One small seed – stylishly displayed plants can have a dramatic impact upon your home

One small seed – stylishly displayed plants can have a dramatic impact upon your home

For the next few weeks we’ll be encouraging you all to get detoxing your homes. A general declutter, tidy and brighten up that will not only improve the look of your home but will benefit the way you feel about spending time their too.

We’ve recruited some experts to offer their tips to help you. And today, Marianne Shillingford, Design Director at the Dulux Design Service will be sharing her ideas for injecting some living colour into your home, in the form of house plants!

Says Marianne, ‘Fill your home with living decoration that literally helps you to breathe and sleep more easily. Nurturing and talking to your ornaments is much more enjoyable and relaxing than dusting them too.

‘A Dulux interior designer can help you with interior decoration, furniture and pots to show off the foliage. Try simple pots against soft warm organic colours and pure white furniture.’

To finish the look consider our wood venetian blinds in a natural finish or painted white. Stylish tape that co-ordinates or contrasts with the slat adds an extra dash of luxury – your Hillarys advisor will be able to offer advice on getting a look that’s great for your home.

Visit our facebook page now to enter our competition to win a design consultation from the Dulux Design Service.

There's loads you can do to personlise your blind, such as adding beading as we have done here.

If there’s just one thing we can take away from the current trend for vintage style, it’s that today’s interiors are all unique and individual. No longer is there one look that everyone aspires to or one ‘must-have’ piece of furniture that sells out no sooner than it arrives in the shops. Not at all. Instead our homes are much more individual than they’ve been for a long time. We’re actually scouring flea markets, antique fairs and charity shops on the lookout for unusual items and when we find them we’re adding our own touch by painting them or with accessories.

We’re really pleased that our range of blinds reflects this trend for personalisation. Did you know we have more than 850 blind fabrics to choose from? But that’s not all. There are so many individual touches that can be made, which extends the range even further. So you can be sure there won’t be thousands of homes around the country with exactly the same windows as you.

Fancy a shapely bottom?

If a straight bottom edge is a little straight laced for you, take a look at the shaped bottoms available in our Roller blinds range. Two also come with poles. As well as these there are eyelets, pulls and braids including a lovely beaded range that adds a sparkle. With such a choice there are loads of possibilities for your windows.

How about a sparkly Roman?

Beaded braids are available on our Roman blinds too in a range of colours designed to co-ordinate with the fabrics beautifully.

Wood you believe it!

Gone are the days when having wood venetians at your windows meant choosing from a range of natural stains. Now we offer painted shades and colour washes in distressed whites, sophisticated greys and comforting creams. Plus tapes for an extra dash of luxury and metal pulls if you prefer too.

Let’s mix things up a little

Our new Harmony blinds cleverly combine a wood valance and bottom rail with a venetian blind slat and they are finished very neatly with stylish tape, usually reserved for our wood venetian blinds only. 14 co-ordinating and contrasting variations are available to create a practical yet unusual and elegant blind for your home.

Get the layered look

More than one blind at a window can be a practical choice, especially if one is a blackout blind. But combining two blinds at one window can look super-stylish too and it’s completely up to you to decide the combination you prefer.

So be inspired to try something a little unusual at your windows. There are so many options, it shouldn’t be hard to find something unique.

We have recently added to our selection so that you can now browse a total of 17 brand new colours when it comes to picking your perfect window cover.

The company is proud to move with the times and aims to evolve at whatever pace the market dictates. Our blinds experts are only too aware that style and trends can change in a short period of time, so being ready to provide you with the most beautiful blinds at the touch of a button is a must.

When choosing from the Venetians range, you will notice not only the 17 new shades that the blinds come in, but also the extra-wide slat we have recently made a feature of many of our products.

We believe this brings the very best to your home on both a practical and aesthetic level.

Should you feel the wooden Venetians are not quite what you are looking for, there is no need to be concerned as we also have the new Wood Illusions, Family Favourites and Rollers collections to choose from – all of which are new for summer 2011.

By buying from Hillarys, you can ensure you keep up with all the latest high street fashions and the very best looks from interior design magazines.

If a current design is not to your liking then you will not have long to wait for a fresh and innovative look to emerge, as we pride ourselves on our ability to continually update our product range.

And it is not only Hillarys designers that are busy all-year round. We also take the time to ensure we are always using the very best materials and fabrics the industry has to offer.

If you want to add a sense of timeless style to your kitchen, bathroom or front parlour, this type of decor can be exactly what you need.

But nobody needs reminding that we're living in tough times these days, with rising costs and limited wage growth meaning not everybody has as much cash to spend as they once did.

With that in mind, you could easily be tempted to put plans to revamp your home to one side and wait until the economy is over its current hardships.

However, you could be waiting a long time – depending on which financial experts you listen to.

So instead of sitting back and waiting for events and circumstances to suit you, why not take a second look at your home improvement plans and consider how they can be made less expensive.

For instance, if you have your heart set on wood venetian blinds, there is no reason you can't settle for a more affordable compromise.

