Pull up a pew with our 7 best chairs
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Elevenses coffee quiz and competition
Love your coffee like a barista loves their beans? To mark the ACHICA coffee machine promotion this Saturday 18 June 2011, with great names such as Delonghi (above), GAGGIA, Jura, Nespresso and Dualit, ACHICA Living has devised a quick and fun coffee quiz. Answer the questions at elevenses and keep your mind perky - you can enter our competition to win a Classic GAGGIA Espresso and Cappucino machine (below) worth £300 too...
How does your garden style grow?
Understandably, global warming gets blamed for a lot of nasty things. But as it brings with it slightly longer summers, it is also indirectly responsible for the rise in quality outdoor furniture on the high street. Back in the 1980s all you needed was a couple of plastic white deckchairs that stayed folded up in the shed and didn’t really open properly, because you only needed to bring them out once or twice a season. Nowadays, however, we’re eating, playing, and generally living outdoo...View more
Scents and sensibility
This week I have been mainly testing out beautiful bath and beauty ranges, in particular room diffusers, to see which ones I rate. When it comes to room diffusers it’s a question of how quickly they run out of oil (the more natural the oil the better) when you turn over the reeds, how strong the scent is, whether the scent is nice and natural or a bit overpowering and whether the room it is easily filled with the aroma.
Up and coming photographers rock!
When I was first approached to contribute to the ACHICA Living blog I was really excited! And then Editor Emily told me that I had to have my picture up there for all the world to see. ‘Just a great snapshot is all we need!’ she said. Easier said than done. I’m not what you would call photogenic and the thought of trawling through all my digital pictures to find a good shot was a little daunting, so I decided that the best thing to do (so all you readers out there think I look half decent in the flesh) was...View more
Is it cocktail o’clock again yet?
Here at ACHICA Living, we love a cocktail or two…we also love the iconic building that is Battersea Power Station, so when we were invited to enjoy a night of both, we couldn't resist RSVPing. Here’s what we got up to in a night dedicated to playing with our imagination and senses…
More chic, less shabby, please
So 'Shabby Chic' is back this coming season and House of Fraser is rocking the trend in a bold and brazen fashion. It happens to the best of trends - they'll always come back to haunt after a decade of trying to pretend they never happened. But this time round the look is less shabby and more chic and a natural continuation of the ubiquitous trend for vintage style. Think washed out pastels and faded neutrals in...View more
‘Floorboards are over’ says Cath Kidston
Wooden floorboards have been the most-craved aesthetic for years. In all their Scandiwegian charm they look great, smell great, and have that perfect feel of understated sophistication. What they don’t do, unfortunately, is feel warm and welcoming in our often drafty British climes. 'Floorboards are over,' says Cath Kidston - the Queen of all things comfortable and comforting. 'Yes, they look great, but they’re not nice to step out of bed on to. In my bedroom I’ve got a huge rug that g...View more
Designs to shape our future homes – take an exclusive look at Design Lab UK entries
Ever wondered how our future homes will function and what kind of gadgets they'll be filled with? When it comes to casting light on the subject, Electrolux Design Lab has some insight. Every year it holds a worldwide Design Lab competition and asks promising industrial design students to shape the future with innovative designs. As a result, the students have produced some ingenious ideas for gadgets such as a portable dishwa...View more
Win an AEG Ergorapido, so you have more time to watch Britain’s Got X Factor Apprentice Talent
To tie in with our exclusive showcase of UK Design Lab 2011 entries, ACHICA Living has teamed up with Electrolux to offer blog readers the chance to win a stylish AEG Ergorapido - a winner of the “red dot” Design Award - one of the most internationally acclaimed design competi...View more
