Homes

HOMES living SPIT SPOT

DAFFODILS, BLUE SKY, BIRD SONG…. IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN. A GOOD OLD SPRING DECLUTTER THAT’LL BOOST YOUR MOOD AND EFFICIENCY IS SURELY ON THE CARDS

CLEAN LINES Grayson TV stand and sideboard £450, John Lewis

MINIMUM FUSS Fogia Bond shelving £3,144, Nest

ORDER ORDER Magnolia thin rattan basket £5.99, Home Sense

CIRCULAR SHELF Metal shelving £25, Matalan

GREAT LENGTHS Copenhagen sideboard £250, Argos

Decluttering, as well as being practically de rigueur thanks to the rise of the Home Edit girls and Instagram favourite This Girl Can Organise, is seriously therapeutic and there’s no better time to tackle it than now.

The trick is to start small. Rather than trying to tackle your entire house in a weekend, focus on one room or area at a time making sure everything has a home. Small successful steps will encourage you more than a daunting mammoth project that will make you miserable.

CLASSY CABINET Anya cabinet £329, Dunelm

Storage is key to order. Ask yourself if you have adequate shelving, cupboard and drawer space. Look at each area and assess whether it’s as efficient as it could be. Think about moving furniture from room to room. If something doesn’t work hard for you in its current spot, could it be rehomed to a different space?

Drawers that contain small items benefit from dividers. If you don’t want to invest in them, start saving your clear plastic containers that your vegetables come in and reuse. They’ve revolutionised our drawer of doom – you know the one with the gazillion chargers? Each charger has its own plastic tray and it has significantly improved our quality of life. I’m not kidding.

A sideboard can store a lot of stuff and takes up minimal space. We’ve picked out a few great examples. Shelving units for displaying things you love are great – just make sure they don’t become a dumping ground. Keep on top of it. Straw baskets not only look stylish, they are great for storing small items like children’s toys, loo roll, hats/gloves, etc.

CREAM OF THE CROP Craven chest of drawers £945, Soho Home

COOL STOOL Pink foot stool with storage, Next

CUT ABOVE A by Amara cut glass storage pot £24, Amara

KEEP IT PRETTY Dressing table mirror £49.50, Joya jewellery stand £22, Luiza wooden jewellery box £69.50, and Reyna wooden jewellery box £79.50, Oliver Bonas

CURVE APPEAL Set of two storage boxes £38, Next

CUPBOARD LOVE Storage cabinet £459.99, Oak Furnitureland

MEDIA CENTRE Layton media unit with storage £399, Cult Furniture

NEW BAMBOO Storage drawers £65, Next

BASKET SPACE Pom pom basket £12, Matalan

PAPER WORK Hana floral fabric file £8, Paperchase

FIRST IMPRESSION Furniture from Laura Ashley

COLOUR POP Vitra Eames storage unit £1,990, Nest

BLACK MIRROR Black shelving unit mirror £15, Wilko

BOX CLEVER Savor silver two-door cabinet, Lee Longlands

If space is tight, think outside the box –under bed storage, a useful trunk that doubles as a coffee table, foot stool with storage, wall units that don’t eat into floor space. You get the picture.

Be ruthless, but ask yourself if your cast offs could be someone else’s treasure. The charity shop is your ideal go-to for furniture and clothing, but even things like toiletries and make-up can be donated to your local hygiene bank. Do your homework. It’ll make you and the recipient happy. ■

SHELVE IT Giro industrial trolley storage £299, Cuckooland.com

TO THE WALL Vitra Uten Silo II wall storage system £249, Nest

SPARE ROOM Hanging shelf storage £3, Wilko

PROPERTY

THIS MONTH’S PICK OF TOP HOMES FOR SALE ON THE MARKET

CASTLE CRACKER The Long House, Elmley Castle Guide price: £1.25million Agent: Andrew Grant, tel: 0330 024 3000

A superbly finished, grade II listed barn conversion that has four double bedrooms, three bathrooms, lovely open plan kitchen diner and a stunning vaulted reception hall with a galleried landing. There‘s also a separate twobed, two-bath holiday cottage and large mature private garden.

HAMLET SETTING Lilac Cottage, Bromsgrove Guide price: £1.25million Agent: Andrew Grant, tel: 01905 734735

This amazing family home is beautifully decorated throughout and boasts five reception rooms, four generous bedrooms, a bespoke kitchen and three immaculate bathrooms. The grounds extend to nearly three acres and include equestrian facilities – all set in the heart of a desirable hamlet.

AGA CHARMER Long Barn, Pebworth Guide price: £675,000 Agent: Andrew Grant, tel: 0330 024 3000

Oozing character and charm, this four-bedroom barn conversion features a great open plan kitchen, complete with Aga, large living room that opens onto a conservatory and double garage complete with office space. A large garden extends over 223 feet with stunning countryside views.