Wood effect venetians look just as good as the real deal but come with a few notable advantages.

For instance, they are very practical and durable – good news if you have little children or students living in the house.

Furthermore, wood effect venetian blinds are very simple to clean, so you don't have to fork out for costly wood polish in order to keep your blinds looking spick and span.

The recession and slow recovery has certainly led to many people being more imaginative when it comes to managing their money.

So by trimming costs in this way, you can still make sure you live in a home that is exactly how you want it.
 

With that in mind, it might certainly be worth looking at sprucing up the interior of your living space and seeing what options are available.

Hillarys Blinds is launching a new range of wood venetians this month, so why not spend a little time considering the various advantages of this decorating choice?

Perhaps one of the best things about them is that the fact they give you plenty of privacy at home without forcing you to block out the light.

Indeed, you can pick from different slat sizes depending on the size of your windows to ensure plenty of natural light can get into your living room, without letting all and sundry take a sneaky peek inside.

Added to that is the simple fact they look great, as their classic appearance ensure they work for just about everyone.

A young homeowner need not worry about looking stuffy or out of date, even if their grandparents have the same blinds up in their front room!

Some people may be concerned that wood venetian blinds are a bit limited when it comes to picking the right colour.

However, a wide variety of options are available, including some painted blinds and a selection of natural wood shades.

And of course each set of blinds will be unique in their own way, as they all boast their own individual and distinctive wood grains and shades – surely another good way to put your stamp on a living space.

Don't forget that wood can be equally good for other purposes, such as in furniture and floors.

Using this natural and sustainable material can say a lot about your green credentials as well as your sense of domestic style.

With numerous experts noting that people are putting major home improvement projects to one side due to these tough times, buying a new set of wood venetian blinds could also be a cheap and cheerful way to ring the changes in your household.

Kevin McCloud, designer, author and TV presenter – well known for his work on Grand Designs – recently claimed that those with a vision for their property are often personally invested in the endeavour.

However, he suggested that failures to achieve the end goals of a project can be frustrating, although he stated that there are few outright disasters and issues tend to turn in to a compromise.

"You have to figure out which of the battles you're prepared to lose, which of the battles don't matter, and which do so you can win the war. That struggle is really important," he explained.

McCloud went on to suggest that "human ingenuity" often saves householders from interior design troubles and claimed that compromise is a staple of any home improvement project.

If you're after more tips from the experts, then you still have time to attend this year's Grand Designs Live London show, which runs at ExCel London until May 8th.
 

An item of antique furniture or craft art could be a great option and householders seeking such products have recently been pointed towards Harrogate.

A representative for the Victorian spa town's Tourism Team claimed that many homeowners are attracted to the destination due to its status as "Antiques Centre of the North".

They also pointed to the "busy calendar" for antiques, with events, expos and fairs running throughout the year.

"Collectors will not be disappointed with the range of antique shops and dealers," said the representative.

The wide range of niche products on offer was also highlighted, with particular emphasis placed on the colourful ceramics, fine art and "timeless" items of vintage furniture.

Last month, Harrogate's tourism team promoted the "stylish" arcades, chic boutiques and high street names boasted by the town.
 

Interior designer Julia Kendell, who stars on the BBC's DIY SOS show, spoke to the Daily Record to advise property owners to use some easy techniques to spruce up the bathroom.

She said that old tiles can be reinvigorated by taking some high quality paint and going over them, which can save a timely and costly removal and restoration job.

Although the paints used to be of poor quality and likely to peel, manufacturers have improved the product a lot in the last few years and now the paints offer a professional looking finish.

"Make sure the tiles are really clean and dry, then paint over them using a short-pile roller. A couple of coats can really improve a dull, dark bathroom," Ms Kendell recommended.

iVillage.co.uk recently advised homeowners to think about going with green when redecorating the house, as it can offer an evocation of nature.
 

According to Ideal Home magazine, the Conserve Socket allows homeowners to set a timer on their plug sockets, meaning that electrical items usually left on standby will turn off completely after a designated duration.

"It also makes the home safer by shutting down the power to items that are easy to leave on, like irons or hair straighteners," the publication added.

The Belkin Conserve Valet was also recommended, as it charges mobile phones in a smart way, making sure that the devices are fully charged before switching off the power to preserve energy.

Ian Reilly, business development manager at Beyond Building Solar, recently said that, despite the unreliability of British weather, solar panels are still a worthwhile investment as they pick up sun rays coming through clouds.
 

A Zawya.com guide to style consulted the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) on its top tips for revamping a room this year.

It spoke to Cheryl Durst, executive vice president of the IIDA, who claimed the international design community will embrace "integrated solutions" over the next decade.

The organisation also claimed that environmental issues will come to the forefront, particularly where commercial properties are concerned.

"More than 70 per cent of design projects incorporate some level of sustainable practice to minimise the negative impact to the earth and that number is expected to increase," said the IIDA.

In a recent article for the Hindu, Riya Datson predicted that minimalist interior design and the creation of open spaces will be a staple of renovations in 2011.