Ideal Home

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• Expert shares time-saving tip for watering the garden this summer
• Wood burner ideas – and tips for choosing one for your fireplace
• Garden paint ideas to add a splash of colour and vibrancy to outdoor spaces
• Basement ideas – 15 cellar conversions to inspire your renovation
• Best air fryer 2021 – 10 air fryer reviews from Tower, Tefal and more
• Interior Design Masters finalist Siobhan shares the one thing you need to make a garden bar
• Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation review
• Window shutter ideas – with tips for choosing interior shutters
• Four reasons why you should buy refurbished tech... and the savings are just the start
• Easy climbing plant ideas to elevate planting – introducing colour and fragrance to gardens
• See how a savvy DIY-er transformed a dull, wooden kitchen with £3 paint and a hairdryer

Expert shares time-saving tip for watering the garden this summer Posted: 01 Jul 2021 11:00 PM PDT While watering the garden is usually a pretty relaxed affair, it does tend to take up a lot of time. Especially if you have lots of thirsty containers, window boxes and hanging baskets that need daily watering. 46 small garden ideas – decor, design and planting tips for tiny outdoor spaces A gardening expert has shared his time-saving secret for keeping plants hydrated over the summer months. He argues that we actually don’t need to worry about watering them so frequently. Image credit: Future PLC/ Colin Poole Resident gardening expert and Horticultural Director at Dobbies Garden Centres, Marcus Eyles advises that we water plants thoroughly, less often. ‘To make water go further, water thoroughly less frequently, rather than little and often,’ Marcus begins. ‘So a few times a week rather than every day, depending on rainfall, of course,’ he says. Recently, we’ve been caught out by forgetting to check the weather forecast. There’s nothing worse than watering the garden, then looking out the window half an hour later to see heavy rainfall. Marcus says to make the most of the sunny weather this summer, ‘but don't forget to regularly water and feed your plants. Consistency is key!’ Image credit: Future Plc If you’re religiously watering your garden every day, you can afford to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labour. Just make sure that when you do water the garden, you’re giving your plants ample water, ensuring that it is drenching the roots. ‘July is the time to embrace all your earlier gardening efforts,’ says Marcus, ‘enjoying plants and flowers, many of which will be putting on their best displays of the year this month.’ Speaking of lounging out in the garden admiring our work – if your outdoor seating is beyond repair, our best garden furniture guide has lots of options to suit your budget. Image credit: Future Marcus also suggests you place buckets under hanging baskets to catch excess water that can be used in other areas of your garden. Little changes like this make a huge difference if we all do them. Related: Garden trends 2021 – we reveal the key looks and must-haves for your garden If you’re short on time but still want to do a little gardening, take a look at our easy garden ideas piece. It’s full of simple, low-maintenance updates that could totally transform your outdoor space. The post Expert shares time-saving tip for watering the garden this summer appeared first on Ideal Home.

Wood burner ideas – and tips for choosing one for your fireplace Posted: 01 Jul 2021 07:00 AM PDT Looking for wood burner ideas for your living room or snug? We’ve got lots of looks that will look fantastic even if you don’t have a fireplace. Designed for clean burning of wood or special wood pellets, wood burning stoves not only warm up a space but they are also a great focal point in a room. Plus, as fireplace ideas go, choosing a wood burner is certainly the most efficient way of heating up a room, compared with an open fire. Experts at Rightmove explain more, ‘Wood burning stoves have gained popularity for their increased efficiency over open grate fires; an open fire sends most of its heat up the chimney, rather than into the living room, whereas a cast iron lounge wood burner uses special interior baffles to convert most of its heat to warming up the casing, radiating more heat out into the room.’ ‘Most people place their wood burner in the fireplace to take advantage of the chimney flue. A contemporary wood burner makes a great centrepiece and with the doors open replicates the feel of an open fire but if you have a large inglenook fireplace you'll need to install a suitably large wood burner so that it doesn't get lost.’ Whether you like a traditional look or a contemporary design, we look at 11 wood burner ideas that’ll help you decide on the look you want to go for. Wood burner ideas 1. Grey contemporary wood burner in a simple fireplace Image credit: Claire Lloyd-Davies Team a grey living room scheme with a soft grey wood burner and add tonal accessories to create a warm and inviting space. 2. Large traditional brick fireplace in a cosy cottage Image credit: Jonathan Gooch If you are lucky enough to own a beautiful country cottage with a wide traditional exposed brick hearth, why not go big and opt for large wood burner to keep the space warm and snug. 3. An inbuilt wood burner Image credit: Brent Darby For a contemporary spin on the usual Victorian hearth, why not build a floor to ceiling feature wall and house your wood burner within it. 4. A wood burner in a midcentury modern room Image credit: Anna Stathaki Create a scandi inspired scene with a wood burner encased in a feature wall in a concrete effect. Style with Mid century modern furniture and a big comfy sofa. 5. Match your wood burner to the furniture Image credit: Colin Poole Looking for great white living room ideas? Create a rustic, country chic look by mixing creams, pale woods and white walls to coordinate with a cream wood burner with exposed flue. 6. Freestanding wood burner as part of the view Image credit: Douglas Gibb Not sure which should be the focal point of the room – a wood burner or a coastal view? Why not combine the two? It’s the perfect set up for an evening meal or just simply to sit down and watch the sun set. 7. Tone in a wood burner with the rest of the decor Image credit: James Merrell Have a blue living room? Blend the wood burner seamlessly into your scheme by opting for a matte finish, like in this all-blue Victorian open plan living area. Choosing a wood burner One of the first considerations is the type of fuel you want to burn. Wood-burners use just wood, while a multi-fuel stove can burn wood, smokeless fuel and coal. The difference lies in the grate. Wood will burn on a bed of ash but coals need air entering from beneath, so a multi-fuel stove has a grate that adjusts to suit the fuel. Some stoves burn eco-friendly wood pellets. Also consider boiler stoves that can heat water too. Which size of wood burner and where to put it? All wood-burning stoves require a chimney to produce emissions from the room. They usually sit within or in front of a fireplace opening, but free-standing stoves are gaining popularity, especially for open-plan areas, although they still need a flue. To burn solid fuel you need a fireproof hearth, usually made of concrete, to comply with building regulations, but you can cover this with stone, slate, terracotta tiles or glass. Clean burn technology Clean burn technology improves stove efficiency and ensures that the glass stays clean. Pre-heated air introduced into the firebox burns off gases that would otherwise escape up the chimney, reducing particulate emissions. Airwash uses air vents at the top of the stove window to blow air over the inside of the window, reducing tarring. Costs and installation Stove prices vary considerably, starting at around £500, but installation adds to the cost significantly. The fitting must either be carried out by a heating engineer registered as a Competent Person by HETAS, or approved by the local council’s building control office. A chimney with a good draw is essential and getting this right can cost as much, if not more, than the stove. This can be achieved with a flexible steel liner backfilled with insulation (ideal if the chimney bends) or with a more substantial liner, such as a pumice block, which will last a lifetime Traditional styles How to choose a traditional style While traditional-style stoves have kept up-to-date with the latest technical advances, design developments are also afoot.  The whole stove tends to be simpler in design with less finicky detail, with flat-top versions being the most popular. Which colour to choose for your wood burner While black is a timeless and versatile finish that fits in with just about every decorating scheme, there is more than one version to choose from. The traditional black “anthracite” finish characteristic of Morsø and Aarrow Ecoburn stoves is popular with customers of Stoves Online. Painted finishes are available too, but many customers opt for enamel, which offers a hard-wearing finish with a richness and depth of shade. For those who prefer to bring colour to their fireplace, enamelled finishes are available in deep greens, reds and blues; also look out for the striking metallic brown finish from Stovax and bronze from Charnwood. Modern wood burner designs How to choose a modern stove Contemporary stoves will have a bold impact on a scheme. Unlike traditional stoves that sit in the fireplace, modern versions often stand in the middle of a room. Cylindrical steel versions are popular, but there are also pedestal and swivel designs and built-in wall-mounted “insert” stoves. Some new designs sit on a glass base rather than on a traditional hearth. The trend is for sleek designs with large curved windows, discreet handles and controls, and black or grey paint finishes. Norwegian company Jøtul is justifiably proud of its Scan 58 series, designed by specialist Hareide Designmill and winner of a coveted Red Dot design award. Wood burner fuel types Logs Kiln-dried logs at 20 to 25 per cent humidity are ready to use and cost around £75 for a cubic metre (expect to use four to five cubic metres a year). Hardwoods such as oak and birch have twice the calorific (heat) value of softwoods, so need less storage space. Wood pellets Some stoves burn wood pellets, which are made from timber by-products. These are automatically fed into the stove by a hopper, which can hold two to three days’-worth of fuel. Wood pellets are more expensive than logs, but they are a dense heat source with a higher calorific value. Other stove fuel types Coal and smokeless fuel The advantages of stoves that burn smokeless fuel or coal is that the fire lasts longer, so they are more suitable for overnight use. They are practical if you are running a boiler stove, as you don’t need to re-fuel as often, but are not as environmentally-friendly as wood. Oil, gas and electricity If a wood burner doesn’t suit, you can buy stoves that burn oil, mains gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). These provide flame and heat instantly, but are not as efficient or eco-friendly because wood and fuel prices can be an issue The post Wood burner ideas – and tips for choosing one for your fireplace appeared first on Ideal Home.

