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By keeping outerwear, boots and shoes, pet paraphernalia and all sorts of other kit – paddle boards, skateboards, rucksacks – in one designated, organized space, the knock-on effects will be felt throughout the entire home. We’ve spoken to the experts to discover their best boot room ideas, storage solutions and organising tips. And if you don’t have a boot room, you’ll find that lots of these suggestions work for hallway ideas, too....

And while a pillowcase protects a memory foam pillow and is washed frequently, the pillow itself does require cleaning from time to time, too, to maximize the hygiene of a bed. Here, we explain how to wash a memory foam pillow without damaging its filling with laundry ideas from the experts. Can you wash memory foam pillows? Asking: can you wash memory foam pillows? This guide will provide you with the details on how to wash a pillow made with memory foam....

Country garden ideas can be replicated in urban plots, too, where the softer foliage and less formal planting takes the edge off the urban landscape. Below, you can discover the secrets of country garden style, and we have more amazing garden ideas, whatever your style, in our dedicated feature. Country garden ideas: a guide to rustic growing Key to developing your country garden ideas is to create a strong connection between the well-tended garden and the wilder landscape around it....

But if you are looking to add character to your kitchen ideas, and with cabinetry taking up much of your walls, wallpaper can be a good opportunity to introduce color and pattern. For a warm and welcoming kitchen, country wallpaper ideas featuring delicate florals and nods to nature are the ones you’ll want to look for. Neutral and earthy tones suit large wall areas in country decorating ideas, though brighter, bolder hues can add a contemporary edge and work well as a feature wall....

They allow you to really play with contrasts among your bathroom ideas: stunning dark walls with pops of marble, metallics and wood, and don’t forget you can add in accent colors too. Consider introducing patterns as well, such as with a dark-based wallpaper, or pairing fabulous monochromatic bathroom wall ideas with motif embellished floor tiles. Dark bathroom ideas Below, we’ve sourced our favorite dark bathroom ideas to inspire you. Remember, you don’t need to go as dark as you may expect....

See: Interior design trends – the top looks for the New Year My style comes directly from a childhood watching my father, George Oakes, at work. He was head designer and bespoke painter at Colefax and Fowler and often worked from home. Although I gained an MA in fine art, it was my father who taught me the techniques involved in decorative painting, sending me to the South of France to fulfil a commission he didn’t really want to take on as he’d recently retired....

Let’s face it, there are increasingly fewer times in our days (or week) when we can escape the noise and hubbub of our daily lives – that’s why I take great pains to ensure the bathrooms in my clients’ houses are special retreats. We actually spend a lot of time in bathrooms and there’s nothing more relaxing than being able to close the door for 10 minutes of peace. As a result, bathrooms should act as an oasis or a sanctuary rather than feel cold, stark and utilitarian....

An essential part of the home, an entryway closet is a space that needs to tick all of the boxes: it should be practical, work hard, be easy to organize – and good looking. Factoring in plenty of closet storage for coats, bags and boots is an essential entryway idea if you don’t have a boot room as it will help keep the hallway clear making the space feel calm, welcoming....

As well as looking inviting in its own right, an entryway color scheme should set the tone for the rest of your home. Move it up on your decorating agenda: it’s a place to be bold and show your personality. Winning room color ideas and entryway paint ideas pay attention to the mood, size and natural light, so whether you go for something playful or serene, here are some entryway color ideas to get you started....

The owner of the eponymously named design studio (and creative director of Firmdale Hotels) is unmatched in regard to her bold use of pattern and daring color ideas. So, when it comes to making a home memorable, it is inevitable to turn to her for advice. In an exclusive interview with H&G, Kit Kemp shared that the key to a well-designed (but nonetheless personal) space comes down to her rule of 5 ‘C’s: color, comfort, character, craft, and curation....

‘Part of the ethos of a cottage garden is imbuing it with your own personality – there are no rules, just plant what you love to create a garden that appeals to you,’ advises garden expert Leigh Clapp, ‘whether you want to evoke a chocolate box image or just draw on elements of the flower-filled cottage style in a border, the appeal is popular for both country and urban dwellers, and for any garden size....

With a wide range of garden fence ideas on offer, there is so much a well-chosen garden fence can do for your outdoor space. Style is just as important as the quality, so choosing the right material to fit with your other backyard ideas is essential. ‘Large features like fences also underpin or can dictate a particular design style or theme, so it’s important to get them right,’ says gardening expert Matt James....

It’s one that should be undertaken before picking up a paintbrush when you’re painting a room yourself, getting rid of dust and dirt, cobwebs, and, in some rooms, grease or crayon marks. It will ensure the paint bonds well with the wall, and is recommended by major paint manufacturers for smooth results. Our guide has all the details on how to clean walls before painting along with advice from the experts on making the job easy....

The best entertaining garden ideas zone the backyard with features such as a seating area for lounging, a dining space for alfresco eating and a focal point such as a fire pit or outdoor fireplace to gather around for chilled-out evenings. Think about all the elements you’d like to include in order to plan a garden that’s perfect for the entertaining you enjoy, as well as practicalities such as lighting, heat, shade and shelter, and use this expert advice to design your space....

Milkweed is a wildflower ideal for your flower bed ideas with the multitude of colors that are beloved by monarch butterflies in particular. In fact, the plant is the sole source of sustenance for these orange critters so it makes an ideal addition to a garden for pollinators. Despite there being around 140 wild species of this perennial flowering plant, they are instantly recognizable by their bright colors, clusters of five united petals, and tufted seeds....

Making pot pourri is really easy if you follow our simple step-by-step instructions. They are an easy table-top assembly idea for children, too. Then, you can either display in a bowl or give as gifts. Made with food and store staples, these orange and herb potpourri gift pots are also a great Mason jar craft idea, as well as being a fantastic eco craft for leftover glass pots. How to make pot pourri for gift pots You will need:...

And if you’ve taken the time to learn how to grow avocados and planted a tree grafted on a rootstock from a nursery in order to harvest your own fruit, you’ll want to keep it in the right way. Here, we look at how to store avocados whether you’ve cultivated them at home or brought them back from the store. How to store avocados The way avocados should be stored varies according to the ripeness of individual fruits, and whether each is whole, or has been cut....

For this reason, it’s important to maintain a clean and clear garbage disposal, and to learn how to unclog it, fast. How to unclog a garbage disposal Like unclogging a toilet, being able to remedy a blocked garbage disposal is a skill worth having. The first sign that you need to unclog might be that you have unsuccessfully tried to unclog a dishwasher. If the water standing in the bottom of your dishwasher isn’t draining, it might be not be down to a blockage the dishwasher itself but in the garbage disposal, with dirty water backing up....

Stains absorb light, and that is what gives them their color. Chlorine bleach contains sodium hypochlorite and is an oxidizing agent. It interacts with the compounds in stains that make them visible, breaking many of their bonds, rendering them ‘invisible’ and allowing detergent to wash them away. You can also use chlorine-free bleach, which is generally milder and a color-safe alternative to regular household bleach. Discovering how to use bleach is one of the best laundry room ideas for efficient results....

According to experts, there is more to it than simply learning how to wash towels, or softening towels and keeping them soft. Here, we have spoken to experts to learn what impact our bathroom towels might have on our skin health, and how you can use your towels correctly for a luxury, spa-like bathroom experience. How to use your towels correctly Whilst we might be paying attention to what products we use to clean our towels and wash our faces, it rarely occurs to people how much how we use our towels plays a role in the condition of our skin....