ladiesfirst • living&lifestyle
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Double duvet cover £45, Pillowcase pairs from £20, Pom Pom bedspread £135, cushions from £18, lanterns from £15
style
Warm things up this autumn with rich shades, indulgent accessories, and luxurious little treats
CANDLE Comforts DESIGNER COLLECTION As autumn sets in, transform your home into a cosy haven with the comforting new fragrances from Yankee Candle. Choose from the rich and buttery Creamy Caramels, the uplifting Mountain Lodge with cedarwood and sage, spicy Apple Cider with cinnamon and nutmeg, indulgent Sandalwood Vanilla, or our fave - the cheery Spiced Orange candle which blends sunny citrus with snappy ginger, for the perfect mood lifting scent. Prices start at £7.40, available from www.yankeecandle.co.uk
If you love Matthew Williamson’s catwalk creations, then you’re going to adore his first foray into interior design, exclusively available at Debenhams. Fusing his own English eccentricity with global influences, including the beauty and colour of Bali and Mauritius, the new Butterfly by Matthew Williamson home collection features bed linen, cushions, candles and accessories in beautiful exotic patterns and sumptuous shades. www.debenhams.com
TOP trend... 2 OPULENCE Indulge in this season’s opulent trend with damson, claret and cranberry
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LUST-BUY Cook up a storm in bespoke style, with this decadent wine-coloured Accent Bordeaux kitchen by Rotpunkt, from home department store Leekes. Prices on request, visit www.leekes.co.uk for more info. 00
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1 Castleton Sofa, £1,000, Laura Ashley 2 Red Ribbed Vase £12, Tealight Holder £2, Glass Vase £8, all Tu at Sainsbury’s 3 Purple Candle, £15, M&S 4 Sequinned Cushion, £10, Matalan 5 Hydrangeas in Vase, £30, Next
BATHROOM Bliss
ladiesfirst • living&lifestyle
INTERIORS WITH
Naomi Cleaver Top interiors and design expert Naomi Cleaver advises on how to make your home work for you
Get fun and funky in your bathroom this autumn with the colourful new Liquorice Stripe accessories collection from Next. Best admired from a warm bubble bath and nice hot toddy we say! Towels from £7, Bath Mat £14, Bin £10, Shower Curtain £14, Accessory Set (set of 3) £12, Stripe Glass Jar £14, Triple Cabinet £90, Wall Shelf £30, Countersunk Sink £125, Floor Cabinet £99, all Next. www.next.co.uk
Top 2 ... SOUP BOWLS
Floral Ceramic Bowl, £5, www.berryred.co.uk
oves... l t
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ladies
Blossom bowl, £6, House of Fraser
The pretty petal-covered pasta bowl, £24.95, from Emma Bridgewater’s latest collection Flowers. www.emmabridgewater.co.uk
Practicalities: “When approaching a design or decorating project, assessing the skeleton of your home and your everyday needs, like the electrics, sockets, heating, and Photo by Ed Reeve security etc, before you do anything else is essential. It can be boring, but will stop you having to pick holes in your décor plans later on. Ultimately, if the layout of a room doesn’t reflect the way you like to behave in there, it can become a barrier to your comfort” Be Green: “The fashionable way to be green at the moment is with insulation, so come autumn and winter use heavy lined curtains and draft excluders on your doors - they’re easy enough to fit. Energy efficient light bulbs are important too, I often use bulbs from Megaman, because the quality and light of them are improving.” Space Planning: “Try to match the size of your furniture to the scale of your room. Large rooms can feel cavernous so use large pendant lights as their shape will lower the ceiling, and put furniture into several groups around the room to stop it getting lost in space. If you have a small room however, it’s time to use all the old tricks – play with reflective surfaces like coloured or antique mirrors, and use concealed light sources, especially in corners, which de-materialize the boundaries and perimeters of the room.” Colour: “Using pale colours is a fantastic way to make a room look larger, while playing with richer tones in a bigger space will help bring surfaces towards you, and make things more cosy. But for colour inspiration, all you need to do is go for a walk and observe the different colour combinations you see. It’s all about looking at everything around you and then deciding what you like and want.” Express Yourself: Think carefully about what you want from your home rather than what the latest trend is, as ultimately people often grow tired of the trends they follow. Everyone is creative, and observation and curiosity are key to expressing yourself, so get décor inspiration from things like paintings, museums, galleries and National Trust homes. Using your own creativity isn’t complicated and my new book really shows people how to think like an interior designer and apply their own creativity to their home.” For more tips and advice from Naomi get your hands on her new book The Joy of Home (£30, Conran Octopus). www.naomicleaver.com 00