Are dining rooms redundant? 22 January, 2010
Posted by CandidaB in Candida's blog.Tags: chintz, Christmas, dining room, kitchen, open plan, redundant
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Image credit: Shutterstock
Can you remember the last time you sat in a dining room other than Christmas? I am hard pushed myself…
With living spaces becoming smaller by the minute, more and more of us are embracing open-plan living. After all, why waste precious space with walls?
This is bad news, however, for dining rooms, as the kitchen expands to accommodate cooking, eating, chatting, watching television and even working.
According to Halifax Home Insurance, the demise of the dining room has been long coming, with more than half a million dining room walls knocked through in the past year.
Kitchen and dining-room designer Johnny Grey sees the dividing line between those who are pro-dining room, and those who are not, as a lifestyle choice.
“In London, where there is a shortage of space and where the homes are more intensively used, most of our clients have abandoned dining rooms in favour of open-plan living. But our clients with country properties tend to persevere with a dining room, even if they only use it on special occasions.”
It seems to me, though, that the divide goes deeper than country vs. urban. Dining rooms belong to an era when formality was respected and nibbling on the sofa watching television was unheard of.
If you are lucky enough to still have a dining room and it needs a bit of sprucing up for 2010, we have hundreds of finds to suit any style.
And if you don’t have one, we want to know why!
Exclusive: All David Linley wants for Christmas 24 December, 2009
Posted by Annie Deakin in Annie's blog.Tags: book, children, Christmas, david linley, presents, princess margaret, star pieces, tree
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Image credit: David Linley
With days to go, David Linley is dreaming up his ideal Christmas. I caught up with him last week to quiz him… The furniture maker son of Princess Margaret has done his shopping at Daylesford Organic, is heading to the country for festivities and looking forward to unwrapping presents under the tree; he’s rather hopeful there might be a subscription to Country Life magazine. Earlier this month, Linley launched his new book Star Pieces – The Enduring Beauty of Spectacular Furniture.
Like most fathers, all Linley wants for Christmas is something handmade by his children. “They’re very inquisitive and creative.” He says of Charles, 10 and Margarita, 7. “I’d love something that my children have designed and made themselves.” And what do you know; the history of furniture design is repeating itself in the Linley household.
Chocolates on the guestroom pillow – tres chic or dead naff? 22 December, 2009
Posted by CandidaB in Candida's blog.Tags: chocolates, Christmas, entertaining, guests, room, slippers, valentine's day
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Here in the mydeco office we got chatting about entertaining guests this Christmas. Everyone is bursting with handy tips: fragrance their room with a festive candle, put fresh flowers on the dressing table, wake them up with a loving cuppa in the morning, invest in some his and hers slippers to keep feet toasty… the list goes on.
But one question divides us all: are chocolates on the pillow the final touch for glamorous hospitality, or too naff for words and best left for Valentine’s Day?
Image credit: Shutterstock
Tell us what you think and settle the dispute!
Last-minute present DIY 22 December, 2009
Posted by CandidaB in Candida's blog.Tags: charms, Christmas, diy, gingerbread, haberdashery, present, ribbon
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Last-minute Christmas panics are unavoidable. There’s always a present you have forgotten, or – in my case – misplaced straight after wrapping.
So if you need a last-minute idea or two, head for a craft store for a quick and easy DIY present. This weekend, I went to the haberdashery department at John Lewis and invested in some different coloured ribbons and a selection of silver-plated charms. Within a few minutes I had crafted a beautiful Indian-inspired bracelet that was personal, unique and didn’t break the bank.
Another great and quick present idea is to make gingerbread shapes, thread with colourful ribbon and decorate or personalise with icing. And the bonus is, you can eat them after.
It’s the thought that counts…
What to give the woman who has everything? 22 December, 2009
Posted by Annie Deakin in Annie's blog.Tags: chocolate truffles, Christmas, cooking, jamie oliver chocolate truffle, mother, present, snow
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Come Christmas, all any mother wants is something thoughtful, ideally home-made and inexpensive. But with my kindergarten years long behind me and my artistic efforts still shamefully puerile, such requests leave me rather stumped as to what to give at Christmas.
Image credit: Shutterstock
This year, I’ve got to hand it to my husband – last weekend, as the snow was tumbling down and the prospect of leaving home too chilling, he suggested we made chocolate truffles as Christmas presents. Thoughtful, pretty, more-ish… and close to my Scottish husband’s heart, they’re hog-whimperingly cheap.
