Lifestyle

Often described as the heart of the home, the style, quality and size of a kitchen can be a pivotal deal-breaker among purchasers. In fact, another recent survey completed by more than 1,000 homebuyers found the kitchen was the number one downstairs space buyers wanted to see.

There’s a saying in estate agency that goes ‘kitchens and bathrooms sell homes’ and we tend to agree. We’re often asked by prospective sellers what they should do to make their kitchen ultra-appealing and many ask if it’s possible to add value too. Our answers to the most commonly-asked questions should help inform your kitchen plans.

The soaring cost of gas has made us all think twice about how frequently we turn on our central heating but no one wants to live in a cold home. In a bid to keep energy bills affordable, many homeowners have gone in search of alternative ways to keep warm.

Stripes, spots, checks and chinoiserie, there are a myriad of patterns you can decorate your home with. As with paint colours and styles of furniture, patterns fall in and out of fashion, so we’ve narrowed down the field for you. Here are the interior experts’ top three pattern choices for spring/summer 2023.

The people at Pantone have recently released their colour of the year for 2023 and they plumped for a red called Viva Magenta. It’s a shade Pantone calls ‘brave, fearless, empowering and joyous’.

For 2023, the Dulux Colour of the Year is Wild Wonder – a soft, golden neutral that has both mustard yellow and earthy green undertones. The shade takes its inspiration from nature, reflecting the warm hues of harvested crops, and has the wonderful ability to subtly change colour according to the time of day and source of light.

For many of us, three little words have become the focus of our finances: energy price cap. This guide to the current energy situation answers many of the most commonly-asked questions and features advice for confused households.

Moving home presents an excellent opportunity to change purchasing habits, especially at a time when many people need new items. The small but conscious choices made can make a big, collective impact on the environment, and there’s no need to compromise on style either.

If you were lucky enough to have a spare bedroom in 2020, there is a high chance that you shoved the bed to one side (or got rid of it altogether) to make way for a home office.  In fact, ​​a report from Zoopla suggests that some nine million bedrooms were lost during the pandemic to other uses.

Designers have often used hand-picked books as props when dressing show homes but the art of primping with paperbacks really went mainstream during recent lockdowns.

Some of the most eye catching home additions are permanent, expensive or both. While there is no doubt that replacing an old kitchen or installing a new bathroom will transform a property, it’s not a practical path to follow for tenants or for soon-to-be sellers.

If you are moving home soon and want to know if the property will retain heat, there are a few things you can look out for. The first is the EPC rating – which shows how energy efficient the property is…