Author: News Room

Vacuum cleaners come in so many different shapes and sizes, and with different power capabilities. But as there’s nothing more frustrating than a vacuum with poor suction (at least when it comes to your cleaning tasks), understanding how to tell how much suction a vacuum cleaner has can come in handy.Whether you’re looking to buy one of the best vacuum cleaners or your current vacuum has lost suction, these measurements can help you shop wisely. By knowing your air watts from your water lift, you can compare models, choose the right vacuum cleaner for your needs, and ensure that your…

Christmas cacti are famous for their beautiful blooms. This festive plant is a relatively easy houseplant to take care of, but that doesn’t mean problems can’t arise. One of the most common problems is Christmas cactus leaves turning red, but why does this happen?Caring for a Christmas cactus is one of the most important things you can do if you want to ensure your plant stays healthy over the festive period. The leaves of your cactus turning red is an indicator of stress – typically triggered by too much sunlight, extreme temperature changes, lack of nutrients, or underwatering.According to the…

We can’t get enough of open shelving in kitchens. Whether you want to showcase family photos in the heart of your home or you need a spot to house your favourite cookbooks for easy access, open shelving is the perfect way to add personality to a practical space.One kitchen trend we loved in 2024 was ‘shelf wealth’, which involves curating a selection of personal knick-knacks in a way that feels really lived-in and authentic. We’ve discovered one way to up the luxury ante for 2025 and this is by choosing a decadent stone (or stone-effect) shelf to display your trinkets…

Christmas trees that are on the sparser side tend to look quite sad and, dare I say, cheap. And very often, if it is a sparse-looking artificial Christmas tree, it’s likely a budget design that didn’t cost much. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t fix a sparse tree – on the contrary, as I just found the perfect hack that fixes this issue. And all you need is green tinsel!The best artificial Christmas trees are usually full and bushy as the branch tip count tends to be directly tied to their quality and price tag – the higher the…

Every year, popping your wreath on the front door is a sign Christmas is here. But Christmas wreaths aren’t just for the front door. We’ve seen them displayed spectacularly on walls both indoors and outdoors.However, while a large wreath can set you back over £100 a new hack using a hula hoop is doing the rounds on social media as an affordable alternative to this supersized Christmas wreath trend.There are viral videos all over social media documenting how hula hoops can be transformed into a gorgeous Christmas wreath. Creators entwine foliage around the hoop, fixing it in place with wire.…

Easily one of the most underrated components in a Christmas dinner, knowing exactly when to harvest leeks is key to adding plenty of depth and dimension to your festive feast this year.Anyone who has already learned how to grow leeks successfully will tell you that there’s a lot to love about these gorgeous vegetabls – these elegant alliums look every bit as good as they taste when they’re in the ground.So, when to get them out of the ground? Well, the general window for harvesting onions is late summer to early spring. The specifics, though, will largely depend on the…

Over the past two decades, preeminent gallery fair Design Miami has led the charge as a vital platform for the ever-evolving collectible design industry, one forged out of the vintage furniture sector and to complement the fine art market. As numerous proponents have noted, starting in the late 1990s, collectors began understanding the importance of not just showcasing static paintings and sculptures in their homes but rounding out these spaces with functional and semi-functional furnishings that, in many cases, carry the same level of meaning and craft-led experimentation. In the early days, this branch of an ever-expanding design industry, much like…

Finding the best cordless vacuum cleaner for your home and cleaning needs may take time and research, but the perfect model can make a huge difference to your day-to-day life. After all, cordless models initially started out as clunkier and ineffective versions of traditional vacuums, but many of today’s cordless vacuums are just as powerful as their corded counterparts.Some of the best vacuum cleaners are indeed corded, but I’ve tested more cordless vacuums deserving of a 5-star review than corded ones throughout my professional career. They offer the freedom to move from room to room and clean untethered from a…

The question of whether you should store cookbooks in a kitchen is one that has plagued the Ideal Home desk. In what we initially thought was a unanimous ‘yes’ turned out to actually be a controversial discussion that has forced us into two separate camps.Storing cookbooks in a kitchen makes a lot of sense when it comes to accessing recipes and making sure you don’t forget about your collection when cooking, but if you’re all about functionality and clutter-free cooking environments then it might not be the best move.Whether you’re for or against keeping cookbooks near your cooking space, you…

From a young age Icelandic product designer Theodóra Alfreðsdóttir knew she would follow an artistic path, and was particularly inspired after she watched the film Mrs. Doubtfire. Sally Field’s character, Miranda, a mother and interior designer, had beautiful sketches and fabric swatches that Alfreðsdóttir was fascinated by. When Alfreðsdóttir began seriously considering her options, she thought architecture might be more practical and started foundation studies with that in mind. As she learned about the field, though, she realized that she craved a faster-paced environment. Around this same time, conceptual product design was emerging in her native Iceland, and she made…