Garden paint ideas to add a splash of colour and vibrancy to outdoor spaces Posted: 01 Jul 2021 06:47 AM PDT When it comes to choosing paint colours to use in the garden, the bolder the better we say. Choose colours that will enhance the work of mother nature, with a riot of pinks, reds, yellows, orange, purples and blue bursting forth from our pots and borders throughout the spring and summer months before dying back, leaving our gardens dark, unassuming and lacking vibrancy. Of course, our flat, grey-tinged light conditions have quite a lot to do with it – the brightly painted facades of Miami and those of the favelas in Rio would look rather overpowering beneath British skies – but follow our garden design and colour experts’ advice, and you can add a lick of bright colour to any garden ideas this summer without scaring the neighbours. Garden paint ideas 1. Make a statement by painting fences image credit: Cuprinol Painting garden fences is a great way to embrace exterior paint in a major way. The colour will surround the entire garden and therefore makes maximum impact. Dark shades of black and slate grey are trending right now, the perfect accent for lush greenery. Contrast dark paint shades with striking planting. Flowers with jewel-like colour abound in summer, but take care not to overindulge and limit your palette to three or four complementary shades. Try purple penstemons and salvias, with yellow dahlias, against a backdrop of dark-leaved foliage plants, such as Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’. 2. Welcome pops of bright colour image credit: Dobbies Always centre stage, vibrant, neon colours shout ‘Look at me’ so use them sparingly, to add dramatic touches to modern designs. Try painting a feature wall in hot pink or sunshine yellow – both colours combine surprisingly well with a wide range of plants. Liven things up with neon planters, and dress tables with vibrant table linen and lime green glassware. You can go either way with your planting; either tone down the heat with cool green foliage, or add to the thrill with flowers that bolster your zingy shades. Bright pink Geranium psilostemon makes an eye-catching partner for the lime-green flowers of euphorbias, while orange red hot pokers dazzle against magenta. 3. Paint walls to create a contemporary space Image credit: Future PLC/ Robert Sanderson ‘Coloured walls create exciting effects and bring a contemporary element to a design; the trick is to use strong colours in moderation do they don’t overpower the space,’ says garden designer Catherine Heatherington. Fellow garden designer Patrick Wynniatt-Husey, of Wynniatt-Husey Clarke Garden Design, explains that a painted surface will draw the eye to an area or feature, adding: ‘In our designs, we also use coloured walls to create a sense of depth or foreshorten a space, and as a foil to planting.’ 4. Emulate a holiday destination with familiar colour Image credit: Future PLC/ Emma Lee There are certain colours that instantly transports you to another time and place. Such is the case with this pinky terracotta wall, which makes you thinking of warmer climates and holidaying in Morocco. Add contrasting bright blue furniture and accessories to enhance a Moroccan theme. Choose your garden paint shade to reflect a place you’ve visited, to create a holiday haven in your own backyard. 5. Use muted colour in traditional gardens Image credit: Future PLC/ Tom Leighton ‘Subtle shades of green work well in traditional settings, or try pale lilac or terracotta,’ says Kathryn Hibberd, designer and member of Crown Paints Colour Influences Panel. Catherine adds: ‘You have to use colour carefully in a period garden but I’ve contrasted a dark purple wall with a brick wall to great effect, linking a contemporary garden with the traditional surroundings.’ 6. Give the greenhouse a makeover Image credit: Thorndown Paints, Sedge Green Wood Paint used on the Forest Walkaround Greenhouse Revive a tired-looking garden structure with a lick of paint. This fine example shows how a greenhouse idea can be invigorated by a coat of on-trend sage green colour. 7. Spruce up an old furniture set Image credit: Annie Sloan, Outdoor Dining Chalk Paint In English Yellow with Gloss Lacquer Rather than throw out the flaking paint, past-it garden furniture set why not make it an upcycling idea for the garden? Because you’d be surprised what a thorough rub down and a fresh coat of specialist paint can do. This specialist paint by Annie Sloan requires no priming, ‘you can simply pop open the tin, roll up your sleeves, dip in your brush and apply paint to furniture. Works on wood, metal, laminate, concrete, indoors, outdoors and beyond’ say the paint brand. 8. Give a summerhouse character with colour Image credit: Cuprinol your garden building is there to serve a purpose, so make it stand out. Whether you use the space as a summerhouse retreat, or a Garden office idea as a serene workspace away from the house, give the structure a splash of colour. Of course the purpose will determine the colour you decide on, but either way adding a decorative colour makes the building feel like more of an extension of the indoor space. 9. Liven up walls with a vibrant shade Image credit: Annie Sloan Give warmth to brick walls, either exterior walls or those in a brick framed outhouse or sunroom. Adding a splash of colour to brick walls helps to create a solid wall of colour, where you don’t notice the pointing – ideal in small garden spaces where you may feel overwhelmed from the ‘busy ‘look projected from a brick wall. For added style credentials paint any shelving in a contrasting accent colour, preferably another bright shade to add to the vibrancy. 10. Choose calming colour for exterior walls Image credit: Future PLC/ Jonathan D Jones Use soft, subtle shades to create a sense of quiet and calm, a place that is restful, a million miles away from the hectic pace of daily life. Available in preservative as well as emulsion paints, apply powdery hues to timber and masonry surfaces and furnish simply with pale hued garden furniture with lean lines and matt surfaces. Lift the look with touches of mirrored and watery-coloured glassware. 11. Introduce jewel tones Image credit: Future PLC/ Emma Lee Alternatively, sumptuous shades of peacock green, purple, dark red and egg yolk yellow add rich, deep tones that complement foliage plants and pale-hued flowers. Like sparkling jewels, these colours draw the eye and are best used as focal points. 12. Add a splash of sky blue Image credit: Future PLC David Giles Use a soothing shade of sky blue to lighting up an outdoor space – making fences appear to stretch up into the sky. ‘Try a pale blue to highlight a darker blue,’ says Patrick; we suggest Echo with Deep Space Blue, both by Little Greene. ‘We also like to use vibrant oranges with natural wood.’ Catherine uses lush planting in her designs, so colours have to work with green. ‘Try off-white walls with a panel of mauve, or dark grey slate floors with pale pink walls.’ What paint should you use outdoors? ‘Buy good quality exterior masonry paint that’s easy to clean once it is on the wall’ Kathryn advises. ‘Remove dust and dirt from all the surfaces before you start to paint.; Patrick adds, ‘Use test pots to trial colours, but not on obvious surfaces as the colour patches can alter the texture of the wall or ground, and may show through even after you’ve applied the final coats. Also, make a note of the code of special mixes so that you can buy the correct colour when needed, and make a point of repairing any cracks before you start painting as coloured paint will highlight any defects. Finally, never apply masonry paint when the temperature is lower than 10°C or it won’t dry.’ Which garden walls should you paint? There are no rules. ‘We would paint the house if circumstances called for it and the clients agreed’ says Patrick. ‘But take care when painting walls in eye-catching shades as they can create eyesores, and try to link them with the walls inside the house. For example, we used an orange wall in a small garden that could be seen from a kitchen which was decorated with tiles of the same colour; the finished effect was fantastic.’ What garden paint colours work best in British light conditions? Subtle colours work well in the low light levels that we enjoy in the spring. But in summer, when the sun is stronger, try bolder colours, like aubergine, purples, and pinks, but make sure you choose hues with some warmth; cool colours such as icy blues can look rather too stark. What are you feeling inspired to paint in your garden? The post Garden paint ideas to add a splash of colour and vibrancy to outdoor spaces appeared first on Ideal Home.

