A place for everything! Imagine a fabulous storage solution like this from Hammonds.

Did you know it’s quite the norm to wear just 20% of your clothes 80% of the time? Which means the majority of items in your wardrobe hardly ever get used! Amazing isn’t it? Richard Hammonds, chairman of Hammonds Furniture has a wealth of knowledge on storage and we’re delighted that he’s sharing some of this with us.

Remember, we’re giving away a fabulous sliding wardrobe, courtesy of Hammonds, in a very exciting facebook competition. There’s still time to enter, so if you haven’t done so yet, do it now!

So, back to Richard, ‘When it comes to your wardrobe, it’s important to avoid cramming too many items onto a single rail. Not only does this make it harder to find what you need but it can also leave fabric creased and damaged. And don’t use your wardrobe to house old luggage, personal mementos, and everything else you can’t find a place for!’

So if you’re planning to declutter, you’re going to need a big sort out. ‘Take a good hard look at what you have. Does it still fit? Can it be altered? Will you ever wear it again?’ asks Richard.

‘Now organise your storage by grouping clothes and shoes into three categories: Spring/Summer, Autumn /Winter and Special Occasions. If you haven’t enough space, a great idea is to rotate your wardrobe seasonally, making sure you store out-of-season clothes away properly. This means they’ll need to be dry and clean with jewellery removed and pockets emptied. And remember to check on stored clothes regularly.

‘Now clean your shelves, drawers and cupboards thoroughly from top to bottom before putting back only those things that you know you are going to use.

‘Finally pack up everything that you don’t intend to keep and get it out of your home immediately! That way you won’t have second thoughts.’

Richard does have one more tip though. ‘It takes a bit of effort to keep things organised – if this doesn’t come naturally to you, set aside time every six months to declutter again.’

Fantastic advice. Now to the rest of your room. Get the walls looking fresh and bright following the advice from Dulux’s Marianne Shillingford that we shared in January. And at your windows? Roman blinds are a great choice for the bedroom. The soft fabric adds a cosy feel and they’re available with a blackout lining too – perfect for getting a great night’s sleep.

For a truly elegant look, take a look at our shutters. They’re ideal for the bedroom – a great way to stylishly block the light, although they will also filter it beautifully when the louvres are tilted.

And if you are looking for a luxurious feel, our gorgeous range of curtains could be for you.

The perfect backdrop for a vintage inspired room - Dulux Colour of the Year Fire Cracker 4 21/436.

All this week Marianne Shillingford, Design Director at the Dulux Design Service, has been offering her tips on detoxing your home.

Vintage is a key trend that’s been around for a while now and is set to continue to be popular over the coming seasons.

It’s a style that’s sure to appeal to the many hoarders out there – the perfect excuse for not only keeping all your old stuff but also displaying it around your room, stylishly of course!

But when it comes to vintage style, it’s important not to over clutter. By all means scour second hand shops for knick knacks and seek out family heirlooms but the trick is to not to take it too far. You don’t want your room to become a shrine to the past, or just look messy. Instead choose some key pieces – ones that you love or that have importance to you – and let these take centre stage. Then mix and match with up-to-date items to provide contrast and also a little modern comfort!

Explains Marianne: ‘Your home should tell the story of you. The beauty of hiring a Dulux interior designer is that they will work with you to help create a living scrapbook in your home. They can help you make the most of what you’ve already got and create a feature of the things that really matter, like collections of old toys, souvenirs from favourite places and pictures of the ones you love. They’ll suggest colours to uplift the look – perhaps the Dulux 2012 colour of the year on the walls to make this look, a fresh, fun and fabulous spin on ‘Vintage’ chic.’

Back to Hillarys and we’ve gorgeous vintage inspired fabrics within our Roman and Roller blind ranges. Elegant shutters would also look fantastic against this vibrant shade.

Remember, there’s still time to enter our facebook competition to win a design consultation from the Dulux Design Service.

Grand Designs Live is at the NEC, Birmingham from 7 - 9 October 2011

Grand Designs Live, the consumer show inspired by the popular Channel 4 programme, gets underway next week (7 – 9 October) at the NEC, Birmingham, and once again Hillarys will be there.

We love this show. It’s packed full with ideas for anyone who loves their home. Yes, there’s loads of advice and information for people planning a major project, such as a self-build home or a big extension, but there’s also ideas for new-look kitchens and bathrooms as well as plenty of inspiration for a room makeover and lots of lovely goodies to buy for your home too. There’s even cooking demonstrations, which we can’t resist!

Believe it or not, an incredible amount of work goes into getting our stand ready for the show. There’s a lot for visitors to see and we need to make sure we stand out and are generally inviting, interesting and appealing to the crowds. 

Planning begins months in advance with the stand build, which must make the most of the space we have so we can show off our products and explain our service in a clear and concise way.

Then it’s down to the really difficult bit. While the stand is being built we choose the fabrics that are going to take their spot in the limelight. With hundreds to choose from, this is a time-consuming task but an important one too, as we want visitors to get a good idea of the extent of our blinds collections.

