SUMMER GARDENING TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE Enjoy your garden – it’s not meant to be hard work. Use the space to make you happy. 1. REVEL IN YOUR GREEN SPACE Sarah recommends making the most of any green space you have, be it a balcony or even just a window box. Take the time to acknowledge the beauty of nature, especially around spring when flowers are in full bloom....

The home is situated on a 0.5-acre estate, which features a dock – with 100 feet of access to Miami Beach’s Biscayne Bay – as well as a cabana and large pool. The property has been extensively renovated since it was constructed in 1951. Take a tour below – and when you’re done, hop on over to our page dedicated to the world’s best homes for more. Just like the interiors, the gardens of Shakira’s house in Miami are highly manicured....

Sharks AI robot vacuum is decked out with all the features you could ask for, including an extra-large self-emptying dustbin, improved navigation, and even mopping abilities. Despite this impressive list of skills, the robot vacuum is reasonably priced, so we wanted to see if it’s actually as good as it seems. We put the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop to the test over the course of several weeks, seeing how well it could handle everyday dust and dirt, pet hair, and more....

Here, she uses her expertise to reveal how to master the grey look in your home – from grey living room ideas to sophisticated grey bathrooms. 1. Decorate with a tonal color palette ‘Greys, purples, taupes and creams all work very well when creating a cozy, traditional scheme. Sophie recommends avoiding the use of stronger colors, like yellow, red and green, which tend to overpower – this look should be very natural and muted....

Managing our spaces – how they look and feel – renders a sense of relief, something many of us so desperately need. And if you’re searching for an illustration on how, take Drew Barrymore’s lead. See: Drew Barrymore’s living room – and mimic her vintage style with buys from her own interiors collection In an Instagram video released on March 2, the Flower Home (opens in new tab) founder displayed a very familiar snapshot – a disorganized floor – which affected viewers in a very relatable manner....

The Atrio Icon 3D and Allure Brilliant Icon 3D taps have been crafted using 3D metal-printing, with both models made up of around 4,700 layers of steel that are each 0.06 millimetres thick. The designs are based on the appearance of Grohe’s existing Atrio and Allure Brilliant ranges. See: The future of design: 10 ways interior design will change post-pandemic Grohe is the first leading sanitary company in Europe to employ the use of 3D printing manufacturing techniques and is hoping it will ‘redefine the possibilities’ of creating unique bathroom fittings better suited to customers’ varying tastes....

THE FUTURE OF HOME DESIGN As normality slowly resumes, spatial planning and functional living experts Day True, take a look at how our homes and our approach to design will change. INVEST IN A MULTI-PURPOSE KITCHEN WITH ROOM TO HOST With home cooking and entertaining guests on the rise, homeowners will seek high-performance open-plan kitchens with design at the forefront. Layout and functionality will have to work more efficiently than ever before, to ensure hosts can cook and entertain seamlessly....

Keeping it in the family clearly made sense when it came to the design transformation of what was once a very modest 16th Century farmhouse into the sumptuous space it is today – a wonderful example of farmhouse decor ideas. ‘My mother runs an interior design business, Jean George Interiors (opens in new tab), and she really was my sounding board at all stages; initially when it came to plans/layouts/spatial designs; and then further down the line when choosing colors, fabrics, and furniture,’ says Liz....

Part of a busy working arable farm, the house is surrounded by a series of outbuildings, including an old flint and brick barn. ‘It was almost derelict and hadn’t been used for years,’ says Sarah. As an interior designer and co-founder of Vanrenen GW Designs, Sarah saw the opportunity to convert the barn into a farm office on the ground floor, with a flat for guests above. ‘We liked the option of extra accommodation – for overflow from our house, perhaps for a nanny one day, or to rent out if we wanted,’ explains Sarah....

See: World’s best homes – tour the globe’s most beautiful houses Villa Valbonne, a nine-bedroom mansion that is oozing with continental sophistication, was a frequented by the young Kennedy family in the late 1930s when JFK’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy, worked as the ambassador to Great Britain. Throughout his service, the family frequently vacationed in the opulent commune of Grasse in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of the French Riviera. Reports suggest that the young former president learned to swim in Villa Valbonne’s 20-meter marble pool....

