Ideal Home

Clutter-free living doesn’t come naturally to me, however much I wish it would. My sentimental attachment to ‘stuff’ is a sticking point. I find getting rid of things a real challenge – both because of the memories they hold, and also because I can’t help but think they might come in handy in the future (or I might suddenly fall head over heels back in love with them. Fickle, me?). I believe that stuff is what adds personality to a home (a minimalist I will never be), but it’s about how to walk that fine line between a curated display and messy clutter. “My sentimental attachment to ‘stuff’ makes clutter-free living a challenge” Of course, there’s also a more practical side to living with less. Surfaces that aren’t covered with items are…

HADLEY FREEMAN JOURNALIST & AUTHOR A Guardian columnist and features writer, Hadley has also penned four books. She’s just moved house – a new project! NICKY PHILLIPS STYLE EDITOR Nicky brings over 25 years’ experience to the table, and has been part of the Ideal Home family for 21 years. CHARLIE LUXTON ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER Charlie juggles his roles as director of Charlie Luxton Design, TV presenter and public speaker. KALPANA FITZPATRICK MONEY EXPERT An award-winning financial journalist, Kalpana is a regular guest on TV and radio, and editor of themoneyedit.com. FEARNE COTTON BROADCASTER & AUTHOR TV and radio presenter Fearne’s Happy Place podcast is now in its ninth series, with over 40 million downloads.…

NEED TO KNOW Colours to lift your mood We all know that the way we live now has changed somewhat dramatically over the past few years. Multi-generational households, renters of all ages and working from home more regularly have all helped to inspire Crown’s autumn-winter palette for 2022, where colours have been carefully considered to ensure they work for all occupants. Whether you want to bring your individual style, transform a living space or just paint areas of your home that are often unexpected, their three trends – Altered, Conscious and Define – allow you to express who you are, while being good for our wellbeing at the same time. What to do this month... LISTEN Snoop around the homes of famous guests such as Vanessa Feltz, Vogue Williams, Scarlett Moffatt and more, via podcast…

When friends come over to check out my new home, they walk past the faux antique mirror I bought to jazz up my first flat when I was in my twenties and the pink sofa I bought to jazz up my first home in my thirties. The purple velvet chairs with gold legs, the treasured portrait of my dog: these are all things I bought over the years for various homes, and my friends have been made to admire them all. But now that I’m in the first (and hopefully the last) home I’ve moved into in my forties, I make them admire something else: I make them admire my storage. “Is this boring? A bit tragic? W ho cares? For the first time since having kids, I have a tidy…

HOME NOTES WHO LIVES HERE? Jessica Dunn, an interior designer (studiodunn.co.uk) and Harry Gayner, head of account management, live here with their children Bea, three, and Kit, three months. THE PROPERTY A renovated and extended Victorian terraced house in east London. THE VALUE The original four-bed house was bought for £790,000. Jessica and Harry had only just started dating when the search for what would become their family home began. Harry had been looking for a place to buy and with Jessica an interior designer, he was keen to have her opinion. ‘Before one of our first dinner dates he took me to look round a few houses,’ says Jessica. ‘This one had been on the market for a long time because of its state of disrepair.’ It had also been vacant for a year, and previously…

HOME NOTES WHO LIVES HERE? Elly MacDonald, founder of interior design studio Elly MacDonald Design (ellymacdonalddesign.com), and co-founder of artisanal homewares boutique Anserai (anserai.com), lives here. THE PROPERTY A two-bedroom apartment in a converted Victorian villa in Surbiton, Surrey. THE LAYOUT This 1,200sq ft apartment has a spacious hallway leading to a kitchen-diner and living room. The main bedroom suite is set a little apart, separated by the hall, which has plenty of storage and a built-in window seat. There’s a further bathroom and guest bedroom/office space. Having lived for five years in Singapore, in a rental apartment, Elly MacDonald returned to the UK to find a place she could call home. WHAT DID YOU LOVE ABOUT THIS PROPERTY? ‘I loved its high ceilings and large sash windows, and could see the scope to reinstate period features to create…