But that’s not it. The blinds must be made, brochures and other display materials must be created and then it all needs to be collected and delivered to the NEC to be built, dressed and generally tweaked to perfection!

As well as our blinds, we’ll also be showing off our gorgeous shutters, which are experiencing huge popularity at the moment. It’s important we take the time to get this great product looking perfect. We want visitors to get a real feel of how they’ll look in their homes.

As well as viewing our blinds and shutters, visitors to our stand will also be able to receive expert advice from our experienced advisors who’ll be at the show every day. Yes, a team of Hillarys advisors will be there to listen to what you need and talk you through the range. And what better way to discover what happens during one of our home appointments than with a real-life advisor!

The show is on from Friday 7 until Sunday 9 October and you’ll find us on stand L408 in the ‘Grand Interiors’ section. If you’re planning on visiting please pop over and say hello. And if you fancy discounted tickets, you can save up to £8 off every ticket bought in advance by quoting our special exhibitor code.  Either call the ticket hotline on 0844 854 1348 or visit www.granddesignslive.com and quote EXHIB11.

We’ll see you there!

We're looking for an ideal location for our next shutters photo shoot

Last week, Mark Lucas, the product manager responsible for our very lovely shutters range, was on the hunt for locations for a photo shoot. We’ve a new range of shutters launching in the new year, which means we’re going to need lots of new photography very soon for all kinds of material. There’s the product presenter that our advisors take into the customers’ homes, brochures, our website, advertising and much more. 

Very often we build room sets in our photographer’s studio but increasingly we’re finding real homes to use instead. Here Mark explains why.

The benefits of using a real house

A big benefit of using real homes over purpose built sets is the cost. To build a set that looks real can be very expensive and then there are all the props that are required too. A good example is a kitchen. As you can imagine it is much cheaper to take a picture of a real kitchen in somebody’s home than to buy one and fit it into a set. But that’s not the only benefit. Using real homes gives our photography a more realistic feel, plus all the stuff that people have in their kitchen is already in place. It also allows us to add a little extra character to our photography – you can often find a location with features we wouldn’t have thought of when designing a set.

The X factor is important

What we’re looking for is a nice looking house with windows that will suit the product we’re planning to photograph. From a practical point of view we need a number of rooms so we can show the product in different environments, and the rooms need to be as plain as possible when it comes to décor. We don’t want the décor to overpower our products! We also need plenty of space for the camera and lighting.  What’s just as important though is for the house to have its very own ‘X’ factor.  It shouldn’t be too run of the mill. 

The role of our stylist

Finding suitable locations is down to our stylish. She’ll trawl the internet looking at websites that are set up to offer houses as locations for photo shoots and filming and make suggestions. Then I’ll look through these to see which ones are suitable. Before the photo shoot takes place we go and view the house in person so we can confirm it really is right for what we need. We also ensure we can get all the angles for the shots. We take the window measurements and a few reference pictures so we know everything’s going to work on the day.

We’ll let you know how it goes soon!

Here at Hillarys, you'll discover you're spoiled for choice, particularly if you decide to go for our premium basswood shutters. By selecting these products, you'll find that for the whole of July you can take advantage of our custom colour service – absolutely free.

You can't say fairer than that, can you? So come on down – or head online – and have a look at our custom colour offerings. You can choose from over 2,000 paint options so you have complete control over what your home will look like. If you want your shutters to match your living room walls, no problem. If you've found the perfect shade on a scrap of material and want to see it on some shutters, then Hillarys is the place for you.

Aside from providing you with this service free of charge throughout July, we'll also offer you our five-year Peace of Mind guarantee. If you have a problem with your shutters within 12 months, then we'll come over and either solve the issue right there and then, or arrange for you to receive a replacement product.

Our other shutter styles include tier on tier – where two sets are used in one frame, to allow even greater control over privacy and light – and cafe style, which will give your home a charming continental feel.

They fit to the bottom half of your window, which means light comes in and nosey neighbours' peeping eyes stay out.

However, there is one look that is impressing interior stylists and fashion designers this year and your homes could well be crying out for such a makeover. That's right, folks, you heard it here first – retro is back and it could be a lot of fun giving your house a truly vintage feel.

Alison Cork – a broadcaster, journalist and founder of ProblemSolved.co.uk – said this "nod to the past" aesthetic is being driven by the period of uncertainty that people have found themselves in now, what with the recession, job security and government cutbacks that could have an impact on their way of life.

So, to reassure themselves that everything will be A-OK, homeowners are looking to the past to find aspects of their history that they find comforting, she continued, referring to the "little rash" of TV programmes popping up here, there and everywhere that are also now looking at days gone by for inspiration.

"Maybe it's investigating country houses of the past or blitz time cooking, these are all series that have been on recently and they all reflect this need for people to seek some sort of comfort and reassurance from what's come before," Ms Cork explained.

As a result, she went on, the most likely interior design trend to crop up now and in the near future is a penchant for the retro and the vintage.

