All new home owners beware – unless you bite the bullet and get all the little bits that need doing to your new house out of the way pretty quickly, you will soon stop noticing them and they may not get done for years or at all, despite your promises.

It happens to us all. You move in and think that you will do it a little at a time. You decide to limit your immediate work to a couple of things. Buy blinds online now and get them installed to give you a little privacy; maybe put some rugs down as a temporary measure to hide the garish carpet until you can afford new ones.

Then you will do all the work that needs doing a little at a time as you have the time and as you can afford it. (more...)

Although we tend not to think of changing fashion in furniture or household items as much as we do with clothes, there are in fact certain items which come in and out of fashion so it is worth paying attention to this when investing in new home items, as you do not want them to be outdated within a couple of years.

Items like plantation blinds and shutters and wooden floors are classic and will probably never go out of fashion, so investing in timeless pieces is fairly safe.

But there are many things that have been seen to go in and out of fashion and which I would think twice about buying – bathrooms are an area where it pays to be very cautious as these will last for years and have the capacity to become very outdated – remember the avocado suites of the seventies, a crime against humanity which is still gracing so many bathrooms up and down the country? (more...)

Once upon a time living in the country meant that you had no or limited access to the good shops and it is was difficult to find chic and trendy clothes and things for your home. Not the case now as you have access to everything through the internet, and your home in the depths of Scotland or Cornwall can now be as gorgeous as if you were living right next to some of the best shops in London.

You can now buy everything on the internet and have them delivered to your country home from Devon blinds sales and shutters through to contemporary furniture and even paints and fabrics. Never has it been so easy to bring a touch of urban class into your country home.

Many of the top London shops also have an internet store and will deliver to any part of the country, although not all deliver to the islands off Scotland. Many will also arrange home visits for fitting and advice – for a hefty fee of course. (more...)