Considering materials

Whilst the current trend sees most homeowners opting for tiles on both the floor and walls of their bathroom; they were not used as freely in the Victorian period.  Walls tended to be plastered and painted, wallpapered or perhaps fitted with decorative panelling.  Tiles were sometimes used on the floors, but bare floorboards were just as popular.

Bathtub options

Whilst with a Victorian bathroom you should try to add visual enhancements wherever possible, the bathtub should be the central focus.  By adding a truly striking bathtub you can ensure that those entering the room are immediately aware of the styling.  Your first choice is to go for a slipper bath; the design of which incorporates one end higher than the other.  This allows the bather to really stretch out and enjoy their soak.

Your second choice is to go for a double ended bath.  These are similar to slipper baths, although both ends are raised.  This of course means that the bath is very deep and two people can use it at the same time.  In addition, double ended baths will almost always have the taps situated down one side, whereas slipper baths are likely to have theirs situated at the bottom end.

If you are looking to create your themed bathroom on a budget, then one way to save money can be to go for a basic bathtub.  You can then add a Victorian feel to it by purchasing wooden panelling, which can be fitted round the sides of the bathtub.

Sink design

As with your bath choice, it is possible to spend a small fortune on a sink, or go for a more budget option.  Some marble Victorian sink basins with aluminium legs can cost upwards of £3,000.  In contrast you can source porcelain models that incorporate a ornate design and matching pedestal for around £200.  If you are looking to add some storage space then you could opt for a vanity unit, which allows the basin to be sunk into it.  Again this will allow you to purchase a basic sink basin; freeing up more budget to be spent on the vanity unit.

The right Toilet

A common mistake for homeowners looking to create that Victorian vibe is to completely overlook the importance of the toilet.  Dependant on whether you have a suitable ceiling height, you may wish to consider a traditional model with a high level cistern.  If your bathroom ceiling is a little lower then there are also models available with low level cisterns which will look great.

Finishing Touches

Having finally settled on your bathroom furniture, you next move should be to select some suitable accessories to complete the look.  One of the most important accessories is your choice of taps; the wrong ones can really affect the feel of the room.  Be sure to avoid taps with long straight edges and sharp angles, which are associated with mode contemporary designs.  Getting the right radiator or towel rail is also a big decision, with either chrome or the classical cast iron being suitable options.  A mirror with a decorative frame, toilet roll holder and even the light fittings should also be carefully considered.

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You would have a subscription to Ideal Home, be a placer of wooden chopping blocks, Brabantia storage jars, fresh bread and coffee beans. You would leave specific doors strategically open, you’d ensure the beds were shorter (to make the rooms look bigger) and you would stage the venetian blinds to the best angle to let in light and avoid seeing how close the neighbours are. You would almost certainly hang a Peter Smith, or a Rothko print. And now, I would advise, you’d place a new Sabichi bin in the kitchen.

The new range of Sabichi bins come in 5 bright and vibrant colours, designed to brighten up old and new kitchens alike. The range of colours gives you a chance to compliment or contrast your paint/tiles/door colours, and the slim 30 litre design means that an essential object becomes a design feature that can blend in or stand out as you choose.

For this long term test, Home and Decorating magazine has taken receipt of a purple bin. It arrived quickly and directly by courier and was well packaged and protected in a polystyrene top and tailed box.

It was replacing a well-used stainless steel pedal bin of same capacity. A bin which had been with our family for the past 2 years and was looking old for its age. The old bin was scratched, marked, covered in smudged handprints, and had a toddler shaped dent in one side where a stray toy giraffe had caused a health and safety trip hazard.

The new Sabichi purple bin has been a delightful change. It’s outer casing is high quality metalwork, it has a dome lid which is stronger and more stable than other flat-topped models – even with repeated use by a family of 4. Another simple but often overlooked point of design is that the foot pedal to lid is better balanced than other models we’ve looked at, and therefore I’m sure that it’s going to have a much longer lifespan.