Basement ideas – 15 cellar conversions to inspire your renovation Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:50 AM PDT Looking for inspiring basement ideas? From a wine cellar to an airy kitchen, if you’re wondering how to make the most of your conversion, we’ve got lots of cellar conversion ideas for inspiration. With the cost of moving on the rise and the hassle of the housing market, we would all rather stay put and improve our homes to accommodate our expanding families and new needs. They allow extra space for a growing family, from a spacious kitchen to a family room, the opportunities are endless. So, if you aren’t going upward and converting your loft then you’re definitely going down and building a basement conversion. Experts at Resi explain more, ‘Basements have been gaining popularity in recent years, especially in heavily built-up areas, such as London. Unlike rear/side extensions, they don't require any green space to be sacrificed, and they can also add on a whole new storey of space, rather than just expanding existing spaces, such as the kitchen.’ ‘This makes them a great candidate for dramatically increasing the value of your home, providing you can meet the significant upfront costs. Converting existing spaces have comparable costs to extensions, however, if you need to retrofit a basement then you should be prepared to pay at least six figures.’ ‘As for what a basement might become, there's plenty for a homeowner to choose from. It helps if you play to the strengths of the space. As they tend to be darker and quieter than the rest of your house, you might use this to your advantage to create either a home cinema room, bedroom, or gym. However, if you did want to make it a lighter, more liveable space, you can opt for skylights to help brighten the room.’ Here are 11 rooms that will have you daydreaming of subterranean hibernation and ways to break through those low lit, low ceiling boundaries and potentially add £50,000 to your home’s value to boot… 1. Dig in the garden Low level or sloping gardens are the perfect places to dig a basement as the flood of natural light and bright colours from the back yard will open up your underground room and allow for easy al fresco dining. Or include steps to the garden in your basement plan if you don’t have a low level garden. 2. Contemporise your living space Create a contemporary living room with an open plan basement like this one. The large square footage allows for a multipurpose, multifunction area where all the family can socialise together. 3. Excavate the kitchen Image credit: Lizzie Orme Everyone from movie stars to interior designers are digging for food in their super swanky kitchen basement conversions. A basement kitchen is a fantastic and popular choice of conversion as many period properties were built with pokey galley-style ones. Create a feeling of light and space in your basement conversion, with stark white walls and light wood or large tiled flooring and a kitchen island. 4. Lighten your underbuilding This bright basement has floor to ceiling windows out to a small, bright courtyard to keep the subterranean room light and spacious. 5. Build glass divides If you want to create separate rooms in your basement but can’t afford to chop the light in half then use glass wall dividers like this one. Large mirrors also work wonders by reflecting the light into every nook and cranny. 6. Build an escape Have you already got a family living room but you’re now looking for an intimate space for adults? Then head downstairs. This den can be your quiet haven to watch movies and relax without disturbing the sleeping kids upstairs. 7. Dine underground Image credit: Lizzie Orme All of the coolest new bars are taking us underground so don’t let your dining room be an exception. This stylish spot embraces the low lighting with pink walls and is conveniently situated beside the open plan kitchen. 8. Create a hidden den Image credit: Simon Brown For those lucky enough to boast a basement then here is your opportunity to build the ultimate underground snug. Curl up and ignore the traffic, storms and sounds of upstairs with a cosy, low level room. 9. Keep it dark and concealed Image credit: David Giles If your basement lacks the potential to become a light, airy room, embrace its sultry, shadowy characteristics instead. Or to create an light and airy feeling, opt for white walls like in this bright underground bathroom paired with black subway tiles and a white bathroom suite. 10. Add skylights Image credit: Claire Lloyd Davis If you are completely underground and have no windows or garden light at all, then skylights are your answer. Listen to the rattle of everyday city life while you hibernate and hunker down underneath your own sky of street light stars. 11. Treat yourself to a tipple Image credit: Mark Bolton Who doesn’t wish for a wine cellar? Carve out a little grotto and cram it full of your favourite tipple. Make the most of the space in your basement conversion. With careful planning it can be converted into an all-in-one guest retreat with mini kitchen, bedroom and ensuite. The post Basement ideas – 15 cellar conversions to inspire your renovation appeared first on Ideal Home.

Best air fryer 2021 – 10 air fryer reviews from Tower, Tefal and more Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:20 AM PDT The best air fryer will be a summer essential in your kitchen. When the weather is warm, the prospect of switching on the oven can be unbearable. You may want some oven chips or chicken wings for dinner, but an oven can add even more unwanted heat to your home as it cooks. An air fryer is invaluable for how fast it can heat up and cook your food, and it does so without creating nearly as much heat in your kitchen thanks to how small the basket can be. Take a look at the best slow cookers We’ve been reviewing the best air fryers from Ninja, Tefal, Cosori, Swan, Philips, Salter, Proscenic and Tower to bring you our complete guide to the best air fryers of 2021. Available in a range of sizes, these air fryers are suitable for a range of homes and family sizes, and we’ve tried them all in our own kitchens to bring you our ratings. When testing we make low-fat crisps, crispy air-fried chicken, and other tasty treats, so these air fryers are backed by our taste-teste guarantee! How do air fryers work? Air fryers work like a fan oven to circulate air around your food and cook it evenly from every angle. That means any fat you add to the air fryer will circulate around your fries, chicken or fish as it cooks, making it crisp and crunchy.  Air fryers typically come with an in-built basket that has space for air to get underneath your food, as well as cooking it from above and the side. In the Ninja Dual Zone for example, you can remove this and use the tray like a regular oven tray to add a crisp cheesy top to a pasta bake or roast vegetables and potatoes for convenient mealtimes. Check out the best microwaves for more easy meal prep appliances.  What is the best air fryer in 2021? We loved the Ninja AF300UK Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer because it allows you to cook various elements of a meal in one go. For a cheaper option, the COSORI Air Fryer XXL was also a firm favourite. 1. Ninja AF300UK Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer Best air fryer overall Size: 35 x 37.5 x 31.5cm Capacity: 7.6 litres Programs: 6 Reasons to buy: Superior air frying and two useful zones Reasons to avoid: A large option for most kitchens What’s better than one air fryer? Two, in one. The Ninja AF300UK Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer comes with two distinct air frying zones that allow you to air fry your fish and chips individually, or bake a side dish such as mac and cheese while you air fry chicken. You can match or sync these two drawers to make sure all elements of your meal are complete at the same time. The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer also comes settings to reheat, dehydrate, roast, and bake. Its Max Crisp setting is designed for frozen food and we found that it gave us next-level frozen chips, fish fingers, and other freezer staples. It also cooks food in record time, because there’s no preheat time and its temperature can be easily adjusted. This air fryer gave us crispy chips and wedges every time, and always cooked our meat through completely. We even used it to make cauliflower wings, which were an unexpected triumph. The trays can be a little deep to reach into, so make sure you use non-stick cookware to take your food out when it’s done. The exterior stays cool though, even when it’s cooking at 240 degrees. The instructions come with a recipe test with fun hints and tips for ideas to try in your air fryer. This included