Interiors

Changing your floors: eco friendly materials to consider

Laminate

5 rules for any DIY decorating job

Five rules for any house decorating job. 

Are you bored with your doors?

Good doors are worth investing in because doors are an important design feature. And they can be very eco-friendly, being made from sustainable wood or recyclable materials such as glass or metal. Urban Front is a UK manufacturer of solid wood and veneered doors.

 

Build a summer house in sunny Spain

'The house is located in an elevated residential area, which is dominated by the hillside that leads down to the sea,' explains architect Ramón Esteve. 'This view marked the direction that the walls would follow, in an abstract manner, defining the project,' 

Dress up your home with orchids

Orchids are endlessly fascinating with their complex sculptural blooms and variegated colour. They're exquisite exotic works of art, yet they have a minimalism about them - which explains why so many contemporary interior designers love them. They have great presence yet they're not overpowering. (And yes, ok, they may not always prove the easiest plant to keep in fine fettle, but more on that later.)

What are the main types of blinds and where to use them?

Blinds are a classic way to shade your windows, they are simple to use, easy to install and most importantly, they look amazingly stylish. Unlike curtains where you have one variation of the shading, choose from multiple different types of blinds ranging from rolling fabric blinds to metal slat blinds. And to help you navigate the world of blinds we’ve teamed up with DotcomBlinds to explain the various types available.

Roller Blinds

Architect Robert Kraus' spectacular Vienna new build

At Deco we're generally not in favour of gawping at pictures of wealthy people's houses. But this house - while far beyond most self-builders wildest dreams - is rather lovely; and on the grounds that it uses lots of sustainable European oak, has ground source heat pumps to keep it warm in winter and uses fabric from Essex-based MissPrint, well, we thought you might find it inspiring.

Patterned tiles for a Mediterranean style kitchen

A lot of us have moved away from ceramic tiles in the kitchen, in favour of resilient flooring such as vinyl, linoleum or rubber and glass splashbacks.

But if you want to be creative, take inspiration from the colourful and detailed encaustic patterns of the 19th century, which you see used to great effect in Mediterranean countries.

Make a small room something special

Decorating a cloakroom can often feel more daunting than tackling a bigger space. How do you get the layout right? What if the scale doesn't work? But Roselind Wilson, creative director at Roselind Wilson Design, believes that a small WC actually gives you the chance to unleash your creativity. 'To create impact in a small space, there needs to be a memorable feature that really grabs your attention. This might be a striking wallpaper or the use of bold colour. You need to be braver than you might be in other areas of the house.'

Paint your way to a lovely home with Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan's book Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture, published by CICO Books, takes you through 40 projects, showing you how to transform old furniture, floors, walls and ceilings, using eco friendly chalk paint. It covers French, Swedish, contemporary and shabby chic styles. With pictures and text that tells you what to do step-by-step, it's a useful, practical book.

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