If your garden is looking lifeless and in need of a lift, check out your garden centre for evergreen leaves to liven up the proceedings. Go for a range of different colours, textures and shapes for dazzling displays that will add winter sparkle, even in the depths of a freezing February.
When the winter blues start to hit in dark and dreary November I reach for my spade and think of spring. This may sound weird but it’s the best time to plant tulip bulbs and although they don’t look like much right now, pop them in a pot or in the ground and you’ll be rewarded with a blaze of colour next April and May. Buy your bulbs from specialists like Peter Nyssen, who offers a great choice and is very good value for money, or just go along to you...View more
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
The Spirit of Summer Fair 2011 in association with House & Garden kicked off yesterday in sunny Olympia. It's a lovely place to go to get ideas for your home and garden and generally mooch around cooing at stuff to put on your 'things that aren't useful but are beautiful' wishlist. I didn't get a chance to hang around and see Jeffrey Archer host the London Ladies Club Celebrity Hat Auction (no comment), but I did get a chance to amble around and make note of the latest...View more
Make a date in your diary for boutique shopping event Spirit of Summer Fair 2011 in association with House & Garden, from 11-14 May. It’s a great place to find gorgeous inspiration and ideas for your home, garden and summer living and ACHICA Living has 10 pairs of tickets to give away to lucky readers, worth £15 each!
This is the year I'll grow my own. I don't mind what I help 'survive' under my 'care' - a radish, a strawberry, even a lettuce (I have a garden and some soil - how hard can it be?). I'm determined to keep this resolution, which is one of the five I made at 2pm on New Year's Day (two of which were broken by 2.30pm, Cadbury's Milk Tray and a flute of Tesco's Finest special offer Prosecco in hand). But, I'll need a good kit to get me set up and inspired and Garden Trading has just the a...View more
No fireplace in your home you say? Pah. With or without an inglenook, a Kindling Wood Bucket from Garden Trading looks good in every home and comes in rather handy too. Fill it with wood, fill it with flowers, fill it with Christmas presents, fill it with jelly beans! Yum.
Last week, ACHICA Living attended a Homes4Media event at the rather glam 24London club, where all the movers and shakers of the homewares world came together. We ate...mini spring rolls, smoked salmon blinis and spiced chicken skewers, washed down with vino and cocktails. We saw...the lovely ladies from Homes & Bargains, browsed the stan...View more
Emily Peck
Emily is the Founding Editor of the blog. Her experience includes writing and styling for Grand Designs, Stuff, Real Homes, Ideal Home, Woman&Home, Wired UK, C4 and the BBC.
Pip McCormac
Guest Editor Pip is the Commissioning Lifestyle Editor for The Sunday Times Style magazine. He's also written for Stylist, Elle Decoration and StyleJunkee.
Emma Morton Turner
Guest Editor Emma has written and styled for Woman&Home, Style At Home, Feel Good Food, Woman and Ideal Home to name a few. She's also fab at making stunning cakes!
David Nicholls
Guest Editor David holds the position of Design Editor at Telegraph Magazine, sourcing stunning homes around the world and reporting back with the best designs from high street to high end.
Zia Allaway
Guest Editor Zia is a gardening expert, author of books including How to Grow Practically Everything and editor of Beautiful Gardens magazine. She also contributes to Homes and Gardens and The Garden Design Journal.
Katie Treggiden
Guest Editor Katie writes award-winning design blog, Confessions of a design geek, and is the author of design book Interviews. She's also a regular contributor to We Heart, Heart Home Magazine and Design Milk.
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