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Interview: Winner of The Great Interior Design Challenge

Some of you will have dropped in today to read an interview with Daniela Tasca York, the winner of BBC 2's The Great Interior Design Challenge. Some of you will have no idea who she is, won't have seen the programme and won't really care less. Which is why you should know that this isn't
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How To Plan The Perfect Kitchen

This kitchen was on my moodboard for my own. From digsdigs.com via pinterest At first it might seem overwhelming trying to plan the perfect kitchen, but the chances are you've already worked out what's annoying you about your current one, so you might as well use that as a starting point and begin by thinking
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Eight of the best … Sofa Beds

Even if you've got the space for a dedicated spare room, the chances are it has to double or triple up as a playroom, office, laundry, place-for-all-that-junk-you-never-got-round-to-finding-a-home-for. Which means that most of us haven't got room to have a bed sitting there waiting for a guest to just drop by. So we come to sofa
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Eight Of The Best Contemporary Shops Part I

Continuing the occasional mini-series on Good Shops That You Need To Know About, this week, Mad About The House turns its attention to the contemporary store. Obviously, this is just a taster rather than claiming to be an exhaustive list. But if retro and vintage isn't your bag or you like to mix the two
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365 Objects Of Design #18: Green Pan

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series These pans are great. Nice weight and easy to clean. In addition to that, they are coated in Thermalon, which is an eco alternative to non-stick and, interestingly, is stronger and can stand more heat than Teflon. The  (patented) non-stick coating is free from chemicals such as PTFE, has
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Mad About . . .Coffee Tables

CHALKBOARD COFFEE TABLE by Duffy London £245 www.hiddenartshop.co.uk The idea of painting a wall in blackboard paint in the kitchen is fairly ubiquitous now. I have moved on to the downstairs loo (which makes for interesting reading the morning after a dinner party) but this table is also a good idea. Yes, you can use
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365 Objects Of Design #6: Salter 1200 CD Style Scale and Clock

Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series I first came across these by chance but they are absolutely the best scales I have ever had. Firstly, it hangs on the wall, which frees up worktop space, which as we all know is vital in the kitchen, and by default, this means they don't have to live
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Design Classics #10: The Eames Hang It All

  Its brightly coloured lollipop balls grace many a hallway although they are often obscured by the coats they were created to hold. The Hang-It-All is a classic set of hooks by those masters of modernist design Mr and Mrs Eames. In the mid 1940s Charles and Ray began designing products for children, including their
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Design Classics #9: The PH Artichoke Light

  It has not escaped Design Classics' notice that there is a certain fascination with all things Danish at the moment. The jumpers, The Killing, Borgen, the interior design (that's Lego for the small ones) so in an attempt to blatantly jump on the bandwagon, we bring you the Artichoke Lamp. Designed by the Dane
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All The Shops And Sites You Need To Know

zoffany persian tulip wallpaper via madaboutthehouse.com
As a frequent contributor to The Independent's regular 50 Best features, I have been researching and discovering new places to shop for over ten years now. This directory aims to provide you with details of the ones that I think are the best. It will start off alphabetically because that is the easiest way to compile
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