It takes up slightly less space than the previous bin, with a slimmer and more elegant profile. On the inside it’s much like any other; a moulded plastic insert with a wire lifting handle.

All in all a really fresh take on a standard piece of kitchen kit. There’s only so much you can say about a bin, but basically it’s well made, it’s bright, and it’s available at a really good price. Thumbs up from H&D.

For this reason, and many others, a much more traditional approach to decorating a front room ought to be taken by people looking to get the most out of their primary living space. One of the most immediate ways to give that classic look to a living room is through a chandelier. By browsing the wide and great-value selection of lighting from Wayfair, you could have a dependable yet ultimately individual piece hanging above your seating arrangement. Besides, it’s often said that lighting makes a room feel cosy and classy.

Pair your chandelier with a traditional colour scheme and you already have most of the work done – and for a modest spend. Great colours to rely on to soothe and warm you up include tan, bronze and other ochres. Spread out everything between light and dark – even if it’s the most vivid red or orange – and pick a lighter tone for your walls and larger features to enhance the feeling of space.

Decorate your walls, too. Popular traditional accessories include still-life oil paintings and gilt frames; if you’re getting several pieces of art, emphasise pairs to help add to the design philosophy. Silver candlesticks and a mirror on the mantelpiece are great, as are fresh or silk flowers in an impressive vase.

Finally, with furniture, studded seating always looks impressive. Try to go with either leather or fabric, being careful not to mix the two. There’s a better chance to be individual with fabrics, as you can use patterns on your furniture. However, keeping it simple with block colour and darker accents is always a winner. Buy a chaise longue and an occasional table or two to really add to the traditional style, and there you have it: all you need for a basic, yet truly effective, traditional living room.

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Common Wood Flooring Damage:

Stains – Cold water is often the easiest solution, but it must be applied locally and never on the entire floor. Start by working the stain using a soft cloth socked in cold water and apply some degree of pressure. For alcoholic related spills, warm water together with a mild detergent works wonders. Oil, grease and food residue will require a slightly different approach. Start by placing a bag of ice on the stain until the ice begins to melt. You will find that the stain has solidified allowing you to scrape it off.

Lacquered coatings – These are often used in humid rooms as the coating makes the wood almost waterproof thereby protecting the floor. Therefore, it is essential to fix damage such as scratches ASAP. A quick fix can be achieved using a lacquered pen that can easily cover small scratches. If the scratch is extensive or there are simply too many, you might have little choice but to consider complete re-sand and re-finish using a professional service. Both solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring could be sanded a number of time over their life time, however solid wood flooring can often be sanded numerous times, whereas in the case of engineered flooring this is limited depending on the thickness of the top wood layer.

Oiled coatings – Small scratches are dealt with using a wax pen. Oiled coatings are one of the most popular types of coatings and often the easiest to fix by topping up the layer of oil when needed to cover more extensive wear and tear.

Home repair tips for wood flooring often starts with preventing steps to reduce damage. Simple tips such as using furniture pads, removing shoes before entering the room and installing a doormat to capture sand and dirt will do wonders.

Promotional Article written by Wood & Beyond. For more information on wood flooring care visit Wood and Beyond blog.

Cool and contemporary

The simplest way to achieve a modern, minimalist look is to invest in some classic wooden flooring. You can either tone neutral shades with light coloured timber, like beech, or go for contrast with darker shades such as stained walnut. If you’re not ready for a total overhaul, the only other thing you’ll have to do to achieve this look is have a good clear out. Alternatively, to fully embrace minimalism in your living room, add built-in storage and futuristic furniture in materials such as glass and Perspex.

Country manor

Nothing says ‘rustic’ quite like wood flooring. Choose natural looking boards to give your space that homely feel. Natural imperfections, like knots and cracks, only add to this look. A wood burning stove or roaring open fire place will add buckets of character; however, if you don’t actually live in an 18^th century barn conversion, throws and cushions in traditional fabrics will do the trick.