Out came Jamie Oliver’s recipe for chocolate truffles, a foolproof for kitchen dummies like us – and hey presto, after much bowl licking and chocolate under our nails, we created 100 chocolate truffles. I asked advice from my (hilarious) old school friend Harriet who is such a whiz in the kitchen that the starry likes of Jemima Khan and Elton call on her for their parties. Her advice? Roll the chilled truffles in different coatings – chopped nuts, grated white chocolate, flakes of dark chocolate and speckles of milk chocolate.
Home-made, inexpensive and thoughtful? You’ve got it. Come Christmas Day, I expect to find my mother with chocolate all round her face.
It’s snowing – remember our snofa? 18 December, 2009
Posted by Annie Deakin in Annie's blog.Tags: Christmas, hyde park, snofa, snow, White, winter
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The mydeco team (or at least those not ’snowed in’ at home) are staring out of the window dreaming of a white Christmas. Not long to go now…
Cross your fingers and toes that it might just settle in London. Last year, we decided snowmen were old news and built London’s biggest snofa in Hyde Park. We froze our bottoms in the name of design – what do you think of our video?
The mydeco team try their hand at floristry 16 December, 2009
Posted by CandidaB in Candida's blog.Tags: Christmas, Christmas party, crafts, florist, wreath
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Image credit: mydeco
Yesterday we got well and truly festive at mydeco as our Christmas party kicked off with a class in wreath-making. Cocktail making was also on offer, but the betty homemakers among us (and there are a few) couldn’t resist the chance to make our very own Christmas wreaths.
The masterclass was led by Annabel, mydeco Senior Business Development Manager and florist extraordinaire, who had prepared the bases for us to decorate however we liked. She brought along a whole host of ingredients – essential basics such as pine cones, cinnamon sticks, eucalyptus and dried oranges, and a colourful selection of bright green and red butterflies and tiny feathered birds.
Panicking about the number of bright green butterflies on offer, I was ready to dive straight in and get creative. But it turns out that making a top-notch wreath requires careful planning. First, you have to consider whether it will be used for a door or as a table centrepiece – if it is the latter, you want more height. Then you must think of your colour scheme: traditional green and red, silver and gold, or – evidently a more male approach – anything you can get your hands on. Finally, individual decorations should be in odd numbers, as this (contrary to what you might think) maintains a balance – I was sceptical but it turns out this is in fact true.
After running us through these artistic considerations, Annabel stood by to offer advice to any confused florists, encouraging us to check out our neighbours’ designs and upping the ante with comments such as ‘wow, this end of the table looks great – they’ve got loads of height’ and ‘remember, the best three wreaths win a prize – oh no, scrap that, we forgot to buy the prizes.’
The end result was a rather messy office bustling with overexcited would-be florists, some very merry cocktail connoisseurs and the most stylish wreaths I’ve ever seen:
Image credit: mydeco
For more inspiration take a look at Annabel Kilner Flowers
Kirstie Allsopp – Dreaming of a homemade Christmas 11 December, 2009
Posted by kirstieallsopp in mydeco guest blogger.Tags: Christmas, craft, gifts, kirstie allsopp, kirstie's homemade christmas
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Hello everyone and welcome to the second instalment of my homemade Christmas blog for mydeco. As part of a Kirstie’s Homemade Homes Christmas special, I returned to Meadow Gate to create a spectacular handcrafted yuletide. In episode one I found the perfect Christmas tree, so Wednesday night’s show was dedicated to crafting some lovely presents to go underneath it.
Image credit: Channel 4
This year I wanted my gifts to be extra special (and an excuse to avoid the high-street), so I decided to call on some more of Devon’s finest craftspeople to prove that creating beautiful, handmade gifts is much easier than you might think. From stocking sewing to soap-making, there are many crafts that can easily mastered from the comfort of your own home. Here are my favourites:
1. Making your own soap:
Image credit: Channel 4
Whenever anybody asks me what I want for Christmas, my answer is always the same – smelly things! I always think it’s good to give presents that you would like to receive, so I was thrilled when Jenny Elesmore invited me to her shop for a lesson in soap-making. Unlike the mind-boggling list of chemicals that goes into big-brand soaps, Jenny uses only five high-quality ingredients to make hers, and you don’t need any fancy equipment: just a whisk, a plastic container and some rubber gloves will do it! Follow the link for a step by step guide to making homemade smellies good enough to eat.
2. Sewing a unique Christmas stocking
Image credit: Channel 4
It’s really important in our house that Father Christmas has something special to greet him as he comes down the chimney, so I jumped at the chance to learn how to make a homemade stocking with Mandy Shaw at Dandelion Designs. This isn’t the easiest of the crafts I’ve learned so far, but with the help of my step by step guide. Even those of you who aren’t masters with a needle should be able to make these quilted Christmas stockings. My visit also inspired Mandy to create some kit’s including everything you need to make a small stocking similar to the one I created. Order yours from the Dandelion Designs website.
