls....

Pillows aren’t as straightforward to wash as pillowcases and sheets, though, and care needs differ according to their type. Also complicating things is their bulk and heaviness when wet. But great laundry room ideas will create the facilities to keep them in optimum condition, and this expert guide has all the details you need on how to wash a pillow. How to wash pillows If you’ve invested in the best pillows, you’ll want to prolong their lives, so always check the laundry symbols on the tag and build the task into your routine when you clean a bedroom....

A silk pillowcase is reputed to do wonders for both your hair and skin, and it’s certainly a way to bring five-star style to a bedroom – and bring a touch of glamor to your laundry room ideas, too. A silk pillowcase isn’t as hard to wash as you might suppose if you haven’t owned one before, and we’ve put together an expert guide to care. How to wash a silk pillowcase It’s possible to wash a silk pillowcase in the washing machine or by hand when you‘re cleaning a bedroom....

One year on, and that same property is unrecognizable. Bought from a real estate developer in its shell state, it is now a beautifully finished and thoughtfully designed home, packed with luxurious touches, natural colors and textures, and surprising highlights here and there that stop you in your tracks. The outside space here in sunny Southern California is just as important. Landscaped gardens are set around the pool and planted in a series of terraces....

Tile is among the best options for kitchen flooring, as the kitchen is a room of the house that not only sees a lot of footfall but also the occasional messy accident. More durable than the likes of hardwood, vinyl and laminate, tiles also tend to be more waterproof and generally easier to clean. What’s more, the design possibilities with tiles are endless. Colored porcelain tiles allow you to inject individuality into your kitchen ideas, while the enduring appeal of natural stone can lend either luxury or rusticity, depending on your desired end result....

While you may have heard that buyers now look for homes with home offices and outdoor space, the major appeal of a great-looking, spacious kitchen has not gone away. The good news is that if you’re selling and remodeling a kitchen isn’t an option, you can make smaller upgrades that will make a big difference. Real estate professionals advise on what they are. 1. Updated cabinetry Think of your kitchen cabinets as the bone structure of your kitchen....

A roller is a must-have accessory – not only are they available in a wide range of textures and sizes, suitable for many different types of projects, but they are also fairly inexpensive to purchase. There are many different types of rollers available, too. Although the choice can appear daunting and the best methods for paint application when painting a room can seem time-consuming, our expert tips will help guide you through the process....

If you’re determined to use your garden for as long as possible this summer, a patio cover will help you shelter from both the late summer sun and the odd rain shower. ‘Think of cover for a patio – and a shaded spot – as a multi sensory experience of sight, sound and scent,’ says award-winning landscape and garden designer, Sarah Eberle. Sarah’s patio ideas focus on creating a real sanctuary in your garden: ‘Trickling water or swaying grass will feel cooling, while foliage is good at absorbing heat....

‘Every planting scheme should have some beautiful evergreen shrubs to create interest all year round and act as the backbone to the garden design,’ advises Chris Bonnett, founder of Gardening Express (opens in new tab). ‘There are lots to choose from and it’s always important to check your soil type so you get the right for the conditions in your garden,’ notes Chris. ‘Generally, these are pretty hardy and can withstand most growing conditions....

If you are less conservative with your color choices, this thought may not have even crossed your mind, and you certainly should continue to embrace the many paint ideas and paint tricks on offer. However, if you, like many of our readers, are confused by the endless color choices and their many subtle nuances, then let us guide you on how to choose paint colors for your home, whether you prefer a modern mix-and-match approach to your room color ideas, or want a cohesive whole house color scheme....

Whether you want a completely new look, to modify your existing space or simply add an eye catching feature to switch things up, getting a small backyard design right is the first step in any rethink, as it forms the all-important structure of your garden. Narrowing down your backyard ideas and options is best done by thinking about the look you want to achieve, how it will suit your home’s architecture and interior, and what you need....

A mudroom is one of the most functional spaces in the house, serving as a drop zone for coats and backpacks, a place to put on shoes and a storage spot for umbrellas and cold-weather gear. But not every home has a dedicated mudroom space, especially older homes that were built before mudrooms became a must-have, or small urban condos without excess square footage. To help you figure out how to carve out a functional mudroom idea for your home, we’ve rounded up 10 creative layouts, clever cabinets, and smart storage solutions for designing a mudroom of any size....

Whether your plan is to make the dining table the focus of your Thanksgiving decor ideas with a spectacular centerpiece display, or you’re looking for something simple to elevate your everyday place settings, there’s a festive idea to suit your style, below. Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas From seasonal displays of pumpkins and pine cones, to glistening gilded candlesticks and unexpected color schemes, we found some stunning Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas, and asked the experts for their tips on creating the perfect fall showstopper....

THE COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN GROWING IN PLANTERS We speak to soil scientist, nutritional gardener and owner of Ergrownomics (opens in new tab), Dr Nigel Bending about the most common planting mistakes, and how best to avoid them. NOT CONSIDERING YOUR SPACE When growing in a container you’re going to be very limited on space. One option to get around this is to harvest crops as ‘baby leaf’ before they reach full size....

A quick internet query later to see if I needed to call a dishwasher servicing company, and I soon discovered that I actually just needed to clean my dishwasher to fix the problem. In fact, it needed a good, deep clean. Because, it turns out, that if not cleaned for a while, the filters in the machine get clogged up with all the gunk, which then in turn gets on all the dishes which it’s supposed to be cleaning....

However, the lure of an elegant Georgian coach house threw an unexpected curveball at the couple and their two young sons: the historic property had been split into two in the early 1970s, and a substantial, not to mention disruptive, renovation was needed in order to make it whole again. See more: World’s best homes – our page dedicated to fabulous properties The property ‘It was two separate, and very different, properties....

He and his husband Kurt Wootton had gazed at this ramshackle building from their home across the street for many years and were familiar with its extraordinary history. It was first known as the Captain Kibbe Cook House, after the 19th-century whaler and traveller who lived here, but in 1906, it entered a new era when it was bought by the civil rights activist, writer and all-round radical Mary Heaton Vorse....