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A bedroom might be a private room, but your personal quarters deserve your utmost attention. Read on to discover these design tips from Camilla Clarke, Creative Director at interior design studio Albion Nord (opens in new tab) to create a relaxing sanctuary. 1. Always include texture in a bedroom design ‘Consider texture to be as important as color and pattern. There is nothing worse than a flat design. Interiors are all about evoking the senses and therefore texture is a vital ingredient to every design to get our sight and touch senses going....

This hue is admired by sleep experts and designers alike, who agree that blue bedroom ideas can help you sleep better – but as with all tones, some are even more impactful than others. Knowing specifically what color helps sleep can come down to personal preference – with some experts opting for lighter blues and others going darker. However, if you’re looking for a safe starting point, you could do far worse than following these expert suggestions....

Decorating with purple can sway from a bold statement to a relaxing, zen space, says Ruth Mottershead, creative director of Little Greene (opens in new tab). ‘Purple encompasses many shades from soft, delicate pastel lilac to purple greys and deep eggplants. Depending on the shade of purple you choose, there will be a range of different complementary shades.’ But, when trying to curate the perfect purple room ideas it can be hard to know where to start....

But two common questions we often ask when deciding on the best room color ideas are; what is the most stressful color? and what colors cause anxiety? According to color psychologists, the most stressful and anxiety-inducing color is ‘red’. Red room ideas can be too intense for some people – could your red decor be one of the reasons why your friends hate your house? It reminds us of danger and is a color that makes you angry....

Why make a home look expensive? It’s obviously wonderful to live in a home that feels well-curated, but it’s also a great way to increase your home’s value if you are thinking of selling up any time soon. Whether you are looking for luxury living room ideas or luxury bathroom ideas and beyond, these expert interior design tips will help you achieve an expensive aesthetic in every room of your home....

There is much to be done as the days get longer and you begin to focus on the growing season and summer months ahead, including plenty of seeds to sow. Think about what you want to plant and where as part of your garden ideas and begin to form a vision of how the garden will look. What to plant in March – vegetables If you live in a colder zone you might need to hold off on sowing seeds as part of your kitchen garden ideas until later in the month, although can start some off under cover....

Once you know how to aerate a lawn, it is best practice to learn when to aerate for the best effect. Aerating your lawn at the right time can positively impact your lawn and garden ideas for the rest of the year, and even prevent and solve major lawn catastrophes such as waterlogged lawns and repairing patches in the grass. Here, experts have offered their tips for aerating your lawn at the right time of year for the best results....

Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, Cucurbitacae, and are actually considered a berry. Cucurbita pepo is the type of pumpkin used to make the jack-o-lanterns seen on Halloween, but there are many different sizes, shapes, colors and flavors. Once you know how to grow pumpkins you can try many different varieties that you won’t generally be able to find at the grocery store. When to plant pumpkins Because they have a long growing season, it is important to plant pumpkins as early as possible as part of your vegetable garden ideas....

These petite rainbow colored root vegetables bring a vibrant taste sensation to myriad dishes. Radishes are a low maintenance crop which can be planted in the ground, in a greenhouse, on a patio or balcony, and are small enough to even be planted in pots indoors on a windowsill, making them perfect for novice gardeners to grow. They are also an extremely quick crop to grow – their root and edible leaves can be ready to eat, from seed to fork, in four weeks....

Whilst you may know how to plant tulip bulbs, knowing the best time to plant tulip bulbs can make all the difference. Planting tulips too early can leave frost-damaged shoots, plant tulip bulbs too late and you may leave the bulbs susceptible to disease. To add these iconic flowers to your garden ideas and enjoy them in the springtime, use this guide to plant them at the perfect time. When to plant tulips Blubs: ‘Dry tulip bulbs are some of the best spring bulbs, but need to be planted in colder months to bloom in time for spring,’ explains Rachel Crow, garden editor for Homes & Gardens....