Light and airy

This look gives the effect of a fresh breeze constantly flowing through your living space. The secret is not to make your room feel cold; instead, think of the seaside on a summer’s day. To achieve this choose a wood floor in a light but warm shade such as natural oak. Team with furniture in complementary tones to carry the theme through your room. Add some extra soft white throws and blankets to make the space feel light but cosy.

Family friendly

For homes where the living room doubles up as a playroom, design can often go out of the window. Carpets are a definite no no, but hardwood floors can prove painful for little ones learning to walk. A solid floor is great for spills and a warm shade will help your space feel homely. A fluffy rug can be real saviour for a family living room; not only is it super stylish, but it will protect little knees from bruises and can be washed in a washing machine!

For more wood flooring advice and to browse 1926’s new collections visit www.1926woodflooring.co.uk.

My wife was looking over at me the other day and after a few sustained seconds, she realised she was staring, a glazed look in her eyes, so she adjusted her gaze, and then she whispered those three little words to me. Cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise.

Ok, so it wasn’t quite the direction I thought the evening was going, but she made a valid point. I’d spent the day in the garden, in amongst the dry branches, and scratchy shrubs, and the biting February wind. My cheeks were rose tinted, my skin dry, my knuckles, elbows and knees were cracked.

But fortune smiles on the brave, so combined with the fact that I felt quite brave and smug having spent an hour turning over the compost pile, and the afternoon preparing the garden for spring, and the well-timed arrival of a pot of Eternal Skincare Aloe Super Hydrating moisturiser to review, this gave me the perfect opportunity to try the product for Home and Decorating.

Firstly to the blurb – this is the opportunity for the lyrical artists at the PR and packaging company to flex their vocabulary. This moisturiser is positioned as being ‘the finest moisturiser possible made from all natural ingredients; non greasy, and paraben free’. I have to confess that as I’m getting older (grumpier) and now the proud parent of two, things like parabens and ingredients lists have started to bother me. Time after time you look at a list of ingredients which typically are ordered by main ingredient first – only to find that ‘Aqua’ is first up. I pay enough for water from the tap without paying extra to have it in a moisturiser only for it to evaporate and dry out my skin.

So then, onwards to the experience.

The packaging of the Eternal Skincare Aloe Super Hydrating Moisturiser is appealing, lending itself to green credentials and to natural ingredients. The size of container is very good, maybe even slightly too generous. Despite a higher price, it appears to be good value for money allowing you to indulge in more frequent use, as opposed to some other moisturisers we’ve seen which seem to go for minimal volume in the guise of aiming at a niche market.

The aroma is pleasant and you can smell the Aloe Vera. On application it is a good consistency, not too thick and spreads well. My only criticism is that my fingertips feels slightly wet for longer than normal – in the sense that it isn’t absorbed very quickly into the skin on the palm/fingertip side of the hand, but that only lasts a minute or two, after which skin feel silky and soft.

I’ve always suffered with dry elbows and knees and have tried different products in the past. The Aloe Super Hydrating Moisturiser definitely ranks up there as a long term solution and seems to help my skin retain moisture for much longer.

Pros: Paraben free, natural ingredients, large volume, good value for money
Cons: Not great for immediate use of a touchscreen phone/tablet.

Useful Links:
Eternal Skincare http://www.eternalskincare.com
Direct product link

Usual caveats apply: this is general statistical modelling and not specific to your financial situation. Don’t make decisions based on this, but talk to a financial advisor before making any financial decisions.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

The laminate fad of the 90s seems a distant memory now, and having experienced it first hand in our first house I can only say I’m quite glad too! The previous owners to us were a little laminate happy and in our 300 sq foot ground floor they’d managed 4 different laminate floor types. I distinctly remember how cold it always felt underfoot and how the dust-balls used to roll across the floor like tumbleweed despite cleaning every day (remember the Swiffer?)

Exuding a natural sense of beauty and strength, oak flooring has become a favourite amongst homeowners and interior designers searching for style and elegance to revamp their homes.

Oak flooring comes in a range of styles, from engineered oak flooring to solid wood. This means there is plenty for different budgets and styles of house, and enough choice that you (like our previous inhabitants) can have a different look for each area of your house too!