Less is often more when it comes to contemporary bedrooms, so be careful not to over design. Bear in mind too that very modern designs can sometimes feel stark and clinical, so balance this by introducing warmth with plenty of texture, wood and layered lighting to add interest. The use of texture is vital when it comes to bedrooms, and no more so than in a modern bedroom. Let our carefully-curated selection of modern bedroom ideas inspire you to be brave with your color scheme, try a new bedroom layout or tackle the latest bedroom trends....

Textured paint can also be used to achieve a wide variety of paint finishes and can even mimic other materials, from plaster to concrete, turning a bland flat surface into something that offers instant impact the moment you enter the room. There are glitter paints for a sparkly bedroom, metallic emulsions for an industrial look and suede finishes for a velvety feel. Color-wise, palettes range from dark, dramatic tones to reflective paint sheen levels and bold, vibrant shades....

Generally, the bathroom colors we choose don’t tend to be controversial or adventurous. But, as interior designers have been telling us, even the safest of shades can fall out of favor, with white being one of them. And though you may still choose white for your bathroom next year, you may like to know that one of the reasons it, and the others on the list, are deemed unfashionable is that we are being bolder with bathroom trends and color choices than ever before, decorating wash rooms with as much careful curation as living rooms....

The concept is not too indifferent to investing in high-quality basics in your wardrobe – but instead of a good pair of jeans, it is a sofa built to last and transition from one design scheme to another. What’s more, it helps to prevent falling into too many furniture trends that you might not like in a year or two. Here, designers have shared their thoughts on the seven foundational decor pieces every home should invest in....

See: our spaces section for more inspiring featured homes ‘The original building was a bad house in a great location. Within twenty seconds of seeing it, I realised that it should be demolished and rebuilt. It wasn’t part of a period mews terrace; in fact, every house in the row dates from a different era, so there was no architectural pattern that we had to follow,’ explains the owner....

See: our spaces section for more inspiring featured homes See some of the world’s best homes – beautiful properties from around the globe The property The owner, a private investor, explains: ‘Dating back to 1808, this was originally the country house of the sitting MP. The previous owner lived here for thirty years and, when we moved in, the house hadn’t been touched for ages. The kitchen was cut in two by a chimney running through it, so we removed this and knocked through some rooms to make a bigger space....

So while you may have had small ambitions for your basement office, you can adjust those, upwards. If your search for home office ideas and basement ideas is combined, you do have more work to do in terms of getting the basics – layout, lighting and especially storage – as near to perfection as possible. Beyond that, it’s all window dressing, as they say. Below, we bring you our favorite basement office ideas and ploys for a fabulous working from home room....

From cheerful marigolds, chic eucalyptus to creeping pennyroyal, many of these are everyday garden plants and useful herbs. Perfect for incorporating into flavor-packed dishes, drinks, and healing remedies, they can prove hugely beneficial to us and highly deserving of a prime place in our backyards, plus they’re great for getting rid of wasps. Pot them in as flower bed ideas in containers, hanging baskets and window boxes and position them at key point around your yard and home....

What’s more, because they can be drawn fully back from the opening, of all the patio door ideas you might consider, bifold – or folding – doors could top the list if you want to be able to open the interior of your home to the outside to space-stretching effect. Be inspired by these bifold door ideas, and get the lowdown on the benefits here. Bifold door ideas Consider bifold doors alongside French door ideas and sliding doors to discover the best option for your needs as well as to complement your home’s architecture....

With its connection to the outside world, from deep waters to vast skies, decorating with blue is renowned to make us feel more relaxed and content, having been named one of the best colors to make a room feel happy by paint experts, creating a peaceful and relaxing indoor-outdoor atmosphere for your hallway ideas. Enduring and versatile, using blue for your hallway color ideas means you can experiment with both bold and neutral shades....