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Looks good on paper: Trompes l'oeil, tartans, skulls...the return of wallpaper is complete, with subtly outrageous designs to suit all pastes

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

The trends that influence the way we decorate our homes may move at a less frenetic pace than those that influence our clothing but, if anything, that makes them all the more pervasive. While most of us are fairly forgiving of individuals' sartorial eccentricities (it doesn't do to be too slavishly fashionable, after all), when it comes to other people's houses there is often frighteningly little mercy in our condemnation of anything that runs against the grain of collective contemporary taste. An avocado bath suite, for example, dusty fake flowers, or co-ordinated leopard-print soft furnishings are all more or less guaranteed to elicit snooty grimaces.

Nicky, darling: Deborah Ross pins down Nicky Haslam, Britain's busiest social butterfly

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

When I first call Nicky Haslam, the interior designer and fervent man-about-town, to arrange a meeting he says: "Shall we do dinner at The Wolseley?" "Yes, please," I say, "great." He then calls back and says: "I've booked, dinner at nine." "Great," I repeat, even though what I'm actually thinking is: nine? Nine? Heavens to Betsy, who on earth has dinner at nine? Seriously, this is my first thought. This is how old and boring and fusty and stay-at-home and washed-up I am. Heavens to Betsy, I even say "Heavens to Betsy" which no-one in their right mind says anymore. But nine? Who does go to dinner at nine? Only young people, I initially suppose, and Nicky Haslam, who is 70, but works so tirelessly at being young that it would be unspeakably cruel to exclude him.

Have a bauble this Christmas

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:37:48 GMT

Today is a momentous day for baubles. The world's most expensive bauble, worth a cool £83,000 and peppered with 1,500 diamonds, will be unveiled this evening. The glittering sphere, which was made in a Hampshire village, is a sparkling indicator of how baubles have evolved over the years. Not so long ago, families chose to string up apples and nuts on their Christmas tree branches but the bestsellers of today show how times have changed.

Digital Forming: Off-the-shelf homeware

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

How often have you nearly bought something for your house or flat but held back because it's just slightly the wrong colour, or too big for the space? Or would you have had it if it was slightly more rounded? Well, now, thanks to a revolutionary new technology, you can redesign it yourself.

Is the skull trend dead or alive?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:03:36 GMT

Once relegated to heavy metal fans and bikers, the skull motif has truly nestled into the homes of the British middle classes. Ever since 2006, when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest kicked off this disturbing skull trend, the macabre motif has run riot in fashion and the home. At the time, critics deemed the trend a fad but three years later, skulls remain a hot theme in the design world.

The ten best cushions

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:00:29 GMT

Chosen by Isabel Buchanan

Death of an estate agent

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:05:40 GMT

It's no secret that estate agents, alongside journalists and politicians, are among the most hated professionals. So it will come as good news to many that the extinction of the high street estate agent is looming. A new website founded by TV presenter Sarah Beeny lets vendors advertise and sell their homes online without the intervention of estate agents.

Ikea: Flat pack and fabulous

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Love it or hate it, there can’t be many of us who haven’t embarked on a trip round that winding yellow brick road in search of some cheap furniture from Sweden. This month Ikea is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Billy bookcase, a plain – some say bland – set of shelves that has been designed to hold books. That’s what it’s for and that’s what it does.

French twist: How one couple brought a touch of the avant-garde to the Languedoc

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Arnaud serpollet has lived in the same house in Uzès in southern France since he was a child. Today, he and his wife Valerie, both antiques dealers, live and work from this remote rural setting – and have transformed the interior of their ancient barn in the Languedoc almost beyond recognition.

Flock it

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:46:08 GMT

The arrival of colder months brings with it a revival of velvet, both in the wardrobe and in the home. Recent catwalk shows for Gucci and Christopher Kane were awash with the furry stuff and the more fashionable of interior designers like Barbara Hulanicki are plastering flock on their walls.

Home interiors: The exhibitionist's shopping list

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The ten best power tools

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:00:29 GMT

Chosen by Holly Williams

BILLY bookcase goes bling

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:02:51 GMT

It's quite extraordinary the amount of air time and enthusiasm garnered by IKEA's self assembly BILLY bookcase which celebrates its 30th birthday this month. More than 41 million people all over the world (including myself) have bought the ubiquitous bookcase designed by the fourth employee for IKEA in 1979.

The tiling style files

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The decorative joy of tiles is often overlooked in favour of their basic practicality, but if your bathroom or kitchen is looking tired or a vision in white, then using tiles as a decorative touch is a great way to add a unique and dramatic look.

Sitting pretty: Meet the men making designer furniture affordable

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The world of furniture design is built around the same line of division one finds in fashion. On one side are the creations of virtuoso designers, whose unique vision comes with an eye-wateringly expensive price tag. On the other are the mass-market pieces with which those of us with shallower pockets furnish our homes – less expensive and, sadly, often less inspiring.

The 50 best lights

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:32 GMT

Bigger the better at London Design Festival

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:26 GMT

In just a few days time, London will resemble Disney World with a giant chess set overtaking Trafalgar Square and a cardboard tower perching beside a colourful monster mushroom on Southbank. The London Design Festival, which starts on 19 September, has commissioned giant installations in public spaces to allow the general public to get a slice of the action. The festival is for everyone, not just industry visitors of the trade shows.

The modern way: The beauty and diversity of some of the country's finest contemporary homes are celebrated in a new book

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The ultimate deck of cards

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:00:47 GMT

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down," snarled the big bad wolf to the three little pigs. It's not just pink piglets that live in fear; to have your home ripped away from you is an increasing concern in Britain as more houses are being repossessed because of the struggling property market. This month, famous names have contributed art to the homeless charity Shelter's House of Cards campaign to raise awareness of our country's housing crisis.

Steuart Padwick the brand

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:06:05 GMT

"People keep sniffing a few green shoots so perhaps the end of the recession is in sight," says furniture designer Steuart Padwick who founded designbar.com, the leading industry online directory. London Design Festival (LDF) which opens in just a few weeks - and where Padwick will unveil a new collection - will be a strong indicator as to the industry's future.

Eighties resurrected

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:15:41 GMT

Time is a great healer, or so we thought. Just when we believed the style aberrations of the Eighties had been cast aside, long forgotten and forgiven, the trend pioneers felt the urge to revisit the bad taste era. Whether you condone the Eighties renaissance or not, this season’s new Autumn/Winter collections - both in fashion and the home - revisit the era. Interior ghosts like neon tables, furry phones, glitter cushions and shagpile carpets from decades past have returned to haunt us.

Win tickets to Glasgow's Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibtion

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:32:34 GMT

The Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition returns to Glasgow’s SECC for its fifth year having established itself as one of the leading interiors events in the UK.

Win a tickets to Glasgow's Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibtion

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:32:34 GMT

The Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition returns to Glasgow’s SECC for its fifth year having established itself as one of the leading interiors event in the UK.

Word on the street: Ben de Lisi is a home maker

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:15:12 GMT

With the property market still deep in confusion, estate agents are going that extra length to lure in clients. Grosvenor Estates, the property group owned by the Duke of Westminster, has recently teamed up with famous fashion designer Ben de Lisi to entice the big spenders. De Lisi, best known for dressing celebrities on the red carpet, has re-modelled one of their rental properties which will be "launched" on 9 September.

A fine spread

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:13:09 GMT