Category: General

It’s amazing how some pieces of furniture give a room a real wow factor, these snugglers from john lewis are really interesting items. They’re bigger than arm chairs but smaller than sofas making them useful for areas where you’d like to put a sofa but don’t have room. Stick a lovely coffee table next to them and you have a really lovely cosy corner. Add a lamp and maybe a couple of glossy magazines on the table and you have a lovely lifestyle look that will make that area in your home look great.
They’re available in fabrics and leather and all sorts of styles and colours. There will be a snuggler for your home! They’d be nice in a bedroom if you have a big area of space that looks a bit empty. They’re probably the contemporary equivalent of chaise longues!
The good thing about dressing your home with furniture is that you get to take it with you when you move, so pick something you like!

Dependning which index you’ve looked at you’ll think house prices are doing very different things. One has to assume that the limited numbers used for the Nationwide index make it less reflective of the whole market, and that the land registry figures are more accurate.
The Telegraph has an article on this discrepency

Possibly the strangest thing I’m going to post on my blog but I thought it was cute and if you had a friend who was moving house then you could make them a celebration cake with it!
The house cake mould is only £4.99

Flexible silicone non-stick cake mould which allows you to make several house shaped cakes. A fun and amusing idea that we think you’ll quite enjoy using and eating the results. Perfect for house warmning parties.

Is designer wallpaper worth the money?
Many people think that by having a beautiful home, you enjoy it more and are more happy and content. The whole idea of having wallpaper up you don’t like would be silly, especially when there are so many lovely wallpapers. But do you have to have a designer wallpaper?

To compare similar wallpapers it’s nice to get samples and at Wallpaper Direct you can have two samples free and if you want to add more then there’s a small charge! They’re A4 sized samples to give you a real idea of what you’ll be buying.

How to use a sample of wallpaper. As well as holding it and feeling the quality of the paper, you can fix it up on the wall you’re going to put the paper on and spend some time looking at it. Imagine how it’ll look when you do the whole wall. Use the sample to see how it’ll look with your furniture too, and your carpets and curtains!


There are some utterly stunning wallpapers such as this 50’s Housewife wallpaper that is a really wonderful unique pattern that will look funky in whatever room you put it in!
It’s made by Dupenny who make some really unusual wallpapers that have been used by top designers like Pearl Lowe.
If you’re after something with more wow factor then a designer paper is more likely to do this! There are lots of bold wallpapers available too that are considerably cheaper than the Dupenny range. These will still give you a feature wallpaper with colour and pattern! You should pick something you like so you’re not stuck looking at it wanting to paint over it! Sometimes a paper will grow on you! Wallpaperdirect have the new Arteco by Jeff Banks. This collection is full of stunning geometric designs in metallic ink finishes and water colour effects. is an interesting designer range with patterns explored in a range of colours to suit you.

Housing turnover the lowest in 40 years

Hometrack estimates 840,000 houses will sell this year – about half the 2007 figure – while scarcity is propping up prices

“An expected 840,000 sales in 2011 is almost 50% lower than in 2007 and equates to the average private sector home changing hands every 26 years.

Someone asked a question recently about how small a toilet room can be. They said the door didn’t close when you were in and your elbows were touching either side of the walls.

There’s no room size minimum in building regs that I could find for bathroom size – am prepared to be corrected if you have some info though.

There used to be guidelines on minimum house size from the The Parker Morris Committee drew up an influential 1961 report on housing space standards in public housing in the United Kingdom titled Homes for Today and Tomorrow.
This wiki article also says that most new builds today fail to meet these standards!

This site has a nice graph to illustrate the floor space principals – but the most annoying cat ever!

The Mayor of London report on space standards is worth a look too

Maybe we should have a competition to find the smallest studio appartment in the UK?

Not a high tech gadget at all – something very simple – Blackspur Magnetic Wrist Band Strap Holder for Screws and Nails etc
is designed to hold screws and nuts and bolts so you can have both hands free for using the drill or climbing the ladder. For those times when you don’t have an assistant to pass you up screws or nails. Very useful little bit of kit and a real stocking filler price!

Velcro fastening wrist strap is adjustable so suitable for everyone. Perfect for anyone who likes doing DIY and always asks for help when they have both hands full! Will help you be more productive and make less trips up and down the ladder, or get on with things faster. Easier than having screws or nails in a pocket too! You can see how many you’ve got out so you know you’ve got enough to finish the job.
And take a long look at the photo. Is it just me who finds it’s amusing he’s got a plaster on!
Great little gift idea for the keen DIYer.

Looking for something a bit different for a feature wall? This lovely wallpaper called Quentin’s ABC is unique and very special.It’s a relaxed but stylish alphabet wallpaper which is in the distinctive script of Quentin Blake. It consists of chalky-white letters and numbers on a black background. Actual pattern repeat of 46cm.
I think this is a lovely paper that would be great in a child’s bedroom as a feature wall.

Another wonderful selection I really like is the Belynda Sharples Collection
I think these are very pretty, unusual and would look stunning in a country kitchen or lounge! They are pretty drawings including sheep, cows and plants and have a real countryside theme. I’m sure these will be stunning in any room!

Interesting description of this house
the estate agent writes:
“I have to be very careful where I use descriptive adjectives such as ‘immaculate’ as ones interpretation may differ from another’s but I defy anyone to say that it is not justifiable for this beautiful presented deceptive three bedroom semi detached house. To see a couple whom are so house proud and not just house proud but also garden proud makes my job a joy to do. “

The lawn is amazingly neat and the house is very tidy and decluttered!