3. Making delectable Boxing Day Chutney:
Image credit: Channel 4
A store-bought Christmas hamper always seems like a bit of a clichéd gift (not to mention a pricey one). Compiling your own is a much cheaper alternative, and will really show your loved ones that you’ve put time and effort into their present. No hamper is complete without a good chutney, so I turned to Victoria Cranfield: her Boxing Day Chutney won the Taste of the West Silver Award 2009, and will go really well with all your leftover meats on Christmas day. Best of all, it’s edible straight away – so you can cook it up on Christmas Eve as a last-minute gift. Click here to see Victoria’s recipe.
Watch out for my next blog – I’ll be bringing you the best tips from the final episode of Kirstie’s Homemade Christmas, when all of my preparations come together in the ultimate homemade Christmas party.
Kirstie Allsopp – Dreaming of a homemade Christmas 9 December, 2009
Posted by kirstieallsopp in mydeco guest blogger.Tags: Christmas, craft, Decorations, kirstie allsopp, kirstie's homemade christmas
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Hi everyone and welcome to my second blog for mydeco. Last night was the first part of Kirstie’s Homemade Christmas on Channel 4 – a three-part special in which I return to my original homemade home in Devonshire to create the perfect crafted yuletide.
Image credit: Channel 4
In last night’s episode, I showed you how to get your home ready for the festive season with the perfect handcrafted decorations. This gave me the chance to meet up with some of the artisans who helped me to transform Meadow Gate in series one – I got some great tips on cake decoration, picking the perfect Christmas tree and even glass bauble blowing!
For those of you who didn’t catch the show, don’t worry – for the next three days I’ll be posting a blog on mydeco with ideas for easy handmade decorations that even the most craft-challenged amongst you could manage!
1. Paper snowflakes
Image credit: Channel 4
Paper snowflakes are the ultimate credit crunch Christmas decoration – they cost next to nothing to make but are great fun to have a go at with the kids and look gorgeous, especially if hung in a window or against the dark green of a tree. Like most people, I used to make these at school, so as long as you can handle scissors, you can do this!
2. Popcorn garlands
Image credit: Channel 4
The kids will love making these – they’re super quick to do, cheap to make and can be eaten afterwards. You will need to supervise little ones with the needle, but the results are always great. The materials for a 1m long garland will cost about £1: just buy some yarn, popcorn and cranberries and start threading!
3.Easy to make wrapping and cards
Image credit: Channel 4
These Christmas gift wrap and card designs are so much fun for the kids to get involved in making. You don’t need any complicated kit to make them and they’re a great way to give your gifts a personal touch – ideal for giving to the grandparents! All you need to make these are some different coloured papers, paper gift bags, stiff white card and plenty of colourful glitter and ribbons to make your designs look festive.
In tonight’s episode, I show you some handmade alternatives to simply buying a gift on the high-street, then I demonstrate how to wrap them up in style! Catch it on Channel 4, 8pm.
Stay tuned for more of my tips for a crafty Christmas in tomorrow’s blog…
Climate Change: Go green with your gifts this Christmas 8 December, 2009
Posted by katiehodgkiss in Uncategorized.Tags: Christmas, copenhagen climate summit, eco-friendly, editor's pick, gift list, gifts for eco warriors, sustainable design
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Image credit: The Times
As I’m sure you are all know, operation Copenhagen is now officially under way – yesterday representatives of 192 countries began negotiations for a deal on climate change in the Danish capital. Proceedings so far have been standard: politicians are complaining about the lack of freebies and the struggle for global power seems to be taking precedent over concerns for the polar bears. Luckily here at the mydeco squabbles over ruling the world are rare occurrences, so we’ve got plenty of time to make sure that we do our bit to save the planet – one recycled vase at a time.
Thanks to our huge selection of gifts for eco-warriors, joining the green crusade this Christmas couldn’t be easier. We’ve hand-picked 50 of the most stylish, planet-friendly gifts on the market: from eco-efficient doll’s houses to these fabulously eccentric chicken doorstops, there’s something for everyone.
Our gift list proves that sustainable is no longer synonymous with style-free – many top designers are now jumping on the hybrid bandwagon. Take this beautiful frosted ammonite paperweight from our friend Kelly Hoppen: made entirely from recycled crystal, it’s a unique gift that easy on the eyes as well as the earth.
For more green gift ideas, have a look at our top 50 gifts for eco warriors.
