Doors are one of the most practical but often overlooked design features in our homes, and yet, they make the perfect place to make a show-stopping statement with Christmas decorating ideas. Interior designer Monique Tollgard (opens in new tab) says that a beautifully decorated door at Christmas is also a prelude for the style that lies within; ‘the entrance is the first encounter for you, your guests and your home this season....

While they are awash with period features, cottages often have small rooms with unusual angles, which can make designing a bathroom tricky. However, with some clever thinking, there’s no reason why you can’t have a bathroom with all the modern comforts. The key to designing a cottage bathroom is to pay homage to its rural and historic character. For a timeless yet characterful look let the architecture take the lead and choose fixtures and fittings, decor, and colors to complement....

See more: World’s best homes – our page dedicated to fabulous properties The property This apartment has personal resonance for the owner as she purchased it with the proceeds from selling her parents’ apartment in Grosvenor Square and filled it with furniture taken from their former home. Her childhood memories of growing up in the Colefax & Fowler-designed apartment with huge windows and high ceilings, are so strong, her own home could be termed as a modern imitation....

Whether you’re starting out on a new design project or just want to refresh an existing scheme, Nina Campbell has shared her top interior design tips for creating a harmonious space that is brimming with personality. 1. Figure out your floorplan Figuring out your floor plan is vital to ensure that your room works from a practical and aesthetic standpoint. Start by working out the central point of the room; this will guide you as to where to place large pieces of furniture....

Decorating with green can allow for you to get back to nature with a fresh palette. ‘It’s all about what you pair it with,’ says Judy Smith, color consultant for Crown Paint. ‘Greens with a blue base are impactful colors, so introducing softer tones of clay white and chalky grey in furniture and accessories and keeping to a light, natural flooring will help to balance a scheme and add a calming quality....

Luckily, the professionals are generous enough to share their expertise with us and we’ve collected their wisdom here so you can make use of the fundamentals they employ in their designs. These interior design tips will ensure rooms look professionally decorated, and your home’s a pleasure to live in. How do I make my rooms look professionally decorated? Designer interiors are something special, but replicating that elevated look is possible....

The same joyous circle occurs every day (even on a weekend) when I set my alarm for a time that should allow me to leave the house with ease. Then, sure enough, I find I am still in bed at least 10 minutes past the time I set as the ‘absolute cut-off point’ I naively decided on the night before. After a fast-forwarded, hugely chaotic morning routine, I find myself running into my office or my weekend breakfast plans, astonished with myself for oversleeping for the ninth year running....

A tub that’s sparkling clean also makes the room look its best and ensures it’s a space in which you really do want to bathe and unwind. These top cleaning tips will make tackling the tub an efficient process that takes the minimum of time but delivers excellent results, and we’ve asked the experts to reveal their tub-cleaning secrets, too. How to clean a bathtub Cleaning the tub is an important element of cleaning a bathroom....

Whether you’re looking to remove fingerprint smudges or just general life debris from your screen, the process remains the same. Here’s how to enjoy a streak-free finish that will make your monitor usage that bit brighter for a little longer. How to clean a monitor – expert tips for a streak-free finish ‘These are very sensitive devices, and cleaners with bleach, ammonia, or an acidic cleaner like vinegar can erode the screen and cause permanent damage,’ she says....

First things first: check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. It’s also worth knowing whether the velvet is made of synthetic, silk, or cotton fibers, as synthetic tends to be more resistant to stains. We turned to cleaning professionals to find out how to clean a velvet couch properly, and the mistakes you seriously want to avoid. Below, we have plenty of expert guidance, whether you’ve got a wet stain that needs removing right now or if things are just looking tired and creased....

The good news is that getting rid of shower curtain mold and mildew is really easy to do and, perhaps surprisingly, doesn’t require store-bought cleaning products – you can get the job done with pantry ingredients it’s also worth finding space for as part of your laundry room ideas. We’ve got the lowdown on how to get rid of shower curtain mold and mildew, as well as a few handy tips on how to prevent it coming back, so that your shower curtain ideas can remain looking as good as new....

Sow seeds outside from spring to fall in a sunny or part shady spot. Taking from one to three weeks to germinate, these hardy annuals will quickly form their flat notched leaves and develop tasty stalks too. You can grow cilantro outside until the first sign of frost, and can extend the productive season by sowing some under cover. How to harvest cilantro Treated well, this leafy herb can provide endless amounts of flavor-packed leaves....

Whether you’re looking for grey sofa living room ideas or styling the piece in your bedroom or home office, the question of how to style a gray sofa correctly remains the same. And if you’re decorating with grey, you could do far worse than following the advice of these top designers, who are experts at styling the tone in all rooms of the home. How to style a gray sofa – 5 rules designers follow All successful grey living room ideas begin with a well a well-curated sofa....

Not only is taking plant cuttings one of the most frugal and sustainable garden ideas, but it is also one of the most enjoyable. There is no greater pleasure than propagating and nurturing new plants – watching them grow large enough to eventually take pride of place in your garden. ‘It will take time to grow new plants from cuttings, but it won’t cost you anything, and you will be able to replicate the specific plant,’ says Period Living’s gardening expert Leigh Clapp....

While knowing how to grow a palm tree is a relatively simple way to bring architectural drama to your garden, maintaining the plant comes is less straightforward. In many cases, pruning your palm can do more damage than good and should, consequently, be left to grow freely. However, if you decide that you do need to prune, it is vital to cut with caution. How to trim palm trees – according to professionals Unlike knowing how to prune olive trees and other popular summer plants, it can be hard to know when to cut palms....

There are several types of paint sprayers. Conventional paint sprayers, sold at your local hardware store, are aimed at DIYers and are easy to use, low fuss and affordable. You can also buy airless paint sprayers, which are best for blitzing large areas, as well as HVLP paint sprayers, which produce a finer spray and are better suited to precision jobs like stairs spindles and window frames. The type of paint sprayer you choose to paint a room largely depends on the job in question, and the paint finishes you want to use, for example eggshell, flat or gloss paint....

Interior designer Trish Lynn, Founder & Principal Designer, Colette Interiors, finished the remodel of her Craftsman style house just before the pandemic. Located in Chatham, New Jersey, it was built in 1952, and has a heavily wooded exterior. ‘We wanted to bring those environmental elements indoors to highlight our surroundings in organic finishes and natural textures and materials,’ explains Trish. ‘The open floor plan of the home was what we loved most, but it also presented a challenge in assuring all spaces were complementary and blended together harmoniously....

Yet it wasn’t until I told my mom about my bugbear that we realized she’d had the answer all along with a dryer sheet cleaning tip which not only keeps my baseboards clean but also makes my entire house smell beautiful. This is the trick my mom didn’t know I didn’t already know that now means I can get baseboards clean in double quick time. ‘Wiping baseboards with a dryer sheet picks up dust’ Dryer sheets are a staple of my laundry room ideas but I had never thought to use them other than in my dryer....

In all, I count around 14 bathroom remodels, that I’ve done myself, excluding powder rooms. And that’s not counting all those bathroom design ideas I’ve helped friends and family with. Home additions aside, remodelling a bathroom is second only to a kitchen for spend, necessary forethought and planning, so getting it right is vital. Over the years I’ve made both good choices and bad, and every single bathroom renovation has taught me something new....

Here, Emma shares her ideas for tiling a wall – and other surfaces – imaginatively. 1. Using tiles on an outdoor dining table Outdoor dining ideas need a pep up? ‘One of the most intriguing ways to be creative with tiles is to style a table top using a chequerboard pattern. This is a great way to add color to a home whilst keeping it practical for cleaning,’ says Emma....