With that in mind, why not invest in some of the shutters we have here at Hillarys? They have a great, old-school feel about them and you're sure to find some that suit your house down to the ground. Why not check out our Western Red Cedar line? These come with an inherent stability and an oil finish that complements the natural character of the wood, leaving you with a look that is both beautiful and timeless. Perfect!

Some designers will no doubt stress how important it is to make sure your home doesn't look like it just fell off the set of That 70s Show by going overboard with the old-school and there are several ways people can inject a bit of throwback style in their properties without becoming stuck in the past.

Shutters, for example, are a great way of introducing a fresh new look and feel in a home. Here at Hillarys, we have a veritable cornucopia of products for you to leaf through and find the perfect ones for your house. Why not take a look at our wooden options, which come in hundreds of oil finishes and custom colours, as well as lovely designs such as Craftwood and Western Red Cedar. It could be just the finishing touch your house is crying out for.

If you choose our Western Red Cedar line, you'll find you've bought some very high quality shutters, with an inherent stability. The oil finish perfectly shows off the wood's natural character, so you're left with a look that is both timeless and beautiful to behold. Craftwood, meanwhile, is our most affordable product, made from low density fibreboard and is straight, strong and uniform – perfect for anyone with more simple tastes.

Shutters aside, there are other ways to make your homes retro and welcoming. Blog Become Gorgeous came up with some great ideas, such as using old letters and postcards to create works of art, or simply using stacks of old books to create an old-world feel. This can also be done with felt and lace to make collages, while egg baskets, butter dishes, enamel pots and tea and coffee jars will help make that kitchen an homage to all things vintage.

Luckily, a designer and the owner of an LA-based boutique has come up with a few ideas to help homeowners give their houses a bit of a retro kick, such as by using custom throw cushions made from vintage textiles.

Speaking to Shelterpop, Kishani Perera – whose shop Rummage is located on Beverly Boulevard – said these are particularly popular with her customers at the moment, as it is really hard to find unique cushions that don't cost a bomb and using them dotted about in living rooms and elsewhere is a simple way to alter the style of a house.

Other ideas include using mannequins and dress forms to make new and interesting lamps, with Ms Perera saying: "I've always thought they could be more functional instead of being just purely decorative. I put a large, old-school style light bulb in place of a head and voila! A fun floor lamp was born."

These funky lights could look great when placed in a living room with some traditional wooden shutters, just like the ones we have here at Hillarys. Ours come in several styles – from tier on tier and full height to tracked and cafe products – so you're sure to find the perfect window treatment for the look and feel of your home.

The cafe shutters, for example, could be great in a kitchen with a red and white colour scheme, lending to that cosmopolitan atmosphere perfectly. They are fitted to the bottom half of a window, which means the light is let in yet privacy is still afforded at the same time.

Even the government has recognised this as an alarming trend. In March, an early day motion was put forward by Annette Brook – signed by 17 other MPs – calling on the Commons to recognise the importance of eating together more often and the need to keep technology away from the dinner table.

And Bisto – famed for its delicious gravy – also recently launched its Power Down for Dinner campaign, making use of Facebook. People about to enjoy a meal with their loved ones can click on a button on the Bisto site that posts a message on their Facebook page, saying: "Do not disturb: I'm having a family meal!" A countdown clock of one hour then appears, with instructions to stay away from the phone for 60 minutes.

However, there are other ways to encourage family members to sit down together at the end of a long day to chat, laugh and generally make merry. The most obvious perhaps – aside from cooking yummy food all the time – is to create a warm, inviting environment in the kitchen and one interior design trend for 2011 is 1950s retro.

Anita Kaushal – an interior stylist – recently said that vintage will be all the rage over the next couple of years, with homeowners increasingly seeing the kitchen as the social hub of a house.

"[It] is now becoming the place where people gather," she remarked. "It used to be the living room, but [now that's moved to] the kitchen island."

Inspiration could be found by contacting the Retro Kitchen Company, which combines cabinetry and design to create handmade fixtures for this particular living space – all with a bit of a nostalgic feel.

Go for rosebud pinks, pale greens and lots of checks when it comes to choosing your retro colour palette – and don't forget to install a few wood shutters and blinds to perfect the look of your charming, vintage kitchen.

Shutters, for example, are one particularly French trend that has made its way successfully to the UK, a style that can be seen up and down the country, in both town and country houses.

However, it appears that while properties are increasingly being adorned in such a fashion, Brits are staying true to their stereotypically reserved roots and leaving their window treatments relatively traditional.

Not for them the reds, yellows and blues that can be seen in on the fronts of French gites as people travel through the country. But this could all soon change, thanks to us here at Hillarys, as we now offer a custom colour service that could revolutionise the way people style their homes.

Just find your favourite shade of Farrow, Dulux or Ball paint, bring it on down to us and we'll provide you with some lovely new shutters that will make you the envy of the entire street.

This could even inspire you to try out custom colouring in other parts of the house. Got an old white chair you were considering giving to the jumble sale? What about those tired curtains that have needed a wash for years? And don't forget that kitchen table – who wants to eat off a mucky brown surface?

Give them all a new lease of life and match them with your shutters – you could have a running theme moving from the outside of your home to the inside. Delightful!