Archived

Linen cushions: Joy Jolliffe sample sale

Royal Society of British Artists' exhibition

The exhibition is an artistic showcase and an inspiring resource, so if you're in central London at the end of this month it's well worth making time to pop in. Works in oil, pastel and watercolour are used by remarkably talented artists to render warmth, texture and light. Otherwise you can see and buy the works online.

 

Be bold, choose red!

Red probably isn't the best colour for bedrooms, but if you want some bright hues for your sitting room or kitchen, well, why not be bold and go for a spot of chilli red? Plenty of brands are going big on red for 2026, including Oliver Bonas, Procook and Peugeot. If you've got essentially white walls, a red cushion cover or two can make all the difference in a sitting room, as can a red throw and a red planter. And in the kitchen keep the theme going with red mugs, napkins and a table runner.

Kitchen compost bins: get composting and grow your own

Save your peelings and food waste in a counter top bin for home composting or for local council composting. Even Greener

Villa Della Pergola English gardens at Alassio

Enjoy travel to Italy then don't miss the Gardens of Villa Della Pergola at Alassio on the Ligurian coast. So vibrant and green, nature is managed yet wild. Feel at one with beautiful gardens full of wisteria and agapanthus

Bethan Laura Wood at the Design Museum

Keep warm and save energy this winter

Turning up the central heating is a very expensive and un-eco-friendly way to keep your house warm. With the focus on energy saving measures to cut bills and the nation's CO2 emissions, there are plenty of things we can do to allow us to turn down the thermostat a good degree or so, even in the depths of winter.
 
Wrap up and keep out the draughts
 

Cyclamens for winter garden delight

Cyclamens are inexpensive, abundant and they can make winter a flowering success. The Royal Horticultural Association (RHA)  describes cyclamens as 'a delightful tuberous perennial providing colour often when little else is flowering, particularly in late winter or early spring.'

Grow them in shadier spots - they don't like full sunshine - and don't let their soil become too dry and they'll keep on flowering month after month. They're great in window boxes and containers too, and work well planted with snowdrops, winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) and primroses.

Eco-friendly Christmas decorations

Most of us like the idea of a real Christmas tree, don't we, even if needles all over the floor mean its charm swiftly palls. Yet real trees aren't necessarily the eco option.

A real tree?

Christmas - keep it eco, keep it simple!

Enjoy an eco friendly Christmas by using LED lights, not overbuying food and using a recyclable tree whether it's a real potted spruce or an artificial one. Think about minimising your landfill waste.

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