ideas we’d never considered before, such as brownies or fajitas. It is on the large side at 35 x 37.5 x 31.5cm, but if you can spare the space, it’s a game-changer. Ideal Home rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 2. COSORI Air Fryer XXL Best air fryer for families Size: 32 x 30 x 30cm Capacity: 5.5 litres Programs: 11 Reasons to buy: Air fries to perfection, with a large capacity and recipes included Reasons to avoid: You may find the Shake reminders annoying Amazon’s best selling air fryer held up well under our tests, too. The Cosori has a pleasing textured finish and comes in black, white or even red. It’s smart, with settings for fish, frozen food, meat, veggies and even cake. You can adjust with the dials either side or just press go to start cooking. We enjoyed the fries this air fryer produced on the chip setting. They were crisp and evenly cooked, and the cooking time was well below average which is a winner for hungry homes! You’ll get a reminder to shake your food halfway through on some settings. If you’re in the middle of a particularly riveting piece of telly then it may be an annoying distraction, because the alarm will keep sounding until you shake the basket. Included with the air fryer was a recipe book with loads of great tips. We made the buffalo cauliflower, chicken wings and more recipes from the book and found it a great help for those getting started with air frying. The large capacity makes this a top choice for families. Ideal Home rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 3. Philips Essential Air Fryer Best air fryer for small kitchens Size: 47.6 x 32.8 x 26.3cm Capacity: 4.1 litres Programs: 8 Reasons to buy: It’s perfect for smaller homes and kitchens Reasons to avoid: It’s more expensive than some other small options If you want the best air fryer for a small kitchen or two-person household, the Philips Essential Air Fryer is the one for you. In terms of the cooking quality, it was pretty much on par with some of the larger and more premium brands in this guide. There’s plenty of cooking modes, including fish, meat, frozen food and reheat, and you can choose your temperature manually too. The basket and drawer can both be washed in the dishwasher, which makes cleaning that much easier. We found the controls a little confusing at first but they’re fine once you’re used to which button indicates which cooking mode. One complaint we had was the price, which was pretty high when compared to other small air fryers. It is clearly designed for smaller kitchens and homes though, with grooves that make it easy to carry and store, and a lightweight design. Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars Read our full Philips Essential Air Fryer review 4. Tefal AH960840 Actifry Genius XL Air Fryer Best air fryer for smart controls Size: 47.6 x 32.8 x 26.3cm Capacity: 1.7 litres Programs: 9 Reasons to buy: Paddle included to stir your food Reasons to avoid: Expensive option This machine has a huge footprint, so if you're after a compact air fryer you can pop in a cupboard when you're not using it then you might want to think again. That said, it's so technologically advanced, we probably wouldn't hide its considerable light under a bushel. It has several things that separate it out from the rest of the air fryer crowd, including nine intelligent cooking modes and a My ActiFry app that features around 300 recipes. However, it's the integral paddle with dual-motion technology, which stirs the food giving it an even, crisp coating that we think is the game-changer. Not only does it mean you can just leave the ActiFry alone to do its magic, it also allows you to cook dishes such as stir-fries and curries in it, too, using one of the two 1-meal-in-1-go programmes. It hands-down produced the best chips we tried, with just half a teaspoon of oil and the chicken was well-cooked and juicy inside, although still dryer on the outside than normal frying would produce. It's a generous size, too, producing main meals for up to five and starter portions for eight. It comes in a choice of black or white, although at the time of testing the white version (a little less stylish we felt) was actually more expensive than the black model on Amazon. Ideal Home rating: 5 out of 5 stars 5. Morphy Richards Health Fryer Best air fryer for preset functions Size: 33.7 x 27.9 x 31.3cm Capacity: 3 litres Programs: 1 Reasons to buy: Budget-friendly option Reasons to avoid: May not be large enough The sleek look of this machine appealed to one of our testers who declared it 'pleasingly sci-fi'. While we're not sure air fryers are a mainstay on board the USS Enterprise, this machine with its easy-to-navigate touchscreen display certainly had some star quality. It produced some of the best chips (outside one stand-out machine, the Tefal) that we tried and the chicken was pretty tasty, too. As before, we preferred drizzling the half-teaspoon of oil on the chips then stirring before popping in the machine but spraying the chicken with oil to get a more even coating for the chicken. As well as seven preset functions for common food choices such as chips in varying amounts, chicken and pizza slices (yup, you read right, it cooks home-made pizza, too) it also has a delay start and preheat and defrost functions, and we really liked the detachable, cool-touch handle. The instructions have some useful hits and tips – for example, it only takes a little more time to cook a full basket as opposed to a half-filled one – and a few recipes, too. Ideal Home rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 6. Salter EK4221 Air Fryer Best fast air fryer Size:32.7 x 27.4 x 32 cm Capacity: 4.5 litres Programs: 7 Reasons to buy: Cooks food faster than any other air fryer in our guide Reasons to avoid: The image menu is very confusing We would usually cook salmon for 15 minutes, but the Salter EK4221 Air Fryer did it in ten. It’s a very speedy air fryer, cooking frozen fishcakes in 20 minutes when they would take 40 in the oven. The controls take some adjusting to. The timer can be adjusted up and down while cooking and so can the temperature, which goes up to 200 degrees. The M button switches between mode presets, which cover fish, meat, veggies, and some mystery items that we truly couldn’t figure out (ribs? bacon? who knows). Our model also arrived with very minimal instructions, but it operates very similarly to other air fryers which made it easy for us to figure out. The capacity is great for small homes and the dimensions made it a great fit for our smaller testing kitchen. It also has a very long lead. Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars 7. Proscenic T21 Smart Air Fryer Best smart air fryer Size: 31.4 x 31.6 x 32.6cm Capacity: 5.5 litre Programs: 8 Reasons to buy: As smart as they come Reasons to avoid: The controls are a little fiddly The Proscenic T21 Smart Air Fryer is certainly a smart option. It’s loaded with preset modes for cooking fish, chicken, chips, bacon and even cake. You can also preheat and keep warm with this air fryer, as well as set a delay timer for when you want your meal to be ready. If you’ve got an Alexa or Google Assistant speaker, you can pair the Proscenic T21 Smart Air Fryer with it for remote control. If not, opt for the Proscenic app, which allows you to check on your timer or adjust the temperature or settings without leaving the sofa. We found the controls on the Proscenic T21 Smart Air Fryer a little fiddly in testing, and keen chefs may prefer to set the temperatures of their dishes manually. There are loads of recipes on the Proscenic app though, with timings and air fryer settings that couldn’t be easier to follow. Overall if you’re looking to expand your air fryer abilities, this is a smart choice. Ideal Home rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 8. Swan Retro Air Fryer Best-looking air fryer Image credit: Swan Size: 34.8 x 24 x 33.7cm Capacity: 6 litre Programs: 1 Reasons to buy: Looks lovely, with a generous capacity Reasons to avoid: Less smart settings Unlike pretty much all the other air fryers we tested, which, to paraphrase Henry Ford ‘you can have in any colour as long as it's black’, this 5 litre machine was a pleasingly cheerful bright cherry red. It also comes in cream and black so would work well in pretty much any scheme if you wanted to leave it out on the worktop. If you want something a little easier to operate than some of the more high-tech options, the Swan Retro has a simple temperature dial and a twist-timer at the top. It feels sturdy and has a large interior capacity of 6 litres. At 34.8 x 24 x 33.7cm it's larger than some options but will work well in family-size kitchens. We were very impressed by how this air fryer cooked bacon and other meats, but when it came to