BRICKS&BITS ACE APARTHOTEL Planning approval has been granted for the city’s first super slender tower and the country’s first habitable structure of its kind. 211 Broad Street, designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects for Taylor Grange Developments is a 37-storey aparthotel skyscraper, 116.5m tall and just 9.5m wide that will incorporate 264 selfcontained rooms and amenities like a bar, gym and residents lounge.

BARN STUNNER Home Farm Barns, Hampton in Arden Guide price: From £625,000 Agent: Knight Frank, tel: 01789 206961

A stunning development of 11 contemporary barns nestled in the heart of the Solihull countryside. Each property is beautifully designed and offers the very best of open plan living with awesome kitchens, loads of entertaining space and generous bedrooms with at least one en-suite.

From the industry’s movers and shakers to the latest groundbreaking developments… email your property news and pictures to shelley@brumliving.co.uk

ON THE BUTTON The commercial banking division of Coutts has agreed a funding package worth £17.5million to develop a new residential site in Digbeth. GJL Property Developers plans to create high spec apartments entitled the Forge Digbeth on the site of a former button factory and have already achieved healthy pre-sales of 80 per cent.

STADIUM GO-AHEAD Proposals for the redevelopment of Alexander Stadium have been given the go-ahead by Birmingham planners. The £72million scheme will see the stadium become the focal point of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosting opening and closing ceremonies and athletics events. Post-Games it will continue to be home to Birchfield Harriers as well as Birmingham City University’s sports students.

COOL PAD Tenby Street North, Birmingham Guide price: £349,950 Agent: James Laurence, tel: 0121 604 4060

A top-spec, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a sparkling brand new build, Sydenham Place. This cool pad is part of a Grade II listed conversion and the finish is of the finest quality including stone veneered fitted cupboards in the kitchen and full height ceramic tiling in the bathrooms.

FITTING THE BILL BRUM IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLACE IN THE UK TO OWN A CAR, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH. BUT SUE COOKE HAS DRIVEN A NEW MODEL THAT CAN SLASH THOSE SKY-HIGH COSTS

Research carried out by Kwik Fit has revealed that Birmingham is the costliest place in the UK to own a car. Taking into account the average spend on parking, residents’ annual parking permit, sample insurance cost and the average annual spend on fuel in comparison to 20 locations across the country Birmingham is the most expensive, totalling £3,326.87.

There aren’t many choices on how to reduce the cost of driving a car, but it would help to keep the annual spend on fuel down by choosing an alternative fuelled vehicle (AFV). Hyundai is offering a world-first three electrified powertrains in the IONIQ. There is a petrol hybrid and a plug-in hybrid, both powered by a 1.6-litre GDI petrol engine and a lithium ion polymer battery. There is also a fully electric IONIQ.

Hybrid fuel consumption is 62 to 61.4mpg. I achieved an average of 52mpg. CO2 emissions are 85-84 g/km combined which means saving on the cost of Birmingham congestion charges due in the summer this year. At speeds up to 75mph, the IONIQ can operate just from the electric motor.

DISTINCTIVE STYLING

The exterior is contemporary in style and the 17-inch alloy wheels have a distinctive pattern. The rear bumper is two-tone and the rear spoiler has an integrated LED brake light. In stationary traffic, I realised that I couldn’t actually see the face

of the person driving behind because of the position of the rear spoiler, but it didn’t interfere with any other rear view. In the dark, the whole of the very quiet cabin glows an iridescent blue which is gorgeous. There is a long list of technology and entertainment features which are all standard on the Premium SE model. There are front and rear parking sensors, a clear rear view camera and gearshift paddles and even a heated steering wheel, which I will miss.

I got quite obsessive about the green bar on the dashboard which ebbs and flows to tell the driver if they are driving economically or not. This is the eco driving assistant system. Another system which I will

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Hyundai IONIQ Hybrid Premium SE

Price: £26,995 otr

Engine: 1.6 GDi petrol, two-wheel drive, six-speed DCT

Performance: 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 115mph

CO 2 emissions: 85g/km

Combined fuel consumption: 62.8 to 61.4mpg

find it difficult to live without is the smart key. I put the key in my coat pocket and forgot about it. To open the car, I pressed a button on the pull handle and pressed it again to lock.

SAFE AND SECURE

For safety and security there is another long list of items. Years ago, it was the number of airbags that made the pages. Nowadays the pertinent features are the lane departure warning system, rear cross traffic alert and, new for 2020, the driver attention alert. If the car in front moves forward, a little beep will alert the driver.

With so many AFVs flooding our Midlands roads, Hyundai has to offer something that others don’t. The hatchback is ahead of the game and has an eight-year, 125,000-mile warranty on the highvoltage battery. That’s alongside the industry-leading five years unlimited mileage warranty. The Hyundai IONIQ Hybrid can at least ward off high fuel and road tax costs by cutting some of the costs of driving on Birmingham roads. ■

SHOWROOM Hyundai Birmingham West, 68 Hagley Road West, Birmingham. Tel: 0121 434 6400 www.hyundaibirmingham.co.uk