Each oak flooring product is available in a variety of colours from dark to very pale with glossy or matte finishes.

For more information, or to see the options, check out your local flooring specialist, see what offer the DIY stores have, or start with an online specialist such as UK Flooring Direct.

Should the economy go into a second recession in a handful of years, it’s likely that property prices will fall. This is bad news for homeowners, however, on the plus side the Bank of England will prolong it’s low interest rates. At the same time, a worsening economic climate will put pressure on the banks who may make it harder than ever to borrow.

The rental market will probably stay fairly buoyant, however, as fewer people can afford to get onto the housing market, whilst some will sell their houses and move into rented accommodation.

For turning the financial climate to your advantage, you first need to make sure your finances are sound first. Use companies like CreditExpert (view credit report online), this will give you a very clear idea not of exactly what your finances are like, but of how lenders will perceive you, which is going to be very important.

First of all, make sure you have enough equity in your home, small developments can increase the value of your home, and now is a cheap time to borrow. Consider remortgaging to secure enough cash to make significant investments to your home, and talk to an estate agent before you do anything, to make sure that the changes you’re planning will actually give you extra equity.

If you don’t have any concerns on your own home, look for promising projects, particularly homes that are currently empty and may be owned by a bank. You should get a good deal directly from a bank, and if your credit rating is good enough, you might even get a mortgage out of them as well.

Don’t rush into anything immediately, prepare well and make sure you’ve got everything you need from a good plan, to good finances, to good builders, and then wait and see. The worst thing you could do is to invest now, and then see house prices take a fall, best to wait and invest at the bottom.

An alternative, but maybe stressful idea, would be to do up your own home and then rent it out whilst you move into smaller, cheaper accommodation. This will help you get ahead on mortgage repayments, or to cover costs of any building work and could be a great way of increasing your income.

Last of all, keep a close eye on housing prices, there are two national house price indicators of which the Halifax offering is the best known. Look here for more details.

Faithless temples is not the missing seventh album from the popular london electronica group, but the concept of taking the physical manifestation of group worship and stripping out the supernatural, the postmortem anxiety, er… All the god bits.

Now we could discuss religious architecture or faith. Or both. Humour me if you will as I’ve never really thought about this subject for long enough to formulate my thoughts let alone my opinions.

I suppose I should start with full disclosure. I am a Christian, a member of the Church of England. I am both christened and confirmed. My attendance at Church is regular… but not frequent; Christening, Christmases, and Cremations if you like.

It was the decision to Christen my children that made me think about the subject of faithless beliefs, faithless worship and worshipless faith.

Break it down (as Stanley Kirk Burrell once said)

Religion for Atheists: A non-believer’s guide to the uses of religion suggests that rather than mocking religions, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from them – because they’re packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, Alain (a non-believer himself) proposes that we should look to religions for insights into, among other concerns, how to:

• build a sense of community
• make our relationships last
• overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy
• escape the twenty-four hour media
• go travelling
• get more out of art, architecture and music
• and create new businesses designed to address our emotional needs.

I think I tend to agree with this. Whilst remaining a believer myself and proudly so, I think it would be sad if those opposed to religion missed out on all the… well…. the good bits.

Anyway – back to the architecture.

“The proposed London temple, designed jointly by the architect Tom Greenall and Jordan Hodgson, will be a huge black tower placed among the skyscrapers in the City of London. The tower will be built from different types of stone from across human history forming a kind of geological timeline; at its base is a band of gold 1mm thick signifying man’s time on Earth relative to the planet’s age.

De Botton hopes this monument to humbleness will be a cure for modern egotism and navel-gazing. “Often a religious building plays around with our perspective: it’s very large, or it’s very old or both. It recalibrates us in space or time, so you walk in and feel tiny.”

De Botton once wrote a book called The Architecture of Happiness and is a part of Living Architecture, a scheme to encourage innovative buildings in beautiful corners of Britain. He says that a new temple could compete with great historical churches. “It will have a timeless quality.”