chips we found that it took longer than most air fryers. The timings were comparable to a regular oven. The tray and non-stick basket can both be popped in the dishwasher, too. Ideal Home rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Read our full Swan Retro Air Fryer review 9. Tower Vortex 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven Best air fryer for chicken Size:44.2 x 38.4 x 36.2 cm Capacity: 11 litres Programs: 5 Reasons to buy: It’s a real multi-tasker Reasons to avoid: You lose some of the convenience of a classic air fryer The Tower Vortex 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer is more of an American-style air fryer. It’s designed to look like an oven and comes with a drip tray and multiple shelves to cook your food as you would in a regular oven. There are some perks to this design though. Our favourite was the rotisserie function which made some of the most delicious chicken we’ve ever made. A game-changer for roast dinners. The shelves need to be taken out and switched around mid-cook if you want to achieve an even crisp, which is not ideal and can be a little fiddly. The oven did a great job of creating crispy food though, especially when it came to the frying setting. It can also bake and roast like you’d expect in a regular oven. A nice touch is the door, which you can see straight through. There is a button to illuminate the fryer as it cooks which allows you to look in and check on your food without opening it. It’s a large option, but a versatile one too. Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars Read our full Tower Vortex 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer review 10. Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker Best multi-cooker air fryer Size: H43 x W36 x D32cm Capacity: 6 litres Programs: 7 Reasons to buy: It air fries, bakes, pressure cooks and more Reasons to avoid: If all you want is an air fryer it’s not the one for you Another big machine, this one isn't for the faint-hearted as its dual crisper and pressure cooking lids make it feel a little complicated at first. More worryingly it reminded us of a Cyberman helmet, so once it was out of the box we had to reassure ourselves it was safe to come out from behind the sofa! However, once we'd got the hang of it with the help of the very clear instructions, we felt this machine was a great multi-cooker option for those that wanted more than just an air fryer for their money. So, to the food. This machine cooks in so many ways – pressure, slow, air frying and a combination Ninja call TenderCrisp – we weren't sure where to start, so we took a look at the accompanying recipe book. Should we try a whole chicken, ready in just 40 minutes with a succulent inside and crisp outer or a one-pot dish of salmon, bok choi and rice? In the end we went for, yep you guessed it, chicken and chips! Because if a machine this big and expensive can't get that right, there's no hope. Well, the chips were very good. Not quite fried but not far off. We stirred them a lot, but it was easier to do in this top opening machine and we could use a whole teaspoon of oil (and up to three) if we liked. While we wouldn't suggest buying this if all you want is an air fryer, the part pressure-cook, part TenderCrisp-ed chicken was amazing, if small (it only fits an up-to 2.5kg bird). Juicy with crisp skin, it took less than an hour to cook. Ideal Home rating: 4 out of 5 stars How to buy the right air fryer for you Check the air fryer features and programmes Image credit: Ninja Look for easy-to-use controls for both temperature and time, as these are the most important features on any air fryer. Auto-stop and keep warm functions can be useful but chips, if left for any amount of time will soon lose their crispness. More expensive machines will feature touch screens rather than dial controls, which will help with accuracy. What else should I look for? The bigger the basket capacity, the more people you'll be able to cook for. So if you've got a family, then a 5 litre machine (which usually provides a chip capacity of around 800g to 1kg) is probably a must. A loud beep to signal the end of cooking time is a good idea if you're using the time to wander off and do something else. Most air-fryers will only cook one food group at a time (ie meat or veg) but some will cook a whole meal in one go if you're after a one-pot solution. Are air fryers healthy? Air fryers are as healthy as the food you cook in them, but one thing you can be confident in is that they’re healthier than deep fat fryers. If you want to cut back on the amount of oil and fat in your food, air fryers are also excellent for crisping up your meal while not submerging it in fat. Bacon is not particularly healthy, but cooking it in an air fryer means that the fat will drip away from the meat and into the basket, while still rendering and crisping for that perfect bacon sarnie. Air frying is also a way of adding more veggies to your diet. Some of the best things to cook in an air fryer are cauliflower “wings”, which is simply florets of cauliflower tossed in whatever sauce you wish to pair it with. How much oil do I need to use in my air fryer? Image credit: Salter While most recipes call for a teaspoon or half a teaspoon of oil. We found we got a more even coating on some foods by decanting our choice of oil into a small spray bottle and using that. Never use one-calorie oil spray, which is a step too far in the diet stakes we found, producing nasty, chewy fries. Most of the machines we tested couldn't be used with fattier meats such as sausages or chicken or duck with the skin on. This sometimes results in meats being drier on the outside. This was where a spray oil came in handy and definitely improved results if not making them as good as if they'd been fried. Ready for another test? Best kettles How to make perfect chips in an air fryer If you're making fresh chipped potatoes, leave the cut chips immersed in cold water for about half an hour then rinse well to get rid of starch as this will improve the texture once cooked. Place chips in your air fryer and start to cook as soon as you've coated them in the half-teaspoon or so of oil for best results and don't leave to sit in the fryer once cooked. The post Best air fryer 2021 – 10 air fryer reviews from Tower, Tefal and more appeared first on Ideal Home.

Interior Design Masters finalist Siobhan shares the one thing you need to make a garden bar Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:00 AM PDT The garden bar trend has swept the nation this year, with many of us deciding we need a designated area for serving up homemade margaritas. Interior Design Masters finalist Siobhan Murphy is something of an expert in this area, with her own vintage home bar and memorable tiki bar creation in the beach hut challenge. Garden bar ideas – create your own inspirational DIY outdoor bar to entertain from home When we spoke to the interior designer about how to make an outdoor bar with the wow factor, she said there’s one thing to look out for. Image credit: Freemans First, she recommends scouring online selling sites like Facebook Marketplace or local groups for budget finds. While there are great options online, like the Rattan Garden Bar at Aldi, you can do it much more cheaply with a bit of imagination. The key thing, she says, is to hunt for any solid wood items that you can varnish and paint. ‘I think you can use anything and customise it,’ she says. ‘A console table you could make into a little bar, or even if you've got a dining table and extended the ledge so that you've got a nice big surface. Image credit: Future ‘Put a nice outdoor, hardwearing paint on and it's going to stand the test of time. Probably for a fraction of the price of buying loads of brand new outdoor furniture,’ says Siobhan. For a tropical tiki bar look, she says you can simply pick up some sheets of bamboo. A quick search on Instagram will open up a world of inspiration, with exotic-themed bars that people have made themselves. Image credit: Future ‘Get some nice festoon lights and you've got your own little area,’ Siobhan adds. ‘Then, add some colour and some plants and, obviously, booze. Get some Pina Coladas and suddenly you're transported to Hawaii!’ Brilliant budget garden ideas – boost your outdoor space without breaking the bank You could also try making your own DIY garden bar using old wooden pallets. Likewise, an old wooden side table or even a battered wardrobe might not look like much online – but you just need a lick of paint, some gold leaf and a vision. Siobhan has an exciting range of homeware products with Freemans in the pipeline. The post Interior Design Masters finalist Siobhan shares the one thing you need to make a garden bar appeared first on Ideal Home.

Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation review Posted: 01 Jul 2021 03:01 AM PDT The Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation is one of the smartest kettles on the market. It can pair with a smartphone app, tell you how much water is in the pot, and even maintain a specific temperature. All this is operated through the app, though, so you'll need to keep your phone nearby to make the most of these features.  Take a look at the best kettles for more options I reviewed the Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation for two weeks to see how it performed, and while it's not suitable for every kitchen, tech-lovers will enjoy the sleek looks and convenient remote control options.  Ideal Home rating: 4 out of 5 stars The Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation is a top pick for smart homes and tech-lovers, but it lacks the on-board controls to make it a real all-rounder.  Reasons to buy:  Setting up smart controls is easy It's sleek and simple  Keep warm function Speedy and quiet boiling Button opens the lid Reasons to avoid:  No real on-board controls It runs low quickly Smarter 3rd Generation iKettle Specs Capacity: 1.8 litres Temperature: 20-100°C Wattage: 3000 Controls: App, base Material: Stainless steel Colours: White, black, silver Getting set up with the iKettle The iKettle pairs with the Smarter app, and while the instructions that come with the kettle itself are limited, they are sufficient to pair easily. You simply hold your phone over a flashing light on the base of the kettle, which then connects for control remotely.  The Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation has one button on the base. Pressing this will allow it to function like a regular kettle, shutting off when it hits boiling.  The Smarter app will tell you how much water is inside the kettle once you've paired, which is useful for checking when it needs a topup or if there is enough for your tea round.  Using the Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation The app functions really are a big part of this kettle. It pairs very easily, so I found that I could turn on the kettle and set it to keep warm while I finished off some work, ready for me to make a fresh cup of tea when it had finished. Some types of tea are best made at 80 or 90°C. For green teas and matcha, it was easy to set the temperature to the right place, and I would get a notification when it had finished.  Once the kettle boiled, a lot of steam would come out of the top. The kettle didn't seem to be well insulated, so I found that the water ran low quicker than I'm used to with my regular Russell Hobbs kettle.  Pouring was easy and the handle was tactile. I found that the button at the top of the kettle made it easy to add more water even when the kettle had just boiled, which is far better than having to lift off the lid and risk scorching your hands on hot steam.  How does the iKettle compare to the Bosch Sky Kettle?  In my Bosch TWK7203GB Sky Kettle review I was very keen on how easy it was to adjust the temperature using the sliding scale on the base. The same sliding scale can be found on the Smarter app, so while it wasn't possible to adjust on the kettle itself, all I needed was my phone handy (and let's be honest, it's always handy) to set the right temperature for me.  That said, while it is arguably smarter, the iKettle isn't as nice to use as the Sky Kettle. The Bosch has a very sturdy design and the touch control on the base is reassuring that the water really is being kept warm. It doesn't give off too much steam, either.  Price-wise, the Bosch is also the better choice. It doesn't come with smartphone compatibility though, so if you want the smartest of the smart and don't care for manual controls, go for the Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation.  Should you buy the Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation? The Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation is a good kettle. It boils water and allows you to adjust the temperature exactly as you like it. The design is simple and minimalistic, allowing you to control from your phone without any flashy manual dials.  The kettle is quiet, too. I never found it distracting and my phone connection never failed me, so it delivered on the convenience I'd expect from a smart kettle. However, while the Bosch Sky kettle is less smart, it is far nicer to use thanks to the tactile base and visual appeal. It's also cheaper, so unless you want something you can control remotely, I would suggest opting for the Sky kettle over the iKettle.  About this review, and the reviewer Millie Fender is our residentsmall appliances editor, and tea addict. She drinks at least 5 cups of tea a day, and eats copious amount of pasta, so the Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation was thoroughly tested by Ideal Home before this review was written.  The Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation was loaned to Millie for two weeks, after which she returned it to Smarter, after simultaneously testing the Smarter Coffee 2nd Generation.  The post Smarter iKettle 3rd Generation review appeared first on Ideal Home.

Window shutter ideas – with tips for choosing interior shutters Posted: 01 Jul 2021 02:00 AM PDT Are you looking for window shutter ideas that will go with your window and home’s style? Not only are they super practical – ideal for keeping the heat in and prying eyes out – but they look stylish too. Every year we wait with bated breath for the first rays of spring sunshine to peep through the clouds, then the next moment we're frantically fanning ourselves in an attempt to keep cool in the increasingly stifling summertime. But while we can't control our fickle climate, we can invest in window treatments that give us some shade and protects our interiors too. Chic, sophisticated and oh-so-stylish, shutters give you everything you’d wish for in a window treatment idea. They’re practical – providing light, privacy and reduced noise without compromising on security (you can add locks for extra confidence) – as well as low-maintenance, requiring nothing more than a wipe-down to keep them looking their best. Image credit: Blinds2go More adaptable than curtains and more versatile than blinds, shutters come in a whole host of modern materials and super-chic colours, that not only make a feature of your windows, but provide flexible shade and privacy when you need it. 'Sales of shutters have grown an impressive 40 per cent in the last two years,' says Fiona Kelly, managing director of The Shutter Shop. 'People appear to be leaving curtains behind in favour of the clean, minimalist lines of shutters.' Some shutter companies provide a completely bespoke service, where a consultant measures up and fits the shutters for you, while others can make something for you to fit yourself (only advisable for those confident with their tool kit). With lots of materials to choose from, from MDF-based wood to the more expensive solid woods, Mark Carter, company director of Shutterly Fabulous points out: 'It's worth investing in the best your budget will allow as shutters are, in reality, furniture for your windows.' From MDF versions with special coatings (great for high moisture areas such as kitchens and bathrooms) to hardwood designs that ooze sophistication, there are plenty of great options to choose from. Design-wise too, there are lots of different looks you can go for. We take a look at some stunning shutter ideas that’ll help you work out what overall look you're going for. Window shutter ideas 1. Tier on Tier shutters on double fronted windows Image credit: Chris Snook Tier-on-tier style window shutters are perfect for large windows that not only let a lot of light in but also a lack of privacy. They are also really handy in that they can be folded back completely or half height dependent on your preference. 2. Tier-on-Tier shutters in a dining room Image Credit: Colin Poole This boho-chic style, white dining room has tier-on-tier shutters in a crisp white to work with the white washed walls, so as to create a seamless light, bright space. 3. Plantation shutters on a bay window Image credit: David Merewether If you have a small and wide bay window, why not opt for fitted plantation style shutters that’ll look neat and tidy. Close the louvres to keep sunny spots cool and shaded from the mid day sun or open them to warm up a room in chillier weather. 4. Vibrant green plantation shutters Image credit: The Shutter Store If you’re feeling brave, choose a eye-popping shade to paint your shutters to liven up a space without worrying about taking up space with more furniture. These green shutters give a gentle nod to the green patterned living room wallpaper and green textured ornaments and vases on the coffee table. 5. Shutters to match your walls Image credit: Dominic Blackmore Make the plantation shutters blend in seamlessly to a room by colour matching with the walls, like in this blue living room. You can ask most large shutter companies to colour match or stain shutters to Farrow & Ball, Dulux and many other well-known paint colours. 6. Solid shutters in a kids room Image credit: California Shutters Want a neater look than black out blinds? Why not opt for solid wood shutters to keep kids rooms dark for sleep and bright during the day? Painted in Dulux spring breeze yellow, these shutters add a splash of colour to the room and ties in well with the wall decal. 7. Red shutters to match the furniture Image credit: California Shutters Or if you’re even braver, a vivid shade to match an occasional chair or perhaps cushions in your scheme. Choosing a bright colour is a good way of adding extra interest into a dark scheme. Just make sure you’re ready for a bold hue for the long haul. 8. Full shutters on French doors Image credit: Tuiss If you have French doors in your kitchen and you’re wondering what window treatment to go for, full plantation shutters are the way forward. They’ll look neat and will blend seamlessly into any white kitchen scheme. 9. Natural wood plantation shutters Image credit: David Brittain If you have lots of natural colours in your decor, why not go for stripped back wooden shutters, instead of the ever popular white? They’ll make all your natural accessories and materials pop. 10. Full solid shutters in a serene bedroom Image credit: Shutterly Fabulous Keep things calm and serene in your bedroom with full solid shutters in a soft neutral shade such as olive green. Tie in accessories and furniture, like bed linen and bedside tables, to create a blissful sanctuary to relax in at the end of the day. 11. Cafe style shutters to match a bath Image credit: Shutterly Fabulous Liven up a neutral grey bathroom by colour matching the bath and your shutters to create a seamless scheme. Accessorise with natural wood and blue and white accessories. 