Whether you’ve grown a lemon tree from seed or bought one in a pot, they’re a lovely way to add a touch of Mediterranean charm to a sunny patio. And in colder climes, they’ll easily brighten up a glazed room with their zesty, yellow fruits. But if the foliage also turns yellow, it’s a sign that there’s a problem. Our guide explains what to do. Spotted black or white leaves on your lemon instead?...

Investigating the flammability of all kitchen appliances is vital to preserving your safety, and, considering its place in your oven, parchment paper is likely to be at the peak of your agenda. As with all pantry staples, it’s essential to assess the safety of parchment paper before using it for the first time – and the best people to ask are those who use it daily. Here, we spoke to chefs and food bloggers who are masters at kitchen ideas so that you can perfect your culinary skills without an extra fire hazard....

You may already have a few Le Creuset pieces dotted around your space, but if you are looking to expand your collection and further invest in some of the best cast iron cookware, then you’ve come to the right place for inspiration. The Homes & Gardens edit of the best Le Creuset buys explores the Le Creuset must-haves that are used and loved by our team every day. From the iconic Dutch Oven, voted the best overall in our best Dutch oven guide, to the dreamy Le Creuset stoneware cafetière and matching mugs, we have it all covered....

DEFINE YOUR CONCEPT Before adding to your interior space, define your concept and what you would like to achieve from your newly revamped home. Think about how you want home to feel and look like. Do you want classic, contemporary, eclectic, home or more minimalist? Once you have determined your aesthetic you are going for, use mood boards or digital mockups as a way to work out what you need to add or remove in order to achieve this....

Discovering Rebecca Hughes on Instagram, the owner quickly realised Rebecca’s love of collaboration could prove to be her greatest asset. ‘While I wanted the lead to come from the designer, I also had a very clear idea of our taste as a couple and wanted to be able to contribute to the creative process,’ the owner explains. Shortly after commissioning Rebecca, the owner found herself at the studio rummaging through samples....

A crucial home staging tip is bringing in well-chosen paintings, photographs, murals and other artworks to show off a home at its best. ‘If you’re looking for an instant way to improve the saleability of your home, then invest in artwork,’ says Elaine Penahaul, founder of home staging company Lemon and Lime Interiors (opens in new tab). ‘It helps to offer home buyers an immediate sense of homeliness, and will help your home stand out....

The major factors to consider when it comes to purchasing a rowing machine are space, your price range, and the features that will make your workout feel like a walk in the park, like games to entertain you and a good console to help track your metrics. Like many of the best treadmills, good rowing machines can continue to challenge you years after you first make your purchase, with various levels of resistance to work your way through....

Sharing his space-enhancing bathroom ideas, the Queer Eye star revealed that choosing a floating cabinet can make a significant difference – no matter the size of your space. Here, everything you need to know – and a convenient alternative if new units are not an option. Bobby Berk’s bathroom vanity tip ‘A bulky vanity can take up quite a bit of precious space. So opting for a floating version is a great way to still get storage while feeling a lot less cumbersome,’ Bobby writes in his blog (opens in new tab)....

What makes green-gray October’s Color of the Month? With their organic roots and eternal allure, we expect gray, green, and powder blue will continue to set color trends throughout the year ahead – but looks particularly beautiful this October – when dark and moody tones reign supreme. The color, which is easy to live with, looks beautiful in west-or south-facing rooms while being suitably moody in spaces with less light. The latter is important this month when signs of the season feel increasingly evident with the longer nights – fueled by the clocks falling back at the end of the month....

As the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, great-niece of Russia’s last Tsarina, and the daughter of Britain’s last Viceroy of India, the Countess lived an extraordinarily elegant lifestyle alongside a dazzling dynasty of royal figures. See: World’s best homes – our pick of the globe’s most beautiful houses Lady Mountbatten, succeeded her father Lord Mountbatten after his assassination in 1979 as documented in Netflix’s The Crown. Together with her husband, 7th Lord Brabourne, she filled Newhouse, her eighteenth-century home, with fine art, furniture, sculptures, and books....