12. Full solid shutters to match bed linen Image credit: Californian Shutters Using muted pink on solid shutters will keep your bedroom feeling bright but will make sure no light gets in to interrupt your sleep. Create a feeling of calm by accessorising with pinks and taupe and a dash of copper thrown in the mix. 13. Bespoke shutters for round windows Image credit: Colin Poole Have any quirky windows in your home that you can’t find a window treatment for? Why not go bespoke and get a shutter made for the window in question. This round window above the bed in this small cottage room lets in much-needed light but come night time, the neat, solid shutter blacks out light for a peaceful night’s kip. How to choose window shutters Taking their name from the sprawling 19th-century mansions in America's deep south, the most versatile are plantation-style shutters. These feature louvres that open and close to minimize heat from the sun. They provide ventilation and privacy when needed and come in an impressive array of colours and materials. Shutterly Fabulous, Shaftesbury Shutters and The New England Shutter Company will all colour match or stain shutters to Farrow & Ball, Dulux and many other well-known paint colours. They will also treat with a UV sealant so touch-ups aren't necessary. The New England Shutter Company also offers hand-stitched faux leather, suede and fabric finishes in a huge range of shades and textures. You can now choose the width of your louvres too. 'Larger louvres allow in more light when the shutter is open,' says Harriet Shackleton, sales manager at The New England Shutter Company, 'so it's worth bearing this in mind when you're making your decision.' The traditional method of opening and closing louvres is with a rod on the outside of the shutter, but many companies now offer designs that feature hidden mechanisms or even remote-controlled shutters (good for hard-to-reach windows) for a contemporary finish. Image credit: Chris Snook Solid shutters were originally installed in pre-Edwardian houses and were only used a couple of times a year when the owners decamped for the season. They weren't designed to be opened and shut daily like our present designs, which is why so few remain today. As well as traditional wood, they now come in a number of materials, so try Parma Lilac for an acrylic version or Draks for Japanese-style canto shutters with hardwood frames and a bespoke central panel of non-reflective acrylic, glass or even a fabric of your choice. You can also source antique shutters at salvage companies such as Lassco. 'Shutters can be cut down, just make sure they still work proportionally,' says Francis Lee, design consultant at Lassco. Or you can add an extra leaf to make them fit, but measure up carefully to find a pair as near perfect as possible. Types of shutters – what are my options? There are a number of shutter styles to choose from, and which you finally opt for is often down to a mixture of which design detail best reflects your personal style and what you want your shutters to achieve for any given room. Café-style shutters These are hung only on the bottom half of the window and are more cost effective (as they only cover half the window). They are ideal if you live at street level and need privacy, but still want to allow light in, but no good if you ever want to black out the room completely. Tier-on-tier shutters Also known as double-hung shutters these are the most versatile shutters you can opt for, with two sets hung one above the other, working independently. This gives great flexibility as you can have the top open and the bottom shut, or vice versa, and both sets can be open or shut too. The only disadvantage is that they can look a bit fussy on some types of windows. Full-height shutters These are best for taller windows. There is usually a dividing rail either halfway up, or at a natural break in the window (i.e. at the level of the sash). This makes taller shutters more sturdy and enables the louvres in the top and bottom half to move independently, so you could open the top set to let in light but keep the bottom shut for privacy. Solid shutters This shutter types gives a clean look and comes with various centre panels such as raised, moulded and Shaker styles. Solid-based shutters are a combination of louvre panel at the top and solid panel at the bottom. Bathroom shutters — what should I look for? Image credit: Jason Ingram Unlike fabric blinds which can get damp and mildewed in steamy bathrooms, shutters allow extra ventilation with their louvred slats, so they’ll dry more quickly. They’re also easier to wipe down and keep clean. While painted wood or MDF shutters are fine in well-ventilated bathrooms, for rooms with high humidity, moisture-resistant shutters are more practical. Made of ABS plastic, polymer or polyvinyl, they are waterproof, so the slats won’t rot or warp. Plantation shutters – how to measure for them Jason Peterkin, director at 247 Blinds, gives his step-by-step guide on how to measure for plantation shutters and offers his top tips. ‘There are two types of frames for you to choose from; L frames and Z frames. The L frame will allow you to position your frame anywhere in your recess, at the back leaving you with lots of window sill space or at the front of your window allowing the panels to close flat against side walls,’ says Jason. ‘On the other hand, the Z frame is positioned at the edge of the recess and creates a traditional style architrave outside of the recess.’ Measure the width Measure the width inside the recess three times, at the top, middle and bottom. Choose the smallest size from these three measurements and deduct 5mm. Measure the height Then measure the height inside the recess three times at the Left, Right and Middle, again choosing the smallest size and deducting 5mm. Measure across the recess You'll then need to measure diagonally across the recess in both directions. Note: if the recess is more than 15mm out of square, you may want to choose the Z frame as this will require less remedial work. Where to buy shutters for windows There are a number of companies that stock shutters including Luxaflex, Eclectics, Oakhurst, Velux, The New England Shutter Company, Hillarys and John Lewis & Partners. Shutterly Fabulous will also colour match or stain shutters to Farrow & Ball, Dulux and RAL paint colours. You can also source antique shutters, such as French shutters, at salvage companies such as English Salvage. The traditional method of opening and closing louvres is with a rod on the outside of the shutter, but many companies now offer designs that feature hidden mechanisms or even remote-controlled shutters (good for hard-to-reach windows) for a contemporary finish including The Great Shutter Company. Image credit: Nick Pope Are shutters expensive? Most shutters are made-to-measure and installed by the company itself, but if your budget is limited contact The California Shutter & Blind Company who will take measurements and produce shutters that you can then install yourself, substantially reducing the overall cost. You can also cut costs by opting for other DIY shutter options. These are made to size and delivered pre-drilled, pre-mitred and ready to fit yourselves. You can snap these up at companies including 24-7 Blinds, B&Q and Blinds2Go. Are shutters better than blinds? The easy-to-adjust slats allow greater control than with a regular blind. By tilting the slats up and down you can vary how much light comes in, with the angle of the slats obscuring the view from the outside. Shutting slats completely will give total privacy or they can be opened fully to let maximum light in. Shutter effect blinds could also give you the best of both worlds. They come in at a reasonable price point, can be easily installed and look almost as eye-catching as the real thing. The post Window shutter ideas – with tips for choosing interior shutters appeared first on Ideal Home.

Four reasons why you should buy refurbished tech... and the savings are just the start Posted: 01 Jul 2021 01:30 AM PDT There are some things we’ve always been happy to buy not-exactly new. The Ideal Home team, for example, is partial to Victorian townhouses, vintage champagne coupes and original mid-century modern furniture. But top tech probably wasn’t top of our list… until now. Because there are now too many good reasons to ignore the draw of refurbished gadgets – a term that applies to everything from lawnmowers and laptops to tablets and toasters. We’ve identified four right here. Plus, we explain why buying ‘Certified Refurbished‘ items from top brands on eBay is a sure-fire way to bag a bona fide bargain. Image credit: eBay 1. You get more for your money Let’s start with the most obvious benefit. Every item you buy something Certified Refurbished from eBay, it will look like new, work like new… but it won’t cost like new. With kitchen appliances, smartphones, TVs, and even DIY tools up for grabs, you can save up to 30% on the RRP of hundreds of items, buying safe in the knowledge that they are every bit as brilliant as their brand-new equivalents.  ‘But how much can I save?’ we hear you ask. Well our most recent finds are a HP Envy 15in laptop, down from £1,499.99 to £1,099.94, and a Sage The Kitchen Wizz Pro food processor, reduced from £399.95 to £279.99. We were also tempted by some on-trend olive green Skullcandy Hesh 3 Bluetooth over-ear headphones, available for £34.99 – a huge £55 saving on their £89.99 RRP. Image credit: eBay 2. It’s better for the environment Every time we buy refurbished, we do our little bit for the planet. That’s because fewer materials reach landfill  and fewer resources are needed to ‘rebuild’ an existing appliance or gadget, as opposed to making one from scratch. That’s not to say your refurbished phone, laptop or vacuum cleaner is inferior to a brand-new version. On eBay, certified refurbished items are professionally checked, cleaned, and refurbished by the manufacturer or by an authorised provider. Cosmetically damaged parts – think phone screens or a vacuum cleaner’s dust container – are generally switched for shiny new replacements, and heavily used parts are professionally exchanged.  That means your tech arrives in mint condition, exactly as the manufacturer specified. Image credit: eBay 3. You needn’t compromise on your favourite brands Desperate to upgrade your vacuum cleaner for a lightweight and powerful Dyson to take the hard work out of cleaning? Have your heart set on a state-of-the-art 4K TV to turn movie nights into a big-screen occasion? Buying Certified Refurbished is a way to get your hands on those brands and features that you might have thought beyond your budget. Big brands selling direct as eBay Certified Refurbished partners include Asus, Dyson, Shark, GoPro and Panasonic. You really are in the best company. Image credit: eBay 4. Refurbished tech is still covered by a guarantee Purchase a Certified Refurbished item from eBay, and you’ll be covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee. An additional 12-month seller guarantee provides even more peace of mind when you buy.  It applies to all defects covered by the seller guarantee that occur after the purchase. That’s regardless of whether the item was already defective at the time of purchase or not. If the item is faulty, it will be repaired or exchanged free of charge. And breathe… Discover the latest bargains Certified Refurbished on eBay today and see ‘nearly new’ in a whole new light. The post Four reasons why you should buy refurbished tech... and the savings are just the start appeared first on Ideal Home.

Easy climbing plant ideas to elevate planting – introducing colour and fragrance to gardens Posted: 01 Jul 2021 01:12 AM PDT Garden beds We all want to make the most of our gardens and that means covering the landscape from top to bottom with beautiful colour and foliage. Climbing plants are perfect for clothing fences and exteriors walls or dressing trellis and pergolas with glorious greenery. Elevating your planting adds a whole new element to your garden, with height that can create an intimate and romantic atmosphere without closing in on the space. Easy climbing plants can help disguise less attractive spots and are also ideal for any garden idea, especially small spaces because they grow up and create a sense of space. Take a look at our favoured climber ideas to transform your garden. Easy climbing plant ideas 1. Establish a living wall with climbers Image credit: Future PLC/ Colin Poole Create a captivating living wall by covering fences with climbing plants, of all varieties to add interest. This alternative approach to creating a living wall, using climbers rather than securing vertical planters to bed in pot plants, means an easier approach to covering fences and boundary walls. Finish with a flower bed of grasses to spill onto the patio, to add to the freeform style of planting. 2. Create a foliage feature wall Image credit: Future PLC Train a self-clinging plant, such as a climbing rose or a hardy Clematis, to grow up a trellis attached to an exterior brick wall to create a feature wall of sorts. This garden trellis idea offers a far more dense coverage than trying to fill the space with potted plants alone. 3. Add colour and fragrance with rambling roses Image credit: Future PLC/ Colin Poole Roses are probably the most romantic of all the climbing plants, with a beautiful display of flowers that will stay in bloom for months at a time. Thanks to the many different varieties available you can introduce a number of colours, from lemon yellow and pastel pink to creamy white – there’s a shade to suit all garden landscape ideas. As well as adding vibrant colour the right rose will fill your garden with fragrance too. Climbing roses grown over a pergola will create a surround of scent that will heighten the scenes every time you pass through. 4. Enjoy the sweet scent of Jasmine Image credit: Future PLC/ Amateur Gardening This pretty, dainty climber produces an abundance of sweet-scented white flowers from mid summer to autumn. It looks particularly lovely trained to a freestanding support in beds among over plants. 5. Welcome country style with wisteria Image credit: Future PLC/ Amateur Gardening This is a vigorous climber known for its beautiful cascades of perfumed purple flowers. The stems are twisted and wooded so will need to be supported by nails. They love the sun and flower in the spring. Wisteria is a characterful plant highly associated with country homes, with the beautiful foliage cascading down many country cottages. 6. Encourage climbing plants around tree trunks Image credit: Future PLC/ Mark Bolton Climbing plants of all varieties can offer a beautiful blanket of coverage of colour to conceal unattractive tree trunks. 7. Grow hearty Ivy for maximum coverage Image credit: Future PLC/ Mark Bolton This common climbing plant can seem rather dark and dated, but there are many varieties in golden and lime green tones that can really freshen up a space. Plus the bonus with ivy is that there are very few places it will not grow. Be sure to keep it well trained by cutting back regularly or it can get out of hand and regularly remove older leaves to let young healthy ones through. Number one rule, do not let ivy grow under roof tiles or into gutters – because this can prove problematic. 8. Attract wildlife with Honeysuckle Image credit: Future PLC/ Amateur Gardening This sweet-scented woodland favourite will grow fast and attract lots of wildlife – ideal as wildlife garden ideas become more prominent in the modern garden. Honeysuckle can easily be combined with other climbers such as roses or clematis. There are different colours available from white to dark orange. They prefer their roots to be in a cool, damp shade. 9. Captivate with trailing Clematis Image credit: Future PLC These beautiful plants have become very popular, as their beautiful bell flowers come in almost every colour. They are easy to grow and take up little space. Climbing plants are perfect for giving country gardens that intimate, picturesque look. Which is your favourite? The post Easy climbing plant ideas to elevate planting – introducing colour and fragrance to gardens appeared first on Ideal Home.

See how a savvy DIY-er transformed a dull, wooden kitchen with £3 paint and a hairdryer Posted: 30 Jun 2021 11:00 PM PDT Rental homes can often seem a little dated, especially when it comes to the kitchen. However, one savvy DIY-er transformed his for an incredible £170. Visit kitchen ideas for more inspiration Nick Richards, 23, from Essex, set out to change that in his council accommodation. With a shoe-string budget, he totally transformed his dingy, dated and very wooden kitchen into a bright and modern space. ‘The main motivation for our new kitchen project was to brighten up the space. Our previous design with walnut cabinets made it look quite dark overall,’ Nick told LatestDeals.co.uk. Before Image credit: Nick Richards ‘We wanted to makeover the kitchen because we wanted something more to our taste and a little bit more modern and fresh. Because we live in a council house we don't have permission to physically change anything so everything is 100% cosmetically done and reversible.’ Thrifty Nick sourced all of his wares from B&Q, Amazon and IKEA – including a five-litre tub of Dulux Pebble Shore Matt Emulsion paint was reduced from £26 to a mere £3. For more white kitchen ideas take a look at our gallery for inspiration. Image credit: Nick Richards First, he painted the dated cream tiles white with £20 GoodHome White Tile Paint: ‘This was a pretty straightforward process,’ says Nick. ‘There are a few brush strokes visible on the tiles if you look closely but it's not too bad.’ Then, he applied white and wood-effect rolls of DC Fix – a sticky-back vinyl film – to the dark, walnut cabinets and benches using a £3 wallpaper smoother tool, and even discovered a handy hack in the process… ‘Use a hairdryer when you're applying it,’ he revealed. ‘When smoothing the plastic around the edges and corners, the hairdryer helped to slightly melt the plastic to make it softer and more pliable. Image credit: Nick Richards ‘It does take some time to get into a good rhythm and process when applying the DC Fix, but everyone always has their own ways of doing things!’ After swapping tacky silver kitchen handles for trendy black ones from Amazon for £17, and picking up some finishing touches from IKEA – Nick's now unrecognisable kitchen ended up costing him only £170. The gleaming new kitchen is proof that budget is no match for the savvy shopper – as long as they're willing to put their back into it. ‘No professional quote was given,’ Nick revealed. ‘We always try and give DIY a go before getting the professionals in – best way to save some money (as long as you are confident enough to do some DIY yourself!)’ Nick added. Related: Be inspired by this homeowner’s amazing second-hand kitchen makeover Nick is naturally thrilled with his finished kitchen and pleased he learned a brand new DIY hack in the process. The post See how a savvy DIY-er transformed a dull, wooden kitchen with £3 paint and a hairdryer appeared first on Ideal Home.

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